Dear friends and family,
this past year has been a tremendous one indeed! There were many amazing and beautiful moments and experiences. We had so much fun during summer traveling Croatia. However, the part that stood out the most and is the most precious to us was our personal growth into Christ. He has challenged us in the kindest ways with so much love and compassion. Oh Lord, we say YES to you, to your love, and we want to say:
"I love You, O Lord, my strength!
The LORD is my rock ad my fortress and my deliverer,
My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge;
My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold."
(Psalm 18)
We came back to Germany and our daily routine at home continued on smoothly. Harry was busy at work, and so was I. By now, Junia and I are almost through the Croatian alphabet in home schooling. She is able to read and write pretty well already and is a great learner. Amos is talking more and more, and actually we understand most of it now, which helps a lot. He is also slowly moving from diapers to potty.
During fall break we actually went to the school retreat as a whole family, with Harry being the leader. They were short of one bus driver so I filled in this position. We went to beautiful Hoefgen and it was a very special time for us. Not just because it is the part of Germany Harry's heart calls home, since he grew up there. But it was also very amazing to experience Harry as the wonderfully gifted leader he is, and very nice to connect with the young people. The children had a blast as well and were absolutely adored by everyone.
As fall progressed we were quite clear about the next adventure God is going to take us on. As of July 6th 2020 we will fly to New Zealand to be part of a Christian community for nine months. We want to expose ourselves to communal living to experience healthy spiritual growth and learn new spiritual and practical skills we hope to use in Croatia. The community was founded about 25 years ago and we know two of the founders through a missionary here (they are her parents), amazing people one can really learn from and look up to! They are living according to the first church standards and are earning money by farming and selling their raw milk and organic produce in their shop. They also run a home schooling cooperative on their grounds with the ACE program and are sending missionaries out into the world, with the Solomon Islands being one of their main focuses right now. We are looking very much forward to this time!
On July 3rd we will travel to a Mueller family gathering and from there we continue our travels to the airport on July 5th. Our plane goes off from Frankfurt am Main to Taipei, Taiwan on July 6th around 11 am. We will fly for about 12 hours and then have half a day of rest there before continuing on another 12 hours or so towards Auckland, NZ. Until then we need to sell some things, organize a place where we can put our stuff for the time we will be in NZ and so on. Then, in 2021, we hope and pray that the Lord has shown us where to move to within Croatia and that He provides for us financially, too. Thinking of letting go of financial control is somewhat scary, but at the same time so liberating! We are encouraged by scripture and so many amazing stories of fellow Jesus people who jumped into the lake and experienced a lot of blessings. Furthermore, we will also need to figure out what to do with the schooling of our kids, since we are not big fans of the standard school system, but homeschooling is technically not really legal in Croatia and I do not feel qualified enough with the language to teach stuff to my kids. After all, I never went to Croatian school myself, but managed to learn reading and writing in Croatian somehow along the way.
Anyway, that's still a ways down the road. Despite any plans, or dreams, hopes, goals, we should never forget that our real and most important place should be beside Jesus' feet before the throne of our Creator Father. Nothing is more important than being in the presence of our Lord and Savior, who loves us more than we can ever imagine.
Two movies we watched recently that have a big impact on us spiritually are
Christ in You (for rent or sale on vimeo) and Reformation, the New Beginning (on youtube, free). Absolutely recommended! We have also read books on the gift of tongues, healing and hearing Gods voice by a man from Switzerland, as we desire to be witnesses of the FULL gospel of Christ to the people around us, which includes healings, miracles, deliverance from evil spirits, and the whole palette of the gifts and fruits of the Spirit. Part of God's grace towards us last year is that He helped us grow into some of these gifts and callings He has for us. It is a very exciting journey for us! We realize more and more that no titles and schooling can replace any of this. They do not make us "qualified" for God's work, but first, His own precious blood He sacrificed, and, second, to be constantly filled with the Spirit by enjoying time in Jesus' presence. This alone should be the only solid ground we build our life on.
May He bless you and fill your life with His presence and Shalom!
