Pursuing HIM

It has been a joy re-connecting with family, friends and U.S. culture (and food!) over the last few weeks.  I feel blessed to have so many people in my life that love me unconditionally.  My heart has been encouraged.  Now that the initial "welcome home" meetings are over, many are beginning to ask - "What's next?"  This is a great question, and I truly, TRULY wish I had the answer.  I know that God will reveal His will in His perfect timing, so for now we are simply spending each day pursuing Him.  Jeremiah 29:13 says, "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart" Psalm 9:10 says, "Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you."  Deuteronomy 4:29 says, "But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul."  These are the verses that we are hiding in our hearts and claiming as promises today.  We know that in proclaiming His goodness and trusting in His plan, we will always be in His perfect will for our lives. Matt often quotes his childhood pastor by claiming,  "We cannot possess what we do not pursue!".  Meaning in this situation: We desire to possess the knowledge of which country God has for us; therefore, if we actively pursue this knowledge, we can trust that He will reveal it to us.  Several years ago, I watched for the first time the Will Smith movie, The Pursuit of HAPPYness.  Although, some would claim that the emphasis of this film is on materialism and finding a "place in society".  At this time in my life, I am choosing to be encouraged through this movie to "not give up" despite life's circumstances.  I pray that if you are facing a time in your life when you are either not seeing God move or questioning His plans for you, that you will be encouraged today to continue seeking Him.  Keep Pursing!  AT  

Freedom in HIM

This year the 4th of July was celebrated, quite unexpectedly, with our feet on American soil.  Yes, we were planning to return to the U.S. this fall for a 4 month Stateside assignment; however, on June 29th at 5:30 pm we received word that we needed to be out of country no later than the Wednesday of the coming week. (Independence Day!)  This left us 4 days to pack our entire house; get our affairs in order (not knowing if we would ever be able to return); prepare to be in the U.S. at least 6 months; prepare to possibly go to a temporary country after that; and begin thinking about the possibility of needing to move on to another country of service.   No, we were not totally taken off guard.  There have been some surrounding circumstances, but the weight of it all was/is still hard to stand up under at times.  We cried a lot, stared blankly into bare rooms as things were packed, laughed at our crazy packing methods; and of course, did a lot of praying that the Father would give us wisdom and strength.  I am sure we will spend the next couple of months over eating; re-connecting with friends; loving on family; and prayerfully processing much of what we have been through.  Yes, our "rights" have been taken in Turkey, but we are trusting the Father to lead us over the next 6 months in the U.S. and remind us of the wonderful freedom we have in HIM.  We really desire to connect with all of you.  Please feel free to contact us.  We are happy to plan times to meet with you personally as well as share with your small groups and/or churches.  AT