 |
| Adding an new critter to our ZOO! The kids had "animal themes" at birth that they continue to enjoy as they've gotten older. This baby will be a Koala. |
 |
| How I told my family.. Grandkids #9, #10 and #11 for my parents. Lauren is 8 months pregnant here, Lindsey is 4 months along, and I'm barely a month. |
click here to go back to the Cliff notes
click here to go to the long form 'epistle' for the rest of the update
Our friends, who had graciously allowed us to stay with them for an extra 4 months, were needing their space back and we needed to find temporary housing for the rest of 2021. Thankfully DOOR had connections with DIU (Dallas International University, a partner with SIL - Summer Institute of Linguistics) and we were able to secure missionary housing for August to December.
click here to go back to the Cliff notes
click here to go to the long form 'epistle' for the rest of the update
Both were jobs that had been brought to Azael's attention back in March, but due to various circumstances had been delayed in finalizing job offers. One job, with DOOR International, would move our family overseas for the next 5 years. First to Kenya, then to Costa Rica. The other would keep us in Texas, where Azael could purse his long-time desire of higher education. After much discussion with some trusted advisors and seeking the Lord's guidance, we had peace about which offer He was inviting us into.
click here to go back to the Cliff notes
click here to go to the long form 'epistle' for the rest of the update
One of the events was - If you remember, last year we did an event for 24 hours called One Miracle Night - but it was not recorded. This year it was condensed into a 12 hour event, and the recording worked! If you have some time to watch, you can repeat the prayers for the people a year later now. ;)
Azael had a few leads for a new job, but nothing substantial, so while he could go with me, we took the chance to go on the road trip! We also got to visit my Grandma and the kids enjoyed seeing one of our former roommates who lived in Florida at that time. The 3 day drive there and the 3 day drive back were good opportunities for Azael and I to really discuss future options too. Six days in the car with kids can be a little stressful, but overall we were glad for the trip and it worked out well.
click here to go back to the Cliff notes
click here to go to the long form 'epistle' for the rest of the update
I also began meeting with the Teaching staff team within Cru to work to make our core curriculum accessible for current and future Deaf staff. Lack of funding and limited time ultimately tabled the attempt, so it's been added to the ever growing list of "need to do" for now.
Azael had a few different leads for jobs, but we felt the Holy Spirit asking us to rest in His timing and wait a bit. It was a blessing that I could devote more time to Cru as Azael was able to invest in the kids more during this time.
click here to go back to the Cliff notes
click here to go to the long form 'epistle' for the rest of the update
While Azael's layoff was not necessarily in our plans, God was gracious in working out the details for us. Our friends were so kind and offered us a place to stay for the next 2 months while Azael looked for new employment. We were in the midst of moving to their place (an hour north of our apartment, but still in the DFW area) when the snow hit. In the craziness of packing we didn't grab the winter clothes 😬 so the kids weren't able to really play in the snow. But we DID have power the whole time of the inopportune snow storm event in Texas, since our friends live on the same grid as the Firehouse, which was a blessing to not add one more crazy layer to our already chaotic week of boxes and moving and unemployment.
click here to go back to the Cliff notes
click here to go to the long form 'epistle' for the rest of the update
