Friday, January 4, 2013

Welcome the New Year, Welcome Our New Team Member

Miriam Fall Retreat 2012So much of life is process.  Sometimes long.  Sometimes short.  But always process. In the process there are often sweet wonderful joys and gifts found along the way.  And as it has been said so many ways and times, God never does things the way we dream or expect, He is always doing bigger and better things - more than we can ask or imagine.  So wonderful is He!

This is a brief story of a long process, beginning even before we arrived on the field, we begin to pray for team members to come join us. You know, we had ideas. Ideas of what they would be like; how we would work together; where they would fit in—sort of.

Then last summer we had visit from a veteran missionary who was somewhat interested in moving to the Czech Republic and joining us.  All went well.  The time together was simply too brief to base any kind of major decision on what we knew of each other.  We both needed more.

(Inviting someone new is almost like getting engaged.  There’s commitment, the need to listen, love, help, support, and so much more involved in an invitation to join a team on the field.)

So we invited our friend to return and work with us and visit with us.  We wanted to really get to know each other in a deeper, soul-knowing way.  The Lord was gracious to us and really began to turn our hearts to the opportunities and possibilities of what could be, of friendship that could deepen, of laughter to be shared, and of good works yet undone.

Soon the invitation was offered and accepted!  Our prayer is that soon our new team member Miriam Grady will be on her way to Zlin.  Please pray for all the details of things we all will have to deal with before she arrives in the Czech Republic.

But foremost, rejoice with us!