Hey! So it’s been like how long? We thought about doing a “proof of life” photo of us holding a newspaper, but we don’t have a newspaper, and we weren’t going to go out and buy one just for a photo. So you’ll just have to believe us when we say we’re alive and well in Washington State.
Washington still. Yep, that’s where we are. Good ol’ Monroe.
So…
There's really no super-easy way to start into this...
We just resigned from LIA last month and we don't have any current plans to return to Brazil.
Why???
- Part of it is our visas. They are just not happening.
- Part of it is our church's recommendation.
- Part of it is God directing us to not go back right now-- something we've been fighting for 2 months.
We prayed. A lot. And we sought godly counsel from close friends and the elders in our church. And we took our time—this was not an overnight decision. When we looked at our clear answer, we really didn’t like it. So we did the whole thing over again—just to make sure.
We prayed. A lot a lot. And we sought godly counsel from close friends and the elders in our church. And we took our time (this might explain why we haven’t blogged in a while). At the end of it all, we still weren’t really enthused about it, but felt peace and confirmation about what we needed to do. And we did it.
Even though we resigned from LIA
- Our heart for missions and reaching the lost has not changed. Our first job is to be obedient to what God asks us to do, and this is what He is asking us to do right now.
- We still love our team and support the ministry of LIA.
- This was not a decision made for us. As much as we respect and appreciate the support of our church, we have independently reached the same conclusion to resign from LIA.
- We would like to consider re-joining LIA in the future, but are totally open to other missions and ministries that God may lead us to.
So what’s next? Honestly, we don’t really have a plan at this point. For now we’re just settling in/saving up/listening up to what God wants us to be doing next. Brian’s got a pretty cool job, Jocelyn’s been busy with some part time work, and it’s been great to be involved with our home church for more than just the summer. We could be here for a year. Or 10. Or maybe just six months. We aren’t exactly sitting on Plan B or Plan C in our back pockets ;)
Oh, there is one thing we’re kind of working on… We just signed up to go to our first adoption class on May 7th! (There--I just had to include some good news with this long, sad blog!)
But yes. Please keep praying for us. These last two months have been incredibly....hard. And while this has been super No Fun, we still wouldn't change anything-- we are sure and certain of God leading us to LIA. And now (though not by our first choice) He is clearly leading us away.
Thank you so much for your encouragement, your prayers, your support, and just for reading and caring. We appreciate you and invite you to e-mail or talk to us if you have any questions, comments, rebuttals or tomatoes...
Much love,
Brian & Jocelyn<><
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