Pilgrim Soldier

There is always a certain amount of reflection around the start of a New Year and I was trying to avoid it. However the enormity of the changes that will happen in the life of my little family during the year is starting to sink in. So here’s what we’re looking at over the next 12 months:

Change of size: Instead of being 3 our family will grow to 4 members sometime in mid to late April. Zoe & I have to get used to being the parents of two children, rather than one, with the return of the whole new baby thing of no sleep and changing nappies. Sian has to come to terms with being a sister and not being the only centre of attention. At the same time though we will have the joy and excitement of watching a tiny person slowly grow again!

New home/country So what by then will be just shy of 6 years, we will be packing up and moving away from Latvia. This is already quite a painful thought and seems to be arriving at a frightening rate of knots. In many ways it is going to be harder to leave than it was to come out here. Our decision to come here was one that had been on our hearts for virtually the whole time Zoe & I had known each other and was so clearly God’s will. Sian was born here, and so will the new baby, and this means that there will always be something unique and wonderful about our relationship with Latvia. We will also be leaving Patvērums behind which obviously has been such a big part of our lives and will stay in our heart forever.

Change of job Whatever happens at the Assessment Conference in February both Zoe & I will be facing a change of job. At present Zoe still has no idea what she will do once we get back to England and your thoughts and prayers would be a great encouragement to her. For me it will obviously be a period of study if I’m accepted for the Training College. If I’m not then I too have no idea whatsoever what I will do. In many ways this is the scariest bit of all!

Despite all this change though I am amazingly calm about everything. I have a total sense of peace about the future at the moment knowing that even though we don’t really know what is going to happen, God does. The last 5½ years have taught us a great deal about trusting Him. One of my favourite passages of scripture has always been Matthew 6:25-34 and this has never been more true.