Happy New Year!

It is 2014! The year 2013 has come and gone and it was one for the books- whoa, I mean whoa! In 2013, we:

• lived in 3 different countries-  Central African Republic, Cameroon, and the US
• became refugees
• had our house looted
• lived (or crashed) in 5 different houses
• moved to Africa for a second time
• started our ministries and language learning all over again in a new town
• fell in love with that new town
• saw God do amazing things

I even ate a grasshopper in 2013!

2013 was a wild ride for sure and I am not sad to start a new year. 2014 promises to be an exciting and eventful year as well, but hopefully in less traumatic ways! We will stay in Banyo, Cameroon at least until May and maybe into September at which time we will experience reverse culture shock as we re-enter the US for a time of training and support raising. We have many decisions to make about our time in the US- where will we live, where will we work, where will we eat first: Red Lobster or sushi? When I think about going back to the US, I have a lot of mixed emotions. I look forward to seeing family, but I also think, "No! It is too soon, I am not ready to leave Banyo yet!" 

When I think back over 2013, I most remember feeling "empty" like Naomi did when she came back to her homeland empty after the loss of her husband and sons. But today, at the beginning of 2014, I am glad to associate more with the end of the Book of Ruth. "The women say to Naomi, 'Praise be to the Lord, who this day has not left you without a kinsman-redeemer.'"(4:22). The Lord has redeemed our loss in CAR with a beautiful new beginning in Cameroon. I am really excited to see the ways the Lord will work here in 2014 and I am overwhelmed with joy and gratitude that I somehow get to be a part of that work.

If you are starting the new year feeling empty, know that the He longs to redeem these empty times. I pray that in 2014, the joy of the Redeemer overwhelms your life. Happy New Year!