May.Two.Thousand.Ten

So, May is all but wrapped up. Actually, in some parts of the world, it is already June. Funny. As for other things being wrapped up, our house has probably never had so many cardboard boxes in it before. Good times all around.

Always odd to me; closing out one chapter while gearing up for the next. Some books are printed that way - with the end of a chapter on a page with the ensuing one on the other side of that same piece of paper. You don't want the one to end, but you're anxious to see where the story will go next. Stuck on the same page knowing that a two-hour flight and about 1,000 miles to travel await you.


We're a blessed family. We've had such wonderful past six years with the ministry of Calvary Chapel Bible College Europe and the "baby-sister" ministry of A Vision for Life. Even our cardboard-box-lined house is a reminder of so many ways that God has been good to us. Coming back out to Europe in June 2004 didn't mean a "happily ever after" fairly tale (or, as the Hungarian people might put it: "they lived happily until they died"), but it did mean growth. Change is good. It isn't always fun ("good" does not always translate evenly with "fun"), but it is good. Simply put, growth cannot occur without change. Here we are, finding ourselves standing on the precipice of another change - another chance to grow. One chapter wrapping up, another just waiting to be read, lived, and worked through.

Thanks so much to our wonderful family over here in Vajta, and many thanks to loved ones around the world (literally) that have taken such good care of us by investing so much of yourselves into our lives. Please know that you are loved by us and appreciated more than a simple blog can communicate. Thanks for helping us grow.

Oh, and one more thing before I wrap this up: feel free to pray for us. Serving the Lord in England is rather exciting to be sure, but we'll equally be in need of prayer. We fly out on June 7th to be in Mansfield for a few weeks before we head west to the States for another few weeks. We'll be there to celebrate my parent's 40th anniversary; they'll be renewing their vows (insert "ahh!" here) and I'll be doing the ceremony (insert "gulp!" here).

Thanks again. We love you all. Feel free to pray. Fear not change; if you want growth, change is not optional.

Jeremy & Christi and the kids

March, April 2010

And, Spring has sprung. With it, warm air, flowers, and pretty much everything you'd expect with this time of year. (Note: if you're from California or anywhere else that only has 1.5 seasons, you can disregard those comments; just know that the change of season is appreciated over here.)

The last couple of months have been busy, but they've been good. Mikayla turned five in April, which is crazy to think about (four kids between the ages of five and ten). We've enjoyed a wonderful semester at the Bible College. Once again, I have to marvel at the group of young people that the Lord has brought to us to minister to. They're great. For their 10-day outreach time, they went to several cities in several different countries to share the gospel and to bless other churches. It is a joy to be a part of what God is doing out here.

I was supposed to go to England during the 10-day outreach time, but... throw in an Icelandian volcanic ash cloud, and let's just say that the trip resulted in a refund. God, as many of you are probably already aware of, has a great sense of humor. The main goal of the trip was to do some house-hunting. I couldn't go. He got us a house anyhow. He's just funny like that sometimes. So, while I was here, I took advantage of the extra couple of days and visited the British Embassy up in Budapest. Feel free to pray for my residency visa to process. I should know in the next week.

With our time winding down here in Vajta, I've appreciated watching the team here pick up the proverbial ball and run with it. I'm happy to leave my responsibilities in capable hands. I am also humbled by the fact that God can use anybody He wants; it's just fun to be along for the ride.

So, the semester will conclude on May 11th, and the Foster family will go into full-on packing mode. I've already started in the office and yeah, it's pretty much a weird thing to see a wall of empty bookshelves.

In the meantime, feel free to pray for...

* my visa to go through - favor with the consulate
* any provision we'll need for the move - there are always more things that come up in moving to a different country than you can expect
* a buyer for our van - the Lord has a new van lined up for us over in Mansfield already
* wisdom for a handful of decisions that we need to make for the time frame of May to August

And, we also really want to say thank you to all of you individuals and churches that have contributed in so many ways. You're a part of what we're doing (Philippians 4: 15-20) and you are appreciated.

Loads of blessing in Jesus,

Jeremy, Christi, and the kids