November 2013 and that which Follows

In June 2004 we packed a few bags each, boarded a plane, and landed in Munich, Germany. Fast forward some nine and half years to today. Our fall semester here at CCBCE is rapidly coming to a close. Guest Speakers Week kicks off on Monday morning. Two weeks from the end of Speakers Week: graduation. Time—as it is often prone to do—has flown. 

When you're having fun—as the old adage tells us—time flies. Really, these past 9.5 years have raced by. God has been gracious and merciful. He's blessed. God has so richly provided for all that we need and then some. It's the "and then some" that is often the toughest part. And, it's often the tough part when it comes time to move. What do we pack? What ends up in the "give-away" box(es)? What can be replaced? What CAN'T be replaced? Etc, etc. As I sit here pondering these things, I am fairly surrounded by cardboard boxes and large plastic bins. Suffice it to say, we're in full-on packing mode. 

I suppose it might be worthwhile, three paragraphs into this update, to actually give you the update. If you haven't put 9 and .5 together just yet, here you go: after 9.5 years of serving in Europe, we are moving to the United States of America. We will head out in just under a month. All is well; there are no issues, ill-feelings, items of irritation, or problems of any variety. For the past almost two years, we have simply been noticing God doing something. "Something," but what exactly? Insert prayer, counsel, waiting, praying, more praying, seeking, and asking. And here we are on the cusp of something new and entirely fresh: living again in the good ol' U.S. of A. 

For the kids, this really is something almost entirely new. Mikayla, as you might know, was born in Austria, and has pretty much spent her whole life in Europe. Kara has celebrated all 10 of her birthdays on this side of the Atlantic. When we moved, Ian was 4 and Leah was 2 (almost 3). Other than a few visits here and there to the States, this has been for them home. And (once again), it's been a blast. 

We determined in our hearts roughly six months ago that it was indeed time to move on. We believed that God was asking us to take two steps of faith. 1) Say "Yes" to His question of "Will you move?" 2) Wait and let Him show us where to go next. Step one was arrived at some months back; step two just recently: I have been asked to be the new pastor for a Calvary Chapel in Northwest Arkansas: Calvary in the Ozarks. Christi and I couldn't be more excited. We loathe the leaving part, but are genuinely thrilled at the going. We fell in love with the people there (and they with us!) when we visited last month. 

a bit of irony

And there you go. We will be in New Jersey visiting family and our sending church (Calvary Chapel Vineland) for the holidays, I will visit our new church for a Sunday in December, and then we will move out there in early-January. We go to a strong and healthy church; it is a fellowship of believers that love Jesus, love His Word, and love one another. To say that we're "honored" to be a part of that family seems a little bit trite. But honored we are. Humbled. Thrilled. 

As for the next couple of months, we'd truly covet your prayers. Moving to the States is honestly the biggest step of faith that God has asked us to make. Packing it up and heading out is tough; transition is never easy. Determining what to leave behind, give away, attempt to pack, etc, etc is a task in itself. Financially, having not lived in 'Merica for nearly a decade, we're simply not so sure what to expect. We also know that what America is today is simply not what she was in '04. Times have changed, and times have changed her. This might sound odd since we're Americans ourselves, but "culture shock" is something that we're anticipating. God has gone above and beyond in the realm of supplying our ever need every step of the way. He's always provided and we're not worried that He'll quit now. And so we ask for prayer. We ask that you'd think about us and lift us up to the Father.

We ask you to also pray for Calvary in the Ozarks. We are looking forward to growing with the church and the church growing with us. December and January will be here in a jiffy. In the meantime, I have papers to grade, counseling with students, classes to teach, and a final exam to create for one of the classes I'm teaching. Tons to do. A dear old friend of mine reminded me today to "finish strong." I'd like very much to be able to say I have done just that. 

aerial view of Calvary in the Ozarks

If you'd like more information, feel free to email me and I'll make the attempt to get back to you as soon as possible!
jeremyfoster@calvarychapel.com works the best for me. 

And so, here's one more hearty "Thank you" from Christi and me. We do so appreciate having so many of you join us for this adventure. We've been honored to be part of it. It's been a treat to watch God work and humbling to hear from so many that have been praying for us for so long. Please don't stop now!

Tons of blessings,

Jeremy and Christi and the kids

FALL | 2013

So here we are, one half year later. The difficulty at this point is simple: keep it brief so that you, the reader, will remain engaged, while adding enough detail to make this update meaningful.

Lola wanted her picture taken, too

Spring semester here at CCBCE was really a joy. Our great staff and interns served so faithfully and we were able to watch so many students grow in their personal walks of faith with Jesus. I had the privilege of teaching Romans and Biblical Theology. Both had their fair share of challenges and blessings. Most certainly, the blessings outweighed the challenges (and were birthed from them as well)!

Mikayla: our baby girl is eight years old!

This summer kept us busy in many ways. Our summer discipleship school, A Vision for Life, saw 32 young people come and go. The teaching rotation kept me busy and I really treasure the time I had with this group of young people. I was able to take a trip to Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale in August just a couple days after returning from Sweden. Sweden? Yes, Sweden. Christi and I went to Sweden to share at the All-Calvary Chapel Scandinavia Conference. It was my second time as a guest speaker there and I was honored to share the Word of God with so many dear friends. Christi helped with many of the worship times and she had a blast getting to know the saints from Sweden, Finland, Norway, and Denmark. The Fort Lauderdale trip was a gift (literally); I was given a week to go and seek the Lord Jesus a bit. While South Florida is HOT in August, the times with the Lord were truly refreshing.

Christi and I taught a marriage conference for Calvary Chapel Vác here in Hungary this past spring. Lots of laughs to be sure. I mentioned this in the last newsletter as well, but I was given the chance to share a seminar on How to Study the Bible at Calvary Chapel Subotica, Serbia. Such a rich time with the Serbian brothers and sisters. We love those folks so much. The blessing was all ours.

The big news, of course, was the answer of "No" we received concerning adoption. The process was long and complicated (triple continental adoption) and - long story short - we ran out of time. I was reminded that the words "hopeless" and "helpless" can never be used to describe the life of a child of God. The boy we were hoping to adopt knows Jesus, and so we're grateful that he's in very good hands. Thanks so much to all of you who were praying alongside of us through this entire process. To say that it was "heart wrenching" to find out that it wasn't going to work seems an understatement. "Painful" is more accurate. And yet, we really felt at peace with the whole thing knowing that our God remains sovereign. He is eternal and He is eternally good.

Foster children getting bigger and BIGGER

This fall arrived quickly (which, after 9+ years of serving here in Europe) shouldn't have been a surprise. Psalms and Synoptic Gospels are my classes through December. Those, alongside of running the internship program here on campus bring me such joy. 

Christi and the kids stay busy with homeschooling this year again. With no on-campus school for the kids like we used to have, we're trying to give our little monkeys the best education we can give them!

We would most certainly appreciate your prayers on a number of fronts:

• Ian is set to have surgery at the beginning of November (hernia). He has a cold and cough that do not seem to want to go away; the surgeon cannot operate on him if his health doesn't improve (the surgery has already been postponed twice). 
• Provision: we will give you more information next month, but we could use God's hand of provision in the near future.*
• Calvary Chapel: as many of you know, Pastor Chuck Smith of Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa (CCCM) went to be with the Lord on October 3rd. Please pray for God's hand of mercy and comfort for our beloved pastor's family, CCCM as a church family, and for the 1,600+ Calvary Chapel churches around the world that have been impacted by Pastor Chuck's life of faith.
• Salzburg: we are trying to schedule a visit to Calvary Chapel Salzburg, Austria in the near future. With a busy semester schedule and Ian's impending surgery, we're having trouble nailing it down. I've been invited to teach a couple Bible studies and really want to make it out to them. Please pray that God will put it all together!
• Homeschool: anything your can think of to pray for this would be appreciated! 

Thanks again for the love and support! We hope this update finds you and yours doing well!

Jeremy and Christi and the kids



*Missions Support - there's a link to the left if you're interested in praying and giving

2013 already? Really?

After a really great semester and a nice chunk of a Christmas break, we’re ready to go with our spring semester over here in Hungary. To say that “time flies” seems increasingly obvious with every passing year (and blog). It also seems...oh, what’s the word I’m looking for...it seems like I’m putting it mildly. Time seems to be roaring by. Case in point: Ian will be 13 on Thursday. Uh huh. 13. ONE / THREE. A teenager. “Wow.” Thirteen!!!! 

Ian now: this size, no | basketball, yes 

And here we are, at the doorstep of our spring semester. To put this mildly, we’re really excited about what God has in store for us and our students. Every semester is unique. Whether they bring challenges, blessings, or both, every semester brings something new. I’ll be teaching the book of Romans this semester on Monday mornings and a class on Biblical Theology on Tuesday nights. (Blessings and challenges galore!)

2013 is shaping up to be a full year for us. There are already a few conference | seminar types of events on the calendar (or just about to be “officially” put on the calendar) to keep us busy. I’ll be teaching a “How to Study Your Bible” type of seminar at Calvary Chapel Subotica, Serbia February 8-10. Feel free to pray for that. Christi and I were asked to teach a two-day marriage conference at another Calvary in Hungary in a few months. I was invited back to Sweden to teach at the All-Scandinavia Calvary Chapel Conference this coming August. Throw in this, that, and the other, and the calendar is starting to pop. We’re thrilled that it is filling up with stuff that we love! I'm writing this after just returning from an amazing pastors' conference in Siegen, Germany. I was able to attend a conference - that in itself was amazing (and refreshing). 

growing...

Some of you have asked us about the adoption process. In a word, it’s complicated. The long and the short of it is this: we’re Americans (1), living in Hungary (2), on an EU passport (3), trying to become legal guardians of a Ugandan child (4), so that we can then adopt (5). Exactly. This would be the appropriate time for us to again ask for prayer. Wisdom, clarity, provision, more clarity, and God’s guidance would be at the top of that prayer request. We’re still hoping and hopeful in all of it. 

We trust that 2013 is shaping up for you to be a rich year of enjoying God’s goodness and grace. Keep us posted on how you’re doing and we’ll hope to see many of your faces sometime before this year roars past!

Lots of love,

Jeremy, Christi, and the kids