Appointment Time

Sorry to say, but we need continued prayer for our visa. Don't worry, we still have full approval for three years. However, now that we have our official letter, we must appear at immigration (by appointment only) to receive our ID cards and passport stamps.

I've been checking online to book appointment and there are no openings available. I can only select dates through October. We would love to have this all sorted in the next month or two so it's off our plates. 

We aren't worried, we aren't in a huge rush. We just want this weight fully lifted. Please pray that a spot opens up. Please pray that we have patience. Thank you all for your love and support!

Eli's got his Irish passport. He said he's tired of waiting on the rest of us.

WE GOT VISA APPROVAL!

Now for the finer details. We are screaming. We keep pinching ourselves! We got the letters in a few days ago. Here’s what we got: approval for Irish Stamp 4 visas (the normal, hassle-free kind to renew) for three years. 

It’s been frustrating to go through this. Even more frustrating still, that this news came when it was too late for us to book a trip stateside or to go to our yearly SFC conference in Germany. Eden starts school on the 29th of August. That’s not enough time to justify spending the money for a journey stateside. When we come over, we want to be able to really spend time with people! 

I (Katy) was just talking to my mom the other day (who is in Malawi on a short missions trip herself) and she reminded me that so many key things would not have taken place had we been in the States right now. It’s so good to have the support and encouragement from our families. 

This situation has shown us that, no matter what our situation, we can know that God understands and will carry us through. Although frustration and longing take place with all of us, we know that the future ahead is full of purpose.

The Coming Rain

There has been drought here in Ireland the past several weeks. No rain at all in what seemed like forever. A few days ago, the first sprinklings of rain finally came! It was refreshing; almost like seeing a friend again after a long absence. 

Most of the grass has died and made the landscape depressingly brownish. But, a few intrepid blades have lasted and a few new ones are popping up. 

As I sit here on the Trinity College campus, I’m glad that God has said this to me: he will rain down his Holy Spirit on this nation. It will be like the refreshment of welcoming home an old friend. On the grounds where I’m sitting have walked some people who loved the word of God. Before the college as we know it came to be (and some of the man-made bigotry that took place), people learned theology here. In fact, that was at the core of study. It might have been an English plot to reform the Irish, but God loves speaking to us in creative ways. 

And he loves a good plot twist. 

Since then, there has been a season of much-needed spiritual revival. But people haven’t much liked God’s word in the past 30 years or so. We have pushed him away and our spiritual landscape is looking bleak. But his rain is coming, to fill us once again and bring true refreshment to this land. Not forced by government, nationality or tradition, but breathed by the Spirit.