Danglish

We can all recognize the feeling of being tested. We understand because each and every one of us has experienced uncertainty of some kind from time to time. We try to remember that we all undergo obstacles while we endure our present storm. Simon and I seem to have been sunbathers in our promised land when suddenly torrential downpour snuck up on us and we were without proper rain gear. But, thank God there was shelter close by or we would have drowned.

Most of you know that on Tuesday we received my greatly anticipated residency status. We were ecstatic and a little nervous to go to the police station at two o’clock that afternoon. It was in fact raining outside when we left the school kids for a short bike ride into town. On the way there we made several jokes about the possibilities of actually having to return to the Outer Banks. Simon would be a carpenter(if Danny was still doing frame work and needed any help) and I would again work at Culpepper and Associates, which seems to be full at the moment, so perhaps I would beg for a job at OBBC. “Ah yes, that would be funny, but thank the Lord we won’t have to worry about it.” Well, what seemed so far fetched became our reality.

According to our letter specifying my denial, we failed to meet proper living requirements. Our apartment lease here at Billesborg was for one year when it should have been unlimited. Understand the look on my face when I realized that this small formality might determine the next coupla of years of our life. Hello, mud slide! However, I managed to contain myself until I was safely in my one year lease apartment.

That was Tuesday. It is Sunday morning. Simon and I are grateful for wisdom and prayers. We managed to get unlimited time in our apartment, but had to face yet another denial because Billesborg is under a 10 year lease. Right now we are trying another alternative which will be presented tomorrow morning. Hopefully this will be the satisfying ingredient.

Exhausted from a stressful week of trying to move forward despite the circumstances, I skipped church today. I woke up, laid in bed for about an hour asking God for peace. Then I turned on streamingfaith.com while I cleaned out my closet. The sermon was on defeating giants spoken by a guy named Dennis Leonard. I started to iron my clothes that I was going to wear today and began pressing all the wrinkles away. Ok, I’m gonna go a little overboard here, but listening to Dennis and ironing really gave me peace. I visualized that my wrinkled pants was my promised land, the wrinkles were the giants and God the iron. You see where I am headed here? I am wearing right now probably the straightest pair of cargos I have ever put on. For the first time since Tuesday, I feel victorious.

Thank you so much for praying for us. You have been the raft that floats us in the flood. Hopefully our Shelter is obvious.