Hello friends!
In our last “Easter Miracles” update, we briefly mentioned that we were finally able to rent a house. This month, we wanted to share a few photos to extend the celebration.
But first, an even more exciting reason to celebrate: On May 7th, our son Christopher graduated from Louisiana State University! Through much hard work and perseverance, he completed his bachelor’s degree in Theater Design & Technology in 3 years! It was bittersweet for us who weren’t able to be with him on this day, but we know the Lord has big plans for him, including his upcoming marriage to Cindy Sonbuchner in July – which, Lord willing, we will not miss! 🙂
We know many of you have prayed for our family, even since before Christopher was born, so we thank you for supporting us this way and hope you can celebrate a bit on his behalf wherever you are today. Congratulations, Christopher!
As previously mentioned, God has granted us another house miracle! Our search was long and extensive, but we’re amazed at where we finally landed. This urban and modern setting is a complete turnaround from our last country cottage, but we’re excited to be in this new area and have a place large enough to welcome visitors once these travel restrictions go away. When we think of some of the other houses that we tried to rent that were more expensive and not nearly as nice, we’re grateful the Lord saved this one for us. A miracle indeed!
We’re in the commune of Namur, the capital of Wallonia (the French-speaking part of Belgium). It also happens to be a Twin City with Lafayette, LA. Built at the confluence of the Meuse and Sambre Rivers, the city has a rich and varied history, culminating in the Citadelle that overlooks the city, the two rivers, and our neighborhood.
our new “Maison Rouge” as seen from the street
View of the backyard
Thankful for a large bedroom that fits the drum set (featuring Curious George on cajon) & for professional movers who got the piano up a flight of stairs – whew!
View of the Citadelle de Namur at the top of the hill from an upstairs window
View of our neighborhood from the Citadelle
In other news, we’re hopeful that Belgium will hold to their plan of easing Covid restrictions on June 9th. This means that churches will be able to hold services once again! Please pray with us that this would mark the beginning of new, wide open doors of ministry & community. In the meantime, virtual meetings continue.
Blair and Josiah at Vie Nouvelle-Ransart this Sunday
Lastly, please pray with us for Students for Christ-Europe:
1. Our summer conference has been cancelled, but the team is working hard on providing an online alternative. Please pray for the planning, the speakers, and especially the technical aspects of this event.
2. We’re still facing some critical banking issues with the SFC account. We need the Lord’s wisdom & favor!
3. We’ve begun meeting with a core team of Europeans within our SFC family to discuss values and vision in order to bring SFC to a new level of effectiveness. Thanks for praying for this, too.
Always thankful to the Lord for you in our prayers,
Blair, Dina and Josiah