 {update | 2 january 2025}  Happy New Year! It has been a remarkably mild winter so far here in the Tri-Cities. (Last time this happened, it was followed by a February "snowpocalypse"!) But I hope my January-blooming roses foretell a smooth slide into spring. Is that too much to hope for? Lord willing, this Sunday, January 5, I leave for Florida and Spain. (Not bad places to be if there is another snowpocalypse!) I'll visit a few friends in Florida, and then attend a "Singles on Mission" conference in Málaga, Spain, put on by One Another Ministries International, a U.K.-based ministry dedicated to equipping and encouraging missionaries and global workers. Last year, the conference was such a powerful experience that I resolved to return, if circumstances allowed. So I look forward to renewing old friendships and making some new ones, and diving deeper into the rich theology of the single life in God's kingdom. There are voices--even in churches (perhaps especially in churches) that would have us believe that singleness is a handicap. This is a false narrative. Singleness and marriage both have their unique challenges, but can both be equally fitting vehicles for God's grace to be made manifest. Please pray for this conference, that God's purposes for both marriage and singleness in Kingdom work would be well-celebrated. And please pray for travel mercies for me; I would love to stay healthy throughout the journey, which seems to be a challenge especially in the winter months! Upon returning later this month, I will be entering the "home stretch" of preparations for my departure for Prague. Visa applications, decisions regarding the house, among others. Pray for the wisdom needed to make the many decisions that still need to be made, and for the fortitude for the challenging good-byes! Blessings to you for a joyful 2025!
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* My tentative departure date for Prague. Subject to change, of course. | ||||
