In the past week, we’ve traveled nearly 1,100 miles on our deputation journey, visited five churches, and met many new friends. Our meetings took us to Virginia and various parts of North Carolina. We’ve driven through the fog and the rain, up and down curvy mountain roads, and through the land of waterfalls (which is beautiful). If I can say one thing about deputation, it would be this—it’s never boring! There are always new people to meet, new places to visit, and new things to learn along the way. We’ve been blessed at each meeting God’s provided for us and look forward to those we have coming up.

When we’re not attending meetings (or driving to them), we’re busy trying to book new meetings, keeping up with the paperwork side of the ministry, and of course, working on the house. In regards to booking meetings, things have gone fairly well though we still have more open dates on our schedule than we wish to have. Still, we know God will give us the right opportunities at the right time, so we’re planting the seeds and trusting Him for the results.

As for the house, well, let’s just say that whole process has been a true test of patience, and I hate tests!!! We have addressed all the issues that came up during the inspection with the exception of running new wiring throughout the house. We have someone who has agreed to help us with that, but he has been seriously unwell and had to have surgery last week. At this point, we’re not certain when he’ll be able to assist us. And since we can’t afford to hire someone, we have no choice but to wait. It’s not been easy, but we choose to believe God has a reason for these many delays.

That brings us to the motorhome we have “on hold.” Today marks the closing date on the contract we signed with the dealer, meaning at this point in time, he has legal grounds to sell the motorhome to someone else and keep our deposit. We’ve been in contact with him, and he said he wants to work with us, but since we’re uncertain how long this process is going to take, we’re not certain he will be willing or able to wait for us. This, too, is in the hands of the Lord. We’ve said from the beginning that if that motorhome was not the one the Lord would have for us, that He would close the door, and our attitude about that hasn’t changed. Though this RV seems perfect for us, God sees the whole picture, and we’ll trust Him to do what is best for us.

In the meantime, we’ll continue to do the work He has called us to do. On the positive side, the “free time” we now have because of not working on the house has allowed me (Dana) to resume some of my writing. It’s been such a joy to share my heart through my blog again and to study out material for some new projects I have in the works. So, I guess the old saying is true: Waiting time is not wasted time.

We want to send out a special thank you to all of you who sent cards and love gifts at Christmas. What a special blessing that was to us! We also appreciate your love, prayers, and support. I know I say that in every update, but it is so true. You help us get through each and every day, and we love you for it!