Updates and News :)

Okay, so you didn't think that the last picture post was the one we were talking about on the Facebook site did you? We're  still not quite sure all of what we are going to write in this one, but we're writing it! The goal is to keep this blog updated. We are going to try to post more family related stuff as we do it and ministry stuff as we have updates. So you might see a mix of the two.

Here are some updates on things we're working on:

• Our house in Oregon looks like it's going to sell, Praise God! We're in the final stages so prayer that it continues to go smoothly with no surprises would be very appreciated. This being accomplished will definitely help us move forward in Washington. 
• The house we're renting in Washington seems to be back to "normal" for now. No more crazy mold or fixes that we can see. We're thankful for a place to live and also thankful that we'll be month to month soon to give us more freedom if God brings a place our way. 
• We found a church in Washington that we really like and both of us are working hard to get plugged in with a small group and respective bible studies. Jenna seems to do well at this church too, which is great. 
• Kristine is continuing to do MOPS and is enjoying it. She's also a part of some other local mom's groups and meeting people from all different backgrounds and religions, that's been fun too! 
• Eric is enjoying his job and the challenges that come with it. He seems to get along great with his co-workers and likes the products he's developing. 
• Eric's plane has moved to Paine Field in Everett. This was a great move because it's out of the wet weather and he can safely take it apart without worrying about theft much or losing items. (The last hangar had gravel on the ground...a great surface to lose important small items!)
• We haven't started marriage coaching yet for communication, but figure we'll start that once we get more established in our church, have a stable place to live (no moves), and have a reliable person to watch Jenna during that time. (FYI for those who aren't in the know, we are happy and love each other, so we aren't on the brink of divorce or anything. We just feel we need extra help in the communication department so we can be the best team we can be when we go back to full time ministry)

As far as ministry.... there's been a few people who are worried that we're going to get too "settled" and "comfortable" where we're at and worry that if we get another house that will solidify the deal. Not to worry friends! We mentioned before that we're taking a break from ministry partnership with Mission Aviation Fellowship to seek God's direction and to work on a few things to make us even better prepared for ministry. 

Yes, we're going to look for a house as we're not sure how long this break is going to be. It could be two years it could be five or more. It's much more cost effective to purchase a house at a low market price and put our monthly money towards building equity than giving our money monthly to someone else so they can build equity in their house. We're looking at a place with the mindset that we'll either live in this place for many years, rent it out if we go overseas or sell it. We're not looking for a fixer upper with lots of projects like our last home, we definitely learned our lesson there! But, we are not going to just jump on any house we see. We are praying about it and seeking God's direction in this and essentially, walking by faith because only God knows our future.  

Little by little God allows us a glimpse of His plan and why we were made to take a break from what we were doing and we'd like to share this with you. While we were with MAF and even before when we were thinking of MAF, growing a family weighed heavily on our hearts. Kristine had to have a c-section with Jenna and because of the details of why she needed that c-section, it meant future children would also need to come by c-section. Kristine was worried about how this would look overseas especially not knowing the foreign language there and what would happen with Jenna. We tried to think over and over again about how to plan this out, but as many of you know... you can't just say, "I'm going to get pregnant now" and plan the time, God plans it. She talked with lots of people and we decided just to move forward regardless of the thoughts that were in the back of our mind about it. 

More recently we've felt strongly that one reason God had us delay going overseas, was so that we could complete our family before we go. We didn't need that distraction keeping us from serving whole-heartedly. Many families that are overseas right now are already complete or if they aren't they are able to birth babies naturally and don't have the same fears we did about taking a leap in this regard. How amazing is it that God knew what we needed and helped us? We're trying to get pregnant for a second child now, so prayers are definitely appreciated. We are thinking we might adopt a third child, but aren't sure yet. We're taking things one step at a time. It's just exciting to have this time to grow our family, it's definitely a gift. 

It reminds us constantly of  Jeremiah 29:11, which says, "¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

God has our future all taken care of, we just need to do our job to listen and obey when He speaks, not to ignore it and press on. There are many other reasons we see why God's allowed us to have this time in the states and we know there will be many more reasons that will become apparent to us. We ask that our friends and supporters don't lose hope, just because we aren't overseas yet doesn't mean that God can't use us right here, right now, for His purpose. Keep following our blog and keeping in touch via our facebook page for updates on our journey. 

Thanks for all your prayers! We appreciate them.

In Christ,

Eric, Kristine and Jenna Reed