St.Kitts it is!

OK, so first we prayed to get the job at Colorado State. Skiing, fun times right?? Denied. Door slammed. OK God.

Next. Ross University has an opening. We just so happen to meet another professor teaching there at Christian Veterinary Mission's Short Course. She encouraged us to apply, so we did. Then we got an interview. Open door. OK, but we really don't want to live there. We think about it for a couple of weeks -paralysis of analysis again :) I have been praying for God to open and close doors and for eyes that see and ears that hear concerning our next step in life for 6 months now. Since this door was open we decided to go. What did we have to lose?

The interview was great. The school was more than impressive. The views were breathtaking. The faculty was welcoming and interesting. The administration was accommodating. Very nice. Too bad we still didn't really want to go.

So, we started praying for Birmingham. Close to family, close to other ministry opportunities, close to friends, fun to be had by all. Jason go a couple of interviews in Birmingham just before Christmas. We were so excited. We just knew this was it. Wrong! One interview just didn't work out. The other interview went TERRIBLE. For those of you who know my husband, you know he doesn't have terrible interviews. To say the least we were broken, crushed.

So, more praying was in order. We were sad and upset and confused. By the way, at this point we have a great offer from Ross and they are waiting on an answer. We were very open and honest about our opportunities in Birmingham, but they were ready to get things going or move to the next candidate.

Jason and I prayed for a while that day after the bomb of an interview. This is what God said to me. Ezekiel 12:2-3 (paraphrased) ...you live among rebels who have eyes but refuse to see. They have ears but refuse to hear. Pretend you are being sent into exile. Pack the few items an exile would carry and leave your home to go somewhere else. WOW. OK, thanks God. Seriously. Don't we wish He would be that clear all the time? Or is He? I had been the rebel with closed eyes and ears. And while we aren't going into "exile" Jason and I were viewing it almost that way.

What now? I waited for Jason to pray and listen. God gave him Jeremiah 29:10-11 - you will be in exile then I will bring you home again. For I know the plans I have for you. We prayed together and felt that God has been guiding us to St.Kitts all along. Our desires sometimes get in the way of God's. Sure we say not my will but Yours, but this was an eye opener for us. We may say it but we certainly didn't mean it. What we meant was God give us what we want, when and how we want it otherwise we'll be upset. His timing is perfect, but the waiting is hard. For Jason and I our reasoning and over analysis always gets in the way. God just says listen to Me. We make it really hard though sometimes.

We know we'll face struggles, but we rejoice in obedience. We know that God is good all the time and the best place we can be is His will (not ours!). So we're sorting and running here and there and everywhere to get it all done. The tentative date to leave is Feb. 3. Our last day in Auburn will be Jan 14 or 15. We know it is time to move on, but we will miss all of our friends and our church. Feel free to visit anytime! I can't wait to share more about island life - good and bad.