Step by Step
Cheryl and I continue to find ourselves being stretched as we continue on this journey we are on. Since I stopped working back in 2015 it has been our intention to sell our character home and relocate to Saskatoon. For me, I had more or less linked these two events and over the past year we had been rethinking this plan as we found ourselves getting more involved in our Church and the process of selling property had become a long and more drawn out affair. After zero offers during the listing period last year we had the idea to put a simple for sale sign in the window in December. Since there was a house for sale a few doors down, and we thought there might be some drive by interest. This plan seemed rather dubious since the past two years with realtors had yielded no solid offers but there was no downside to putting a for sale sign in the window. In late January we had a couple come and view the house and very quickly it turned into a 6 month rent to own scenario. We spent a day or so considering the pros and cons and really felt comfortable in taking this risk and agreed to enter into this arrangement. So at the end of March we packed all of our personal belongings into a couple of storage lockers and moved out of our house. Since it would be 6 months until the house was sold we did not have the ability to buy something else and also it was still necessary for us to remain in Regina. There were a number of other things that were keeping us in Regina and it became clear to us both that linking the selling of the house with moving to Saskatoon had become a foolish notion.
Learning to take one step at a time even when it is not clear what the step after that might look like is not a natural way of living for most of us. We have been used to laying out our plans over years and having a pretty clear picture of the future which gave us the confidence to take each step as we face it. It is easier to be obedient when we believe in what we are doing, but not so easy to be obedient when our belief is less clear. The dilemna we faced in entering into this rent to own arrangement was where we would live in the interim. It was not a typical sale where we move out of one place and into another.
From April 1 to the end of August we already knew we had travel plans for half of April, all of May and August and so it seemed silly to try to rent an apartment. We have been talking for a few years about the importance of relationships in our faith and the notion of living life together and wondered what it might look like to humble ourselves and inquire with our friends and family whether they might be interested in having us live with them for a few weeks at a time. We were overwhelmed with the hospitality shown to us. Our small group all offered to take us in as well as neighbours and others in our church and family. Since March 26th we have been foisting ourselves on friends and family a couple of week at a time.
Here was what our life looked like for the past 6 months:
March 26- April 7 - sharing life with the Willems
April 7-22 - Travelled to Bogota, Colombia and San Salvador to check in on and encourage our fellow global workers in these ministry areas.
April 23- May 8- sharing life with the Joices
May 8-June 9 - travel to Victoria for the International Missions global retreat and various destination in BC and AB.
June 9- July 14- house sitting for a couple on mission in Japan
June 15 to July 27- sharing life with the Andvaags
July 25- August 26 - Family time at our cottage
August 26- September 21- sharing life with the Varcoes
After major renovations we moved into our small condo in East Regina, and plan to live there until that property is sold. We are coming up on a month here and are enjoying being a bit more settled. The condo market in Regina is quite soft so we are unsure how long it might take to sell, so we are prepared to stay in Regina for the forseeable future. Once sold, we can then take the step of moving to Saskatoon.
Step by step we move toward our goal. We are finding the act of being obedient to take the step we are being asked to take is not stressful, but it does mean taking some risk without fully understanding what the consequences might look like. As followers of Christ we must continually remind ourselves that our lives are not our own and we do nothing in our own strength. God is faithful and will order our steps as we are obedient to what we are asked to do.
Bob, Shelley, Reg, Charlene, Ron, Betty, Kathy, Tim, Kerry and Kathy each of you showed Cheryl and me true love and care and we want to recognize your obedience to the call on your own hearts to take us in. It has strengthened our friendships and is an example to us of your Christ like nature.
These past six months have been incredibly rich in the relationships we have nurtured and all we have experienced. If we had not been willing to step out in faith when the path was unclear, we would have missed out on a lot. May you be encouraged to hold onto your life a little less tightly and leave room for a bit more adventure and obedience.
Rick and Cheryl
Cheryl and I continue to find ourselves being stretched as we continue on this journey we are on. Since I stopped working back in 2015 it has been our intention to sell our character home and relocate to Saskatoon. For me, I had more or less linked these two events and over the past year we had been rethinking this plan as we found ourselves getting more involved in our Church and the process of selling property had become a long and more drawn out affair. After zero offers during the listing period last year we had the idea to put a simple for sale sign in the window in December. Since there was a house for sale a few doors down, and we thought there might be some drive by interest. This plan seemed rather dubious since the past two years with realtors had yielded no solid offers but there was no downside to putting a for sale sign in the window. In late January we had a couple come and view the house and very quickly it turned into a 6 month rent to own scenario. We spent a day or so considering the pros and cons and really felt comfortable in taking this risk and agreed to enter into this arrangement. So at the end of March we packed all of our personal belongings into a couple of storage lockers and moved out of our house. Since it would be 6 months until the house was sold we did not have the ability to buy something else and also it was still necessary for us to remain in Regina. There were a number of other things that were keeping us in Regina and it became clear to us both that linking the selling of the house with moving to Saskatoon had become a foolish notion.
Learning to take one step at a time even when it is not clear what the step after that might look like is not a natural way of living for most of us. We have been used to laying out our plans over years and having a pretty clear picture of the future which gave us the confidence to take each step as we face it. It is easier to be obedient when we believe in what we are doing, but not so easy to be obedient when our belief is less clear. The dilemna we faced in entering into this rent to own arrangement was where we would live in the interim. It was not a typical sale where we move out of one place and into another.
From April 1 to the end of August we already knew we had travel plans for half of April, all of May and August and so it seemed silly to try to rent an apartment. We have been talking for a few years about the importance of relationships in our faith and the notion of living life together and wondered what it might look like to humble ourselves and inquire with our friends and family whether they might be interested in having us live with them for a few weeks at a time. We were overwhelmed with the hospitality shown to us. Our small group all offered to take us in as well as neighbours and others in our church and family. Since March 26th we have been foisting ourselves on friends and family a couple of week at a time.
Here was what our life looked like for the past 6 months:
March 26- April 7 - sharing life with the Willems
April 7-22 - Travelled to Bogota, Colombia and San Salvador to check in on and encourage our fellow global workers in these ministry areas.
April 23- May 8- sharing life with the Joices
May 8-June 9 - travel to Victoria for the International Missions global retreat and various destination in BC and AB.
June 9- July 14- house sitting for a couple on mission in Japan
June 15 to July 27- sharing life with the Andvaags
July 25- August 26 - Family time at our cottage
August 26- September 21- sharing life with the Varcoes
After major renovations we moved into our small condo in East Regina, and plan to live there until that property is sold. We are coming up on a month here and are enjoying being a bit more settled. The condo market in Regina is quite soft so we are unsure how long it might take to sell, so we are prepared to stay in Regina for the forseeable future. Once sold, we can then take the step of moving to Saskatoon.
Step by step we move toward our goal. We are finding the act of being obedient to take the step we are being asked to take is not stressful, but it does mean taking some risk without fully understanding what the consequences might look like. As followers of Christ we must continually remind ourselves that our lives are not our own and we do nothing in our own strength. God is faithful and will order our steps as we are obedient to what we are asked to do.
Bob, Shelley, Reg, Charlene, Ron, Betty, Kathy, Tim, Kerry and Kathy each of you showed Cheryl and me true love and care and we want to recognize your obedience to the call on your own hearts to take us in. It has strengthened our friendships and is an example to us of your Christ like nature.
These past six months have been incredibly rich in the relationships we have nurtured and all we have experienced. If we had not been willing to step out in faith when the path was unclear, we would have missed out on a lot. May you be encouraged to hold onto your life a little less tightly and leave room for a bit more adventure and obedience.
Rick and Cheryl
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| Cheryl working with a young boy on homework at a before and after school program in Bogota |
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| Audrey Van Belle , one of our ministry colleagues in San Salvador, and a local doctor operate a clinic and pharmacy for locals who have zero access to these service |
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| Pastor Carlos had a vision to establish a retreat center for Colombian pastors and had dedicated the past number of years to this dream. There are 9000 pastors in Bogota and having a place to rest like this center is a lifesaver. Carlos is trying to change the culture of these unpaid pastors from working all the time to being intentional to take time to rest and renew. |
Wow! Thanks for the updte. I have wondered what you guys have been up to and how you are doing! I bet you learned a few things about yourselves during your couch-surfing months! It takes flexibility and humility to do what you do.
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