Grab a cup of tea or coffee and get
caught up with us.
2019 has been a year filled with
change. Little did we know on January 1st
all of the changes we would go through.
Andrew visited his parents in January to see how his father’s health was
doing regarding his cancer re-occurrence.
The cancer had returned in less than a year and with a vengeance. It became apparent during that trip that time
was of the essence.
Upon his return to New Zealand, Andrew
and I prayed for guidance on what we should do.
We both felt led to move back to Minnesota to be with his parents for
the remainder of his father’s life and to be of assistance to his mother, Gerry. There was so much going on and both of his
parents were pretty warn out from the health struggle.
Once the decision was made, the next
step was to share with the leadership team and staff at the school that we
needed to move back to the States. God
totally took care of all of the needs at the school. He brought a new admin on staff that semester
and I had a week to train her with all that I did. Andrew’s classes were taken care of – either
by another teacher taking them on or they were cancelled. Everything lined up, but the hardest part was
saying good-bye as this wasn’t just a bit of an extended visit to the States,
but rather good-bye until the Lord crosses our paths again. So many tears and so much love. We had a new assignment and we chose to walk
the path of obedience.
Upon our arrival in the frigid great
north, we were greeted by snow and lots of it.
His parents welcomed us into their home and it was so good to see them
again. We had two wonderful weeks with
Andrew’s father, Brice, before his journey took a sharp turn towards
eternity. On March 8th, Brice
took his last breath here and his first breath in the presence of God
Almighty. The military honor service and
the memorial service at the church were both touching and memorable. He lived a life well lived and was dearly
loved by many.
We settled into his mother’s house for
a while until we had jobs. Finding a job
was not the easiest thing, nor rather the quickest. We hunted for weeks and weeks. We prayed for God to open the doors to where
He wanted us and to keep the doors closed where He didn’t want us. He was absolutely faithful as we surrendered
once again our lives to His will. Andrew
was invited to join a call center team as a manager at Wells Fargo. I was headhunted by a temp agency for an
executive admin position for the president of seed company. Literally God kept those doors closed until
the one He deemed appropriate for us came up.
Having jobs gave us the opportunity to
start preparing to get a place of our own.
We considered renting, but looking at apartment complexes that were
within our acceptable livability, a studio apartment with two garage spots
(which is necessary up in Minnesota) was running over $1,400. A studio!!
So we relooked at the possibility of buying a townhouse. We made our wish list of features and started
our hunt.
We found a couple of townhouses that
were acceptable and prayed again. Lord,
please guide us. We found one we really
liked and it felt like home.
Unfortunately, the seller accepted a higher bid. We kept looking but comparing it to the one
we loved. The owner came back to us and
wondered if we were still interested and we re-established our bid and it was
accepted. We moved in at the end of
September and it has been a blessing!!
Dawn’s mother had loaned us a vehicle
in March to help us get on our feet.
After the purchase of the townhouse, the next item to buy was a vehicle
so we could return the loaner to her mom.
It was a blessing to have a second vehicle, especially while job
hunting. We are grateful to her and her
husband for their generosity. We found a
CRV that fit the bill for Dawn and she is enjoying how it handles in the snow
and cold. Andrew bought his father’s
truck before he passed and has enjoyed the height and comfort a truck can give.
The transition back to the US has not
been easy. We have been mourning two
great things, the passing of Andrew’s father, and the closure of a dream and
ministry that we loved so dearly. Have
you ever felt so a part of something that you just move in the groove with
it? Don’t misunderstand. Ministry is hard and taxing, but when you
love what you do, you don’t mind how taxing it can be. Coming back to the States left a big void in
both of us. What do we do now? We serve where we work and we are starting to
serve at the church we attend.
Oh yeah, church hunting. Finding a church that we felt at home and
able to grow with was one challenge we didn’t anticipate. Had the church changed so much in the three
years we were gone? We attended many
churches and hoped more than once that we had found our home. Sometimes it took a few visits to know if a
particular church was home or not. We
have landed at a church where it’s not quite home, but God is meeting us,
feeding us, repairing us, and building us back up. We found a place where we can give back and
we will see what He does through us.
Through all of the things we have
experienced this year, we have a few things we want for you. May you find a church home where you feel
safe, strengthened in the Lord and in the power of His Word. May you know that you are loved and deeply
cared about, even with your flaws. No
one is perfect, only Christ. May you
know that failure is not fatal and trying is worth it even if you fail. May you know the love that Jesus has for you,
even just a little more.. for His love knows no bounds and He never
changes. He is the same Jesus that
healed the lame and made the deaf to hear.
He is the same Jesus that took the fish and loaves and fed the
5,000. He is trustworthy, even when you
are hurting, ESPECIALLY when you are hurting.
May you know that you are never alone, even when it feels like no one is
listening and everyone is so far away.
God is right beside you and knows your heart. He is right there and loves you with an
everlasting love.. meaning it has no end.
We love you and appreciate you! Merry Christmas from our hearts to
yours!
Dawn
and Andrew McBride
