The Foster Family: March 2008

I can't believe I'm saying this but we are moving to Chicago!!! So I know that it has been something like eight weeks since I updated our family blog and so much has happened in that amount of time. So I'm now going to attempt to catch you up.

Early in February, Mike and I attended a Church Planting Assessment Center (CPAC for short) in Johnson City, TN where we met Lance Hurley, the director of the Chicago District Evangelistic Association (CDEA for short...I know, I feel like I live in alphabet soup), as well as Tim Bycroft, the associate senior minister of North Point Christian Church located in Winthrop Harbor, IL (exactly 9 blocks south of Wisconsin). North Point has been seeking and praying for the opportunity to launch a sister/satellite church south of them in the Grayslake/Wildwood/Gurnee area. Shortly after returning home from CPAC, Mike received a call from Lance saying both he and Tim were interested in talking with us about the campus pastor position for this new church. We were very nervous and very excited. Over the next two weeks, Mike talked with Lance, Tim and Dennis Corley, the senior minister at North Point and it was decided that we needed to make trip up to visit them. So two weeks ago, all three of us flew up to Chicago and by the end of our four day visit, we knew we would be living in Chicago very soon. Mike accepted the position and since then, we have been running around trying to get all our ducks in a row. Mike will actually be driving up the Wednesday after Easter to get one of our cars there and to secure us some temporary housing. He will then fly back home to get Sarai and I, pack up a truck with all our belongings and we will hopefully be headed to Illinois April 7th or 8th. And then we leave April 20th to attend the National New Church Conference in Orlando, FL! Whew! It has been a whirlwind of events but it is so amazing to be in God's will. I never would have dreamed that He would be sending us to Chicago but I'm trusting that He will use our family in ways I can't even imagine right now. So be praying for us as we have a busy month ahead of us, pray that we (more specifically me) will adjust to a new area of the country and very different weather, pray that we will find the right home for our family and pray for this new church that God is going to use us to birth. God is so good and the past eight months have been such a great learning and growing experience for us as a family. So Chicago, here we come!

Happy Easter everyone and enjoy the random pictures of Sarai!