Here's what is going on!

I figured it was time to put something up on the blog again since it has been a little while.  I have to say we are very encouraged by the positive responses we have gotten from those of you who have read it.  To say that this process is a bit out of our depth would be a major understatement! Cindy and I have never owned a home, and the biggest thing we have ever purchased is our vehicle here in Albania! 

Just to catch you up on recent activities regarding the house – we had a Civil Engineer do an inspection of the house (something that is required in Greece, apparently) and found out a few things.  First of all, as it stands now, the house is not legal and cannot be legally sold.  Apparently when they built the house, they did a few things “off plan” – made some additions that were not in the blueprints and were not approved.  All of these things can be legalized so that the house can be legally sold, but it involves some significant costs (about 10,000 Euros or $14,000).  Additionally, according to the engineer’s evaluation, there is significant work needed on the house itself to bring it up to where it would be livable.  We expected this, since the house has been empty for a long time.  The costs for updating and repairs fell into the range we were expecting.  When we made a counteroffer to the seller deducting the costs of legalization and the costs of repairs, they offered to pay for the legalization and a slight decrease in the asking price of the house.

Your prayers for this process are greatly appreciated!  We know that things will go back and forth a bit while we nail down prices and who pays for what.  We are also closely watching the situation with the Greek economy.  Close friends who know more than we do are predicting that Greece will be kicked out of the Euro Zone and if that happens the price on the house could very well go down significantly.  With lots of variables in play, we really need wisdom on how to proceed.  The good news in all of this has been that the current asking price is well below the estimated real value of the house. It looks like we would be getting a real bargain, even factoring in the cost of repairs.

In other news, our oldest daughter, Erin, will be coming home for her Spring break!!  We are very excited to be able to have her come back for a visit.  During her time here we will go back down to Corfu and let the kids see this place we are asking the Lord to give to us.  None of them have seen it yet, and since they will all be off in college when we make the move we thought it would be good for them to see first-hand the house we hope to use for ministry.

We bought Caleb’s plane ticket last week.  He will return to the US on April 10.  He’s already got lots of plans for his first month back, hopefully including him getting his driver’s license!  Since driving here in Albania is a little bit different – ok, A LOT different – from driving in the US, he has not yet gotten his license.  Pray with us that he will be able to take care of this before he starts his summer job.  Lord willing, he will be working at a camp again this summer prior to starting school at Bryan College in the fall.

We are praying through the details of how and when the rest of us will return to the US later in the summer.  Emily will also be starting college in the fall, and our hopes are for all of us to be back in the US for a while. Cindy and I will be sharing the new ministry direction with our current (and hopefully some new) supporters.  This will mean lots of travel.  If we are able to spend Christmas 2012 with the kids in the US, it would be the first time since 2004 that we would celebrate with our families in the US.  As the Lord provides the funds for the purchase of the property in Corfu, we would then return to get started in the work there.  Erin will graduate in May 2013, so we are trying to figure out how to best manage time and finances and still be able to be there for her.  Again, your prayers are appreciated!!

If it sounds like we are on a wild ride, it is because it is true!  We are always encouraged when we hear that friends are praying for us, so don’t be afraid to comment on this blog. Feel free to spread the word as well.  If you have other friends who are mission-minded let them know about our ministry. We want to be a blessing to as many Christian workers as we can, and for that to happen, we've got to get the word out.  We’ve seen it all through our ministry – when God’s people pray, amazing things happen!