Building our life in Europe

"Give thanks to the God of Heaven, for his steadfast love endures forever." Psalm 136:26

As we all journey through life on different paths, few things are universal. A common truth that we all must cling to, however, is Psalm 136:26. “Give thanks to the God of Heaven, for his steadfast love endures forever”.

Living in another culture is still new and exciting, but we have started facing some challenges that wouldn’t be a challenge at all in our home culture. I have often been discouraged, but everyday I must still give thanks to the God of Heaven, for his steadfast love endures forever.

In the past month, we have established childcare, language learning, and continue to learn about our new country and culture. For now, we have online language classes two nights a week, and a tutor that comes three days a week. “Language brain” compares a lot in my mind to “Mom brain” when you have a newborn. Processing the language in addition to new experiences has been exhausting.

Luckily, the girls love their “nanny”! Thank you to everyone who prayed with us about childcare. Our nanny is in Law School here in the city, and she used to live in the same apartment building that we live in. She has a wealth of knowledge about our neighborhood, city, and is excellent at English. She has been a great asset in our language journey, as well as the girls’. Please pray for her as she has a small procedure done this month (You can all her K.)

I have been surprised in the last few weeks at how challenging everyday tasks can be. It’s a little more than discouraging when you expect something to be easy, then it suddenly becomes a bigger issue. Grocery shopping has been fun to figure out, but still leaves me needy for a nap or caffeine. When I can’t find exactly what I need based on pictures, I navigate the store with my Google Translate app open. More than once, the train schedule hasn’t matched up with Google Maps and we’ve spent an uncomfortable amount of time trying to find our way back home. When all else fails, we find a tall building we recognize and walk in that direction. I struggled this past week with what seemed like a sinus infection, and became anxious at the thought of needing a doctor and not being able to find one. All of these things seem so small, but in the moment can be overwhelming. I have to hold on to the promise that His steadfast love endures forever.

What comes to mind, though, is that while I have been facing these new challenges, there is an entire world of people that faces challenges that I have no frame of reference for. My grocery trips may seem daunting, but for some, finding enough food to survive is near impossible. The tired and hungry tears that my girls shed are incomparable to tears that many girls hide as they face abuse. We are far away from our families, but we have families that love us and we can catch-up over FaceTime. We have so much to be thankful for, and we have the steadfast love of a Savior to sustain us. Everyday at noon and 6pm, the church bells in our neighborhood remind us to pray for the people in our neighborhood, city, and throughout the world, that face the challenges of life without hope, without love, and for many- without access to the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ.

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20

Prayer Needs for this Month 
May 1-6: Celebrating Anna's birthday and missing our family. 
May 8-13: Our first "normal" week of language learning. Please pray that we will learn quickly. 
May 14-20: Our nanny "K" is having a small surgery. Please pray for her quick recovery. 
May 21-27: Pray that we will have all the documents we need and have favor in getting the girls into kindergarten. 
May 28- June 3: Please pray that we will get our visas soon. 

​-Anna