365.273: Big Changes

It is so hard to believe that we have been in Waco for almost 8 months now! Although we miss our friends and family in Atlanta, it has been such a sweet time for our family. The discipleship training school at Antioch Community Church (called Elevate) that Ryan and I are in has been life-changing in the best way possible. We attend class two nights a week to worship, listen to guest speakers from around the world, and simply dive in to what the Bible says about being a follower of Jesus. It’s amazing!

As you know, the reason we moved and began school was to train to become missionaries to Portugal, and minister to missionaries on the field at a retreat center called the Haven. God gave us this vision in October 2009, and we’ve been moving toward it ever since. It’s been our hearts’ desire to simply obey God one day at a time, holding our future with open hands. Life gets pretty simple when you reduce it down to simply praying and obeying.

In the last couple weeks, the time has come to make a final decision about whether we will be a part of the Portugal team right now or not. We began meeting with various Antioch staff members and the people who are currently in Portugal (through Skype). We also started asking God (for the first time since October 2009) if this was still what He wanted for our lives and if now were the right time. Once I started asking, I was surprised by the excitement He gave me for the possibility of staying in Waco. After about a week of seeking His will, I felt pretty confirmed that He had other plans for us than Portugal right now. I found out later that Ryan had been feeling the same thing for about three weeks! We had a meeting with some of the leadership over pastoral care for Antioch, and both they and the team in Portugal were all getting the same direction from God—that now is not the time for the McCormicks to head to Portugal. Although it is sad to part with a long-term vision, we feel so confirmed that staying in Waco is what is best for our family right now. From the beginning, Ryan and I have said that if the possibility of the Haven was just the incentive to get us to uproot our family and move to Texas, then we were ok with that. And it’s still true: we wouldn’t change our journey for the world.

So now we’re looking forward to our trip to Indonesia at the end of Elevate in June. (More on that to come soon!) Holden will be starting Kindergarten in the fall, and Turner is currently trying so hard to learn how to use the potty! Come visit us in Waco anytime—we love to have visitors! And we would love to hear about what God is doing in your life, too!