It IS official! My (Karyn's) visa has arrived and we have booked our flights!
This past week has been a week of answered prayers. Daniel finally had his appointment with the surgeon regarding his torn Achilles' tendon, and we are happy to report that the doctor does not recommend surgery! So he is currently doing physiotherapy to rehabilitate his ankle, but that will be all he has to do. It will still take a number of weeks to be fully healed and operational, but no surgery is exactly what we were praying for God to do.
And the day after that news, my visa arrived! I was beyond relieved. The process is such that there is no information for us once our applications have been sent off to the UK, and no one to call to follow up on it all. It was an immense relief to have my passport and visa in hand, and knowing that things are falling into place.
So, with all that, we have booked our one-way flights! Very exciting, and very real. We will be leaving Vancouver on the morning of September 8th, arriving in Edinburgh on the morning of September 9th. That's only one month later than we were originally planning, and we have opted to do that to give Daniel as much time to have physio appointments and heal as he needs. We are actually feeling good about that - it gives us some extra time after the house sale is completed to visit with friends and family before we leave.
Answered Prayers
Besides sharing the above news, I wanted to share about some other answered prayers we have been seeing. Daniel not needing surgery and my visa being approved were two large ones, but there have been a couple of others.
Last Wednesday evening, we had the privilege of sharing our call and the vision with one of the small groups from our church. We shared about how God called us to Scotland, what we are going to do there, and what needs prayer coverage. We didn't once mention money, even though we know we are going to need people supporting us and the ministry financially. But at the end of the evening, one of the small group members came up to me quietly and handed me a cheque for $500 (ca. £300). It was wholly unexpected, but we are so grateful for what can only be God's hand working through God's people.
And this morning I had a message from a friend in Scotland. She is Scottish, but has been living and ministering in the USA as a Salvation Army pastor. However, due to her own visa complications, she is temporarily back in Scotland and she messaged me this morning offering us a place to stay until we find a house to buy. We hadn't yet even been asking God about somewhere to stay in Scotland, assuming we would get temporary accommodations such as a furnished apartment (flat). But He has provided one, and one that allows me time with a great friend before she will ultimately head back to the US. What a gift! Again, God's hand through God's people.
I imagine we will see more and more of this kind of thing - God moving on our behalf - as we continue to follow His leading. When we were on our honeymoon in Dornoch, Scotland, in 2017, God gave us this important word:
I will go before you and will level the mountains; I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron. I will give you hidden treasures, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, who summons you by name. (Isaiah 45:2-3)
I think we are seeing His levelling of the mountains that were before us. He is very clearly 'going before.' I could not be more grateful to our faithful, faithful God.
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