Not a Bad Thing

Dear Friends, Two weeks from today I leave Ecuador and return to the US. Four weeks from this Saturday I will marry Alaina Bare and they say marriage will radically change my life. They probably know what they are talking about. But, if Christ had not first made a radical change in me I could not see that God has His loving hand in every moment of our lives, big and small. Returning to the US has brought many questions to mind over the past months. Among those questions is: Lord, what would you have me do? This fleshes itself out this way: Where will we live this summer? When should/will we return to Ecuador? How will You provide the food we need? Fortunately we serve a God that is more than willing to show us His love for us. The risk is trusting Him to provide all we need. That I am confident that He will do. Another question that picks at me even more is: How and where do we seek a home church? How and where do we root ourselves in a community of believers that will commit to loving and supporting us as we seek to love them? You see it is very difficult to feel commissioned and supported when there is little connection or friendship with those that are sending us. Many of you I know well and have supported me faithfully in prayer and often finances. For that I am eternally grateful. But, because I was raised in Ecuador, my “home” church is here. It is a strange dynamic to most and is something that I’m sure many mission-minded MK’s have dealt with. This is why both Alaina and I have felt led to spend more time in the US seeking out and building that community of relationships. Currently we would like to return to Ecuador by Christmas, in time for the second semester of school. Our summer travel plans will remain the same, but we will spend a few intentional months building relationships in the community in which God has yet to show us. There are a lot of realities that come with this. -Someone else will have to take on my responsibilities here in Ecuador until I return -We will need a place to live while we are in the US -We need to prayerfully consider the community that God would have us ‘root’ in. -Details must be figured out with International Teams and Youth World alike to see if they agree on this plan.

Please continue to keep us in prayer as we begin these next few chapters.  He is faithful.

-Loren Holland