Look Both Ways

Growing up, I was taught to 'look both ways' before I crossed a road. The start of a new year can be similar, reflecting on the year that has passed and anticipating the one to come.

On New Years Day, we took a walk on the beach in Cornwall (see the photo below). Wrapped up under multiple layers. It was freezing but beautiful.

The beach has a 'clean slate' after every high tide ... just as we often feel like we can start afresh at the beginning of a new year.

While we've been keeping everyone else up-to-date with our news at the moment, it has given us a chance as a family to recap what we've got up to over the last year. 2012 was a BIG year for us. These are the highlights ...

• In January, Mark went to Papua New Guinea for a month to work on a plane for SIL. The longest time we've ever spent apart since we first met. 
• In April, as a family we drove from Ohio to Florida, for Mark to work at MFI, a mission there for three weeks and for all of us to experience life exploring a new place.
• In August, we drove up to Toronto for a long weekend with friends
• In September, Mark took his FAA exams and qualified as an aircraft engineer
• In November, we flew out to Dodoma, Tanzania ... to see where we would be moving to next as a family
• In December, we packed up our lives in Ohio, shipped all our belongings off in a container, said our goodbyes and flew to England

Looking back, it's actually quite exhausting when I consider all we fitted in, in amongst all the visitors and other stuff we got up to!

Looking forward at the beginning of this year, I sometimes wonder just exactly what have we got ourselves into! A couple of months of driving around catching up with people and support raising and then moving to and settling into a whole new life and culture in Tanzania! The life of an MAF missionary!! Thankfully we're going into it with our eyes wide open and are looking forward to the adventure that the year will bring.

Guaranteed it's going to be a whirlwind ... but it will definitely be an exciting one, with God at the centre. I can't wait to enjoy it with my best friend and my two little girlies!