It’s amazing how much happens and changes in a year. As Julio headed up to the airport last night to pick up some special visitors, he reminded me that it was a year ago yesterday that we returned to Colombia after a year in the States on home assignment. It is fitting that a year to the date we have dear friends from Minnesota visiting!

And then it got me thinking…wow! A year! I look through pictures and can’t help but be in awe of all of the new things we have experienced in a year – new neighborhood, new home, new school, new friends, new places visited, new teams hosted, new leaders trained, new peace agreement made, new loss, new challenges, new roles in ministry. So much new in a new year. I thank God for the ways he has sustained us in the change and newness and the loss that inevitably comes with moving. I thank God for how well our family has adapted to transition and to the joy we have experienced this year. I thank God for the countless people we have been able to host in our home and for the way they have enriched our lives. I thank God for the learning that never ends and for mentors and teachers who have invested into our lives. I thank God for Colombia, for its beauty and diversity and for the warmth of our Colombian friends. I thank God for the sound of birds constant chatter out our window (even if it is really early). And this morning I thank God for the sound of laughter as my boys reconnect with friends.