New Year, New Beginnings

Well, all three of us are back at base now after some holidays - Mark with his family in Belgium, and Ton and I with my parents in Devon.
As the New Year opens, so we are really looking forward to finally beginning our presence and ministry in Aston. The last few months have been very frustrating and difficult for us as we have had to accept one delay after another with the building of our house. It is totally out of our control and all we can do is watch and wait. We had initially expected to be moving some time in August, and here we are now in January still facing delays of another few weeks.
We have been trying to keep ourselves busy with some supply work and more reading and study, but the time has long since come and gone that we just want to get started. The one thing the last few months has honed in is is patience! We first placed an offer on the house last May. At the beginning of February it will be nine months - my first real insight into what waiting for the birth of a child is like!! I am just hoping that nine months will be the limit!
We have been very lucky to have such a good period of preparation. But all the preparation in the world won't take away the need to move very gently when we finally do take up residence in Aston. The patience we have been acquiring recently will need to be sustained - resisting the urge to make up for the lack of ministry these last few months by going mad and jumping into anything and everything. The first priority is to build relationships with neighbours and key people in Aston, taking care to listen and learn what life is really like there.
As we have been celebrating the incarnation of God in human flesh these last few weeks, we pray that we may take care to allow oursleves the same vulnerability when we finally pitch our tent in Aston.
Carl