The last several weeks have been filled to the brim with activity, all of which is pointing to our eventual “retreat” towards South America. Just before Christmas, we completed our Abilene portion of training with a team retreat. The retreat was led by the Halbert Institute of Missions. Our team gathered together with several godly men and women for four days of guided discussion, discipleship, and all-around fun! Our “retreat center” was an exquisite lake house at Lake Brownwood that was graciously provided by a Christian couple from Midland. With both the house and cooking taken care of (a special thanks to our friend Miller Talbot), we had the luxury of focusing single-mindedly on the Lord, mission work, and one another.
At the end of the retreat, each family “retreated” towards their Christmas destinations, which were quite diverse. The Davidsons first went back to Abilene to load up all their possessions and move to Paris, TX. Then, after welcoming Tara’s brother home from Iraq, they enjoyed some Christmas festivities with the McWilliams family before John Mark headed out to visit his home – Thailand. The Fletchers decided to spend most of the holidays on the road, visiting six different places on their whirlwind family tour. The Thompsons headed to College Station after the retreat, where they picked up their rental car and promptly headed north to the most northern of the Dakotas. The Yoakums decided to spend Christmas on the Riverwalk in San Antonio with Stacy’s family; after several days there, they visited other family members before coming back to Abilene in order to begin their moving process.
And thus to come to our final area of “retreating” – retreating from Abilene. Both the Davidsons and Yoakums have moved to be with their supporting congregations (Lamar Ave. Church of Christ in Paris, TX & Kaufman Church of Christ in Kaufman, TX) for the next several months before we head off to language school in Costa Rica. As a team, we do not look forward to being separated until language school; these last several months have been filled with wonderful times of spiritual growth, preparation, and friendship. At the same time, though, we rejoice in these huge steps that these three “retreats” have represented: the end of our training, growing in familial relationships, and growing closer to our supporting churches. With each of these steps we draw closer to Lima, Peru, and for that we praise God who continually guides our footsteps, both individually and as a team!