Dear Friends and Family,
Last week Rachel and I had tea with a dear friend of Rachel’s family who also happens to be a marriage and family therapist. While talking to her about the transition we are going through, she mentioned that people almost always respond psychologically to marriage in the same way that they respond to a crisis. There are so many changes and new things happening all at the same time that newly married people need to create space to allow themselves to adjust and to fully process all that is different. So we want to thank you–our supporters, our friends, our family–for allowing us to take the time and space to plan a wedding, get married and then begin to grasp all that it means for us to start a new family. We are deeply grateful to those of you who have supported and encouraged us as we have joined our lives together.
These months have been full as we have visited and spent time with dear friends and family, changed both of our names (we both added Hook to our middle names), added each other to our existing bank accounts, wrote our wills and power of attorney documents and got all needed travel vaccinations. I was also able to work part-time, mainly maintaining contact with our team in Moldova and finalizing our local organization’s constitution and bylaws. Rachel spent her mornings reading formation material for her internship with Word Made Flesh and performing brilliantly in the weekly Romanian language lessons we had together.
Aside from all of these logistical details, Rachel and I have had time to slow down a little, to look at ourselves and to ask some deep questions about our new marriage and family. We have begun meeting with a counselor who specializes in cross-cultural issues and will continue meeting with him via skype once we return to Moldova. Our prayer is that we will continue learning what it means to know and love each other well as we transition to life in a new culture.
We appreciate your prayers and thoughts throughout this transition. As I write, our suitcases are open and scattered amongst the piles of things that have passed the final test for what we will be able to take with us. We leave in less than 48 hours, and though there is sadness and grief in our hearts, we are also full of hope in the new things that are happening in our lives. We are looking forward to being reunited with the children and staff in Moldova and joining in the beautiful things God is doing there.
Thank you for reading, for praying, for encouraging. Thank you for partnering with us as we seek to live as people of hope and love among our friends in Moldova.
With love,
R & J