We have now been in England 2 weeks tomorrow (we landed in Manchester around 10am Tuesday, Nov 29th). We entered the country with 6 suitcases, an almost 3 year old and no plans for the future other than staying at Jo's parent's house until something else presented itself. A few years ago, I (Macie) would have called this adventure crazy and never even attempted something like this. Yet here I am, a testimony to God's gentle hand of guidance that is always pushing us to go farther and deeper with Him. I have always wanted a "risk-free" life. What woman hasn't? Who doesn't desire a nice house, well-kept children, and a husband with a steady job? No risk, no unwanted "surprises" and complete security. But through this beginning part of our journey, I am constantly reminded that my desire to lead a risk-free life is a way of telling God that I don't trust Him enough to guide us. When I pursue stability, I am proving my unbelief in God's perfect plan for my life. So, we have decided to live life on the edge, with leaps of faith becoming the norm instead of our constant search for a "safe" life. This has challenged us to completely rewire our thinking on what is important in life and has also led us on our biggest and most exciting adventure yet.
Two days after we arrived in the UK, Jo decided to just show up to the local football (soccer) club and see if they would let him train (really he couldn't have had better timing, they were just coming off a 7-0 loss). At first they told him no, so he sat down to watch. A few minutes into the practice they realized they were a man down and invited Jo to join in. After practice the manager invited Jo back the next day. And by Monday morning, they had made it clear to Jo that they wanted to sign him to play and would start the process to get his international clearance. His clearance came through on Saturday and today he signed to play with the league and tomorrow he will sign to play with the club.
God is so funny, isn't He? He is so faithful to those who put their whole lives in His hands. The circumstances for Jo to play with the club could not have worked out more perfect. God had even made it clear to us what day we were supposed to move back to the UK which present Jo with the perfect time to walk into the practice. Why do we doubt his plan? It can be scary to walk with only a little light to guide your next step, yet when you live life like this, it takes incredible twists and turns you never would have expected.
We are so excited for this next leg of our journey and can't wait to see where else God will lead us.
Here's a link to the football club. http://www.stockportcounty.com/page/Home
