Such wonderful news!

At last!  Yesterday David got dressed up and headed out to our church's board meeting while I sat at home and wondered if this meeting was or wasn't going to change our lives.  We have been waiting for this date since leaving our old church last October and joining our new one, because we need a church to back us in our ministry in order to apply for licensing as a pastor.  David came home and we ate, very late, and then it seemed that they weren't going to call us so we went to bed.  All today we waited and by the time I got home from work David was a wreck.  "Just CALL THEM" I said, and he did.  And the pastor said that after David had left the meeting the board voted unanimously to accept his call to ministry and support us in our journey.  Another hurdle jumped!  I feel so inspired right now, because this was one of the *big* steps for us.  Without this church backing us we would have had to move, since their are no other churches of the same denomination in our small town.  Moving would have meant a lot of upheaval for our little family right now, so all in all it's better that we stay put.

So what's next for us?  Well, there's paperwork.  College records to be mailed to headquarters, enrollment forms to be filled out to take correspondance courses, a meeting with our district board of ministerial development, a personal reference to be asked and an eight-page 'Personal Data Inventory Questionnaire' to be completed and mailed away.  And then when all of that is done, courses to be enrolled in, books to be purchased, and finally the hard work of finishing academic requirements around work and family responsibilities.  But we are eager for the challenge, Lord, and thank you for knowing that we can do this great thing!