Latest news from Erik and Jo

Greetings from Both of Us!

A Surprising Discovery

“So what’s this discovery?” I can hear some of you asking. Well, it’s this: We are going to have a baby! Yep, it’s true! By next August, Erik & Jo will be parents! We are excited at this great gift from God and are getting ready to embark on this new adventure… perhaps our wildest one yet?

Now, the timing of all this has been quite interesting. Just a week before I discovered I was pregnant, it was found that I needed surgery as my thyroid had grown right down behind my sternum where it risked impeding my breathing and swallowing. The surgeon in the UK said she was able to perform the surgery free of charge before we returned to the States later that month. Those of you who know anything about the UK medical system will realize that this was probably nothing short of a miracle! Anyway, the pregnancy obviously changed things and the surgery is now postponed until the end of February when it no longer poses a risk to the baby. I will fly back to the UK at that time and hopefully my thyroid won’t grow too much more in the meantime!

We were also a little caught out as far as insurance goes, not yet having finalized US medical coverage. From our investigations so far, it doesn’t look as if any of the regular companies will cover me now that I’m already pregnant. However, I will be meeting with a Colorado health authority doctor on Monday to see if there is any state program I could fit into. You will probably know that normally we like to have everything planned and, as a friend once remarked, to have “all our ducks in a row”, but we are thrilled at this unexpected news and trusting that all is in our Father’s hands.

Time in Kosovo & England

Anyway, now you’ve now picked yourselves up off the floor, I’ll go on to other news. We do want to let you know that the time we spent in Kosovo in October/November went well. During the first week, we had with us David Mcleod, our new team member, and spent some valuable time showing him the ropes of his future responsibilities and introducing him to different people in preparation for his upcoming move to Kosovo with his family. Soon after our arrival we all traveled to neighboring Macedonia for the yearly gathering of the AIM (Association of International Missions), the organization we set up that links Christian relief and mission agencies working in Kosovo. This year we held our annual assembly together with our “sister” organization in Albania, the AEP (Albanian Encouragement Project). It was a fabulous time of encouragement, teaching, prayer and new vision attended by over 200 people, most of whom were old friends. Erik and I have been heavily involved in both these organizations over the past years and were thrilled to see the continuing strong bond between believers and the cooperation between people of many different denominations, organizations and nationalities. The Balkans is a truly unique place with some very special people. It was a real wrench having to leave again, even though we do plan to return.

After Kosovo, we spent a month with my church in the UK, speaking, visiting and helping out with different projects. One job we were given was to go through and classify the church archives. It was fascinating. There were books from as far back as the 1600s written in beautiful old English script, as well as portraits and stories of 4 centuries of pastors one of whom was jailed for 6 months for preaching the gospel. We even found a document that mentions a convicted murderer becoming a Christian, being executed and his skin being used in a book cover! There were rumours that the book might be found in the archives but we found no sign of it. Who ever said archives were boring? We also enjoyed participating in a number of different meetings and events, as well as visiting with a large number of old and new friends.

 Studies Ahead

So, here’s a reminder of what’s next. I write this just as we’ve arrived in Colorado in time for Erik to begin his Masters Degree classes on 5 January. Unfortunately, he recently learned that alongside these classes, he needs to take extra college-level maths and science courses. Poor Erik! After getting through his GRE, he thought he’d never have to look at an equation again. He may also have to look for a job, given the fact that not many people will want to employ me now as a pregnant “alien”. (In case you were wondering, even though we are on educational assignment and still supported by churches and individuals, we had planned to meet the extra Masters fees and other expenses through employment). We’ll keep you informed in the coming weeks and months at how it all goes.

Well, that’s what’s going on with us. This wasn’t the brief update I had hoped to send, but hopefully you are still hanging on in there as we would like to take this opportunity to wish you a very happy New Year, a year of joy, peace and blessing.

We’d love to hear from you soon.

God bless you,

Jo & Erik