It's Official..

The Newtons are moving to Illinois! Joel was offered a job at First Church Champaign. He is the Director of Children, Youth and Family Ministry. We are very excited about this new opportunity and it's something we have been praying and hoping for. Joel traveled to Champaign in March and had a really good visit with the people there. They invited us back, this time with me, so I got to experience the place that he was so excited about. Shortly after that visit, they offered us the job and we accepted.

The position seems like a great fit for Joel. He gets to do Youth Ministry again, but this time there is an added dimension of overseeing Children's ministry as well. And this church is very interested in exploring the concept of Family Ministry, which would include equipping parents to invest in their children's spirituality and integrating children into the life of the church.

They are ready for us to start any time, so we have been hard at work getting our house ready to put on the market, which will hopefully happen next week! One of our big projects includes getting new carpet, so we let the girls help us do some painting projects. They seemed to really enjoy it, and so did I since I didn't have to worry about them dripping on the old carpet!

Even though we have accepted the position and are planning a move, we are not exactly sure when the big move will happen. We are hoping and praying that our house sells quickly so we can get started. But we are thankful for the time we have to spend with our friends and family in Colorado as we say goodbye to the life we've had here for the past 7 years. We're excited to embark on this new portion of our journey, but definitely sad to leave Denver behind. In fact, this morning I just had my last MOPS meeting of the year, which is also my last MOPS meeting in that group! I have a feeling we will be experiencing lots of "lasts" in the next few weeks, but we look forward to experiencing some "firsts" in Champaign.

Please pray for us and for our families as we make this transition. We are trusting our Sovereign God to continue to direct our paths.

"I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out-plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for." Jeremiah 29:11, The Message