What an amazing blessing!!!

We found out on Thursday that we needed to make a trip to Chicago back to where we moved from to take care of some paperwork. We were unsure what to do and how to handle the situation, so we decided to embrace it and have a mini-vacation with the fam! I cannot tell you how glad I am that we decided to stay a couple of days and visit with friends! The biggest treat was being able to spend Sunday at our former church, New Hope Baptist in Naperville. We love our church in Norway and know that it is the Lord's will for us to be there, but there is something so special about our church in Chicago. The Lord used each of the messages in a special way in my life. A simple discussion about worshipping the Lord in spirit and truth from our hearts (as opposed to just an outward, fleshly reaction) was such a challenge to me. Why do I do the things I do? The Lord is most concerned about the state of my heart, not the actions I take. And the special time with old friends was priceless! We were able to spend some time with our pastors, the McGeochs and the Alberts, too! And our kids had such a good time playing with the Albert kiddos, too! So sorry that their oldest, Kristina, was sick and couldn't get out much! Our lives have changed drastically since the Lord moved us to Northland, but being back in Chicago made us feel as though we were back home! I praise the Lord for the chance to visit, and of course the realization that we don't have to deal with that crazy traffic every day anymore! I'm pretty sure that we've seen more cars in the past 2 days than we've seen total in the past 2 years up North!!! :-) It was great seeing you, too, Leslie!!! How we miss everyone!!! Thanks for receiving us back so warmly!