The Cat is Out of the Bag

So my biggest news item of this century (only 5 years old after all) is out. And I sat on the news for a couple of weeks. That was tough. The worst punishment I can think of is having to keep my own secrets. But now everyone knows. João and I are returning to Brazil in April. Everyone seems so surprised. Can't blame them. I'm still in a state of shock. How did this happen?? God simply moved in our lives and now we are moving.
The neat thing is after so much fear and trembling and doubt, God has given us ONE mind. WE both agree this is the right and good and pleasing will of God for OUR lives. I have moved around most of my life and consider myself to be a flexible person, willing to embrace change with open arms. This, however, hit me blindsided. João and I invested all our savings to become landed immigrants in Canada and our plan was to spend the rest of our lives here. I even gave myself the luxury of relaxing and putting down real roots, instead of holding back "just in case" we might move again.
Even when we knew, in November,that First Baptist Church of Rio de Janeiro was consider ing João's name, we never believed it would go any further. Guess you might call it denial, but it was never anything we believed could happen. Every barrier we threw up, God took down. So now we are both ready to joyfully make this very HUGE change.
Just think about it for a minute. We will be leaving a city of less than a million, to go to a city of over 13 million. We will be leaving a church of about 70 people for a church of more than 2000 people. We will be leaving a sub-polar climate for a tropical climate. That could be downright scarey, except for one thing. We are NOT leaving our God or leaving his will. That's why we can be excited and happy. We have learned in our semi-long lives (I think at 52 I must really be middle aged now, having lived about half my life and hopefully adquired a tiny bit of wisdom along the way) that God is to be trusted. He is too good to be unkind and too wise to be mistaken. Because He is truly sovereign, no matter what everything will work out "JUST RIGHT".
Me, the dreamer, will now have to do practical stuff. The kinda junk I just hate. You know - contact movers, get prices. Sell stuff. Box stuff. Get rid of stuff. Ship stuff. Just what I love - ARGH!!! But I consider this a real opportunity. First of all, once again God is giving us the chance to see whether we love Him or "things" more. To divest ourselves of any attachment to objects. That is a rare privilege (well not so rare in my life... I've done it 3 or 4 times already - guess I need extra practice). And it will be a chance to grow in my dependence on the Holy Spirit and to manifest His Fruit. Pretty cool challenge.
Looks like we will be going to Rio in early April. And once we get there, moving to an empty apt and starting life over again. Not everybody gets that chance for a clean slate at my age. It's going to be lots of fun with lots of challenges. Neat, though, for so many people have written saying they are praying for us. I've never felt any more supported in prayer than at this moment. Perhaps I've never needed it as much.
Now on a more fluffy note... João and I both got new glasses last night. I will be able to read again. I can only read without my glasses at this point and discovered I was doing that with only one eye. No wonder I have constant headaches. Same goes for João. And the guy who fitted us was a Brazilian. Small world, eh? Aren't we just the cutest things? I took the digital camera and we snapped photos of all the frames we liked and then chose it based on the photos. The mirror, for a near sighted person, just doesn't tell you much.
And tonight... tonight... I'm finally gonna see Narnia. Can't wait.