Dear
Friends, Family, Teammates, Encouragers, Supporters in prayer and finance and
in so many other ways,
We haven’t written in a while so you may have thought we fell off the face of the earth! We did not, but we have moved a little closer to the edge…
We have officially moved to Hampton, Virginia, just a few blocks from the edge of the
Chesapeake Bay. Keeping in mind that we did this while also working our regular
jobs, plus three overseas trips for me (Germany, South Africa and UK &
Germany again), we hope you will forgive us for not updating you sooner. If you
follow us on Facebook you at least know what our former and current house look
like, but although I wrote two newsletters in recent months I never got them
ready to the point of sending them out. And they are so quickly outdated! I will
post one on our blog in case you are interested in some thoughts from our
Global Gathering in Thailand in May. In the meantime, I’m determined to get
this one out before it, too, reaches its shelf life expiration date.
First, we want to thank you for your prayers during this time of transition! It has
been a busy and often challenging move, but we’ve seen God’s hand of protection
and guidance all along the way. And we are grateful for your prayers!
To keep this as brief as possible, here’s a bit of timeline to bring you up to
date:
Leading up to April: Lots of house projects in Texas! Painting, a whole new bathroom,
finished laundry room, etc... It was the culmination of 11 years of labor and
love put into the house in Waxahachie.
April
19 and onward: We listed the house for sale. By evening we had one good offer
and another the next day! We took the second offer and I packed fifty boxes
that weekend then headed for Thailand for 2 ½ weeks of meetings while Tom kept
packing and finishing house projects (small, but time consuming things that
showed up in the inspection report). He also loaded up a small moving truck and
his truck and hauled most of his tools and bamboo, etc. to his cousin’s in
North Carolina (not too far from where we now live).
Saturday,
May 22: I got back home to Texas and we packed the truck and portable
storage cubes while our street was being paved. After 8 months of on and off
street work, we seemingly synchronized our calendars to be moving the day they
were paving! But the neighborhood now looks lovely with a new street and street
lights, etc. for the new occupants. We were grateful for the help of several
neighbors and the De Dios crew who helped get some of the heavier stuff loaded!
Monday,
May 24: Closed on the house in Texas. We had expected this bit to go smoothly
but Tom lost the keys to our moving truck (we found them later in the day at
Starbucks where we’d gone several times for coffee and Wi-Fi access) and the
buyers had several very last minute
requests we had to take care of (long story!). We’d planned to drive through to
my parents’ in Tennessee that day but with the late start ended up at a motel
with our moving truck and trailer (we towed the car) and then went on to my parents’ the next day.
Into June: We stayed
at my parents’ a few days then went on to Hampton. Put our truckload in a
storage unit. Stayed with Schutts, a lovely, hospitable couple we met a year
and half ago when we first checked out Hampton. Had the holiday weekend to try
to catch up on work, then spent an afternoon house hunting with our great
realtor, Zach. Made an offer on a house, but our offer was too low. The house
was really nice and move-in ready. (But oddly enough, even while hoping to get
this sparkling house with a brand new kitchen, in my mind I was redoing the
house we actually ended up getting!)
Looked at houses another day the next week and made an offer on 141
Chancellor Road.
June
10 and following: Official house inspection. We also spent some time with Kate
and Jordan and their family in Pennsylvania. Tom finally met Jude and we had
great fun with both him and Winslow. Then I was off to meetings in South
Africa. By now we were staying with Lynn, another friend, in Virginia Beach.
She left for several weeks so Tom stayed on in her house and did a few house
repairs for her to help earn our keep! We are thankful for generous friends and
for God working out all the timing.
Wed,
June 29: (I’m back home) We closed on the house. 141 Chancellor is ours! So
grateful to the Lord for His provision!
July
8: move into our house! Just a mattress on the floor but we’re in! And we have
internet so can work as well!
Floor
refinishing and interior painting of living room, dining room, downstairs
bedrooms and hall took way more time than planned. Finally…
July
20, we unloaded the cubes and they were taken away July 22. We started
unpacking…but I left for meetings in Germany on the 23rd. I’m
writing from Germany but headed home tomorrow, the 31st. In the
meantime Tom has been working, putting up shades, dealing with paperwork,
putting bookcases together, etc.
My parents arrive for 10 days next weekend. We hope to find the missing bed parts before then!
We
are grateful to God for providing this new home. It’s closer to my parents and
to Kate and family. And with a little time and effort we will have space for
everyone! Come visit! (well, maybe not all at once!) This house is actually
smaller than our last one but has two bedrooms downstairs and two upstairs so
is a better plan for guests. And we are just a few blocks from the Chesapeake
Bay! We look forward to making memories
with family and friends that will make this house feel like home.
We
will get back to telling you more about how God is at work around the world in
our next newsletter, but wanted to let you know how He’s been at work in our
relocation. We’ve been meeting neighbors and visiting a good church nearby.
Pray we will know how to build relationships and good community. And thank you
again for your prayers during this time of transition!
Susan
and Tom Van Wynen
new address:
141 Chancellor Rd.
Hampton, VA 23661
new address:
141 Chancellor Rd.
Hampton, VA 23661
