Are You Ready for This?

Okay, sorry to potentially mislead you…we do not have an adoption referral yet; however, we do have some major news and a brief adoption update to share with you later in this posting.  A lot has certainly occurred in the Beeson home since our last post on May 11, and we are excited to be able to share this now with the masses. 

Let’s start with the major news…we will be moving to the Philadelphia, PA area soon.  Yes, you did just read that last sentence correctly…around the end of July, we will be moving. 

Joey was approached by Philadelphia Biblical University (www.pbu.edu) earlier in the spring about his interest in teaching at the college-level in their school of education.  This has been a dream and vision for some time now, so when they approached him about this opportunity, we initially thought it would be for a part-time, adjunct role.  However, it was very clear in his first interview with the dean of the school of education in late April that this would instead be a full-time, on-campus opportunity.  He expressed his excitement and interest in this potential opportunity, but he was also clear about the concern of timing with needing to move in a matter of months and what this may mean for our adoption process. 

We prayed and sought wise counsel, and we decided to pursue this opportunity and see what would happen.  Joey went through an additional phone interview and then a Skype video interview with the school of education faculty.  He was then given the opportunity to fly up to meet with the leadership of the university in mid-May.  These interviews went well (though on May 16, he was in interviews from 8:30am to 4:30pm – what an arduous day).  Within a week, he received an offer, and we made the decision to accept it.  He will serve as an assistant professor in the school of education.  He will teach full-time as well as work with the supervision of student teachers and academic advising for education students.  He should also have the opportunity to start a doctorate soon, which would also expand his teaching opportunities.

Yes, we are no doubt excited about this new transition, but it is bittersweet too.  When we left Indonesia, we knew that we needed to a community that would help us rest, reenergize, and establish a new base for launch into future ministry opportunities.   We also had the sense that when we returned to the States that God would have us in Mississippi for three to five years.  It has now already been four years.  We have made some new wonderful friends, have been a part of a great small group, and it has been a privilege to get involved in various ministries at our church and in this community.

God has blessed us in so many ways in Mississippi that it is going to be difficult to leave.  Leaving the physical offices of NICS and NorthStar, our home/neighborhood, our church, and most of all our friends are not things we are looking forward to over the couple months.  We have already placed our house on the market (less than a week ago), and we are already beginning to obtain quotes for moving. 

We are not leaving NICS and both of us will still be serving at NorthStar Academy.  The beauty of an online school is that you can serve wherever you can be online.  Joey will continue to serve as principal, with a pared-down job description, and God has already provided others “in-house” to take care of these needs.  Sarah will continue to teach physical education and health courses too.

Now to a quick adoption update: A few weeks ago, we told our social worker here and the leadership at Good Shepherd’s Fold in Uganda about this potential transition.  The GSF staff continue to hit road blocks and dead ends on children already at the orphanage.  Multiple times they have shared with us that they were not convinced that our child(ren) were at the orphanage yet.  New children have recently come into the orphanage, but the lawyer for the orphanage has recommended that a minimum of six months be given to working through these new children’s cases before moving to try to make referrals.  So, not only will this transition/move not negatively affect our adoption process, but we even have some “extra” time to get settled in the Philadelphia area and update our paperwork before GSF is able to move forward on potential referrals. 

Would you pray for this transition for our family?  Here are some specific prayer requests:

• That we would leave well and that the process of saying our goodbyes would be sweet.
• That our house would sell quickly (we have already had two showings).
• That we would be able to find the right home in the right school district.
• That we would be able to find the right preschool situation for Micah and his needs.
• That Joey would start off well in his new role at PBU.
• That God would quickly provide us with a new church home and network of friends (and that we would be able to connect with “old” friends too).
• That we would have a great time living close to family for the first time ever (Sarah’s parents only live 30 minutes from the university).
•  That God would continue to direct the staff at GSF with children to be referred for adoption.

We will be leaving around the end of July, and we will be staying with Sarah’s parents for the foreseeable future, while we do house hunting and get our children started in school.  Though Joey starts his new role on July 1, he does not have to be on campus until mid-August.  Thanks again for your prayers!  

Blessings to you all!

Joey, Sarah, Zoe, Micah, and Caleb