Hello from Birmingham, England where we continue to Sabbatical and “Coddiwomple”. This is an old English term that basically means “to travel in a purposeful manner towards a vague destination.” In the weeks since we last wrote, we have filled our time with study, exploration, networking, quiet, reflection, and prayer. We came here not sure where the Lord was leading us. We have been purposefully using our time to listen and seek guidance. In time, the question bubbled up, “Lord, do you want us to stay and represent you in Birmingham?” This led to the question we are currently asking, “How can we serve the Lord in Birmingham?”
There are many ministry opportunities. However, there is a major hurdle to us remaining here if we are to live into those opportunities: to remain and work here, we need an organization to sponsor us for a work visa. Essentially, we need to find an organization willing to employ us and thus grant us a visa to remain. In a way, this is a good problem in that we can’t solve it ourselves. We need the Lord to open the door, provide the way, make the connections. We invite you to pray with us about this matter.
Wisdom for finding the right sponsor, one able and willing to hire us and provide the visa we need.
Timing for all the pieces to come together. We are still planning on a return to Macau in January. It would be great to have clarity about Birmingham before then.
Faith to rest in the Lord. Some days the desire to resolve the tension of our walk through the liminal space of this season is almost overwhelming.
Who among you fears the Lord and obeys his servant? If you are walking in darkness, without a ray of light, trust in the Lord and rely on your God. Isaiah 50:10 (NLT)
We are relying on the Lord, trusting in His timing and grace. Thank you for prayerfully supporting our journey.
If you are interested in knowing more, please contact us. If you want to be blessed by a photo journal of our lives, be friends with Sarah Leigh. She is at Sarah Byrd Ballew on Facebook.
Narrowboat named Coddiwomple - Seen while walking along the Worcester-Birmingham Canal Trail.