Recently

Vienna was SO happy that she got to feed our friend's new baby!

Saying Goodbye to some good friends that are leaving the country for now.

Joel harvested the first honey from our beehives. It was delicious! I have learned so much through this whole process, it really is amazing!

Demo day at the new house! The kids were more than happy to help!

Everyone is all about giving Brooks piggy back rides lately and he is just loving it!

These two together, I just can't even!!! His smile. Her cheeks. Love these guys!

Fun at the water park!

We are the proud new owners of . . .

. . . a HOUSE! Yes, that's right, on July 1st we became first-time homeowners, and in Turkey no less!

Owning a house has been a desire in our hearts for a few years and one that we had been praying faithfully for. We know God has called us here and we want to grow deep roots, so it just made sense for us to buy a house and establish ourselves more permanently here.

Now, things in Turkey can be a bit complicated and the rules are always changing. With so much conflicting information you just never know who is actually telling the truth. It can make doing anything here very frustrating when you come from a culture with streamlined, straightforward processes.

Suffice it to say, this house buying process has been full of so many unexpected twists and turns and on top of that the government doesn't exactly make it the easiest for foreigners to buy property here. But we serve a BIG God and we are so thankful for his provision and perfect timing! And what makes it even sweeter is that my sister and her family bought the house right next door!

We have been working hard this past month trying to get the house ready to move in, we bought it unfinished, so there is a lot to be done! But this is right up Joel's alley and he is LOVING making this house our home. More pictures to come soon :)