If you have been following my blog then you know that we have been living in Switzerland for the last 2 years. Well, I am happy to announce that in just over 1 week we will FINALLY be coming HOME!!!
The original plan was to come home at the end of July, but if there is one thing I've learned in life is that things don't always go as we plan. But that's simply because God has a better plan than ours. We're currently still trying to figure out what His ultimate plan is for us but one thing is for certain...we are coming home May 3rd! Freedom is in our future!
Our cat, Tot, has been sick since December. We've taken him to the vet so many times I've lost count and our bank account has suffered right along with him. We've realized that the vets here can't do anything else for him so while he is stable enough to travel, we want to get him back to America where he can get better treatment. My parents had planned several months ago to make a trip over here in April so we coordinated our plane tickets so that we would simply return home with them. It will be a blessing to have them here to help us pack and move our belongings along with the two cats. When we moved to Switzerland, it was just Jared and I, 4 bags and two cats...flying the 8 hours then trying to navigate the Swiss train system(which broke down mid-travel also adding another 2 hours to the travel time and we almost got separated) then we lived in a hotel for a month. I'm pretty sure I blogged about that messy experience. I'm glad our return home will not be a repeat of that.
We had originally planned for me to go back with my parents and the cats so that Jared could finish up his work obligations, but the airline my parents had already booked did not allow cats in the cabin and all airlines allow one cat per passenger so Jared ended up booking a ticket with me and now we both get to come home to America...TOGETHER! I was really apprehensive about traveling without him and being apart from him for possibly months. But God takes care of the details.
One thing that needs to happen before we leave is that we can get out of our current apartment lease. Now, an apartment lease in Switzerland is not like in the U.S. You are absolutely locked in unless you can find someone to take over your lease. There is no option of breaking the lease early and paying a fee (unless you have $10,000 lying around...which we don't). Good news...we found someone who is willing to lease our apartment. It is an American couple who will actually be a post-doc at the EPFL just like Jared. But the trouble is that the Swiss system works differently than America's (go figure, right?). Here, the landlord selects the renter after reviewing their application (yep, here you apply for an apartment like you would apply for a job...and you don't always get the one you applied for and the waiting period can be forever). So there is a real possibility that this couple could be denied for any reason the landlord wants and we could be stuck in our lease until as late as October if we are unable to get someone in here before then that the landlord approves. Because this couple has an application that is practically identical to our own...we're hoping there will be no problem in transferring the lease over to them.
The real problem of it all is that we are now in a time crunch since Jared and I are both flying home in just over a weeks time. We need to get everything wrapped up before then but the Swiss are never in a hurry and there are always so many hoops to jump through before you can get anything done. So please pray that everything gets taken care of before our departure.
I'm certain most people would be in a bit of a panic right now if in the same situation, but I know that so many people are praying for us and I really feel God's peace about everything. These last two years have really helped me to grow in my faith and because I can look back and see the hand of God in so many situations, I know that He will take care of us in this current situation. He has come through each and every time and I can trust that He will again. He has never failed us and I know He never will. He will reveal His perfect plan for us in His perfect timing. While we wait on the Lord, we would appreciate your prayers! They are so valuable.
The original plan was to come home at the end of July, but if there is one thing I've learned in life is that things don't always go as we plan. But that's simply because God has a better plan than ours. We're currently still trying to figure out what His ultimate plan is for us but one thing is for certain...we are coming home May 3rd! Freedom is in our future!
Our cat, Tot, has been sick since December. We've taken him to the vet so many times I've lost count and our bank account has suffered right along with him. We've realized that the vets here can't do anything else for him so while he is stable enough to travel, we want to get him back to America where he can get better treatment. My parents had planned several months ago to make a trip over here in April so we coordinated our plane tickets so that we would simply return home with them. It will be a blessing to have them here to help us pack and move our belongings along with the two cats. When we moved to Switzerland, it was just Jared and I, 4 bags and two cats...flying the 8 hours then trying to navigate the Swiss train system(which broke down mid-travel also adding another 2 hours to the travel time and we almost got separated) then we lived in a hotel for a month. I'm pretty sure I blogged about that messy experience. I'm glad our return home will not be a repeat of that.
We had originally planned for me to go back with my parents and the cats so that Jared could finish up his work obligations, but the airline my parents had already booked did not allow cats in the cabin and all airlines allow one cat per passenger so Jared ended up booking a ticket with me and now we both get to come home to America...TOGETHER! I was really apprehensive about traveling without him and being apart from him for possibly months. But God takes care of the details.
One thing that needs to happen before we leave is that we can get out of our current apartment lease. Now, an apartment lease in Switzerland is not like in the U.S. You are absolutely locked in unless you can find someone to take over your lease. There is no option of breaking the lease early and paying a fee (unless you have $10,000 lying around...which we don't). Good news...we found someone who is willing to lease our apartment. It is an American couple who will actually be a post-doc at the EPFL just like Jared. But the trouble is that the Swiss system works differently than America's (go figure, right?). Here, the landlord selects the renter after reviewing their application (yep, here you apply for an apartment like you would apply for a job...and you don't always get the one you applied for and the waiting period can be forever). So there is a real possibility that this couple could be denied for any reason the landlord wants and we could be stuck in our lease until as late as October if we are unable to get someone in here before then that the landlord approves. Because this couple has an application that is practically identical to our own...we're hoping there will be no problem in transferring the lease over to them.
The real problem of it all is that we are now in a time crunch since Jared and I are both flying home in just over a weeks time. We need to get everything wrapped up before then but the Swiss are never in a hurry and there are always so many hoops to jump through before you can get anything done. So please pray that everything gets taken care of before our departure.
I'm certain most people would be in a bit of a panic right now if in the same situation, but I know that so many people are praying for us and I really feel God's peace about everything. These last two years have really helped me to grow in my faith and because I can look back and see the hand of God in so many situations, I know that He will take care of us in this current situation. He has come through each and every time and I can trust that He will again. He has never failed us and I know He never will. He will reveal His perfect plan for us in His perfect timing. While we wait on the Lord, we would appreciate your prayers! They are so valuable.
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