what's the plan?

We have talked to many of you about this, but for those who haven't been in on the discussions, here's what we've been thinking about and talking about:

We committed to spending a year at Henderson Settlement, and that year will be completed at the end of September. Although they'd like us to stay indefinitely (isn't that nice of them?), we're feeling like it's time to move on and time to be closer to what feels like our true home. Plus, our student loans are calling our names, and although they might be able to be pushed back, they won't go away on their own.

We've started applying for jobs in the Binghamton area, but we've not really heard anything yet. We've decided that we'll stay here 'til one of us finds something, so it's looking right now as if we'll be here past the end of September. Eric is determined to be back up north by Christmas, though, job or no job.

And the grand plan? Well, the long-term plan involves us both getting jobs, using one salary to live on and one to pay off the loans, and being pretty much free of debt in about five years (or less, depending on how things go). Then we hope to be able to back into full-time volunteer/mission work. The details of that are still in the very fuzzy stages, but we will be exploring some programs through the United Methodist Church and probably some others, as well.

So pray for us as we start this new leg of the journey. And let us know if you have any job leads!