Author: mccannfamilytravels

After a hectic few weeks of packing day and night we are delighted to have finally arrived in England. However, it is with much sadness that in preparing to leave Bill’s mom became critically ill from the flu, from which she never recovered. She passed away on January 23rd, with Bill and all his siblings at her side.  It still doesn’t seem real that she has gone, but over 20 years ago the Lord miraculously visited her, called her by name and replaced her shattered elbow bones with new bones. It was so amazing that even her doctor, who was an atheist, called her on his deathbed and said that hers was the only miracle he ever saw and wanted her to tell him about it… so it is with peace that we continued our journey knowing that mom, with certainty, is seeing the face of the One who healed her so many years ago. A celebration service has been scheduled for June 2019 in her hometown of Owego, NY.

God has been gracious to us and has kept us steady throughout this transition! We are definitely still in the transition as we don’t yet have a house to live in, but we know God called us here and we know He is going to provide for us. We are thankful for all the friends who helped us so much in the last few weeks in Orlando…helping with packing, bringing meals, loving on us and making it possible for us to actually be ready to fly when we did! A week before we flew our shipping crate began it’s journey to England and it began to become more real that we were leaving.

We saw God’s favor in many ways on our actual journey here – our bags were not even weighed (we’d been fretting about the weight of them as they were overweight) and it seemed like we could have brought as many bags as we’d wanted and they’d just have waved them through!  The flight wasn’t full so we were able to move seats and spread out such that the girls were able to sleep…even Audrey, who has had a hard time sleeping on planes in the past!  We were ushered past the long immigration line & Bill had minimal questioning before being allowed in – all praise and glory to God!

We still didn’t know where we were going to be staying when we arrived at the airport, but were greeted by Pr Jonathan, Rick & sweet Grace (to the delight of the girls) and prayed together to seek direction as to where we should be going with all our stuff!! Pr Jonathan was prompted to call a guest house run by Operation Mobilization and a family room had opened up that morning… so we’re here for a few days whilst we wait to see where the Lord will take us next!

The day we arrived it was very chilly but the skies were blue and there had been a light sprinkling of snow, so everywhere looked especially lovely. It has remained bitterly cold and we’re adjusting to having to put on many layers to go outdoors, and we were disappointed that the forecast snow last night was barely there this morning and had melted in the rain by the time we left the house at 10:30. We’re continuing to pray and seek the Lord – tomorrow morning we’ll go to our first Saturday morning church prayer time together as a family and we’re looking forward to being at service on Sunday! So much ‘new’, but at the same time we are at peace and gratefully trusting that God is with us and will lead us on.

Please ‘follow our blog’ by filling in your email address in the ‘Follow our blog’ section on the right side of the screen – this way you’ll get an email to let you know when we post new material and will help you keep up to date & connected with us. Thank you! Much love to you all!

It’s been far too long since we wrote, but we’re hoping to resurrect this blog and communicate more to our friends and family, especially in this season of transition. God is doing wonderful things!

Big changes are afoot for our family… 2019 is bringing a new season, a new chapter. Back in summer 2017 we heard God tell us that we were to start packing. It was the first indication that we were going to be moving, but we had no idea to where, when or how. The past 18 months, well 2 years really, have been some of the most challenging and difficult years of our lives, yet the Lord has brought us through, is bringing us through, and has been refining and pruning us in the midst of the trials. We have been seeking God and waiting for direction and leading, contending for the ‘new’ that we believed was coming. The waiting was hard. Frequently we had to remind ourselves that God didn’t bring us this far to just abandon us… that He has a plan and it’s for good, for a future and hope.

Sometime around Christmas last year, Bill popped to our local Walmart and came out to find a small green piece of card with ‘Bible Study Scriptures’ on it – and a list of 10 or so scripture references – tucked under his windshield wipers. The scriptures were on the whole not your typical list, but the first one was Genesis 12:1-7, where God says to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.” With hindsight this was the beginning of God giving us direction regarding moving, but at the time we didn’t see it. In March we were given a prophetic word that we’d be moving to England – at which Clare cried and we both said, ‘No!’ It wasn’t a ‘no’ to the Lord, but neither of us sensed it was now – we thought maybe 5 or 10 years down the road. God is good and He knows how to work on our hearts and to make His will clear. We continued to surrender our lives to Him and seek His will… waiting and praying and waiting and praying… and He continued to work on us. At the end of June an offer was made which would entail moving to England. It was the first offer in 18 months that we didn’t have an immediate ‘no’ to as we prayed about it, and came the day after a friend offered us a place to stay to seek the Lord, for a month, for free, in England!

As we looked at some of the practicalities and costs entailed in moving there, we cried out to God knowing that we didn’t have the resources to do it, but that if He wanted us there we’d need Him to provide. The next day we received a call from friends from England who were visiting California, who (long story short) were given $500 by someone in a church they visited to invest in & bless the relationship between the UK & US. Our friends felt it wasn’t for them and as they prayed sensed it was for us. It was a prayer immediately answered and a clear sign to us of where God was leading us.

There are so many details and beautiful things God has worked into the testimony of what He has been doing these last two years in our lives. It has been both terrible and beautiful – although we are honestly only seeing the beauty now that we are out of the depths of the valley! We are excited now for the new that is ahead. In less than a month we will be heading on a one-way trip to England – initially we believe for a 2-3 year stint – but with the Lord life is an adventure and we have little idea of what He has planned for us. We have grown to know more of who God is in these last couple of years and we pray that that will continue as we venture out in faith!

For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry.  

1 Samuel 15:23  (ESV)

Oh it’s been a while! As much as we desire to write far more often, day to day life with little ones is demanding and exhausting, and writing gets pushed down on the list of things that need doing. However, there comes a point when enough is enough – more than two months have gone by since last posting and we couldn’t let March end without an update!

Over these last couple of months there has been much pondering going on in my heart and God has been speaking to me about the choices I make in day to day life. A number of years ago God spoke to me in a vision of sorts, whereby He showed me that every decision I made, little or big, impacted those around me and the generation after me – the ripples far reaching – either for good or for bad. He’s been reminding me of that, and both encouraging me and challenging me in the day-to-day decisions that face us.

The Jana Alayra testimony I shared back in January has been a source of much pondering in this theme: In all the trials Jana faced she had decisions to make…would she get up out of bed and face the day when depression and grief wanted to overwhelm? Would she forgive herself (& others) when the enemy wanted her bound in unforgiveness? Would she praise and worship even when it was painful? So many choices faced daily. Sometimes they seem inconsequential. But what the Lord has been showing me is that her testimony is powerful and there is an authenticity and reality to her ministry because she chose Him throughout the trials, turned to Him even when she didn’t much want to, got out of bed when it was the biggest battle even to do just that.

In our current circumstances there are many ways we are having to make daily choices to trust, to believe, to obey, to praise, even when we are not seeing much happen. The moment-by-moment, day-to-day choices MATTER. God is challenging me even down to my heart attitude when I have been woken up in the night for the 6th time by one of the girls coughing or crying or wanting to feed or to play (the latter usually applies to Katherine!)…will I choose love, will I choose patience, will I trust that He will supply all the rest I need, will I pray when I’d rather sleep, will I keep my eyes on Him? Every time I choose towards the Lord something is being built, some ground is being gained, some testimony of God’s goodness and grace is being formed. For sure there are times I miss the mark… I lose my temper, get cranky because I’m tired, don’t choose love… and the mercies of the Lord are all the more real and tangible when He reminds me and I turn back to Him, but there can be consequences to those choices – the girls tender hearts getting hurt, peace in the atmosphere of our home being lost, the enemy taking back ground.

When I say ‘we’re not seeing much happen’, I mean specifically on the moving/job front. The packing continues and based on a sense I had back in January that early in May we’d have some revelation about it, we’re being even more intentional to daily make progress with it – but faith is definitely challenged at times and we continue to wait and wonder what God’s up to and what it’s all about!  There is a greater settledness and peace that the Lord has brought about being where we currently are…I think He’s been ushering us into ‘learning to be content in all circumstances’!

We have had some encouraging things happen with our neighbors the last couple of months. One lady who we would see walking her dogs around the neighborhood and who God put on my heart many, many times (to what I thought was a weird degree at the time), has become a good friend who comes to play with the girls every week or two, and who is coming to our church tomorrow for the first time with her husband. A door also opened with one of our next door neighbors (who is Hindu) who has been battling illness for the last few months. I got to visit with her and pray for her early in February after she got out of hospital and yesterday she asked if she could have our numbers so she could call us to talk – and we both immediately sensed that it was for her salvation – so we are praying and waiting to see what God will do. There is still purpose to fulfill in our current location!!

The girls are growing fast – in February Abigail turned 5, and next week Audrey turns 4! They are all sick right now with coughs, colds and various infections – challenging all the more the reality of choosing Christ (or not), especially in the night hours – but this too will pass and soon they’ll be their happy, boogie-free selves again!  I’ll include some photos from the last couple of months…I could post hundreds – I love to take photos – but it’ll be April by the time I post if I do too many!!

We’re thankful for you all and pray you have a blessed and very happy Easter!

Whoop! It’s still March! Just.

There is a children’s worship leader that we happened upon one day on YouTube when searching for songs for the girls to sing and dance to, and we have been playing her music over and over since that day – it’s simple, catchy, God-focused and has signing/dance moves that the girls love to join in. Bill and I have woken in the night with the songs going round in our head and have found ourselves humming them more than we’d like to!  You can listen to one of the girls favorites from Jana Alayra here.

A week or so ago, having noticed a while back that Jana’s testimony was online, I decided to listen to it. Bill and I love testimonies. Hearing about the reality of God encountering someone and bringing them through trials to victory always encourages and strengthens faith. It’s a beautiful thing. One of the things that stirred listening to her testimony is that things can look one way… devastation, trials, challenges, and in the midst of them it can seem like no good could ever come from them, but it’s not the end of the story. God is a redeemer. God is a healer. God is able to make a way where there seems to be none. I love that! Jana’s testimony is witness to that. There are circumstances that would push us to despair, to depression, to feeling like nothing will ever change and there will be no end to the inner or outer turmoil, yet this moment we are standing in is not the end. We are somewhere in the story. And if God is in control and our lives are His, we can be assured that the ending is going to be good, indeed very good!!

Back in December I thought that we might be limping across the finish line of 2017, just about making it to the end of the year clinging on to a remnant of hope that 2018 is going to be a better year than this last one… but as we have crossed over into the new year God has been renewing our strength, bringing some fresh revelation and increasing hope and faith for the year to come – meaning that there is a little more spring in our step and courage to keep going with expectation of good, even great, things ahead.

I have greater expectation and faith that we are going to be moving this year – I sense before the summer – but as yet we’ve had no further revelation regarding where to or how! Our packing continues as God spoke to my heart again after Christmas to remind me to keep moving with it… our wall of boxes is growing:

It’s going to be exciting to see what God does! We continue to seek Him and to fight to stay in a position of trust – believing that He IS leading (and it’s not just some crazy human imagination) and that where we are is not the end of the story – there are greater things to come. In the wilderness it is so easy to lose perspective, but I believe God is doing a work in us to build faith, to strengthen weak knees, to show us who He is and who we are in Him. It is a beautiful thing. Painful sometimes, but beautiful. Oh that my heart would stay steady in believing in His goodness, love, mercy, kindness, compassion, strength, power, etc., and not bow to doubt or fear or anxiety!

Well, it’s taken weeks to write this so I’m going to finish before I sleep. January is flying by! Ruth turned 2 months this week and is a sweet, calm, smiley gem. Our days are full and busy, at times relentlessly, just with the every day needs of 4 girls under 5, but they continue to bring us much joy. Bill might just be beginning a career in baking…he got an English bread recipe book for Christmas and has almost daily been experimenting – the girls are getting good at kneading!

Here are a few photos from January:

A month belated, but as much as I wished I had been able to write much sooner and considering all that’s been going on, I’m okay now with the belated element!  I would like to introduce to you our precious daughter, Ruth Isabelle, born on Friday, November 17th, at 7:22am, weighing 7lb 5oz. Perfect. Beautiful. Healthy. Praise God!

I took the photo this weekend when she turned one month old…there are some more below from her first month!  She’s a good baby… peaceful, a good eater, pretty reasonable with her sleep schedule and very kissable! Even so, the reality is we’re still exhausted from the demands of a newborn plus three other girls aged 4, 3 & 2 who are each adjusting to another little human in their lives (who is taking the attention of their parents somewhat from them).

And I’m still recovering from a c-section with the complication of a seroma, which has meant that for the past month I’ve had an open wound that has had to be cleaned out & dressed twice a day whilst it heals slowly from the inside out… an added demand on time, energy and strength! Mix in hormones, toddlers testing boundaries, husband and wife barely having a moment or energy to talk at any depth, and a lack of alone time to pray and seek God, and it’s definitely been a challenging month, yet the addition of this beautiful miracle and the wonder of this little life sincerely does make it all worthwhile (even if at times one loses that perspective!!)

The girls have welcomed their little sister with lots of love and cuddles and on the whole it has been a grace-filled transition:

It is fascinating to watch God create a family and to see the different characters He has given to these girls. It will be interesting over the coming months and years to see who Ruth is and what her personality is like – what a wonder!!  There is much more to write about, but sleep is calling me so for now I’m signing off and I hope that before too long we’ll be able to post again.

There’s a song that has been ‘my song’ in this season and the chorus goes… ‘Take courage my heart, stay steadfast my soul, He’s in the waiting, He’s in the waiting. Hold on to your hope as your triumph unfolds, He’s never failing, He’s never failing.’ (Take Courage by Bethel Music). In essence 2017 so far has been a time of waiting on the Lord, and honestly, it has been very challenging! Our trip to England in April was sweet respite and a precious treasure amidst what has now been many months of uncertainty and turbulence. Back in January we were anticipating NEW things for 2017. We still are, but a large part of the battle in these months has been fighting to believe that it really is coming, that God is faithful and that He will speak and move.

Bill was given a long-overdue three month sabbatical from being administrative pastor at the church from February through April. We knew going into it that he wouldn’t be going back to the same role and that he needed the time to recoup from the intensity of the work of being project manager for the building of our new church facility. We were blessed with a month in England in April and it really was a most wonderful time. If you want to see photos and read more about our travels there, click here to read our blog from that time.

Little did we know returning from England that more than six months later we’d still be waiting on God for His direction and leading for what is next for Bill and indeed for us as a family.  God has not been entirely silent, in fact He has been the one who has provided for us through these months of Bill not working and me not having sufficient funds come in to be paid on any regular basis, but the sense of being in a painful barren wilderness with the enemy and his army hot on our heels whilst waiting for the waters to part so we can cross over into the promised land, is very real!

Over a period of a few months (May, June, July), I found myself many times having the thought that we were going to be moving house. I was frustrated that I couldn’t get rid of the thoughts but didn’t think anything else of them – I even told Bill a few times, ‘I don’t know why I keep thinking about moving!’  We love the location we’re in at the moment – the house is great, the garden is a decent size, the community is quiet and relatively safe, and amazingly we are in walking distance of the church, the library, grocery stores and restaurants (which is rare for a residential community in Orlando!) – so we had no plan or thought to move!  In early August however, I was at one of our weekly church prayer watches, and in the course of prayer I was asking how I could be more active in faith and I immediately heard the Lord say, ‘start packing’. It honestly took a week or two to really take hold of what God had said and to put it into action. It made sense of some things – the lack of answers and direction we’d had regarding Abigail going to pre-school and where we’re going to put the new baby (who is due to arrive next week!), plus the thoughts I’d not been able to get rid of about moving – but it also raised a multitude of questions…how, where and when being the most basic!!

And as yet we have no answers to any of those questions. We keep seeking, we keep waiting. We keep fighting to believe when doubt and uncertainty comes to tell us that nothing will change. It is going to have to be God who, like with the parting of the sea, makes the way and makes it clear, because we’re just obeying the one step of ‘start packing’ and have nothing else to go on! Where we are going, how we’re going there and when we are going remains to be seen. In the mean time, baby girl #4 is about to arrive. (And we’re thankful that God knows every thing and is gracious and merciful to give us warning in advance if we’re going to be moving with a newborn and three toddlers!!)

We serve and follow a faithful God. He’s not failed us yet. His timing is not usually the timing we’d like, and His ways are so far above our ways, but He said He would never leave us nor forsake us, and on that solid ground we stand.

“For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you. (Isaiah 54:10)