resistance

we're into our last month in montreal, and as we wrap up one ministry assignment and head toward another, it's predictable that we're encountering spiritual resistance. it's praying time…

• the high school here is giving us a hard time about schooling n at home. after a year of very little learning at school, during which her motivation waned, and facing the prospect of a new school next year, n wanted to regain some ground before next year. given on-going problems at the school and some truly odd behaviour by teachers and administration, that seemed pretty reasonable to us. apparently not to them. in spite of the fact that we're planning on moving out of the country, it looks like they're going to try to bully us. thankfully, we have the law on our side in this one.

• our tax situation finally got cleared up, but at a significant cost — over twice what i was expecting. i'm still trying to sort the final bill, but it won't be cheap, probably north of $4000. it is, as i mentioned in a recent prayer letter, better than going to prison. part of the cost of life in another country, i suppose.

• our attempts to finance a new home in washington have hit numerous, unanticipated snags. apparently, the rules for certain kinds of mortgages have changed as recently as this past week, and we are getting caught in the crossfire. they're requesting all kinds of documentation, but the request came at 7pm on a friday, and we're leaving at about 4am on tuesday — not enough time to get the required docs. and since they've frozen our equity line, we are left without a way to make a down payment, just days before a cross-continent trip to go house hunting. this is a critical issue, obviously. i spent the better part of three hours today, collecting documents, scanning them, ordering other information from our bank here in canada, and sorting out things with the mortgage broker, who himself ended up at the hospital today with a serious family emergency; if that weren't trouble enough, his cell phone battery also died, when we were in mid-conversation.

• a city-wide public transit strike has hobbled montreal and thrown a wrench into our current schedule and our future plans. with service only at 'essential' times (6:00-9:00, 15:30-18:30, 23:00-0:100), we've been forced to drive a lot more (especially to get the girls to their activities), but more importantly, it threatens our arrangements for b during the time we're away. how will she get to her various activities? how will the friend who was going to stay with her get to and from work if she lives at our place?
  

there are many loose ends to tie, and sometimes, it seems like i've barely gotten to one before the devil has created a few more. i think that, in my heart of hearts, i still expect victory to be easier than this. but i shouldn't be surprised. as the apostle paul says, we are not ignorant of satan's schemes, and we must stand firm against them. thankfully, i've got a wife who reminds me to pray, exhorts me to pray, and prays with me — especially helpful when i lose sight of the real battle.

for our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. (ephesians 6:12)

i hate the fact that someone is working against us, but i'm not cowed by it. as we say in the star trek universe, (the enemy's) resistance is futile.