Thank you to all of you who give, pray, volunteer and care for the ministry of Sanctuary Inn! It is because of you that we are able to provide a place for the Hobson family to come for a long stay in the midst of this uncertain time. We know many global workers have been uprooted because of this pandemic and we are looking forward to a time when we can open our doors even wider and provide a place for more guests to come and be equipped, refreshed and restored. Thank you for your part in helping us keep our doors open!

Meet Our Guests – The Hobson Family

What brought you to Sanctuary Inn?

We have been raising support now for three years, while at the same time both of us still working full time, and raising our girls. While the process of gathering our team has been truly amazing, it has also kept us in a prolonged season of transition. Getting to the field has felt a bit like running a a marathon at a sprinters pace. In January we reached 95% funded, and in February we applied for our visas. We knew we would need to move a third time in just under a year come March. We really wanted it to be some place we could stay until we leave for the field – whether that was a few weeks or a few months away, and not have yet one more transition before moving overseas.

What is meaningful about staying at Sanctuary Inn during this time?

Rest, rest, and more rest. Rather than running to the very end and then arriving on the field burnt out and exhausted, we instead get to rest and receive care so that we can leave for the field feeling refreshed and renewed. The environment alone here with the forest, fresh air, and rushing river is enough to bring the stress levels down several notches.

Another thing that is so meaningful is community. Especially right now with all of the physical distancing requirements, it is such a blessing to be in a place where there are other people in our inner circle. The folks here at Sanctuary Inn really are family. They understand what it is like to be a missionary, to raise support, to wait on God’s timing. They have especially been a gift to our kids who naturally sometimes struggle with all that comes with being a “missionary kid”.

Also, there are just so many intentional details here that make you feel loved and cared for. The night we arrived dinner was dropped off in the house we are staying in – a hearty soup and a fresh baked loaf of bread. The kitchen is well stocked, including with some of the best coffee around. The rooms are homey and welcoming, and our hosts super attentive. We are so grateful that they have thought of everything a guest might need.

Where are you in your process of leaving for the field?

We are headed to Portugal to help develop a retreat center that is very much like Sanctuary Inn. A place where global workers can come to receive rest and care. We have been working towards this goal for many years, and we were excited to apply for our visas in February. Because of the virus Pandemic, our visa applications are now on hold, and Portugal has closed its borders. We have been told once the consulate in San Francisco is allowed to re-open, they will contact us to resume the visa application process. In the meantime we have to work at balancing enjoying the peace available to us here at Sanctuary Inn, and continuing to pack and prepare for our field departure, having no idea when that may be.

A few words of comfort…

Have you spent any time with the prophet Habakkuk lately? 

A short book near the end of the Old Testament, three chapters, no words of judgment on surrounding nations or words of correction for Israel, rather it reads more like the prophet’s private journal.

In this book the prophet Habakkuk bares his soul to God, asking hard questions about the circumstances of the day. The prophet is truly struggling with why God is doing the things he is the way he is. Why is God using an evil nation to punish the chosen people of God? Why is there so much injustice everywhere I look?

 

Habakkuk doesn’t just put these questions to God, he also stops to listen to God’s answers. Near the end of the book he pens these words (Habakkuk 3:17-19):
 

“Though the fig tree does not bud

    and there are no grapes on the vines,

though the olive crop fails

    and the fields produce no food,

though there are no sheep in the pen

    and no cattle in the stalls, 

yet I will rejoice in the Lord,

    I will be joyful in God my Savior.

 
The Sovereign Lord is my strength;

    he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,

    he enables me to tread on the heights.”

When I recently re-read these words, they seemed so fitting for our world today. A world ravaged by coronavirus — a world where people find themselves out of work, at the end of their resources, where some people have little hope of prosperity and success in their future — Habakkuk brings our focus back to God himself. 

 
Maybe we could paraphrase it like this:
“Though so little about my future seems certain, though I don’t know what the next day or week or month may look like, though I can’t even count on the things that have been such a regular part of my life, though all of my resources are expended and there seems to be no hope of them being re-supplied — yet, I will rejoice in the Lord — I will remember who God is, I will remember that all I truly need is found in God and is supplied by God himself. I will be joyful in God my Savior — in the midst of all this uncertainty, fear and concern, I can find joy, true inner joy, in God. His character has not changed, his promises have not failed — I can be joyful in this turmoil and uncertainty. In fact, I am not only joyful, I will find my strength for each day in the Lord God and in the midst of these terrible circumstances I will live above them, not dominated by them.”
 

My prayer is that these words of Habakkuk would be words of comfort and encouragement to you today. 

– Steve Price and the Sanctuary Inn Team

 

Steven and Joann Price - Innkeepers and Visionaries

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