May, 2017

Dear Praying Friends,

The days seem to be going by faster and faster as we find ourselves closing in on our departure for Knysna! We say this often, but we’ve never meant it more than we do now – thank you so much for your prayers, encouragement, and support! We have seen many direct answers to prayer since our last update, and we thought it would be encouraging to share those direct answers with you. Below is a list of some of the items we mentioned last month, followed by a brief update on what God has done on our behalf in bringing these items to or near completion.

Passport renewals for Amy, George David, and Ashley – This step is entirely complete, with us receiving all the passports in about half the advertised time!

Shipping Container ordering, planning, etc. – Done! We received a good offer on a 20’ container, made our deposit, and will be loading it on June 29th. It is scheduled to arrive in South Africa mid-to-late August.

Housing plans for short and long term residence in Knysna – We should be finalizing an agreement on a 12-month house rental sometime this week! This has been a struggle, but it appears God has revealed where we’re supposed to live as we settle in.

Medical appointments/clearances necessary to be accepted into South Africa – While this has been quite the process, by tomorrow everything should be done and soon after all the documents in hand. Praise the Lord that all results have come back favorable!

Flight plans for our departure – We purchased our tickets just this past weekend. We depart from JFK Airport at 11:15AM on August 15, arriving in South Africa on August 16

School applications for Alyssa (Knysna High School) and George David (Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University) – We are happy to report that Alyssa has been accepted into Knysna High School, and George David has been accepted into Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University!

School decisions/applications for Ashley (finishing high school online, then enrolling at Lancaster Bible College) – We are also happy to report that Ashley has been accepted into LBC’s Jumpstart program and has completed all arrangements for finishing high school online. She’ll be a ‘hybrid’ student beginning this fall (finishing high school and starting college classes at the same time)!

Again, thank you for your faithfulness in praying for us. We know that all this could not be done without you, our indispensable team of prayer warriors! While there is much more to do and many more hurdles to overcome, we find ourselves resting in God’s strength and provision. We know that He has already prepared our path in service to Him, and we trust in His continued guidance along the way. One item you can pray about this month is regarding our visa application. We are planning on going to the South African Consulate General on Monday, June 19. Please pray we take everything we need and that our application will be granted.

This month in Getting to Know You we are focusing on our youngest, Alyssa.

Age: 13 . . . though she will tell you almost 14
Grade in school: 8th grade for six more days
Favorite food: fettuccini alfredo
Favorite free time activity: reading
Favorite subject: English
Place she would like to visit: Paris . . . because of the pastries
Favorite Bible verse: I Thessalonians 5:16-18
How the family members describe her in one word: supportive, kindred-spirit, sous chef, precious
What she will miss most other than friends when we move to South Africa: going on vacation