Prayer Request...

Travel is stressful, and as we remembered our trips to Spain the Jet lag is hard to overcome.  Yet, we did not realize how hard it would be with kids.  Our girls handled the flight well, and they have had moments of fun, but we always used to see Spiritual attack in our marriage as we spent time in Spain, and our daughter Lily needs your prayers.  She has a hard time processing her emotions in general, but in the past 12 hours it has reached a "fever pitch."  Please pray for God's "peace that surpasses understanding," for Lily.  Then for Mia and I would you please pray for wisdom in how to speak and parent.  Thank you very much.  We love all of you!

Leaving on a Jet Plane

It's hard to believe we are leaving TODAY!  Our flight leaves at 4:40pm...and there have already been so many answers to prayer!  We found out we can each take two checked bags for free (I was packing with the mentality we'd each get one), AND we get to move right into our apartments when we get there (we were told we couldn't move in until Jan 2nd)!  It is really starting to sink in that we are leaving...and it's been hard to say goodbye.  Yesterday I mentioned to Lily how we are leaving "tomorrow" for South Africa and she cried.  We are going to the unknown for her (and all of us), and that is a little scary.  But God is with us and so are your prayers.  Thank you!  It is so comforting to know our friends and family are praying!  I wanted to give you our schedule for the next few days.  We'll post again as soon as we have internet access.
December 28th at 4:40pm~Fly from Denver to Frankfurt
December 29th~ Arrive in Frankfurt, check in to hotel and sleep/recover
December 30th~Go into Frankfurt and experience Germany, board the plane to South Africa at 1pm MST.
December 31st~ Arrive in Cape Town around 7am MST. 

Please pray that all of our luggage arrives on time and with all it's contents.  Pray also for us to depend on and react out of the power of the Holy Spirit in this time of stress and lack of sleep. :)

We're so thankful for you and will miss you!  Blessings to you in 2012!  Here we go!

The 14 Days til Cape Town

Here we are on the day of our support deadline...and God has provided our FULL support!  We are overwhelmed...I don't even know what to say.  Thank you, Lord!  And thank YOU!  Thank you for your prayers, encouragement, and generous and sacrificial giving!  We are so humbled, grateful, overwhelmed and excited!!!   Praise God!

14 Days til Cape Town...and we haven't started packing.  But we have a plan!:) Here's the rundown of our upcoming couple of weeks...
This weekend we'll celebrate Christmas with my family in Goodland. Then we'll pack our suitcases and apartment, move in with Christian's parents in Greeley, celebrate Christian's birthday (the 22nd :)) celebrate Christmas with Christian's family in Greeley and Scottsbluff, NE, make any last minute preparations and say our farewells, and then board the plane (with as many snacks and forms of entertainment we can carry) on December 28th.   We'll be off on our Amazing Race Adventure!  We have a 10 hour flight to Frankfurt, where we'll cart all of our luggage and crash in a hotel for a day and a half.  The night of the 30th we'll fly to Johannesburg (14 hour flight), and then finally catch the last leg of our flight to our home town for the 2012...Cape Town, arriving just in time for the New Year!   We will move into our new apartment on January 2nd.  And then we'll breathe!:)

Please pray...

• That we will be wise and discerning as we pack our bags...that we will bring what we will need and want, and trust we can live without the rest!  We each get one checked bag and one carry on.  How is that going to work you might ask?  I'm wondering the same...but know it will (or we may have to break down and pay to bring more bags).  Pray for a "less is more" mentality!
• For our teammate, Lauren.  She is still in need of 15% of her support in order to come.  Pray for the Lord's complete provision by January!
• For rest and quality time with family and friends before we go. 
• For SMOOTH travel and for the fruit of the Holy Spirit (peace, patience, joy, self control, etc) in the midst of stress and lack of sleep.
• For Lily and Anya as they transition to so many new things.  That they will experience the Lord in a very real and personal way when they are sad and missing "home". 

Thank you, Friend!  We feel so blessed and "sent" by you .  Praise God with us for His provision!  He is so GOOD!

Gratitude and Praise!

God is so GOOD!  He is answering prayers right and left and continues to confirm His call for us to go to Cape Town! 

~A week ago, the tenant of our house in Greeley said she may need out of her lease.  This sent us into a bit of a panic, as we are set to leave December 28th.  We showed the house to a prospective renter, and it didn't pan out.  But a few days later, our tenant said she decided to stay for the term of the lease!  Praise God!

~We have housing in Cape Town!  Exactly what we prayed for.  Two furnished apartments right next to each other and close to Lily's school.  The other family (the Williams) coming will be right next door!  There is a grocery store, shopping complex, a big mall, and the best mountain biking trails in Cape Town right outside our door.  Something for everyone, right!?:)  The only draw back is that the apartment is only 750 square feet.  Yikes!  Two bedrooms and one bath...but no dining room.  The dining room table is the kitchen counter.  BUT, we can live anywhere for a year, right?

So, we needed to wire our deposit and first month's rent to secure our apartment.  Christian went to the bank the other day to do just that.  Last time we wired money for Lily's school, it kind of got lost in cyberspace for a little while.  So, we were a little gun shy.  Christian prayed that if God didn't want this to happen that day, that He would stop him.  He sat down with the banker and immediately something smelled like burnt plastic.  They looked up to see smoke billowing out of the light above them!  The banker called the fire department and they were tromping through the bank within minutes.  Needless to say, Christian took this as a clear sign that the wire was not supposed to happen that day!  However, we've skyped with the apartment complex and gotten everything settled since then and feel secure about wiring the money.

~The other day we headed to Holyoke for a support dinner and to speak at AWANA and FCA.  We were wanting to trust the Lord to provide the remaining $10,000 we need to cover our flights, in country transportation, and one time expenses.  But, we asked for less...in faith, of course.  We figured God would want to keep us trusting Him until our deadline.  Trying to read God's mind never works out very well...thankfully it doesn't stop Him from acting!  Within 24 hours, God provided the TOTAL amount!  Our hearts have been full of praise, humility, gratitude, and excitement!  I guess I was holding back in my heart and mind before...just in case our support didn't come in.  In my unbelief, I had a back up plan.  But God is so gracious, and performs the miraculous in spite of my lack of faith and self protection.  Of course God will provide all we need for where He's called us to go.  That's who He is and what I've experienced of Him throughout my life.  So we are boldly trusting Him to provide the remaining $700 in monthly support we need to be able to go.  I know it's going to happen!

We are so grateful for all the caring, generous, faithful, and Godly people and prayer warriors we have in our lives.  We are so blessed!

Fall Family Pics

After a long mental debate whether I really wanted to exert the energy to get everyone ready for pictures, we decided to take advantage of the last beautiful fall day before snow.  My extremely talented and creative friend, Rachel Schultz, took these family pictures for us at City Park in Ft. Collins.  (She should also have the credit for this blog design!)

Getting ready for Cape Town

Our family will be departing for Cape Town, South Africa on December 28th, 2011.  Anya (2.5yrs) has been saying she's excited to "sleep on the plane".  We are praying that will happen as we will be spending a total of 24 hours on a plane!  There is so much to prepare for before we go!  We're sending in our paperwork for our visas this week.  We need to get an international driver's license at AAA...but I'm doubtful it will really prepare me for driving on the opposite side of the road from what I know as the passenger's seat!  Driving in Cape Town is probably my biggest fear.  I think back to the first time my Dad took me out driving.  I put my right foot on the gas, and my left foot on the brake.  The anxiety my Dad probably felt when he saw my first attempt is probably similar to what I feel about driving myself and my little girls around in a new country, a new town, and a new way of driving! 
My packing list seems a bit ambiguous, as I'm not sure what is actually going to fit in our 4 checked bags, and 4 carry on bags.  We can pay to bring more, but I'm contemplating if it would be more affordable to pay for extra suitcases ($140 per bag) or just buy things there.  I'm excited to live more simply though.  I know I'll be surprised by how little we really need! 
The count down is on...10 weeks!