Ticket Changes… for the 3rd time

Our hearts are overflowing with gratitude for being able to be here in these early weeks of our first grandson, Jace’s life! We are his Lola (Filipino word for ‘Grandma’) and Apa (Dinangat word for ‘Grandpa’), and have loved every second of being grandparents. It’s been truly awesome to watch our boy be a dad! Jordan and Sarah are amazing, devoted parents and we are blessed to be here!

After spending a few days with them, we drove up to Wisconsin to be with Judah for his shoulder surgery. We then brought him back down to Missouri with us for 10 days while he recovered. The Lord provided a beautiful home for us to use so that our whole family (including Jordan, Sarah and Jace) could all stay together during this time!

With heavy hearts, we took Judah to the airport, stood back and watched as airport security made him remove his brace (a painful ordeal!) and then heave his bag onto his working shoulder and headed back to Wisconsin. He needed to get back for post-op appointments, physical therapy, and then his trip to Brazil! He will be in the brace for about 3 more weeks, but it’ll be several months before he can lift anything. After Judah left, the 6 of us went down to Jeremiah’s parents house to help them complete several work projects on their house that needed to be done by a certain deadline. We painted, put in walls and floors on a couple of additions, added trim, it was a busy week! Praising the Lord for HIS perfect timing, we were blessed to work together to get the jobs done and had a great time with family! And we may or may not have sprinkled in a little fishing on the side!

We have crammed as much as possible into this trip, including Judah’s graduation from Ethnos360 Bible Institute, some coffee dates, meals and the 4th of July with my brother and his family. Jeremiah spoke at Revolution Church in Kansas City- they were hugely instrumental in allowing us to be able to get here, and while there we were able to spend a couple of hours helping his sister and nephew move to a new apartment and then meet with his brother and family for dinner. We’ve also needed to schedule a few other appointments, and unfortunately have not been able to finish those in the the time frame we’d hoped. Our first batch of tickets were cancelled by the airlines, we had to reschedule everything for a different date, and now, because of our own schedule,  we are needing to change our tickets  again. We know these changes are going to be quite expensive, but necessary. It’s overwhelming to us, but we are trusting the Lord in all of the details!

PRAISE the LORD with us:
* Time with family has been a huge blessing!
* Jordan and Sarah are doing well adjusting to life as a family of 3! Jace is healthy and growing like crazy!
* The timing of this trip has allowed us to serve our family in many ways
* Judah is healing well and is currently safe and sound with his team in Brazil
* The Lord has provided for our tickets to get here through many faithful supporters, thank you! 

Please PRAY with us:
* Our ticket changes are going to be costly but necessary. Also, medical bills for the surgery and our other appointments are starting to roll in, and we’re facing thousands of dollars in extra expenses. We also underestimated the hit of the cost of gas and food for this trip, which has added extra burden and stress. We are looking to the Lord to move these mountains knowing nothing is too difficult for Him! If you feel like God is moving you to be a part of answering this prayer, please see the link below.
* We have not set the date for our return yet as there are a few factors that need to be settled. Please pray for wisdom for us as we seek His will! It will likely be in the next couple of weeks since school for Alayna in PNG starts the first week of August.
* Please pray for Judah and his team in Brazil- that they would be a blessing and that the Lord would challenge hearts into missions through their service! Pray also that he’d be able to sleep well- sleep has been quite elusive for him, and especially so now with his arm in a brace. Pray also about the details of him getting to Liberty in August, moving out of his dorm, driving cross country and settling into a new dorm, all with the use of just one arm. 
* Pray that we continue to grow closer to the Lord in our love and obedience, and our knowledge of Him, and that our hearts would be continuously set on His glory!

We are looking forward to getting back to our friends and ministries in PNG and count it a privilege to be your hands and feet among the least reached! Thank you for standing with us, kneeling with us, and supporting this work and our family as we seek to follow Him daily!