A Huge Thank You

Our furlough has come and gone and now we are wrapping up and preparing to return home.  When we look back over the past few months we have been exceptionally blessed.  Here are some of the ways God looked out for us…

• Joel was able baptize Ethan with the Pastor who baptized him when he was young.
• We had many people reach out to us giving us opportunities to share about what God is doing.  This was so encouraging to us as it reminded us that there are people out there excited to be part of what we are part of in Senegal.
• We were able to connect face to face with 95 percent of our supporters.
• We were given multiple one time gifts during our time here which has really helped as we look ahead to our next term.   Some of these gifts coming in a just the moment we needed and the dollar amount of what we were short for the month.  God is always so good!
• We gained some new supporters and many others who are starting to follow our ministry.
• We had moments where we were able to slip away as a family and relax.
• I (Andi) found a course online for language coaching (one of my main ministries) that I was able to take during our time back.  I am looking forward to trying some of the ideas I gained.
• Joel was able to get a lot of work done on our property that is rented out so that hopefully they will have little need of major repairs while we are gone.
• Multiple people took us out to eat and treated us to some of the food we have missed while away.
• We were unsure how we would cloth our boys as the wardrobe here is quite different, but clothes for them came in from multiple places providing more than what we needed.
• Ethan and Tyler both did amazing at school and even made a few friends that they might keep up with until the next time we return.
• Our boys were also able to experience important aspects of American life like bowling, ice skating, sports teams, movie theaters, escalators, fidget spinners and so much more.
• We were able to get 3 free suitcases each for our flight back to fill up with more supplies and treats to enjoy.
• So many people gave us items we needed for our return – some are gifts to take back and bless those in our Senegalese church and school and some are supplies for us to help keep us stocked in things we can’t find there.
• We have a team coming next summer to help with our kids program and so we won’t have to wait long to see some of our church family.

So this is us saying Thank You to everyone who helped to make our furlough the encouraging time that it was.  So many people played a role in making this time what it was.  So whether you invited us over, hosted us, shared with us, prayed with us, feed us, housed us, gave to us, loved on our kids, or just listened to us – THANK YOU!  This time would not have been what it was with out the family that surrounds us and reached out to us during these past 6 months.  We are returning to Senegal refreshed and ready to dive into ministry.

How about a few highlights in pictures…