6 days and counting - "Trust"

Dear Friends,

So much has happened since we last wrote that I hardly know where to begin. When we last wrote, I shared the good news that we had been given the go ahead to buy our tickets and apply for our visas. We have done that and are scheduled to leave next Monday, April 17. We are finishing up the last of the packing and are doing a lot of “getting together” with people to say our goodbyes. Our visas should arrive in our passports today or tomorrow. Let me back up though just a little.

We purchased our tickets on the Thursday following our commissioning service and were so excited to be able to finally do that! The following day, I Bethany, went with my dad to his doctor’s apt. He has been having some problems for some time in the area of memory, social behavior, and cognitive abilities. It was apparent that something was wrong, but we were all at a loss as to what it was specifically. Dad had been seeing this doctor and others for some time but we were getting no answers, just lots of medicines and changes in medicine. I asked that I be allowed to go with him to talk to the doctor this time and am so glad I did. I’ll spare the length of the details and tell you that the preliminary diagnosis we received was that my dad is suffering from deteriorating brain tissue. Our guess from the research we have done is that this is basically dementia or an early onset of it. My dad is only 62 and we figure this has been progressing for the last four years. He doesn’t completely understand what is happening to him but has handled the news pretty well. He is no longer able to drive or cook and is now working only 3 days a week. Thankfully, his employer of almost 20 years has been very gracious and has continued to employ him. This was a very hard thing for all of us to hear and we have all been going through some grieving. My mom is a strong woman of faith in our great God and is trusting Him to help her through this. Joel and I have done everything within our power to help her these past few weeks and are trying to get a 2^nd opinion right now. Please pray for my parents as they face this very scary time. God is able to provide for their every need and we can trust Him. Please also pray for Joel and I as we leave next week. It’s very hard to know that I won’t be here to help but we believe God’s timing in all this is perfect, even though it’s hard for us to understand. We will continue to obey his leading in our lives and the strength and courage we all need will be provided through the Holy Spirit!

Several people have written lately and asked about our health situations. My surgery was very successful and I have been feeling great ever since. I am healing nicely and have my final checkup with the surgeon is tomorrow. Joel had his blood tested again the other day and everything came back normal this time. Thanks for praying for us in these things. God is taking care of us and is teaching us more about faith in Him each day.

Jack has also had some health issues. He just got over pink eye and is now fighting a sinus infection. Would you pray that we are all healthy before Monday so that as we fly for more than 24 hours, we won’t have sickness to deal with?

I am attaching a picture of the house we will be living in for our time of language study. It was still being finished up when this photo was taken and now has grass in the yard. We are so excited to settle in there but it will still be at least 2 weeks before that happens. Following is a general schedule of our lives the next 2-3 weeks…

Mon. 4/17 – depart Springfield for Indonesia (we will have layovers in 3 cities before arriving in Jakarta on the 19^th – 12 time zones later!)

• 4/19 – 4/22 or so – adjust to jetlag and meet our field leadership in Jakarta
• 4/22 – 4/26 or so – register our visas in Manado, Sulawesi (another island)
• 4/27 ish – arrive in Salatiga, Java and settle into our home for approx. 2 years of language study

Please pray for us as we travel and adjust to the opposite time zone and culture. We were reminded on Sunday that God is always with us and always “shows up” in our times of need. Also, our support level is still at about 85% and along with trusting God to provide the rest of our recommended support, we are trusting him to provide for our one time moving and set up expenses.

I guess that’s it for now. Yet another lengthy email but we do appreciate that you’ve read it and will pray for us!