NTM - New Tribes Mission | Planting Tribal Churches

Please pray for Benjamin’s complete healing from the virus he had and that Anna would stay healthy. Please pray that mom and dad would be able to catch up on some much needed sleep! 

We have another trip coming up soon!  The four of us, along with my mom and dad, will be flying up to Alberta, Canada to see my grandma the first weekend in April.  Please pray that this trip would go well and that our family would stay healthy.  Dan has never been to Canada to meet my mom’s side of the family and this will probably be the last time we see my Grandma until we’re in heaven. 

Our family just got back from a 10 day trip to California!  We went to share in a church that Dan’s brother, Chris, pastors.  It was also the first time that Chris and his family got to see the twins! 

It was funny because a lot of people said to us "Have fun on your vacation" before we left and we would try to tell them it wasn’t really a vacation- we would be working while we were out there!  We sure did enjoy nice temps and sunny skies and even a trip to the ocean, but it was an incredibly busy week- especially for Dan.  He and his brother put together something real special for the church- airplane rides!  It took alot of energy and time to organize it all, but it was so worth it! There were 2 airplanes, so more people could go up.  Dan flew an airplane he "rented" from another NTM missionary living in the area doing his partnership development and another man connected with the church flew his personal airplane. 

It was so fun to be able to connect with people from the church and get to know them on a more personal level.  And we sure did enjoy the nice spring-like temperature! 

We had a great thanksgiving this year and we pray you did too!  We stayed in Illinois and celebrated with my side of the family- something we haven’t been able to do in quite a few years.  We went to my cousin’s house about an hour away from us and they actually had snow on the ground!  It was beautiful!  It was so special for us to be able to celebrate thanksgiving all together.  It was a very happening place with all the second cousins!  This has been a very busy year in my family- 4 babies have been born since May!  Thankfully, there were lots of people to help hold babies.  I think almost everyone had a turn holding a baby! 

This thanksgiving was even more special to us as we realized it might very well be our last one in the states for a while.  We are still looking at July as our departure month for Bolivia. 

We arrived at the NTMA center in Arizona on Monday October 29th.  It was strange to come back here as a family of four now!  Our flight to Phoenix went well.  The flight attendants rearranged some people so Dan and I could sit together.  What a huge blessing that was!  We actually had a seat in between us that we could lay a baby on.  The babies did okay- a little bit fussy- but we expected that. 

The day after we arrived here, Benjamin came down with a stomach virus.  Anna and Dan both came down with it two days after that.  It seems to be an epidemic here.  Everyone is getting this stomach bug and it’s a nasty one.  Both the babies are still fighting it.  We are asking the Lord to heal them quickly.  We miss our "normal" babies!  This has been a huge test of faith and endurance for the both of us.  It has been so discouraging to see our babies sick and to have it happen away from home.  I was ready to just pack up and leave.  Dan said that maybe the Lord was taking us through this right now to prepare for life overseas- where it is going to be even more difficult and more discouraging to have sick children.  Going through something like this just forces you to rely on the Lord and His strength even more. 

We are all starting to do a little better and are hoping to be able to get out and visit some of our friends and coworkers soon.  This Sunday the 11th, we are speaking at a church in Prescott Valley, just north of Phoenix. 

Dan also just completed his solo flight in the helicopter today!  This was part of the reason for us coming back here.  He did four take-offs and landings.  I was a nervous wreck and I found out afterwards that Dan was pretty nervous himself!  He did great, though!