NTM - New Tribes Mission | Planting Tribal Churches

Days without routine, a week of a nasty stomach bug, a weekend with Stephen in Michigan, a night out with only the infant in tow, and now a trip planned to the East Coast. (Sigh) It’s been a pretty busy three weeks, and we’re not slowing down any time soon. It would take a fairly lengthy post to fill you in all the details of life since then.
We have loved having Stephen home. And we’ve thoroughly enjoyed hearing the stories from his first overseas trip. They gleaned much information as to how New Tribes can best minister in the country. So we are still pursuing Tanzania. We are raising support full time, and awaiting our final interview to be fully accepted.
So how much toothpaste does a family of eight use in four years? Toothbrushes? Dish soap? The list is a long one. There are some things that will be too expensive to purchase in country, and, because of our family size, we are trying to figure out how much of these things can fit in our baggage limit. Talk about a brain overload! It might make for a good homeschool math lesson though.
We’ll try to keep you updated as things progress.

I expect Stephen to be home any time now. The excitement is almost overwhelming. Thank you for praying for us the past 18 days. It has been an adventure for all of us. I must say, living 417 hours with out my other half has been an experience. I have learned so much about myself, my children, and my walk with the Lord. It should not surprise me how the Lord has carried us through. He is always faithful!
Please pray that we would adjust back into “normal” life without any problems. Pray also for AJ and Abel as they will continue to travel to their families in Ohio.
And please forgive me if we do not blog for a few days. I think our days will be a bit full.
Thanks you again for your prayers and the notes of encouragement. The body of Christ is a marvelous thing!

Through the wonders of technology, I am watching Stephen’s flight as it crosses the northern part of Africa on its way to Europe with only three and a half hours to go. He will have a five and a half hour layover and then will soar over the Atlantic ocean to arrive in D.C. tomorrow afternoon. There are not enough words to describe how excited the kids and I are. The men have decided to drop Stephen off here before heading to Ohio to reconnect with their wives. So, Lord willing, we will have him home late Thursday night or just into Friday morning. Please pray that they will have restful flights and that their bodies will be able to adjust quickly to the time difference and jet lag.
Pray, too, that in all of our excitement, we will be able to sleep tonight. Do you ever have insomnia because of excitement? I’m not sure we’ll get much school work done tomorrow either. Please pray for patience. We’re going to need it.

The anticipation is rising! The guys are gearing up for their long flights that begin tomorrow evening. At roughly 3:30pm Thursday afternoon they will land on US soil. They are ready and we are more than ready. Please pray as they have one last meeting tomorrow. Pray that they will be able to focus on the things that need to be discuss, and that the Lord would bless and encourage them through it. Stephen says they have a huge amount of notes to compile and go over from this trip. It has been encouraging to hear the way God has provided the information they were looking for in the way He saw fit. Pray also that their travels will be safe.
Please continue to hold the families up in prayer too. In this household, the morning started out a bit rocky, but praise the Lord, He provided the grace and strength to go on.

In a few short hours, Stephen, AJ, and Abel will be hopping on a bus for one more all-day ride. Please pray for safety. Pray that they will enjoy these last few days together and continue to be a blessing to each other and those they come in contact with.
On the home front, pray that we would take one day at a time and not become so consumed with his return that we forget to love each other in every moment.
Thank you all for your prayers as our family has been encouraged, stretched, and thrust at our Saviors feet during this time. Only by His grace have we made it this far.

I talked to Stephen this afternoon. They had been sitting on a bus all day and were pretty worn out. Tomorrow they have two meetings with missionaries from different organizations, and Wednesday they will hop into a bus again to travel back to the “big city.” It sounds as though they are doing well, although tired of bus rides. They enjoyed a hot shower tonight and were headed to bed early. Please pray that they would be blessed and encouraged by their meetings, and that they would stay physically strong these last few days.
We are definitely counting down the days on our end. In pretend land, Daddy was told over the phone that he needed to come home now. I praise the Lord that my children have worked so hard to be a team, and are doing quite well. Please pray that we would patiently wait for Friday to get here.
2Th 3:13 As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good.

*This post was written yesterday but was not published because WordPress updates.
It is beginning to hit our three year old that Daddy is not coming back soon. He keeps asking when Daddy will wake up, as though he thinks Stephen is sleeping in or taking a nap. We keep plucking away at the paper chain, and each day it looks more and more encouraging. Tomorrow could be tough, though. Stephen’s birthday is tomorrow. Please pray that our spirits would remain upbeat and joyful.
I did get a quick email from Stephen today. Like I suspected, they are in an area where the phone and internet services are slim to none. He mentioned a long bus ride, but it sounds like they are doing fine. He is hoping he’ll be able to call us tomorrow. Pray that he will enjoy his first birthday overseas.

No word from the men today. My guess is that they are in an area where there is no access to internet or phone service. Pray that they are safe and soaking in much information.
The wives are doing pretty well, too. We chatted a bit today, and it was encouraging again to catch up with such close friends who are experiencing much of the same things I am right now. Please pray that we would continue to stay strong for our children, and that we would adorn ourselves “with the imperishable beauty of a gently and quiet spirit.”
WordPress will be updating tomorrow, so I will be out of touch via blog tomorrow. And if this weather doesn’t clear up, I may be out of touch completely via internet.

Today has been a great day for the VanKampen tribe. Praise the Lord we had a warm day, and together we took a walk along the river bank to explore. Ema was excited to see so much evidence of erosion (a topic we’ve been studying in science), and the boys were excited to throw anything in the river. This evening we played a board game in which Noah had to do the chicken dance, Katie was not allowed to bend her arms or legs, my littlest sister had to sing opera style, and Ema had to put a “helmet” on her head, bang it with a spoon and say “Bobby, it’s me! Let me in!” So much fun!

Stephen was not able to get in touch with us today. He may be out of touch until some time this weekend. Please pray that they would remain physically strong as they will be doing a lot of traveling. If they are currently running on adrenaline, pray that their bodies do not crash when the adrenaline runs out. (They’ve been warned that this could happen.)

With ten more days until he returns to us, pray that we would patiently wait and lean on the Lord. “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:19) We are not alone.