The Waiting Game

Hi! We just want to give everyone an update of where we are in the planning process of our journey. Since being accepted to the Harvest School, we have had many exciting moments and triggers released to get the ball rolling. A few major accomplishments that we have seen are; getting the whole family passports, amazing prayer support, generous financial support, and an introduction to a number of future Harvest School members through Facebook.  It really has been amazing to see God working to put the pieces together in this giant puzzle.
The accomplished list seems rather small compared to what lies ahead. At the moment, we are in the waiting game. There are some administrative hang-ups with Iris that are out of our control that need to be worked out.  As soon as things resume, we will need to purchase airline tickets and apply for visas. These are the two major tasks at hand that must be completed before the remainder of our list.
So a great thing to pray for us is for the administrative side of things to move quickly and for us to have patience while waiting. There are still a few things we can do at present time to get ready, but it would really be a relief to get back on schedule.  The tasks we are working on currently are; researching trip insurance, reading the required reading list (books), getting our legal and financial paperwork in order (wills and insurance, etc.), securing Malaria medication, getting all necessary vaccinations, and finding a place to live for the month of September.  Our lease ends August 31 and we do not have a new place to stay yet.
Also, something that should have its own blog post is the Haiti trip Carolynn and I are going on from Aug. 16-22 with World Orphans.  Our church partners with a church in Haiti to care for 20 orphans and vulnerable children.  We supply financial support to the church which is already caring for several orphans.  Our support helps them expand their program to include more children and be more effective.  In the past, Moran Park(our church) has sent two different teams to build our relationship with both the children and the members of the church.  We have each been to Port-au-Prince on one of those trips, but never together.  We are so excited to have the opportunity to do this together.  This year, we will be participating in the summer camp that approximately 200 children will be at for the week.  It will be a great time of laughter and excitement.
We would appreciate your continued prayers for all the things listed, but more importantly that we would have unshakable faith in the face of adversity.  The darkness tries to shake up our lives with trials, and sickness, and just plain annoying things.  I have been humored a few times by the silly attempts to distract us and turn our attention off what God has for us. (Like when our car finally died)  The battle is real nonetheless! Thanks be to God that we can look upon the trials with thanks, and that the testing of our faith makes it mature and complete. (James 1:2-4)
Thank you to those who have supported us in prayer and financially up to this point. We have received several donations! A special thank you to our friends with the extra vehicle they were willing to lend out for a while.  It was a HUGE blessing to us!  It is truly humbling to have loved ones step forward in such a way! Thank you so much! 
We love hearing the array of conversations this journey has sprung up! If you have specific questions or are just interested in knowing more, please contact us!