Prayer Partner Update #2 (3/15/08)

There are no words left to describe what we have experienced in the last 18 days. Each day our trip to the mailbox has been overwhelming!! The outpouring of commitments to be in prayer for us and the Sierra Leone team has been tremendous, and the sacrificial gifts we have received are continuing to leave us feeling completely humbled! We love you all and thank you from the depths of our hearts.

As of last night we were at 99.1% of the need being met. When I checked email a moment ago there was a pledge that has now put us over the top! 100.3%. Any additional funds that come in will help to buy building materials for the polio clinic.

On Monday we will lock in airline tickets and will have a list of names for each team member. Tom's passport has arrived and we added a few other vaccinations that were routine. We are beginning to think through the packing process, etc... We look forward to keeping you updated with specific requests.

What a blessing you are to us!

SNOW!!!

Sherman had 6 inches of snow Monday night (3/3/08). It was completely melted by Wednesday. Then we had another round, 8 inches, on Thursday! I sure don't remember that much snow EVER!

Prayer Partner Update #1

Wow! Tom and I are humbled beyond words!

Daily we are seeing God provide prayer partners

and financial gifts toward our mission trip

to Sierra Leone.

57% of the need has now been met.

“Faithful is He Who has called you,

and He also will bring it to pass.”

(I Thess 5:24)

He is certainly

proving Himself to be faithful!

Praises:
Tom’s passport should be on the way soon.
We have had Yellow Fever,

Typhoid and Polio vaccinations.
We have prescriptions for Malaria

and Bacterial Diarrhea.
There is a doctor going on the trip.
At least 2 nurses have made the

commitment to go.
The team is up to 20 people.

Requests:
Some in the group are making

arrangements for childcare.
All are continuing to trust God

for support.
There are still a few that need

immunizations.
May we all stay healthy.
May God do everything in each

of us that He desires as we prepare.

One dear friend wrote this week to

say that she and her husband are

“so glad to be a part of this adventure.”

Yes, all of you who are praying and

giving are just as much a

part of the trip as we are.

We love you and thank you!

Ouch!

Tom and I were able to get vaccinations
this morning in Plano at
Globex Travel Health.
They were so informative - we'd
recommend them anytime
for your travel immunizations.
Yellow Fever comes in a
batch of 5 shots, so 5 of
our team members met there.
Once the batch is mixed it
has to be given within one hour
(it's ALIVE!).
We also received Polio and Typhoid. Others still to come include Hepatitis A/B and Measles for Tom, and Hep A, tetanus and Influenza for me. Joy!

Meet Laura...

Isn't she precious!
We are now
sponsoring Laura
through World Vision.
She turned 3 years old
on February 22, and
she is from the
Dominican Republic.
There is just something
about her little
cheeks that remind
us of our
granddaughter
Harley.
Our decision to do
this is in honor of our
daughter-in-law Tela
who is also from the
Dominican Republic.

Sierra Leone, West Africa

Well, God has surprised us again! While “we” were praying about which mission trip would fit into “our” summer schedule, God was at work making sure we very “coincidentally” (not that there is such a thing for the Christian) went to a meeting for the Sierra Leone trip that departs on May 8th. Our hearts were stirred in ways that they haven’t been in quite some time. If you have heard of the movie “Blood Diamond,” then you are aware of the civil war that has crippled the economy and left tens of thousands dead as well as 1/3 of the population displaced. Our hearts are breaking for them.

Objectives for the trip:
**Expansion/construction of a women’s polio clinic (many are lying on cardboard on the ground for lack of beds and space)
**Various outreach projects for families, including children
**Help to teach ladies skills for earning an income
**Build relationships of encouragement
**Evangelism/Outreach by showing the “Jesus” film

We are in the process of arranging times for immunizations and having Tom’s passport renewed. The Yellow Fever injection seems to be hard to come by these days. We ask that you pray that all goes smoothly as we take care of these details.

We would like to ask you to partner with us in prayer for the trip as a whole: for the team, air travel, good health, spiritual preparation on our part, and spiritual preparation for the people of Sierra Leone that we will come in contact with.

We would also like to ask for your financial support. Without YOU this endeavor will not be possible. Airfare is unbelievably high – over $2000 per person. The team is working to keep ground expenses low, thus the total cost for travel per person will be $2500. Visa fees and vaccinations are going to run approximately $380 each.

We have certainly been on many mission trips in the past, some that required raising support, but we must say that we have never had the deadlines we are now experiencing. Airline tickets must be locked in by March 15th and Visa fees are due April 1st. These things just make us all the more excited. God will be quite busy in the next 23 days!! We can’t wait to see how He provides. J. Hudson Taylor once said, “God’s will, done God’s way, never lacks for God’s provision!” Our trust is in HIM!

Please consider joining us in God’s work in Sierra Leone.

Ah! a favorite hymn...

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,

Look full in His wonderful face,

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim

In the light of His Glory and Grace!