First, Thank you all for praying!! We greatly appreciate all the notifications from people who indicate they are interceding for this situation. First of all there is no official release of documentation from the South African authorities for us to cross the border. However the US Embassy Conselor is advising us to be at the border close to our house (10 minutes away) by 8:30 am tomorrow. He will be there and try to work things out with the South African officials. We have already been given permission by the Botswana government to leave so that part of the crossing should be ok. It all hinges on what the officials on the SA side say. We have already needed to pay for transport to the airport and for our plane tickets out. (both non-refundable) Please pray for favor with the officials to allow us to travel. We are trusting the Lord to go before us and open doors no one can open and close doors no one can shut. FYI 8:30 Botswana time is 1:30 AM CST, just for reference. Thank you again for agreeing with us in prayer regarding this matter! We are grateful.
For TEDS, my church planting team's new church planting initiative-the building next door to the church has opened up, and we are now raising $300,000 to buy and renovate the building. Please pray for God's provision and wisdom in the process.
For Chelsea Puckett, our Missionary Associate acting as Pastor at our church in Japan...for wisdom, peace, and safety.
For wisdom and safety for our church in Tsukuba, Japan (TICA)...We are reopening up in-person services, but need wisdom on the proper protocols for this hyper-health conscious culture.
Two of my amazing partners and friends Pastor Steve & Brooke Bradshaw from Central AG in Independence, MO got diagnosed with COVD-19 this last week. Please pray for their quick recovery and for their family to stay safe.
Many of you may have heard that our oldest son, Austin, is getting married on August 22nd in Iowa City, IA. Our youngest son, Cameron, is also graduating from high school on August 1st. His graduation is in Springfield, MO. The Lord miraculously opened a door for Barb and Cam to suddenly fly back to the US a couple weeks ago. There are only one or two specially arranged flights each month to bring people out of South Africa. Barb's & Cam's flight came so quickly I was unable to fly with them. However my flight is supposed to be this Sunday, July 12th. I need special permission from the South African government to cross the border legally for this flight. I will be accompanying two retiring missionaries as well. However it's Friday night and there are no documents for us to fly on Sunday. While I am not discouraged, quite honestly, I can see it from here. Would you please agree with us in prayer that the papers would come through tomorrow so we can fly on Sunday? Quite literally there are no more flights scheduled until August sometime, meaning after Cam's graduation. Thank You!
Matthew and Abigail have been so resilient over the past months. There have been many disappoints and we are still in uncertain times. Please pray for continued strength and for God to just keep their hearts. Also for them to hear His voice personally as they seek Him more and more.
Joe and I ask for prayer that to steward our time well. We want to build and maintain strong relationships while also completed our administrative tasks efficiently.
