Update on our Increasingly Crazy yet Blessed Life

A new entry is far overdue. I'll start by giving you all a summary of our past month or so...

-We finished our time at MTI on June 26th. The PILAT language program was very beneficial and we are looking forward to implementing the techniques we learned during our six months in language school and throughout our time at CLM. We highly recommend both the SPLICE and PILAT programs to any future missionaries.

-On our way home from MTI we stopped off at Willow Springs Boys Ranch in Chandler, Oklahoma. The high school youth group from our church was in the midst of a short-term mission trip there and we swung by to talk to the leadership there and see how the staff at Willow Springs run their boys home. We thought it was worth going out of the way for and the staff was quite helpful.

-Upon our arrival back in good old Central Illinois we moved in with Andy's parents. Andy is doing odd jobs around the farm, working for his dad and brother. I'm working on our visa paperwork and packing.

-We spent last weekend in St. Louis with Andy's family for one last hurrah of family togetherness before we leave for Brazil. We did all the fun St. Louis stuff such as ascending the arch and having Italian on the Hill. We enjoyed the family time.

-On Tuesday we received our much anticipated paperwork from Brazil. Since we last attempted to apply, we have been networking with PAZ (another mission organization working in Brazil). The people from PAZ have been so helpful, they gave us the name of the expediter they have used and a lawyer in Brazil who can help push our case through. We are hoping to send in our paperwork in early next week.

-As of June, we have 72% of our monthly support and 85% of our one time costs pledged. We are so humbled at how God has been providing.

-We just got back today from a very relaxing two days at Mission Oak Inn, a bed and breakfast in Henry. We loved our time there, and also highly recommend it.

-Next week we are enjoying our last Bike Trip to Indiana for awhile. We will be riding our bikes to Huntington, Indiana. This trip has a special place in our hearts since that is where we met.

-Andy's hoping to go to back to Colorado Springs the first week of August to get some additional training about sustainable and renewable technologies that would help CLM become more self-sufficient.

-Beginning August 10th we will be in Fort Meyers, Florida for two weeks for training at ECHO, a non-profit organization that teaches missionaries about subsistence agriculture. Andy is very interested in learning more about the small-scale farming that he will be involved in at CLM.

We are still hoping to leave for CLM in early September, but that hinges on our visa. We know God has us still in the US for a reason and we are glad we can take advantage of the unplanned time here to enjoy being close to our family and friends a little longer. Let us know if you want to get together!