Today we are leaving for Africa! Everything is packed and ready to go. We’ll be flying through Europe and arriving in East Africa early this Sunday. We’re very excited to be going, but at the same time sad because of all the friends and family we are leaving behind. We’re very thankful for the tremendous support and encouragement we have received as we prepare for this journey to begin. We know that God is with us and we can’t wait to see and be a part of the work he is doing to bring his word to the people of East Africa.

We will have Internet access in Africa, so please check back often for videos, photos, and updates! We’re looking forward to sharing this experience with everyone who is interested. Thank you for your prayers, we need them now more than ever!

I was able to get LASIK eye surgery to correct my vision so I won’t need to bring contacts or glasses to Africa with us. In this video we talk about the surgery and also our plans as we head toward our final week here in the states.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyzhbXfGOF4

It’s kind of strange preparing to move to Africa while there is two feet of snow on the ground here in Delaware! This video marks the return of our regular updates, which we hope to continue after moving overseas next month.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0×7VMEotG48

We’ve been taking a break from videos since returning to Delaware, but do not fear, we will be starting again soon. In the meantime, I just want to let everyone know where things stand right now. We are finished with all of our training with PBT and have received our residence permits for the country in East Africa where we will be moving. We are now down to the final stages of our time here in the states. We are taking this opportunity to spend time with our families before we have to say goodbye.

Our next step is to raise the last bit of monthly support for PBT before we can purchase plane tickets. We have a minimum monthly amount of $4,700.00 (our ideal budget is actually $5,400.00/mo). Our actual salary is much lower than that, but this is the amount needed to cover all of our expenses, including administration, taxes, and ministry expenses. Currently we have $3,850.00 coming in monthly, meaning we are only $850.00/mo away from meeting our minimum budget!

Raising financial support has been a new and humbling experience for us, but we have kept our focus on God, trusting that he will take care of us. We are praying that he will soon provide us with the final 20% of our minimum budget so that we can take the next big step: moving to Africa. If you think you may be part of God’s answer to this prayer and would like to start supporting us on a continual basis, head over to the Donate page to find out how to get started!

Here’s a quick update from week 4 of our time here in Dallas. Things are going great so far. Thanks for your prayers!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvNKzhSbJdg

Here’s a short recap of week 2, training with PBT in Dallas, TX. I am now trained in basic 1st aid and CPR. PBT classes are going well and we are making progress toward Africa!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOOcu2JvMv4

In this video update we talk about our first week in Dallas, training with PBT, and after being accidentally stolen, we got Emily’s bicycle back. Classes are going great, we’re glad to be here!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SRYS0ANbBc