Mixture of Emotions...

I have two major praise items to share with you this week...both of which have brought a mixture of emotions which I will explain as well!

1. God has provided slightly over 80% of my financial support, meaning that I can now purchase my returning flight to Bolivia.

For many reasons this is great and leaves me quite excited...
It's definitely confirmation of God's will for me
I miss Bolivia
I can't wait to be back with my friends there
I'm looking forward to making empanadas with Avelina again
I'm looking forward to walking on sandy streets and riding public transportation (strange I know)
Lately, I have been craving Bits and Cream Icecream like never before
That's enough just to give you an idea

However, this is also somewhat difficult...
I will miss my family and friends (both old and new)
I love being here with my parents...I love this house and my room
I enjoy the convenience that come from being in the states
I can easily get my fill of ALL my favorite candies
There are still so many things that I need to get in order before returning
My condo still hasn't sold...what do I do with the stuff still there?
Again...you get the idea

2. God has granted a smooth transition for Grandpa and those involved.

Again...wonderful....
My parents had an uneventful trip getting there and helping him move in
The women who work at the home are very kind and sympathetic
Grandpa's family is excited to have him so close and are planning outings with him
My parents are feeling a great deal of peace that they haven't felt for a while

Also difficult...
WE MISS HAVING HIM HERE!

As you can see...changes are good, but they can also be hard. God doesn't ever say following Him will be easy, but He does call us to be obedient. The funny thing is that in the journey of obedience there is often joy! Please continue to pray for all of us as we anticipate my departure which I am planning for May 19. God has been faithful in answering our prayers and He will be faithful in comforting us during the sad times too! Thank you so much for your part in this process!

Sorry for the delay...

I'm sorry that I have not updated my blog for a couple of weeks now...things have been a little crazy around here. I'll use this up-date to catch you up to speed!

I don't have much of an excuse for my lack of efficiency the first week, that was simply due to all of the studying that I needed to do.

However, since then there have been major happenings...the first big event was my nephew's first birthday on March 15. Although my older sister's husband was unable to attend, Janet flew to NC for the occasion, I was already in NC due to class so it was easy for me to be there, mom and dad also came down, not to mention most of Christopher's extended family were there! We had a wonderful time watching and laughing this delightful bundle of joy! There are a few pictures below of the happy occasion.

Janet and I stayed for a few days after the party to spend time with Emily, Christopher, and Wesley! That was so much fun! Janet has also started selling Premier Jewelry so Emily hosted Janet's first show and as a kickoff, the proceeds from that show were donated to my ministry! What a blessing that was!

About that same time, a decision was made concerning Grandpa given that he would not be able to stay by himself any longer. After exploring all of the options here in Franklin as well as looking to see what was available in North Canton, OH (which is where his biological son lives), Pick decided that the best decision was to move into an assisted living facility near his son, Dick. Given that he has lived with my family full-time for about 12 years and in the summers for several years before that...we are sad to see him go. God has provided many confirmations that this is the right decision, but he will be missed here. It will be especially strange for my parents as they have not truly been empty-nesters since before Janet was born...and even that was only for about 2 years. Please pray for this transition in my family!

Finally, I am happy to report that God has provided about 79% of my needed support! I am so close to the 80% and there are a few people from whom I'm awaiting a confirmation of their pledge. I feel confident that God will soon provide the full 80% that is needed for me to buy my ticket and then the remaining 20% needed for me to be fully funded! Praise the Lord for His continued faithfulness!

As you can see, we have had an emotional couple of weeks and this week won't be much better! Mom and Dad will be taking Grandpa to North Canton on Friday. If all goes well, they plan to return on Saturday since my Dad is flying to New Mexico early on Sunday morning from Norfolk! It could be difficult traveling with Grandpa as he still has a lot of weakness in his leg, not to mention emotionally draining for my parents. I'm sure they would appreciate your prayers! Thank you so much for your continued support!

Counting Blessings!

I decided that I wanted to do something a little different in this particular up-date. God has provided so many blessings for me over the past couple of weeks that in this up-date I just wanted to focus on that! Join me in praising the Lord for His goodness and provision...even in the little things!

Within the last couple of weeks, God has provided...
1. about $100 of new monthly support.
2. several hundred dollars of one-time gifts.
3. safety in travelling across the state of Virginia and then back through the state of North Carolina to get home.
4. opportunities for me to study while I was travelling so that I could at least finish the work that was due for last weekend's class.
5. SNOW, while I was in Abingdon...it was the first real snowfall that I've seen in almost 3 years!
6. beautiful weather at other times...today it is about 77 degrees here!
7. opportunities for me to visit many friends and relatives, including some that I haven't seen in quite some time.
8. the chance to not only share about Bolivia with many of these people, but also to be able to reconnect and hear about what's happening in their lives.
9. all of the materials that I needed for my speaking engagement in Abingdon, just in time for that presentation.
10. many lessons for me through a book I was reading for one of my classes, The Cross of Christ by John Stott; it definitely impacted my life in a powerful way.

Well, I'm sure I could keep coming up with many blessings that God has provided for me, but for some reason 10 just seems like a good number! Thank you so much for continuing to pray for me...in the good times and the struggles! I'm including a couple of photos below that I took over the last couple of weeks for your enjoyment!

My Uncle Ed and Aunt Gay in Bedford, VA

The VA Creeper Trail, in Abingdon, VA