It’s hard to believe that tomorrow we’ll have been back in the States for a whole year. In some ways it seems we never left now, yet we still have other worldly experiences tucked away that have left their mark on who we are. This past year has been a year of encouragement, of waiting, and of learning to pray. And in just a few short weeks, we’re getting ready to go back to that other world. I wish I could say with certainty how long we’ll be staying and where we’ll be ministering, but I can’t yet. What I can say is that we’ll be returning June 2nd for at least three months. A local Tanzanian church has agreed to be an umbrella for us to minister in the country, and they’ve sent in the applications for our two year permits. Now we can only wait and pray to see which way God will lead. Below I’ll share a little of what we’ve been up to and what we plan to do in the coming months.
Last month, my (Neil’s) grandma passed away, and I travelled up to Minnesota for her funeral. It was a special time of remembering her life as she left behind a legacy for Christ. It was also a time of grief as we mourned with my grandpa, yet not without hope. Other than that short trip, we have stayed in Idaho for the past several months, with Micah attending school, Rachelle getting a break from teaching, and Neil working part time. We’ve been enjoying times of great fellowship with our friends and family here, and I think we can all say that we feel built up and ready to go back to Tanzania.
Looking ahead,  we’ll be driving to Oregon this weekend for Rachelle’s sister’s wedding. When we get back, we’ll have about two weeks to pack and say our goodbyes. Once we get back to Tanzania, we’ll hit the ground running. In June we have some team development meetings, where we’ll be talking about potential co-workers. We’ll also be meeting with our leadership team and survey team, discussing the next steps for moving into a people group. Toward the end of June, I’ll be travelling to Mozambique to attend a conference as well as visit an established work there. Rachelle and Micah are planning to stay in Tanzania while I travel, and we’re thankful for another missionary’s guest house that they’ve made available for us to stay in.
Please keep praying for us as we seek God’s guidance over the coming weeks and months. It looks like we’ll be making some really big decisions in the near future regarding potential co-workers and location of ministry. Of course all of this is connected with our obtaining favor to ministry in the country. We can make our plans and counsel, but it’s all for nothing if the LORD doesn’t go before us. We will keep you updated as things progress. Thanks for being so supporting and encouraging to us during our time in the States. As always, feel free to be in further contact with us.