Prayers Answered
For over a year, we have been asking you to pray with us for the
adoption situation in the DR Congo. God
is now moving mountains! In the last few
weeks, the government here has approved for nearly 250 children to be able to apply
for exit letters (the document they need to legally leave this country). A and B, the children we have been caring for
this last year, were on the first list!
This was a huge weight off our hearts as we were concerned as to what
would happen if they were still “stuck” when it was time for us to leave on
furlough. Praise the LORD! They were
able to leave Congo on February 25th and are now with their parents
in the United States! While this leaves
a large, 2-person sized hole in our family, we are so very thankful that they
are now with their forever family and can start this next chapter in their
lives together. Please pray for us as we
adjust to life without them, and for their family as they adjust to life with
them.
While we are so happy for all the families that have finally been
united, we are still praying for those that have not yet been on an approved
list. Many are still waiting. Please continue to pray for those that are
anxiously awaiting the call that their wait is finally over.
Home again, home again…
While the rest of us waited in Kinshasa for things to come together for
the adoption case, Sparky and Titus returned home (to Dibaya) for the annual
business meeting of ELBC. We praise the
Lord as He provided for safe and relatively easy travel. There are spiritual
battles waging. Our biggest prayer
requests for ELBC at this time are that God’s will be known and followed, and
for honesty and integrity to be valued. Once
that trip was over, the kids’ parents were able to come and complete all the
paperwork needed to take them to the States.
A
few days later, we returned home to Dibaya,
for
the first time this entire term, as only our family of five.
The maiden voyage!
((A BIG “thank you” to the Grings family
for letting us borrow their roof-rack for this trip!))
Bible
Institute
A few months ago, we let you know
about the possibility of eliminating the Mweka location. This was a hard decision to make, but God has
already provided a possible replacement location! Please pray for the village of
Nkole-Nkema. Excellent and Matondo are
there now doing a one-week class to see if there is enough interest in opening
a regular class rotation there. Please
pray for safety, traveling mercies, and openness to Biblical teaching in
Nkole-Kema!
The Library is such a blessing as
we are starting to see some that are taking advantage of the resources we have
been able to place there. Please pray that it will continue to be a place that
people can come and learn Biblical truth!
Looking Ahead…Lord willing…
The next few months will be busy! Sparky is planning to start teaching
another set of classes in Dibaya next week, and then travel to Ilebo for
classes immediately after. He then plans
to travel to Idiofa for classes in April. We also hope to leave the
professors with another set of classes to teach while we are gone. In between travel, he will be preaching some
in our local church, but is gradually stepping back from that ministry as
Pastor Emanuel steps more into that role.
Myndii will continue with the ministries she is involved in, with the
goal of leaving people in place to take over in our absence. We also hope to have our homeschool year
completed by the beginning of May in order to have time to pack and prepare for
furlough. Please continue to pray for wisdom and perseverance as it will be
hard to fit it all in.
March Bible classes in Dibaya and Ilebo
April Bible classes in Ilebo
and Idiofa
May Bible classes in Idiofa
and Dibaya
June 18th Flight out
of Kinshasa, DRC
19th
Land in Québec, Canada
24th
Flight to Idaho, USA
July 2nd Meridian
Baptist Men’s’ Breakfast
3rd
Martha’s 15th birthday
“Just visiting” with our sending church
10th
Notus Baptist Church
11th-16th
speaking at Camp Pinewood
17th
Kuna Baptist Church
20th
Meridian Baptist Church
22nd-23rd
Our 20th High School reunion
24th McCall Baptist Church
25th-30th
campers at Family Camp (Camp Pinewood)
Back to our
family of five,
Sparky, Myndii,
Martha, Titus, and Ruth
“…let us run with
patience the race that s set before us” Hebrews 12:1b
Time in Kinshasa