Progress

We are making progress!  A big thank you to those that have been giving toward our mission.  We have surpassed the amount needed to purchase our tickets to move to Papua New Guinea this Fall.  Any funds we receive between now and when we move to PNG will offset our start-up expenses, with the remainder applied to our monthly stipend while we are in the country.  Our pledged support amount covers the $2000 monthly living expenses we were quoted and we have all but a couple hundred of this coming in now.  However, some pertinent changes have occurred since our initial estimates - more to follow on this development. 

The process of moving to Papua New Guinea is complex and a large part of it entails getting licensing, work permits and visas to enter the country for an extended stay.  In May I sent a packet of information with everything from my driver's license to medical license and board certifications to Papua to apply for a medical license there.  I now have a valid PNG medical license and we await approval of my work permit and then visas from the embassy in D.C.  Our contacts in PNG have suggested that this should be able to happen by the end of November, we are praying this is the case and for favor with authorities.  This is about a month later than our projected departure, but I have felt God's divine provision in some of our delay.  (Romans 1:9-13)

Recently we consolidated many of our belongings in preparation for our move, including a thorough excavation of our garage and attic as well as one of our closets.  This is a tricky endeavor as we will not only be moving but needing to trim down the majority of our belongings in preparation for living overseas.  Pray that we would be able to part with our belongings in a responsible way.  (Matthew 10:10)

The most exciting information to share though is that we will be making an addition to our family around March of next year!  This little one will be delivered at Kudjip.  While I felt privileged to deliver Levi, although inadvertently, we plan for this one to be delivered by one of our colleagues. 

This is our most recent ultrasound courtesy of Dr. Ashley Hildebrand at Family Medical Care.  After a challenging pregnancy with Levi and a history of an early miscarriage, these little pictures and heartbeats encourage us.

Do we still need support?  Yes - for those giving now, your gifts are preparing our home in PNG, our departure costs including airfare, visa fees and some basic medical supplies for my work in the hospital.  For those who have pledged, thank you for your gifts to come.  For those who want to support us, we will now have additional expenses with our little one coming while in PNG. 

While MissionCorps has slightly adjusted our monthly expenses to cover insurance for an additional family member ($70-100 premium), there will be some supplies we need on a regular basis once we are there that will adjust our monthly budget to include diapering, additional clothes, etc.  While we can't give exact estimates on these needs, supplies in PNG are typically slightly more expensive due to how remote our location is.

As of this writing I have cut down my hours at the Urgent Care centers to just 10-20 hours per week to focus on packing up our home and enable us to travel some to reconnect with family and friends before moving this Fall.  We can manage this situation for a few months, but if our departure is delayed any further, it will likely be unsustainable.  My work arrangement will last through the Fall and we have lodging through November in the States but are eager to settle into our new home at Kudjip.  For this reason, please pray that the rest of our paperwork gets processed smoothly / efficiently.

Thank you for your support of our family!