VISA APPROVAL!!

This is how our past few days have gone...

We got home on Tuesday afternoon (September 6) from Arizona.  It was a long trip, but we talked a lot about our summer and the blessings God gave us and the trip went smoothly and our little Subaru with 325,000 miles brought us home safely - with God's help, of course.  Tuesday night we basically unloaded the car in a downpour of rain.  Fun stuff.  Wednesday we had planned a getaway for just me and my husband.  We dropped the kids off at my dad's in the afternoon and headed to Lancaster.  We spent the evening with Patrick's brother and his wife.  With all the rain there were many roads that were closed due to flooding.  It was a mess but kind of fun to drive around and look at.  We got to our hotel kind of late, and honestly I was a little disappointed with it, but it was only for the night.  I got up in the morning and got a shower, when I came out my husband said, "There's an email you may want to read."  I was so hoping it was about our visas...and it was!  On Thursday, September 8, 2011 we got our visa approval!!  God is good.

That afternoon we went and saw Joseph at Sight and Sound, and I couldn't help but think of how ironic it was that we were seeing this particular show on the day our visas were approved.  We finished deputation in two years, then waited for three years for our visa.  That's how long Joseph sat in prison.  I didn't have to sit in prison, we were able to tour the country and work in churches all over the United States and even got to spend a summer on the Navajo Nation.  How good is our God!

So, what are our plans now?  Our tentative goal is to leave around the beginning of November.  We are scheduling all our last good-byes with our friend and family and some supporting churches.  Our home church in Lebanon, PA is planning a commissioning service.  I'll post the date when I know, if you're in the area we'd love for you to come by. 

We are also looking for a good shipping company and will begin packing up all our belongings to send across the big pond to our new home, Australia!  I love writing that!  I need to begin making lists, one of things we need to buy before we leave, one of things we need to sell, and one of things I need to pack.  We'll be busy these next few weeks, but we are excited.  God is good...all the time!

"Wait on the Lord, and keep his way,

and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land..."  Psalm 37:34