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God has been working in mighty ways during the past year. We began 2020 at 11% support. Now, we are at 85%. This couldn’t have happened without your prayers and support, so thank you! Since we are getting so close, we’re beginning to make plans to move to Missionary Acres to begin our full-time ministry there. It is an exciting time.
But, we can’t just move down there right now. There are still some important tasks to accomplish. Here’s a peek at five of the things that need to happen before we begin.
1. Finish Raising Our Support
It’s been so exciting to see how God has raised our support this year, 85% is a whole lot more than 11%. But, it’s not yet 100%. And, to make the finances work on the budget we established with Baptist Mid-Missions, we really need to be at 100%. We’re now less than $700/month away from our total.
And we know that God will bring this remaining amount in on His timing, just like He’s done with all the rest.
So, we’re still working on scheduling meetings and sharing our ministry with others. We’re looking to present in churches in the Pacific Northwest in December and January, and have a trip back to Missouri planned in February of 2021 for a presentation. We’re praying that we could add a few more along the way.
If you’re interested in having us present in your church, please contact us!
2. Fund Our Outfit and Passage
Moving 11 people (and all their things) across the country costs money. So does fixing up the house we’ll be moving into at the Acres. To help cover these expenses, missionaries have what’s called an Outfit and Passage fund. This helps them cover the initial costs of getting to their field and getting settled.
We’re praying that God would help these funds come in quickly, so when the time comes we are ready to go.
If you’d like to help with these expenses, you can make a one-time tax deductible donation through Baptist Mid-Missions. Just add a note that you’d like this to go to our Outfit and Passage. You can find the form and directions on this page.
3. Have a Baby
Surprise!
We haven’t really told anyone yet, but Tanner Baby #10 is on the way. God is so good, and we are very thankful to be adding another arrow to the quiver.
Since we already have insurance and doctors established up here, we’re going to remain in Washington until after our new bundle of joy arrives in the spring of 2021 (at the end of April or beginning of May.)
We would appreciate your prayers for a safe delivery and a healthy baby. Thank you!
(And in case you’re curious, we don’t find out the baby’s gender before hand. So once baby is born, we’ll let you know whether our girls and boys are tied again or if the boys took a substantial lead! :D)
4. Sort and Pack and Wrap Things Up in Washington
We’re so looking forward to getting down to Missionary Acres and getting started with the ministry God has called us to. But, it will be sad to leave behind our home in Washington. We’ve been in this house here on the family farm since 2007. So there’s plenty of stuff to go through and sort.
To help make the move easier, we’ve started the decluttering process already. And we’ve started saving up boxes for when the packing part begins. But, there’s still definitely a lot of work in front of us.
We also have some essential medical and dental appointments to take care of. For example, Owen has a VNS stimulator that helps his seizures. This was put in back in 2015, and has been running since then. Unfortunately, the battery is on its last leg.
While we’re still here with a familiar medical team and neurologist, we’re going to schedule his surgery to get a new battery.
We also have some appointments for the other kids to ensure everyone is up to date on everything and healthy when we move. That way, we won’t have anything urgent looming when we move. This will give us a little more time to establish a trusted medical team in Missouri.
If you happen to know any great family practitioners in the Poplar Bluff or Fredericktown, Missouri areas please let us know!
As part of the move, we’ll also need to get our insurance switched and make sure all of Owen’s seizure meds are approved. We’re trying to do everything we can to ensure this transition goes as smoothly as possible for him.
5. Prepare the House at Missionary Acres
We are so thankful that there is a house available at Missionary Acres we can move into. It will likely be this one:
While we’re aiming to keep the remodel expenses as low as possible, there are a few things that need done to the house before we can move in. We’ll hopefully be able to go to the Acres when we’re in Missouri in February, and get a better idea of exactly what we need to tackle.
Planning on a Summer 2021 Move
There you have it, five of the things we’re currently working on and praying about as we enter our final leg of deputation. There are a few other necessary steps (attending Launch seminar with Baptist Mid-Missions, having a commission service at our sending church, and some others), but we know that the Lord will help us through each task as it arises.
While we know the final timeline is in God’s hands, we are earnestly praying and preparing for a move to Missouri in June or July of 2021. We’d appreciate your prayers as well. God has been so faithful throughout this process, and we are so thankful for all that He has done. He truly does make things that seem impossible happen.