Moving Forward

Tomorrow Kevin and I will celebrate our one "monthaversary" here in Chico. It has been a good month, with lots of clean air, fun family, and settling in. We recently sat down to map out a plan for our next year or so. It was a good time to talk and vision together. While some of the details remain cloudy, there are others that are shaping up nicely. :) Our two biggest steps we will be taking towards moving to Spain in the near future are our exploratory trip, and attending an orientation that Latin America Mission puts on in January.

We are really excited about our exploratory trip. We will probably finalize details this week, but it is looking like it will be from about the 4th/5th of December until the 17th/18th. Our goal for this trip is to meet with other missionaries, churches and ministries in the area to get an idea of what it is like to live and do missions in Spain. Our prayer is that God will use this trip to either solidify our calling to Spain, or make it abundantly clear that he wants to use us in a different country. We will be able to get an idea of the cost of living there, the neighborhoods, the city, etc. Please pray with us as we prepare for the trip. There are three specific ways you can pray:

1. That God will use this trip to finalize our call to Spain, or direct us elsewhere.
2. That our meetings and conversations will be fruitful.
3. That we will be able to raise enough financial support for the trip.

After we leave Spain we will not be returning to California, but rather to Florida where my (Leah) family is for Christmas. My sister is due to deliver a baby boy on Christmas day, so we plan to stay in Florida helping out and getting to know our new nephew until our LAM orientation, which begins on the 19th of January, and is a two-week deal. It works out well because LAM's offices are in Miami, Florida, so we will either drive or fly down from Ocala to Miami. We are excited about the orientation because it will be a time to come to know more about LAM, as well as answer many different logistical questions. We are hoping that after orientation, we will also have a budget firmed up that will allow us to raise support more specifically. The orientation also is costly, so please be praying that we will be able to raise enough support to cover that event, as well as our exploratory trip.

Kevin is in Portland this week for his first round of classes. He feels excited to be able to spend some time with his classmates (which are scattered all over the country).

Back on the farm we have a big weekend coming up. Although we are not having pumpkin patch this year, we will be having one weekend to raise money for the California Fire Department where we sell pumpkins, have wagon rides, and other harvest festival type events. I am hoping that it will be really successful and that it won't rain!

Anyhow... I just wanted to share with you guys a little about these two steps we will be taking in the near future (the trip and orientation) so that you can be praying alongside us in preparation. Thanks!