New return date because of visa situation...

It’s official! We’re not leaving until November 5th…Much to our disappointment we had to move our return date because we must secure a 1 year visa for our whole family BEFORE we leave. Up until 3 days before our return date we thought we were going to be able to leave on Oct. 2nd as planned and apply for one while we are in Thailand but we found out that this could leave us literally stranded in Malaysia at the end of 3 months if it did not go smoothly.

We have to apply for a one year visa and obtain it before we leave the country or risk getting exported after 3 months to some foreign country like Malaysia because we wouldn't have enough money to fly home. The new policies state that you can only remain in Thailand for 3 months on a tourist visa and then you must go out of the country for 3 months.

We were strongly advised to wait and apply for our 1 year visa here in America. We are so ready to return!!! Don't get me wrong - I'm glad to have more time with my family and friends but I was ready...really ready...in everyway...mentally, physically, spiritually...I don't know if I can pull all that readiness together again...naw...I know the Lord will prepare us when it's time. We are soo ready to be back it is incredible but we know that God’s timing is best and we are patiently waiting and ceasing every moment while we are here.

One really awesome thing that I am excited about is that we are hopefully going to be able to go to the F.I.R.E. missions conference in North Carolina in October. As you may or may not know…the team we work with are all missionaries through F.I.R.E. school in NC. We work with 2 families and a single missionary in Thailand – The Stubenrauchs, the Garsees, and Katherine Barry. At this time the Garsee’s have already returned to Thailand from visiting in the states and the Stubenrauchs are now visiting and Katherine is also in the states right now.

God really laid it on Clinton Garsee’s heart to go to the conference after they returned to Thailand but there was no way it could be possible but things started to happen and finances came in and they are going! The Stubenrauch’s and Katherine are already planning to be there. Clinton expressed a strong…strong urge for us to go also but it would have meant us staying an extra month to be able to go (this was before we knew that we would have to stay an extra month anyway) and we have a friend that was coming with us to work for 3 months and we couldn’t stay and let him go by himself for 3 weeks…alone!

So we told Clinton that we would not be coming for those reasons. The next thing we know…our friend changed his mind (which was totally unthinkable and unexpected) and won’t be going…and we had to move our tickets out to obtain our visas anyway…so, I’m just excited to see what is going to happen!

We spoke at Liberty Lighthouse Church again this last Sunday and it was awesome – God really showed up. I just love it when God has the whole service planned out – all throughout the beginning of the service people kept coming up and saying little parts of what I had to say! I just sat back and thought how awesome is it? When God wants something to be said he says it! By the time I got up there…I could feel the presence of God all over me…God had something specific to say. By the end of the service the alter was filled and littered with tears. God is so good!

Some people have expressed an interest in hearing what was said last Sunday and John happened to film it so we’re trying to get it on CD – if you’d like a copy let us know. It’s really weird to me that we’ve been asked to make a CD of it…I’m really no great speaker at all and I definitely don’t have the “art” of speaking down in anyway shape or form…I’m not funny or witty…so…I just speak from my heart…and ask God to use me.

Anyway, please pray for us as we remain here in the states for yet another month. We are staying busy and finding work here and there. The boys are doing wonderful although I can tell Josiah misses Thailand. Thank you so much for reading! May you be blessed!!!