July Update...

Well once again, time has gotten away from me and I have not given an update in way too long. It has been a very full 3 months for us. Beginning in the middle of May...we had three short term missionaries arrive, 2 from Colombia for 2 months and 1 from Ecuador for 2 years. They all stayed in our guesthouse and we fed them, got them set up, and did all the paperwork for their visas. At the same time, one of our SIM families arrived back from their home assignment in Australia and stayed in our guesthouse for 2 weeks. We were full of visitors until the end of May. Then the first week of June we ran a conference on orality. Last minute we got put in charge and had to arrange the whole thing. We had a guy from the States come to teach our team and other missionaries how to use orality in their different ministries. It was a great conference, but a lot of work to put together the last minute. Also during this time, Tim's brother, Alex, came out to visit us for a week. We had a great time, but it was just too short. We are so grateful for all our family that has taken the time and money to come visit us. It is such a blessing. The middle of June, our good friends, the Edens, moved in with us for 2 weeks. We found out just in May that the Edens, our closest friends here in Mozambique, were moving back to South Africa for good. So the last 2 weeks they were here, they lived with us as they sold everything they owned and packed and prepared to leave after 19, 16, and 13 years in Mozambique. It has been a tough time for our whole family as we have had to say good bye to them. We have been blessed the past 7 plus years to have had them in our lives. They have been our family while we have been away from our families in the States and it is so hard to say goodbye again to people we love. That consumed the remainder of June for us. Then the first week of July we had our annual spiritual life conference with our SIM team. I was in charge again of logistics, so spent much time shopping, organizing, and gathering supplies for the conference. We had speakers from Switzerland that were missionaries for years in Portugal, so they actually did the whole conference in Portuguese. It was a nice week and we were able to relax and enjoy the beauty of Lake Niassa in Meponda. The day we came back from the conference, which was also Traeger's 12th birthday, Tim left to pick up his other brother, Matt and his wife, Patty, and kids, Bryant, and Casey from the airport in Malawi. They stayed with us for 2 weeks and headed back to the States the end of July. We also had a great visit with them and were able to really show them our lives here in Mozambique and what God is doing in the lives of the people here. The kids enjoyed some concentrated time with their cousins as well. After a few weeks of school, we headed to Lilongwe to get passports renewed for the girls. We also did a few doctor's appointments and shopping. And now....after all that busyness, things should calm down a bit for us. The first weekend of September, Tim will be going to a church conference to do some teaching. He will also be working with another missionary to do some discipleship with some new believers that have been persecuted for their faith. In October, Tim has a pastor's conference and will be teaching for 2 weeks in Mocimboa de Praia, on the coast, about a 12 hour drive from here. You can pray for these up coming events. Thank you.

Traeger with his cousins. They had so much fun together.

SLC meetings.

The Edens...Keith, Bronwyn, and Zoe

Zoe has been Karis' best friend since we moved here.

Keith and Tim

Don't know how I am going to make it here with out Bron. She has been such an answer to prayer for me these past 7 1/2 years. I am grateful to God for each moment we had and trust Him to fill the hole that she leaves in my life.