A Long Overdue Update

Three weekends have passed since our last update, so we have a lot to tell you, but we'll try to save your eyes and keep it simple. :) There's not really a good excuse as to why we haven't posted (other than the standard busyness), so we won't try to come up with a bad excuse!

Since we last wrote, we found out that we will be leaving in January (as long as we can get our visas and work permits in time)! We are very excited that there's not much longer, but at the same time we're wowed by the fact that... there's not much longer! Please pray for us and our preparations in the two months that we have left here in the States.

Weekend(s) Update

We spent Oct 16th in Waukegan, IL (north of Chicago), and Kankakee, IL (south of Chicago). They were both great services, and the one at Kankakee First Church was especially meaningful to us, as it is Tricia's home church and Jeremy spent four years in that congregation as well during college. We were so happy to be able to reconnect and spend a few moments with so many people that have meant so much to us. We also stayed for a few days with Tricia's parents, so Jake had a great time visiting with his "Maw-Maw" and "Paw-Paw". Jake especially enjoyed his time out at Paw-Paw's farm, where he got to drive the tractor, hold the kitties, and run around with the chickens, turkeys, and goat. Paw-Paw also got Jake's Major League career as a pitcher for the Chicago Cubs started with a throwing lesson! (Yes, we have pictures. Yes, I will post them this week.)

Since it was Reading & Research week (ha ha) at NTS, we didn't have classes that week, so we also got the opportunity to visit Manteno Church of the Nazarene (about 15 min from Kankakee) that Wednesday evening. Tricia's Aunt Janice and Uncle Rich go to that church, so it was good to see them as well!

That Thursday (Oct 20th), we headed back to KC to recharge and got to have dinner with Scott, Emily & Elijah Armstrong, our friends from Olivet who are now missionaries in Guatemala. Jake is just six days younger than Elijah, so it was fun to see them playing. They're going to be roommates at Olivet, you know!

The next weekend, we were in Council Bluffs, IA (Emanuel COTN) and Omaha, NE (Southwest COTN) for a wonderful weekend. After a Faith Promise potluck on Saturday night, a great Sunday dinner and an afterglow on Sunday night, we ate so much that we barely fit in the car on the ride home! :) We also want to thank the Millers for putting up with us for the weekend, as they let us share their home during that time.

Finally, this weekend we got the chance to minimize our driving with some KC District churches, Topeka Oakland and KC Victory Hills, which are two of our LINKS churches (Loving Interested Nazarenes Knowing & Sharing) for the next three years. Essentially, LINKS is a program run by Nazarene Missions Int'l that means that we especially maintain contact with them and they with us during that time. It's been great to be a part of it just for these first few months already!

Whew... we will never wait three weeks again. Thanks for sticking with us, if you're still reading! :)

Daily Life

A little over halfway through the semester of training, our daily life mainly consists of preparations. Preparations to go to Africa (we're working feverishly on visas and work permits right now), preparations for the next weekend's travels (laundry, cleaning, etc.), and preparation of ourselves for both of those journeys, both physically through rest and mentally and spiritually through reading, prayer, accountability to each other and the rest of the interns, etc. We are blessed to have a support structure of other missionary families here that can share in our experiences and we can all know what the others are going through. Thank you Lord!

Praises and Prayer Requests

We praise the Lord that he has brought us over halfway through our training now, while teaching us so much and giving us his strength for the journey. We wouldn't have made it this far without it! Please continue to pray for us in the following ways:

- Safe travels for deputation services
- Smooth processes for all of our preparations (visas, work permits, etc.)
- Good health (Tricia & Jake are battling fall allergies right now)
- Continued openness to what God is saying to us
- One unspoken request as well

Thank you once again for taking the time to come along with us on this journey. Your prayers, e-mails, thoughts and friendship are appreciated more than you know and more than we can express.

Until next time,

Jeremy, Tricia & Jake