His Goodness Never Stops

During the first week in April we mailed our visa applications to the Embassy of Mozambique in D.C.  Along with the applications, you have to mail all original passports.  Many people get nervous about this process, but God gave us such a peace about it, and we simply asked that His special angels watch over our documents and bring them safely home to us!  Not only did our passports return to us after 3 processing days, but they also included the correct timeframe for our stay in Africa.  Thank you angels of God!!

Originally we were thinking that we would drive to Seattle somehow – either have someone with a big enough vehicle drive us there or rent a vehicle, but after further research and prayer God confirmed that we were to fly from Boise to Seattle.  We’ve booked our flight to Seattle, received a discounted rate for our hotel through a friend of ours (God bless you Bob!), and have also reserved a hotel in Johannesburg for our first overnight stay in Africa prior to arriving at the Village of Joy where we will be living for the summer.  We will post pictures of our living quarters once we get settled.

We completed our first “mock” suitcase packing to see how much we can fit into one large suitcase and still stay under the 44lb weight limit for our international flight.  Yikes, this is going to be challenging, but we serve a VERY creative God who knows what to do and will share His wisdom and creativity with us!  First attempt – 37lbs – and that only included most (but not all) of Josh’s clothes.  Haha, I can’t wait to see what our suitcases look like in the end!  Maybe a little something like this…………….. =)

The cost of diapers in Africa is $20 for 18, ouch!!  Although they don’t weigh much, 700 diapers minimum sure would take up a lot of space in our suitcases and spending roughly $800 in Africa for 3-months of diapers isn’t feasible, so please be praying with us that Gracie will be potty-trained before the summer so we only have to pack diapers for Josiah!!  We looked into cloth diapers, but unfortunately running water for laundry is not always guaranteed and we would rather not collect a pile of soiled cloth diapers, if ya know what I mean!  Toilet paper is also expensive in Africa, costing $1/roll for very poor quality, and if our calculations are correct we’ll need to pack about 35 rolls based on our normal usage at home.  With the change in weather, diet, etc., our bowels are bound to be impacted so please also keep this in your prayers, haha!

Immunizations are complete and Malaria prescriptions ordered.  I’ve been trying to keep up with all the ways God has been good to us and our finances, but He’s always good, so I’ll just start with some praises of how keeping our eyes focused on Him and trusting in Him has really blessed our lives!

Praise Report 1:  After multiple phone calls to various travel clinics, they all kept telling me that insurance would not cover the kids’ Typhoid vaccines.  I felt like the enemy was trying to put fear and doubt into my mind through the wisdom of man and I was not about to cave.  Thinking that we may have to pay 100% out-of-pocket, I had the opportunity to “settle” with a clinic that offered reduced fees for lower income families and appeared to be the best option for us at the time.  I even called to schedule an appointment but was told they were a walk-in clinic.  Even better, I thought, because then we could plan it around the kids’ naps.  However, the Lord kept telling me to look into this other hospital clinic first.  I was reluctant and had my doubts because I had already called one hospital and received very poor service.  The idea wouldn’t go away and I knew God was trying to get my attention so I went ahead and made the phone call.  Not only did this hospital clinic end up having the lowest fees (even if we paid 100%), but after a recent follow-up, it turns out that because we did everything by the books the kids’ insurance is going to reimbursed us 75% of the fees ($226).  Josh will also get reimbursed $202 of his expenses.  Praise God for His direction!  God continues to teach me a valuable lesson in life – don’t settle just because something “appears” to be good (like the clinic with reduced fees) or out of fear of man.  He reminds me often that as I allow Him to be my guide, His ways are better than all other ways!

Praise Report 2: We also discovered that insurance is going to cover 100% of our Malaria prescriptions (except mine since I’m not on insurance).  Lord, you are rich!!  He had His hand all over this one.  Let me explain….  I’m one who likes to be proactive so I called Jade’s doctor to schedule an appointment for a few weeks down the road since I know how busy doctor’s offices can get.  The receptionist informed me there was an opening for the following day so I thought, “Sure, why not.  We might as well get it done.”  It turns out that scheduling her appointment that early was a blessing in disguise, because had we waited even a few days later, insurance wouldn’t have covered all the refills for her prescription by the time we needed to leave the country.  I love how God cares about the little details just as much as the big!  We quickly scheduled appointments for the other kids to be seen by their doctor later that same afternoon.  The enemy even tried to steal Jade’s appointment time with certain events that transpired that morning, but God’s peace was upon me and everything worked out as I laid it at His feet and remained in the presence of His peace. 

Praise Report 3: We got a notice stating our ISP (internet service provider) is increasing our bill by $10/month.  I don’t think so!  After doing some research, we were able to find another ISP for $15 cheaper and faster speeds.  Wahoo!  We’re also going to receive a $50 gift card (just like cash) for switching over.  To top it off, I thought our final bill from the original ISP was going to be prorated, but it turns out that we were a month ahead and are now going to be receiving a pro-rated credit of $27.  CHECKS IN THE MAIL!!

Praise Report 4: Our monthly mortgage payment went down because of our escrow balance AND we received another CHECK IN THE MAIL for $57 because there was an excess amount left in our escrow account and they are required by law to mail a check for any amount over $50.  Lord, we praise you for the big things, we praise you for the small.  We praise you all the time, in good times and bad.  We lift up your name and praise you!!

Praise Report 5: We received a quote for our airfare from Seattle to Africa, but after we purchased the tickets and all charges cleared, the total decreased by $54!!  An unexpected decrease from our awesome God!

Praise Report 6: God encouraged us to sell any items in our possession that we could simply do without to help raise money.  On April 23 I posted an ad on Craigslist for a bed frame and dresser.  2 ½ hours later a lady e-mailed us to see if these items were still available.  I told her yes so she asked if she could come by the next evening to look at them.  When she came by, I also shared with her that we had a night stand available but wanted to give it away for free to whomever purchased the other furniture.  The night stand had some water stains on it so we didn’t feel right about “selling” it at a cost.  Not only did she purchase the furniture for the original asking price of $325, but after hearing about our upcoming journey to Africa, she felt prompted to bless us with additional money to help us along the way.  To top things off, she insisted that we keep the furniture until mid-May so that we can enjoy having a bed for at least a few more weeks.  God blessed us through a complete stranger – how awesome is He!!  May He bless this woman with more than she could ever imagine!

Praise Report 7: Not only is God continuing to bless us through others with monetary donations, but our “needs list” continues to decrease as people have lent or donated items such as suitcases, head lamps, outlet converter plugs, books, etc.

All of these blessings were not expected or planned for.  Some of you might see these amounts or items as small or insignificant, but to me, it’s God’s way of showing us just how much He loves us and is honoring US for our faith!!  His goodness never stops!!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eW0UOxwepJQ

Psalm 150 says it all:

¹Praise the Lord!

Praise God in His sanctuary;
Praise Him in His mighty firmament!
² Praise Him for His mighty acts;
Praise Him according to His excellent greatness!
³ Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet;
Praise Him with the lute and harp!
⁴ Praise Him with the timbrel and dance;
Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes!
⁵ Praise Him with loud cymbals;
Praise Him with clashing cymbals!
⁶ Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord!