Following the Cloud

Recently a friend was retelling the story of the Israelites wandering in the desert, following the cloud by day and the fire by night. She told of how the people had to be ready to move when the cloud moved and willing to stop when it stopped. There are seasons in all of our lives, and sometimes we're put into a season of waiting and being still. That's where we're at right now.

We don't know exactly why God has us back in Ohio right now, but we know it's just a season. We will be going back to Jamaica. God has promised it to us.

On September 8th, there is going to be an inspection at the New Vision City of Refuge by the Work Permit Office of Jamaica. They are visiting to determine why we are needed there. There was recently a change in political parties in the government and sometimes that means a change in the way things are done. We are not worried about this inspection. We are just waiting and trusting God. We are using this time to meditate and prepare for our return.

Many have asked about giving of monthly support. My advice to our supporters is to continue to give, as if we were there because it's really just a matter of time before we return. WE WILL RETURN SOON!

Also, please pray for Jamaica and the children's home as Gustav hits the island. The workers there are making all necessary preparations, but we just need to pray for minimal to no damage of the buildings and safety for everyone. Although we don't look forward to being in a hurricane, we wish we were there with them.

All we can do, and all you can do, at this point is pray and wait on God. "They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up on wings as eagles." We hold to this passage of Scripture. We hope you'll take comfort in it as well.

We are Victorious!

Well, things have been a little "crazy" to say the least. We are currently in Ohio for an undetermined amount of time. We received word that our work permit was approved, but for some unknown reason they are not releasing it. Last Sunday night, we had an awesome prayer meeting and God came down! We know that there were some spiritual walls that came down with the kids. You could feel it. So, on Monday, as we were on our way to the airport, we got word that our permit was not being released. Then at the airport we were told that our flight from Atlanta to Cincinnati had been cancelled. We would have to spend the night in Atlanta. Upon getting our bags, we discovered that 2 of our 4 bags had been lost. Great! That means 3 of us had no clothes. We were not allowed to file a claim until we got to Cincinnati.

When we got to the airport the next morning, we were met by more opposition at the ticket gate, but it was eventually rectified. We checked our 2 bags and went to our gate. The gate that was supposed to be for Cincy said Ft. Lauderdale. Our gate had been moved to the opposite end of the terminal. Upon finding our correct gate, we were told the flight would be delayed because they could not find any of our flight attendants. What? Apparently they had both called in sick. Once new attendants were found, we were on our way. We got into Cincinnati on Tuesday at Noon.

It is now Thursday and our bags arrived at 2:45 p.m. today, so for close to 4 days, 3 of us (Paul, Hannah & Alyssa) had no bags...and no blanket for Alyssa! YIKES! We did hit a great sale at Old Navy and got a few things.

We are just thankful all has been found and we feel whole again. We know Satan is a liar and a defeated foe! We have victory in Jesus and know that our permit is going to come soon, so we can be on our way to Jamaica! Just keep us in your prayers. Thru all the "craziness" we continued to laugh, because we knew it was just the enemy's way of trying to discourage us and we were not going to let that happen. God has promised and we believe His report! We are coming thru in Victory! Amen!

Butcher's First Day?

Well, Here is a picture of a pork roast we had tonite. Notice what's attached...pig hair! As we were all completely grossed out, Alyssa said, "Well, maybe it was the butcher's first day!" HA HA! Welcome to Jamaica!

Birth Announcements

Well, our family here has grown! We now have 4 new children and boy are they precious! Of course, the boys (especially the baby) keep everyone hopping! But, all of the other kids here have really welcomed them and everyone wants to hold the baby! They are all adjusting very well, and we are seeing lots and lots of smiles and hearing lots of laughter. The baby is not sleeping through the night, but is otherwise doing great! I'm really proud of our New Vision kids and how they have accepted these little ones. Things are not as quiet here now, but that's okay. We took them all to a church fellowship last night and introduced them to the church family. It was a lot of fun.