Some quick updates from Dan and Gretchen for those of you who have asked for some specific details:

Kids-
– they are doing SO well, growing in their faith and excitement to see all God is doing to answer prayer, provide, and direct us
– LOVING being where we are, so many animals and things that are new to them….moose in the front yard, snakes by the barn, baby goats and peacocks and chickens, and three exotic birds in the house that are learning our names!
-We are homeschooling! :-/ 🙂 I am both terrified and excited (50/50) by this necessity, so are the kids, tho they are more 20/80 – the thought that they can be done early in the day, the year, AND get to travel with us keeps them high on the excited side! 🙂

Praises- We have SO much to be thankful for!
– safe travels on our journeys thus far
– support steadily increasing, we are at about 35% so far and truly so excited at all God is doing through our monthly support partners and those that have given launching/designated gifts!
– provision for the trip to Africa via airline miles that we have been saving for YEARS for just such a rainy day, and because of their use, we were able to have a 2 day Paris layover on our way to speaking in Jos, Nigeria!
– clear direction and provision for the kids’ homeschooling
– the generosity of a place to live in Washington, where the kids are also being cared for while we.re traveling, and by someone who is thrilled to be “gramma” when we.re gone internationally!
– All of our personal debt (the last payment on an old school loan) is GONE and, additionally, the sale of our house is due to be finalized in January!
– We are booked one to two times weekly to speak, train, and/or singing until the end of November without contacting anyone, God is bringing the requests to us and confirming us daily in our calling in such amazing ways!
– the long process of getting us officially switched to being “Washingtonians” is almost DONE!
– Our trip to Jos, Nigeria, speaking and training, went so amazingly well and we truly felt the prayer cover for us regarding safety and servant hearts and sensitivity to the Holy Spirit – we have much to process of God’s goodness and provision from this time, and so much to be thankful for with regard both God’s use of us there and the impact that was made on our lives by our beautiful brothers and sisters in Nigeria!

Prayer Requests- Pray alongside us!
– For God to give grace and multiply our efforts as Dan works on homework for his doctorate in the midst of speaking and training
– For health insurance answers/solutions, this is the last step to full Washington state integration!
– Additional monthly support partners to join us so that we can continue to give the ministry away, what a joy to give the answer “nothing!” when asked by a church what we charge to come and help them!
– For me (and Dan and the kids!!) as I learn homeschooling on the road
– For my (Gretchen) Chinese visa to get done in a timely manner, and for God to go before us as we plan our November visit to Beijing and Wuhan China