We have a date!

Since we last posted we have traveled across six states...some of them three times.  Towards the end of October, we left Nampa, Idaho and MAF headquarters to return to Texas to start packing our shipment.  After much shopping, sorting, packing, weighing, measuring, and itemizing, we are very close to sending our stuff off to Missouri where it will be shipped to Mozambique after we arrive.

Which clothes do I take?

Then in early November, we headed to Colorado Springs for PILAT (Program in Language Acquisition Techniques) at Mission Training International.  Although we weren't learning Portuguese, for two weeks we learned some great techniques to use to assist us in learning Portuguese once we get to Mozambique...and we even picked up a little Russian and a Vietnamese tribal language in the process.  One of the neat things about the training was that we interacted with missionaries from various organizations who are going all over the world to all kinds of work.  We met church planters, medical folks, teachers, gardeners, evangelists, and people working with the deaf...amazing how God gives us unique gifts to share His love with others!

A view from the trail near the training facility in Colorado

Now for the exciting news...after almost four years of preparation, we are projected to leave January 11th, arriving in Nampula on January 13th.  We are currently wrapping up all the details required to get ourselves ready to move.  We had our last doctor and dentist appointments, got our international driver's licenses, turned in our visa applications/police clearance letters, etc.  Now we just need to take care of the final details like getting our shipment off, selling our car, and teaching our families (and ourselves) to Skype!

Prayer requests:

• We continue to need someone to share the shipping container with
• Wisdom in packing for the 3 to 6 months we will be there without our shipment
• Good time with family before we leave (and that the farewells won't be too hard)