Flexiblity

Flexibility is defined on dictionary.com as- capable of being bent, usually without breaking. I was reminded this week that even though we make our plans and do our best to see them through that God is the one that directs our steps and that He is in control. We had an issue come up with our visa's and for a short time we were not sure if we were going to be able to depart on time, but thankfully God worked in an amazing way and it looks like everything is going to work out. I received an email from my aunt and uncle with Wycliffe stating that they got to Cameroon and are getting settled in. They said that the first flight they had was delayed and that caused them to be late for their connecting flights but thankfully the airlines worked it out so that they arrived around the same time. Unfortunately they have not received any of their bags yet so please pray for them as they try to be flexible in not having anything but their carry on bags in a brand new country. As we are a little over a week away from leaving ourselves their flight issues along with our visa complications was an awesome reminder that God is in control and that He will supply all of our needs

Just a quick update about some recent happenings in our lives- we recently visited with my family out in the midwest and it was a truly awesome time to get to see everyone before we leave for Japan. We will be going to the burg (Lynchburg) one last time to say our goodbyes and to have one last check up on stephanie and our new little one before we fly to Japan.  We just got our last piece of luggage a few days ago and already have one bag packed and ready to go. We will continue to stage things and make last minute wal-mart runs until we leave. We have been told that an apartment has been spoken for on our behalf very close to where we will be ministering and that we will be able to move in on the 21st when we arrive in Shimonoseki. This is great news for us and we look forward to setting up a home that we can use to share Christ in. 

Please pray for us:

That we will have no further complications with visa's or other paperwork

That we will have safe travel

That we will add more prayer partners before we leave

That we will add more financial partners before we leave

That above all we will be open to God's will for our lives

Pray for Tony and Marcia as she recently lost her mother.

Some recent praises:

God has added several people who have been willing to partner in prayer with us

We have had safe travel and a reliable car during our summer travels

Several children have already signed up for the weekend pre-school classes- (pray that even now God will be working and that those children and parents will be receptive to the gospel.)

Several more people have signed up for the conversational English classes that I will be teaching.

Shimonoseki Christ Bible Church recently had a mission trip group come and had good success in accomplishing the goals the trip had.  

Less than 3 Weeks Till Japan

Once again I am amazed at how quickly time goes. Stephanie and I had the privilege of speaking at my grandfathers church in Hiddenite NC and we were blessed by so many church members that encouraged and uplifted us. We are currently visiting with family in the midwest and are enjoying our time with our loved ones that we know we will not get to see for the next few years. We were blessed last week to help in our local church's Bible school and we were truly blessed by the children and their willingness to learn about what a wonderful God we serve. Please be in prayer for my Aunt and Uncle (Rodney and Joy Ballard) as well as my 3 little cousins as they are heading to Africa on Aug. 1st with Wycliffe and would love your prayers and support as they embark on this new stage in their lives. Thanks for all your encouragement as we have shared the news about our new little one. We are very excited to have this baby in Japan and know that God is going to grow us in so many ways through this wonderful addition. Thanks and hope you have a great rest of the week.

What's been in the making?

Memorial weekend in May will be one to remember for us. I took a home pregnancy test and we were surprised to see those 2 pink lines appear!!! Needless to say we were thrilled. I had a doctor appointment with my PCP and figured we were at 5 weeks. We then scheduled with the Women's Center and at 11 weeks had our first ultrasound and doctor visit. It was amazing to see our little person at almost 2 inches long. We saw the heartbeat moving so fast and the baby moving arms and legs and stretching out all the way for us. Besides feeling pregnant I still had no baby bump, so I was excited to know that there was actually something in there growing ;)

                                Baby Cook is on the way. Coming soon February 4, 2013.


We are so excited to begin this journey. The Lord has blessed us tremendously through our marriage and life together so far and we are ever so thankful for His provision and continued blessings that we know we don't deserve. 


Please pray with us and for us as we continue to prepare to depart for Japan on August 13th. We still have packing, some extra paper work, and one more speaking engagement scheduled before we leave. Our commissioning service will be at our home church in Ramseur, NC on Sunday, August 5th at 6pm. If you are in the area, you are more than welcome to come, email or contact us for any questions. We are thankful for the opportunity to go and are thankful for those whom the Lord has provided to help send us. Thank you.


                                   James 1:17 "Every good and perfect gift is from above."

Recent Happenings

After our Candidate Orientation with FIM in early June, we returned to VA and had a few days to pack up everything before our move to NC. On Father’s Day we packed up the truck with the help of David’s parents and several friends in Lynchburg and drove to Siler City, NC. This is where our home church, First Christian Church is located, and where David’s parents live. We are staying with them until our departure on August 13. On Thursday, June 21, we drove to FL to visit with my family one more time before we leave for Japan. Tropical storm Debby decided to visit FL with us and she left more rain and flooding than I had ever seen in my whole life living in FL. We are currently back in NC and staging things for packing for Japan and storage. David’s parents have been so wonderful to let us store all of our keepsakes in David’s old bedroom!! We are also very excited to be able to attend First Christian Church on a regular basis and help with their Vacation Bible School next week. 

We are thankful for more prayer and financial partners that have joined us this past month. We are still in need of 20 more prayer partners and we are at 95% for our one-time moving fund and 57% for our monthly donations. If you are interested in partnering with us in anyway or have any questions please let us know.