Where He leads us, we will follow

Summer has arrived! Aside from various summer school classes scattered throughout the States, college campuses are comparatively uninhabited. Students are now off relishing their three months of summer break! For me, this means no more assignments, no more essays, no more classes, and no more tests. I am finally free to focus on other things! Hunter and I long to travel to our beautiful and beloved country of South Africa. Yet, as much as we desire to spend the summer undertaking mission trips around the continent with Frontline Fellowship, alas, we are bound in Phoenix, Arizona, for the time being. We’re trusting the Lord to guide our steps towards a lifetime in missions, and we believe that (for now) we need to remain in the enthralling sandy desert we currently inhabit.

One of the most exciting events that has taking place this summer for Hunter and I is the adoption of an adult cat whom we named Sherlock Combs (affectionately after one of our favorite fictional characters, Sherlock Holmes). We discovered him one night while browsing through a pet store and immediately fell in love. Sherlock has been a wonderful addition to our family since.

We are praying and working towards a three month long summer mission trip in Africa next year (summer of 2013)! We earnestly hope and pray that the Lord will provide for all that would entail. There is, of course, a lot that will need to be considered and taken care of for the three months we would be away, but we know that God will supply our every need if this mission trip is, indeed, in His will. We ask that you would please pray with us as we seek wisdom from Him.

As far as our plans for the future go, it looks like we will be here for the next two years, and then we hope to make haste to the continent of Africa! For those who don’t know, I’m studying Communications with an emphasis in Journalism. It’s a life-long dream of mine, and I believe that the Lord will make use of it – not only here in the States but – to further His kingdom when Hunter and I finally become “real” missionaries. Because the Communications degree is newly established at ACU, I won’t be able to get through all of the Communications classes as quickly as I had hoped. This means the possibility of one extra semester for me, which means an extra semester of delay before we are able to leave. We know that the Lord will guide us precisely where He wants us in His perfect timing.

Currently, as the school year has come to an end here in the U.S, Hunter’s job as a substitute teacher is in “recess.” So as he was without a job, the “hunt” for employment commenced. After many applications submitted anywhere and everywhere over the course of the last month or so, we continued to remain "jobless"… that is, until last week… Just when we had begun to feel discouraged, a door of opportunity opened up to us (well, two doors, actually)! Hunter was hired by a friend’s Dad who owns a small business doing cabinet installation and finishing, while I got re-hired by the family I used to nanny for! Instead of just looking after their kids one night a week (like I used to), they are now wanting me to watch them most days of the week for the entire afternoon. What a blessing! Hunter loves his new job, and he is acquiring many new skills as each day holds new experiences… We are both so blessed to be employed again (As it so happens, bills don’t pay for themselves), and we thank the Lord every day for providing these jobs for us!

Thank you so much for your continued prayer and support! We appreciate it more than we could ever express...

With much love,

Andrea