Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Riley, April, McKenna, Danny

Cristo Rei - Christ the King!

March 2013 Update


Ola' from Portugal!

It has been a great start to the New Year and we have been blessed to see God work in so many areas!  Hard to believe it is already March and today, 3/12, is April's Birthday!

Until January, we were homeschooling Riley and McKenna.  This has been a wonderful learning experience for us all and we have truly enjoyed our time with the girls.  However, homeschooling was new to all of us.  Learning how to teach a subject, teach good learning habits, and how to make the switch from parent to teacher was a new challenge for us.  We felt like we didn’t have an option until a fellow missionary here in Portugal mentioned the possibility of sending the girls to the school that her children go to, the Greater Lisbon Christian Academy, GLCA.  It is a small Christian school here made up mostly of Missionary kids.  We met with the head of the school the first part of January about the possibility and the next thing you know, they are enrolled.

The new school situation has truly been an answer to prayer.  It has allowed the girls to meet more children their age.  GLCA has also given them more options with Bible Class, Art, PE, and others that we didn’t have with homeschooling.  They have been gracious to us and have made it affordable with our missionary budget.  We are blessed that Riley and McKenna have been given this opportunity.  Having the girls at GLCA has also given April and me more time to focus on language.  This has definitely been an answer to all of our prayers.

Another HUGE answered prayer is that our container arrived safely in Angola.   It was transported to CEML Hospital (the mission hospital where April will work) and the medical equipment had to be inspected by the Angolan Ministry of Health.  This has all been completed and our fellow missionary friends in Angola have been able to get their things off of the container as well.   Thank you all for praying along with us throughout this whole process!

Our time here in Portugal has truly been a growing experience.  We have learned more about ourselves, about each other, and what serving the Lord in a different country is like.  However, language is still a big part.  Before we arrived in Portugal, we were told by several people that we should expect language learning to take at least a year.  I didn’t want to believe this and my sense of urgency led me to think that we could do this in 6 months.  I didn’t want to listen to their advice. However, I have come to realize that they were correct.  As one of our fellow students and missionary to Angola told us, we had unreasonable expectations when we arrived.  With this new realization, we have booked our return tickets this past week for August 14th.

When we return to the US, there are several things that we need to do to finish our preparations for Angola.  My daughters would say that the first thing we need to do is head to Chick-Fil-A! However, the two main things that must be done are applying for our Angolan visas and fundraising.  We are going to start the visa process from here before we leave Portugal.  Part of what has to be done is that all of our documents, transcripts, diplomas, etc. must be translated into Portuguese and then certified.  Our instructor can help with that process so that is a huge blessing.   The visa process involves lots of prayer and paperwork.  So please add this to your prayer list for us.

The second thing that must occur before we can go is fundraising.  We are currently 50% funded for our monthly support budget in Angola.  We have been able to continue with our language classes here in Portugal in two ways.  First, our monthly support needs here are a little less than what they will be in Angola.   Second, we have been blessed with supporters who began donating before we left for Portugal so we had money in our account.  We have been using money built up in this account along with our current monthly support to cover our needs while we are here. However, we cannot go to Angola until have reached our monthly support level.  In addition to our monthly support, we also need to raise funds for a vehicle in Africa.  This will need to be a separate fund and will require additional prayers. 

We have begun contacting churches and individuals to talk to this fall when we are home. Fundraising is a challenge to begin with but during tough economic times it is more challenging. Fortunately we work for a Big God who provides for all of our needs.  However, God uses individuals to do His work here on earth.  We can use your help with this.  If you would be interested in having us come to speak at your church or bible study or just a gathering in your home, please let us know.  You are a part of our team and can help us get the word out about what God is doing in Angola.  We know that the Lord will provide additional partners in our ministry to make this happen.  However, we must tell others about the work that God is doing in Angola and about the needs there and trust that He will provide in His timing. 

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.  -  Galatians 6:9

Please continue to pray for us during this process.  We are new to all of this and even though we have been blessed with others along the way who have helped us, we still need your daily prayers.  We are still confident in God’s call to send us to Angola and realize that it is through Him that this is made possible.

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
2 Corinthians 12:9

Thank you all for your prayers and support as we continue to prepare for God’s work in Angola.


In Him,
Danny, April, Riley, and McKenna

Support Info:
AGA Inc. 
25 Maple St
Addison, NY 14801-1009

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