Travel News Update
We have several praises about Matt’s trip already!
~ Our teammates the Ohrenbergs have graciously offered to keep Matt for the 3 weeks he will be in Santo. This is such a blessing for many reasons, not the least of which is that it will save us several hundred dollars. We are so thankful for their willingness to open their home to him.
~ There was a price drop so we were able to get Matt’s roundtrip ticket for October 8 – November 1 from Dallas to Brisbane for $200+ cheaper than we expected. We will be buying Matt’s Brisbane to Santo ticket this week.
~ Since we told you all about this unexpected trip in our last newsletter, we have received $1,020 toward those expenses. THANK YOU to those who gave! Because of the praises above, we believe Matt’s travel expenses will only be around $2,000 total so we’re over halfway there!
If you would like to give a special gift to make Matt’s trip possible, you can give in your normal way and just let us know the extra is for his trip. Even if you aren’t a regular supporter, you can go to our Giving Page and give by check or online. Thank you!
As a reminder, during his visit, Matt hopes to:
~ Assist with the last two days of VISTA
~ Take part in the first ever VISTA graduation!
~ Meet with our team about 6 year goals (SO much easier in person)
~ Visit our village family on Malo & preach there one Sunday
~ Visit and maybe preach at Vuna Mele, our home church on Santo
~ Take part in the Vanuatu Bible Translation Meeting hosted by the Vanuatu Council of Churches
~ Spend two days in Australia on the way home to meet with potential partners for the work in Vanuatu.
The one big downside of this trip is that Matt will be missing half of Lauren’s volleyball games this season. So please pray that when the time comes, she won’t be too disappointed. I’ll just cheer extra loudly! 😉
If you would, please be praying for:
* God to direct Matt’s planning for his trip and give him the time to prepare for it.
* That God would make the way for Matt to make all of his connections, especially on the way to Vanuatu. The volcano on Ambae is unstable and has cancelled many flights. If he misses his flight from Brisbane to Santo, he will miss the VISTA graduation.
* Speaking of Manaro, the volcano on Ambae has led the Vanuatu government to impose a compulsory evacuation – again – of everyone living on Ambae (approximately 11,000 people). To see a haunting picture of what an ash-covered village looks like, click here. To read how the people of Ambae feel being displaced from their homeland, click here. Please pray with us for all the people of Ambae, including the VISTA translators who call Ambae home.
We thank God for each of you. Please share your praises and prayer requests with us, too!
Angie (for Matt & the kids, too) |