We hope this finds you all doing well. We would like to provide a brief update and give you some idea of our plans ahead. On August 20th we finished language school in Switzerland (and celebrated 17 years of marriage). The past 8 months have been quite a journey. We feel incredibly fortunate to have acquired a solid foundation of the French language which we hope to build upon for the rest of our lives. We were of course sad to leave our community in Switzerland and the beautiful country itself. The kids recounted what they most enjoyed during our time there:
Noa: “chocolate, Swiss army knives and horse camp”
Maria: “the mountains, the hikes and Barry (the famous St. Bernard)”
Micah: “Motorcycles!”
Anica: “seeing my friends at daycare and the double decker train”
As many of you know, Josie’s mom was diagnosed with ovarian cancer while we were living in Switzerland. Through this we learned that Josie herself is a carrier of the BRCA1 mutation which places her at a significantly increased risk of developing both breast and ovarian cancer. After prayer and careful consideration she has decided to move forward with risk reducing surgery which includes a mastectomy with reconstruction and a salpingectomy (fallopian tube removal). At some point in the next 10 years, she will plan to have her ovaries removed, but not before moving to Africa with 4 young children! David has coordinated with the surgeons he knows here in Maine and they have been very gracious to fit Josie into their schedules quickly. They have recommended at least a month of recovery, so this will postpone our departure to Gabon. Our hope is that doing this surgery now will prevent us from needing to leave Gabon after we are settled there. God has given us peace about this decision and we have been able to laugh about the irony of getting plastic surgery before going to the mission field (never did Josie imagine getting breast implants!). We appreciate your prayers so far and would really love them September 14 during surgery. David needs your prayers the most. He will take care of the kids while Josie is unable to lift, push, pull, or be very useful for about 3 weeks. Once Josie has recovered sufficiently we will head to South Dakota to repack our bags for Africa and then Idaho to visit family. God willing, we hope to be at Bongolo hospital sometime in mid to late October.
Of course this is not a pill we wanted to swallow, but we trust that it is all part of our Father’s perfect plan and He is using it in ways we may not understand now, but will be clear later. We know the day will come when this broken creation “will be set free from its bondage and corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God” (Rom 8:21). It is in this hope we can rest secure. Jesus Christ gave us his life and gave us his Spirit so that we might share that hope with the world and we are so thankful to have the opportunity to do that.
Currently, we are staying in the lovely “studio chalet” of Aaron and Bevin Holmberg in Falmouth, Maine, so if you are local, playdates and meals would be greatly appreciated. Again we are grateful for your support and appreciate your prayer during this time.
Praise
- A solid foundation of the French language
- Smooth travels back to the States
- Lodging for a longer than expected period of time in Maine
Prayer
- A safe surgery and smooth recovery for Josie
- Our children’s emotional health as we continue to face many transitions
- Retaining the French we have learned
- Opportunities to share the gospel with others during this time of transition
