Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Some more pictures of us this year

At Heike's brother's wedding in May:
Heike's dad, brother Josh, and his new wife Courtney, a wonderful addition to the family
Hanging with Heike's aunt and cousins!
Doug and Heike's dad
Tired but happy


Out on the lake on Memorial day with Heike's dad and some friends:


Preparing and waiting for our baby!
Doug practicing using the infant carrier with a tolerant kitty
37 weeks and counting!

Thursday, July 22, 2010

July Update

THE MOVE!
So God has provided and we have moved again!
We moved the second week of June, and spent the first two days in our new apartment wet and sweltering. It turns out the main drainage line was blocked and because we're on the bottom floor we got the brunt of it, in addition to our A/C going out. Thankfully management jumped right on it, and we quickly got used to a giant fan blowing air under the carpet to dry it out. Even though this made our moving process more difficult and added significant stress, God placed friends around us to encourage us and we got through it.  =) We delivered a long list of broken items and while they have been slow to come and repair, we are hoping that the rest of our stay here will be much more smooth and functional. Through it all God has shown us how much he cares for us through those He has placed in our lives at this time.
We are really enjoying being closer to our friends--who have really helped us out! Though we haven't been able to enjoy them yet, we are also looking forward to the many walking trails and pool that are now available to us.
Our new address is:
100 Fairforest Rd.  Apt. K2
Columbia, SC  29212
Our cell numbers remain the same.

PREGNANCY
Shakespeare and Eddie enjoying the diaper 'cake'
The pregnancy continues to progress well, though Heike is still struggling with morning sickness. She is 36 weeks along now and we sure are looking forward to August! We were blessed with two wonderful baby showers as we try to figure out what we need and how to prepare for the new member of the family.

CADENCE
Malachi has officially changed it’s name to Cadence Student Ministries in an effort to be more closely associated with our parent organization, Cadence International, as well as to reduce confusion when explaining that organizational relationship.
We just got back from a Cadence conference and God really used it to encourage us. We were able to reconnect with our team who are already serving in Germany as well as those are still raising support to go.  God renewed our hope as we face more support raising and we are so looking forward to serving Him in Germany. We had a very helpful meeting regarding our support situation and deficit. The BIG NEWS is: The contract was renewed for Germany, leaving us only 40-50% more of our support to raise!!! Our new target date for departure for Germany is June 2011. This may be ambitious, and we hold it with an open hand to God’s direction, but this gives us a goal to work towards. In regards to the deficit, Cadence is working with us on this so it  will be taken care of and not hinder us going overseas. The bottom line is that we are hugely encouraged by these developments and rejuvenated in our drive and desire to reach the field as soon as possible.  Please contact us if you have more questions. We would be happy to answer any questions you might have!

We can’t thank you enough for your love and support for us as we have struggled with getting to the field. While we need to wait for the baby to come first, we hope to begin to plan our next trip and visit many of you in the near future.

JOBS
Doug's job at the census is over and he is back to his old delivery job, but he is now running the office and got a raise. It was neat to see God work out several major issues such as pay, hours, and responsibilities that will allow Doug to stay in this job until we head to Germany. Heike particularly is thankful that he is now working somewhat regular hours! She has not been able to work lately because of her health, and we are not sure yet if she will go back to work after the baby gets here.

Thanks again for all your love and support!
Doug and Heike


Praise:

  • Contracts for Germany!
  • Encouraging time at Conference
  • Heike is 36 weeks along and baby is healthy!
  • Many blessings: our friends, apartment, and income that God has encouraged us with

Prayer:

  • The rest of our support to come in
  • Continued health for Heike and baby and wisdom and strength for us as new parents
  • Spiritual health and balance in our own lives as strive to put God’s priorities as our own and develop our relationship with HIM individually and together