Friends.

Well, we are still in south africa after a tiring and traumatic friday.  In preparation for this trip we ….
-waited 9 months for a south african birth certificate
-received US citizenship and a passport for charlotte ann a week after being told we do not have everything we need for the application.
-got arielle and zoe new south african passports
-got anneke a schengen visa to visit switzerland (you do not wanna know everything we had to do for that!)
-3 trips to johannesburg including the flight we took from nelspruit (were we live) to start our journey.
-got through first security check at joburg airport after we were told we couldn’t board the flight because anneke needed a visa to use the london airport

only to realize that anneke and I made a very BIG mistake!!  We didn’t properly check her 10 year visa for the USA.  It expired 5 weeks ago!

Through all we had overcome in preparation of this trip we were confident that the Lord was opening doors for us.  This news hit us in the stomach and was a very big shock.  I knew it was our mistake and I felt like we had let God down.  It was now weekend and I had three very tired girls and two very emotional grownups to consider so we rented a car and drove the four hour drive back to our house.

That evening back at the 10000 HOMES campus a friend and colleague shared this with me which has impacted me a lot over the past weekend!

Hebrews 10: 34-39

34 If some friends went to prison, you stuck by them. If some enemies broke in and seized your goods, you let them go with a smile, knowing they couldn’t touch your real treasure. Nothing they did bothered you, nothing set you back.                                                35 So don’t throw it all away now. You were sure of yourselves then. It’s still a sure thing! 36 But you need to stick it out, staying with God’s plan so you’ll be there for the promised completion. 37 It won’t be long now, he’s on the way; he’ll show up most any minute. 38 But anyone who is right with me thrives on loyal trust; if he cuts and runs, I won’t be very happy. 39 But we’re not quitters who lose out. Oh, no! We’ll stay with it and survive, trusting all the way.

I knew right away that because God spoke to our family about this trip we needed to not quit and walk in the same confidence that we had previously.  I also knew that i was getting very upset over a trip to america when I knew that there are others in the world who need us to stand by them for much graver circumstances!   

We were able to change our tickets to Wednesday (with the option to change the dates again) before we left the airport but as far as a USA visa and a new swiss visa (the previous one was only valid for the original travel dates) will have to be obtained before we can travel.  It is a holiday today, monday and everything is closed so the first we can even try to look into it is tomorrow morning.

Please Pray For:
A miracle appointment at the US Embassy
A miracle appointment at the swiss embassy with the possibility to extend anneke’s visa rather than reapply.
That british airlines would be flexible and not charge us money we do not have for changing the tickets.
That all my preset appointments and opportunities to share in the US would be upheld!
Traveling mercies whenever we do start the trip!

We would love to fly by wednesday or friday but will not even know if that is possible till tuesday.  For all we know we will have to wait the normal month for the visas to be issued.

Thank you guys for your prayers!!!

Love Zach, Anneke and the girls.