In another experience of answered prayer, Heather’s, Zoe’s and Donna’s journey to France went almost completely without a hitch. Zoe slept soundly on the floor below the empty seat between us adults. She has adjusted quickly to the quarter-day time difference and even helped us clean the apartment floor with all her wanderings.

Today is her first birthday and she’s already had us laughing at her antics. She stood up on the bed between us for a few moments then raised her arms with great drama and flopped onto Mommy. She’s laughed at and talked with Mickey Mouse, who sat about as tall as she, then went about her climbing all over Mommy, Daddy and the bed. Once successfully making it to the floor, she discovered the diaper crate and pulled out all the diapers. After playing with the bag from the wipes that we just restocked, she was greeted with a stunning rendition of “Happy Birthday” sung by the Diffenhard’s two German children.

Meanwhile, back in France, Albertville is a cute little town tucked into a mountain valley. We hear that trails abound in the hills surrounding it and we look forward to exploring in the coming months. Gals from the French school have been making the transition easier, but as always with moving and travel, things take longer than we imagine. God continues to be faithful, however, repeatedly giving far more than we ask or imagine – Mt Blanc is visible from just outside town, the apartment is far bigger and better than we guessed with tons of little charms and it sits at the foot of a road that loses itself in the hills above. And Heather our nanny has been a huge blessing and help. We so appreciate God’s smiles!

Grandma & Granddad gave Zoe a surprise early first birthday celebrationZoe compares herself to the size of carry-on luggage

Zoe compares herself to the size of carry-on luggage

The car was packed a little full on the way home from the airport...

Praise God for answering countless prayers – ours and yours! We have finished packing (all but the final trip to France) and finished our degrees! Slick said it seems like the monkeys have been leaping off my back. I’d like to say I feel the weight just lifted away – and I do – in everything except running Did I mention we’re training for the 2500th anniversary of the original marathon, run on the original course? There’s never a dull day…

Seriously, we have begun the deep sigh of completion. We’ll feel like we have totally relaxed once we settle in to Albertville, France and stop moving! We really do appreciate your prayers. God has been extremely generous and gracious. He even gave us another little coincidence last week when we filled in the last line of our mileage log with the last leg of our journey. He is a God of the entire universe and yet a God of the details. We worship Him!

The view from the cabin that our very generous friends allowed us to stay in for three weeks while we sorted our stuff. In yet another "coincidence" their renter broke her lease just before we arrived...

Once again we’ve been receiving the benefits of your prayers for safety and sanity while on the road this past month…thank YOU for keeping us before Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine! (Eph 3:20)

We should have expected it. Saturday, 10 July was our last deputation visit with two families of friends. We were certain they would become prayer partners even before we realized there were only two spots left on our prayer calendar. We began last November in South Carolina with a goal of three people praying with us per day, 93 per month. When we left the state for good in January, God had already surpassed that mark. His abundance continued to flow as He flooded us with more than five per day by April. We settled on the final goal of six per day. Double the initial goal. God’s abundance evidenced.

Departing Pennsylvania at the close of the 20,000 mile journey, the calendar was filled exactly with six per day. If that weren’t enough, back in February when I began to build the picture book of our prayer partners (so we can see your faces as we pray) I had laid out the pages with six pictures on each day. Coincidence? Absolutely: “a small miracle where God chooses to remain anonymous.”

A.W. Tozer wrote, “If we allow the gloomy voice of unbelief to whisper to us that God will bless some other time but not now, some other place but not here, some other people but not us, we might as well turn off the lights [of the church].”* Praise God that by His gracious power He does bestow His special favor upon…US…HERE…NOW…and in supernatural ways!

We now begin sorting all of our “stuff” into three piles (two overseas shipments and one storage) while battling the heat and humidity of Virginia in August and finishing our last classes for seminary. We would appreciate your prayers for organization and motivation (packing again – yech!) and for focus to glean all God has for us to learn from our classes.

Sunset over the Mississippi River as we paused for the night before crossing from Illinois to Iowa.

We enjoy capturing pieces of God’s artwork on film! View more. 

*Rut, Rot or Revival: The Condition of the Church

God proved yet again that He provides all our needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus (Phil 4:19). Fellow Africa-bound pilot Ben and his family felt God leading them to stay in Idaho as they finished preparation for departure. But when his flying training ended, they needed housing. At just the right moment, someone offered the organization a house to be used for missionaries. Rent was whatever the tenants could afford. Becky, Ben and their kids’ new home now provides a daily reminder of God’s abundant provision.

Shortly after that, someone who rents a big hangar in Nampa offered our friend Tim a parking spot in his hangar. True to character, Tim is as excited about someday sharing Jesus with the man as he is thankful to God for providing his little Luscomb (two-seat, high-wing taildragger) a new home!

Forest Service strip called Graham in the mountains east of Boise, ID

Funny things sometimes happen on the road… We put the video camera on to capture a family photo in Arches NP, Utah. Behind us is a small crevass about 15 feet deep, then a rock slab, then a 400 foot cliff. There were a few gnats… See the video!