Praising God and Packing!

We have some AWESOME news to share! 

Just before Christmas we received an email from YWAM Kona stating that Felipe has been awarded a special 80% discount for the Photography Course he will be participating in. 
What a wonderful Christmas present for us!

The 3 month course - which would have cost $4,000 (to cover Felipe´s tuition and his room and board) - is now reduced to just $800!!! We feel so blessed and we praise God for His provision. This was a HUGE unexpected financial blessing!  We went from needing $14,360 to needing only $11,160.

Back in October we turned in paperwork to YWAM requesting financial assistance for our time in Hawaii.  Since we are long-term, career missionaries with a family, any financial help would be extremely helpful to us. We imagined that maybe, just maybe, we would be awarded a $1,000 discount, but what was given to us was MUCH more than we could have asked or imagined.

God can do anything, you know - far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! 
~Ephesians 3:20 The Message ~

WE were AMAZED by this news and we just can´t stop praising God for this financial blessing!
We have officially reached our financial goal and we are able to fulfill the YWAM requirement of paying all expenses upfront to YWAM Kona. To see a breakdown of our simple budget click here.  God has provided at just the right time, every step of the way.  We are beyond thankful!


Packing Our Bags!
Currently we are packing, packing, packing - getting everything set and organized for our trip. Just one suitcase is completely packed so far...

 Packing for Jessie is the most challenging.  Jessie is leaving home at almost 4 months and will be 8 months old when we return.  She will grow A LOT while we are traveling, so I need to pack clothes of all sizes for her. 

It is also strange that we will be living out of a suitcase for the next four and half months.  We will miss many things here in Brazil - our cozy home, friends and family, the children here in the slum, and our sweet kitty, Amora...  

Yet we are SUPER excited about the adventure before us.  God is confirming His hand on this special season.  He has opened the doors and we are open to receive all He has for us.

  We travel in just a few days, on January 2nd late at night, arriving in Hawaii on January 3rd around 8:30 at night.  Our total travel time (with flying and layovers) will add up to about 30 hours!  This is a big trip! We will be arriving in Hawaii when it is 4:30 am on January 4th in Brazil.   We will definitely experience jet lag from this trip!

Please pray for us...
Please pray for our travels.  I am praying that both girls will travel well and that those traveling on the same planes as us would give us grace.  Please also pray for this transition for us as a family, as we will be adjusting to a new time zone and a new routine at YWAM Kona.  We know that Felipe will have a really busy and intense schedule and I will have lots of "girl time" with our precious daughters.

We will continue to keep you posted here on our blog!
Thanks for your prayers and support and to God be ALL the GLORY!