Updates, Changes, and Other Superfluous Information

April was a llllllllooooooonnnnnnngggggg month for us!  We had so much on our plate with medical visits, home improvements/repairs, doctor’s visits, ministry partnership meetings, and doctor’s appointments. And now that we nearing the end of the pregnancy, our time is very precious. But as precious as time has become, it also feels like time is dragging on…maybe it has something to do with the excitement of the soon-to-be-arrival of our baby girl! With that being said, I would like to sum up a few things that have happened or are happening as we speak:

1. Time line/fundraising efforts. Our application for French language school in Canada has been completed and is in the mail. The school year begins September and goes through June. Once accepted, we will move to Canada a month early so that we can acclimate to our new environment (with a baby). Our scheduled departure time is the last weekend in July (THIS JULY!!!) But, we can only accomplish this if our fundraising reaches a successful conclusion. Praise to God that we presently are funded at a level of 93% for our monthly and 103% for our one-time! Please be in prayer that we will successfully complete our fundraising before leaving for school.

2. Home improvement/home sale. Our home improvement is roughly 90% completed with a few more things needed for completion (painting, baseboard placement, plumbing in the bathtub, etc.) We met with a realtor and longtime friend and had encouraging news! Our home is in a great neighborhood and the improvements will be effective in the selling/renting process.  We are still uncertain as to whether to sell or rent but the realtor assured us either avenue would have great results. On another positive note, we have had both baby showers and finished a temporary baby room.

3. Packing/moving process. We have purchased 7 BIG trunks to ship our life to Africa and have begun to sort through our seasonal and extra stuff (if anyone wants any stuff, we have plenty). Unfortunately this process is not easy, since we now have a Canada pile, an Africa pile, a baby pile, a storage pile, and a trash/donate pile! I never realized how hard this would be! But it is best to begin early and attempt to pack things up now instead of leaving everything to the last minute!

4. Mommy/baby health. I have been pretty private with several medical problems because I felt like the problems were somehow my fault. I have since learned there was nothing I did or did not do that could cause these issues. Our original intentions were to pursue a birth center or home birth option. Because I have developed both SVT (something ventricular tachycardia) and gestational diabetes, we have risked out of both options. But praise to God, we have found a Christian, natural birth supporting Doctor at the University of Tennessee Medical Center (A true sacrifice for Kevin, seeing as how his blood runs MTSU Blue). Right now, our OB-GYN is working diligently with the cardiologist so we can have the birth we pictured. A lot is still up in the air as far as a final decision on how the issues will be handled, but we will give a detailed update on that at a later time. We are so grateful that baby girl’s health was never in question. For the moment, we ask for prayers towards mommy’s health, so that the baby will remain healthy!