For weeks I have been waking up with a start. Will today be the day?

I fell into the bad habit of checking my e-mail as soon as my eyes popped open to see if I had gotten an e-mail from the COVID-19 Controller’s office. (There is a 14-hour time difference, so while we sleep, they are working.) We have been waiting for our last application to be approved for a little over a month, giving our family permission to enter PNG. On Friday, it happened! I got an e-mail from COVID-19 Operations Travel. I quickly clicked on it to see if they were asking another question or if this was it. Fully awake now, I opened the attached document and saw red “Approved” stamps everywhere! I paused in disbelief. We are going to Papua New Guinea.

At times, it has been frustrating not knowing how long our wait would last. But time and time again, God has shown us that everything is under control and will happen in His timing. For example, if we had received our approval a month ago, our family would have been required to quarantine for three weeks in a hotel room. It is almost too frightening to consider. But just a few days before we were approved, the requirements changed, and now we only have to do a seven-day quarantine. We can also do it at the AFM transit house on the campus of Pacific Adventist University, a much more comfortable place.

In about two weeks, we hope to launch to our field of labor. We want to thank each of you for making it possible for us to begin this journey with Jesus to the front lines. Your prayers and sacrificial giving have been an immense blessing and have encouraged our family to keep pressing on.

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