When the going is slow, the thankful keep going!

Thanksgiving couldn't have come at a better time this year. It has come after a couple months of slow going ... "trudging" even ... as we wait, pray, and trust that God will help us reach our last 25% of our monthly funds.

As it feels in the moment like God's mercy is running out on us ... a thankful heart will help us to see just how great His mercy is!

We are thankful for the way He has already provided us with 75% of our monthly funding ... even that seemed impossible 11 months ago! And that all of the 75% has come from amazing individuals giving what they can!

We are thankful for friends and family who keep us encouraged and pray for us!

We are thankful for our Portuguese tutor Maura, who tutors us once a week in Portuguese, and who is willing to teach us "full-time" when we are done support-raising!

We are thankful for the random connections we have made whether people or churches, and how they have loved us and cared for us!

We are thankful for MAF and the way God already does amazing work around the world through their ministry!

We are thankful for the staff and unpaid workers of MAF who have led us on this life-changing journey.

We are thankful that even if our dessert and silent auction don't go as planned ... we will still enjoy dessert! ;)

And mostly ... we are thankful for such a big, LOVING God, whose word promises us: "We are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good deeds, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2:10) His faithful promises keep us going, along with a thankful heart for all He has done and all that He is. He loves us, He leads us, He rescues us, and He breathes life into us. We cannot see the road ahead of us. (Will we raise all the money we need before the end of the year? Will studying portuguese be difficult and trying? When will we move to Angola? Who does God need us to meet and share our story with?) But He will lead us onward.

"What about Ebola?"

Many people have been asking us, "What about Ebola?" Yes, it's definitely on our mind--but not in a worrisome way, and Lord-willing, it will not cross borders into Angola or it will be largely taken care of by May, our estimated departure month. However, Ebola has become a problem in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where MAF staff currently serve. Thankfully, God has uniquely placed MAF in a role to help serve doctors and patients of Ebola through the transportation of medical supplies and personnel to the remote areas affected. For more information, see MAF UK's two news updates: September 4--MAF Delivers Ebola Relief in the DRC and the October 3rd update.

Let's keep praying for the doctors, patients, and MAF staff dealing with the Ebola outbreak! We feel honoured to be serving with an organization that can play a role in helping out our African brothers and sisters, and we look forward to how God will use MAF staff as they continue to help!

Marcel and Kelly