While Michelle was working on some forms to register Alicia for school in Papua New Guinea, she came across some good news. From what we could remember, classes at the international school normally begin on a Wednesday in mid-July. Looking at the calendar, the 17^th seemed to fit. But actually, it starts on the 24^th. That meant we could schedule our departure a whole week later than we thought. So, we now have tickets to leave Dallas / Ft. Worth International Airport at 5:35 p.m. on Monday, July 8^th....

Those were the words on the side of the mobile office bearing my insurance company's name. As I pulled up to the bus I was filled with thoughts of what might have been, and for others, what was. Wednesday, two severe weather systems were moving from west to east; one was tracking over Fort Worth and Dallas, and the other was to the south, bearing down on where we live: Granbury. I was on my way to the Dallas / Fort Worth airport to pick up Daniel when I began hearing the reports of tornados and grapefruit-sized hail being produced by northern storm. As soon as Daniel was in the car we began heading west, right into the storm....

After renewing our passports in January and receiving our work permits in March, we were able to apply for the document the whole process was building up to: visas. On Monday I called the Embassy of Papua New Guinea and was told that their approval had not yet come from PNG. I sent some emails to opposite sides of the world to have people look into it. On Tuesday I received three emails: one said that the approval had come, another told me that approval had come shortly after I called the embassy, and the third was from FedEx. The visas were literally "in the mail." Today they arrived and thus we begin a whole venture...

In Isaiah 49 God proclaims that there will be one who comes before the Messiah to "prepare the way of the Lord." In that day, when a king came to visit, a forerunner was sent out so that the people could work on the road lest those carrying the throne on their shoulders should stumble and drop the king. Things would not go well for those who failed to prepare the way for their lord. However, God is fond of switching things around. How amazing is it that it is God who prepares the way for His servants? For us, we see God's hand in our meetings and travels. But it doesn't end there...

Good Friday is a time of conflicting emotions. First there is Joy in the occasion of the Passover feast. The Israelites were experiencing horrific persecution and slavery in Egypt. Babies were murdered and men were beaten. But, what joy to see how with his mighty hand God delivered his people. To commemorate this, the nation was to save up so that for that week they could party culminating in the Passover meal where they all ate like kings...