Bends in the Road

As expected, the dawn of this past New Year brought for us a move out of our home in Dayton, Ohio – and in doing so the community we have called “home” for the the past 10 years. Unexpectedly however, that move was not to France as we had planned, instead it was a move to 4 months of nomadic life, living with family and friends, bouncing between Iowa, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

There are two contributing factors to this change, the first is that Christopher’s graduate school committee recommended that Christopher stay on through the Spring semester to address an unexpected obstacle, and the second is that we were unfortunately not able to raise enough support to be able to leave for the field in January.

We now hope to arrive in France in the beginning of May so we can begin language learning.  Our recurring monthly support is currently 90% raised, but we will only be able to depart for France in this timeframe if we have commitments for the remaining $500/month in recurring support by Easter (April 21st) 2019.

If you or someone you know is interested in becoming a recurring financial partner with us in the ministry that God is doing at Bongolo Hospital, please contact us as soon as possible at edmans@surrenderandfollow.com.

Click here for more information on partnering with us financially and steps on how to give.

In other news – our beds, furniture and supplies have been flat packed (HUGE thanks to Jon, Tyler, Sam, and Caleb for all the help getting everything boxed up!) and are on their way to Gabon in the Hospital’s supply shipment. The shipment started heading out across the ocean at the end of February and will (Lord willing!) be there waiting for us when we get to Gabon in less than a year! We will be excited to set up home again after arriving in the jungle with just a few suitcases.

Items in the shipping container are billed by volume, not weight – so it is advantageous to make use of every square inch to save on shipping.  As you can see, items like the box fan below got filled to the brim with smaller items like baby supplies, IKEA lamp cords, and printer ink cartridges!

The shipment only goes once or twice a year, so it is a fun added challenge to try and guess what we will need for Matthias a whole year in advance, and to ship enough of whatever those items are to last him for an entire year.

Practically, this means that we are already starting to make a list of things we will need to send in the next shipment for Matthias when his is 3-4 years old.

CALLING ALL MAMA’S OUT THERE ~ If you have any advice or recommendations for what supplies/toys/items might be helpful for a 3-4 year old, and how much we might need for an entire year, please email us at amanda@surrenderandfollow.com. These newbie parents would LOVE to hear your tips, experience and wisdom!

Often in life, our journeys lead us on roads that have unexpected bends and turns. This has certainly been true of this season for us. It brings life to the verse in Proverbs 16:9,

“The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.”

While this bend in the road of a delay in our departure was certainly not what we had planned or hoped for, we do know that the Lord knew this bend was coming all along – and it is He who we are committed to surrender and following – wherever He leads – no matter how many bends in the road.

Thank you for walking alongside us on this journey – unexpected bends and all,

~The Edmans

Christopher, Amanda & Matthias