We never like talking about these things, and you must know that we are extremely grateful for all our supporters and feel deeply for the tough situation many are in. However, things are getting desperate  for us and we felt it was necessary to make it known.

Despite starting the month of February a little ahead (donations in January had allowed us to keep some money in reserve) we had less money come in for February than we usually have to pay bills and buy food.  This month is even more dismal. We start out this month without enough money to cover health insurance and rent. Which means we don’t have any money for food, utilities, diapers, fuel, or prescriptions.

Beyond that, we have medical bills from last year that we have not been able to pay. Medical bills from this year we have no money for.  Our van has needed new shocks for over two years.  At least one tire is dangerously worn.  Michael needs new glasses–our medical doesn’t cover optical.  We are defaulting on student loans because we’ve never had enough money to make those payments.  We praise the Lord for a program called the Tooth Bus that takes care of the kids’ cleanings, fillings, and fluoride treatments.  David, however, needs his wisdom teeth removed. We are eligible for a program where we could have it done at Children’s Hospital in New Orleans, but we would have to pay for an evaluation appointment and panel X-ray.  Joel has an extremely crowded mouth which is causing him a lot of hygiene problems resulting in lots of fillings.  They say that time with an orthodontist and braces might help.  All of this costs money we don’t have.

As important as all those things are, right now we are mostly concerned with paying bills and feeding our family. We were aware going into this work that a missionary’s life isn’t easy–especially financially.  We also know that God provides in amazing ways, and we have seen much of that.  For example the medical test that I had to have done this year is much less than what they had projected our portion would be.  Still, $600 is a lot of money even being 1/3 of the amount we had been told to expect to pay.

We are going through a time of direction seeking regarding the future of the ministry and how it will continue.  There is still a lot of work that needs to be done here, and we still expect to be partnering with FBC as this work continues, but a big part of our direction seeking has to do with the question of whether we can afford to continue doing this.  We are seeking God’s plan in this and hope that you will pray with us. If you want to know how to support us, you can click here for more information.