A few days after arriving home in Pucallpa, we turned right around and flew to Lima to purchase this brand new FG Wilson 80kw generator! We are SO excited about what God has done! This machine will be a blessing to countless people for many years to come and without the struggle it would have been to maintain an old, beat-up machine like the one we tried to purchase the first time!
It will still take some time and work for Vann to get it online with an automatic transfer switch and fuel tank - but how exciting! This extraordinary piece of machinery is a huge part of the infrastructure on this mission base that will make this jungle life so much easier for us and all of the dedicated missionaries we are privileged to serve here on Petra base. An enormous THANK YOU to each of you who gave so sacrificially to help meet this need! What a great God we serve who so abundantly provided more than we could even ask or think for the glory of His great name!
After several years of careful planning and saving, we were able to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary with a trip to Europe! This year we are also celebrating Vann’s 50th birthday and we are empty nesters; it’s a big year for us! We found $180 tickets from JFK to Paris that we couldn’t pass up, so we started in the beautiful City of Love, and then enjoyed visiting with some of our dearest, lifelong friends in Spain and Switzerland that filled our hearts with precious memories we will treasure forever. After training our way through Italy, the end of our trip was the cherry on top with a Nicolosi family reunion in Nicolosi, Sicily - what a dream come true! Daddy would have absolutely loved it all so much. He was with us in our hearts and our brother RJ and Kristina were with us in spirit!
God had the biggest surprise gift for me through this trip - Europe, with its lovely Northern Hemisphere climate, and So. Many. Steps! (meanwhile up-dosing my medication in order to walk so much), collectively helped strengthen my body beyond what I have experienced in years or ever imagined possible again! God gave me the time away in that beautiful place to help me heal so I could face coming home to an empty nest and get back to work. He is so faithful and kind! We had the trip of a lifetime! Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!
A few days before flying home, we drove to Liberty University to spend the weekend with Clara for her 19th birthday! She is excelling in her classes and enjoying college life so much; she has made some sweet friends and is already discipling a coworker! It was such a treat to get to be all together for a few days. We were especially blessed by our “LeahDahlin’” (Corynn’s best friend from college and Ethan’s girlfriend of over two years) coming all the way from Cedarville University where she is in her second year of her Doctorate of Pharmacology program to spend the weekend with us. She so sweetly joined in with our games, theological discussions, teasing and wonderful family time. These kiddos are all four doing so well in their studies and jobs. They’re each involved in serving in their churches, and they love Jesus; there is truly no greater joy!
Please pray for us as we are getting our feet under us here at home. We are still in the process of fixing things and getting the base up and running again; it usually takes a few weeks to do so after we’ve been gone for awhile, and now it’s just the two of us for the first time ever. I am hopeful I can keep up my strength even in the heat and the stress of life here. Every day is a gift. I still pray for healing, and am trying to keep moving in order to keep my momentum. I am keenly aware that my life is not my own, and God is still good with or without my health. Therefore, we will keep fighting this fight of faith knowing that life is worth the living just because He lives!
“After the Lord has tried our faith, He, in the love of His heart, gives us an abundance. For the glory of His name and for the trial of our faith, He allows us to be poor and then graciously supplies our needs.” - George Müller