"What are you still doing HERE?"

Katie, Del, and I

Hello Friends!


Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!! I'm sad that I didn't get a post out to say these seperately, but I hope both holidays were a blessing for all of you as they were for me. I pray that you were able to spend time with family and friends and most importantly remembered to thank God for the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ, and for the gift of a New Year in which we can honor Him.



I felt it was time to update you on my status. Not because you couldn't know before, but because I have been neglecting communicating with you through the blog. Thank you for all of your prayers and responses. I have had several of you email, call, or talk to me just to see how I am doing and where I am in the process. In fact...most of your comments have been "What are you still doing HERE?" Haha I love it!

Well, easy question to answer. "NO VISA!" Yes I am still waiting on my visa. I wrote to you last asking for your prayers in that direction. There were several bumps in the road, but my application has been IN the official process for about a month now. We are waiting on a positive response from Paris, and at that point the LA consulate will give me the all precious stamp in my passport. Once I have my visa in hand, the IMB can most likely book me a ticket for about a week to 2 weeks out.

• This is my most crucial request. I ask that you join me in praying for a quick delivery.
  
• I am asking that God please bring my visa in the first part of this week. I have faith that He can move mountains. In fact, I have believe that if I truly have faith, and ask God for his power, that I can move mountains.


• Ask that God would deliever the visa within the first part of this week.

Katie, one of my partners, has made it to Marseille safetly and is currently doing some apartment hunting for us.

• Please pray that they will be able to find a landlord that is willing to rent to two American girls for the next two years.


• Also pray that Katie is able to adjust well to her new surroundings. She is living with one of the career missionary families there in Marseille, so she does have some American contact.

Del, the final member of our team, is going to the Atlanta consulate on Wednesday to pick up his visa.

• Pray for safe travel from South Carolina to Atlanta


• Pray that once he recieves this visa, the IMB can find a quick flight for him so he can get to France as soon as possible.

I thank you for your prayers during these waiting times. They truly are very important. During my time at home I am focusing on packing, learning some more French, playing a little guitar, and speaking at churches. If you would like me to speak at your church or to your Sunday School, please let me know. I don't know how many weeks I have left in the states but if I can, I 'd love to come speak. So far God has blessed me with some great opportunities to speak and I have been very blessed by that.

I love you all and I hope that you are all enjoying this New Year. I included the pictures above so that you can put some faces to the names you will hear so many times in my blogs. I want to leave you with a verse. This verse was sent to me in an email from one of you and it has SO greatly encouraged me, I have shared it with others who are in the same position.

Proverb 16:9-A man’s heart deviseth his way;
But Jehovah directeth his steps

Remember that although we have a direction we would like our lives to go, God always is there to guide us and his plan is supreme!

Thanking God for all of You,

Courtney