We are so blessed to have amazing friends and family. Every day I am blown away by the support and encouragement we are given by people here at our AIM base, at home in Ohio, at home in Cape Breton, at home in the UK (we have lots of homes). As we've been hanging out and training with fellow AIM staff I have realized more and more what a blessing it is to have both our families supporting us 100% as we begin our life in missions. Not to mention the many friends and extended family that are backing us up in prayer and finances. God reminds me every day that we have dozens of people interceding on our behalf. It's incredible the blessings that God gives, both to those who give and those who receive!!

I'm now reminded of our wedding day... It was beautiful because Christ was bringing us together to serve him as a couple rather than separate. Not only that however, but it was beautiful because we were surrounded by our closest friends and family. It wouldn't have been the same if we weren't celebrating with: those who had raised us, those who made the biggest impacts on our lives, those who encouraged us to follow our dreams, those who had shared laughs with us, those who had shared secrets with us, those who had been rebellious with us, etc... It wouldn't have been the perfect day it was without our friends and family.

One of the hardest things (if not the hardest) about leaving for Swaziland is leaving all these amazing people. Over the past few weeks we've had to say goodbye to our families and our friends. It's been hard (to say the least) however, it's so encouraging to know that their prayers are with us. Through our past missions experiences, we've learned that financial support is nothing compared to prayer support. We can't go alone, we need the prayer warriors back home to come with us.

Thank you for all your love, e-mails, financial support, and most important, your prayers.