Thursday, July 17, 2014

Our Mango is FULL!


As of today, July 17, we have officially passed the point of being 100% funded for our year in the Dominican Republic!

The way we figure our support balance can be a little confusing, so stick with me here:

  • Our account balance currently stands at $36,079.60.
  • We currently have monthly pledges of $17,880.
  • That gives us a grand total of $53,959.60.
  • However, some of the money currently in our account came from those who have started their monthly giving, so we must subtract $2,565.00 from the grand total.
  • That leaves us with an adjusted total of $51,394.60.
  • However, we're not quite done yet!
  • There was one expense of $241.25 for passports. (the expense for flights has not cleared yet)
  • If you add that expense back into the adjusted total, you end up with $51,635.85.

There is one more adjustment that must be made to understand how we have passed 100%. About a month ago, Dan worked with the Nappanee Missionary Church financial staff to pick out a health insurance policy. We found one that came in under our proposed budget of $350 per month and so we have adjusted our budget accordingly. We have also rearranged some items because it makes more sense to consider some things a one-time cost (i.e. health insurance) than a monthly cost. Our new grand total of needed funds is $51,100.00, which is less than the adjusted total above. Therefore, we're happy to announce that our support is currently at 101%!

I know that was a lot of math and I might have lost a few of you along the way. I got lost myself once or twice while typing it! But even if you don't follow, or care about, the numbers, we can all agree that this is a good reason to celebrate and thank the Lord for His provision!

We have been absolutely blown away by the generosity we've seen from many people. Whether it was financial gifts, words of encouragement, time spent mentoring us, time spent teaching us Spanish, help with our Rummage Sale or the many prayers we know have been said on our behalf, we thank God - and you - for all of it!

We are about five weeks away from our departure date and we have a lot of details to take care of in that time. But throughout this whole process God has been teaching us that we can rest in Him. We can trust His plans and His provision in all things. After all, WHEN GOD CALLS GOD PROVIDES!

Tuesday, July 1, 2014

The NEXT Big Step

So, when are you leaving?

That's the most common question we get these days. We never get tired of hearing it, but it has become somewhat tiring trying to find creative ways to answer it! We've only been officially preparing to become missionaries for 132 days, but it feels like we've been hearing this question for a long time.

Most times we'll say it just depends on when our support money comes in. Or more recently, we've been getting a bit more specific, saying possibly August.

Well, we are very happy to share with you that we now have an exact answer!

AUGUST 22

Friday, Aug. 22, is the day we fly to the Dominican Republic to begin our year of service there!

As you can imagine, the pace of our preparations has quickened a bit since purchasing flights. We have a lot to do and a lot of arrangements to make, but we are not overwhelmed by it because we know God has directed our path this far and He won't leave us now!

The flights on August 22 are a big step for us, but they are only the NEXT step. Just getting to the Dominican Republic is not what God called us to do. He didn't ask us to simply live in another country for a year.

Our call has been very clear since the beginning of this process. We are CALLED TO SERVE! We are excited to have a timeline for when our service starts, but it only reminds us of the continued need to be obedient to what our Heavenly Father calls us to do.

We continue to have support needs.

  • We are not yet fully funded so if you feel God calling you to help send us to the Dominican Republic, click HERE and put "Weiss Family" in the space next to missionary support.
  • More than ever, we need people who are committed to pray for us regularly. Pray that we'll be obedient, healthy, prepared and flexible.
  • As we make arrangements to move, needs will certainly arise. Some already have. If you're interested in helping us prepare to leave, please email Dan or Katie.


As always, we are blown away by the support we've received from so many of you. Thank you! We love you all and cannot wait to share this journey with you.