Since you last heard from us, we've been on the move! As of June, my focus has been fulltime on support raising, and the last weekend in June, we started our speaking engagements in churches.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
Our first presentation was here in Florida, and then we headed north. We had 11 church presentations or individual visits with supporters in Georgia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ohio, & Indiana during July. We have been blessed and humbled to see how God continues to increase the network of people who are coming around us and the work we are setting out to do, as they support us through prayers, practical assistance and financial support.
At the end of July, Autumn flew back to Florida for a couple days of pregnancy check-ups, while I started the drive out west to Colorado. Once Autumn flew out to join me there, we spent most of August in Colorado and Wyoming, presenting at 3 churches & 4 small groups, and having a number of meals and meetings with folks in the churches there. As a little bonus, we got to drive through/near some truly stunning sites (We included a few pictures of them at the end of this update, just for fun).
Near the end of August, we drove back to Ohio, and Autumn got to enjoy a baby shower in honor of our little one.
SPEAKING OF OUR LITTLE ONE...
Folks at every church along our travels have been asking THE question, but we were waiting to tell family and friends together at the shower. However, now we are excited to announce that we are having a little boy. We're naming him Rowen Evan Miller. He's proving to be a fairly actively little guy, so we may have our hands full with him.
Autumn is almost 33 weeks along in the pregnancy, and we continue to be grateful for how it has been going very smoothly during our months of traveling, without any complications and even without a number of the more common but harder pregnancy symptoms.
WRAPPING UP OUR TRAVELS
Our last several weeks on the road included a family wedding reception in Ohio, and three more presentations at churches in Michigan and Tennessee, where we had a really encouraging time reconnecting with old and new friends and supporters.
Altogether, we traveled 9,379 miles through 23 states, (plus 2 round trip flights for Autumn).
At the end of July, Autumn flew back to Florida for a couple days of pregnancy check-ups, while I started the drive out west to Colorado. Once Autumn flew out to join me there, we spent most of August in Colorado and Wyoming, presenting at 3 churches & 4 small groups, and having a number of meals and meetings with folks in the churches there. As a little bonus, we got to drive through/near some truly stunning sites (We included a few pictures of them at the end of this update, just for fun).
Near the end of August, we drove back to Ohio, and Autumn got to enjoy a baby shower in honor of our little one.
SPEAKING OF OUR LITTLE ONE...
Folks at every church along our travels have been asking THE question, but we were waiting to tell family and friends together at the shower. However, now we are excited to announce that we are having a little boy. We're naming him Rowen Evan Miller. He's proving to be a fairly actively little guy, so we may have our hands full with him.
Autumn is almost 33 weeks along in the pregnancy, and we continue to be grateful for how it has been going very smoothly during our months of traveling, without any complications and even without a number of the more common but harder pregnancy symptoms.
WRAPPING UP OUR TRAVELS
Our last several weeks on the road included a family wedding reception in Ohio, and three more presentations at churches in Michigan and Tennessee, where we had a really encouraging time reconnecting with old and new friends and supporters.
Altogether, we traveled 9,379 miles through 23 states, (plus 2 round trip flights for Autumn).
And yes, we do feel tired.
We also feel so thankful for all of the ways that the Lord provided for us during these travels, including very generous love gifts from churches, rising monthly support numbers, safety while on the road, and even "small" things like a mechanic who was willing to check our van to make sure our breaks were ok and then didn’t charge us a thing.
We just arrived back home in Florida last week, and we've been working on unpacking and getting resettled in our little apartment here (You need a surprising number of things when you're on the road for 2.5 months, staying in many different places).
We just arrived back home in Florida last week, and we've been working on unpacking and getting resettled in our little apartment here (You need a surprising number of things when you're on the road for 2.5 months, staying in many different places).
In addition to the luggage we started out with, we gained a number of baby items along the way, both from the shower, gifts from churches, and some great deals along our travels. One advantage of traversing the country was that Autumn would search for baby items we needed on Facebook marketplace as we traveled, and we found several needed items for significant discounts.
SO WHEN ARE WE LEAVING FOR PNG?
That's a question that was asked at pretty much every visit during these past months, and our answer is: we are praying and hoping to head to PNG sometime between March and June of next year. However, we're holding that tentative timeline very loosely, since there are a number of things that could affect it, including health of the baby and Autumn, the time we need to be ready as a family for more travel, and how much additional support we need to raise after Rowen is born.
Right now, we are seeing over 50% of our needed monthly support coming in, and we have verbal promises that would bring us to nearly 65%.
SO WHEN ARE WE LEAVING FOR PNG?
That's a question that was asked at pretty much every visit during these past months, and our answer is: we are praying and hoping to head to PNG sometime between March and June of next year. However, we're holding that tentative timeline very loosely, since there are a number of things that could affect it, including health of the baby and Autumn, the time we need to be ready as a family for more travel, and how much additional support we need to raise after Rowen is born.
Right now, we are seeing over 50% of our needed monthly support coming in, and we have verbal promises that would bring us to nearly 65%.
There are also a number of churches and individuals with whom we visited who are praying about supporting us. Ultimately, the Lord is in control of our timeline, and we regularly remind ourselves of that truth in the middle of the excitement and uncertainty of this season of preparation.
We are eager to head to PNG and join the Cann family in the nDo people group in the Finisterre Mountains to see a mature church planted in that people group. The Canns are hard at work there, after moving back in just a few weeks ago, and it's been exciting to hear updates from them as they reconnect with the nDo people and get back to work there. (Click here for a very recent & exciting update on the Bible translation work that they are doing.)
We thank you for your prayers and support as we continue to move forward in obedience toward the work in PNG.
Josh, Autumn and Baby Rowen
We are eager to head to PNG and join the Cann family in the nDo people group in the Finisterre Mountains to see a mature church planted in that people group. The Canns are hard at work there, after moving back in just a few weeks ago, and it's been exciting to hear updates from them as they reconnect with the nDo people and get back to work there. (Click here for a very recent & exciting update on the Bible translation work that they are doing.)
We thank you for your prayers and support as we continue to move forward in obedience toward the work in PNG.
Josh, Autumn and Baby Rowen
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Some pictures from our visits and travels
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