September: One Year Later..

We have exciting news to share...

The Lord has provided! Through the generosity of so many who have come alongside our family, our one-time launch costs are fully funded!🎉

This is a huge answer to prayer. These funds provide what we need for visas, plane tickets, language training school and several other startup costs as we prepare for our big move to Guinea.

Our greatest need now is reaching our monthly support goal! We are currently at close to 60% pledged for our monthly need! Our long-term service in Guinea depends on having a fully funded monthly support team, and we cannot purchase our tickets or make the move until that support is in place.

So this is where we are asking you to pray with us. Pray that God would continue to bring our team together. Pray for new connections, open doors and opportunities to share what He has called us to do. And if you or someone you know would want to hear more about our journey or would like to join our support team, please let us know!

If you personally would like to partner with us monthly through Hope Ignited, here's the link: https://hopeignited.app.neoncrm.com/forms/tieben-family

We are incredibly thankful for every person who has prayed, given, encouraged, introduced us to someone or simply continued to follow along. We truly could not do this without the people God has placed around us.

This month, we've been staying at the Flowers Home (my parents' house), soaking up some wonderful Lolli & Pop time and connecting with people throughout the Dallas/Fort Worth area. While we've been busy sharing about our calling and meeting with people, the kids have been hard at work at Guinea Pig Academy (what we call our homeschool). They've been learning SO much, and it has been really fun to watch them grow.

Ellie is already learning how to read, and she is truly excelling at it! She has been surprising us with how quickly she is picking things up. Her favorite subject is Bible because she gets to do lots of fun activities while learning about people who actually lived and loved God. She thought it was especially fun to learn about a Jacob who lived in the Bible while having her own brother Jacob sitting right beside her!

Jacob's handwriting is improving and is learning how to write stories and little pieces about his own life. His favorite subject is definitely science. He loves the experiments and learning more about the world God created. We love watching his curiosity come alive as he asks questions and discovers so many new things.

Hannah and Libi have their own version of school too! They spend plenty of time playing with Barbies and babies, but they also like to jump into the older kids' activities every now and then. One of their recent favorites was building towers with marshmallows and toothpicks.

School around here isn't always quiet, but it is certainly never boring!

Somewhere in the middle of all the kids, conversations and support raising, Heath and I were gifted a date night while Lolli and Pop had a pizza movie night with the kiddos (thanks again, Mom & Dad!). We went for a walk around Lake Ray Hubbard and watched the sunset from the dock. We thought we were watching a couple take engagement pictures by the lighthouse, but as we took a closer look, we realized they were actually getting married! So, completely by accident, we became part of their wedding evening.

We have also been able to see so much of my family this month. It was especially sweet watching the kids reunite with my cousin's kids. They hadn't seen each other in TWO YEARS but you would never have known it. The minute they were together, they picked right back up like no time had passed. They played and played and absolutely did not want to leave each other. There is something really special about watching your kids have relationships with family that stretch across years and miles. They may not get to see each other often, but when they do, that connection is still there.

Our Miss Ellie turned SIX this month! We spent the day doing some of her favorite things and eating some of her favorite foods. Six years old... I don't know how that happened so quickly! We are so thankful for the little girl God has made her to be. She brings so much joy and laughter into our family, and watching her grow is such a gift.

Ashleigh came to see us all the way from Africa! She is the Director of Pharmacy at Sacré Cœur in Guinea. She has been in the States and was in the same area where we were so we got to see her, hug her and catch up. The kids were SO excited to see Miss Ashleigh. They ran right to her with stories and questions, eager to tell her everything that had happened since they last saw her. They wanted every bit of her attention, and she happily gave it.

As we watched the kids reconnect with Ashleigh, we couldn't help but think back to that first trip and how a place that was once unfamiliar has become so close to our hearts.

One year ago, to the day, all six of us were getting on a plane and heading to Africa for the first time. We aren't preparing to go somewhere completely unfamiliar anymore. We're preparing to return to a place that has become home and to people we already love. So much has changed in this past year. Our children have grown, our family has grown closer, and so many people have become part of our story. We're so thankful for this season and for the people God has placed around us as we prepare.

Next up in our travels is Kansas! We will spend a week there meeting with people and church groups, connecting with supporters and spending time with Heath's family. Grandma and Grandpa Tieben have put so much hard work, time and love into preparing a home base for us in Kansas, and we are incredibly thankful for the way they have come alongside us in this nomadic season.

From there, we'll head down to Oklahoma to meet with more people, share our story and continue making connections as we build our support team. We are so thankful for the Jennings family and Sojourn Enid for welcoming us and helping make our time in Oklahoma possible.

As we continue packing up and heading from place to place, we're learning that this season isn't just about getting to Guinea. God is using the journey itself to prepare us for what is ahead, and we don't want to miss what He is doing in the every day moments. We have plans for where we're going next, but we're learning to hold those plans loosely and trust the Lord to establish our steps. As Proverbs 16:9 says, “The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.”

For now, we're here: doing school around the table, spending time with family and friends, meeting new people, building our support team and keeping Guinea close to our hearts.

We don't know exactly how every step between here and Guinea will unfold, but we know who is leading us.

With love and warm hugs,

Heath, Sheri, Jacob, Ellie, Hannah & Libi ❤️

Support Link:

https://hopeignited.app.neoncrm.com/forms/tieben-family