Trusting God's Perfect Timing

July has brought new faces, sweet friendships, unexpected challenges, and many reminders that God faithfully provides exactly what we need.

We spent nearly a month in Enid, Oklahoma! Throughout the month, we had the joy of connecting with so many wonderful people. We met in coffee shops, libraries, restaurants, churches, home groups, parks, and around kitchen tables. Everywhere we went, people welcomed us with kindness, encouragement, and excitement for what God is doing in Guinea. We are so thankful for every conversation and for each person who has come alongside us on this journey.

This month wasn't without challenges. A stomach bug made its way through our whole family one by one, even circling back a time or two. It started before we arrived in Enid and finally left the day we packed up to go. While it wasn't the month we had imagined, God gave us strength for each day. He helped us keep meeting with people, sharing God's story, and caring for one another, even when we felt completely wiped out.

Living on the road has also become a sweet season for our family. We have become more intentional about involving the kids in everything we do. They have become little chefs in the kitchen, set the table for dinner and Jacob and Elinor have even started doing the laundry on their own! These everyday moments have become opportunities to grow together, serve one another, and make memories we will always cherish.

One of our favorite memories from Enid was celebrating Jacob's 7th birthday. Friends there made the day so special by allowing us to decorate their home with the theme Jacob chose (Minecraft), swimming, breaking a piñata, and then eating a birthday cake that Jake helped me decorate! We are continually amazed by how God has surrounded us with people who welcome us into their homes and make us truly feel like family.

This was the second place we've called "home" as a family since moving out of what Hannah still lovingly calls our "big house." Every now and then she says she wants to go back, but mainly because she misses our cat, Cookie. Thankfully, Cookie is being cared for by a wonderful church family, and we know we'll get to visit her anytime we're back.

After Enid, we spent a week back in Kansas visiting family, reconnecting with friends, and meeting with a few more partners. We just left Texas where we spent time with my family, celebrated my brother's birthday, and continued to meet with people as God opens new doors.

As we've traveled from place to place this month, God has been teaching us in very unexpected ways. One lesson came during a hike at the Gloss Mountains in Oklahoma while we were driving back to Kansas... The views were breathtaking and the heat unforgettable! The kids did great climbing up the mountain, but once we reached the top, the reality of the remaining hike across the plateau began to sink in. They grew tired, and the complaints came. But! Every now and then, a cloud would pass overhead, giving us just enough shade to keep going.

As we walked, I couldn't help but think about the Israelites. God delivered them from slavery in Egypt, but instead of taking them straight into the Promised Land, He led them through the wilderness. There He taught them to trust Him. They complained often and even looked back longingly at Egypt, but every time they had a need, God provided. He gave them manna when they were hungry, water when they were thirsty, a cloud by day for shade, and fire by night for guidance. God didn't provide too early or too late. He provided exactly when they needed it.

That hike was a sweet reminder...

God continues to provide for our family in the very same way. He gives us exactly what we need, exactly when we need it. His timing is always perfect, even when it doesn't match our own.

With that in mind, we wanted to share an important update.

After much prayer and careful evaluation of where we currently stand financially, we have made the difficult decision to move our departure to France from mid-August to the end of December.

Our sending organization requires missionaries to be fully funded in monthly support before beginning language school in France. God has been so faithful through the generosity of so many of you, and we are deeply grateful. At this point, however, we have not yet reached the monthly support needed to leave in August.

While our timeline has changed, our calling has not.

We remain fully committed to serving children and families in Guinea, and we trust that God's timing is better than our own. Rather than seeing these next few months as a delay, we are choosing to see them as a gift. We now have more time to share the vision God has given us, meet new people, strengthen relationships, and watch Him continue to build the team He is calling to send us.

Thank you for praying, encouraging, giving, opening your homes, sharing meals, introducing us to others, and walking alongside us. We truly cannot do this alone.

Please continue praying with us that God would bring together the remaining monthly partners needed and that we would keep trusting His perfect timing every step of the way.

We are excited to see how He continues to write this story.

With love and big hugs,

Heath, Sheri, Jacob, Elinor, Hannah & Libi Tieben