Serving Refugees in Europe
February 2019
"We believe that the church, in its many local incarnations throughout the world, must be at the center of the response to the global refugee crisis… We need not and ought not choose between caring for refugees locally and caring for refugees overseas, because how we respond here directly impacts what happens there."
- World Relief authors in Seeking Refuge
We are getting close...
…to our departure for Spain! In this update, we’ll share about our new baby’s birth and the recent ministry opportunities we’ve had during our home assignment here in America. We are now waiting on paperwork to be filed and finalized and hope to move to Spain in early April.
Meet Rose Michele!
Our most important part of our home assignment was to await the birth of our newest baby girl. Rose Michele was born on January 12 and was 7lbs 2 oz and 20” long. We are so thankful to God for her safe and uncomplicated delivery. She was in a breech position and Abby very much wanted to avoid a Cesarean delivery. She and the doctor worked together very well at the birth and both mama and baby were healthy. Our little Rosie is a ray of joy in our lives and all of the kids are enjoying taking care of her. Ellee, especially, has taken on the assistant mother role and spends many hours holding and helping her new baby sister. It has been very special that all of our parents and many relatives have been able meet Rose at such a young age. Both of our other girls were born in Africa and most of our family did not get to meet them until they were months or even years old! Yesterday we went to the post office to apply for her passport. It’s always an experience trying to take a passport photo for a newborn! Once her passport arrives, we will have to drive to the Spanish consulate in Miami to have our pre-approved visas applied to our passports and at that point, we should be free to move to Spain - assuming all of our other papers are in order. We are very excited about starting our new life in Spain and the little kids are already doing surprisingly well at learning a few Spanish phrases and questions.
During our home assignment…
...we have had several ministry opportunities in addition to our time catching up with family and friends. We’ve been to four of our supporting churches to share updates on our time in Lesotho and our plans for Spain. In November, I had the chance to preach a 3-week series at Millbrook on following God’s will for your life. Last Sunday I started teaching a college-age class on Islam. Later this month, I’ll be teaching a Bible study on living “on mission” with God. Next month, I’ll be traveling to Illinois to take part in missions conference at Cornerstone. One of our most special times was having our Basotho family come to visit us over the Christmas season! Ntsimane and his family, who hosted us for our five years in Africa, were able to spend a month with us as we visited people in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Tennessee, South Carolina, and Georgia. It was a wonderful Christmas!
Our support needs...
…are nearly met. We have been needing to raise around $1,000/month more than we did for living in Africa. Our best estimate is that around $500 of that has been pledged. Our vehicle money is already in Spain from the sale of our Land Rover in South Africa and about half of our $3,000 setup costs have also been given. We thank God and all of you for your generosity to support us in the Lord’s work.
Other preparations...
…are also underway. I have just completed my certification for teaching English as a foreign language as well as my referee certification through the US Soccer Federation. I am continuing through my Rosetta Stone French and Arabic, while the kids work on Spanish. Preparation for hosting our summer teams is also underway and I will jump onto that full-time once we arrive in Spain. Kyle has done very well in his schooling and is doing some standardized testing this week to measure his progress. The kids love American church and look forward to learning from their Sunday School teachers each week.
We hope to see you...
…during our last month in South Carolina or in Illinois for missions conference, March 7-11. We have just ordered updated prayer cards, so we will be sending those out to you when they arrive. Please contact us with your mailing address if you do not receive one from us in person or by mail. I will also be starting a private Facebook group for posting updates to our support and prayer team once we are in Spain. Also send me your Facebook details if you would like to be added to that group. God bless you all!
- Jonathan, Abby, Kyle, Ellee, Sadie Kate, & Rose St.Clair
