Dear Family & Friends,
Christmas seems to get more and more hectic each year, often for the wrong reasons. We wanted to take some time out to let everyone know what God is doing in South Africa at The Pines Christian Care Centre.
First, our lives are seem like a roller coaster, and we’re getting towed up the big hill right now. On the one hand, you’re wondering why you ever allowed yourself to be strapped in, and on the other you can’t wait to get to the top and enjoy the ride. It definitely seems that we currently have as much control over the speed of our lives as the riders would on a coaster. Of course, to take this analogy to its logical conclusion, all we can do is hold up our hands in the spirit of I Tim 2:8, and trust that The Architect knows what He is doing.
My last day at Wells Fargo is January 4, 2008. We hope to put our house on the market the next week. If anyone is looking for a ranch-style house in the Ankeny area, let us know☺. Several other things need to be done in January, including removal of 2 wisdom teeth for Louis, application for our residence VISA with the SA government, making shipping arrangements for our container, and several other things. Pray that things will go smoothly, and mostly that God will bless the sale of our house.
Just the other day, Amber sat down and calculated our exact support level. Currently, we are at 91.87% committed, meaning we would need approximately $400 per month in addition to what we already have. However, we are praising the Lord, as the last few months several donors have given above what they had actually committed, so we have been receiving just over 100% of our necessary support level. Again, thank you to all who have demonstrated their faithfulness to God in this area. We ask that you would send us a photo of yourself, so we can know you better, and so we can be reminded to lift you up on prayer as well. Our address is listed below, or you can email a digital picture to louisotool@gmail.com.
It appears February will primarily be spent packing and moving, as well as spending time with family and friends. Our weekends are filling up quickly. We booked our tickets, and we are scheduled to fly out on March 9th. Amber was able to contact a travel agent, who arranged a discount for our airline tickets. We were able to obtain them for a couple thousand dollars less than we had expected, and we give God the glory for how He has operated in our behalf so far.
Thank you all for your prayers, and again, feel free to contact us at any time. I have attached the latest update from The Pines, so you will have a better idea of what is going on there.
Loving Jesus,
Louis & Amber O'Tool
louisotool@gmail.com
PO Box 1083
Ankeny, IA 50021
515-371-8697
