"Is Furlough a Year-Long Vacation?"

Many people wonder, 

"What do missionaries do on furlough? Is it a year long vacation?"

Our furlough has many elements to it.

1) God has been doing many fantastic things in Kenya. 
We are here to give that report to our prayer supporters.

2) It is a time for us to reach more people about our work, 
and gain more prayers support.

3) It is a time for us to reach more people about our work, 
and gain more financial support.

4) We do not leave our witnessing tools in Kenya.
We continue to share Jesus with people we meet in our daily lives.

5) It is a time for us to renew our spirit, to draw closer to God, 
to prepare spiritually for our return to Kenya.

6) It is a time for us to visit our family and friends. 
One of the biggest difficulties of being overseas is being absent from our family. 

We  spend much more time doing the first four tasks on this list, than we do renewing our spirit or visiting our families. But most people have the misconception that we spend most of our time doing those last two.

We were given a car less than a week ago, so we are beginning to schedule speaking engagements to give our report.  Please drop us an email and let us know if you want us to visit your church. 

                                               
Thank you 
                                              

                                                                                                                                      
Have a Very Merry Christmas!
                                                                                                                                    

                                                                                         
The Fleming Family
                                                                                         

A Long Journey Ends

On the 26th day of October 2010 we stepped off an airplane and proceeded to the line for immigrants. Just moments after arriving at the counter the immigration officer said some beautiful words. "Well Benjamin (Ross' first name), since I have just stamped your passport, you are now an American citizen." WOW, what an amazing day! It was a long journey, but worth every step and every struggle.

We are nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains near little town called Thurmond.  Abbey lives on a farm just 5 minutes' walk from our house. It is peaceful and, thanks to our Wonderful Creator, it is BEAUTIFUL. The turning of the leaves for fall is a spectacular site. One we have not seen in 6 years.

Our reunion with Abbey is even better than we anticipated.  We wake up every morning and struggle to believe we are actually here and get to see her every day. 

Please pray for our time here in the US. Pray that it will be a time when we will renew our spirits, our strength and our determination. Pray that as a family we will grow closer to our Lord and be able to adequately proclaim the works that He is doing in Kenya.

Pray that we will soon be able to be reunited with Leah's family in Texas and the rest of Alan's family in Georgia. We currently do not have a vehicle and we are not able schedule a trip to visit them until we do.

Thank you for all your prayers.
Blessings,
The Fleming Family

Furlough Time is Finally Here

After 5 1/2 years we arrive in the US on Oct. 26th.

Upon arrival Ross will automatically become a US citizen. PTL!
A long journey, well worth traveling, has finally come to an end.

We are still looking for a house in the US and we need a car.

Pray for us to be provided with these two necessities.

Pray for God's guidance about where and when to speak.

Pray that we will not neglect to take time to rejuvenate and relax.

Pray that it will be a time of spiritual growth for our family.

Thank you,

The Fleming Family

A Glorious Day

Praise the Lord!  Ross' Visa is in our hand.

We are absolutely elated to have Ross' Visa stamped in his passport and he is now TOTALLY authorized to travel to the US.  The moment he steps on US soil he will automatically become a US citizen. That will be a most glorious moment.  We have about 1/3 of the money we need for our tickets to travel to the US, so we need about $4000 more dollars to have the full amount.

1) Pray for God's provision for these tickets.  We hope to travel by the middle of September, but we MUST travel no later than January 21st, because that is when his Visa expires.

2) Pray for God's wisdom as we decide when we will travel to the US.

Thank you for your prayers,
The Fleming Family

A Sad Time

We found out today that Leah's brother-in-law passed away.  She has not seen him in six years and this is particularly difficult news for her.  Leah's father died when she was only 10 and when her sister married Bob, when Leah was a teenager, he became a father figure for her.  It is difficult for her to have to be away from her family at this time. We are gateful for the fact that Bob was a believer and we rejoice that he is at home in heaven and that we will see him again one day.

We appreciate your prayers in this difficult time, for we grieve at his loss and will miss him, even though we have the hope of seeing him again. We covet your prayers for Leah, her sister Peggy and she and Bob's children, Robby, Terry, Curt and Kyle.

Thank You

A Good Interview

Praise the Lord our I-600 interview seemed to go well.  We have been waiting for them to contact us to let us know the results, approved or disapproved.  We got a call on Friday, June 25th, saying that the application has been processed and we can pick up the letter on Monday, June 28th.

We are still praying that it is a favorable decision and that we can move on to the application for Ross Visa.

Leah has recently learned that her brother-in-law, Bob Wilson, is in really bad health. Bob has been fighting cancer for several years.  He has been moved to a nursing home and is not expected to live beyond a few weeks. This is a difficult time for Leah as she would like to see him and she would like to be in Texas to give support to her sister. However, we also know that God has given us a very specific directive to go to Isiolo and do these projects. We are asking for prayer for Bob and Peggy and their sons and also for Leah as she struggles with being away from them during this time.

Another Step Forward

Praise the Lord we received Ross' Kenyan Passport on June 15th.

We have an appointment at 10 a.m. on Thursday (June 17th) with the US Embassy.  This is our I-600 interview. The I-600 is an application to be allowed to bring an orphan in to the US for the purpose of citizenship.  Once we pass this step we will be able to apply for his US Visa.  Please pray that we receive approval and that we can move forward with the Visa process.  (That is 2 a.m. Thursday Central Standard Time).

We need to get these steps completed and then move up to Isiolo for a few months and do the projects that God is leading us there to do.

Thanks for your prayers!

Papers and Traveling

PRAISE GOD that we have finally received Ross' papers proving the completion of his adoption.

1) Pray for God's direction on when we should travel to the US.
2) Pray for that the US Embassy approves our I-600 application.
3) Pray for the granting of Ross' Passport by the Kenya Government.
4) Pray for the granting of Ross' Visa after approval of the I-600.
5) Pray for the finances that we need to purchase tickets.

Pray for the Adoption Papers from the Kenya Government

We need you to pray that the Kenya Government will give us the papers that show the approval of Ross' adoption.  April 6th is FIVE months since the court approved the adoption and yet we still do not have the necessary papers to go to the American Embassy and apply for Ross' visa to travel to the US.

It is our desire to travel to the US in May and the American Embassy side of the process takes a couple of months, so we really need those papers.

Pray that we will receive those papers this week.

Thank You!

Adoption Prayer Request

We need you to pray that the Kenya Government will give us the papers that show the approval of Ross' adoption.  March 6th is 4 months since the court approved the adoption and yet we still do not have the necessary papers to go to the American Embassy and apply for Ross' visa to travel to the US.

It is our desire to travel to the US in May and the American Embassy side of the process takes a couple of months, so we really need those papers.

Pray that we will receive those papers this week.

Thank You!

February Prayer Requests for the Fleming Family

1) Abbey-Pray that she will be able to get a work-study job at the college and make some Christian friends. Pray for two different new friends that she is witnessing to.
2) Connor-Pray for him as he continues to transition after his best friend and his sister both moved to the USA within a month of each other, pray he will find a new friend that lives close by.
3) Ross-Pray for us to get the papers that we need from the Kenyan government so that we can submit paperwork to the US Embassy for Ross to be able to travel to the US.
4) Leah-Pray for her to be able to balance homeschooling, ministry, paper work and house work.
5) Alan-Pray for him to understand God's direction for his family in the year ahead.
6) Family-Pray for all of us as we are really feeling the separation with Abbey. 
7) Family-Pray for us to be able to get back in the habit of daily family worship. This is a conviction we have had for many years and we have practiced it for many years. But somehow with the busy schedule of the holidays it has fallen by the wayside and we just can't seem to get it going on a regular basis again. It has been very sporadic.

January-Fleming Family Prayer Requests

1) Abbey-Pray that she will be able to get a work-study job at the college and make some Christian friends.
2) Connor-Pray for him as he continues to transition after his best friend and his sister both moved to the USA within a month of each other, pray he will find a new friend that lives close by.
3) Ross-Pray for him to begin to understand what God did for him and that he will come to know Jesus as his savior.
4) Leah-Pray for her to be able to balance homeschooling, ministry, paper work and house work.
5) Alan-Pray for him to understand God's direction for his family in the year ahead.
6) Family-Pray for all of us as we are really feeling the separation with Abbey.
7) Family-Pray for us to be able to get back in the habit of daily family worship. This is a conviction we have had for many years and we have practiced it for many years. But somehow with the busy schedule of the holidays it has fallen by the wayside and we just can't seem to get it going again.