Fleming Family Prayer Requests

Gaining a Son

2011-12-30T13:34:00.000-08:00

We are adjusting to the idea that our little girl is getting married.
Sometimes, even when you know it is the right thing, it is still hard to handle change.
But God is giving us grace and wisdom and we are eagerly planning the wedding.

Joe lives in West Virginia and of course we live in North Carolina. So he and Abbey do not get to see each other very often. They average once or twice per month. This is making it quite a challenge for them to submit to pre-marital counseling. All four of us think that it is very important for them to do this. Please pray that we will be able to work out a schedule that will allow that to happen.

Please pray for their life together that it may honor and glorify God.

Pray for the rest of us to be spiritually, physically and emotionally ready to head back to Kenya while Abbey and Connor remain in the USA.

Thank you for your faithfulness to pray,
May the New Year be filled with God's blessings.
The Fleming Family

A Wedding

2011-12-13T14:40:00.000-08:00

For over 10 years we have been praying for our children's future mates. That prayer has been answered for one of our children. Abbey is getting married to Joe Barnosky on February 18, 2012. He is a strong Christian young man and we are thankful that he is going to be a part of our family. Our God is amazing and we are grateful for such a wonderful answer to a fervent prayer.

So we need your prayers for wedding preparations. We need your prayers for the hearts of Mom and Dad to be ready to walk our little girl down the isle. Though we are certain that Joe is the right one it is still the passing from one season of our life to another. And with this new season we will be returning to Kenya without Abbey and Connor. God continues to prepare the way for us to have peace to do that and this step in Abbey's life is a big peace to our hearts.

And we need your prayers as we try to make final preparations for our return to Kenya in the midst of wedding planning. We are excited we get to be here to participate in this planning with Abbey, but it also puts a LOT on our plate to be done.

Thank you for your prayers and we pray that each of you have a very Merry Christmas!

One last Fall Together

2011-10-04T06:54:00.000-07:00

We are grateful that all of the Flemings are living in one house again.

Our daughter Abbey moved back in with us. We are transforming the
basement of our house into a college pad. When Alan was working construction last winter he redeemed A LOT of thrown away lumber from the dumpster and now we have found a use for it.

It is a happy time for us and we are enjoying being together. The days when we will all be separated are coming quickly and we need your prayers for the strength to leave our 2 grown children in the US while, Alan, Leah and Ross head back to Kenya early next year.

We are not certain on when next year, we are still working on raising our monthly support and we have not yet begun to raise the ticket money to get back. In God's time He will provide all that we need and we are working hard to raise it while also patiently waiting for Him to provide it.

Thank you for praying for us.
The Fleming Family

A Month Gone By

2011-05-19T13:12:00.000-07:00

It has been over a month since we left North Carolina to come to Texas.

By the end of May we will have been gone from N. Carolina for 46 days.
We will have spent 26 of those 46 days in a bed other than our own.
We will have spent 15 of those 46 days traveling over 3000 miles.
We will have packed and unpacked our suitcases TOO many times.

People say to be careful what you ask for. We asked God to fill up our calendar with speaking engagements and He has done that. Though we feel like this traveling from place to place speaking about what God is doing in Kenya is what we need to be doing, it is also draining. On the other hand we are thoroughly enjoying being reunited with friends and family.

Please pray for our patience, our endurance. Please pray for Ross as the constant transition is difficult on him. Pray that we will be able to provide him stability in the constant moving about. Pray for God's guidance in our speaking and for His Holy Spirit to bring in the pray partners and the financial support we need.

Thank you.
The Fleming Family

Facing Separation Again

2011-03-08T13:07:00.000-08:00

As we head to Texas next month we will once again be separated from Abbey. We are thankful that it won't be for long, but it will be a challenge for all of us. It will especially be difficult for Ross.

It seems like a large portion of my (Leah) conversations with Ross center around when he will get to see Abbey on any given day.

We are praying for Ross' salvation. We are praying that Ross will come to know Jesus before we go back to Kenya. Please join us in this prayer.

Thank you!

A month of challenges

2011-02-19T21:14:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends,

February has been a month of challenges for us. We are grateful to our heavenly Father who has helped us through these trials.

We have had a bad round of the flue and are thankful that everyone seems to be over it, with only a few lingering coughs. Leah seems to have managed to dodge getting it, please pray that she continues to avoid it.

We have had several challenges with our transportation. Alan has been using an older model truck that belongs to his brother. He has been using it to travel back and forth to work. The truck broke down earlier in the month. Once it was finally repaired, then the battery began to give us trouble and we had to replace it today.

We are thankful that in the midst of all these challenges we had the please of celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary. Alan was still down with the flu, but our children and our sister-in-law prepared a lovely meal for us and we had a beautiful quiet dinner at home.

We continue to struggle financially and ask for your prayers for God's provision for our daily needs. We are planning on traveling to Texas in the middle of April and we need to have money to make that trip as well as maintain our house here in North Carolina.

Thank you for all your prayers, they keep us going every day.

"Is Furlough a Year-Long Vacation?"

2010-12-14T08:42:00.000-08:00

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

2010-11-05T09:02:00.000-07:00

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

2010-10-01T05:55:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-10T21:53:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-27T10:16:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-26T03:22:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-16T20:51:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-08T22:40:00.000-07:00

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

2010-03-31T09:12:00.000-07:00

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

2010-03-01T09:17:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-12T01:27:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-17T20:04:00.000-08:00

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.