Going on 12 weeks

This doesn't mean 12 weeks until we leave Benin, it doesn't mean 12 weeks til Christmas... this means that I am nearly 12 weeks pregnant! Justin and I now have a 'plum' size baby in my 'tummy.' http://community.thebump.com/cs/ks/blogs/1sttrimester/pages/week-12-plum.aspx?r=0

This is not a surprise, Justin and I often talked about starting/having a family while we're in Mercy Ships. In fact, many of our close friends on board have young children.... the kids are a highlight of ship life. We are excited to start this journey and we thank God for this new blessing in our lives!

Here's the new 'plan of action.'

Early December: Sail from Benin to Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain.

Dec 21- Justin and I will fly to Pennsylvania and have Christmas with the Styer clan

Early Jan- long weekend in Connecticut to see friends and supporters

Jan 4th- fly to TX to be with the Ray Family.

Jan 8th (ish)- I will go to the Mercy Ships base in TX to staff a school called Gateway, for a month.

Jan 12th- Justin will fly back to the Africa Mercy in Tenerife and do technical work

Early Feb.- Justin sails from Tenerife to Togo

Mid Feb.- Lorah flies from TX to Pennsylvania

Late Feb- Justin flies to Maryland for a Marine Refrigeration course (and I join him!! :)

End of March- Justin and Lorah return to Pennsylvania and stay with Mom and Dad Styer

May 16th- Estimated Due Date!

If all is well, we plan to return to the Africa Mercy in South Africa, in Aug. 2010, for a generator replacement project that Justin will be working on. I will be working on being a 'primary caregiver' :)

We look forward to this change and we hope and pray that you will 'stay on board' with us through this transition. We hope to see many of you while we are in the states. We appreciate your continual prayer and financial support. We could not be part of this ministry without you, nor could we become a family within Mercy Ships without your support.

Below, you'll find a little bump :)