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Tomorrow will mark the end of our third week in Cairns! It has been an absolute blur, and will continue to be for some time yet. We did start school up last week, but we’ll go right back into a season of catch as catch can this week. The reason is delightful, though!! Brian and Gemma will be boarding a plane on Wednesday for a very quick trip to the States. They’ll only be around long enough to say hi to grandparents, pick up some homeschool curriculum from their houses, and get Gemma’s US citizenship (the REAL reason for the trip!!). Please pray for safe travels, happy time with family, and that Gemma’s citizenship journey would finally be done!!

So what have we been up to these last three weeks? Hitting the ground running. We’ve been dealing with driver’s licenses, getting the car registered, registering for approval to homeschool in Queensland, Brian took a quick trip to Adelaide for work, getting insurance lined up, and buying a house! We have no definitive updates for you on that front, but a giant leap forward. We found a lovely home with an excellent 2-bedroom space for hosting guests that’s close to the airport, our church, and several families from our church. We put in an offer that the sellers accepted, but now we have hoops upon hoops to jump through before a purchase is finalized. The last major puzzle piece we’re waiting for is government approval for us to buy a residence as foreigners. That should be fine, but we count on nothing. Pray with us that we would get approval this week so we can move forward to finalize the purchase. If it all works out, the closing date will be on June 29. This whole experience has been (and will continue to be) complex, and so I thought I would simplify it by breaking it down into three major stages. Here they are in pictures:

Step 1: Get our banking set up, money sent over, and loans approved while praying loads!! (The girls have endured so many long meetings in banks, realtor’s offices, and other government offices while we get important things accomplished. Their love of reading has really helped get us through those boring hours.)

Step 2: Hunt for that just right house while praying loads!! (This was not “the” house, but instead a big dud. However! Willa was wildly impressed with a bathtub.)

Step 3: Buy that just right house in a hot market and trust the Lord while continuing to pray loads!! (Here’s a sneak peek at “the” house!! Pray over it with us in two main ways: government clearance for us to finalize the purchase and that it would be a refuge for many.)