Maridith here.

Summer school and jobs are in full swing and it is HOT in Texas. We made it back from vacation to the land where everything is bigger and made an immediate transition into our new summer abode. We will be house-sitting for a lady in our church until August, and then who knows where we will live next. It’s always a wait and see game for the Lanes…

Our 3,700 mile road trip of the southeast was awesome. It was my very first time in New Orleans and I was far from disappointed. The food (oh, the food… I gained 6 lbs… whatever), the music, the culture, the everything… it was brilliant. Plus, we stayed in this awesome apartment of some missionary friends of ours for free – holla! We were able to go to a Gulf Aid benefit concert where we heard and experienced the Preservation Hall Jazz Band featuring your friend and my friend, Most Def as well as many other zydeco and jazz bands. This concert was all things NOLA and was definitely the (non-caloric) highlight of the trip.
Florida with my family was good down time at the beach. Spending time at Snowbird was so rich and fun. The trip through Tennessee on our way back to Texas was great as we got to stop and spend the night with Mama and Papa Lane. We cherish every minute we get together with our friends and family as our time in the States will always be so limited.
Please be in prayer for us this summer as we push full ahead with our studies. Trying to finish up our undergrads so quickly in such a short amount of time presents a lot of stress. We know it’s simply what God has for us during this time but sometimes it’s just easy to forget that (because of daily new mercies) we are well equipped for what we do.
And lastly, THIS JUST IN: Bobby will be taking a vision trip of sorts to Africa in October with our dear friend and future boss, J. This trip will be vital during this preparatory phase in the life of Echelon. Bobby and J will be meeting with other missionaries who are already in Africa in order to gain insight to how our team can most effectively hit the ground running upon our arrival there next year. More details soon to come, but please be in prayer for us as we will be raising the funds needed for this trip. Also pray that this trip will harmonize well with Bobby’s fall school schedule. We trust God with each detail.

Thanks for loving and supporting us!