Wow, two weeks today, we fly out for YWAM Kona!! Crazy! We are all super excited about what God has for us in Kona, but at the same time, we are sad to say goodbye to family and friends here in Lynden. And the goodbyes have already begun – we had a tearful goodbye with one of our awesome neighbors today 😦

Our shipping container arrived on Friday, and we have until Sunday night to fill it. We have to be strategic on what we pack in suitcases and what goes in the container, as we won’t receive the container in Kona until late July. And we are doing all this packing while trying to look after Tre, who turned 5 weeks old yesterday.

We are still looking for around 10-15 people to commit to financially supporting our ministry with YWAM on a monthly basis. If you would like more information on how to partner with our family, go to our “Partner with Us” page. If you want to talk about this with us, call Paul at 360-393-8662. We also appreciate your prayer support, especially during this time of transition. Saying goodbye is hard, especially for our kids.

Paul’s parents John & Sonja arrived yesterday. It is so great to have them here with us during this busy time, and fun for them to meet Tre for the first time. Here is a recent pic of Tre, who continues to GROW. He is a big and tall boy 🙂

Josiah, Austin & Kyle are proud to present to the world: Tre Michael Randerson. Tre was born on May 20th, so that makes him 18 days old today, as I type this. We are all so blessed by his arrival. 19 days ago, we couldn’t imagine what it would be like having a baby in the house again. Now, we couldn’t imagine life without Tre, and being a family of six….besides, we really wanted to test out the third row in the car!!

The other great news is Paul remembered how to use a diaper (nappy for you kiwis)….well, he partially remembered. He remembered the basics, but he forgot rule #1 of changing a boy’s diaper, and on the very first diaper change of Tre’s life, the diaper wasn’t the only thing wet!! Needless to say, Paul won’t forget again.

As well as baby news, the countdown to Kona continues….we fly out on July 9th, just over a month away. Preparations are in full swing. Our latest newsletter was just published this week. You can read it online by going to our Newsletters page.

Our main need at this time is more monthly supporters to help us live as missionaries in Kona. Please consider joining our team – read more about being part of our ministry team by going to our Partner With Us page.

We’ve had a great few days celebrating our eldest son Josiah’s 12th birthday. The festivities started with a trip to the bowling alley with two of Josiah & Austin’s friends, Noah & Tate. We had a great time bowling, enjoyed some pizza, and played some arcade games….of course the best part was buying the trinkets (aka junk) and candy with the tickets won on the games 🙂

On the weekend, Paul’s brother Dave, his wife Tiffany & their daughter Tori drove up from Seattle to celebrate. Lynnette’s brother Craig, his wife Ann, and their daughter Inga also came over for the party.

Then on his actual birthday on April 30th, Lynnette’s parents came over for a “mini-celebration”. Good times. Only one more year, and we’ll have a teenager. Yikes!

Also on our mind is a celebration of another birth. Lynnette is just two weeks away from her due date, so baby boy Randerson #4 is close, very close!! We’re very much looking forward to his arrival.

Paul & Austin went to the Padilla Bay Estuary this past week for the fourth grade field trip. It was a great time of father-son bonding, and the weather even cooperated. Not to mention all the cool stuff we learnt.

Saturday’s Yard Sale was fantastic! We were blessed by a beautiful day – the sun came out and warmed us all. And it truly felt that Winter was behind us, and Spring had arrived.

Thanks to all of you who came by for a visit, to either buy something from the yard sale or some of the yummy baked goods, or just to encourage us by showing up. Thanks also to those who loaned us much needed tables, and to others who added to the bounty of baked goods. Fortunately, all the baked goods sold, otherwise some members of our household may have to go on diets in the short-term.

We had hoped, with the relatively small amount of items we had for sale (as compared to our first yard sale), to make between $200 and $300. We ended up making over $800, which puts another dent in the funds needed towards our moving costs. Speaking of which, if you are interested in making either a one-time contribution, or becoming a monthly financial supporter, click here for information on how to become a financial partner.

Newsletters went out by mail and email over the last week. If you are not on the distribution list, and would like to be, let us know.

As part of our overall fundraising efforts for our move to Kona to serve with YWAM, we will be having a Fundraiser Yard Sale on Saturday March 9th, starting at 8am at our house.

Items that will be sold include: outdoor patio table, jogger stroller, pack n play, kid’s toys, and much more.

Hope to see you there!!!