In my last letter to you all, we shared that the Department of Home Affairs was officially opposing the judge’s court order to give Dan Permanent Residency and we had to pay rushed fees because the DHA put the matter onto the urgent docket.  We asked for help in covering the latest legal fees and within 48 hours, everything we needed was provided.  Thank you!

The court date was supposed to be on November 28^th, but it got postponed to the 5^th of December.  We had good news from South Africa when we woke up today. The second hearing for Dan’s Permanent Residency went very favorably again!! This current judge dismissed the urgent matter of the case against us. This means the previous judge’s ruling to give Dan PR within 10 days is still upheld – hallelujah!  Home Affairs is also required to pay us back for all the legal costs incurred so far.  (We are not holding our breath to get that money back, but who knows, miracles do still happen!)  We are so thankful. Because of costs falling onto DHA’s desk, it is unlikely they will contest it again, but it is still possible. We are hoping to have that piece of paper in our hands before their office goes on Christmas vacation, but we will happy to receive it whenever it does arrive.

Thank you for praying for this, thank you for helping us to pay for this, and thank you for your love and care during this long journey. We are so very, very grateful.  It’s not over yet, but this definitely is good news.

A few people have asked how quickly we can get back to South Africa once Dan gets his PR.  We don’t exactly know, but historically, it took approximately 2-4 months after submitting applications at the consulate office in Los Angeles to receive the documents.  The kids and I are “accompanying Dan” who would have his PR paper, so we don’t foresee any opposition to that. 

We also shared an update on our brother in law Brad Avery.  About a month ago, he experienced a fatal heart attack, was revived by paramedics and had no measurable brain activity for several days while on life support.  When they weaned him off the machines, his heart continued beating and he came back!  Dan almost fell over when he got a call from his sister Trisha and Brad was video chatting with him.  He has full brain function again and is able to move and communicate, though with some difficulty.  His life is a miracle!  We are so thankful to the Lord.  He continues to make steady improvements and they transitioned him home today.  Praise the Lord!  Please continue to keep him in your prayers as he continues to heal.

I also mentioned that Don and Shirley (Dan’s parents) were experiencing some health challenges and there were some upcoming Doctor visits and procedures.  They both received a cancer diagnosis on the same week.  We were so surprised.  Don has colon cancer and it appears to be localized.  His oncology plan is to receive surgery in early January.  He is still doing very decent and we are all hopeful that this plan will allow him to have a few more good years with us all.

Shirley received a breast cancer diagnosis and she decided against aggressively fighting it.  In addition to the cancer which had significantly spread through her upper body, she was already in a great deal of pain from her arthritis, sore ankles, the recent fall which broke her collarbone and cracked several ribs, and she was struggling to stand.  At her follow up appointment she told her doctor that she was hurting and tired, she didn’t want to go to a hospital anymore and just wanted to go home and die comfortably in her own bed.  For those of you who know Shirley, you know that when she decides on a good plan, she makes it happen!   Less than a week later, that is exactly what she did.  Her body declined quickly and she quietly went home to heaven at 12:25am early on Monday morning the 4^th of December with her husband Don next to her.  It was so incredibly fast.

The Lord knew that we needed to be here during this season and we are so, so, so grateful to be able to help and to witness her transition into heaven.  Providing end of life care for her was so hard but also one of the most sacred spaces we’ve even been privileged to be in.  

Shirley’s memorial service will be on Saturday December 16^th at 1pm at Boulevard Park Church in Burien, WA.  We are making a plan to stream her service online so those of you who are unable to attend in person are also able to view it.  We look forward to celebrating her life and reconnecting with dear friends and relatives.  Thank you for your continued prayers for her husband Don and for the whole family as we walk through this season of grieving.  Thank you for coming by the house, thank you for the cards, thank you for the meals and ice cream, thank you for all your messages and prayers.

So how are we really doing?  That is a loaded question.  There have been some incredible emotional strain in the past month with beautiful moments of joy mixed in. We are grieving that Shirley is gone, but also relieved that she didn’t suffer very long and that she is no longer in any pain.  It was just so fast.  We are reeling a little with how quickly she was gone.  Thank you for your prayers for us.  We feel the sweet comfort from the Holy Spirit and loved and supported from so many of you.

We are blessed to have Yanina Godoy with us this month.  She is an amazing 19 year old from Bethlehem, South Africa and she is big help and comfort.  We hope to show off some of the beautiful Pacific Northwest to her and we are planning some adventures together this month.  

Immanuel, God with us.  What a sweet comfort to us all.

Love, the Hartleys