Please, don't kill me.

Be sure to check out the comments on the second video. I haven't read all the way through them yet, but there's some interesting stuff!

On Traveling and Being Home

Swimming one day...snow the next. Goodbyes in the airport, never fun, made harder by a nephew growing up to understand a bit more of what goodbyes mean. Long airplane ride...hard time getting comfortable. Long layover in Georgia...Starbucks received my business after 3 months. Strange seeing my breath in the winter air.

Home to our little airport to find my nieces and nephew, ready to wrap their arms around our necks and wake us up with their enthusiasm. A stuck airplane door kept the luggage hostage, time ticking with church starting in minutes. Home for quick showers and a bite to eat. (Sentimental me had a moment to tear up when entering the familiar abode.) Then home to church, and friends, and Hello! and How was it? and trying to mumble thoughtful responses, when for the life of me I could hardly get a thought to work.

Woke this morning to a splitting headache, a blessed feeling of being rested, a frigid room, and snow in our yard (not fresh, but still pretty!). Took a shower with the hottest water I could get, the steam filling the bathroom and making it hard to see. Pulled on my comfy yellow sweater and thick jean skirt that's frayed at all the edges, SmartWool socks and slippers, then set about the business of unpacking. How strange it is to be pulling flip-flops and swimsuits from the bag! How far away that sunbathed world already seems...

Glad to be home here, but missing my home there. Glad to have baby arms here and conversations laden with questions from growing minds so intrigued about the far away world of Africa, but so sad to have left some others behind. Glad to be back in a world of winter, snow and ice, but really wishing I could go for a quick dip in the pool right now!

What I've Been Up To

I've started several posts this week, but none of them have made it to publishing status. :) We've done some traveling and sight-seeing, we've made lots of dessert and coffee, we've had lots of conversations, we've picked lots of litchis, and we've played a lot of Legos. We've kissed the baby a lot, and generally just spent a lot of time on holiday.

Lots of memories. Lots of love. Lots of food.

It's almost time to go. I'm more ready to come home now than I was when we first left Botswana. I think I needed a bit of time to think some things through and process everything that happened there. Now that our departure is drawing nearer, I'm finding myself excited about getting home (that word is so relative anymore) in PA and back into the schedule of things there. But for now, I'm just enjoying the last couple days...

On the Zipline

Saturday was an exciting day! My apologies if you've already seen these pictures and videos, or if you've already heard the story. :)

When we visited Tzaneen a few weeks ago, we saw a sign for "Magoebaskloof Canopy Tours." It was near George's Valley, a beautiful valley you drive through before you get to Tzaneen. We assumed, from the name, that it was some sort of paragliding operation and the guys talked about checking it out. Upon further checking, however, we found out that the canopy tour is done with a zipline!

Now, some of you may remember a sort of pathetic story involving me and a zipline back at summer camp. As much as that scared/scarred me, I was determined to get over my fear, and the best way to do that was to what? Of course! Go on a series of 11 ziplines through a river gorge in a country inhabited by poisonous snakes and spiders. Good thinking. :)

There were six of us in all: me, my dad, two of my brothers, Eric (on the tail end of his missions trip here), and my 5-year old nephew.

I'll just be perfectly honest - my stomach was in knots the whole day just thinking about it. But as much as I wanted to chicken out, I knew I would be okay once I got started and if I did decide not to go, I would be disappointed later that I didn't. So I forced myself to go. (Also, my nephew was quite pumped up about going, and as long as he wasn't scared, I couldn't be!)

The tour guide did an excellent job! There was a brief session where he explained what all the equipment was and told how everything would work. Then we got suited up...

...and everyone had an opportunity to try the 'baby slide' - a short little zipline relatively close to the ground. This allowed the guides to help us get the right technique, and to help people like me see there is nothing to be scared about.

Then it was time to go! I was much relieved after the instructions and the baby slide, but still a bit nervous. Once I got past the first 'real' slide, though, I was just fine. AND I was so glad that I forced myself to go (like I knew I would be!). I had a lot of fun and I definitely recommend it to anyone in the area.

The scenery was beautiful. We were over the Letaba River the entire way, and went over several waterfalls and deep pools. Most of the platforms between the slides were bolted right into the side of the cliff, which towered high above us and dropped off way below. We always had to be hooked onto something, because the platforms were often just a couple feet wide, with quite a drop below.

The slides got longer and longer, and we all got better and better. :) All too soon...it was over...

Here is a video clip of yours truly zipping on one of the lines. :) We uploaded six videos in all (one of each of us) so you can click through to YouTube if you wish to see the rest.

Goodbye to Botswana

It's a strange thing - packing up our little house in Francistown. It seems like we just got here...and now it's time to leave. It's come to feel like home...

We are ready to live out of our suitcases again! We have two more weeks on the continent of Africa and we have a few plans laid out for that time. Of course, those plans include a certain niece and couple nephews of mine, so you know it will be lots of fun. :)

Two more weeks...and then I'm back in snowy PA.

Have Yourself a Merry (Little) Christmas

Christmas was a nice quiet event in Francistown.

I did laundry (always doing laundry...),

wore a new favorite skirt,

we grilled steaks outside,

made sweet potato casserole with white sweet potatoes

(an odd experience to be sure),

drank good coffee that came a long way to surprise us,

talked to my brother in PA,

opened up cards that came from the states,

played a couple hours of Fast Scrabble (also known as Take 2),

and three of our African friends came over for supper.

Sadly, I did not take a single nap, but I did read two books in their entirety - something that's been a bit rare around here.

All in all, a wonderful, refreshing day.

God With Me

As I read through the accounts Matthew and Luke give of the Christmas story again this morning, my eyes glided and skipped over the familiar words even as my mind recited them. It is a story that I memorized many times over in my childhood. It is a story that is often told, expounded upon, and thought about, especially at this time of year.

This story of the birth of Christ includes a grand cast of characters, and yet as I read that same old story again this morning, it struck me that there are really only two kinds of people.

First, there are those who believed, those who accepted, those who allowed the truth to change their lives. There is, of course, Mary. Simple, unassuming Mary – whose only response to the news of her unfathered child was, “Be it unto me according to thy word.” Did she know just how different her life would be with the acceptance of this task? How much she would be shunned and ridiculed? How much pain she would endure? How much blessing she would have? How miraculous and incomprehensible this Child’s birth would be?

There is also Joseph, a good, just man. He also did not question the angel, but simply accepted the truth that he was given. He became a patient protector of Mary and the Baby, aiding them in the necessary journey to Bethlehem and seeing to their safety from Herod.

There are the shepherds who were not content to sit in the fields with the news. They had to see for themselves, and then, they had to publish the news abroad.

There are the wise men who traveled for years, following a star which had an unknown destination. Some would call them foolish, others would call them daft, yet their final stopping place brought them to a King greater than all others.

There are Simeon and Anna, Elisabeth and Zechariah, and countless unnamed others who took the truth they were given and believed – allowing it to change their lives.

Then there are the second group of people – the unbelieving, the skeptical, the selfish...those whose unbelief had a negative impact on their lives. Of course, we think of Herod, who in his selfishness and cruelty killed all baby boys under the age of two.

I find it interesting that God records Herod as the only specific unbelieving character in this story. We know there were more – family members, friends, people in the villages. People were quick with their gossip and cruel with their tongues, but in the grand scheme of things, those people don’t matter. What we ought to rejoice in and pattern our lives after are those who believed and accepted, those who allowed God to change them and change the world.

The question comes down to this: Which one are you? Have you allowed the truth God has given you to change your life? Or are you holding back, skeptical and unwilling to put your faith in something unseen?

There are so many characters, so many facets in this story – and yet one overarching theme of “Emmanuel” – God with us. I thought for some time about this Emmanuel. I wondered again at the fact that God would deign to come be with us. To leave all, in order to save us. That He would come in the form of a baby – not in the form of a mighty ruler and king, not in the form of a lawgiver, but in the form of a child who was destined for the cross. I thought about the fact that even if I was the only one who needed saving, He would have gladly done it all for ME. He is God with me – He has been my God from the quiet town of Emmaus, Pennsylvania to the teeming city of Bangkok, Thailand, to the crime-ridden country of South Africa, and now through this faith-stretching time in Francistown, Botswana. I am humbled that this Jesus would seek me, and want to have a relationship with me.

“For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.” (Lk 1:49)

"The Lord hath done great things for (me); whereof (I) am glad." (Ps 126:3)

Christmas in Botswana

The whole feeling of Francistown has changed with this week of Christmas.

To me, it doesn't even feel like Christmas. I know in my head that it is December, but to me, Christmas is snow and lights, decorated trees and Christmas carols, family gatherings and a big church Christmas program. Here, there is none of that - except, of course, the occasional Christmas carol and the family gathering.

But to the people who live in Botswana, this is what Christmas is like for them. When the weather is in the stage between unbearably, stifling hot and the torrential downpours of rainy season, it is Christmas. When every store has a Christmas tree, it is Christmas. When the grocery stores stock up on butternut squash and chicken, it is Christmas. When everyone begins to go on holiday - sometimes for as long as a month - it is Christmas.

And one thing I've learned is that these people are all about Christmas. They may not have snow, and they may not understand a lot of the traditions that surround Christmas, but they love it anyway!

So the whole atmosphere of Francistown has changed. There were times when it was busy before. Traffic would back up. Special sales and end-of-the-month paychecks made things especially crazy. But now, the town is practically humming with excitement. People rush to and fro, carrying packages, boxes, and bags - full of food, clothing, and presents. Fireworks randomly go off in the streets. Everyone is too busy to meet, trying to get things ready, to cook their big meals and buy their gifts, traveling to their home villages near and far. People greet each other as they go down the street, "A Merry Christmas to you and a Happy and Prosperous New Year!"

It still startles me to hear songs in the stores like, "Just hear those sleigh bells ring-a-ling..." or "I'm dreaming of a white Christmas." It's almost comical to see the lone house in town with Christmas lights - red and green rope lights up the peak of their roof, and one poor tree with some white lights around its trunk.

I guess it's all what you are used to. I'm certainly not used to this!!!

Home again, but where is home again?

Another long car ride, a 3-hour border crossing, and one near-accident with a goat, and we are back in Francistown. We had no water when we left, and though assured it was turned on in the middle of the week, we had no water when we got back on Saturday. When we first lost our water, it wasn't too bad because we had stored up quite a bit of tap water. Everyone was able to brush their teeth and wash their hands, we cooked meals, boiled water on the stove to wash dishes, made coffee and iced tea, and still had enough to occasionally flush the toilet. Discovering the water still off on Saturday evening was rather alarming, because we were literally down to our last couple jugs of water. Knowing we wouldn't get anyone to work on it until Monday morning, we went down the street a couple blocks and booked a room at a lodge.

This actually worked out rather nicely. The lodge is within walking distance from the house, so my brother and I slept at the house, while my parents slept at the lodge. (They enjoyed having a real bed again!) We could all take showers there, there was a tiny kitchen in the room where we could cook and wash the dishes, the lodge served breakfast each day, AND there was a huge swimming pool which was empty most of the weekend.

So what seemed to be a bad situation, really turned out rather enjoyable. The only downside was the black cloud of no water hanging over our heads - and not knowing if we could get it back on again or not. If not, we were planning on heading back to South Africa on Tuesday, but if it did come on, plans could proceed as usual. Of course, how do you really prepare for something like that? With so much to be done and so many people to see, how do you even start getting ready - a week before you were planning on going?

We were surprised, and maybe a bit overwhelmed by the circumstances. But God knew all along what was going on, and He was not caught by surprise. We were grateful to rest in whatever He wanted us to do...we just were wondering exactly what that would be!

Down at the office on Monday morning to see what was going on, the landlord discovered that the water had been turned back on, but whoever put the meter in had not pulled the proper plug. Someone stopped by the house, and a few seconds later, we had water. Something so simple, yet it had big repercussions!

It really is nice having running water. It is nice to wash the dishes without having to boil water on the stove, then temper it, then do it all over again to rinse. It was nice to scrub the shower out before our next guest (the last one!) gets here tonight.

And it's nice to know that we don't have to leave Botswana on Tuesday, that plans can go forward as usual (yeah, whatever that means). As much as I will enjoy our time in South Africa once we get back there, I hated the thought of leaving this place without saying all my goodbyes and having my last few meetings with the ladies I've come to know.

I'm in Tzaneen, South Africa this week.

In many ways, it feels like coming back to civilization. There is running water (our water was still off when we left), there are real beds and chairs (instead of air mattresses and plastic lawn chairs), and probably best of all, there is a washing machine.

In other ways, it is still Africa. :)

But we've had a lovely couple of days with my brother and his family, as well as two other families that we know. Our friends are all leaving today, but we have two more days here to celebrate Christmas with family.

Then it is back to Francistown for our final 10 days - wrapping everything up, saying our goodbyes, and leaving everything in good order for the next people coming. I have a lot of mixed emotions about this and I have a lot of things to think about.

BUT for now, I'm determined to enjoy our Christmas in Africa. The food - oh my...you wouldn't believe the food we've been having! The kids are excited about everything, of course, and we are enjoying this time with them.