The mercies of God, what a theme for my song...

It's a rainy and cool Sunday morning. I'm sitting on my airbed with a cup of coffee, listening to the rooster down the street and the spectacled weaver in the thorn tree outside my bedroom. This house is much quieter than our last house in Francistown, because it is not located right next to a main road. This has pros and cons - pros because it is quieter and there is less traffic, cons because you must walk farther to catch a taxi and more 'rural' means more snakes. (Sam saw one on the other side of our wall yesterday!)

I've started this post three or four times, but it is very hard to describe a house without pictures. I've been waiting to take pictures until we are a bit more settled, but I see now that will not be the case for some time. We are here in our house, but first my brother and his family were here with us (a big help in getting moved in) and tonight we have a couple other people coming to spend the night. Many things in the house are transitory - some just temporary solutions until we can find/buy/make a permanent answer, and for other things we are just waiting until our container comes in. (February? Can we pray for an early January delivery?) Also, there are so many blessings, and I want to be sure that I give them all proper acknowledgement. So that's why I haven't posted this as of yet, and I do apologize, because I know many of you have been waiting.

Since I still don't have pictures, I will just sum it up: Wednesday, we made the trip to Francistown from South Africa, crossed the border and made the trip in pretty good time, considering there were 9 of us, 3 under the age of 6. We saw our house in the afternoon, set off some bug bombs overnight to kill all our little live-ins (the house had been vacant for several months, and you could tell by the population which had set up camp) and found a room for the night. Thursday we made our first shopping trip to buy cleaning supplies and items needed to get the bathrooms functioning. We spent all day cleaning with a vengeance... carrying away all the trash, scrubbing every square inch, making a list of needed repairs. Friday we moved in with our suitcases and made one big shopping trip to stock the kitchen. We had a few extra blankets to cover the windows, and with the help of some curtains that someone left in the house, we had all the windows covered. Saturday morning the previous tenant arrived to take her things, and said that the curtains were hers. So Saturday the priority became buying curtains for two reasons - to block the sun/heat and to block the gaze of our curious neighbors. :)

When we arrived in South Africa a couple weeks ago (a month ago? a year ago? it seems like ages in some ways...) a mutual friend put us in contact with an American doctor who is leaving for the States. When this doctor and her family moved over, they shipped a container with American furniture. This worked out as a blessing for all involved. They needed to find someone who would buy their things, and were more than thrilled that missionaries could get them, and gave us very reasonable prices. We needed a lot of furniture, and had resigned ourselves to having to buy the cheaply made things here. But this way, we get quality furniture for a very good price, much cheaper than if we had bought all our furniture in the States and sent it over in the container. Furthermore, the doctor's family has been extremely helpful in hooking us up with other contacts of who to go for when we need certain things. One of the most frustrating things about Africa (particularly Botswana) is that many things must be custom-made, but people don't necessarily advertise that they do those things. For instance, if you need furniture, one of the best ways to get it is to have it custom-made. However, you don't just go down to the furniture-making store. No, instead you have go to a certain fabric shop and talk to one particular guy, because his cousin is the best furniture-maker and will give you a good deal. Very confusing when you are first coming in to town, so we are very thankful for the help and information they have given us.

There are so many blessings, big and small, that have happened along the way - I'm sure I'll never remember them all. Just the very fact that we have been here less than 3 weeks, we have a house, we have two vehicles, we have INTERNET, and we have most of our furniture and kitchen supplies is nothing short of a miracle. This is Africa! Things aren't supposed to work so quickly!

Mom and Dad went down to pick out a refrigerator on Wednesday before the store closed, hoping they could purchase it and schedule it for delivery the next day. They looked at the ones available, Mom chose her first choice (the biggest one!) and they decided to go with that one. They approached the salesman to get things set up, and this is what he told them: "This one? Oh, come back tomorrow." At first, they were frustrated, thinking the salesman was being lazy because it was too close to closing time. But then he explained that THAT particular refrigerator was going on sale the next morning, and if only they would come back the next day, they would save a lot of money. Can you believe it? They showed up the next morning and had it delivered the same day.

That happened with so many things: we went armed with our list of necessities to Game (think mini-Walmart), trying to get our kitchen set up with the basics to get us through the weekend at least. First, there were ceiling fans on sale, from 600 to 200 pula! Almost unheard of in Africa to have such a sale, so we bought two. The dishes my mom chose were on sale, the toaster we chose had a floor model (still working, don't worry we checked:) on sale, there was a beautiful clock on sale, and many other things. Some were the necessities, some were extras, some were sales on a better model than what we would have chosen, some were sales on the very model we would have chosen. Time and again, it happened. I'm still shocked when I recount it all, yet I guess I shouldn't be. Isn't God so good to us?

This is starting to get long, so I will just end it here, and hope to get some pictures later today. It is Sunday, rainy and cool, but it is such a relief after being so hot all week long!

An African Miracle

After being in the country for 48 hours, my dad was able to find the perfect house for us and rent it, buy a washer and dryer from a family who is moving, get a lead on a vehicle (which will actually be our second, main vehicle, as my brother found us a beat-up car to use for running around), and get a lead on some furniture from another family who is moving.

If you know anything about Africa, you know this is amazing. I'm still shocked at how fast it all happened.

Of course, I guess I shouldn't be shocked, because we've certainly been praying and I know many others have been praying as well! Thank you!

There are still loose ends to be tied up, the most important of which is our visa from the Embassy. Still waiting to hear a definite word on that, but trusting that all will come through at the right time.

Still hanging out in Tzaneen, as we need to wait a few days before my dad can reenter the country. My head is swimming with ideas, mostly with the fact that I get the delightful pleasure of choosing a paint color for my room. The house is pretty nice, but needs some TLC - a good cleaning and fumigating of the insects will be a good start (it's been sitting empty for a couple months, as if bugs need any invitation to take over in Botswana), but a fresh coat of paint will also do wonders. We've got some other improvement ideas, and can't wait to get in and get busy. Colors, colors... should I go shocking? Neutral? Pleasant? Soothing? I'm definitely thinking a cool color would be nice...

I'm still amazed. Most missionaries find it takes them a good month or more to locate and rent housing in this area of the world. 48 hours is definitely a record... but so was the amount of time it took to raise support. ;)

In the mean time, I've found things to keep me busy.

Wherever I go, literature and correspondence schools seem to follow. Good thing I travel with a one-touch, long-reach stapler. It's like a coffee press and a pound of Starbucks - it's always good to have tucked away in the suitcase, cause you never know when you'll need it.

Why I Write

I borrowed one of my sister-in-law's books, and found At the Edge of the Village to be a quick and enjoyable read, giving one missionary wife's memories of living on the Ivory Coast. A very interesting and funny book, as well as a good look into African culture in that area of the continent.

I came across this little passage as she was writing about each of her children, and I really liked the way she expressed it. This is one of the reasons that I write... to capture a moment or a person with words, just like you would with a camera.

"There are certain fleeting moments in time that, if stopped and held, say so much about a person - actions that bring personality to life and render it special. I love to capture such moments, no matter how small or mundane, like a camera imprinting a scene and immortalizing it forever in my mind." -Lisa Leidenfrost, At the Edge of the Village

Present and Accounted For

I've been enjoying the break of being disconnected from online life... have you noticed? I'm starting to miss my cell phone though, if I'm perfectly honest.

We are here and safe in South Africa, hanging out at my brother's house in Tzaneen. I feel like I've come back home. :) With all the craziness the past month, it has been nice to take a few days to relax with them. The kids have changed so much in just the past few months, particularly Baby Luke, who isn't much of a baby anymore! (His second birthday is in a couple weeks!)

Now comes the exciting time of being in limbo - we need visas, a house, and a car. All these things take time, especially since we are now in Africa, so we are just enjoying the days as they come.

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"In the part of my life that is already past, and in the scenes of providence that are already cleared up, I cheerfully confess, and sing, He hath done all things well. This is confirmed to me by the experience of many years; so that I may blush, when I see some of the mysteries of Providence in part unriddled, that I have had such low apprehensions of the love and goodness of God, measuring His wisdom by my shallow comprehension, His power by my cramped span, His love by my unbelief, His goodness by my evil eye, and His ways with me by my ways with Him..." 

-James Meikle, Solitude Sweetened

This Weekend

Some posts about this weekend:

By Anne
By Jackie
By Debbie
By Bro. Shorter

Did I miss anyone?

Countdown: 1 Day

Tonight I thought about my last night in Africa, and the things that I was thinking and feeling. We were staying out in the middle of nowhere, kilometers from the nearest person. All around us were the night noises, the calls of the nocturnal world. I leaned back to stare straight up into the clear night sky, and the beauty made me catch my breath. There, far away from human light and pollution, I gazed at the wonders of the night lights, revealed like I had never seen it before. I’ve often marveled at the stars, but never have I seen so many span the sky as I did that last night in Africa. How close they seemed in their brilliance, nothing like the pasty white dots we sometimes see in more populated areas of the earth. As I lay back and started straight up, all I could see from horizon to horizon was millions of brilliant stars – each one seemingly hanging from an invisible thread and dangling just above my nose. It was almost as if I could touch them, but I was too afraid to break the stillness by reaching out my hand.

There I lay, contemplating the handiwork of my God and the insignificance of myself – how could I think of anything else in view of such splendor? “When I consider the Heavens, the moon and the stars which thou hast ordained, what is man, that thou art mindful of him?” Ever so gently, He reminded me that He is mindful of me. Do you know that God has a perfect plan for my life? There is no reason to worry or fret. He has each step planned out; I only need to trust. There is no fear in love, for perfect love casteth out fear. I was not fearful that evening, only thankful that He would be mindful of me, and that He would think of me enough to create a plan for me. And then, I wondered if I would ever return to my beloved Africa again. I asked Him, if He would see fit, if I could one day come back. My heart was so full, I couldn’t even find the words to write my thoughts that evening, but the memory was forever impressed upon my mind.

And now here I am, a mere nine months later, and I am going back. In just a matter of hours, I plan to lay back and once again, view the African sky.

Countdown: 2 Days

Last night was the appreciation banquet at LVBC for my dad for his 23 years of service at the church. There were 3 videos shown. First was a recap video of the last 23 years...

You Have Been Faithful - Pastor Doug Hammett from LVBaptist on Vimeo.

Next was the unveiling of a video the guys have been working on for our website. It came together wonderfully! After that, they showed the 'blooper reel'... so hilarious!

Who Are We? - Lehigh Valley Baptist Church from LVBaptist on Vimeo.

Who We Really Are....Blooper Reel from LVBaptist on Vimeo.

I love my church family... I'm going to miss them so much! Tonight is the sending service... I start tearing up every time I *think* about it, so I think it's going to be a rough night.

Countdown: 3 Days

Eyeball packing... that's what I'm doing today. I'm not quite ready to do the actual packing, so instead I'm stacking things up, eyeballing how they might fit in the suitcase, weighing the heavier items together to see how I want to split them up. I'm convinced that packing - good packing - is a cross between an art and a science. I tend to be more of a stuffer than a neat folder or roller, but there is a method to my madness, and much of my packing is thought out beforehand. When it comes down to the actual packing of the bags, I should be able to knock it out in under an hour on Monday night... but only because I've spent the time now preparing for it.

I'm also picking out my outfits for three important occasions: the banquet tonight, the sending service tomorrow night, and the flight on Tuesday. Tough, tough decisions, I tell you.

Tonight is the banquet... I'm ridiculously excited about the pie selections that will be there. :)

Countdown: 4 Days

Packing up what's left of the kitchen today --- it promises to be a busy weekend, and we're not planning on doing much cooking anyway. :)

Countdown: 5 Days

"...rid yourself before God of everything that might be considered a possession until you are a mere conscious human being standing before Him and then give God that." - Oswald Chambers

I read this quote recently on a missionary friend's Facebook page, and it struck a deep chord with me. That could have something to do with all the giving up of physical possessions. But surrender is more than just giving up physical possessions. The Lord has used this time of 'giving up' to teach me some valuable lessons - about myself and about surrender.

The point is not how much or how little one is giving up or one possesses. The problem lies much deeper than that - it is an issue of the heart. God may want me to be a pauper, or He may want me to be a king, but either way, He wants my heart and He wants all of it. 

When you take it all away, all the possessions, all the titles and honor, all the family ties and obligations, what do I want out of my life?

My Desire

Lord, I don't want my feet to traverse the world; I want to be Your feet, taking the good news to someone who has never heard. I want to be Your feet, responding in perfect sync, no matter what direction You want me to go.

I don't want my hands to hold possessions of worth and esteem; I want to be Your hands, holding out the eternal Word of life. I want to be Your hands, ministering to all You bring into my path.

I don't want my eyes to view situations in selfish interest; I want to be Your eyes, viewing situations with an eternal perspective. I want to be Your eyes, looking past the problems to see the possibilities.

I don't want my lips to speak my own praise; I want to be Your lips, speaking always the truth in love. I want to be Your lips, uplifting things that are just, pure, and good.

I don't want my own wishes, wants, or will to be first; I want to have Your will, always and perfectly worked through my life. I want every breath that I breathe, every step I take, every move I make to be just what You want from me.

"Lord, make my way prosperous - not that I achieve high station; but that my life may be a exhibit to the value of knowing God." - Jim Elliot