Merry Christmas!

Today, on Christmas Eve, I ate a whole bowl of fresh-picked, juicy and chilled mango. It was delicious and before you tell me that I'm rubbing it in (if you happen to love fresh-picked mango), then I'll just tell you it's my consolation prize for spending the third Christmas in a row in such close proximity to the Kalahari Desert. :) So there.

I also spent the majority of my day in the kitchen, happily wrapped up in all sorts of little cooking projects. It made me very happy, because that is one of my happiest places to be. I started off by making some fresh ricotta for our lasagna and a big pot of marinara sauce to simmer away while the ricotta drained.

Mom picked a bucket of beans and a bucket of spinach, another perk of having Christmas in the middle of summer. So we had fresh-picked beans with our lasagna and garlic bread for lunch, then a chocolate cake, chocolate ice cream, and whipped cream (which was actually a failed attempt) made up our dessert. All in all, a lovely culinary day, and I'm already anticipating what tomorrow's menu will be.

Yesterday, we baked up the second half of our sugar cookie dough. For the first half, which we baked the week before last, we iced them with red cinnamon and green mint icing... very original, I know. For this half, I decided to go with some more sophisticated toppings.

So at the far left, we have the more traditional almond icing with simple sprinkles. Center back was coconut, topped with coconut; far right was root beer, with a small sprinkle of cocoa for identification. Front center was a more rustic 'pressed' cookie (rather than the rolled and cut-out version) topped with Nutella and almond. The root beer was hands-down the favorite of the day, surprisingly enough. I, however, was merely experimenting and wasn't sure how they would turn out, so I only made six of that kind. Oops... next time! (Also, we sort of ration out our root beer extract around here, so I don't know that we want to use it all on cookie icing!)

Tomorrow will be a somewhat normal Sunday for us, although we are only having one of our two usual services. I do know we will be eating more mangoes. I can't tell you how happy I am that they are back in season! Last year, when the season was in full swing and the price dropped dramatically, we would go buy a bag of mangoes nearly every day. I plan on continuing that tradition. Right now, they are still being imported from South Africa, but it won't be long until there are Francistown grown ones for sale!

Merry Christmas... and may good holiday food be in your near future!

Guest Post

I'm guest posting today over at Cotton+Wood. She asked me some questions about celebrating Christmas in Botswana, and I waxed long and eloquent... plus, a recipe!!!

My first guest post ever! :) Thanks, Rebecca!!

Gray days

Gray days and cooler weather make me inordinately happy.

It also makes it feel so much more like Christmas time, although I must say - this being my third Christmas here, it doesn't feel nearly as strange as it did that first year. New traditions have a way of forming themselves... and I'm still with some of my favorite people on earth.

Cooler weather also makes it easier to cook and bake up a storm.

Every rainy day we try to bake something and make some type of soup. It's ingrained in my soul that December should be the month of warm, filling stews and comfort foods.

Gray, stormy days make all my dogs freak out... literally. Apparently none of them are keen on thunderstorms or lightning in the night.

Stormy days all week long make for a yard that never dries out, and a lot of muddy tracks that I've wiped up in the house. Someone needs to come train my dogs to wipe their own feet when they come in the door.

Stormy days all week long make for a lot of soggy towels and washcloths that pile up. Although it is clouding up and beginning to thunder now, I'm thankful for a couple hours of sunshine this morning to get a couple loads done.

Happy Friday to you all! Now, what should I bake tonight?

Yesterday the termites came.

After a series of hot days, it culminated in one sticky, unbearably still day. All during the afternoon we said, "If only it would rain." It was eerily still - no breeze, no singing birds - and stealthily the clouds moved into place.

Suddenly, BOOM! An awesome lightening storm and it poured, poured, poured, making streams in our yard and ponds in the street. In the dark, the rain slowly lessened, and ceased.

Then, sounding almost like the sound of the rain, a million termites left their wet, flooded homes and swarmed for every possible light source. Have you ever heard a thousand termites pinging against your window? A few managed to squeeze in some forgotten crack and swung drunkenly around the room - not knowing where they were going or what they intended to do.

This morning the yard is littered with them - millions of termite wings that were abandoned last night. They're mesmerizingly beautiful, the way they blow and float in the breeze, almost like a sort of snow. Around all the doors and windows is the evidence of their big night last night, and I think we have some sweeping up to do.

From this month's Grace & Honor

"The whole family is gathered together. Twinkling lights reflect in children’s eyes as they gather around and Grandpa reads the Christmas story. There is hot apple cider to sip and fresh cookies to munch. Then the fun begins – it’s gift time! The gifts are distributed, and soon it is your turn. You open a soft, lumpy package from your Great Aunt Martha. It’s a… sweater! Yes, a sweater in a color that you despise, in that odd 90’s style that is definitely not modern, but not yet vintage, and hence, a style you would not be caught dead in. Worst of all, there are rabbits embroidered around the bottom edge. Too kitschy, too outdated, too childish, too UGLY. Now what happens?"

Continue reading ---  "How to Receive a Gift You Didn't Want"...

"She lived a simple life. She wasn’t flamboyant; she wasn’t boisterous. She loved a good man, and their modest plans for a life together filled her waking moments. She had a happy past, a joyful present and a bright future.

"And then her life was turned upside down."

Continue reading --- "A Life Changed By God"...

Some very random pictures for your weekend viewing pleasure...

All the dogs love to be... wherever I am

Paper pumpkins for our Thanksgiving table... I made ten or twelve of these in orange and yellow, using this pattern.

For Luke's third birthday, I made a little car caddy. It folds up nicely into a little package that buttons shut...

And opens up to show a felted road with little numbered pouches for each car. I based it off of this tutorial. I used fabric paint for the lines on the road and the numbers, and fabric scraps and button extras for the rest. So fun!

My brother and his family came for Thanksgiving and to celebrate birthdays. George has been experimenting with Bloomin' Onions, so he taught us all that he knows. AMAZING...

I made my first ever Coconut Cream Pie, then topped it with some toasted coconut and macadamia nuts.

That's all the evidence of the Thanksgiving meal that we have. Everything else was promptly consumed. :) 

This was a particularly hilarious Skype call... all my immediate family was on one side of the camera or another. The kids were just a little excited. :) Something about a web cam and being able to see themselves... it brings out ALL the silliness.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Complete with a few carefully packed ornaments from our storage in PA, a snoring dog, and an air conditioner (you can just see a part of it in the top corner). Welcome to Christmas in Botswana!

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood...

Tonight a friend texted me just as we were getting ready to leave for the village. She knew we were headed that way and wanted to come along. I gladly agreed and we picked her up on the way. She's interested in studying the Bible, but our time has been somewhat limited as she lives in another village and doesn't get to come into town often because of lack of transport. Thus far, we've only been able to have one hurried study in the taxi rank before she had to catch her bus home.

The study in the village is mostly attended by several people that been studying with us for nearly a year. We go out there once a week, filling our vehicles with friends from town, and make that one of our Sunday services. So, with the exception of this one lady who hasn't studied very much, everyone at today's study is already born again and fairly well grounded in the Bible, though there is still much for them to learn. At the close of the study (on John chapter 8), my friend asked a question.

"Is is possible for someone to be in Christ and still have demons inside of them?"

In this land of great spiritual darkness, the subject of demons and evil spirits is one that very often comes up. I think it's fairly guaranteed that every person you deal with is at the very least struggling with questions on this issue, if not spiritually oppressed or possessed.

My dad, who was leading the study today, initially fielded the question, taking the whole group over to 1 John 4:4, "Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them (spirits not of God); because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world." This seemed to answer her question, at least intellectually, although it seemed internally she was still struggling with how this might apply in her life. She did not share much, but no doubt she has been involved in witchcraft and opened herself up to that world. I'm not sure if she is born again or not, but even if she is, she may still be struggling with fear over past events.

What happened next almost brought tears to my eyes. I've seen this happen before, and it just blesses my heart every time. One of the men began to speak, giving his testimony of how he had been set free from the power of Satan. Another of the men began to encourage her to spend time reading her Bible every day and focus her mind on the things of God. After the service closed, two or three of the ladies took her aside and also gave their personal stories and encouraged her to continue her Bible study and find out what God wanted to teach her. Every other person in that building had a story of how they had personally been set free from the power of the devil - and that is exactly what she is looking for.

She's been to other churches looking for answers. One church told her that since she had given money to a traditional doctor (witch doctor), she had to pay the same amount of money to the church to be broken from the spell. She's been to 'casting-out' crusades and said she never even fell on the floor "cockroach style". The thing that got her in touch with us was a pamphlet she was given that said very simply on the back, "Do you want to learn the truth from the Bible? Contact us." We don't teach gimmicks; we don't teach religion. We teach what the Bible says - who God is, what man has done, and how man can have a relationship with God. It's simple, but it's powerful.

What really struck me today was the way everyone jumped in to help her along in her journey to the truth. These people who were talking all have vastly different stories, but just one year ago, almost all of them were still just as confused as she is. They were offering animal sacrifices, visiting traditional doctors, taking potions and buying spells, all sorts of things that the devil makes up to keep his subjects in a web of fear. And here they were, beggars just telling another beggar where they found bread.

Thankful

There's something that happens when you are suddenly made aware that your current situation might soon be ending or changing - whether by your choice or by events completely out of your control. You want to take every moment and savor it, remember it, because you don't know when such a moment will be replayed such as it is right now.

The truth is that I have so very much to be thankful for. Though my future is uncertain right now because of my visa situation and I don't even know what continent I'll be living on in the next few weeks, I am certain that whatever path the Lord has for me will be acceptable, perfect, and it will all work according to His plan. At least that's what I'm praying and given how He has worked in the past, I'm certain that's how He will work in the future.

Looking back, I am so very thankful for the way that He has led me step by step through every place up until now. The family He placed me in, the opportunities He's given me in life, the country I was raised in, the friendships I've been blessed in... it all works together to make His perfect plan for me. When you look at my life, there's nothing you see that happened because of me. It can all be attributed to God and His love for me. I don't deserve such a Friend, but I'm so glad that He's mine.

Today we celebrated with my brother from South Africa. I think one of the highlights for everyone was being able to Skype with my uncle's family and then my oldest brother and his family from PA. It was quite a crazy bunch (on both sides of the camera) but it's the next best thing to being all together. We ate some very good food (no turkey here... but we grilled steaks, experimented with blooming onions, and finished it all off with some very delicious coconut cream pie) and just spent some time catching up.

All in all, a very low-key and relaxing Thanksgiving, with time to reflect on all that God has done for us and how much He cares for us. We are thankful.

Up tomorrow... it's birthday celebration today! (for my dad, and my little three-year-old nephew... who do you think gets more excited about birthday cake?)

The Prodigal Returned

With a little more investigation, we found out that Kiara ran away within the first few days we were gone. Apparently, our alarm had been set off, the security company showed up, and they left the gate open while they looked around. All three dogs were outside the gate, but one came back right away when called (she's the best-behaved, can you tell?). Our gardener, who was spending the nights here to keep an eye on things, spent four hours finding and bringing Firestorm back, but he only caught a glimpse of Kiara and never saw her again.

Yesterday morning, my mom looked out the window and there she was, standing in an empty plot on the other side of our neighbors. She gladly came back in and promptly devoured two bowls of food. She is a little thinner and was absolutely covered in ticks and gross smells, but she seems to have the same personality, which we were afraid might have been changed after being on her own for five weeks.

It's nice to have all my dogs home again. :)

(Okay, after posting this a couple days ago, we found out that she hadn't been gone for five weeks, but more like five days. Sometimes it's so hard to get simple facts straight when you are communicating through different cultures and languages. :) Regardless, I'm glad she's back. The fact that she was gone five days explains why she was still hanging around, but it doesn't explain how she got hundreds of ticks... gross!)

Home again...

...home again, jiggety jig. What continent am I on? What time zone am I in? What season is this, anyway?

Our crazy trip to the States was fabulous and crammed with about a year's worth of experiences in less than six weeks. I guess that's what you get. I do have to say that I had a whole list of restaurants and foods to try while I was back, and it was all sadly disappointing. Nothing tasted quite as good as I remembered it to be. :) Maybe it was the fact that I was sick more than half our trip; maybe it was just fond memories growing more pleasant with time.

One thing I know I did enjoy was SNOW. Yes, that's right... Pennsylvania had a record-breaking snowfall before October was even over. The only problem with it was that the heavy snow settling on trees still covered in leaves caused a lot of limbs breaking and power lines being knocked over. Thousands of people lost power, many for several days. We were without power at my brother's house for six days, so that was an exciting end to an eventful trip. I honestly didn't pray for all that damage and destruction, but it was a heartfelt wish of mine to see snow before settling in for another long summer. Guess I got my wish. :) I wasn't there to see it falling, but we flew in the next day and I think getting to see the arial view of snow patterned across houses and fields was just about as good. Next time I'll be a little more specific. :) PLUS... I got to wear my boots, a lot. I bought them at the end of a season a couple years ago and haven't really had a good chance to wear them until the last couple weeks.

It was wonderful to get caught up with family and friends... and I don't think it was as hard to say goodbye this time. I mean, goodbyes are always hard and just a part of life, but knowing what I was coming back to made this departure so much easier. Also, the uncertainty of my time here (given my current visa situation) causes me to want to make use of every moment I have here.

After another long trip (just over 51 hours from doorstep to doorstep, although that does include a few hours of resting at a guest house between long airplane ride and long car ride :), a dead car battery, trying to adjust to time changes and the sweltering heat, we finally arrived home. All our luggage arrived safely, our house was snug and secure, but to our dismay, we found one of the dogs ran away. This makes me very sad, but I'm still hopeful that she might come home. Poor Kiara, lost and alone. :(

Today the temperature was well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, so you could say that we have settled into summertime. It's hard to believe we were standing in snow exactly two weeks ago. :) The heat... it just gets to you. It really does take a few days to adjust to it, to learn how to pace yourself, remember to drink lots of water, try to stay in the shade.

We got our fridge and pantry stocked this morning and then cleaned house this morning from the layers of dust and armies of spiders that moved in while we were away. Now I'm getting caught up on emails, playing Christmas music, and trying to think happy, cool thoughts. :) Maybe a long, cold shower would be a good way to end this day!

I'm looking forward to the next couple weeks of trying to get caught up with my ladies. After the first week of December... who knows? Just taking it one day at a time, which is generally a good idea in this uncertain life anyway. :)