Can you believe it's really me?

I'm still alive.

I'm a little frozen, but still here. :)

Now that we are nearly four weeks from the wedding, I feel like I'm able to breathe a bit more. Everything leading up to the wedding - preparations for the day, getting ready to move, the holidays, family things - and then everything since the wedding - honeymoon, moving to ND, getting our little house set up - has meant that I've been quite a busy lady these past months.

I'm having lots of fun setting up my own little apartment, especially my own little kitchen. The weather hasn't been unbearable, but it has been rather cold. It's -10 out there today... it's days like today that my toes feel like they will never thaw out. But the SNOW! I've having so much fun watching the beautiful snow. :) I'm not sick of it yet... but you can ask me again in about a month or two.

Here's a couple wedding pictures from the talented Elizabeth Roy:

More pictures to come, I'm sure, as well as the complete story. I know I've been a slacking blogger of late, but I don't plan on being one forever. ;o)

Proverbs 31 for the Single Girl

This month was my last month writing for Grace & Honor. I had so much fun over the years sharing articles and things that the Lord was teaching me, and I'm going to miss working with the great authors and contributors that we had!

Here's this month's article:

She’s that illustrious goddess of domesticity. Her husband is crazy about her, the kids adore her, she is business-savvy, Martha Stewart, Paula Deen, Mother Theresa and Jackie Kennedy all rolled into one. The epitome of poise, her house beautifully decorated, her table laden with healthy and delicious foods, her family’s needs all met, and her entrepreneurial spirit bringing in a little extra cash. At least, that’s how we usually picture the Proverbs 31 woman.

I remember quite a few years ago as I was reading through Proverbs 31, and I was struck by verse 12, “She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.”

Continue Reading "Proverbs 31 for the Single Girl"....

{God is good all the time}

"The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it." 

Proverbs 10:22

I've been thinking quite a bit about this verse, and the applications that it might have. I certainly feel very rich these days in so many ways.

Looking back through the chapter of Proverbs 10, Solomon makes several observations about wealth. He tells us that righteousness is better than the treasures of wickedness (vs 2), that the hand of the diligent maketh rich (vs 4), that the tongue of the just is as choice silver (vs 20), and that the lips of the righteous feed many (vs 21). And then he makes this statement that it is the blessing of the Lord that maketh rich, and that He adds no sorrow to it.

I like what Matthew Henry had to say about this verse: "That wealth which is truly desirable, has no vexation of spirit in the enjoyment; no grief for the loss; no guilt by the abuse of it. What comes from the love of God, has the grace of God for its companion."

God has been so very good to me, in so many ways. In hard times when it's not easy to trace the hand of God, He is still good. In times like the last few weeks, when so many exciting and happy things are happening in my life, God is very good. He is good all the time. 

My life is full and blessed in these days of preparation - preparing details for the wedding, preparing to move across the country, preparing to be a wife. Everything is so much better than I ever even dreamed it would be - God's perfect timing and perfect will is certainly the best, and there is no sorrow with it.

In other (very related) news, my cheeks are almost constantly sore from smiling so much. :)

The Beauty of Worship

The air was a bit close in the room where they all sat, stuffed around a low table, relaxing as the meal came to a close. The candlelight flickered off the walls of the little abode, and the conversation has dropped to a low murmur. The door hesitatingly creaked open, and a small woman slipped in, carrying a vessel in her hands. Eyes followed her movement across the room, past the men, and to the head of the table. She was intruding in a man’s world, this small woman with her small box.

Continue reading "The Beauty of Worship Through Sacrifice"...

That article went up on Grace & Honor several days ago, but I'm just getting around to posting it here. You might say I've been a bit preoccupied lately. :)

Something Happened

So, this happened...

And now you know why the Lord was working in my life so much in the areas of faith and trust and just waiting for His perfect timing. In the midst of all the visa paperwork and uncertainty of days, I began corresponding with Ethan, but for a while didn't know if things would work out or not, so it just added to the confusion of those days.

I'm happy to say that things did work out. :) We are now planning a January wedding and I'll be moving to my new home in North Dakota. Bring on the snow!

God has been so very good in our lives. He has made it evident that this is His perfect will and we are so excited about spending the rest of our lives together. This past week has been spent in happiness in each other's company and it didn't take us long to start finishing each other's sentences. (That is to say, we are perfect for each other.) It was with great sadness that I said goodbye to him at the airport today. We're counting the days until his next trip and using up all our cell phone minutes in the mean time. :)

"The Lord hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad." Psalm 126:3

Some little things occupy the biggest parts of our hearts...

Today the breeze blew warm and sweet, and then I knew that summer was coming. It's been chilly here (for Botswana) - getting down to freezing at night, cool breezes during the day with partly cloudy skies. Makes you want to drink lots of coffee and tea. :) But today was different.

I sat in the back yard to read and noticed that the wind had changed directions and was blowing warm and easy, rather than sharp and cool. So, yes, it is true - summer is right around the corner. (I'm afraid spring weather doesn't last long... maybe just a few days!) Then I started thinking about rain, and how lovely it would be if the heavens just opened up and poured it down. I think our last rainfall was in March, if I'm remembering correctly, and yet, it could be months before Francistown sees rain again. I had almost forgotten how dry everything gets at this time of year... how thick the dust lies, everywhere!

I'm now at two weeks from my departure, and I'm starting to go through the piles to sort and pack up. This is an interesting process, as I still find it hard to believe that I have accumulated so much stuff in just two years. But really, when it comes down to it, it's not all that much - there are just several bulky or fragile items that are going to be interesting to pack, and then a lot of little things spread out all over the house.

I'm coming down to another series of 'lasts' in my life. It's hard not to want this time to be over... knowing the departure date is looming makes me want to just speed past everything and get there already. Not that I'm very anxious to leave; I just hate this in-between time. You may have noticed that patience is not my strongest quality. :)

Mom's birthday was this past week, and we celebrated the way we always do for all birthdays and holidays - with lots of good food. Good food must be the love language of Hammetts. :)

So how about some more pictures? It's been a couple weeks since I've done this, and there's a nice menagerie to share.

First, some Namibia flashbacks...

Poolside sunset	Fish River Canyon
Coming in to the coastal town of Luderitz -  this was one of my most favorite days	And back home again,  across the Central Kalahari

Second, some Kiara moments...

Sulking

The hazards of having a fat nose

Third, good food and other stuff...

The Pioneer Woman Cooks is one of my  favorite cookbooks, a gift from a good friend... and my kitchen is always a disaster after I've been using it, a very good sign

Sweet Orange Rolls.... from that very good cookbook :)

The power went out on one of the coldest nights this winter - but I love our fire place!

My orchid is so close to blooming out again... think I'll be here to see it?

White Chicken Enchiladas for Mom's birthday

And apple pie, per her request

The day before Mom's birthday, we went to a nearby lodge to watch the sun set over a watering hole. It was so beautiful, and not very far from our house! As it got darker, we couldn't see the animals coming to drink (kudu and waterbok, mostly) except for their silhouettes in the reflected last rays of sun. Very cool...

And just because... one last picture to make you smile.

This was our rebel coconut...

3 weeks = 21 days

3 weeks.

I have 3 weeks left in Africa. 21 days from now, I'll be packing my carry-on and trying to go to sleep for the last night in my room.

It still seems rather surreal, as it is not yet close enough to start panicking about the to-do list. Yes, the to-do list is there, but I got quite a few items checked off of it this weekend, so I'm feeling pretty good about it right now. (Of course, such lists have a tendency of growing very much in the last days.) I am trying to enjoy the bit of downtime with lots of reading, though, because I know I'm going to be terribly busy as soon as I get back to the States.

Oh, another thing. Where did all this stuff come from? I came here with two suitcases... how could I have possibly accumulated this much stuff in that time? I'm being ruthless with my clothing (it's all had a hard two-year term in Africa, anyway) but I'm having a hard time parting with my souvenirs from all our road trips. I have feathers from Zimbabwe, shells from Namibia, sand from South Africa, rocks from northern Botswana, rocks from western Botswana, rocks from eastern Botswana... okay, I'm not really a geologist, I promise. I just like interesting rocks and always find nice ones to pick up, just about everywhere I go. I guess you can see where most of that 'stuff' came from! :)

No worries, though... what I can't take with me will stay safely packed up here and can come back with someone else at another point - someone who isn't trying to travel with quite as much stuff as I am! (ie, someone who has room for a bag of rocks :)

I was reading Psalm 34 today and was struck by the list of promises that are given there. I've been thinking them over all day. What a blessing to know that we have such a kind God to give us such promises, a Father who has His eyes and ears attuned to our needs!

• The Lord heard me and delivered me from all my fears.
• There is no want to them that fear Him.
• Blessed is the man that trusteth in Him.
• They that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing.
• The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous.
• The ears of the Lord are open to their cry.
• The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart.
• The Lord redeemeth the soul of His servants.
• None of them that trust in Him shall be desolate. 

New Articles...

It's that time - every two months - when the Grace & Honor goes up with new articles! I've got two in this month's edition.

It was Corrie ten Boom that said, “God has no problems, only plans.” How wise for us to remember, as His much-loved children, that what we perceive as problems, pains, trials, and temptations, are merely God rearranging events to fit His plan, orchestrating lessons for us in the school of faith.

It is not reasonable to think of God as simply a mere human being. We are surprised at unfaithfulness in our fellow man; we are taken back at the wickedness we see around us. When our best-laid plans are upset, we reel in shock that we must begin our planning again. Events out of our control have the ability to set us on our ear just when we thought we were really starting to go somewhere.

------> Continue reading "When God Has Another Plan"

Down through Bible history, we find women who waited. Should we think it strange when we have to wait for what God has for us?

------> Continue reading "Women Who Waited"

Recent Life from the Camera's POV

Gotta have a Wawa... oh, wait	Just chillin' with a big, BIG croc @ Chobe
Water monitor @ Chobe	Malakite Kingfisher @ Chobe
Some freehand nail art... it's a lot harder than it looks!	My favorite shot from this trip to Chobe
Sam 'shooting' the croc	New earrings from Ireland - I love having international friends :)
The view of Francistown from Nyangagbwe Hill	Can you spot the roller?
Chicken feet on sale!	A beautiful evening for a walk
Feeling a bit African today	Homeade pretzels in progress
All finished - some look better than others ;)	Delicious with a jalapeno cheese sauce
Some signs of Francistown
The Shoes Doctor	Sunday in the village
Another road trip to Gabs... starting the day with a sunrise	...and ending the next day with a beautiful sunset
An inquisitive buddy on the way to Tantebane	This winter's favorite -  Butternut Soup

Follow me on Instagram! @rachammett

Leopard Video

This video is from February of this year, but I'm just now getting it uploaded. :) While in Kruger Park in South Africa, we spotted a leopard up in the tree with his fresh impala kill. An amazing siting - I could have sat there all day and watched that magnificent creature!