October 31 P.S.

We have just returned from trick-or-treating at Beautiful Gate. Thought you might want to peek at the little monsters :-)

Mercy the Cowgirl

Faith the Scarecrow

Hello Kitty! (aka Dakotah)

Eli the Dementor

What a frightfully fun evening! 

October 31...

Dare I say it...? Happy Halloween. It is Friday afternoon here and it has been a Pinterest Day for me! :-) Just a reminder, we are going into summer, and it feels hot already. No A/C, so we will be sweating it out. While our minds say it is mid-June, our calendar argues that it's October 31. Now most people in Lesotho don't seem to be paying a lot of attention  to Halloween, but WE have been invited to a Halloween trick-or-treat party with our fellow American friends. To get in the mood, I had a Pinterest Day. Take a look! 

Pumpins made from curtain fabric, plastic bags, and toilet paper

Candle holder made from an artificial plant arrangement

Our house was filled with orange when we arrived! Even many of the dishes are orange. It was looking like a halloween house, and so we are reclaiming our space and will soon be "gifting" our friends with new creations. "Orange" you glad you don't live near us anymore?

We're Home!

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

No, we haven't gone rogue! We have been in Maseru for about 12 days now, but have not had access to the internet. Our flights went well and we arrived here on a Friday evening. The international airport in Lesotho had only one small plane when we arrived: ours! Customs/Immigration was a breeze :-)  

We spent the last week working on our house and getting ready for school. The front part of our house will be classrooms, and we live in the rest of the house. Wow! Working at home. It's awesome. 

Front Classroom

Younger Kids' Classroom (work in progress)

There are a lot of things to learn about and get use to: how to pay for water and electricity, keeping your house secure, driving on the right side of the road, etc. We have a water filter attached to our kitchen sink, and that keeps us healthy. Unfortunately, Dakotah has been drinking water from her shower and is now paying the price with a "watery stomach" and a rash on her bottom. Ouch! She's been walking like a cowgirl for the past few days. 

So, this is where we live. Come on over! 

Front Gate to Our House

View of Front 

Door to our "school"

The Carport

View from the backyard

   

1, 2, 3...GO!

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Right now we are in a hotel near Washington Dulles Airport, soon to sleep and wake up early to catch a flight to Africa! Well, not just us...we are also taking along over 400 pounds of luggage! Tomorrow we fly to Ethiopia, then down to Johannesburg, and finally to Lesotho where we will be met by the Geurinks from Beautiful Gate. It still doesn't seem real.

2 funny things that happened today :

 

1. After sitting in the Grand Rapids, MI airport for about 30 minutes, Dakotah asked, "Are we in Africa?" Don't we wish! There is still a long journey ahead.

2. I showed Dakotah a Youtube video of BJ Thomas singing "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head." The video shows BJ Thomas with long wavy hair, probably in his early 50's. Dakotah thought it was Pastor Jack (Calvary Chapel Chino Hills)! We all laughed!!  

Thank you to so many who have helped us along the way. Please continue to pray as we transition to a new culture and lifestyle. Although things have taken longer than we expected, looking back I don't think we would change a thing. God knew...

Last Sunday the worship team at the church I attended sang "The Stand." So appropriate. The lyrics go like this:

You stood before creation
Eternity within Your hand
You spoke the earth into motion
My soul now to stand

 

You stood before my failure
Carried the Cross for my shame
My sin weighed upon Your shoulders
My soul now to stand

 

So what can I say?
What can I do?
But offer this heart O God
Completely to You

 

So I'll stand with arms high and heart abandoned
In awe of the One who gave it all
So I'll stand, my soul Lord to You surrendered
All I am is Yours

 

Yep, we're headed to Lesotho. I know I leave home as a selfish, willful person who knows very little about poverty, injustice, or untimely death. I pray that I will learn to surrender more completely and live with heart abandoned, and that God will work in our hearts so that we are ready and willing to do whatever He has prepared for us.

 

Stay tuned.