Blessings

Faith learning to ride a bike after Ron holding on for about a minute! She is a pro now and rides all over campus everyday!

Faith at her birthday party - her class came over for cake and ice cream!



Thank you so much to the Tapestry of Grace home school co-0p for blessing us with a huge package from home! The drawings, cards and goodies touched us so much. We have enjoyed the things from the States lots and lots! Your thoughtfulness means a lot and reminds that we are loved from afar! Thank you so much!

Happy Birthday Faith!

Today Faith turns 9. It is hard to believe that she blessed us that many years ago! She is a delight to our family and is a blessing to us. She loves to read, ride her scooter, ride her bike, hang out with her dorm guys, and listen to music. She is doing great in school - loving math, reading and art. She is starting to be more adventurous - she signed up for dodgeball today. She did great! She loves Africa but she also loves and misses her family and is excited to see them again.

Happy Birthday to an amazing daughter!

Spring Break

Okay, I have to admit I had grocery store envy. This is a picture of their big store like Walmart - it is a supersize Walmart. It was huge. They had so many things that we miss from the States. It was nice being able to buy clothes of the rack and not out of a pile! I didn't have to haggle with anyone - the price was right on the clothes!





Spring break is over but we had a great time! Ron and I had time to do a few fun things while in South Africa - we were able to go to a lion park and game reserve. We were able to play with the lion cubs and feed the giraffes. It is amazing to see God's creation up close! The lions in the game reserve were within 10 feet of our car - they were amazing and beautiful.

We came home on Sunday and picked up the kids on Monday. On Tuesday we took the kids to the amazing hotel where they have a large pool and we spent the day swimming and soaking up the rays.

The rest of the week we watched movies, played games and relaxed. We only have 8 weeks before school is over and we will have successfully completed our first school year!

Kids are doing great in school and still love being here! Thanks for your prayers for our family while we are here - we hope you had a blessed Easter!

Time in South Africa

I am here in South Africa 1 week after my operation and I am recuperating well. I arrived last Sunday, met with my doctor on Monday had an MRI on Tuesday and he operated on Wednesday. It has been a whirlwind to say the least. My doctor replaced 1 disk with a stainless steel artificial one and fused 2 disks together. I stayed in the hospital until Friday and have been recuperating since. I am still very sore, but progressing daily. I am enjoying my time here - it does not feel like Africa at all. There are malls, movie theaters, McDonalds, KFC and lots of signs in English. There are Christian bookstores too. Very weird. The nurses here are great allowing me time to do some retail therapy as well by dropping me off at the mall for a few hours to walk and shop. It is nice to be able to shop in English and not have to barter for the price. I have a follow up appointment next week and hopefully will be cleared to go home next weekend. Ron is coming on Saturday to spend the week with me and celebrate our 16th wedding anniversary. God is good and although I have some post surgical pain, the pain in my back and leg are gone. The doctor is pretty confident that I have not suffered permanent damage in my leg and is relatively sure that I won't continue to have a drop foot after a few weeks. I can notice a huge difference in my walking and only notice my foot when I get severely fatigued. All in all although I miss Ron, the kids and the dorm guys I am so glad I came and had the surgery - it has been a huge success. Thanks for all of your prayers - they mean a lot!

Update on happenings

A lot has been happening around here - our guys (including Ron) went on an outreach to 2 villages. Ron was part of the medical team - he signed everyone in and recorded their ailments. It was a great opportunity to practice his language and interact with lots of people. He came back with many interesting stories and an encouraging time with language. We also had spirit week at the school - any time that the kids can dress up is always fun. Below is a picture of Faith during the "fake injury day".We also had another event - "Senior Cafe - Night at the Library". They had singing and skits and a costume contest, where kids dressed up as literary characters. Luke dressed up as Quasimodo and Faith dressed up as Little Red Riding Hood. Luke was in a skit where he was Patrick from Sponge-bob. I was once again reminded that I am not an crafty Mom when they asked me to make a costume, especially without a Walmart or Michaels craft store nearby! Ron was in a skit "Ramona the Pest" - It was a really fun night!



Another update is that I (Chris) will be heading to South Africa to have an appointment with a orthepedic back specialist. I have always had back issues, especially while cleaning houses, but just thought it was just part of getting old. Well, about 5 months ago after exercising I woke up and could barely move. I rested it for a few days and it seemed to get a little better. But every time I over did it - it would flare up. It affected my leg as well - numbness in the knee and ankle. I didn't really think it was too serious, but it was still very sore. Well, three weeks ago I played softball in a tournament and things quickly went downhill. First day of the tournament my knee on that same side really started hurting and then the following day, my foot went out on me and I fell and twisted my ankle. We made the championships and I couldn't play - I went to the dr. the next day and he sent me for an MRI and an xray. The doctor said that I have 2 herniated disks and my sciatic nerve is severely impinged. Surgery is necessary. So right now I am walking with a limp because my foot is almost completely dead. My mission wanted me to go to South Africa right away. They choose South Africa because the care is amazing, it keeps me on the field and the care is MUCH less expensive than the United States. We have an amazing group of workers there as well. I fly out of Dakar on Sunday and have my appointment on Monday and have another MRI Tuesday and he will determine the course of treatment. We will continue to update the blog when we have any details. I thank you all for your prayers for a speedy recovery and healing.

So, Ron will be with a dorm full of teenagers by himself for 2 weeks. Our school has a spring break starting March 19th so that will give him a little reprieve. We are not sure what the timeline will be for my being in South Africa. We are not sure if he will be able to visit me or not due to the cost of airfare, etc. but we will see how it all plays out when I talk to the doctor on Monday!

Thanks again for following our adventure!

Olympics

Our school has an annual Olympic sports event for all the students. Our kids competed against kids in their age groups. Last year we had just arrived from Mali and so our kids were pretty out of shape. This year they trained more, but unfortunately still didn't fare very well. Luke got 2nd in shotput, but Faith and Zach did not earn any awards. Unfortunately our kids are not very competitive - not quite sure how that happened with me as a Mom. They are definitely not built for speed! All in all they had fun and did better than they did last year. Here are some pictures from the day:













Here is a funny thing that happened to us this week. Our cook, whom we have had problems with, doesn't have a clue most of the time. Thursday I had asked her to cook a chocolate cake with frosting. She was very proud of the fact that she went above and beyond the call of duty and added sprinkles. Upon further investigation, she put rainbow sprinkles and bacon bits. They were sitting next to each other on the shelf. Culturally I guess bacon bits is a foreign concept!

Stuff

Faith had show and tell and she went dressed up in her matching American girl outfit - thanks Aunt Diana. It was a big hit!

We have been busy with the day to day activities of life here in Africa. School started back after Christmas and has been non-stop ever since. We continue to study language, parent 18 kids, manage 4 national workers, seek opportunities to build relationships to share the gospel, grow in the Lord, and nurture our marriage. Life here at the school is rarely dull with many things on the calendar. Our job is to be at the events of our 18 kids and cheer them on, take pictures and affirm them the best we can. Sometimes that task alone is daunting. We are usually running this way and that with all of the events on the weekend, although it is challenging - it is very rewarding as well. We took our guys to the sand dunes and they absolutely loved it!

The boys have gotten into volleyball and really like it. They are doing really well and continue to get better with each practice and game. Luke is a master at serving and is really improving his coordination. Zach is also getting better and really likes the game.

Today and tomorrow are Olympic days. Last year we had just arrived - out of shape and unfamiliar with the things of the day. So our kids did not have much fun being last. This year they have trained and practiced and will hopefully do much better. It is a hard thing as a parent to see your kid disappointed and embarrassed, but they took that and worked hard this year. They are still not the fastest kids, but I think they will feel better about their performance this year. Stay tuned for pics.

Life in Africa continues to be a great adventure. We have learned a lot about ourselves. We are learning how we deal when life gets a little crazy and what areas in ourselves that need to change as a result. Africans in general think differently and I need to adjust my thinking so that I don't go crazy! It is hard when you grow up thinking and acting in ways that you think are the "right" way, only to see that it is backwards thinking here. I see it with our workers daily - different work ethic and non-linear thinking. It can be frustrating at times, but then I just need to realize that my thinking is not right or wrong - it is just different!

In 2 weeks we will go on our first outreach to a village to build a church, host clubs, do a medical clinic and show the Jesus film. Pray for an openness in this village and for safety.