Good-Bye Stuff

Before

After

After months of acquiring the "stuff" we want to crate to Malawi, we finally said good-bye to it yesterday.  The movers arrived around noon to box up all of our belongings.  They technically arrived here a few hours before that, but encountered a bit of delay as the driver took too sharp of a turn and got stuck in the ditch at the bottom of my in-law's hill.  The highway patrol took care of keeping the traffic back since the truck blocked both lanes of the intersecting highway while we waited on the tow truck to arrive.  The moving truck pulled away around 6:30 last night and headed for Columbia, MO.  Our "stuff" will be transferred to the crates and stored there until we receive our work permit and land in country.  So long for now!

Travel Mercies

Kody is currently on the airplane headed to Johannesburg, South Africa, for a week of meetings.  He'll arrive tomorrow around 2 p.m. our time.  Please pray for safe, smooth flights and layovers as he heads overseas.  God reminded me this morning that praying for travel mercies shouldn't be taken lightly.

I dropped Kody off at the St. Louis airport and headed for my in-law's house in Dixon, MO.  In the minutes before I was about to travel through I-44 near Rolla, highway patrol was blocking off the Interstate because of flooding between Rolla and Jerome (my exit!).  I was detoured through the city and told I wouldn't be able to get to Dixon.  I phoned my mother-in-law who told me of a back way.  She then tried to take the back way to her church in Rolla not even 30 minutes after I went through and it had already been deemed impassable; she had to head back home.  I had a small window to get to Dixon and God guided me through!

Thank you for your continual prayers on our behalf!  You never know what each day will bring.

(And yes, pictures are coming soon.  I haven't forgotten!)

Blog Facelift

Hi blog followers and prayer warriors!  As our family prepares to head back to Africa in two months, we've made a few tweaks to our blog.  We just had a photo shoot on Saturday, so you'll have to wait a few more days for new pictures.

In preparation for moving to Lilongwe, Malawi in September, we are busy purchasing things to crate amidst our hectic travel schedule for family visits, meetings, and speaking engagements.  We are cherishing every moment and memory being made during our time in the states.

Our family will continue to F.R.O.G. (Fully Rely on God)!

Farewells and Farewells.....

So hard to believe that we only have 5 nights left in South Africa.  The time has gone by so fast.  We have had 2 farewells in the past 2 days.  On Friday, Kody led his last session at the Soup Kitchen.  This past month he has gone through the book of Philippians.  The men have been very attentive and enjoyed hearing how Paul was able to be content and find joy regardless of his circumstances.  Joy comes through Jesus Christ alone and not from our circumstances.  The men came up individually to Kody at the end and said some very nice things.

We just returned tonight from the farewell at our church, Northmead Baptist Church.  It was so bittersweet.  We have made so many wonderful memories there and have seen God do amazing things.  To see the way that the youth have grown in their faith these past 2 years is priceless.  They each got up and read something that they had prepared and it was very touching.  It was an emotional evening.  One of the senior women in the church wrote a poem that we wanted to share:

 

Americans are odd folks; they live by a different code.

They 'speak funny' and they drive on the wrong side of the road.

It gets worse, they're also somewhat backward, the metric system not yet embraced.

We often wonder how they managed to put a man in space.

As for rugby and cricket!  That remains a mystery,

they are not part of their sporting history.

In spite of, or because of this, we hold you very dear.

We thank you Kody for your messages, they came through loud and clear.

It is a privilege and honor to have you in our midst.

Mere words cannot express how greatly you'll both be missed.

Bidding farewell is always tinged with pain,

But we have the glad assurance, that we will meet again.

God's timing is always perfect

He knew we had a need

For a person of your caliber to minister to the youth at Northmead.

So as we say farewell, we want you to know

Our thoughts and prayers go with you

As we prepare, to see you go.

 

Hamba Kahle! (Zulu for 'Go Well')  Tot Siens! (Afrikaans for 'Till We See You Again')

Ons het julle baie lief! (Afrikaans for 'We Love You Very Much') 

Ons sal julie nooit vergeet nie! (Afrikaans for 'We Shall Never Forget You')

 

We shall never forget our time here and the special people the Lord placed in our paths.  We love you all and will continue to keep you in our prayers!

Our Beautiful African Princess!

My First Day

By Karli Elizabeth

 

Things were going great until Mom decided that it was time for me to come out.  I was perfectly happy in my warm and cozy home, but things quickly changed!  All of a sudden I was lying on the table and heard my Dad scream for the doctors and nurses to come quick.  The doctor rushed in and was a little concerned because the cord was around my neck.  He quickly cut it off and I began breathing on my own.  I got to see my Mom and Dad's faces for the 1st time!  I have heard their voices for several months now so it was great to get to meet them.  Lots of people came to visit me that said they were my parent's friends.  I was really sleepy so I decided to sleep from 8:30 p.m. to 4:45 a.m. my first night so Mom and Dad could get some good sleep.

I received a big surprise the next morning!  Two of the cutest little boys came into my room with great big smiles, hugs, and kisses and said they were my brothers!  It was great fun being held by them, and I can tell they will always protect me.

Mommy seems very excited and loves to change my clothes and put new things in my hair.  Daddy....well, let's just say I have him wrapped around my little finger!

Love,
Karli

Welcome to Joburg Taco Del!

We were out this past Saturday and noticed a new restaurant called Taco Del.  This is not be confused with Taco Bell!  This was very exciting to us because you cannot find many Mexican restaurants here.  We really hope that it goes over well because the prices are somewhat affordable.  It would be nice to know where they buy all of their food because you can't find tortilla chips or enchilada sauce around here like they serve.

Old man winter has definitely arrived in Joburg........it is COLD!  I think we are better prepared this winter though.  We bought a small new heater for the living room and a heated under blanket for our bed this past Saturday.  We got a heated under blanket for the boys last year and finally broke down and bought one for us.  The heated under blanket with the new fleece sheets from Uncle Jim, Aunt Lisa, and Grandma Lorene sure did feel good last night!  Saturday morning we woke up and it was 23 degrees outside and it may have been colder inside our house than out!  We sure do miss central heat and fireplaces.

It's hard to believe that in 3 months little miss Karli will make her grand entrance!  We are getting very excited.  A lady in our church gave us a Moses basket and a small baby seat this past Sunday.  With these items plus the baby shower gifts from the party that Kody's mom and sister threw last month, it is all beginning to feel real!   

It was exciting to see that the Soup Kitchen continued to go strong while we were in Zambia.  Around 50 men are still faithfully attending and listening very attentively.  One man 2 weeks ago stayed after the Bible study was over and told Kody he wanted to learn more about Jesus.  Kody spent quite a bit of time sharing with him and then had the privilege of leading him to a saving relationship with Jesus Christ!

Appreciate Your Prayers

Tomorrow morning we leave for a meeting that is close to the Zimbabwe border.  We will be driving so prayers for safe travels are appreciated.  We will be at this meeting until the 17th and then have one day to wash our clothes and repack to head for Zambia for one month!  It will be a busy time but we are excited to see what the Lord will show us during this time.  Kody then leaves for a one week course at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary on May 19th.  After this course he only has one left!!  I'm sure we will have lots to post about when we get back.

We were supposed to find out the sex of the new baby this past Tuesday but unfortunately the baby did not cooperate.  Our next appointent is now May 28th so hopefully we will find out then!