September 2006 (so far)

September,
Our trip to Jo’burg: We took James back to Joburg and decided to stay a couple of extra days since Monday was the Reed Dance, where annually the King takes another wife, and Wednesday was Independence day here. So we took some of our good friends, Charles and Kristen with us and went for a mini get away after a long winter (summer in USA). We got there Monday, and I had another baby dr. apt. and all it well, he is right on target for Dec. 15, so we will see. The only troubles that I am having are my legs, luckily my mom was able to send out a pair of surgical support hose with 20-30 compression, boy are those fun getting on. Let’s just say it took Doug and I and about 10 minutes to get them on. . . .
We took James to the airport and sent him back to the states, the kids were pretty bummed as they love having family here and we have been so blessed our first term having so much family come out for some reason or another. So Tuesday we shopped and ate and relaxed, my kind of fun, sometimes you forget what that is like and with South Africa having major malls just like home you almost forget you are in Africa! Wed. we of course did some more shopping and found a nice rug to go under my dining room table since my chairs are getting destroyed from the tile (yeah)! We then proceeded on to take the church projector in to some place we had three different directions to, after making a few wrong turns and finding the unmarked building we realized it was almost 4 o’clock. We decided to stay and extra night since South Africa is not the safest of places to be esp. in the dark. So we found this new shopping center and ate at this amazing new restaurant called Cappuccinos, it was wood fired pizza and it was great. We felt like we were in America. Across the way was this Espresso restaurant places where they had this section for kids to roll out dough and they cooked the cookies for them.


We headed back to our hotel and came across a lady who had just been robbed. We saw this man running across the street and then another one following him. As we looked where they were coming from we saw a lady standing outside of her car with glass everywhere. Doug and Charles jumped out and I got in the drivers seat and locked the doors. They sent us to the hotel (which was across the street) to call the police. Come to find out this man was pretending like he was begging and came up to the car, saw the ladies purse on her lap, busted the window, grabbed her purse and ran. Her husband got out and ran after the man. There were 2-3 other guys on different corners of the street that were coming towards her until Doug and Charles got out to help her. These other guys then backed of and a car came up and at least one of them got in and drove off, so who knows what else could have happened. There is a lot of car theft in Africa. So all is well now, the husband somehow retrieved the purse and they left. Crazy world we live in. We headed back to Swaziland and had the worst boarder experience so far, oh well, life goes on!

August 2006

August,

James our nephew arrived and then the team from Yakima, WA followed the next day. It is always exciting to have teams, a lot of work, but fun! My kids especially love it. It started of snowing in Jo’burg the day before the team arrived, we were all shocked, just flurries though. The team arrived to one of the worst storms we have had in Swaziland in a long time. Lights and water were out everywhere and trees and power lines down all over. We were without power and water for about 3 days and the team for the first 5 days as they were up north. It was quite the welcome to Africa. Kaden had a blast with this team as it was the first kids crusade he got to be a part of. The team left and James stayed another three weeks.

Beth Moore, an excellent bible study writer, speaker, etc. came to South Africa! So of course that called for a road trip with my Wednesday morning bible study group. All 10 of us crammed into two cars, luggage and all and made the 4+ hr. treck to Jo’burg to hear our current bible study teacher. She was amazing and even invited our group in back afterwards to chat and take pics.

Still no word on our car, we have to get the approval from speed the light before we can do anything, needing a new engine is quite expensive! We are so bummed as we hate having this car trouble and having to depend on speed the light to depend on it, we are such believers in speed the light since being youth pastor’s previous to coming here. (speed the light is the offerings that come from AG churches from youth ministries to help missionaries get vehicles).

 

July 2006

July,

The month started off with us having a little 4th of July party here at the house. We had just a few friends over and Doug went down to one of the three little Chinese shops and bought some fireworks. It just doesn’t feel right though all bundled up freezing outside watching fireworks, since we are in the winter here.
Kaden caught a nasty virus going around called rotavirus spiking a temp and then followed by throwing up with runny tummy. Followed by Kylea who spiked an even greater temp of 105.1, which was a little scary, but we got it down and the kids seem better. Now poor Doug is battling a soar throat and sickness of some sort. Lord, protect me and the baby.
I don’t ever remember being sooooo teary with the other pregnancies, but man this one I am having about one day a week where all I can do is cry. I feel so homesick and stuff. I think we had such a great time with Doug’s parents and them leaving, teams coming knowing June-August are our busiest times and then we have summer which seems sick and wrong with all of the seasons and holidays at home. October through December have to be the hardest months for missionaries.
My cousin (one out of the five of us girls all on one side who are prego and due before the end of the year) emailed the other day and informed us she is also having a boy. That now makes three boys so far. Kylea piped up and said "you know what daddy I think that God just ran out of girl parts and now he is just into makin' boys" hahaha. She was a little disappointed that it looks like we also are having a boy; she wanted a sis so bad. I have been sorting through clothes of the stuff I brought here from the kids and looking at Kylea’s clothes made me a little sad thinking we probably will not have another girl to dress up in these cute clothes, I felt like I was mourning, oh these hormones gotta love them.
20th- I went to check on the kids during their nap before getting on the computer to get some things done and 20 min. later Agnus, the lady who helps in our home came to me to ask where Kaden was and if I had seen the big mess in the bathroom. I got up headed for the bathroom to find red cinnamon toothpaste and blue kids toothpaste bottles on the floor and smeared into the carpet. I noticed our bedroom door was closed so as I opened it I was my patriotic son standing there in just a shirt and a toothpaste body mask, red from feet to knees and blue from knees to waist and white on his face.
25th- today reminded me of a children’s book I used to read to my first graders, "Alexander’s horrible, terrible, no good, very bad day!! Obviously not that bad but frustrating enough!

Our car was knocking so we went to the petrol (gas) station to get the oil checked and it barely registered so they put 3- 500 ml cans in of oil. I go to get a muffin at the coffee shop and they are out, at breakfast time and I am prego and hungry. I go to leave while Doug has his meeting and am blocked in cuz someone parked right behind me AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHh! We get home in time to lay down for 30 min. then to wake up pack up the kids and go to Motjane and pick up the intern and take him all the way to Bulembu, where we also have a meeting and dinner plans. On the way up the mtn (malagwan) to the main city Mbabane our car starts knocking louder and louder and then it sounds as if something in the engine was severely wrong. So we make it to the top of the hill and drive it into a garage and they check the oil and the reader shows it is dry!! So we put 4 more 500ml cans in and get it to a different garage. They told us it would need to be towed to South Africa, something is very wrong with it!! Not to mention we are to go to Johannesburg Monday to pick up our nephew and a team and a baby dr. appt which is a 4 hrs drive. So we have borrowed another missionaries car til Thurs. then we have to figure something else out. Needless to say we did not make it to Bulembu or to pick up the intern, thank the Lord Pete was here to help us and take us home and get the intern to Bulembu.

Oh let me back up before I get too far. After waking from my little nap I went to wake kaden only to find he was not in his bed asleep like he should have been. I noticed the bathroom door was closed and someone was trying to get out. So I opened the door to find my little cherub buck naked standing on the emptied out garbage can trying to open the door. He was proclaiming to me that he went wee wee and also put paper down the toilet. Then he got this little grin and said “I went wee wee in my shoe too!!" I said what, show me. So still buck, he proudly walked across the hall into his room and picked up his light up fire truck tennis shoe and showed me he weed in it and boy did he. AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHhh. I think God has a major sense of humor on me right now knowing I have another boy on the way!! I don’t relate to this at all as Doug says it is totally normal for all the "exploring " this boy does. By the way after washing the shoes a few time and febreezing (which I brought from the states) them we ended up giving them away, the smell was way too bad.

We ended the month with a little Christmas in July party, since it was the middle of winter and the closest feeling to Christmas we get around these parts!