Five day drive

Nate just finished day 2 of the five day drive back to our home in Africa. He's got five year old Eliana and one year old Ambrose with him. Tomorrow (Monday) is the big 15 hour day so please pray for them. May the Lord protect them and may the kids be amazing!
Lilah, Anastasia and I will fly up there once Nate's home. Lilah really misses her big sister! The first thing she asked this morning was "Where is Eliana?"

Just the three of us.

It's just us in jo'burg for a while. Anastasia is really missing her Daddy!

Goodbyes

About two weeks before we had Anastasia we found out that my father has cancer. I can't tell you the things that went through my head that day, but I know "No, not now, not yet" was certainly one of them. We all know that the day will come when we lose our loved ones, but it never prepares you for the news that the day is closer than you ever wanted it to be.

My father. A kind and generous man, who stands by his convictions, no matter the cost. He loves the Lord, loves to sing, loves to play jokes on you, loves to get a rise out of you, loves to show magic tricks to his grandchildren.

His grandchildren. That's one of those things when you live in a far away land. My children's moments with their grandparents are few and far between. When the news of my father's illness fell, the sadness of them missing out on all the precious moments they could have made with their Grandpa was overwhelming. So we were overjoyed when the Lord gave us the opportunity to go back to Australia for a good long while to say our goodbye's to Grandpa.

The month leading up to our arrival in Australia, Grandpa was in and out of hospital and things were not looking good. But, in the Lord's kindness and in answer to lots of prayer, Grandpa was in amazingly good health for the duration of our visit. This meant that our children got to make lots of fun memories with Grandpa in their last moments with him. Do you remember that time we went on the flying fox with Grandpa there? Do you remember going to the beach with Grandpa? Do you remember when he taught you that magic trick with the golden ring? Do you remember singing Bumble Bee with Grandpa? And what our little ones won't remember in person, we have made up for with plenty of photos of them playing with Grandpa.

It was a precious time in Australia, a painful goodbye, yet we left full of thanks for the memories we made, and full of hope for the memories we will make in the future, when we meet under the light of our glorious Lord in heaven, never to say goodbye again.

We love you, Grandpa.

Selfy Discoveries

Some things that strike us when we re-enter the western world are new trends and technological advances. For instance, while my sister was driving us home from the airport in Australia, her phone rang. In Australia, it's against the law to touch your phone while driving, so she simply pushed a button on her stereo to answer the call and I got a shock to hear my father's voice pumping from the car speakers. Pretty nifty, huh.

A new trend that we discovered (though perhaps it's not so new), was the 'selfy'. Everywhere you walk people are using their smart phones to take selfies. Going to Big W? Let's take a selfy. Going to the chocolate shop? Let's take a selfy. Finished an exam? Let's take a selfy. It's like a journal in pictures.

This particular selfy will always remind me of our trip to the shops where this mum of four forgot to bring nappies for her son :) Happy days. 

Tiny Anastasia

So tiny. So thankful

Girly Blanket

I knitted this blanket before we had the baby. Since we didn't know whether she would be a boy or a girl (and honestly I would have guessed that we were having a boy) I tried to choose a neutral pattern. This blanket turned out to be quite sweet though. Too sweet for an Axel but just perfect for an Anastasia :)

I found the basic pattern on Pinterest for free with no one taking credit so  here it is:
CO 144 stitches
Row 1: k1 yo k3 k2tog k2tog k3 yo k1. Repeat
Row 2: purl
Row 3: knit
Repeat these three rows until blanket reaches desired length.

For those interested, I used 8 balls of chunky yarn (9 or 10 would have been good too) and size 6 circular needles. It was described as a squishy blanket which was what attracted me and I concur. It is lovely and squishy!

It's a Girl!

Welcoming Anastasia Rose Schoen. Born 12 Sept 2014 @ 5:25pm. 4370 grams/9lbs 10oz. 53cm long. Big and beautiful! We thank the Lord for you our darling. You were worth the weight... I mean wait :)

Firsts

Ambrose's first time in a shopping trolley. There are going to be a lot of firsts for him this month!

seven years

Last month Nate and I celebrated seven years of marriage. They have been seven wonderful years. As I write this my four year old just looked over my shoulder and said "Look! That's you marrying Daddy! You found a husband who loves Jesus!" Amen little daughter. Having a marriage centered on Christ has made this the best seven years of my life.

Each year Nate and I sum up our latest year of marriage with one word. Over the years we have decided on revealing, adventure, abundant, growth, baby steps and steady. This year, separately, we both came up with the word "settling". These years have been filled with transition, travel and change. It seems like we have been preparing for seven years to arrive and work in the place we are now living. 

But now here we are. We have unpacked and planted trees that we, Lord willing, will see grow and bear fruit for many years. We are so very thankful for a place that we can call home and settle. However, wherever we are or wherever we go, we know that our true home is in heaven, and that those who delight in the law of the LORD and meditate on it day and night are those who are like a tree planted by streams of water, yielding its fruit in season.

May the Lord bless the next seven years of our marriage, bearing fruit for His glory.

Jack

Nate likes to joke that he is the jack of all trades, the master of none. If something is broken, he likes to try and fix it. If there is a job to do that he's never done before, he'll give it a go. He loves to experiment. He's had heaps of opportunities to expand his 'Jack' repertoire since arriving in Mapudje. 

So far since being here Nate has:

• learned about solar power
• taught himself how to weld frames for our solar panels
• put in dead bolts on our doors
• helped me paint the kitchen, lounge room and dining room
• made our bed frame
• built an outdoor table from bamboo
• started making the girls a playground, including a swing set
• planted about fifty trees
• chopped down, with an axe, many trees
• put a barbed wire fence around the boundary of our property
• fixed the piping and wiring of our water pump and tubes that rats gnawed through
• fixed our toilets from leaking
• planted and harvested beans and vegetables
• planted me flowers and fruit
• put in grated doors to secure our outside storage
• built me some shelves, stands and book boxes
• built and maintained a compost area
• dealt with immigration paper work
• worked on and maintained a generator and land cruiser
• and 1000 other little jobs that he crosses off the "love lists" I make him

This is all while living in a foreign land, dealing with people in portuguese, being the boss of three guards, teaching the Word multiple times each week, studying a third language, and putting his family first. As you might be able to tell, Nate may call himself the jack of all trades, but I would certainly rate him as the master of many. But to our true Master, we must give all the glory. Nate would be the first to credit any ability he has to the grace of God, being made new in Christ.

All glory to our Master, through whom we live and breathe and have our being. All our strength comes from the Lord. 

As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace… in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. 1 Peter 4:10-11

Army Ants

I consider our new home to be a dream home. There are so many blessings in living where we live and doing what we do. It's peaceful. My husband is home for most of our meals. We have a mountain view, verandah's, well water and solar power. My husband can watch the kids while I go out to minister. Just to name a few things. There are certainly some things that aren't part of the plusses though…

This week, our guard killed a two meter long Black Mamba in our yard. Last month, my one year old baby walked into a swarm of army ants. I was watching Ambrose from a fair distance away, walking happily along when he suddenly fell to the ground wailing. By the time I got to him he had these beauties all over his bottom half. These ants HURT! Once I'd brushed the ants off, stripped Ambrose down and assessed the situation, I saw he had about 20 bites. 

Thankfully, I had recently learned from Nate that a water and bi-carb soda paste takes away much of the sting. Once I'd made the paste Ambrose was already settling down, watching me work from the safety of my hip. By the time I started painting Ambrose with the paste, he seemed to be having the time of his life. Either it's a miracle paste or the distraction and fun of being pasted all over just worked wonders.

Good on you, my little son. You survived your first army ant encounter like a champion :)

Baby shower in the Bush

I got a huge surprise yesterday when eight ladies turned up at my house. They came bearing gifts, food and drink to throw me a surprise baby shower. They covered me and my family with prayers. I hardly know these ladies, yet they drove an hour out of town to our house to bless me in this way. Even in the bush of Africa, God sees and knows. How beautiful is the family of God all over the world!

Twenty six weeks

I guess it has become a tradition to do one of these photos. Now it's our littlest one's turn to make an appearance…

Thankful. How very thankful I am for my family.

Hard Earned Flour

Life here is very different to the western world. For example, things take more time. I took this photo from the verandah of the lady I study the Bible with each week. What you see on the ground is their maize flour which has been freshly milled, and is now drying in the sun. 

If you would like to get an idea of the process my friend goes through to earn this staple food, here it is, from my still limited understanding:

• Walk an hour or more to the field each day.
• Plant maize seeds by hand as soon as rainy season starts
• Weed the field by hand each day
• Harvest the maize by hand
• Carry the maize back to the house little by little by bicycle
• Shuck the maize (take off the outer green layer and then the kernels by hand)
• Extend the kernels in the sun to dry
• Carry the maize kernels to the mill (they carry it on their heads, wrapped in a large piece of material) OR
• Crush it by hand using a very big wooden pestle and mortar type instrument
• Winnow by hand using a basket made of reeds. 
• Lay the maize flour in the sun to dry.

I am probably missing parts of the process, but you get an idea of the time that is involved to provide flour for your family!

It's Sugar Cane Season!

Twigs, Twine and Elephants

Something that seems to have been important to my mum is that her infant grandchildren have mobiles above their cribs. She has bought mobiles galore and made some beautiful mobiles of her own. Sadly, mobiles were a bit too bulky to bring with us to Africa, so I made this little elephant mobile for Ambrose last year. A few twigs from the back yard, some fishing wire, some beads, and some paper.

Something simple, yet Ambrose loves it. He points to it when I put him to bed, and when I get him up. He laughs when I spin it around. 

Thank you, Grandma, for the inspiration you give with your beautiful life.

You know you're in Africa when...

• Your daughter packs away her toys by carrying them on her head to her room
• Your husband makes a 14 hour trip over dirt roads with a leaking fuel tank held together by sacks and duck tape
• You're walking on the sidewalk with your daughter and she asks "Mum, are they papaya seeds?" and your response is "No sweetie, that's goat poo."
• Your two year old yells from the bathroom, "Do we have power? Can I flush?"
• Your young children know how to greet in three languages
• You're on a nice quiet walk as the sun is setting, just you, your family, and twenty giggling african kids close behind
• Your husband, who loves the cold of northern America that he grew up in, says on an 90F day, "Wow, this weather today is nice!"

Job Satisfaction

We have a meeting with local believers each week, which usually occurs at our house - about 1km out of the village. We have been encouraging the people to have the meetings at their homes in the village, and last week we had our first meeting there. 

I have to admit, having the meetings in the village rather than in the safety of our backyard is a bit trickier for me. Ambrose misses his nap and I spend most of the time making sure the kids don't get into goat poo, cooking fires, or hard earned water (carried from a well). But, it is worth it. We had two new people come, simply because we met in the village, and they heard the Word of Life taught and had good discussions about it. We sure are thankful for this job! What a privilege. 

Birthday Present

For my birthday last year Nate gave me one of my favourite presents. A day to paint. He cooked, cleaned and took care of the kids all day while I sat on the back verandah and painted. I was going through a red and turquoise phase, though all I had to use was blue and red house paint and some black and white water colors, hence, the finished product...

I copied the flower painting from one I liked on the internet (search turquoise and red flower paintings), I painted a panera (winnowing basket) that got moldy in the rain and used a branch from the back yard as inspiration, and the little rectangle painting is my attempt to give a birch tree effect. (Hubs didn't realize it until I told him :).

The gift that keeps on giving...

I got a big surprise this morning when I walked to the table and saw a Mothers' Day card lying there. With no t.v. or grocery stores to remind me through advertisements, I'd honestly forgotten that it was Mother's Day!

Happy Mothers' Day to all of you, and especially to our two own beloved mothers, Grandma Triplett and Grandma Larter. You truly are gifts that keep on giving. 

Good night… I'm off to get a foot massage!

To brighten up a hallway...

Children's artwork and IKEA frames. Thanks for the frames, Aunty Wooz!!!