A Glimpse of an African Sunday...

These pictures were from last week.

Out of necessity, I was trying to be discreet,

hence the reason there are not any pictures of the service. :o)

View from where I sit...

The road we drive in on...

Across the street...

One of the girls...

Laundry

Dishes

My son

My Daughter

Road in Village

We're still Alive...

Just in case anyone was wondering, yes, we are still alive over here. :o) It was quite a crazy week. Tuesday, I came down with a bout of food poisoning, we thought possibly from the local cafe'. TIA (This Is Africa). Despite not feeling well, we still had to make a quick overnight trip to the Pretoria area to deliver video equipment to a fellow missionary to use later in the week. Less than a half hour in the car, in the mountains, it became tangibly evident that my daugther had contracted the same food poisoning, as she blessed herself and the car seat with the consequences. My husband and I looked at each other and said, "Are we ready to go home yet?!" We pressed on though. We arrived home on Wednesday, quite exhausted from being sick and travelling. So on an errand, my husband visited the cafe' on Wednesday after returning home. And unfortunately, Thursday morning, he woke up with food poisoning case #3. TIA!

So, that has been our week in a nutshell....food poisoning! What fun....my son has been fine so far and since we are positive now that the culprit was 'cream' from the cafe', we now KNOW what to avoid! :o)

Note: I don't want to hear any comments from Wendy about the coffee - ok?! It was the 'cream' NOT the 'coffee'. We would've gotten sick on Chai too - but why?! :o) Hee! Hee!

Our Valentine's Day Gift

The ultrasound on Wednesday, revealed one very precious heartbeat! The baby is about 8 weeks old at this point. We were saddened to find out however, that the other baby has already miscarried and is with the Lord.

Both we and our wonderful doctor were pretty surprised and excited to see the beating heart, and attribute that as a blessing of the Lord and answered prayers. The last several weeks have been quite a rollercoaster of emotions, and we are mainly relieved today to just know what is happening at this point. We praise the Lord for another child, which should be coming along around September 28!

Even though twins would've been overwhelming, only a mother could long for even that, so she could've known and held that one so dear that was lost.

I read this quote from Dr. J.R. Miller, in reference to the loss of a child,

"Only God knows what will be best - to live in this world, enduring it's wintry weather, or to be taken to the summerland of Heaven, to grow up there, getting the crown without the conflict. We are not wise enough to to decide what will be best' we would rather leave it to our Father."

What a precious thought...'getting the crown without the conflict'. One of the things that comforted me the most when we miscarried our first child was the fact that the baby was with the Lord. He or she was perfect. And he or she had already attained all that we look forward to one day being.

Psalm 145:9

"The Lord is good to all: and

HIS TENDER MERCIES

are over all His works."

We are very grateful for the Lord's perfect way. We're so grateful that when our spirits are overwhelemed within us, then HE knows our path.

Thank you to all of those friends and family that have showed so much love and concern for us during this difficult time. I cannot express to you the encouragement it was to this mama's heart.

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Eucalyptus Trees & The Storm

Several have asked if we can notice the scent of the eucalyptus trees just over our brick wall. Up until last night, I had not noticed.

Last night we watched an incredible storm come off the mountain. We live on the edge of town now and closer to the mountains. It seems as if our backyard is where the cool front collides with the hot humid weather we experience 9 months out of the year.

The winds were very strong. It was blowing things off of my shelves! And of course - this always happens in Africa - I had just dusted! Then through our screen-less windows, the fierce wind blew in a few tons of dirt all over again!

Yet the neatest thing - and reason for my post in the first place - was the strong scent of eucalyptus wafting through my home. Absolutely wonderful! My husband said, it's like natural aromatherapy! How cool is THAT? See, in the USA, you have to PAY for stuff like that...I just open my windows! :o)

The only thing better would have been if it had actually rained; bringing a more long lasting cool front!

To us, here in Africa, when we say, "Oh what a nice day out," we usually mean "It's cloudy and threatening rain"...but just the brief absence of the sun can make all the difference. The weather stations report two temperatures here; one in the sun and one in the shade. They say there is a 20 degree difference. :o) To an African however, if there's no sun, they're cold. They will have sweaters and jackets on even if it's 80 out - because there's no sun!

Needless to say, we keep our thermometer in the shade. It said 85 today. I don't really want to know what it would've been in the sun. That might be depressing! :o)

Bow the Knee...

This would have to be one of my life-songs. It was the song that comforted my heart most during the miscarriage of our first child. And even yet today, it's message has grown even sweeter as we walk with the Lord through the current storm we're facing...

Bow the Knee

There are moments on our journey

Following the Lord,

When God illumines every step we take.

There are times when circumstances

Make perfect sense to us

As we try to understand each move He makes.

But when the plan grows dim,

And our questions have no answers,

Turn to Him.

When we hear the thunder round us

And the rain begins to fall.

The cold and lonely winds won't cease to blow.

When it seems there is no reason

For the suffering we feel.

We are tempted to believe God does not know

When storms arise,

Don't forget we live by faith and not by sight.

Bow the knee!
Trust the heart of your Father
When the answer goes beyond what you can see.
Bow the knee!
Lift your eyes toward Heaven
And believe the One Who holds Eternity.
And when you don't understand
The purpose of His Plan,
In the presence of your King,
Bow the Knee.

His Way is Perfect...

We have been going through an especially trying couple of weeks. For those of you who may not know, I will briefly fill you in:

We found out last Tuesday that I was expecting, currently 6 weeks along. Then last Wednesday I had some complications to indicate that the pregnancy was in danger of miscarrying. Last Friday they did a blood test that seemed to indicate everything was ok, but the doctor ordered an ultrasound just to be sure. This past Wednesday, I was far enough along to have an ultrasound. We thought maybe we'd get to the bottom of this. She found TWO amniotic sacs. BUT she could not locate anything in either sac; they appeared to be empty. So she is quite concerned. It looks like both pregnancies may have already ended (blighted ova), and in that case will miscarry at any time. But she wants to give it two more weeks. There is a very small chance that I am not as far along as thought to be - meaning it would still be too early to see things on a sonar. But all things considered, that seems highly unlikely.

We greatly appreciate your prayers during this time. Our appointment is on Valentine's Day. Of course it is possible to miscarry at any time if it is indeed what the Lord has planned.

It has been a very difficult time of emotional ups and downs, yet the Lord has given great peace. And I just don't say that lightly. He has been everything to us. He has been so very real. He has been and continues to be our Strength. His Word has been a lamp to our feet and I'd like to close by sharing some of the most precious with you...

"For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand...."

Isaiah 41:13

"Which of you , clasping the hand of the child that you love, leading it home in the eventide darkness, or across some stony way, would let go that feeble hand, so that the little thing came to harm in unaided loneliness? It may be that to you life's path is rough and hard just now; the skies my be darkened, the track perplexing. Yet never dream the hand of your God and Father has ceased to guide you. He holds you all the more

closely because the road is dark."

~Mrs. Charles E. Cowman~

"As for my God, His way IS perfect...It is God that girdeth me with strength and maketh my way perfect. He maketh my feet like hinds' feet, and setteth me upon my high places."

Psalm 18:30,32,33

"When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then Thou knewest my path."

Psalm 142:3