We're students again

Praise God, we continually see His hand go before us!
Emily took all of last week to recover, so today begins our formal Zulu study. We really had no idea what to expect. Sister Biyela (Bee-ye-la) from the University of Zululand chatted with us for about an hour then wanted to take us around and introduce some places to practice. She had planed to first take us to meet an area king. They were holding court and all of his headmen were there to help preside over the cases. Sister Biyela very boldly introduced us, told them of our language learning and asked for their permission for us to practice in the area and be granted their protection. The king thought for a moment and then asked to hear from Kyle in Zulu :) He stood up in front of around 60 Zulu men and in broken Zulu introduced us and explained why we were here. Everyone laughed at the conclusion of his speech and the king granted our requests! I was so nervous for Kyle, but he did well.
Next she took us to a tuck shop (convenience store), and two rural high schools. She explained who we were, what we were doing here and then asked if we could come listen in their classrooms. Both schools eagerly welcomed us!
At the end of the time with her, we were absolutely amazed! She accomplished in 2 hours what we had tried to do in 4 months down in Durban (finding places to practice). Praise God!

Disappointed

August 14, 2007
Learning to be content in all circumstances, joyfully accepting all from God's hand . . . That's the lesson today. We were so excited to begin our Zulu classes. Today was supposed to be our first day of class, but Emily woke up in the middle of the night throwing up. My heart just dropped! First, selfishly, I wanted so badly to start class. Secondly, I was so sad for Emily. This was her first day of pre-school (where they would be attending until Lily gets here) and she was so excited! Her little face just dropped when I told her that she couldn't go.
Soon enough we'll jump into language study, today my baby needs to cuddle!

Smile big

God has provided for us in so many ways. As Abby's mouth continued to get worse, we stumbled upon a different dentist. This young dentist helped us heal the infection and then pulled the third tooth that had been damaged. Abby was quite nervous about having the tooth pulled, but the dentist was so gentle that Abby never felt a thing! She was so pleased with her first trip to the dentist . . . even if it meant have 3 front teeth missing!

Sorry, no fireworks!

An American holiday . . we almost forgot. How quickly God can help the familiar become distant and the here and now become a reality.
Abby's mouth continues to have problems. She's developed an infection and continually runs a low grade fever. We are asking God for guidance; see a new dentist, keep the same one, or wait a little longer. We're just not sure what to do.
On a happy note, the house is getting unpacked. We feel so privileged with the home God has provided. The girls love the yard and the space is incredible! What a blessing!

Feeling unsettled

Have you ever felt that Satan is unhappy about the current events?
The first 24 hours up here in Richards Bay have been incredible . . in a negative sort of way. To God be the glory for the trials, it will strengthen and help me rest in Him. Might as well start off our time in Richards Bay on the right foot . . completely dependant on God!
None of us feel very well, the day has been very cold and rainy, and Abby had a horrible accident. She slipped on a chair and fell face first on the tile. There was blood everywhere! Only after Henry came out to see what was happening did he see the 2 teeth lying on the floor. She had completely knocked out 2 front teeth, pushed back a third tooth, and was in so much pain. My heart just ached for her!
We'll look things over in the morning and take her to a dentist.

All Packed

Moving day (again!)
Because of our steep driveway, getting our belongings up to the truck was quite an ordeal. Kyle decided it best if the girls and I took the car and did something fun. Praise God for his insight. The girls and I left mid-morning to go watch an outdoor children's play. The day was beautiful and we all enjoyed some laughs. The play was "The Princess and the Pea" . . . African style!
When we got back the work wasn't quite done, so the girls and I watched a movie on the computer. The day was long, but God provided in so many ways; the great weather, pleasant moods with the girls, smooth truck packing, etc.
By 4:30pm, we turned our keys over to the new renters and headed north for Richards Bay :)

Moving again

Praise God things are moving so quickly and it seems to be in His perfect timing. We've rested on Him to open doors and they are "flying" open!
We spent the first couple days of this week up in Richards Bay looking at houses. There is a perfect little place a couple doors down from Henry and Shirley (South African church planters on our team).
Paul (a teammate) sent our proposal to move to Richards Bay out to the Church Planting committee. No cries of outrage have returned, so he is notifying the team of our move. The comments he has received back have been very positive. This felt like a big hurdle for us. We had no idea how the team would respond to us making such a big move so shortly after arriving in the country. We continually thank God for the road He is laying out!
We did find out today that getting someone to take over our lease is VERY important. Breaking our lease means remaining responsible for the full rent until a new renter is found. We still have 9 months left on our lease! My heart just sank. How would we cover rent on two places? Kyle and I first took this to God. He can provide a renter, or He can provide the funds. Still, the worry was hard to suppress. I might need to lay this at His feet minute by minute! Kyle worked diligently to post pictures of our house on South African reality spaces online and now we wait.