Aug. 19, 2008 - Praise for saving money...
I used to clip coupons faithfully. Then I stopped because it just takes so much time and energy. Plus how in the world can you possibly use coupons when you have 3 or 4 little ones in tow at the grocery store? Not to mention taking the time before you even go to the store to check the circulars and actually clip the coupons? And reading the Sunday paper and even finding the coupon section? Forget it.
Well, recently, our of neccessity, I have once again become a frugal shopper. It is almost like a life challenge now to see how much free stuff I can find...or at least see how much money I can save.
I know there are lots of sites and programs out there that teach you how to do just this. Today I found this blog... http://frugalinvirginia.blogspot.com/ and I love it. I have spent the last hour looking around at all the links and signing up for freebies and coupons. My husband is now saving the Sunday paper sales ads and coupons for me. And my children are old enough to stay home while I shop.
I never thought I would say it was a joy to go to the grocery store...it's almost like a moms night out for me...I said ALMOST!!!
Praise for coupons and freebies!!!
Let me know what kind of deals you find.
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Aug. 14, 2008 - Praise for the Planner...
OK, I am a self-confessed notebook addict. I love binders, spirals, journals, my binding machine...pretty much anything I can write in. After 10 years of homeschooling, you would think I would have my school planner all in order and just the way I like it...Not a chance. It has changed every year. I have a list of a million websites that I can go to for pages to print. This takes a lot of time and even then, they may not be just what I need. This year I was going to settle for plain ole notebook paper and journal our schooling. I also have a "MOM" notebook where I keep my grocery list, meal plans, etc. and it would be very easy to just add a section for our school journaling.
Well that plan changed when I found The Schoolhouse Planner by The Old Schoolhouse Magazine. I have to say, I peeked at the sample pages with one eye closed and the other through my fingers. The next day, I did something totally unexpected...I got it and printed out the entire contents for my new and improved notebook.
I was so excited. Almost 250 pages of a notebook mom's dream. I am totally re-doing my school, mom and household notebook. I already have a really pretty black zippered notebook and now I am in planning heaven. This planner has everything. Not only calendar pages for the year, but ideas for unit studies including websites, encouraging tips and articles, goal record pages, even transcripts for the important US documents from the National Archives. There is so much in this planner to pick and choose from it makes me excited about gearing back up for school.
Now, I said I was re-doing my school, mom and household notebook. I can have all 3 of these in one book now, because The Schoolhouse Planner even has forms for meal planning, recipes, address book , family health , information for the babysitter , vacation plans, chores, garden planning and much, much more. All this for only $39.
Check it out...http://www.theoldschoolhousestore.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=109&products_id=2499
While you are there, check out The Old Schoolhouse digital magazine. You can see the Summer '07 back issue for FREE ( I love that word) here...http://www.theoldschoolhousestore.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=2515 and order your 1 year subscription for only $16.95 (plus 19 FREE gifts) here...http://www.theoldschoolhousestore.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=2330. Lots of encourament and information for your homeschooling journey.
I'm off now to get myself organized for the year...fun, fun! I might even make a cup of hot tea and enjoy a few bits of encouragement of my digital subscription.
Happy planning...and schooling.
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Jul. 25, 2008 - Summer Reading...
Want to read a good book this summer? I usually do not have time to read non-fiction, but this one is a must read...The Shack by William P. Young. A friend of mine gave me a copy and as I finished the first few chapters, I put it down and wondered what was so great about this book she raved about. I debated if I wanted to continue or not after reading of the horrific and tragic event with the main characters young daughter. I decided to continue...because it had to get better...this was supposed to be a heart warming story. When I picked the book up the next day, it was hard to put down again. Yes, it's fiction...based on truth, and the author portrays an experience with the Trinity of God in a very unique and interesting way. If you ever question the goodness and faithfulness of God, read this book. This book helps to put into perspective how God works everything out for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purposes...Romans 8:28. Let me know what you think about it after you read it.
Now I am on to more serious reading...The Language Wars by Ruth Beechick. I love her books...very logical and common sense approach to homeschooling. It helps for me to get my mind set on why I continue to educate my children at home year after year...and this book is just what I need right now as I am pouring over plans for this upcoming school year. The best advice so far in this book...don't be a slave to curriculum.
Praise the Lord for books.
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Jul. 24, 2008 - ABC's of a Homeschool Life...
I got this idea from another website...Cindy's Porch where she has the ABC's of Rich Experiences... http://www.cindysporch.net/pages/abcofdo.shtml
I liked this idea and wanted to apply it to Homeschool experiences...here goes...
A - always learning and enjoying it
B - books, books, books and more books...this one was easy
C - children and lots of them...well most of us
D - doing what is best for your children
E - enjoying your family
F - field trips, fun and family
G - God first
H - happy to be home
I - internet...wonderful internet
J - just another day at home
K - keeping on schedule...not
L - love those rainy days...wish we had more here
M - moms night out...of course all we talk about is homeschooling
N - nature walks and nature journals
O - oh well...why don't we bake some brownies today
P - praise the Lord for schooling in pajamas
Q - quitting for the day at noon
R - reading, reading and more reading...that's because we have books, books and more books
S - spectacular support group meetings
T - teaching what we want, when we want and how we want
U - usually busier than most families
V - very interesting stuff to learn
W - winter days when we can stay home and keep warm
X - xerothermic...a word only a homeschooler would come up with
Y - year round learning
Z - zoos are so fun with homeschoolers
Feel free to add to my list. I think my next list of ABC's will be for the children to find the most outrageous word in the dictionary for each letter. Sounds like fun.
Praise the Lord for the option to homeschool and raise our children they way we choose.
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Sep. 20, 2007 - The "S" word...
OK...if you are a homeschool family, you know what the dreaded "S" word is. Before we homeschooled the "s" word was "shut-up" or "stupid"...now it's...SOCIALIZATION!!! I hate that word. It's so annoying when people ask you about that...almost like we never allow our children out of the house. I am going to put a link on here to an excellent article written about this issue, but before I do, I want to tell you a story of something that happened recently.
My 13yo daughter called our 27 yo daughter who happened to be out to dinner with her husband at the time. When my 13yod found out they were on a date, she immediately apologized for interupting their time and said they could talk later because she didn't want to take any more of her date time. Later that night, when I talked to our 27yod, she told me of this conversation and that she noticed how considerate and mature her little sister was when she called. Now, you tell me...how many 13yo girls do you know (who don't homeschool) who think about this kind of consideration? These are the things they "just pick up" being around us all day. I don't know about you, but that's my idea of good socialization skills.
Now the link to that fabulous article... http://www.webeans.net/hutt/socialize.htm
Praise Him for the work He is doing in our children thru us.
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Aug. 21, 2007 - Praise the Lord for babies...
Praise the Lord...this last few days have been so wonderful visiting with my step-daughter and her new baby. He is such a blessing and a really great baby. After only a week, he is already on a 3 hour schedule and sleeping very well at night with only 1 feeding at 3am. Cheryl is doing much better and healing slowly. I am so glad I was able to come up when I did. I think seeing a familiar face was good for her. I am exhausted with all we have been doing, but it has been the biggest blessing ministering to her during this time. I have realized this week, that I really enjoy taking care of new momma's and their babies. I could so do this as a full time ministry. I really enjoy cooking, but rarely have the time to enjoy it at home. This week, I have cooked a lot and really loved every minute of it.
Nathan is so precious and has such a sweet spirit. He is the first of what we pray will be many grandbabies. Cheryl and Josh are great parents and we are so proud of them. We thank the Lord for them and their healthy baby boy and pray God's continued abundant blessings on them in the days to come. What a joy each precious life is to Jesus and what a blessing each little life is to us as parents and grandparents.
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Aug. 17, 2007 - Please pray...
I wrote earlier from Charleston, SC. I am now on my way (a few days early) for Louisville, KY to see my step-daughter who just had a baby last weekend (see post on Nathan Joshua). Before delivery, they found out she had a strep infection, so they were prepared for that. Now after the delivery, she has post pregnancy pre-eclampsia. Please pray for her. She is upset and in pain and probably scared. I am on my way to be with her and help her. I woke up this morning dreaming about her and the baby and felt this overwhelming need to pray for her...so I did...now I know why.
If anyone has any information about this condition, please email me. The only information I can find about this rare condition is for pre delivery. There were only a couple of articles about this happening after delivery and they weren't much help.
Please pray for her healing and that there will be no complications. She has already been through a miscarraige this year, now has this precious baby that she is not able to take care of very well due to her condition. All that and hormones, too. You moms now how that is. We really covet your prayers for her.
Blessings,
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Aug. 17, 2007 - He knows my name...
Isn't it reassuring that God knows us all by name? That He knows the number of our days? That He knows the number of hairs on our head? God knows everything about us and He knows the plan that was designed specifically for each one of us.
So why is it then, when something tragic happens we can't make sense of it? We can't understand why it had to happen?
This week has been one of those weeks. I am writing this from Charleston, SC where we have come for a funeral. My husband's old business partner just lost his wife suddenly. She was still so young...only about 42. She left behind not only her husband, but their 2 young children. It's just breaks my heart when these things happen.
Then just yesterday another friend of ours lost her brother in law. He was driving home from work, had a heart attack and died.
One of my biggest fears used to be dying young and leaving my children without a mother. Then one day a friend of mine told me about when she was diagnosed at the age of 31 with thyroid cancer while pregnant with her 3rd. child. She spent a good bit of time away from her newborn baby after he was born due to having a lifetime dose of radiation. I am sure when this happened to her, she had the same fears that most of us struggle with. What will happen to my children? God lead her on an incredible journey of trust, faith and growth. She came to the conclusion that if God took her to her eternal home, then He knew the purpose, He was in control and He had a plan for her children. I am happy to say, she is still alive and well and a major player in the homeschool community.
There are days when I am right there with her and my fears are gone. Then there are days when that fear grips me...could there be a plan for my children that is better than them having ME? Only God knows. I hope His plan does include me raising my children, watching them as they get married and have their own children. My heart aches for those children who lose their mother so young and for the mothers that now watch their children from above. I guess we will never know (in this lifetime) what the bigger picture is...but we can praise God that He holds the plan book and He has our best interest at heart. He loves our children even more than we do...and that's hard to imagine. Let's embrace every moment with our children and praise God we have the privildge to be at home with them all the time.
Blessings,
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Aug. 13, 2007 - Nathan Joshua...
Praise the Lord for the birth of our first grandchild...Nathan Joshua...he was born August 12. He is so cute and healthy and we are overjoyed to be grandparents. Here is a link to their website with photos of them all... www.perkinsfamily.info
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Jul. 8, 2007 - A little about me...
I love these things and thought I would just post mine here so you can get to know me a little better...
1. What time is it? 11:15pm
2. Name: Karen
3. What are you most afraid of? Ruining my children
4. What do you drive? 2007 Nissan Armada
5. Have you ever seen a ghost? No
6. Where were you born? Albany, GA
7. Ever been to Alaska ? No
8. Ever been toilet papering rolling in decorating trees? No
9. Croutons or Bacon bits? Bacon Bits (if real bacon)
10. Favorite day of the week? Friday
11. Favorite restaurant: Fish Bones, Destin, FL & Bebir in Istanbul, Turkey
12. Favorite Flower: Orchids and the fresh cut roses my husband brings me from a roadside stand
13. Favorite sport to watch? Anything my children are doing...ice skating, gymnastics, soccer
14. Favorite Drink: Chai Tea Latte with Soy Milk from Starbucks or Diet Coke with Sonic ice
15. Favorite Ice cream: Mint Chocolate Chip Soy Dream...can't have dairy, but love Blue Bell
16. Disney or Warner Brothers: Disney
17. Favorite fast food restaurant: Quiznos, Subway, Pei Wei
18. What color is your bedroom carpet? Beige
19. How many times have you failed your driver's test? Never
20. Before this one, from whom did you get your last e-mail from? A homeschool yahoo group
21. What do you do most often when you are bored? Read, clean, take a nap, read email
22. Bedtime: midnight...usually because I'm reading email
26. Favorite TV show: Anything on TLC, Food Network, DYI or HGTV 27. Ford or chevy? Ford
28. What are you listening to right now? TLC's Flip that House
29. What are your favorite colors? Periwinkle, Pink and Black or Brown
30. How many tattoos do you have? None
31. How may pets do you have? 2 parakeets
32. Which came first the chicken or the egg? Chicken
33. What would you like to accomplish before you die? Raising my children to love the Lord and find godly spouses, then see my grandchildren grow up...then travel the world some more. I also have a list of long term goals like making quilts for each of my children, reading a list of books, etc.
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Jun. 28, 2007 - Istanbul, Turkey
I did not writing day by day in Istanbul...there was just no time and no internet connection, so I am writing this after we are home...just pretend like we are still there. 
First, let me say this...we fly through Cairo, Egypt, but did not change planes so all we saw was the airport from the outside. But flying into Cairo was unbelievable. On the descent all you could see is brown sand...the desert...everywhere. For as far as the eye could see was desert. Then just along the banks of the Nile River is green...probably less than a mile from the river... and then it's desert again. A few minutes later there stood 3 pyramids. I have no idea which ones they were or if they were the only ones, I just know I saw them...it was cool. Shortly after that, all you could see for miles and miles was buildings. This has to be one of the biggest cities in the world. High rise building everywhere. And that was our view of Cairo.
Descending down into Istanbul was very similar to Cairo...buildings everywhere. It was neat to travel over the Mediterranean Sea, Agean Sea, Greece, the Bosphorus, and the Black sea. Istanbul divides Turkey into 2 parts...Europe side and Asia side. It's really cool to be in Europe, then drive over the huge suspension bridge that crosses the Bosphorus and then be in Asia. We flew into the Europe side and stayed at a guest house apartment on the Asia side.
The first thing we noticed about Istanbul was the heat. They were having a heat wave with the hottest temps they have had in years...and we had no air conditioning. We would open the windows and turn on fans, but there was no relief. We would take ice cold showers that would relieve the heat for a moment, but it would steam up the bathroom...unbelievable. Needless to say, we didn't sleep well for those 3 nights. If you have ever been to my house, you know how cold it is in here. My family always says it's like a meat locker...that's the only way I can sleep.
Despite the heat, we set out both days doing the tourists thing. Guy's sister, Gwen, met us in Istanbul and showed us around. She lives with her husband and boys south of Izmir. We took the ferry back over to the Europe side and toured the Blue Mosque, The St Sophia Museum, and The Sultan's Palace. The Mosque was something to see. We had to take off our shoes upon entering and everyone had to have their legs and shoulders covered. Shannon and I had on sleeveless tops, so they gave us a blue clothe to wrap around us. Guy had on shorts and he had to don the same clothe. The architecture was incredible at all of the places we visited. It's hard to believe that so long ago, they had the means and creativity to make such remarkable structures that are still standing today. The mosque is still in use today and they close to the public during prayer times. The call to prayer goes out over loud speakers from each mosque and they can be heard from all over town. Let me tell you...there is nothing peaceful about the call to prayer. The sound of the call is not a pleasant sound.
The Sultans Palace was once again an incredible architectural masterpiece. Hand painted ceilings and tiled walls, marble everywhere, doors with inlaid mother of pearl and hand carved wood. It was really interesting to see what type of house the sultans lived. A big part of the tour was the harems quarters...that was interesting as well. The enoches that served the harem had to be castrated to work there. Jackson had a little lesson on that and then asked if they were forced to work there. He didn't think that would be so great of a job...I can't blame him. I can't imagine. If you had seen the portraits of the sultans you would wonder if the harem women were forced to be there as well...I think they were.
The St. Sophia used to be a Christian church that was turned into a mosque. There are still beautiful Christian mosaics all over the ceiling and walls. There are places in the marble walls where there used to be crosses carved into the marble. When the church was converted to a mosque, they scratched off all the crosses and left just the downward line...it was sad to see that. Then all around the inside, there are these huge wooden discs that have Muslim scripture painted on them. These looked totally out of place and overpowering. It was a good visual of the spiritual warfare that is in this world. It was like the forces of good and evil were playing out right there in that building.
We also visited a man that sells Turkish rugs. Guy met him last time he was in Istanbul...he is a friend of several people we know there...very nice man. He showed us several of his carpets from new to very old...all very beautiful and unique. If you ever want a Turkish rug, this is the place to get one. We were ready for lunch and he took us to a local's place to eat. That's on of the things we really enjoyed about Turkey...the food. Again fresh fruits and vegetables and all very good.
One morning, Gwen made a Turkish breakfast for us...fresh bread, tea, eggs, sliced cucumbers, tomatoes, sauteed peppers, cheese, fresh figs and of course, olives. It was fabulous! I didn't think I would like it, but it was the best. Eating in Turkey has changed the way I eat. It's so much better for you.
We really didn't shop until the end of our time there. We passed shops all over town and wanted to go in and see the beautiful goods, but we had to see the history first. Finally the end of our second day, we hit shoppers paradise...The Grand Bazaar. I think we only saw about 1/5 of the whole thing. It is huge. Anything you could possibly want from Turkey was to be had there. We did buy some great stuff, mainly ceramic plates and bowls and a Turkish tea set. I really wanted to spend a lot more time in the bazaar. Next time we go, I will plan on spending at least 3 days just looking around.
The history was amazing, the food was to die for, the shopping fantastic and the people were very warm and friendly. I was not looking forward to this part of our trip, but Istanbul was a place I want to visit again and spend more time there. I really was amazing.
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Jun. 23, 2007 - Leaving Malawi...
We had a great stay in Malaw and this last hotel at the Lake was wonderful. Unfortunately we have to leave today. I wish we could stay a few more days...next time. It has been very windy here. I've never seen waves like this on a lake.
As we were heading to the airport (about an hour away) we realized we still had about 100 lollipops left. We always buy them to give out as treats to the children...they love it and always come swarming to get that special "sweetie". We made a couple of stops along the way to see the church at Salima and the Baptist clinic that was started by friends of Roy and Patsy's. At the clinic is a water pump and there were women and children there pumping their water for the day. We gave them a handful of sweeties and then made a couple of other stops along the way handing out sweeties when we would see a group of children along the road. They were always so surprised to see us stop and give them something for free...especially something that they rarely have the money to buy. They very happy and did what I call a dance of rejoicing. The children would run away from the car shouting, dancing and waving at us...so sweet.
We fly to Nairobi and spend the night and head out to Istanbul tomorrow morning. We had dinner at Java House...the best food in Nairobi...love it. We always try to go there when in Nairobi. It was so good.
We are finally able to do laundry again here...we have a washer and dryer in the guest house and it's wonderful. We are up very late washing clothes, but it's so nice to be able to do laundry again.
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Jun. 22, 2007 - On to Lake Malawi...
After over a week of being on the road, our dirty laundry pile is growing. We thought we would have access to laundry facilities here in Blantyre at the guest house, but that is not the case. The hotel charges a fortune to do your laundry...$1.25 for a pair of underwear and the prices go up from there. We did hand wash a few things, but thought we would try to find someone else to wash our clothes. Yesterday as we were waiting for Shannon to come back out to the car, we saw a laundry service truck pull out of the hotel service entry. Shannon was just getting back into the car at that point and we took off following the truck to their facility...surely going directly to the source would cost less. So first thing this morning, we picked up our laundry...$124. Can you believe that? Guy talked them down to about $80, but still... Anyway, clean clothes again.
Now on to Lake Malawi. Guy had such fond memories of going to the lake as a child. It was supposed to be about a 2-3 hour drive. About half way there, we stopped for a potty break and happened to be right at the base of the Zomba Plateau and decided to go up for lunch at the hotel there. What an experience. It was so worth the drive up the mountain. It was cold, but so beautiful. The plateau is so big, there are lakes, waterfalls and lots to see up there. And to top it off, lunch was fabulous. Hot tea and fresh coconut soup...WOW! The most amazing thing was seeing the men on bicycles travel up the mountain (about 7km) to gather wood. For whatever reason, they got their wood at the top of the plateau, loaded their bike and then walked it back down. Try to control a bike pilled high full of wood DOWN a mountain...hard work. The things they will do for what they need is amazing. The Malawians are hard working people.
Back on the road and realized we were going to be pushing it to get to the hotel before dark. We thought we were getting close and the road seemed to go on forever. The last 30 minutes or so of the drive was on a terrible road full of pot holes, gravel and people walking and biking their way home in the dark. It was a very stressful drive. When we arrived at the hotel, we were very tired and the room was horrible. It looked great on the internet, but it was not as it appeared. We did sleep fairly well that night, but the next morning decided to head out for Lilongwe instead of staying another night...our flight out to Nairobi is tomorrow morning anyway. We had planned on the stay at the lake to be our time of rest, but we ended up spending another day on the road. Guy was disappointed that what we thought would be a restful day of remembering good times at the lake turned out to be a disappointment. Leaving turned out to be a good decision.
After a couple of hours on the road, we came to a small town, Salima, and saw a sign for another hotel by the lake and decided to stop for lunch. Lunch was great, by the lake with a traditional band playing. The drummer had traditional African drums and his cymbals were bottle caps strung on a piece of wire...it was cool. We decided to stay there for the night as we were only about an hour from the airport.
After lunch and checking in, we went back toward town to see what the local curio vendors had to sell. We had a bunch of Christian pamplets (tracts) and decided to give them out there. Guy was immediately surrounded by all the vendors wanting whatever it was he was giving away for free. Guy would ask "do you read English?" the man responded yes and Guy gave him a tract. He would ask another man, "do you read English?" They responded no and Guy would say, "well it's time you learned" and gave him a tract. Too funny...they all laughed. As we went to each vendors stand, we would see them sitting in the shack reading the tract. We pray God would use those tracts to touch lives and change hearts and the efforts would produce fruit for the Kingdom of God.
Our stay at this hotel has been much better and Guy once again has a great memory of the lake.
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Jun. 21, 2007 - Wild Goose Chase #5...
It has become a joke with us on this trip starting with trying to locate Jackson's grandmother. Every time we made another attempt to find someone and turned up empty, the next time we set out, we would say, "wild goose chase # ____". So now that we are in Malawi, we are on another wild goose chase. This time we are looking for a man named Gray. When he was a child, he lived with the Davidson family as one of them. He was this sweet African kid that played with the Davidson boys and went to school nearby, but lived out in the village. He would sometimes sleep on the schoolhouse steps, so he would not have to make the long trip home everyday. The Davidson's took him in and he lived with them for 3 years. Patsy went back to visit him about 12 years ago and they have always kept in touch with each other. Like most African homes...there is no street address to find someone.
So this morning we set out to find Gray. We started with going to the Blantyre Baptist Church. Roy and Patsy started that church and it has since built a larger building and grown to 2 services on Sunday's and has a school for K - 7th grade. We meet with the pastor there and asked around about Gray... no one knew how to find him. Next we visited the Baptsist media center that the Davidson's built, along with the guest houses they built that are not being used at the moment. Also on the property was the old church building. It was nice to see children filling the grounds as there is now a primary school there as well. Fortunately someone there knew Gray and said he could take us to the area where Gray lives. We drove out to this little town that was flooded with little shops selling vegetables & other goods...and lots of people. We turned onto this narrow dirt path that turned a twisted a few times while going straight up hill. There were people everywhere which makes it harder to drive the path. Guy's window was rolled down and of the hundred's of people along the road, he turned and looked at one man and said hello as we drove by. About a minute later, our escort heard someone on the road saying to stop...Gray was coming. The man Guy had spoken to was Gray and he didn't even know it. It was a God thing.
We turned around and saw Gray running up the hill toward us. Later Gray told us he thought Guy looked familiar and he told his friends, "hey, that looks like my brother". Then he saw Patsy's white hair and told his friends, "and there's my mum". That's when he took of running...so funny.
We continued to drive up the hill to Gray's house, met his wife and found out the boy that escorted us to find Gray was actually his nephew. We spent a while visiting with Gray and his wife at their home, then walked up the hill further to the little community church that Gray built. The first building is now being used as a preschool during the week. The little church is growing and they are building another church...a bigger building. The walls are up, but they ran out of money, so their is no roof. Gray is so faithful and trusts the Lord for all they need to finish the church. He does this all on his own with no help from the area churches or missionaries. He loves the Lord and wanted the community to have a church of their own...how precious.
We spent the rest of the afternoon going by the old houses the Davidson's lived in during their time there. The sweetness of memories...the stories of good times. We wanted to have dinner with Gray and Delby, so we went back to the hotel, had tea and showed them lots of pictures that Guy has on the computer. A great dinner and a wonderful visit with a long lost family member...it was beautiful.
Wild goose chase #5 was a success!
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Jun. 20, 2007 - Malawi...
We flew into Lilongwe, Malawi this morning. We had arranged to stay at the Baptist guest house in Blantyre for this leg of the trip, but never received confirmation. After picking up our luggage and waiting on the rental car, we saw some missionaries from IMB and said hello. Turns out they were from the guest house and returning from a year of stateside assignment...there was no one at the guest house and it had been and still remains closed. We were glad to have run into them to find that out. So leaving the airport, we are not sure where we are spending the night... 
Immediately you can see several differences from other African countries...it's neat how they each have their own character. Malawi is clean, mountainous and cooler. They people are gentle, gracious and genuine. We rented a van to hold all of us and our luggage and headed down to Blantyre. We first had to find World Vision in Lilongwe to drop off a package for someone. That took quite a bit of time because there are very few street signs anywhere to mark roads. We did the best we could with what we had. After stopping for the second time to ask what road we were on, we found a Nando's chicken place and ate lunch. After finally finding World Vision, we were then off to Blantyre. It should have been about a 4-5 hour drive giving us plenty of time to get there before dark...not so. In Africa, there are police check points all along the main roads. Since they mostly do not have police vehicles with which to patrol, they have check points. At the first check point, we learned that our van did not have proper registration. We explained it was a rental and we are just a family on holiday...about 30 minutes later, they let us thru.
On the road again...police check point #2. This one took about an hour. The police again explained that our van was not registered properly. We again explained our situation. He was not letting us thru this time. Come to find out, the van the rented us was not an offical AVIS rental. The company had rented a public hire van from a private person and then rented it to us. That van was only liscensed to travel to certain places and the owner had cheated on his registration by swapping out the tags...long story. We had to buy the policeman time on his cell phone to call the car rental office. Guy's mom had been driving at this point and the policeman told the man on the phone we would have to take the old lady to jail for the night and let her face the judge in the morning. He winked at Guy and told him he was just trying to scare the rental company. He gave us a ticket, took down the faulty registration stickers and gave us new documents for the rest of our trip.
Needless to say our 4-5 hour trip turned into an all day affair. We finally arrived in Blantyre after dark...and it was DARK! Had it been daylight, Guy and Patsy would have know where we were, but being so dark, they had no clue. We stopped at a petrol station and asked for a hotel. One of the men jumped into our van and took us to one...a nice one...it was sold out. On to the next one. One of the Protea hotels...very nice...like USA luxury nice. 
It was a welcomed site and they had rooms and a great restuarant at which we had dinner as soon as we settled into our rooms. Great food, great bed, internet, but too tired to blog. Checked in with my girls and went to sleep.
So glad this day is over... Praise the Lord for safe travel and Grandma is not sleeping in the jail.
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Jun. 19, 2007 - Last day in Mombasa
I am backdating my updates because we have been without internet connection for a few days. We have been to Malawi and are now back in Nairobi for a flight to Istanbul tomorrow morning...here are the updates where I left off...
Jackson spent the night with his family at his aunt's apartment. I think he slept on the floor, but he really enjoyed his time with them. He went to their duka (road side shop) with them until we could pick him up. It was an emotional and sad good-bye. His sister was very upset to see him go. They have enjoyed getting to know one another again this week. Jackson is worried about her growing up in Kenya, but he had a great talk with her and she promised him she would work hard at school. Jackson gave his grandmother some money (quite a bit for them) that he has earned at work and saved for her. Out of this money, she will put Mwangoi in school. We pray for her and know the Lord will watch out for her. Jackson has the option, as a USA citizen, to one day bring her to visit him in the US.
Packing and resting were the mission for the day...and of course, one more lunch at Splendid View. It was great to see old friends again and be back in what feels a little like home. Now on to Malawi.
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Jun. 18, 2007 - Monday in Kikumbala...
After running around all morning buying beans, sukuma and ugali we headed out for Joseph's House of Hope. The children were all very glad to see us and the entire school of 180 children came out to the field to give us a special entertainment program. How precious it was. They sang, danced and did acrobatics. Then they recited a poem about AIDS...
AIDS, You took my mother, You took my father...but you will not take me.
Doesn't that just say it all? It gave me chill bumps to hear them recite this. We were there at mealtime and thanks to some friends at home, the children were able to eat beans today. We bought enough with money that was given to us to last at least a month. We have sweet video of the children eating. The one thing that just broke my heart was seeing one little girl putting some of her food in a plastic bag that she brought from home. Carole said she was either taking it to a sibling or saving it for later. I hope she made it home with the food as there were several children around here asking for the food. A while later a little boy came up to me and I noticed a wet spot on his shirt...he had put some of his food in his shirt pocket...again saving it for later or taking it home for family. It was heart wrenching to say the least.
We then visited 2 other locations for school Carole has started. They have temporary buildings, but still a lot of work to be done. Each location has at least 100 students and more would come if they had more room. Medical supplies are also needed, along with food, benches for the children and the list goes on.
Again a very busy day, but much accomplished. Jackson spent the day with his family and friends. We are waiting for his return now.
Please pray for Carole. She is very tired as she was with us all day taking us from place to place. She suffers with pain in her joints and I am sure she is in pain tonight because she was already not doing great this morning. She is amazing and has such tremendous faith in God to provide for her every need.
Blessings until tomorrow...
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Jun. 18, 2007 - Sunday in Mombasa...
How do you capture and translate the experience of a village church in Africa? There are just no words to describe the experience that would do it justice. There is no way to fully explain the passion of the believers here. No way for you to feel the Spirit as it fills the small mud building with dirt floors. No way for you to hear the exuberance of the worship as they sing. It's an experience like no other. It makes worship in the U.S. feel insufficient. It makes our passion for the Lord and our witness for Christ seem lame. The believers here live in constant surrender to the Lord. They are whole heartedly sold out for Christ and don't mind sharing that with everyone in their village with boldness. Needless to say, church at Kikumbala was incredible.
I remember 2 years ago when we attended church here just before we returned to the States, I prayed that the little church here would flourish and grow and the next time we returned it would filled to overflowing. God was faithful to answer that prayer. Although they have struggled over the time we were away (at times down to only 4 people) there was standing room only in church Sunday. And out of the group present, 4 stepped forward to receive Christ as Savior. Praise the Lord!
Jackson's sister, Mwangoi, went to church with us. We then stopped for lunch at...you guessed it...Splendid View.
The owner's whole family was there and we had a great visit with them. The afternoon was an exciting time as well. Jackson's Grandmother had arrived safely from Nairobi and she along with the Aunt, cousin and sister came to our apartment for tea. We visited with them all afternoon. Before we left the states, we had a photo book made (at Kodak.com) of Jackson's first 2 years with us in the USA. We presented this book for Rose to have. She loved it and said she must hide it so no one will steal it from her. It was a great time for her to see how Jackson lives now...his house, his work, his friends and family, the trips he has taken, etc. The visit with her was full of emotion as she told stories of Jackson's hardships as a child and let us know how grateful and blessed she felt that Jackson has a new family.
We have been praying about Mwangoi, Jackson's sister. She used to live in Nairobi and had a sponsor that paid for her school fees. Apparently the money has been kept from her and she has not been getting the things her sponsor is paying for. She moved to Mombasa with Rose and now they are trying to get her into a school here. School fees are once again a problem. After much prayer, Jackson has decided to pay for her school fees with his money. Fees for a year are about $400 and the school she wants to go to is right in her area. Jackson has been saving all his money to help his grandmother and sister. He brought a portion of that money with him on this trip to give to them. I know they are grateful. He wants so badly for his sister to have a better life and not end up like their mother who died of AIDS. He had a very serious talk with Mwangoi today about her life and what he expects from her. It was a precious time of "big brother" giving instruction to his little sister.
What a long day...but filled with praise and blessings. Lala Salama...sleep well.
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Jun. 16, 2007 - Day 2 - Mombasa
Today was a little more restful. The children are not in school so Guy went out to Carole's house to get an interview with her and shoot more video. She is such an incredible woman. She lives with a couple of illnesses that sometimes keep her in bed with pain. As soon as she is better, she hits the ground running again. But we have seen that rain, shine, storms or anything else will keep her from fulfilling the vision God has given her.
Jackson spent the day with his aunt, cousin, sister and uncle. We dropped him off at their home this morning and just picked him back up tonight. His aunt made capattis for him...it's a fried flat bread...he loved it. I can't make them, so he doesn't get it at home. They went to the beach, played, talked about everything and then went and visited some of Jackson's friends. One of the friends saw Jackson and cried...he was so happy to see him again. Jackson was very touched by this display of emotion from a childhood friend. Jackson had a great time with them today and they are so impressed by his growth and maturity.
A nice dinner on the harbor, updating this blog and now off to bed. We are going to the village for church tomorrow and Jackson's grandmother comes in from Nairobi. It will be a big, busy day.
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Jun. 15, 2007 - Day 1 - Mombasa, Kenya
Finally a good night's sleep. Waking up overlooking the harbor along the Indian Ocean was a welcomed site this morning. Breakfast out on the patio, reading the Bible and drinking fresh mango juice... can't start the day much better than that.
We set out this morning to find the new location of Joseph's House of Hope. We found Carole (the founder/owner) at her house and after a long visit catching up, she took us to the new property for the school. The structures on the old property were broken down and the materials used to build the new school buildings, which consist of mud, stone and thatch. One of the new buildings collasped a couple of weeks ago in a storm and the remains were scattered along the ground. They have already begun to lay a new foundation, but still have a way to go. The children were excited to see us and all came running to welcome us to their school. They are so proud to have the opportunity for education and the fact that it's free is an added bonus. These children walk for miles to get to school each day. They are assured of 2 things...they will learn and they will get at least one meal that day. Today they were eating hominy. They usually have beans as well, but today they could not afford the $6 (US) or so it cost to provide the beans. On Monday, we will be bringing them beans and sukuma (greens).
We continued to be amazed at Carole's unshakable faith in the Lord to provide for every need the school has. Her outreach in the community is so effective, that she is continually expanding her reach...all in the name of Jesus. Her ministry takes care of so many needs. She told us today, "how can you take care of the children and not the mothers". Many times you must do both. We will go back out tomorrow for another visit with her and take more pictures and video. We are having trouble uploading photos onto the blog, but will keep trying.
We also learned of some sad news today. On my blog from 2 years ago... www.africa.godfocus.com... I wrote about William and Helen and their family. At that time the baby was very sick and we were helping them try to make her well. We bought eggs and vitamins for her and prayed many times for her healing. I guess the Lord loved little Joy so much, that He wanted her home. She did not make it much longer after we left that year. My heart broke with this news. It was overwhelming. The remaining children are up country with family while the parents work. I can't even imagine...
Nonetheless, our day ended on a joyful note. We finally talked to Jackson's grandmother. She will be coming down from Nairobi on Sunday. In the meantime, we found out his aunt and sister are here in Mombasa. This evening, we finally found them and Jackson's uncle and visited with them at their home. This was the first time we had met Jackson's sister and they had not seen each other in 5 years. It was a very sweet time of getting reaquainted and remembering their mother and their childhood. She had some photos of Jackson and their mother that were precious. We had never seen pictures of Jackson when he was young...so cute. His sister is precious...14 years old and a very lovely girl...tall like Jackson. She is not currently in school as she has no support or funds to go to school. We thought she had a sponsor in Nairobi, but we found out the money had not been reaching her. She seems to be happy living with her aunt now, but really wants to go to school. Please pray that God would provide support for her to get an education.
The night ended with a great cup of chai and dessert and a visit with our friends that own the local cafe here in Nyali. It has become quite the hot spot. This is the same cafe I used to use for internet service when we were here in 2005.
God really blessed us today with seeing old friends and meeting new ones. Off to bed for now... it's been a long emotional day. Blessings to all,
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