A Home

Praise the Lord we have accommodation in Livingstone - albeit temporary.

The Lord has provided a 3 bedroom guesthouse that we can rent for a month.  This will be a perfect base as we look for more permanent accommodation.

Please continue to pray for our long term housing as rental houses are snatched up quickly because there is more demand than supply.  We know the Lord will continue to supply our needs but He does like to be asked, so please ask with us.

Oh, and did I mention the guest house has AIR CONDITIONING!!!  YIPPEE!!!!!!!

Michelle

Friends

Wednesday afternoons used to be homeschool group.  A time when a few homeschooling mums and their children would gather at our home and just relax (Well at least the mums would relax, sometimes the kids got a little wound up!!!)

I have really enjoyed these afternoons and appreciate the friendships that have developed and will continue, even though there will be miles between us.

Last night two of the families treated Gary and I to a date night!!  We actually got to spend the whole evening together, alone, just the two of us, no interuptions - it was wonderful.

So thank you my friends for providing the money and the child care to enable us to do this.  It was much appreciated.

Michelle

Boxes

Slowly the packing is progressing. Boxes are starting to fill the dinning room and the hallway.

We are now living out of suitcases as we try to determine what will be shipped, put in suitcases or in our carry on luggage.

Slowly, we are getting organized

BUT ... time is ticking away. The 20ft container will arrive on Tuesday, ready for our van and as many other belongings as we can fit into it.

Wednesday, we travel to WEC's headquarters to spend the night before traveling to London next Thursday to catch our flight to Africa.

NEXT THURSDAY!!!! How did this move sneak up on us so quickly?

Michelle

Saying Goodbye

Three years ago when Gary informed me that the Lord was calling us to England I didn't have the reaction that you would probably imagine. Instead of rejoicing, I cried. Not tears of happiness, but tears of expectant pain. I had known what it was like to leave my family and to miss them, and while part of me wanted to be near them again in England, I also knew, deep down, that we wouldn't be staying here forever and would therefore have to go through the pain of leaving again.

My tears did not last long as that initial pain turned to joy when I imagined the times I would spend with them. This last year has been full of joyful occasions including meeting my 3 year old nephew for the first time last Easter and seeing my niece when she was just a week old.

We have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know these new members of the family, as well as spending time with the 'older' ones.

BUT, now it's time to leave again. Time to feel the pain that 3 years ago I knew would come. Time to cry whilst realizing how precious it is to have a family that you love and that loves you.

A couple of weeks ago, I said goodbye to my brother and his family. Yesterday it was my sister and her family and next week I will go through this again as I say goodbye to my parents.

Why do I put myself and them through it?

If I want to be obedient to my Heavenly Father, then I do not have a choice. He has clearly called us to Zambia and we need to go.

Yesterday I was reminded of Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you" declares the Lord "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future".

So, amidst the pain I have so much peace in knowing that my Father's plans for me are the best - and I wish to be nowhere else but in His will.

Michelle

Another quick update

We are planning to leave Leeds within the next hour to go and visit my family, but I wanted to give a quick update on our move before we left.

Flights are booked. We will be leaving England March 4th and arriving in Livingstone, Zambia on March 5th.

Shipping is still not confirmed. We are hoping to ship our belongings on March 1st but are still waiting for a few questions to be answered before we confirm that.

Accommodation is also not confirmed. We do have the possibility of staying in a guest house for the first month, but we are still hoping to secure a more permanent housing before we leave.

The packing is coming along albeit slowly. The kids are now living out of suitcases and most of the other clothes and books are packed.

We are confident that the Lord will work all these things out in time for our arrival. He has not brought us this far in our journey just to leave us homeless.

Please continue to pray for us. That we would be diligent with our time and wise in our decisions. Thank you.

Michelle

Down to Dartmoor

The next stop on our travels around England was to Devon to spend 3 days with my brother and his family.

They live in a small village on the edge of Dartmoor, an absolutely beautiful part of the country. While we were there we celebrated Gary's 40th birthday. I have to publicly thank my sister-in-law as she totally spoiled him. Cinnamon rolls for breakfast, birthday cake in the afternoon and Ben and Jerry ice cream for an evening treat.

If you know Gary at all, then you know he loves chocolate. What better gift could this American receive than chocolate covered oreos (along with a lot of other chocolate)!!

We spent a few hours of Gary's birthday letterboxing (which is like a treasure hunt) on Dartmoor. We walked for a while before finding the first clue, but once the older children had got the hang of it they were eager to continue to find more.

At times the walking was hard, especially for the little ones. Deanna made a comment to me while trying to navigate her way over some rocks that "it wasn't a good idea to do this for Daddy's birthday!" But once she made it to the top her attitude changed and she had a lot more fun.

The temperature wasn't too cold but we decided to return to the house once the clouds descended and the rain arrived.

Dartmoor really is a beautiful part of God's wonderful creation.




Michelle

Quick update

The flights are booked and paid for. Scary but done :)

We have found a shipping company that will take our belongings from Leeds to Livingstone. We are just waiting on a couple of questions to be answered and hopefully will be ready to book that on Monday.

Still looking for accommodation, but we do have something that might work for us. We should know by this evening if it will, then I can fill you in on the details.

Still packing. Yesterday we began to pack suitcases. I find it easier to pack all the suitcases early and live out of them for a couple of weeks than to wait until the last minute and find we don't have enough space.

So little by little we are getting there.

ONLY 19 DAYS TO GO!!!!!!

Michelle

Moreton-in-Marsh

On Monday morning the kids awoke itching to go out and explore the marsh which is situated right next to my parents home.

Of course, we were happy to agree. We walked and explored for almost an hour. Paddling in the stream and consequently finding out who had leaky boots!!.

Yes, that is a little snow on the ground. Unfortunately it didn't last long as the sun was warm that morning. Actually, for those of us who didn't have boots we had to get back quick because as the ice melted, the ground returned to it's marshy conditions and we began to sink and get very muddy.

We also had to return as my sister was visiting with her baby who is just a few months old.

We had a great time visiting with them both. The baby is becoming more responsive now and all the children wanted their turn in holding her. Deanna really enjoyed just sitting, watching and holding hands.

Michelle

Road Trip!!

Last week we took a road trip. Traveled 850 miles (which is quite a lot in England) over 8 days and visited with many friends and family. I hope to share our journey with you over the next few days.


We began our journey on a Saturday and stayed at my parent's home (although they were away in Thailand) and used it as a base for 3 days. The next day we visited Upper Stratton Baptist Church which is where I worshiped for the first 22 years of my life. The building has changed quite a lot since I left, but there were still many of the same faces (and many new ones too).

I had the privilege of sharing with the Church about the journey the Lord has taken us on over the last 16 years and about what the Lord is doing with us now by leading us to Zambia. I also enjoyed chatting with people, many of whom I have not seen for a number of years.

One very dear friend of mine (who now lives 2 hours from the Church) got her family up early and drove all the way to the church in time for the 11 am service. After Church we went out for lunch and spent the afternoon together.

It was a wonderful time of catching up on news and watching the children thoroughly enjoy each others company. But good times come to an end so quickly, don't they? And before we knew it, the time had come to say goodbye. Goodbyes are never easy, but when you don't know how many years will pass before you see each other again, it just makes it that much harder. I do thank God though, because I know that our friendship is strong enough to survive the miles and time apart and of course emails and Skype make bridging that gap so much easier.


After leaving my friend and her family we began our journey back to my parents home. On the way we stopped at some friends of my parents who I know wanted to be filled in about our move to Zambia. We stayed there for about an hour before continuing our journey.


A day full of friends, well behaved children (thankfully!!) and many happy memories.

Michelle

Emotions

I have been asked to give an update on our preparations to move. So here it is.

Practically, we are getting there, albeit slowly. We have found flights that will work for us and will be booking them today - or at least transferring the money to the States today. We will purchase the tickets when the money arrives in the US as the company we are working with offers special prices for missionary and humanitarian work but in order to keep their prices low, charges the extra 3% if we pay by credit card.

We are still looking for a shipping company. The concern is not so much, how to get our things across the ocean, but choosing a company to transport the container from Durban, South Africa to Livingstone, Zambia. We also have to send our vehicle as we have been advised it will be cheaper than buying one in Zambia - with that comes the challenge of finding somewhere to load the van onto the container.

I have finally started packing. Due to having to rent a 20ft container (because of the van) we will be able to get more of our belongings shipped.

We are still looking for accommodation for when we arrive in Livingstone. Please pray that the Lord will provide that soon.

All our vaccinations are now completed - Praise the Lord!! I have to boast on our children for just a moment. They all did so well - out of all the vaccinations they received we saw tears only once.

So physically we are getting there. Emotionally - well, that's a lot harder.

Last week we spent time with some family and friends, enjoying each other's company and saying goodbye. That is not easy. And there is a lot more of that to come.

The biggest emotional hurdle that Gary and I face right now has been actually purchasing the flights. It is not that we aren't willing to part with the money, but we are struggling to make that final commitment. Once the tickets are purchased we know we are actually going. Going to Zambia; going to a country to which neither of us has ever been.

Looking back, the transition from America to England was relatively easy. Obviously I knew the country and culture well, and so did the family as we have visited many times over the years. BUT AFRICA!!! Hold on Lord, we don't know what to expect when we go there! We don't know the culture, we don't know our way around, we don't know much of anything.

Now, I realize I'm probably over reacting, but to be honest the thought of getting on that plane and flying into the unknown scares Gary and I and what makes it harder is taking the 6 children with us. We are so used to them coming to us and being able to explain why things happen, or what we need to do to get things accomplished - But I know I won't have those answers for them as I imagine we will feel lost when we arrive. And maybe that feeling will last for a long time.

It's also okay to go to a strange place for a vacation and finding it hard because you always come home from a vacation after only a short time. But this is no vacation. The Lord, in His wisdom, has only given us enough money for a one way ticket. Once we go we will be there for a long time. Livingstone will be home for us. Home in a strange place, strange surroundings, strange sounds, strange sights, hot temperatures (YUK!!) but still HOME.

Going is SO hard.

BUT... WE WILL GO!!

God has made it so clear that moving to Zambia is what we need to do, and so we will. He has shown us many times through scripture that we need to go. We have come from a place where 10 weeks ago we were struggling to find enough money for food, to a place where the Lord has provided abundantly and we now have enough money for our flights and shipping (which isn't a small amount for 8 people!!) And most excitedly, He has prepared our childrens' hearts for the work in Zambia. If we choose not to go, then everything we have tried to teach the children will be worth nothing. It is time for us, as parents, to lead by example and obey God - even when it's hard.

Christ sacrificed his own life for me, which makes complaining about leaving my comfort zone sound really pitiful!!!

So today we will book flights and in 22 days (March 4th) we will leave England, following Christ, trusting in Christ, knowing He holds the future in His hands -and His plans for us are GOOD.

A big thank you to all who have been praying for us, please don't stop now.

Michelle

She Caught the Vision

The other day Elaina came into see me at about 9:30 at night. She was sobbing. I asked her what was wrong and she answered that she didn't want to go to Africa because she didn't want to see children dying in our home!!

I held her and hugged her. I reassured her that I knew of several people that were taking care of orphans who had not had a single child die in their home. But I couldn't promise her it wouldn't happen. What I did promise her, and can promise her is that God will be with us through every trial, every heartache and He will give us enough strength to cope with whatever happens. While it would be very hard, the Lord is our Father who will comfort us and heal us.

We continued to talk and I asked her what would happen if we didn't go. She came to the conclusion that the child would still die, but may die alone, on the streets and most devastatingly without knowing the love of Jesus.

Then I asked her what would happen if we took care of that child. Together we concluded that if they were still going to die, they would leave this world having known the love of a family, having heard the love of Jesus and if they accept Christ then they would die with the hope and promise of eternal life with Him.

Suddenly Elaina's face lit up. She saw the vision, the purpose for our going. Not only to feed the hungry and clothe the naked, but to tell them the good news of Christ.

I was so pleased when I saw her turn and literally skip back to bed. The Lord had not just given her a peace about going, but JOY!!

Michelle

Changes around the house

One of Gary's goals before we leave, is to prepare our flat for the next group of people that, at some time, will be coming to live here.

It was decided that the best use of the space was to divide some of the rooms to make a 1 bed self contained flat and 5 other bedrooms.

This has meant building walls!!

We now have a wall in our bedroom, making it too small to fit our double bed in, so we have moved to the schoolroom. There is also another wall in the schoolroom, which divided the large room into a double and a single bedroom.

Finally, there is a wall built in our living/dinning area. Until that wall was finished it made a wonderful climbing frame for the kids


Last week the drywall was hung and this week Gary has to put in the 3 new doors needed.

All this while we try to prepare for leaving!

Michelle