It always feels like so much has happened since my last post... in December we got to take a trip to Kruger National Park with some dear friends of ours, Dorcas and Mathias Croft. This was Simo's second trip to Kruger, and this time she was interested in looking out the window and seeing animals. It was really refreshing to get out for a few days.
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| Having a picnic lunch after a refreshing swim in Kruger |
For Christmas Day we went out to a place called Herefords, where we spent the day with some distant relatives. Mapile's mother and sister were there, along with many other relatives. The people we were visiting were actually the families of Mapile's grandmother's husband's other wives. You can imagine it's quite hard to keep track of who is who, but it was nice to meet more relatives and they appreciated our effort to take the time to visit. Simo loved it, because there were mangoes everywhere, and she loves mangoes. It was an incredibly hot day, so part way through the day she also got to take a bath to cool herself down.
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| Goat for Christmas Dinner! |
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| Some of our relatives at the Christmas party, in the top left corner you can see Mapile's mom and sister wearing white shirts. |
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Simo wanted to keep playing in the water
when her friend got his turn.. |
Around Christmas time we also had the kids from Gogo's house come and stay with us for about a week. We had planned to have the three that usually stay with Gogo come for awhile, but when Mapile went to pick them up he found six kids at Gogo's house, so they all came up. They are all our relatives. It felt pretty overwhelming... but I think they had a good time, and it was a bit of a get-away for them. I always have mixed feelings - part of me loves having them, and I want them to know they are loved and safe, and the other part of me can't keep up with the cooking, cleaning, and work that comes with having them all here.
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| The bigger boys playing soccer with Mapile... There was also a younger boy and older girl with us that aren't pictured |
Mapile had a break from work at the college in December, and now in January he's been preparing for the students to come back. Mapile will be teaching 2 semester long courses (Research Writing and Basic Computer Skills), and he will be teaching a 3 week module course in March - Old
Testament Survey. It's exciting getting ready for students to come back, but it's also a lot of work!
Another thing Mapile has been kept busy with lately is trying to help out some different people with their school situations. Here in Swaziland families must come up with money to send their kids to school, and since January is when schools open, it's a very difficult time for many families. There are lots of people who we know that are going through difficult times. Mapile has been going up and down and out of his way to help different people out. In fact, as I write this he is trying to petition one of the schools to let a young man go back to school who failed last year. The headmaster said that he doesn't want that boy going back to school because he failed, but Mapile is persistent and committed to seeing that this boy doesn't just give up on school. Mapile's heart for people is really big and the way he believes in people is inspiring. He himself failed two different grades in school, but today he proudly has a degree, and hopes to get his masters soon... (Will give you more details when we have them, right now we are still working things out)
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| Simo's a true Swazi, and she loves eating maize! (whether it's roasted or boiled) |
I have continued working my regular hours at Project Canaan through the holidays (That is, going into work 3 days a week). We have 179 kids at Project Canaan now, so it's easy to stay busy out there. I was thankful for the distraction because the holidays are always a reminder of how far away I am from my family. I'm still trying to get over that homesick feeling, and lately I've particularly been struggling with feelings of loneliness. Thankfully I don't have too much time to dwell on these things between working, caring for the baby, and trying to keep a clean house (the cockroaches at our new house do not want to go away, despite the multiple times we have tried to exterminate them...oh, and I killed a big scorpion today). But overall, I take great hope in knowing Jesus, my counselor, comforter, and very best friend.
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| I've been enjoying working in our garden lately. Simo also likes it! |
Speaking of Simo, she is almost 15 months old!! In the last few months shes gotten 4 teeth (FINALLY!), and now we've just seen 2 more little teeth springing up. Her new thing lately is free standing on her own. She hasn't taken any steps yet. She loves mangoes, and lately she's tried all kinds of new food. She eats meat, rice, beans, pb&j sandwiches, and just about anything that mom & dad are eating :). She loves to give people high-fives, and she loves playing with people when she's safe in the arms of mommy & daddy, but it's not her favorite to be picked up by someone she doesn't know well. She continues to be such a joy to us. Sometimes we just sit around and watch her... she's so busy these days, getting into everything..
"So let's not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't give up. Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone - especially those in the Family of faith. "- Galatians 6:9-10
