Quick Life Update from the Vilakatis

Well hello there!🙋Before I gave birth to our second born, Nicholas, someone said to me “You know 1 + 1 does not equal 2, right?” I think I’m beginning to understand more of what he was saying… that two kids is a lot of work! Where I used to have energy in the evenings to get things done, now I’m done for after the kids go to bed. All that to say let me tell you our life update now that we’re settled back into life in Eswatini... (We went to the states for May & June & sometimes I think we're still settling in!)

Mapile has been working part time at the Bible College teaching and running the library. End of October they had Pastor's Camp and Graduation was November 2. So it's been an extra busy season for him. He’s also been going down to the Mbutfu community, his hometown, about 2-3 times per week. He’s coaching a team of soccer boys, attending community meetings, and spending time with individuals in the community. These are beginning steps in starting the Community Centre that God has place on our hearts for this Community.

At a soccer tournament with the team from the community

Once we got back form the US, I got back to my job at Project Canaan’s children home. I work 3 days a week to help take care of over 250 children. I love my job because I learn so much, I work with great staff, and I’m able to use my nursing training. Not to mention that the kids are pretty great too! I also love being able to work part time so that I can still have a good chunk of time with our two little ones.

Simo just had her 3^rd birthday! The time is flying. She loves to sing & dance, jump, swim (more like splash in the kiddie pool cos she doesn’t know how to swim yet), make pancakes (or anything else in the kitchen that she’s allowed to help stir), take care of her brother, and blow bubbles. She loves eating macaroni and cheese and papaya. She’s got a really energetic and outgoing personality like her daddy. She’s really sensitive and observant, and lately has been really up & down, with complete meltdowns and then extreme sweetness. She is such a joy to us.

Nicholas just turned 10 months old. He recently started crawling, and he follows us around the house panting and squealing with excitement that he can get around. He just started cutting his first two teeth, and he eats anything in sight, edible or non-edible, but eats a lot of bananas & tiny bites of whatever we’re eating. He loves taking baths and watching his sister run around the house. He also loves his auntie who watches him while we’re working. He’s a super chill kid who doesn’t mind who is holding him, as long as he’s gotten food, rest, & a clean diaper.

Praises:

• We praise God for helping us over the last 4 years of marriage, and 3 years of being parents. The Lord has been so patient with us, and has blessed us with a great team of people to come along side us and help encourage us along the way.
• We praise God for the things he is doing in the Mbutfu Community as we prepare to open the Community Centre in God’s great timing.
• We praise God that Hannah's parents are coming to visit for Christmas 😀🎄🎄

Prayer Requests:

• Pray that God would continue to help our family as we navigate life as a family of four, jobs, and ministry. 
• Pray for us in these early days of beginning the Mbutfu Community Centre - that God would give us lots of wisdom in all the areas it's needed. 
• Also pray for the two young men who have been living with us, Skuta & Clive. Pray that God would help them to grow deep in Him, and provide a way forward for their lives that is healthy & sustainable.

If you're interested in getting our newsletter that focuses on Community Centre updates, then just send us your email address and we'll add you to our list. 

Thanks for reading, 

Hannah

We love to take walks together!

At a harvest party - Simo's a Dalmatian & her friend is Rapunzel 

Watching daddy play soccer with her friends

This is more like how she "watches" soccer

These are the two young men who have been living with us. Skuta (left side of pic)  has stayed with us since Christmas last year, and Clive (ride side) has been staying with us since August this year. 

“O Lord, I will honor and praise your name, for you are my God. You do such wonderful things! You planned them long ago, and now you have accomplished them.”- Isaiah 25:1 NLT

Enjoying Each Season

We're heading to America today! We're extremely excited for this opportunity! We are going to spend 3 weeks in California, and 5 weeks in Indiana. Our plan is to continue building up partners in the journey of starting the Mbutfu Community Center, and to get a chance to visit with family and friends! We're excited for this great opportunity, and we want to make the most of it!

This has been a unique season of life. I’ve been on leave from my job at Project Canaan since the end of December, and this season of being a stay at home mom has been a sweet and challenging one at the same time. I'm learning more and more the significance of Paul’s words in
Philippians 4: 6-9:

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me – everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.”

One of the things that recently stood out to me about this passage is that we are encouraged not to worry, but to pray about everything... and then it shows us what to replace our worrying thoughts with: things that are true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, admirable, and excellent. It encourages me to know that God knows me, and he knows the best place for me to fix my thoughts too. I want to make sure that I'm making the most of each season that the Lord has put me in!

We also see that God has blessed us immensely in this season. We are so grateful for the gift that God gave to us - salvation through Jesus Christ, which we are specifically reminded of in this Easter season. We also praise God for the precious children He has given us. We feel so honored and thankful for the family God has given us. We're also incredibly thankful for this journey of starting the Community Center and the partnerships and supporters God has provided for us already! Indeed the Lord Jehovah Jireh, our Provider! 

How about you? What season are you meant to be making the most out of right now? 

Praises: 

- We praise God for our family
- We praise God for the opportunity to travel to the US, and for the chances we will get to speak at churches and with individuals about the Community Center.

- We praise God for the chance to visit with family! It's been two years since I've seen my brothers and their families! 

Prayer Requests: 

- Pray for us as we travel with two littles

- Pray that God would provide us with the right partnerships to help build the Community Center for His glory

- Pray that we'd make the most out of each season that God's given to us! 

Speaking of seasons, here's some pics of this latest precious season of our lives:

Recently we got to take a family weekend away to the beach in South Africa

A cool nap tent that has been useful in lots of different ways! 

Mom and Dad left at the end of March.
It was a sweet season of being together in Eswatini!

"For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven." - Ecclesiastes 3:1

2019: Starting with Expectancy

There's lots of expectancy around here! I’m 40 weeks pregnant, going on 41 weeks, and trying to be patient while waiting for this new baby to arrive. When Simo was born we waited 3 extra days past my due date. I remember having similar feelings of being ready to get the baby out, but also trying to make the most of the days given to me where I can get things done around the house & enjoy time with family and friends. But we are excitedly awaiting the arrival of our new baby. 

We're also excitedly expecting the birth of another baby of sorts, which is the community center! Mapile has been taking every chance he gets to go down to Mbutfu and spend time with people there. Yesterday he went down and had a soccer coaching session with some of the boys there. This morning he told me with tears in his eyes that he's so excited to be involved in this ministry. During his coaching session yesterday he said the boys were super excited to be there, and to have someone who's investing in them! This is such a great opportunity to make a difference!

Mapile hoped to have a picture of the boys he was working with, but yesterday his phone broke and now he can only receive calls, but the screen is black the whole time. If you didn't see on facebook already, our house was broken into over the weekend and the thieves stole most of our electronics: 2 laptops, our tablets, our back up cell phones (we had the ones we use daily with us), and they stole a bunch of other, random stuff too. Like the candy from my candy jar and Simo's little yoghurt containers. They also got my wedding ring since my fingers have been swollen a lot and I haven't been able to wear it, so it was at home when they came. We're thankful for our safety though, and that there's a lot of things they didn't take. We notified the police and they've even done some investigations to try to help see who the thieves are.

If you're interested in giving a gift to help with the loss of some of this stuff, or just to give to the ministry, you can click here.

They tried to break in the back door first, but were unsuccessful

They broke the window by our front door & were able to reach some keys to get in

But in other updates, we just celebrated Christmas with my parents, and with my cousin Becca, who is a missionary in Kenya. It’s so great to be with family over the holidays. We didn’t make plans to travel far since we knew that any day labor could start for me, so we stayed at home and just ventured into town for shopping, restaurants, and church. While it was sweet, it's already over. We've learned to soak up the time we have together and try to enjoy every moment. Dad and Becca both left last week. Mom is staying here until Jan 17, so we're hoping the baby comes soon so she can help out as much as possible. 

I realize the last time I wrote an update on this blog I was just getting ready to see Mapile. We had a lovey time in Capetown together reconnecting after 3 long months of being a part. Honestly I feel like in some ways we are still reconnecting - 3 months is such a LONG TIME to be away from one another. I'm so thankful to have him home, and that so far in the foreseeable future, we don't have long periods of time that we'll have to be away from each other again. I'm also incredibly thankful that I had the opportunity to go down and see the place where he was studying, meet the people he was learning and living with, and just catch a glimpse of what his experience at ALICT was like.

We have so much to praise God for. We feel like He has blessed us abundantly, and given us so much peace in this weird season of hardships, with lots of expectancy. We praise the Lord for his constant presence and provision!

Simo loves having her Daddy home! 

Watching a new show Christmas morning

Eating Pizza with Grandpa

New Kenya T-shirt

New purse on Christmas morning

Simo loves grapes!

So much fun baking with Grandma!

Grandma also has some other helpers in the kitchen :) 

Simo loved spending time with Aunt Becca! 

Watching a show on Grandma's bed & enjoying sharing Grandpa's pretzels 

Helping Daddy wash the car. 

Psalm 5:11-12, "But let all who take refuge in you be glad. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you. For surely you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield."