Surveying the Land

Building a campfire in the backyard of Ciyanjano.
Brick making oven that Jilos and Boniface made to build their houses with.

Last night we had a traditional Zambian meal with nshima (fine cornmeal mush), relish (a warm cabbage salad), fried chicken and soup (tomato and onions stir fry. After dinner, the caretakers: Jilos & Boniface treated us to traditional drumming and dancing with their wives.
Today we woke up at Ciyanjano and had a brunch with the team. Kelly & Trisha Huckaby (in the photo with us inside the walls of Ciynajano) spent their first night in Africa with us there. They can't get over how beautiful it is there. We took a walk around the property and heard about all the dreams they have for the place. They want it to be a place for reflection and refreshment in the midst of God's creation. Seeing the compound life (it's horrid!) makes us realize the importance of a retreat for these churches. A place outside the city to be educated in the things of God and life. They want to make a prayer walk around the 20 acres with places for prayer and meditation. They want to build an amphitheatre so that groups from Europe and America can communicate with the Zambians in story form, breaking through the cultural barriers. A team is coming out this summer to build it. They want us to find creative ways teach them how to generate income on the property. It is a big place and a big job, but somebodys got to do it!
Having dinner at Ciyanjano


It is so hard to describe how I'm feeling. I can't put it into words yet. It is very bittersweet. I have a lot to process. I know everyone wants to know what our future holds but we need to process it all as a couple first and we really haven't had any time to do that.
I talked with my children on the phone this afternoon and all but Hogen and Brie Ella have the stomach flu. Poor Grandma and Grandpa! Please pray that the rest of them stay healthy and the children mend quickly. It was SO hard to not be there for them.
We have one more day before heading back and even though it's been an amazing trip, I want to be a mommy again. Thank you for your prayers. I have been able to stay healthy inspite of a lot of illness on the team. It's touch and go, so please pray for the health of everyone in our family.