What is normal?!

What is normal anymore?  Our family is not experiencing anything normal right now.  Everything seems turned upside down.  Please continue to pray for our family.  This is not as easy or as simple as I thought it would be.  Lots of change.  Lots of adjustment.  

Lots of information.  Lots of assignments.....  

I long for what normal used to be for us just as I long to be changed into who Christ wants me to be.  I long to sit down to a normal day of school, housework, kids, laundry, cooking and family time.  I desperately long for a new passion for Christ.  I long to fall in love with the Lozi just as I long for my church back in Buna, TX.  I long to be around everyone who knows me instead of all new people to get to know.  I long for normal just as I long for my new life in Zambia to begin.  Lord, call me to Yourself so that all that I long for is YOU.

Please Pray....

I know that you already are praying and for that we are so very grateful.  I just wanted to give you another specific prayer request.  Levi is waking up 2-3 times a night then getting up at around 5am.  This actually seems to be a common problem among the younger kids.  I'm sure it is just adjustment to everything that is new but it really puts a strain on all the parents.  Please pray that Levi (and the other young children) will sleep deeply and thoroughly through the night.  This seems so insignificant but it really is affecting all the parents.  Everyone seems to be well in our family so, for the first time yet, Jeff and I will get to go to class together.  We are so grateful for your prayers.

B.U.S.Y.

Being Under Satan's Yoke

What do you think about that?

ILC

Just wanted to show you where we are.  This is the International Learning Center in Rockville, VA.  We got 1/2 a week down and 8 more to go!

Our first week at ILC

Our first week at ILC has been a little crazy.  We arrived on Monday, got settled and started into classes on Wednesday.  Levi and Zoe had some bad coughs and fevers so Jeff and I got to tag team each other by having to miss class and staying in our living area (about 450 sq.feet - mostly taken up with 3 bedrooms) with them.  Levi missed the first day but Zoe was fine.  The second day, Levi went to class and Zoe stayed home with fever but Levi was soon sent "home" with a fever, too.  Their coughs were so bad that we went to the doctor to see about the correct medication.  At the doctor, Levi got lots of stickers -hence the picture of 'Sticker Boy' below.  Diagnosis - the common cold and take Delsym and Benadryl (both of which I already had) but oh well, we got a cute picture out of it all. :-)

So we have had a quite Saturday and are looking forward to Small Group Worship tomorrow then Monday starts off with a bang with our Spiritual Warfare Classes with the president of the IMB, Dr. Jerry Rankin.

(Almost) All Grown Up

We have arrived in Rockville, VA for our Field Personnel Orientation.  (Just) one of the many changes for us is that Levi has graduated into a "big boy" bed.  He also got his first try at a pillow, sheets and covers.  Here he is in his new bed - all grown up.  

Great Friends

We spent Tuesday and Wednesday of this week with Robin and Michael Ensign in Ridgeland, MS.  Robin and I always enjoy spending time together even though it is usually just every couple of years!  I appreciate Robin's friendship so much.  We always are able to just pick up where we left off the last time we saw each other.  We can let our 7 kids play and we are able to just visit and catch up with each other.  I do praise the Lord for Robin's friendship.

I just thought that this was a pretty good picture of Jeff and I.  

He is also one of my best friends. :-)

Pictures from our road trip to VA

Here are some pictures from the last week.  I can't figure out how to move the pictures around so they are kind of random...

This is a shark swimming above us at the Aquarium in Gatlinburg.

The kids playing on a huge piano at Wonder Works in Pigeon Forge.  One day Levi will actually look AT the camera...

Hadassah on the carousel at Dollywood.  After waiting for these to upload, I didn't want to go back and try to flip the picture - sorry about that.

Levi and I at the Aquarium.

At the aquarium - almost got Levi to look at the camera...

3 D film at Wonder Works...

Riding the 4 wheeler at Wonder Works.  Sorry again about that the picture is the wrong way.

We had a great stay at one of my best friend's house, Robin, in MS.  These are all the kids lined up for a photo op - Silas, Levi, Holly, Hadassah, Bethany, Kayla and Zoe.   It's really is great to know that you can have very close friends and they stay that way even though you don't get to see them very often.  Robin has some pictures of her and I and of Jeff and I that I will post later.  Her computer is down right now.

Vacation 2009

We are on our way to Rockville, Virginia for our Field Personnel Training.  Since we are driving, we decided to do a road trip/vacation on the way.  So here we are in Pigeon Forge, TN.  We have enjoyed our stay here.  For me, it has given me a time to try to collect myself from all of the packing and crating.  I still feel a bit numb from all that has transpired in the last few days but it has been nice to have some extra time to relax for a while on vacation.  I will post again with some pictures of us but I've got to go find the camera.  It's tough living out of a suitcase for a week!

Crating Day!!

The picture above is the finished product.  We were able to get all our stuff into the crate except just one insignificant desk chair.  The movers were great and were disappointed that they couldn't get everything in for us.  There was another crate to the side that our sofa bed went in then they packed an incredible amount of boxes and stuff on top of it.

In the process of getting everything packed.  700 cubic feet was what we got and we managed to fill it all up.

So we are finished crating.  We are now in Ridgeland, MS (near Jackson) visiting friends.  Jeff will speak to the church tonight about Zambia and then head on out again tomorrow (Thursday).  From MS we are headed to Pigeon Forge, TN for a mini vacation then we will travel onto Rockville, Va for our 8 week Field Personnel Orientation at the International Learning Center.  Lots of change is going on right now.  We appreciate your prayers as we ALL try to adjust to our new life and what the future holds.

Random Packing Pictures

Do you see any progress from my previous post?

Master bedroom with our last empty foot locker and suitcases, waiting to be filled...

The empty refridgerator - soon to be filled up.

A fully packed box springs with other boxes...

The girls' room - almost done!

Where are his parents?! Probably with their head stuck in a box somewhere...

Papaw and Zoe

Another traveling picture...

The Flood of 2009

Check out our team leaders' blog to see what they have been up to lately and see some great pictures of the flood of 2009!

We are still crating. I'll try to post pictures as soon as possible!

Look who's 2.....!

LEVI!!

Yesterday (April 5) was Levi's second birthday. Jeff spoke at our friend's church and they had an Egg Hunt after church. For some reason, Levi did not want to look AT the camera. So it seemed that all my pictures were of him avoiding me. Here are the best ones that I could get. The third picture is actually from December but at least he was smiling at the camera. The next picture is from December, also but it turned out pretty well with all 3 then the last is Daddy, Hadassah and Zoe - yesterday at the Egg Hunt.

Lots Of Stuff!

I went looking for Levi this morning and found him in our schoolroom/office which has become Packing Central. He had (once again) found lots of stuff to occupy his time.

Please pray...

Billy Graham's 1960 African Crusade

LOZI OF ZAMBIA AND NAMIBIA (LOH-zee) Is it hard for you to trust the Lord? Even when we’ve walked with the Lord for years, we sometimes find that it’s difficult to really let our heart trust what we know in our mind is true. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding." (Proverbs 3:5 NASB) But it’s so much easier to lean on what we know and understand! Melissa Frady, career missionary to the Lozi, asks that we pray for the members of the remote Mawawa Baptist Church. She asks that we pray that the Lozi Christians there will "trust enough in the truth of God’s Word to follow Him with their whole being!" Melissa plans to make several trips to Mawawa and spend time there camping as she teaches and models what it means to trust in Christ. One of the strong leaders of the Mawawa Church is Evans. You have prayed for Evans and Charity before. Please continue to lift them up before the throne of God. Pray for several members of Evan’s family who are sick. Lord, you are worthy of our trust! Help us and our Lozi brothers and sisters in Mawawa to trust You with a childlike faith! Protect Evans and provide for his physical and spiritual needs as he leads other young men in evangelism. Heal his family members. Teach them to trust You with all their heart!

LOZI OF ZAMBIA AND NAMIBIA (LOH-zee) "Man of Peace" is a missionary term we often use to describe a man or woman who welcomes us into his or her community. And a man of peace is exactly what Pastor Mubyana (Moo-bee-ah-nah) and Mr. Masona need. These two believers are surveying in Mandanga, a new area just outside of Mongu town, the provincial capital of Western Zambia. But in all their surveying, they have yet to find a man of peace in this area. Lord Jesus, You are the Prince of Peace! And we ask that you raise up a man of peace in the Mandanga area. Enable Pastor Mubyana and Mr. Masona to put into practice the evangelism training that they have received. Help them to be bold and courageous as they prayerwalk through this new area. Please, Prince of Peace, let the Lozi people here long for Your peace that passes all understanding. May they grow tired of their generational fears and anxiety. Let Pastor Mubyana and Mr. Masona be messengers of Your peace!

4 Boxes = 3 Hours

I have started packing. This picture shows SOME of the stuff that we have just bought and will have to pack up. This is not including the whole rest of the house! I think that I got 4 boxes done in about 3 hours! Let's pray that tomorrow will go faster..... Do you like our new stove and upright freezer?