Caution: May Contain Nuts

Dear Cockroach Community,

I would greatly appreciate it if you would confine your activities and residence to the outdoors. I am aware that, by moving to an undeveloped area, I have technically encroached (haha, enc-roached) on your domain, but I would like to point out that you have plenty of space outside. In fact, several of the neighbors appear to be inviting your presence with their various household practices.

I have worked really hard to keep abandoned toddler snacks, infant spew, bread crumbs, ketchup smears, and other tasty crumbles out of temptation’s way. However, I’ve noticed that you continue to express interest in widening your territory into mine. I am kindly requesting that you find other accommodation immediately.

I would also like to inform you that your intrepid, three-inch ambassador will be unable to return to your community. If you send additional emissaries, please be aware that their fate will be the same.

Regards,
Ashley

PS. If you wish to prevent further reductions in your numbers, please forward this notice to your relatives of all shapes and varieties.

PSs. I would like to point out that leaping onto a chair and howling for the man of the house is, actually, a dignified reception for any emissaries sent into our home.

7.0 lbs, 20cm, and very healthy

A Proud New Daddy

Now that Frederick, quickly waxing fat with his infinite appetite, has reached his 12^th day (and I am getting more than a few stolen hours of sleep on a good night), I can share our story with you.

It begins, as my stories so often do, with Timothy being smarter than me.  He had been planning to go to Johannesburg, about a 3 hour drive from Polokwane, from Friday, December 26^th – Thursday, January 31^st, to visit some friends and pick Mary Jo up at the airport (31^st).  As I started gathering his things on Thursday, he grew really agitated and said he really didn’t think he should go.  I told him, “Of course you should.  This baby isn’t coming for two more weeks.  Go see your friends while you can.”  I told him this about a dozen more times over the following 24 hours.  Eventually he said that he really didn’t feel like he should leave; he was staying through the weekend, just in case.  Well, Saturday and Sunday passed without any sign of Baby, so the new plan was for him to leave on Monday.

Meeting the new brother

I woke up early Monday morning with what I assumed was false labor (hey, it felt really different than it had with Monica!)  I didn’t feel like getting up and walking, so I rolled over and went back to sleep.  I woke up every half hour or so with more “false labor” and rolled back into sleep each time.  You would think that I would clue in eventually….  Nope.

Holding onto Daddy

I didn’t want to tell Tim that I was having contractions until I was sure it was labor.  However, by 830, they still hadn’t gone away and had gotten down to about 10 minutes apart.  I thought I better mention it… just in case… but I told him I was sure it was false labor (I clearly don’t get smarter with time.  Can I blame that on the hormones?)  He wasn’t concerned.  The dear man took my word for it.

Meeting Auntie Wiida

We had a few errands to run in town for our hosts, starting with the big wholesale grocery market.  I sat Monica in a grocery cart and browsed while Timothy started working on the shopping list.  At some point, he found me in the freezer section, panting over the handle bar of the cart, desperately trying to hang on to lucidity.  He then realized that the wife was not thinking very clearly and informed me that we were going to forget the other errands and go back to the guesthouse immediately, as I was clearly in labor. 

Frederick's First Sunday

I hadn’t been timing any of the contractions, so Timothy did that when we got back to the car.  His words at the second one: “ALREADY???  They’re less than five minutes apart!!!  We’re going home.”  (Although, we did have to stop on the way for biltong, the South African version of beef jerky, just in case he needed hospital snacks.)  It was now about 10am.

When we got back to the guesthouse, Timothy called the lady we had lined up for babysitting… only to find that she was in another city, 4 hours away, and wouldn’t be back for several days.  OK…. what now… we don’t know anyone in Polokwane!!!  Fortunately, she called back a few minutes later and told Timothy that Monica could go to her sister’s daycare just down the road (Monica had a blast there and didn’t appear to miss us at all.)

I love my "Freck"

Timothy then sped out the gate with Monica while I continued to pace out our room.  I don’t remember a whole lot about that time, or even how long he was gone… but I do remember pounding the couch with my fists, gritting my teeth, and chanting, “I don’t need an epidural; I DON’T NEED AN EPIDURAL.”  While thinking in the background, “If this is how much early labor hurts, what am I going to do six hours from now???”  Little did I know…

Once he got back, we gathered our bags and walked to the hospital.  It’s about a quarter mile (or about four contractions) away from the guesthouse.  By this time, even I had figured out that I was in real labor.

Grandma Mary Jo

As we arrived at the hospital, we presented our “pre booking” registration that we had made in October, guaranteeing a room.  Well… if the beds are full… the beds are full.  That’s right, a tale as old as, well, the Bible: there’s no room in the inn.  They were ready to turn us out, but Timothy wouldn’t move until they helped us make a plan B.  So, they sent us to the emergency ward (where all the people with pink eye and axes in their head go), but the one empty bed was taken by the time we got there.  Reaching a point of desperation, Timothy asked them to call our doctor and see what she wanted us to do.  She asked us to come to her office (just across the street), where she could see how far along I was.  A few hundred yards and half a dozen contractions later, she checked me out and found, to her dismay, that I was NOT a few centimeters dilated as expected… but close to 9cm and finishing quickly.  Even the doctor was scared now that the baby would be delivered on her tile floor.  (I was relieved to discover that my couch pounding had not been in vain, and was somewhat proud of myself for transitioning on my own.)

After making a few phone calls, she found an “acute care” clinic (they handle cancer patients, vision surgery patients, etc) that had space for me.  Ironically, this care center was next door to the guesthouse that we are staying in.  I’m not even kidding.  That night, through my window, I could hear Monica and Tim having dinner together on the lawn.

We arrived at Unicare, huffing and puffing (well, I was anyway, and I don’t really remember what anyone else was doing).  They quickly took me to a room, and we all got ready to have a baby.  Once I was off my feet and actually thinking about what was going on, labor, of course, slowed down.  By which I mean that Frederick Douglas made his arrival about two hours after we walked through the door.

Come play with me!

From the time we arrived at the clinic, we experienced the difference between American and South African medical conditions and practices.  Allowing for the fact that this was an acute care facility, not a hospital and certainly not a labor/delivery facility, the staff were great and very helpful.  I say “helpful” because Timothy did everything.  He is definitely up for the Husband of the Year award!  At the end, he looked as exhausted and pale as I was.  (He didn’t even have time to eat his biltong!)  The poor doctor on duty was openly scared that my OB wouldn’t make it on time and that she would have to deliver the baby herself.  The only RN on duty was a man and was unceremoniously kicked out by the female staff (CNAs).  But I had Tim, my time was up, and I really didn’t care who else was or was not present, as long as Baby came out post haste!  My only real negative memory (aside from the earth shaking pain of pushing) was the nurse who, returning from her smoke break, kept shouting into my face “Breathe!  Breathe!  You must breathe!!”  To which my mind kindly responded, “I AM breathing, as much as I can with a reeking ashtray puffing in my face!!!!!!!!!” Pushing doesn’t do much for a woman’s patience.  And no offense to the nurse, who spent a great deal of her time rubbing my back between contractions. 

Brand new baby Frederick

By the time Baby was ready to make his arrival, I was so exhausted, I could barely move.  Dr Henn, my OB (who did arrive on time, much to the relief of the staff doctor) was beginning to worry that she might have to use the suction machine to get Frederick out.  However, with a last grasp for energy from me and a few creative maneuvers on Timothy’s part, we managed to squeeze Frederick safely into the world.

Food............

I was exhausted.  But I was DONE.  And Frederick Douglas, as we then chose his name to be, was (and is) absolutely beautiful.

Happy new mommy

The post partum care was also… different.  The nurses apologized that the baby had to stay with me, since they didn’t have a nursery (I’m thinking, uh, YEAH, he’s staying with me!!)  The baby cot was a metal frame on casters with what looked like a food service bucket as a bassinet.  They had enough post partum mommy supplies to last me about an hour and no infant supplies whatsoever (aside from the umbilical clip, of which they had proudly informed us upon arrival.)  They never checked Frederick’s or my vitals during our stay.  My next day check up amounted to: “You look well, no?”  However, the staff was some of the friendliest I have ever met, and they doted on both of us.  We also saved about $400 by delivering there instead of at the hospital (happy Daddy).

Because they didn’t have any infant facilities, we had to take Frederick to the hospital the next day for his immunizations.  At birth they give polio drops and a TB vaccine.  The nurse who was administering these seemed really unsure of herself when it came to the TB stick.  She finally went for it (on his right arm) and as she plunged the syringe, vaccine sprayed out everywhere- gah.  She said she would need to do it again, so I said, “Ok, should I bring him back next week?”  And she said, “No, no, I will do it now,” grabbed another syringe and carried on.   !!!!!!!!!!!!  My American sensibilities were rebelling mightily at this point and I, trying in vain to remain calm, asked if that wasn’t overdosing him.  She coolly answered that no, about ½ of the first one went in and, “See?” she had only given about ½ of this one.   !!!!!!!!  What a shock.  We’re not in America anymore, Ashley, if you hadn’t yet noticed!  It was a nerve racking 48 hours for us, but he is fine and we praise God that he is in control of even the smallest details in life.  (Not that a TB infection is a small detail!)

Throughout our entire birth experience, we were could see the Lord’s hand and His grace.  You know how you sometimes have to search for what God is doing, and sometimes it is right there for you to see?  This was the latter.  Timothy had stayed with me (he probably wouldn’t have made it in time from Jo’burg, as I wouldn’t have called him until I was sure I was in labor), all the walking made labor go faster, staying at Unicare was much less costly and, because a birth was a novelty, we got all the attention and help we could hope for, Frederick’s delivery was uncomplicated, he is healthy, and Monica got to visit a lot, as we were right next door (not to mention that the hospital doesn’t allow children to visit at all!)  In addition to all of this, Unicare couldn’t file Frederick’s birth certificate, so they sent us to the hospital.  There we were told that they couldn’t file it either, as I wasn’t a citizen or resident.  Tim had to go stand in line at Home Affairs.  But, to our surprise, because he was at the regional office, they were able to issue the certificate directly… we didn’t have to wait a week!  This meant that we could immediately file for Frederick’s birth certificate and passport.  Praise God!!!

Week 2 and growing fast

He is indeed good and has blessed us with a beautiful son, a straight arrow for my husband’s quiver, and a delight to all of us.

After 3 ½ days on the road, we arrived in Pietersburg on Thursday.  Our trip was, for the most part, blessedly uneventful.  Some of the roads in Zambia and Botswana were in bad shape.  Timothy drove slowly over the worst sections of potholes and washouts, endeavoring to deliver mommy and baby safely to South Africa… without actually delivering the baby himself!  Monica proved that she is adjusting well to the missionary lifestyle with her easy going manner and acceptance of [almost all] that we asked of her.  We were again grateful for the portable dvd player that was given to Monica by her grandparents.  At first I felt like we were copping out of our parental duty, neglecting this 100 hour opportunity to teach our daughter patience and self-entertainment.  However, after an hour of blissful silence in the middle of Botswana, I decided that every toddler who travels a lot should have one of those nifty little machines (although, Timothy does insist that he can now quote the entire Milo & Otis movie and the ABC disc has simply been banned from his presence).

We were able to see a lot of wildlife along the road.  At one point, we pulled over so Monica could watch the baboons play in the ditch.  We had to quickly move on, however, when she decided to hurl her bread out the window and tempt the beasties toward her with shouts of, “Come!  Come!  Snacks!”  The baboons would have come all right.  And taken her snacks.  And possibly her fingers too!

We saw quite a few male elephants along the road in Botswana. This one was only about 10 meters from the car!

The journey was really pleasant.  We finished reading The Fellowship of the Ring and started The Two Towers (don’t worry, I didn’t let Timothy multi task his driving with reading).  We also discussed baby names at great length, but ended in the same place we started… nowhere.  Timothy has decided that he needs to see the little guy before he can make any final decisions.  Current names in the running are Frederick, Theodore, and Oliver. 

Now that we are installed in Pietersburg, I have been able to catch up on the admin side of ministry, not to mention putting everything together for tax time, and Timothy has been able to get some work done on his progressing “Teacher Training Manual for African Schools”.

I haven’t seen the doc yet, but baby seems to be wiggling around, so I think we’re doing well.  We would also like to take Monica to see a pediatrician soon in order to get a few tests done.  We are pretty sure that the strong antibiotic that was prescribed to her in Kabwe killed off whatever was causing her faints/seizes… but we want to make sure, as well as check that the little seizures didn’t harm anything inside her head.

Please continue to pray for us as we carry out our tasks here in South Africa and await the arrival of Keller Baby #2.

He leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul.

I never fully appreciated this verse until this recent trouble (what a mild word) with my hip.  As the pain daily grew worse, Timothy finally dragged me to the bed and said, “Lie down and don’t get up.”  With all the work and projects to be done around our home right now, not the least of which being a busy toddler, stacks of moving boxes to unpack, and ministry supplies to sort, this was an extremely difficult thing to do.  But do you know, the Lord sent me to a godly man who knew when to MAKE me lie down… who has continued to make me lie down when I most need it… and my hip is doing much better!!! Praise God for rest, and for the loved ones in our lives who make sure that we get it!

Rest is a blessed and holy gift that we so often forget.  It is easy in any field, especially ministry, to get lost in the many needs of those we serve.  The Lord has been teaching me that there is also a “time to rest”.

Timothy takes a few minutes to enjoy precious Father/Daughter playtime.

As we have made the transition to a permanent, settled life in Africa we have experienced a variety of, hmmm, challenges.  From Monica’s scary illness to the challenges of life in Africa to my immobility issues to the regular hurdles of ministry, we have had a bumpy few months.  However, the Lord’s presence has been with us so clearly and so graciously.  There have been times in my life that I’ve felt Him to be far away… but not now.  With all the challenges at hand, I feel His presence and provision more than ever.  I’ve found that in our most desperate moments, we can find His waters the most refreshing, His grace sufficient to calm our anxieties and worries.

I shall not want.

We have been so incredibly blessed with the Lord’s provision for our family. The container arrived with surprisingly, miraculously little red tape to negotiate (nothing short of God’s hand when this happens in Africa!) The items inside were safe and unmolested (although we are now fighting off the African termites). We have a home that is more than I ever could have hoped for and household items to fill it with (thanks , friends!!) We have a wonderful supply of Bibles and discipleship materials that will be used to spread the Gospel of His law and grace to the people of Africa. We are healthy and happy, doing the work to which we were called in a land filled with the wonders of His Hand. I can think of little for which to ask; I am overwhelmed by the graciousness and generosity of His hand. He is a good and generous Father, a gracious and loving God.

Monica rejoicing in the glory of God's creation: mud.

Well, we have now been living in our new home in Kabwe for about a month.   It has been interesting and rewarding to adjust to a settled life in Africa (in the past we moved around every week or so, spending time in various villages and townships).  We have also experienced a variety of challenges and difficulties, demonstrating to us that we are probably right where we’re supposed to be!

It is SO good to see Monica eating and playing again!

Monica is doing much, MUCH better.  Thank you so much to everyone for your continued prayers.  The doctor here in Kabwe was never able to diagnose the cause of her fainting/seizing.  However, with the administration of the broad spectrum antibiotic, her episodes went away, her appetite returned (in full force), and she became the little trouble maker that a toddler is supposed to be.  We praise God for His mercy, as we were not sure what to do next if the medication didn’t work.  We will be returning to South Africa for the birth of Baby 2, at which point we will take Monica to a hospital for testing and scans.  We just want to make sure that the seizing was not caused by something that may resurface or that may have been related to some kind of parasite, still lurking within.  Until then, we are keeping a vigilant watch over her.  Our greatest concern with the attacks, and the primary reason we still watch over her so closely, was that she stopped breathing and was unable to revive herself.  Please continue to pray that the Lord has indeed healed her completely.

The next best thing to "bug-g"? Reptiles! Here Monica checks out a chameleon we picked up by the road.

The rains have finally come to Kabwe, cooling the oppressive afternoon heat to a much more bearable temperature.  However, with the arrival of the rains come…. the bugs.  I don’t do bugs; end of story.  However, I have discovered, much to my own dismay, that Monica is very much into bugs.  There is nothing that grabs her attention like a fat, African ant scuttling across the porch (and the African ants are HUGE, I mean like US grasshopper sized).  Just the other day she came up to me and said, “Mommy!  See?  Fyyy!”  Cringing, I reached out my hand and thought, “Oh, gross.  She’s picked up a dead fly and now I have to take it and act happy.   Bleh!!!!!”  As her little hand turned over into mine, instead of seeing a dried up, old fly, a live, l-i-v-e spider crawled across my palm and up my arm.  Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!  I think I scrubbed my skin off before I got that creepy feeling off of my arm.  Monica wasn’t impressed that I squished her fine new friend either.  A few days later Monica came to me again, “Mommy, Mommy!  See?  See?  Bug-g.  Bug-g!!!”  Not to be fooled twice, I said, “Oh, good for you!!  Put it on the ground so Mommy can see it!”  This time she placed a medium sized (1.5” +-) Red Roman spider-ant on the ground- also alive!!!  Now, these guys pinch HARD.  They leave nasty bites that easily fester and become infected.  Let’s just say I’m beginning to fear that my child has an affinity for, dare I say it?, BUGS.  And we have brought her to the land of Insecta Gigantica.  AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! 

The Red Roman or "Camel" spider. It gives a nasty bite. I think it looks AWFUL.

Timothy has been busy preparing everything for the Container’s arrival.  Because we are expecting so many books and materials, he has designed, cut, built, and painted quite a few book cases and storage shelves for these priceless treasures.  It is such a pleasure to see him at work in what has truly become his country (although that would apply more to the continent than Zambia specifically).  He at last has a place to call home in the land that he loves so deeply.  It is amazing  and wonderful to see him happily at work for the Lord here in Africa.

See? I'm HELPING. Right, Dad?

It looks like the Container can be opened!  In fact, Timothy has gone to Lusaka for a few days, intending to do just that.  We are keeping our fingers crossed as we wait to hear if it really is ready.  In Africa, you don’t just wait to count your chickens until they hatch.  You usually wait until they’ve grown up, laid a few eggs of their own, and survived the summer… then you count them.  So… pray with me that he’ll find the paperwork in order and the Container cleared for opening.  Once he can start sorting through the boxes we will be able to ascertain the condition everything has arrived in and decide how to put the materials to good use.

Please also keep me in your prayers as I have been experiencing a great deal of extreme lower back and leg pain due to a pinched nerve.  I hear this will go away as soon as the baby is born… 6 more weeks to go!

WE HAVE A VEHICLE!! 

Praise God for His provision!

We decided to purchase the Toyota Surf that we have been driving (the one with the brand new engine, turbo, and diesel pump) from Hannes & Christel.  The Lord’s hand has been clear and gracious indeed throughout the process of repairing and acquiring this truck.  It is exactly what we need both for family transport and ministry work.  It runs really well and is African road-worthy (as we’ve now experienced, driving it up from Cape Town).  Selling the Toyota has also enabled Hannes & Christel to purchase a much needed larger vehicle for their family and ministry.  We are simply in awe as we consider God’s handiwork in this process.  From the donation of the Toyota FJ and its sale in America to the provision of this vehicle (originally on loan for moving purposes), its repairs, and now its exceptional condition, His grace has been abundant.  Thank you to all who played a part of His work in helping us get this truck!!

Stats:

1996 Toyota Surf (hey, it has a new engine)

4WD

70,000 miles

Automatic

5 passenger

Roof rack, bull bar, tow package

Still needs:

long range tank

better roof rack (higher load weight)

winch

off road tires

snorkel

Look for our newsletter in a few weeks for more details and pictures!!

Thank you so much to everyone for your messages, prayers, and encouragement.  The last few days have been very stressful for us, as we’ve waited on the Lord for direction regarding Monica. 

After two days on broad spectrum antibiotics, Monica appears to be improving.  Her appetite has returned in full force, she’s back to her peppy self, and she’s much more talkative and interactive.  She hasn’t had another episode since Monday evening, but we’ve been extremely careful in keeping her excitement and exercise level to a minimum.  After the antibiotics have run their course, we will have to bite our lips and “release” her again.  We’ll watch her closely to see if small childhood boo boos (like head bumps) set off episodes again, or if the antibiotics cured whatever was affecting her.  If she does have another attack, we will need to take her to South Africa immediately for scans and blood work.  We are praying that she was experiencing some kind of bacterial or viral infection that has been effectively cut off with the antibiotics.  We are grateful for the Lord’s grace in restoring her health, and we are praying that He has also healed whatever was causing her seizures.

We are also praying that she has not been experiencing a tropical disease, most of which leave residual effects and complications.  We will likely have her tested and scanned when we go to South Africa for the delivery of Baby 2, just to ensure that Monica is completely healed.

We covet your continued prayers in this matter.  It has been very difficult to calmly think through these things, making wise decisions for the future.  We very much appreciate your support.

So precious, my baby.

Please be praying for Monica.  She has been experiencing strange, scary fainting/seizing episodes.  It started Saturday afternoon, and has occurred three more times since then.  We took her to the village doctor here after the second spell.  He did what tests he could (observational only) and sent us home to watch her.  We were hoping the problem was just due to teething and the heat.  She was fine all day Sunday, but today she had two more “fits”, as they have begun to be called.  We took her back to the doctor this afternoon, along with Dian who seems to have a throat infection (at first we thought they might have the same thing, but he clearly has an infection and Monica does not).  Dr Hassasing had Monica tested for malaria, and that came back negative.  He is pretty sure that it isn’t a tropical disease, as she seems completely fine between fits.  He is also pretty certain that it isn’t epilepsy or a neurological problem as she doesn’t exhibit any of the other symptoms of those disorders (the attacks aren’t actual, medical “seizures” just a strange kind of seizing apnia).  He prescribed a broad spectrum antibiotic just in case it’s bacterial.  Unfortunately, there is no blood lab or scanning center here in town.

Her most recent attack happened this evening, and we will be returning to the doctor tomorrow to determine if we should take her to Lusaka or even South Africa for proper, hospital testing.  At this point, I don’t think we have any other option; there isn’t anything else they can do for her here in Kabwe.

Please be praying for her.  I am very scared.  There is little that we can do other than watch her and keep her calm.  It seems that stress and pain set off the attacks (the one this evening happened after the dog knocked her over and she got a bump on her head.)  I have never felt so helpless.  I will never, ever be able to erase the image of my limp baby girl lying in my arms; I’ll never experience longer seconds than those in which I waited for her to breathe again.

Please, please pray for us.

We are so excited to have a place to call OUR home!

I am pleased to announce that last Tuesday, October 27^th, we officially moved into our new home in Zambia.  This is very exciting for us, not just because it’s our first home since we got married in May 2007, but also because it has taken a lot of time, prayer, and hard work to get here (not to mention a lot of flying and driving!!)

Since I have failed miserably in my original intention of updating this blog once a week, I will quickly highlight the major events that have taken place.  It may take a few days to do that…

October 14^th- The engine on the Toyota was finally finished and we were able to pick it up- yay!!!  All in all, the truck was in the shop for over four weeks, and needed a rebuilt engine, turbo, and diesel pump.  What a project!  We praise God for providing the funds needed to make these repairs.

October 15^th -16^th – On Thursday we packed to leave Cape Town.  In the evening Timothy prepared to hook the trailer to the truck… only to discover that the hitch had been stolen.  This was an extremely frustrating moment for us.  Then, adding insult to injury, it was too late to buy one that night.  So, instead of leaving at 5am the Friday morning as originally planned, Timothy went in search of a new hitch (not as easy to find in stock in South Africa as it would be in the States.)  He finally found one that he thought would work, but it was just a tiny bit too big.  He spent another 2 ½ hours grinding and fitting the hitch post before we had a workable connection.  At noon we were able to bid farewell to the Cape and “head home” (it’s so nice to be able to say that).  We thought we would be able to reach our first stop, Bloemfontein, by 11pm or so.  However, we didn’t take into account traveling with a new engine, a heavily loaded trailer, a toddler, and a pregnant wife (hey, when you gotta go, you gotta go. Now.)  At midnight we were still 300kms from our stop and dead tired.  We pulled to the side of the road and slept in the car for a few hours before continuing onwards.  We reached Johannesburg Saturday evening and were greeted by our friends the van der Merwes.  We stayed on their farm for two nights.  Monica loved feeding the lambs!

October  17^th – 18^th We were able to fellowship with our Brothers and Sisters in Johannesburg and Pretoria before continuing our journey.  These dear friends have “put us up” on our way through many times.  They are Timothy’s best “braai friends” and a huge encouragement to us as a family.  Thanks, Benoni!

October 19^th – 21^st Driving as far as Petersburg, we stopped to pick up a few more items and meet the doctor who will, God willing, deliver our baby in a few months.  We were very pleased with Dr. Henn.  She suggested that we return to Petersburg about 3 weeks prior to the baby’s birth (due date is January 7^th) to minimize the risk of going into labor on the road- a suggestion Timothy is most keen to follow.  ; ) Personally, I think he’d be a great midwife… but I think the idea of a delivering his own baby in the back of a truck, with a toddler in the carseat, along the roadside in Botswana, watching for lions over his shoulder freaks him out just a little.  During our stay in Petersburg we stayed with Andre and Wiida van Jaarsveldt at their guesthouse.  It was a wonderful break from the road, and a great place to finish off our stay in civilization!

October 22^nd – 25^th – We continued our journey through South Africa, Botswana, and on into Zambia.  We are very pleased at how well the Toyota managed the road conditions and heavily loaded trailer.  The roads were VERY bad in some areas.  One 60km stretch in Zambia took over four hours to traverse!!  The potholes and road conditions in this section were so bad that the spotlights got shaken off the bull bar!  Argh!!  Fortunately, we sustained no further damage (unless you count two very well shaken and bumped people in the truck… Monica slept through the whole thing.  Carseats are wonderful).  God’s grace truly was with us on the road.  There are so many things that can go wrong on any road, but African roads are notorious for their dangerous conditions.  This is exacerbated by the fact that if you break down you are TRULY in the middle of nowhere, in the heat, and with the wildlife.

Crossing into Zambia was a lot more difficult than we originally expected.  It took about five hours to process our vehicle, trailer, and boxes through customs.  It was also a lot more expensive than we expected.  If there is one art the Africans have mastered, it is that of taxation.

We reached Kabwe on Sunday and were welcomed by Hannes, Christel, and Dian van Jaarsveldt (our landlords).  It was wonderful to step out of the vehicle for the last time!

Monica was very, very well behaved throughout the whole journey.  Some of our days were very long; just the first stretch from Cape Town to Johannesburg (including a few hours sleep in the car) took 30 hours!  She enjoyed seeing the wildlife along the way, especially the ostriches (which she refuses to call anything but, “Ducks!”) and the elephants in Botswana.

October 26^th – the present

We are now moved in to our home.  We are “camping it up” as most of our household items arrive on the Container.  Cooking has been a bit of a challenge with one camp stove burner, one crock pot, and 3 utensils, but we are managing.  It is also the end of the dry season here, which means vegetables are scarce and expensive.  Tomatoes and cucumbers are very cheap and abundant still, so we are eating a lot of those!  We haven’t been able to get our water filtration system to work.  We think it may have been damaged in the process of moving here.  We are getting a new one from Lusaka within a few days.  In the mean time, we have been availing ourselves of the van Jaarsveldts’ water.

All things considered, it’s nice to be HOME at long last.  I might be sitting in a camp chair… but it’s my chair in my house.  I’m also drinking tea out of my mug.  I just finished washing my dishes and put them away in my cupboard.  It was truly wonderful staying with so many good friends in the States.  But, oh MY, MY is it good to have our own home!