Re-entry

After a week more of "lasts" and farewells and 36 hours of travel, we are back home in Colorado!  The Lord showered us with his traveling mercies, as all eight of our suit cases arrived on time and without blemish, and all the flights and transitions went smoothly.  Lily and Anya were SUPER excited to be on the plane at first.  They could hardly contain their excitement about eating, sleeping and watching shows on the plane!  But by the final 5 hours of the flight, they were making vows that they will never fly again!  Lily said "I'm not flying again for 101 days!".  But they did a great job.
It was so good to see Paul, Kathy, Bobby and Alexandra, and to be home!  We happily allowed Paul and Kathy to drive us home- back on the right side of the road, and stopped off at Wendy's to satisfy our Wendy's cheeseburger craving...and it lived up to our idealistic expectation!  So good to have fast food again! (a true American :))  We got home to Paul and Kathy's house in Greeley, and it was an exciting reunion for Lily and Anya with all of their toys!  They have been loving the rediscovery of all of their long lost toys, and have been enjoying the luxury of TV again!
The girls have been waking up at 2am or various hours throughout the night.  Thankfully Kathy had Thursday and Friday off, and took the "night shift" the first night and has been so helpful and accommodating throughout the days. Last night everyone slept through until 5:30am!  Woo hoo! We are all tired and adjusting, but slowly starting to feel more and more back to ourselves.  It was a happy reunion with my parents this weekend, and we enjoyed Chick-fil-a, BBQ, and seeing the house we're going to live in.
So we're back!  Back to... pumping our own petrol, easy returns at stores, free plastic bags (though it's still a good habit to bring my own to the stores), vast variety and selection of goods,  delicious Mexican food, kids meals with a fruit option, more affordable kids clothing, reality of providing our own supervision in the play places, consumerism, commercialism, confusing our "needs" with "wants", driving on the right side of the road, having cruise control, freezing temperatures, short days (sun down by 5pm), Pandora, Dr. Pepper, free refills, unlimited data and airtime on our cell phones, Starbucks, Cheetos, aisles full of cereal options, houses covered in Christmas lights, coupons, internet customer service (no more Telkom!), Hulu, and so much more!  We are adapting and enjoying life back at home,  but we have left a piece of our hearts in South Africa...a piece that no American convenience will replace.  We're proud to be Americans, but thankful God called us to South Africa, and for who our experience there has helped us to become.

Lasts

Whew!  What am I doing writing when I should be packing?  I just don't want to forget ANY of these last days and experiences!  We fly out a week from today.  ONE WEEK!  We've been soaking up all of our "last" moments.  We've had our last team time, our last time at the orphanage (sad goodbye), our final braai with our Western Cape team, our last trip in the cable car up Table Mountain (only to encounter the FREEZING and fierce wind, have a coffee in the cafe, and come back down), our last time in our car (it sold on Sunday, praise God!), my last time running out of petrol on the way home (oops...I mean the first and last time!  Borrowing a friend's car, and there was no final indicator!  Luckily we were only a block away from home and a kind man stopped and pushed our car to the shoulder.  Christian was there within minutes), our last holiday in South Africa (we LOVE Hermanus!), Lily's last play date with her best friend from school, Therese, our last date night (enjoyed watching the sun set over Table mountain) and quite possibly our last blog from Cape Town (crazy!).  We just keep giving thanks.  How timely Thanksgiving was this year! It was actually full of firsts!  First time cooking a turkey (make that 2), gravy and pecan pies.  First time celebrating Thanksgiving with a pool party!  Thanksgiving day we were hosted by my good friend, Lauren, who had looked up and recreated decoration and celebration ideas on pinterest, and made delicious new recipes from Southern Living that will now be incorporated in future Thanksgivings!  Both days of Thanksgiving were such a special celebration with friends.
Lily and Anya have been processing leaving in their own little ways.  Anya keeps things positive with all the things she has waiting for her at home (family and Christmas make the top of the list).  Lily has shed some tears and talks about how she's going to miss Therese.  She keeps taking "pictures in her mind" to remember each place we go.  It's been so sweet.  Our holiday in Hermanus was such a special time together as a family, full of cherished memories.  We got to see whales breeching, and enjoyed beautiful warm days on the beach.  We ate out for dinner one night and had a good chuckle at Anya.  Often times at restaurants in Cape Town, they will bring mints or candy when they bring the bill.  So in the middle of our meal Anya always asks "Can I please have some of the bill?"  That night she asked "Mommy, can I please eat the bill?" She really thinks the candy is called "bill"!  Lol!  And she is so sad when the bill doesn't have candy.  One time at Woolworths, the waitress saw how sad she was and she went and BOUGHT candy in the grocery section just for Anya!  Now that's service! :)
Lily cried when we left Hermanus and went to each room of the house we stayed in and "took pictures in her mind".  She said she was really going to miss that place.  I think it was the first of the "lasts", and has helped her to begin to process leaving.  So sweet.  The other day when we were leaving Thanksgiving dinner, Lily excitedly told me "Mom, someday I'm going to meet my prince, and he is going to love God, love me, and he is going to be beautiful...I mean handsome!"  Sounds good! :)
My head is so full of details and things that need to happen that I don't always know what I'm feeling each moment.  But I do know that I am overwhelmed with gratitude.  The Lord is so good, faithful, loving, attentive, personal, sustaining, persistent, gentle, and kind.  This year has been more than I could have ever imagined it would be. We're grateful to have shared it with you! I'll have to post the pictures later...need to get some sleep!

Our Apartment: bedroom

Kitchen/Dining

Living Room

Girls' room

Last time at the orphanage

Pastor J and Mama Irene
www.unakho.com

Last vacation~ Hermanus

Sold the car!

Last walk around the lake to the "benches" by our apartments 

Last team time

Last date night

Last date night...an amazing sunset over Table Mountain just for us!

Last movie night for the kids

Last time at our beloved small group

Lily's last day of Grade R at Welgemoed (with Teacher Trudi and Dinah)

Last day of school with Lily's best friend Therese

Last time with Therese's family~ James, Carolyn, Therese and James

First and last Thanksgiving pool party! (Lacy, Steph, Anya and Lily)

A special American Thanksgiving hosted by my dear SA friend, Lauren.

Last braai and time with Louise, Guy, Ariella and Gabriel (First time in their new house!)

Last time with Ariella and Gabriel

Last walk through a vineyard

Last time with Western Cape team

Last time as neighbors at Cascades (Shannon, Lacy, Katelyn and Tyler Williams)

Halloween and other adventures

We have 27 days left in Cape Town, and so much to do! The last few weeks on campus were full...full of encouraging leaders with "vision plans"(a written encouragement of strengths and suggestions for growth), of prayer, details and "lasts".  A couple of students were experiencing some intense spiritual warfare, but after much powerful prayer and posting and claiming scripture, it has subsided.  In fact Halloween was a sort of "dark" time here.  It is WAY different in South Africa than at home.  Mostly because it is an actual spiritual holiday, and therefore is not recognized or celebrated by Christians here.  There are many forms of witchcraft and Satanic worship that are practiced in Cape Town, but between October 22-Nov 1st, it is more intense.  So needless to say, we not only saw some out workings of  the darkness of those days, but also experienced some tension between "tradition" of how we usually celebrate Halloween, and the culture and reality here of Halloween.  We ended up fighting the spiritual battle through prayer and the Word, and continued to rest in the power of Jesus and security of knowing our King reigns.  And we did a little American "dress up and trick or treat" time to our apartment, the Williams apt., and to the apartment of the girls on our team.  We didn't make it a big deal.  Lily came in to our room that morning before school and said "Mom, I've decided not to dress up like a ballerina...instead, I'm going to be the Tooth Fairy.  I'm going to dress all in white, like a tooth, and carry a purse that I can take on and off that will have a tooth on it"  I was so surprised! Not only did my daughter (who normally doesn't like costumes or dressing up...or the thought of the tooth fairy coming into her room at night for that matter) want to dress up, but she also thought of her whole costume! I was so impressed!   That afternoon the girls were anxiously anticipating their opportunity for  getting candy, and Shannon was decorating their apartment to make it more festive.  Lily came back from their apartment and said "Mom, Shannon is decorating.  We need to do something.  Why won't you help me decorate?  Let's make some pumpkins to hang up or something."  Another sign that Lily is my daughter...first thinking about what to wear, and now decorating!  So we did.  We "carved" pumpkins out of paper and stuck them on her bedroom door.  It was really a fun and special time with Lily.  I know she was confused as to why we weren't totally into celebrating Halloween all of a sudden.  She asked me why I didn't like it anymore.  I was just wrestling so much in my mind with the difference between "commercialized" Halloween in the States, and "spiritual" Halloween in South Africa.  We didn't always know what to say or not to say about it.  We prayed.  We asked the Holy Spirit to help us discern.  In the end, Lily and Anya's innocence and excitement in the day made it fun.  But honestly, I was just glad when Halloween was over!

Lily, Noel, Lacy, Nala, Katelyn and Anya

All year we've driven by this place down the street from us called "Cool Runnings".  It's a toboggan track and it said it's fun for the whole family...but we didn't really know what to expect.  Our staff team decided to check it out a couple of weeks ago.  We prepared ourselves by watching the movie "Cool Runnings" the night before:).  It ended up being a blast!  Lily and Anya rode with us, and they squealed and laughed the entire time!  They each rode down at least 10 times!  So glad we didn't leave Cape Town without experiencing Cool Runnings.  In fact, we might have to go again before we leave!

Last weekend our friends, Catherine and Ernst, invited us to come to their parent's beach house in Kleinmond for the weekend. We first met Catherine and Ernst in the hospitality room of our church (Common Ground) the very first time we came, back in January!  Catherine and I both felt like we'd met each other before...it was the strangest thing!  We quickly became friends and joined the small group they lead.  They have two children, Arden (3) and Nina (almost 1), and we had an awesome weekend with them!  The weather was a little cool and windy, so we didn't get to play on the beach like we'd hoped, but it was a relaxing weekend away.  They made us a lamb "potjie", which is kind of like a stew made in an cast iron pot over the fire.  It is an art form.:) Though we were too hungry to let it simmer for the full 3 hours, it was still delicious!

This week we have been meeting to evaluate and debrief our Stint year.  Praising God in remembering all He has done and will continue to do! We have excited spirit-filled students in place to lead on all three of the campuses we've been working on.  Praise God!  We also found out that over the course of the year, we (our team, students, and summer project) have presented the gospel over 900 times and seen 85 students accept Christ.  I'm so grateful for the many ways the Lord brings people to himself.

These last few weeks Lily will continue to go to school, and we will start packing, tying up loose ends, sell our car, saying goodbyes and visiting the orphanage for the last time.  Please pray for time management; that we would leave well and prepare physically, spiritually and emotionally for home!

The Tooth Fairy

Tinker Bell

Anya's first hair cut! 

At first she was ok

Then she was a little scared!
But she did it!

Lily got a trim as well,
but wasn't too thrilled.
The bribe of stickers did the
trick! :)

Anya and I on after our toboggan run

This is a screen shot of the video we took of Lily's first ride.  Beyond excited!

Our first meal at the beach house "cabin"

There was a fun tree to climb out front

You can't see them, but there are flamingos just behind us out of the picture!

Catherine, Arden, Ernst and Nina

Anya and Arden could be twins!  

A walk on the beach

Lamb Potjie