First Month

This first month has gone by faster than we could have imagined. We have been very busy getting our life here going and other a few hard days we are blessed to have had a smooth start.

Last week our whole team spent several days on a team retreat at Lake Kariba which borders Zimbabwe and Zambia. We had time to get to know one another, relax, and review what all has been happening in Mumena over the past years. With three new families (including Jason and I) joining the existing team, it was a much needed time together that we greatly appreciated our supporting churches making possible for us.

Since then Jason and I have been busy bees continuing to get situated at our new home in the bush. I am getting used to (kind-of) making everything from scratch, riding my bike with a long skirt on, and checking the walls and floor for termites daily. Jason has been getting set up for a 4- H project he is venturing to start with the school here. He has some really great plans for it that he will blog about sometime soon so I won't give away too much information... But lets just say...there are already some really cute goat kiddos that will be the first teaching tools of the program.

Also this week, we were given our church plant assignments. Jason and I will be working with a church near the roadside, which is very close to Mumena, as well as a church a good drive away pretty far into the bush. Since the farther away church is not accessible from a vehicle during the rainy season (because of the road conditions getting there) we will not be visiting there for another couple of months. But we are very excited to get started building relationships with the members of the church at the roadside. It is a great church to invite the teachers we are living near and those Jason will work with in Ag to come to because it is within walking distance. Please keep these churches and our work with them in your prayers.

Speaking of prayers, thank you to those of you who prayed fervently for the snake bite scare with Jason. This is also something he will write about later but I will say, God was in control that day and the outcome was 100% an answer to prayers. We are already encountering intense times where our faith is being challenged and I hope that we continue to grow while we strive to rely on Him.

Hopefully sometime this month I will upload pictures of our house and surrounding areas, so be looking forward to that. Hope you have a happy February!

We found this little critter on the road at the team retreat