We are so SLOW in sending these emails because we only got home last night! (the 9 Jan.) We were to leave on the morning of the 28th to arrive back in Maun on the 29th Dec., Michael would preach the next day in church, then the next evening of the 31st, he was to lead the watch night service (accompanied by fire works) at Village Church. Well, on the evening of the 27th we were to meet someone that was coming from the US and bringing some gifts for us from our home church in WA. On the morning of the 27th, I, (Heather) woke up in excruciating pain. I have chronic neck problems (still waiting for Dr.Charlie Dewild to come on a mission trip to Botswana and minister to the physical pain of the missionaries :) ) Wow. You all know that I am a cry-er! But I DO NOT LIKE TO CRY WHEN I AM IN PAIN. I didn't do anything in particular - but I had tremendous pain in my neck. Man, was I crying! I couldn't do or move anything. I couldn't cough or swallow without it hurting. I almost hyperventilated - the pain just took my breath away. I finally cried out to my husband, "Honey - I think I need some help". Josiah has never seen me like that and stayed with me the whole time on the bed. It was the 27th of December!!!! What do you do?! My husband ran to the pharmacy and told the pharmacist he needed the strongest muscle relaxer he could get without a prescription - and told them what for. They made him sign a paper for it. I took the suttle hint that I needed to stay in bed that day and I DID - staying in bed until 5:00 pm - taking the pills as often as the dosage would allow me. It took the edge off the pain at least.
We were also having problems with our brakes on our truck - really for the last year. By now we were pumping them to stop at signal lights (robots as they call them here in Africa). So the morning we are supposed to leave - Michael takes our truck to have the brakes checked. They said that there was no way they could let Michael leave with the truck in the condition it was in. The disc had been filed so thin (by people we had work on our truck in Botswana) - that they said if we were going over 120 km/h (NOT mph), and put on the brakes suddenly, that disc would have broke all the way, causing the brakes to seize, sending our truck into multiple rolls! We never take for the granted the fact that God watches over us on the road. We have too many things that could cause accidents on the road. We were so grateful to God that He answered our prayer. Yes - there was something wrong with our truck - but He kept us safe! LONG s_t_o_r_y SHORT - because of our brake problems and the minor detail that all SA building stores and auto shops shut down between Christmas and New Year - we were STUCK in SA. They could not get the part needed to fix our brakes until this last Monday! We were 10 days late on our arrival to Maun!
We thank God for His provision - His safety - His presence with us - EMMANUEL!!
There were too many adventures to write about - but just to whet your appetite...
3 sons with 3 different allergic reactions to pollen in the SA air - chronic sneezing, itchy, blistery bumps around the mouth, red, itchy, puffy eyes and nose,
Same boys magically getting locked in the bathroom of the church we were staying in (we are now good friends with the maintenance man at Breakthru church :) ). They had to be rescued at 10:30 pm!
Maintenance guy gets arm stuck in malfunctioning electronic gate at church and his wife gives Mike a call screaming "Mike, run to the gate - Please hurry - Anthony's arm is caught in it!")
I don't know if we are in denial or what - but our bodies keep trying to remind us that we are aging - we just don't believe it. I turned 39 just before Christmas - and Michael and I both are experiencing funny aches and pains we have never had.....I know some of you are laughing now... It is just wierd. I find myself praying - "O Lord, please help my husband really clear that fence that he is jumping over to show his boys that he still can - and NOT BUST HIS FACE OPEN! Heeeeeeeeeee! :)
Back to the Thank yous! (I have a feeling you are getting more info on our Christmas than you wanted). We are so grateful to you all for making our Christmas so special. We thank our families and Hope Christian, New Douglas Baptist, Camp Verde Baptist and Island Church for the beautiful ways you blessed our family this Christmas and made us feel so loved. Everything from thoughtful Christmas cards to American candy bars for stockings to amazing gifts for us and our children!!!!! (And girlie presents for me and our daughter!!!) We thank you with all our hearts!
There are a few more pics I want to send - so let me wrap this up. Happy New Year Blessings to you and your families and your churches!! We love you.
Blessings,
Michael, Heather, Beracah, Judah, Josiah and Charissma
PS - we had a really quiet New Year - alone as a family in SA. But we found Dr. Pepper and Cherry Coke in one store there! We bought 6 cans of each kind- they were about $1.30 per can! That was our special new year treat! We thought we would bring one back for the 3 American missionaries left in Botswana during the holiday - AND THEY WERE ALL GONE! No more! :) That is how it works here. Mom - that is when having daddy's philosophy of buying as many as possible pays off! :)
