We are so "crate"ful!!!!!

The past two weeks have been rough and wonderful all at the same time!! Macy has been sick and was eventually diagnosed with her first case of strep throat! (Thank the Lord for wonderful medical care located about 2 hrs from us that is run by the Christian Mission Alliance (CMA) and the great medical doctors there!) The same day we drove there and back to our house we got the news that our crate would be making it to our house that night from the capital city, which is a good 3 hr drive. I did not let myself get too excited because so many things happen here that can delay arrivals but I was hopeful that it would arrive within a couple of days! To my surprise it arrived at 1:00 am on Saturday the 28th!!!!!

I want to make our life here "real" to all my friends and family in the states! I immediately was so grateful to EVERYONE that contributes to the LOTTIE MOON offering every year. Without your giving, days like I just talked about would not be possible. The medical care that Macy received, the gas money that we used to drive 2 hrs, the money we used to pay for her antibiotics, the crate that we received, the money that it cost to get that crate across the ocean,...all that we are able to do here is ONLY made possible because people that love the Lord give to support us and the work that is done on the "field". The day we got our crate I could not help but be overcome with joy for the amount of support our organization receives and also simply for the fact that now my house feels like home again. I know we are to not find our joy in worldly possessions...but, oh, how wonderful it is to sit on my comfortable couches and sleep on my wonderful bed. I praise Jesus for the blessings in my life (and my family) and vow to be a good steward of everything I have been given to HIs glory!!!

To help make it real, I wanted to show you a picture time line of sorts of how the crating process went for us. (It is not exactly the same for everyone in our company and some do not even get to crate because of various reasons.) First off, we have not seen our house goods since early July 2011. The packing company came to our house and packed up all of our belongings in 2 days , put them on a truck, and drove out of the parking lot. Brad and I were just praying that we would see it all again one day!! Here are a few pictures of the packing done in the apartment we lived in at Mid America for a few months and the truck that took most of our earthly possessions.







After we watched that truck pull away we moved back to Cleveland, TN to be with our families for a couple of weeks before we went to training in Virginia. While we were at training though, our belongings were packed into a crate and sat in some shipping yard until we "landed" on the field. The week we came to Africa we learned that our crate had left the shores of the US and was headed across the Atlantic ocean to make its way here! We got to Africa on October 5th and our crate got here January 28th. "Why does it take so long?" is the question people ask. I am not sure of all the reasons but I do know that things get pretty sticky in customs. It sat in our country's capital for almost a month. The man that ran the shipping yard where our crate was sitting kept "making up reasons" why our crate could not be released. One day they needed the original documents (????), one day their supposed x-ray machine saw something suspicious, and then (after they had signed off on our stuff to be released) they said we had to pay to get the actual metal box that held all of our wooden boxes off of his yard. Crazy I know. Our company does not pay bribes, for any reason, so the wonderful men who God granted with much wisdom that day said, "Keep the metal crate!!!", and they went and got an 18 wheeler to load all the wooden boxes on to get them to our house!!! (Shout out to Matthew!!!!)

When the crate got here, it was on this huge truck and it had to get into our drive way somehow!! A few tree branches had to be cut down and about 8 men had to help direct the truck driver through our gate!! It was quite a site to see!!!



Brad had to break the seal on the boxes!!





Time to unpack!!! We have still unpacking left to do and have to think of ways (or things to have built) to be able to store our belongings in our house! Our house does not have a lot of storage area, as do most houses where we live!! The wood that our crates were made of will become shelves, cabinets, etc. Yay!!!! Here are a few pictures of our house, which now feels like a home!!!

Mine and Brad's bedroom...please excuse the mess! :)



The girls were thrilled to see all of their toys!



Oh, you cannot imagine what it was like for me to get my new fridge and stove. Absolute bliss.



Brad and Mara enjoying some Big Screen TV! :)



Now, who wants to come and visit?