New Year's News

We got back on Saturday (from Windhoek) with the children. We were there to welcome the Gillhams (new CMS missios) and help them settle in. It was great to catch up on Aussie news, new films (they had some DVDs we had not seen), and to speak English! The children got on well, too (see photo) and we pray they will settle down quickly in their new environment. They have already chosen schools, a house and a car!
I drove home alone (871 km) - and accidentally took a detour because I took wrong turn and started heading towards the coast!! David has gone to South Africa for a week for a course.
We came home to sporadic showers but it has rained almost continually Sunday-Tuesday. Our sandy garden is shooting up baby thorn trees – they are such hardy plants. I have pulled out about 100 … but have hardly made a dent.
We came back to a swag of Christmas cards so it has been fun reading newsletters and making Christmas last that bit longer!
Home schooling has started. As David is away, Étienne is helping Caris with her maths and I am just hoping the answers he is coming up with for his own problems are correct! Ah, the drawbacks of having dyscalculia (numerical dyslexia).
Our time at the coast was good. We found and touched a smallish octopus in a rock pool and caught lots of small fish. Caris especially loves the beach.
During our time away we were able to visit the dentist. We were reassured about a new tooth coming through for Caris where a damaged tooth was surgically removed when she was 3. Before we left Ongwediva last year, I went around doctors and pharmacies asking if they had liquid nitrogen (though my original request was for nitro-glycerin … until David corrected me! See, I am not a scientist, either!). Anyway, it was to no avail, but Caris got her warts burnt off in SA. I had a great-grandmother who was a ‘white witch’ and her specialty was charming away warts.
Windhoek was fun with all the shops. But we are glad to be home - despite going shopping the next day and seeing big gaps on the shelves where they are waiting for the next delivery from South Africa (every Thursday)!
I had only been home one day when 2 children I know turned up on our doorstep; cold, wet and hungry. Their mother is away and the house keeper had gone off for the day and locked them out of the house and it was raining. So I took them in and fed them and contacted their mother etc. So , yes, I AM home!
David had the car broken into whilst in Windhoek and his bag (with his Bible, NETS’ students test papers, books etc) stolen. We thank God that someone later found the bag on the road and contacted NETS and David was able to retrieve the entire contents. Our alternator just about died when we were coming back from South Africa. David booked it in for repairs in Windhoek and was told that there were no alternators for our car in the country and it would take a week to order from South Africa. We did not have a week. God generously provided us with a 2nd hand one (and thus a cheaper one) the day before I was to return home with the car!
From the time we left Ongwediva (10 Dec) to the time we returned (26 Jan) we have traveled 8,811 kms. Caris says she feels she has been LIVING in the car recently!
When you made your new year resolutions, was one of them to visit us?! We hope one of them was to continue to pray for the work here; that the Gospel will be preached faithfully and the leaders trained effectively.
Our February prayer points will be out soon so I will close now ... and look forward to hearing from you! (Proverbs 25:25)