Packing And Shipping Again???

Oh my, will it never end?  The packing and shipping I mean.  We received the shipping quotation, and the "okay" for shipment this afternoon.  This is good news!  Yes, you did remember correctly - our container is in Namibia, and it is full of all our personal belongings.  Problem is that we don't know when it will find it's way to Malawi.  The shipper is prepared to fetch it and bring it to Malawi, but the problem is that we do not have our TEP (temporary employment permit) yet.  Without our TEP we cannot ship our container.  The paper-work is in process, but we are waiting on issuance.

 

Packing... yes, we will need to send a crate from the USA to Malawi.  This will be some household items, office equipment, clothes, etc.  We will ship this before we leave for Malawi, and hopefully it will be there shortly after our arrival.

 

Fredna is a happy camper tonight after receiving word that we are good to ship from this side.  This has been somewhat of a concern.

 

So, we are off to find packing material and begin the process - AGAIN!

Did I Ever Tell You That We Love Itineration?

Yes, I said it, WE LOVE ITINERATION!  I realize that this is not the normal feeling for missionaries, I'm not really sure why not.  Many find it grueling, arduous, difficult, and not much fun - or so I'm told.

What do we like about it?  Everything... we like traveling; we like meeting new people; we like visiting with the pastors; we like sharing our heart and vision for the work to which God has called us; we like telling about the people and culture in Africa.  I can't think of a part that we don't like.

Oh yeah, there was that service on Sunday morning that I showed up, and the pastor asked me why I was there.  I told him that he had scheduled me for the service that morning.  He said, "Oh, I thought I scheduled you for the evening service!"  Even those times are fun.                                        

It is always nice getting to visit with the pastors and their families.  After being away for so long, it somehow seems like we get to re-connect with who we are.

WE LOVE ITINERATION!

TIME IS RUNNING OUT

Time is running out for our stay in the USA, only 24 days, 11 and 1/2 hours before we leave Texas for our journey back to Africa.  We have only been Stateside for about 4 months.  What can you do in 4 months?  Plenty!  But it is not enough time to be with your family that you only get to see for short periods.  So much is happening in our children's lives currently.  Our last-born graduates from university and begins the process of entering the employment contest.  Our number two child is moving into her own apartment for the first time.  It seems she has had to live the life a vagabond for a very long time, but not anymore.  Our first-born is making preparations to spend her summer in a northern state pursuing her Master's degree.  So much going on and we will not get to be part of their lives for at least another year.

 

The first year we spend in Malawi promises to be a busy one!  Already several teams are lined up to come and help do ministry and plant churches.  We should hit the ground running and not have time to look back.  It is exciting to watch how God is moving.  Time may be running out here, but it will certainly bring us once again to the country we love.  Someone once told us that when you drink the water in Africa you will always thirst until you are able to drink it again.  We are thirsty!