home from South Africa

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(I'm still trying to figure out how to put photos into the blog; not sure why they are all at the top...will figure this out next time. In any case, the photos are: Val and I at the Indian Ocean, a view of the Drakensberg Mountains bordering Lesotho, Val and I riding in the back of a "bakkie" leaving the Tribal Council building of a rural village)

Dear Family and Friends,

I arrived home from South Africa on Tuesday afternoon, and after a day spent doing laundry and getting caught up on all my family's news and plans, I'm finding time this morning to (finally) update you all.

Thank you so much for your prayers for me while I was away! Val, Mary (her mom), and I enjoyed good health and many blessed moments during our last week of our trip. We did fly


successfully from Durban to Cape Town last Monday, coming in after a cold front settled on the area. The duration of our trip in Cape Town and in the Paarl Valley was cold (down to freezing temperatures at night!) and rainy--it rained from Monday until our departure a week later. Talk about challenging ALL our pre-conceptions of "Africa."

In fact, the trip was exactly that--an opening of the mind, and a study in contrasts. The weather (warm and sunny in one city, cold and rainy in another), the land (grassland, mountains, beaches), the people (so many cultures--Zulu, white Afrikans-speaking, Indian), the neighborhoods (rural villages, booming cities, expansive townships). I am so thankful that we had the opportunity to see so many parts of the country, to experience so many cultures and ways of living and thinking.

Our final week in Cape Town and the Paarl Valley was lovely, despite the rain. We visited with the University of Cape Town from Monday through Wednesday (of last week), and had a lot of time on our own (which we spent, since it was raining so heavily....in the MALL, of all places...I kept telling Val that I had been in more malls in South Africa then in the entire last year of my life here in the States...one benefit, though, was that we were able to see an extraordinary documentary on HIV/AIDS in South Africa, which we enjoyed). On Wednesday we went about an hour outside of Cape Town to the Paarl Valley, a beautiful wineland area dotted with quaint small towns. There, we stayed in a gorgeous bed and breakfast owned by some of Val's friends, missioners with an NGO called Monte Cristo Ministries. We had five days or so to meet the staff of MCM--adults from the United States supporting South African staff from a variety of communities (a black township, a colored neighborhood, a white Afrikanner farm). MCM is involved in the Paarl community in a number of ways--food distribution, sports mentoring programs, youth leadership development, hospice care for HIV-infected children--it was extraordinary to see such a young organization doing so much, and building so many relationships in the community. As was Val's hope, there are some possibilities there for a partnership between Gordon College and MCM, so that was an exciting discovery, too.

We left from the Cape Town airport on Monday evening, flew all night to London, endured a 4-hour layover, and came on home to Boston by 1:45 pm (Boston time)--over 30 hours of travel time total. Val and I came home with sore backs (we're getting old!), but otherwise in good spirits. I can't tell you what a JOY it was to see my family...I missed them terribly, especially in the last few days of our trip.

What's next? Probably the highlight of Orilus and Jackson's summer. On Monday we're off (in a limo to the airport, no less) for a Make-a-Wish trip to Disney World! Orilus received a "wish" following his transplant, and this was it, and we are so thankful for this free and well-deserved vacation together. We have a LOT to celebrate!

In other news...I want you to know that we have continued to follow Eddie and his family, and continue to use the money you donated to Eddie's Fund to help his family pay for monthy bills. I talked with Kori yesterday and Eddie continues to be home, but with a LOT of trips to Jimmy Fund, and he's really wrestling with GVH (rejection disease) and other complications. Please pray for a full recovery for him, and encouragement for them all. And THANK YOU for donating to Eddie's Fund....as their process continues to go on longer than anyone anticipated, we may do some fundraisers for the Fund as well, to try to continue to support them as they press on. Keep them all in your prayers!

Also, be praying for my grandma in Kansas, my MeeMaw. She's quite unwell this past month, and I'm very concerned for her.

Finally, Jason is riding to raise money for Jimmy Fund this Sunday! If you'd like to donate to his ride (and to Jimmy Fund), you can do so at http://www.pmc.org/ ID number 52547-5 We're all going to cheer him on Sunday morning!

We're all well (Jason did a FANTASTIC job as "dad" while I was gone, and the boys are well). Blessings to each of you for your love for our family, and continued care.

Love to you all,
Missy