November 15, 2015

Rain, Rain, Come This Way!

Pouring rain, thunder, lightning, then… no power.

No biggie, we feel super proud of ourselves for bringing headlights and solar-lamps! Then… a bit of disappointment when the lights go back on five short minutes later. We were excited to rough it!

We were glad for even that half hour of rain, as the drought has been terrible here. Fields that should be green are crunchy with dead grass. It’s spring here, but instead of new life, over 12,000 cattle have died from starvation. We are glad to hear it may rain more in the next few days. Please keep Swazi weather in your prayers.

We’ve now been here just over a week and have gotten so much more done than we expected. We were told that everything takes a lot of time here, so we feel blessed that we have been able to get a post box, buy a car, and sign a lease on a house. Of course, there are no set dates for when we will actually receive the car or move into the house 😉

We’ve also gotten to visit a few carepoints while they’ve had their Christmas parties. We are thankful for that distraction because before the festivities begin, they are pretty fascinated with Zach. They don’t get to see non-Swazi babies often (if ever), so they tend to swarm him and all want to hold and touch him.

I’m glad they will make good playmates for him, but for now, I’ve been keeping him close as to not overwhelm him and give him some time to acclimate to the environment. Zach’s a real trooper though, he seems just as interested in them, and on the ride home, he’s always fast asleep; pooped from the new experiences.

Zach’s top two teeth have now broken through- Hallelujah! He’s also now been army-crawling for a few days. Every time we look at him, it’s as if he’s a different baby! Scratch that, he feels almost like a toddler!

Brandon, my mom, and I are also doing well. We are almost used to driving on the other side of the road now, and are learning our way around. Groceries were a challenge in the beginning, even though they have a great selection, and now we are starting to get the hang of it. Tip: get few groceries, but often! The produce is much riper at sale and there are less preservatives in everything.

When we do get stressed, it’s usually because we don’t understand how things work here or know about certain cultural differences. We are learning to go with the flow, and not count on plans. Please keep praying our adjustment here.

grace and peace,
Melinda

Melinda at Ekudzeni CarePoint

Drought in Eswatini

Brandon at a CarePoint




6 Comments

rick

November 13, 2015 at 2:51 PM Thanks for sharing your adventure with us. We are praying for you!

Marlene Woertz

November 13, 2015 at 3:00 PM You are in our thoughts and prayers! It sounds like you are doing very well! It’s great to get these reports! You’ve probably heard that winter with the first snow has come to SLC this week. Rain is good news too. We will pray for more. 🙂

Scott

November 13, 2015 at 3:37 PM Thanks so much for the update – blessings!

Brandon Hanson

November 13, 2015 at 5:34 PM You guys are amazing! Keep posting, I love seeing these updates. What a cool adventure.

Don Good

November 14, 2015 at 12:08 PM Lovely news

Elsa

November 15, 2015 at 12:25 AM May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you and your family, I will keep praying for your safety. Love, Elsa Liu.

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