Thursday, February 5, 2009

We’re home again – have been for 10 days!

Dear Praying Friends and Family,

We’re home again – have been for 10 days! We hit the road running as the saying goes! Thanks for you prayers for safety in travel. We had a good time camping going down and coming back. We identified a new bird at the Waterberg Plateau Park (African Paradise Flycatcher) and as always we enjoy any time we can spend in Etosha National Park viewing wild game.

Thanks for praying for Brent’s visa. He got his visitor’s visa and so was able to cross the border with us albeit arriving at 1 AM Friday so he had only a few hours sleep before we faced the border. The actual border crossing was no hassle for which we are ALWAYS grateful. We had a little 4X4 excitement! I will let Shelley describe it (She and Peter were also traveling with us):

The road gave excitement almost immediately on the Angolan side as 5 kms in we had to cross a 30 yard patch of black water of unknown depth and mire! We were three 4x4's in convoy as we were traveling with Stirling and Donna Foster in their Land Rover Defender with a trailer and Brent Mudde(MAF colleague) in his Land Rover Discovery. Brent was the guinea pig and made it across with little difficulty but enough to make us all wonder if Stir's car with the trailer would make it. Peter took the Jeep across next and it made it also with just enough difficulty to make your heart race and then Stir came across. It looked like he was going to get stuck several times right in the middle of the patch, but by backing up and trying again he made it!! We all cheered and yelled and danced after we were all safely across and thanked the Lord again for safety and 4x4's!! The rest of the trip was "boring" according to Jeffrey(my 14 yr old nephew) who thinks the only exciting drive is one in which a couple of folk get stuck - but the rest of us were quite content with "boring"!

Since our return Stirling has been back and forth to town several times (3 hours one way – down from the usual 4-5 hours as roads have steadily improved lately) getting documents sorted out for the importation of the fencing. As I write he is on his way back from the border. He had to go there to turn in documents to find out how much customs we will have to pay. Import items varies considerably! Wire is only 10% for example but wood (in this case fence posts) are 50%! We had hoped there would be exemption since this is a church project but it doesn’t sound like it! PRAY that we will rest in the knowledge that God is not poor! He knows all the needs of Tchincombe! PRAY for Stirling for stamina as there’s still lots of travel to do. On Monday he has to run back to Lubango for another document. On Wednesday back to the border to meet the trucks! The trucks will get to within 60 km of here (farm of a friend) and then we’ll have to transport three platform, interlink’s worth of fencing material with our equipment (Unimog, Chevy, tractor & trailer, and pick-up truck)! And then the work of installation begins – Whew! I’m tired thinking of what’s yet to be done!

The kids and I are into our second week of school! Meghan, 4th grade and Jeffrey, 9th grade! Things are going well so far! I do enjoy teaching the kids but I always feel the strain of wanting to do more in terms of literacy, language and Bible teaching!

Over the years we have had a keen interest in developing a horse herd to use in farm management – and also for our enjoyment/recreation. There is a young Canadian woman, Aimee Heyer, who is keen to come and stay with us for a months and help us begin working with a few horses. She’ll also give Meghan and Jeffrey riding lessons which will be a special treat for them! Please PRAY for all the processes involved in getting her here –especially getting a visitor’s visa quickly. Aimee’s parents, Clarence and Louise, are good friends of ours – they were with MAF here in Angola in our first years here in Angola.

Continue to pray for the outreach at Imbondwe that the Word would penetrate hearts and that particularly the elders in the community would see God’s reaching out to them and pursuing them with his passionate love!

PRAY too for our weekly ladies’ meeting – for ladies to open up and share their struggles and joys.

THANKS TONS for all your prayers on our behalf!!!

Partnering with You!

Donna for all of us

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