Goodbye Lockie!

Way back in March, when we first got the announcement about the "three week" lockdown, things were pretty overwhelming. But, we thought we had figured things out. We had two preschoolers and two toddlers, and we would figure out a way to make it work.

Then the day before everything shut down, we got a call for a newborn baby who needed a place to stay.

Needless to say, sleepless nights and extra-busy days weren't in our plans! 

God, however, had other plans. He wanted to give this little boy a home and to work in us as well...in the middle of unexpected chaos and history-in-the-making that none of us saw coming, with a hardcore, emotionally intense, economically crippling country-wide (really, almost worldwide) shutdown. 

No matter your view on everything that has happened in 2020, there is no denying that it has been a challenge for many people. But in the middle of it, God showed us His grace and love and strength.

Here's what I wrote the day he arrived:

"Welcome to the madhouse, baby M! You have no idea what kind of world you came into...sometimes it's nice to be a kid.

"I find myself a bit jealous of all of them lately. But thankful that just like they don't even think much and stress about all the madness in the world around them (because the adults are taking care of it)...I have a Heavenly Father to run to as well...just like when our little two year old hears a scary sound and runs to me and puts her head down on my chest and all of a sudden things are ok...it's ok.

"Now if you all can please pray that he SLEEPS."

(He didn't.)

We cooked dinner like this.

Sometimes he liked to sit in his chair.

He loved Auntie Morongwa's lap!

I didn't have the night shift though!

We went to level 4 lockdown after 5 weeks, and the ladies came back to work. It's been such a joy to watch him grow over the last few months.

Our little monkey!

He is easily the most solid baby I have ever met.

Put this kid in a collared shirt and dress pants, and you will see why we call him the Minister of Finance! He looks just like a little middle-aged man.

We got word today that our sweet boy will be going home tomorrow! We are so excited for him and wish him all the best. Please pray that he will grow up to know and love Christ! It has been a privilege to care for him for the last seven months.

Things we will leave behind

I've been reading some books by Randy Alcorn on Heaven, and I've been really encouraged by them, as well as some conversations with friends about the same topic.

We really don't think enough about it, and how concrete and physical and amazing and REAL it will be. We won't be floating around on clouds playing harps, deathly bored...far from it.

Although I've been thinking a lot about what I will enjoy about Heaven...first and foremost, Christ...I've also been thinking a lot about what we will leave behind. Sometimes it's easy to be nervous and think well, we really enjoy this life, we just aren't ready to leave it, are we?

Of course, all the good things we enjoy will be there, only better. But, it helps me to think of all the things we will be leaving behind. Maybe it will help you too.

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sin

death

fear (sinful fear)

pain

hospitals

sickness

idolatry

rape

crying

murder

pride

dread

confusion

never feeling at home

watching friends suffer

medical errors/ignorance

pervasive sinful thoughts

irritation

impatience

funerals

passive-aggressiveness

anxious thoughts

sulking

sinful distraction

doubt

wanting to give up

masks

earthly-mindedness

lies and deceit

craving

jealousy

mosquito bites

fights with good friends

injustice

sinful dependency

broken things

counseling homework (the ouchy stuff)

coronavirus

abandonment

obsessive thoughts

the way someone has hurt in their eyes when you sin against them

assumptions

bitterness

unfulfilled longings

believing the worst

man's plan and not God's

abortion

fear of condemnation

spiritual blindness

uncertainty

"my fellow South Africans..."

bad what if's

gossip

stuffy noses

draining others

political riots

uncertainty

anxiety train

thorns

injuries

exhaustion

divorce

thinking I'm better than others

second-guessing

selfishness

anger

SIDS

emotional flamethrowing

hurtful speech (mine and others')

bad news

vomiting and nausea

everything ouchy

feeling left out

that hard feeling when you can't cry

orphanages

misery

awkwardness

bad days

rollercoaster emotions

condemnation

poverty

lawbreaking

carelessness

poison ivy

apprehension

disabilities

war

striving, trying to prove ourselves

same-sex attraction

embarrassment

panic attacks

wicked hearts

looking to others for what only Christ can provide

abuse

security gates

soul-tiredness

cancer

perfectionism

carjacking

hard feelings

barbed wire

miscommunication

conflict

lockdown

lockdown from God

laziness

rebellion

separation

hard conversations

hard loving

boredom

numbness

grief

unjust laws

racism

feeling unsettled/restless

sinful, bitter politics

tantrums

fighting

betrayal

crime

hate

sensory issues

being overwhelmed

suspicion

theft

the sting of death

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And that's just some of it. What would you add?

September Update

Hey everyone! I know you are all gearing up for fall in the States (I miss that, although not the winter that follows!), but here, Spring has sprung, quite enthusiastically. I've been enjoying the flowers that are everywhere, and this is just the beginning...jacaranda season will start next month and the entire city will turn purple.

There have been some pretty sunsets too!

The babies are growing so fast!

SweetP and Daisy are such smiley girls now.

Babybear is big enough to swing by himself now!

Tiny T is growing too, although he doesn't seem to want to sleep very much!

Little T turned four this month.

Just look at those chubby legs and feet!

We are continuing to enjoy science experiments. They're more fun if you set things on fire! (Under close supervision, of course.)

We did some broccoli/paint stamping to create our own jacaranda trees.

The kids also really enjoyed painting with toy cars!

We built and planted a bean teepee. Don't let Big T's face fool you...he was having fun. I hope it grows. It might not get enough sun in this spot...

We also brought home two new additions to MBH...I got the three kids some goldfish. Kids need pets! They named them Anna (from Frozen...not to be confused with Ana-the-bougainvillea-named-after-our-friend-from-church)...and...Lesego. 

One exciting thing that happened at my house this month was that we had skylights installed!

It's so nice to have more light in the house.

We are still in lockdown here in South Africa, but we have been downgraded to level 1. A lot more things are allowed, but we still need to wear masks and follow a lot of regulations. We are finally allowed to have a single church service again instead of two smaller services, so that is exciting! We all can't wait for lockdown to be completely over, though, so please be praying for that.

Bearing Burdens (As Told In Bad Stick Figure Drawings)

 So, Galatians 6:2 says to "bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." This sounds amazing and wonderful, to be able to love each other in this way, but it's also confusing to know HOW to do it sometimes. I want to learn to be a better friend and burden-bearer. But, it isn't always simple. A lot of different things can happen. A lot of different things can go wrong! I was thinking through this a while back, and although my drawing skills aren't that great, I wanted to illustrate. (Do try your best to guess the right order for the speech bubbles...) Here are some ways that "bearing one another's burdens" can play out.

1. I think I know the best way to bear a burden, but the way looks different than I think it will. Or than I want it to.

2. They think they know the best way to be helped, but they are confused about what biblical help actually is. Or maybe they don't know the true nature of the problem.

3. Denial. Which often leads to #4...

4. ...which is, me not trusting God to work in them, and me hurting my friend when they are already under a heavy load.

5. My friend wants help but I don't have the right tools. We sit together on my couch, drinking tea or eating tacos and plowing through Kleenexes, staring at each other, wishing we could fix the problem.

6. They're struggling, but I don't notice because I really just want them to help ME.

7. I feel insecure in the friendship if I can't help or am not needed.

8. My friend is broken under such a huge burden, no one can get close enough to help. All I can do is pray.

9. We help each other grow. <3

(For those of you who don't speak South African, "shap" is basically all right, cool, sounds good.")

As a bonus, I thought you would enjoy this video!

I am so thankful that in Christ, there is hope for us to be able to love and help each other well.

August Update

 Hey everyone! Hope you are doing well in all your corners of the world. 

Although we are still in lockdown, things are starting to normalize a little more as time passes. Big T tells me "Coronavirus is not nice. It doesn't want to go away." But Little T likes to tell me "Coronavirus is going away a LEEETLE bit" (imagine her pinching her fingers together just so). The kids are still taking everything in stride. They don't really seem to care that they've barely left the property in five months, although I think the older ones have missed their friends.

Last week, we got the exciting news that we are allowed to visit friends and family again! We are limited to small groups, but we are all so thankful to be able to spend time with each other again. Video calls are no substitute for in-person relationships. Of course I filled up my week when I found out that I was allowed to have people on property again!

Meanwhile, we are still keeping busy. The kids enjoy doing art projects every week or so. This Lego stamping activity turned out pretty cool.

Everyone is learning to roller skate or ride a scooter, or in the case of Big T, do both simultaneously. No...just...no. Boys will be boys, I guess!

They always ask me to do "scienspirients" (science experiments). We're running out of ideas, so if you have any simple preschool science projects, please send ideas my way!

Our littlest guy went to his forever family this month, and we are so happy for him!

Lockie is growing fast and is basically a tank. A milk tank. A milk tank that sets off loud alarms whenever it's empty (or bored or lonely). Below is what happens when you ask the two year old to "play" with the baby.

He's such a sweetheart. He loves to smile and laugh.

Our girls are growing too! Sweet P is mostly serious, but is fast on her way to becoming as chubby as Lockie. She loves to snuggle into my neck.

Daisy is still small, but she is growing! She likes to smile more, even though she's younger than Sweet P.

Prayer requests for this month:

- For patience in working with toddlers and preschoolers! 

- That I would be able to teach the older ones more and more about Jesus. The older they grow, the more I see how much they need Him. I love them and enjoy spending time with them, but also have to deal with manipulation, lying, tantrums, etc. Things are not all rosy and beautiful. 

- That I can see my own heart and how much I need Christ too.

- For our babies to be able to be placed in loving, stable homes soon. This is especially a struggle as they get older. No matter how much we love them, half a dozen aunties can't replace consistent, firm, loving parents.

- For the lockdown to continue to lift and for us to return to normal life again.

- That I would be able to joyfully serve God and look to Him rather than my current frustrations. That I would be able to live to honor Him NOW rather than waiting until someday when things are less irritating or worrisome or frightening.

- That even while I'm looking to now, that I will also look to the reality of eternity.

July Update

Time for a photo update!

At the beginning of the month, we welcomed sweet baby Tumishang (Tumi) into our houseparents' family! We now have Big T, Little T, and....hmm. Little T can't turn into Middle T, not now, that'd be too confusing. I guess he can be Tiny T for now, although I don't think he will be tiny for long! He's a chunky little newborn! His big brother and sister were excited, although to be honest, they were probably more excited about the helium balloons that accompanied his arrival. He is keeping his mama busy!

Not long after, we welcomed two pink bundles into the baby home. We were SOOOOOOO excited to have baby girls again for the first time in what feels like forever! "SweetP" is 7 weeks old and "Daisy" is 6 weeks. (I decided to go with the flower theme for the girls' aliases - I wanted to remain alliterative, but naming a baby "Scabiosa" or "Scented Geranium" is frowned upon, even if it isn't their real name. There just aren't very many good flower names that start with S!)

They are just too sweet for words.

Even Babybear is getting in on the snuggles.

Lockie and Birdie are growing! Lockie is a chubby, giggly little sausage, and Birdie has a double chin and a concerned expression. Neither of them are big fans of napping and would rather be held.

Babybear is growing and his language skills are going through the 2-2.5 year old explosion. He has very definite likes and dislikes and is not afraid to tell you. We're working on convincing him he can't live on bread, fresh chips, and snacks. (We're not really winning. At least he likes fruit?!) "I dooooooonnnnn waaaaaaannnn" (I don't want) is very frequently heard around MBH! But so are "Okay!" "I paint!" "Want hug!" "Thankyouyou'rewelcome!" He says thank you more than anyone I've ever known...and he'll say it over and over again until you tell him "you're welcome!"

I made a sensory bin with rainbow rice. The kids LOVE it. It keeps them busy for a good hour and a half.

He just loves arts and crafts! He has an entire gallery wall and he loves to sit and stare at it and tell you all about it.

SO proud.

And such a mess... 

We also do a lot of science experiments! The kids enjoy them so much. They can't say "science experiment" to save their lives, though...it comes out so many different ways. Some weeks we do "sighin' spurrents"...some weeks we do "sciensperience."

Coronavirus is still alive and kicking. I'm working hard at trusting God, but I am so very tired of lockdown and it's hard to believe that someday we will have normal lives again. Please pray for us for endurance and joy and perseverance. The restrictions here are much stricter (and, seemingly, more mandatory, although not very well enforced) than most of the US. It's very hard not to cheat and break them, but as Christians, we do try to obey the government, even when things are confusing and don't seem to make sense sometimes. Why is it ok to fit 14-16 people in a taxi, but we're supposed to stay 2 meters away from everyone else? Why can I sit at a restaurant with someone, but I can't have people over to my house? Why can't we sing at church even while wearing masks? Why does the government keep telling people to wash their hands but doesn't fix the utilities promptly? Why is wearing a mask mandatory, but wearing it over your chin is considered generally acceptable? I don't have the answers to any of these questions...and I just need to trust that God knows, and even if I don't always agree with the government, I can rest assured that He is governing perfectly and nothing is outside of His control. Meanwhile, we try to abide by the regulations as best we can, and find creative ways to socialize, like grocery shopping together, something that sounded like a joke four months ago, but actually ended up being pretty fun.

I also was able to go on a nice hike the other day - the parks are open again, although technically, only for exercise. 

I'm also grateful to be able to go to church again (with chairs carefully placed 2 meters apart, which is apparently designed to help me kick my "whisper to my neighbor in church" habit). Yes, it is THIS cold inside the building. I don't know why I even bother to dress up. I just need a fashionable blanket.

Anyway, I hope you are all doing well, and that wherever you are, your lives are beginning to go back to normal and you are enjoying a bit more freedom! Please do keep us in your prayers - and I love to hear from you!