Well, we have actually been back in South Africa for about 11 days now, but it has taken us almost that long to get our sleeping schedules readjusted, get back into a routine, and just feel normal again!
On January 5th, we celebrated our second year of being in South Africa, which just seems surreal. It certainly has been a quick two years, and we have had a very positive experience overall. We now sit with less than a year before we go on home assignment for four months (January - April 2009), which is equally unreal for us. It seems just like yesterday that we were going through our missionary intern training!
We suppose there is a lot to update everyone on, but we'll try to keep it brief, just to make sure that you can still see by the time you get done here:
1. Babies - On Wednesday, Tricia will be 27 weeks along, so we are entering the range of "viability" if the babies should happen to come early, as often happens with twins. The doctor said that the next 4-5 weeks will be the most critical time of the pregnancy for the babies, so we expect him to tell Tricia that she will have to work from home for the rest of the pregnancy when we pay him a visit tomorrow. But so far, all is well!
2. Jake - He had a BLAST going home and seeing his family and friends over the holidays. He still talks about "the States" at least once a day, and has already made all kinds of plans for what he is going to do next time he goes back. The picture above is Jake's first snowman that he and Daddy built while in Bourbonnais.
3. Jobs - Virtually everything in South Africa that is not a retail business looks like a ghost town in December, especially after the 15th. Johannesburg especially, since people head for the coastal towns to enjoy the summer. Most people here take at least two weeks of vacation every December. At any rate, we are back in the routine at work, and starting 2008 off right is our main focus. Jeremy and the World Mission Communications team are working on a number of things, starting with goal-setting for the new year. This should be an exciting year for WMC-Africa. As for Tricia, she is trying to get things wrapped up to a point where she can hand most of her duties off when the babies are born.
4. Life in general - We praise God that we are all well and has readjusted back to the time, weather, and life here. There is something to be said about being able to settle into a routine, it just makes life easier (for us anyway). However, at the same time, we are amazed how two different places, halfway around the world from each other, can feel like home to us at the same time. We expected to feel a bit weirder going back home than we actually did, and we also didn't expect to feel so at home when we got back, either. Being a missionary is a confusing thing sometimes! Well, anyway, we are anxiously awaiting the end of March, when life in general will change in a big way for us!
Jake's Quote of the Week
Daddy: "Jake, in about 10 years, you'll be out there playing basketball with Daddy and the rest of the guys!"
Jake: "I'll tell you when I'll play basketball with you guys... how about right after never?"
(Definitely his mother's child... :) )
Praises and Prayer Requests
We thank all of you for all of your prayers as we were travelling to the US and back. The actual travel was fine on both ends (or as fine as 2o hours in a plane can be), and we all enjoyed our time in the US. We definitely felt God at work, even in the little details of making our trip a little more enjoyable. We thank Him for that!
Please remember the following needs in prayer:
-- The continued health of Tricia and the babies
-- Jake is starting his first year of 5-day-a-week preschool now
-- Our openness to God's direction for our lives and ministry
-- The dream of WMC-Africa and Africa East Field to start a Nazarene radio station in Nairobi, Kenya in 2008 (e-mail Jeremy if you want more details)
-- Jeremy's trip to Rwanda later this month (and for Tricia and Jake while he is gone)
-- The Africa Region Leadership Conference in April 2008
Until next time,
Jeremy, Tricia & Jake
