Getting the Hang of Things

It has been about 2 1/2 weeks since we set foot in Zambia, and so much has happened!  We have been abundantly blessed with a smooth transition so far, and we don't take that for granted at all.  Thank you so much to those of you who have been in prayer for our family.  We have needed every one of them, and God has been answering abundantly.

Let me give you a glimpse of our timeline so far.
October 12:  We arrived in Livingstone, Zambia with all of our 20 bags!  We breezed through customs and out to the waiting trucks.  We were picked up by our dear friends, the Haytons and taken to their house where we stayed for our first week.
Throughout that first week we shopped in Livingstone for many of the things we would need to set up house in Choma, got over jet lag, and reacquainted with that part of Zambia.
October 14:  Our first Sunday we visited Siambalele Baptist Church.  The Zambian congregation held a prayer of commissioning us to be their missionaries to Nambaaza and the surrounding areas.  What a blessing!
October 17:  We took our first load of luggage, furniture, etc, to our house in Choma.  We were able to purchase a stove and refrigerator in Choma and have it delivered to our house that day before we had to leave to get back to Livingstone for the night.
October 18:  Back in Livingstone we purchased more things we couldn't find in Choma and packed our final load.
October 19:  We made our final trip to Choma and spent the first night in our new house!
October 20:  Our first Sunday at Salvation Baptist Church in Choma and we went to our first Zambian football (soccer) game!!  A wonderful experience.
October 23:  We made the trip to the capitol city, Lusaka, to turn in the paperwork for our work permits.  They were accepted with no complaints or questions!  That was a miracle!
October 27:  Visitation with Salvation Baptist of Choma and a birthday party that night for Pastor Arthur and Chester (our employee who takes care of our house and yard).  It was a wonderful time of fellowship and learning Zambian culture.

As you can see things have been very busy, but in a relaxed kind of way...  Sounds weird, but welcome to African life.  Things move slowly, but somehow you still end up accomplishing more than expected!

This Thursday we will be driving out to Nambaaza for the first time in over two years!  We are going to be meeting with the believers there, and have a very important meeting with Chief Shezongo.  Please keep this upcoming trip in our prayers.  We aren't sure what to expect, but we know that God has it all under control.

In answer to many of your asking...  We seem to be adapting well so far.  It can be a bit lonely not having other Americans to fellowship with right now, but we are learning a lot about building relationships with the Zambians and their way of doing things.  That is a huge blessing and what we need.  The kids seem to be adjusting well.  Please pray for them to develop friendships and to pick up the language quickly.  They are enjoying the opportunity to play with the Zambian children, but are nervous about it at the same time.  But they are doing extremely well at being patient with the whole process.

All in all we are blessed beyond measure, filled up, and overflowing!  I know this isn't a very exciting update, but I'll put some pictures on the end to try and liven it up.

Jorja had her dreams come true.  She got to sit by a Zambian at church!!

At the airport in Chicago ready to go!!

The commissioning prayer over our family at Siambalele Baptist church.

Getting used to being stared at everywhere we go.

We are so thankful for all God has done and is doing, and is going to do.  We are thankful for your prayers, encouragement and support.  We can't do this without you.