Novel to normal

Hello everyone!

Thanks for clicking to read what's been happening for our family. As time ticks by, I feel like most of our activities have move from 'novel' to 'normal'. There is less that feels noteworthy to mention, and yet our days are filled to full, and our weeks fly by. I guess this a natural part of transitioning; that the initial adjustments need to take place before settling into a new normal, and I would say we are at that point. The last month could be summarized with the word 'refresh'. The weather has turned "cold" (I say that very lightly). Morning walks in 10-degree weather feel invigorating! The past month has been a break from a few normal routines, which means I'm coming into the weeks feeling much more rested and ready to take on the days.

Zambian schools close for the month of April and this week marked the return of school for students. Our kids had a bit of a hard time staying focused with their homeschool knowing that the Living Hope children were off of school and eager to hang out! I think we are all a bit thankful for the return of school, the return of concentration, and we are ready to push to finish our homeschool work by the beginning of June!

One of the wonderful things about having the Living Hope kids off of school was inviting our karate instructor to campus to lead classes! I wasn't sure how well-received the classes would go and told the sensei this before the first class. It seriously was so much fun for everyone. He made it fun and engaging, and a nice tough workout! We did the staff class after the children, and it was fun to do something different together as a team! It's been fun seeing Austin continue to show the kids different moves that he learns during our weekly classes!

Besides karate, we did a whole bunch of football (soccer) games with different teams, and the girls got to play a few games, too! We also did a little baking class with the Living Hope kids. We divided them into a few groups, and had them come into our house and choose what they wanted to bake. The options were endless, but they choose what they wanted to make without missing a beat! It was a fun opportunity for them to make something that they wouldn't normally get to eat, and learn the precision, time and processes for baking. One group chose to make pizza, and declared they hadn't eaten pizza since 2017!

Another highlight of the break was when Living Hope took the campus to an outing in town. There is park in town that has pools, a soccer pitch, a basketball court, volleyball court and a playground . It is quite something! One of the graduates split all the kids into teams, and made different games to play on the soccer pitch. The games included things like bobbing for bananas, eating an apple dangling from a string, and many other group games. Lots of good laughs and fun times! Then watching all the kids have fun in the pool was just something else. I've never seen so much joy on their faces as they splashed around and made up different games of tag and racing.

While the past month has been rather rejuvenating for myself, it has been the opposite for Jon. As I type, he has been sick for 11 days straight. Never has he been so sick in his life. As malaria is super common on Zambia, we right away did a home blood test. There are a few things that can contribute to getting a negative malaria test when a person does have malaria, but 5 tests and two doctor visits later (including a blood smear) it was still saying negative. Finally, a week after feeling awful, a different clinic confirmed that he does have malaria. The longer a person has malaria without taking the medication, the worse the symptoms, and the longer it takes to recover. He has been on intravenous medication, and still is up all night with tremendous chills and fevers and body aches. Needless to say his body is exhausted, he is getting bad cabin fever and longs to have a night where he isn't waking up 75 times drenched in a sweat. We would appreciate prayers for a full recovery for him!

Having Jon so sick with malaria has definitely made us think about what it would be like to battle malaria without the modern conveniences that we are blessed with. Every morning I'm throwing in loads of sheets and blankets into our washing machine (which I am SO thankful for), and I cannot imagine having to wash these all by hand each day. When Jon wakes up freezing, he takes a hot shower - another convenience most don't enjoy. We have doors and windows we can close to keep the cool breeze off, but many don't have that luxury. Nights are cold! Add a bad case of the chills, and battling malaria sounds extra rough!

For the rest of this month, we are looking forward to celebrating Ivy's birthday (if you ask her, she'll be able to tell you exactly how many days till her birthday - she is very excited!), doing a Lake Kashiba day trip with friends, and finishing off our school year. Thank you for all of you who have checked in to see how things are going, for praying for our family, and for the notes of encouragement! I pray that this blog post finds you in a season where you are finding joy in the small things, and enjoying the spring weather!

With love,

Renae

"I lift my eyes to the mountains - where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth." -Psalm 121:1-2

(I just love how football is such a community event! These men all dressed up, congregate together to enjoy the game!)