Another week has come to a close! I haven't started homeschooling the kids just yet, but we've been trying to do a bit of reading and writing in the mornings to get in to some sort of routine. The school kids at Grace started back up again on Monday, so we'll have quieter days (until 3 pm), so that should help the kids' willingness to focus :)
Our week was filled with trips to the big playground, walks around the farm, watching the chicken processing plant operate, watching the fires burn, and a lovely potluck dinner with Dave & Shannon, and Evan & Trinda.
Grace welcomed a new baby this week! We knew Shannon had gotten a phone call saying there was a baby coming, but didn't know any details on the age or gender. That night, at 6 pm, we heard that they (child welfare) had arrived to drop the baby off. We ran to the parking lot, and watched. The truck pulled in, a basket with a whole bunch of blankets and a newborn baby were passed out the door. They filled Shannon in with the baby's details, and were off.
I had originally been excited to witness this process - the coming of a new baby sounded heartwarming! But when I was watching, all I felt was profound grief for this girl. Will she grow up ever knowing what happened to her mom? Was she one mouth too many to feed? Did her mom pass away? I couldn't even hold her I was so sad. After time to process, I was able to see so many positives for this baby coming to Grace, too. She will be raised by amazing Christian women, with big and caring hearts. She will have no shortage of kids looking after/playing with her. She will have daily, nutritious meals and opportunity to get an education! So much good for her! And I've held her multiple times since then ;) The picture below is not of the new arrival, but of another sweet baby here!
The kids here have been spoiling us with handwritten letters (some given by hand, some slipped under the door), handmade bracelets and handpicked flowers. There's something so endearing about it all. We are definitely feeling the love!
Jon took a few photos of the chicken processing plant in full swing. They were able to process 1100+ birds! So neat to see the employees' willingness to learn!
All that work filled the cafeteria freezer so nicely!
Last week I mentioned the seasonal burning that happens in Zambia at this time of the year. The surrounding properties were ablaze like crazy this week! Jon took this shot with the drone, and you can just see the pillars of smoke coming up outside the walls.
After dinner on Friday night, Jon took the kids to take a closer look at the fires! So crazy!
We saw our first snake here. It was in front of the houses. One of the boys threw his skateboard, helmet and a mat on top of it. Then three of them killed it with sticks. It was quite funny to witness. Here is the dead, yet still somewhat intact, snake!
The only other "wild life" we've seen is this little frog, happily hopping about :).
That wraps up another week here! We love how many of you have interacted with us via messages and emails. Keep them coming! Whether it be to say hello, or to ask us questions, we love hearing from you! Thanks for the continued prayers!
Love Jon & Renae