the colorado adventure

so the colorado adventure began this morning. it was a long drive, but very beautiful. i honestly never realized that you could drive that long without seeing a gas station. i honestly didn't know you could drive that long without seeing a house.....or a school, or another living soul. at first i was mezmorized by the windmills standing beautifully everywhere i looked....but i had to eventually quit taking pictures of them all. our trip was beginning to look like the great windmill tour of 2010....

and this was the picture i took right before our "need gas" warning went off...

that's pretty much when i freaked out. randy was not worried...he said we were almost to a town. and we were...a town of over 300! there was no visible gas station. i saw a man sitting in his truck...we stopped and asked him where a gas station might be...you know, should they have one in the town of 300. he said the mercantile store might have some....since it was SATURDAY and all....awesome. thank goodness they did. and we were able to get gas. and here is what it looked like....

neither randy nor myself have ever gotten gas at a place that looked like this....so we took a picture. from the window of the van of course. we did not want to offend the locals.

i cannot remember if this was before or after we got stopped for speeding. the police officer was nice. we deserved our punishment. we were nice to him....even though he gave us a ticket. in randy's defense, it was the first ticket in 7 months of itineration.

so then we drove on....onto new mexico. which was great, considering randy had told us that we weren't going to be driving through new mexico. i'm still not sure what happened with that...i didn't press the issue too long. i'm silly, but not stupid. anyway, we made it to parker, colorado. we were able to freshen up a bit and then have dinner with the pastors, john and angie hamp. they are so great...we really enjoyed getting to spend some time with them.

sunday morning we were blessed to get to share our heart for swaziland with their congregation at discovery church there in parker. we really enjoyed the service and the people. we were also blessed by a surprise visit to church by our friends steve and kim knott. the knotts were in our church in allen, but relocated for their job back in may. that night we got to hang out with them, our friends daniel and sharon, and will and melissa. who knew we had so many friends in colorado?!?!

that monday we got up early and drove up the mountain for a quick ski session. it was a beautiful drive...but the snow slowed it waaaayyyy down.

we did eventually get there. i promise this is olivia about to go skiing. her hair eventually froze to her scarf. and i had a fear of frost bite on my face.....that's when i went into the lodge...for the remainder of the day.

the drive home was a bit stressful....it was 26 degrees outside and snowing...

colorado was cold.....VERY cold. and wet...i did not have snow boots. crankiness may or may not have settled in while i was tracking through the snow. i decided i'm glad i'm going to africa!

we really enjoyed our trip. it was so good to visit discovery church. it was so good to see old friends. it was good to go skiing. it was good to make it down that mountain alive.

here's us and daniel and sharon. dear friends for life...

12 Days of Swazi Christmas- Day 3

On the third day of Christmas my the Good Lord bring to Swazi: Three Amazing Children's Ministries, Two Defeated Diseases and One Godly King.

Those of you who know Dez and I, know that we are very pragmatic. We see need no need to reinvent the wheel or step on top/over what someone else is doing. We are collaborators and networkers. There are many wonderful ministries serving children in Swaziland. Here are three of our favorite that we have worked with in the past and hope to serve in a greater way in the future.

Children's Cup: Click the link to see more

Sandra Lee Centre: Click the link to see more

Teen Challenge Swaziland: Click the link to see more

Please pray for these ministries and their staff.

12 Days of Swazi Christmas- Day 2

On the second day of Christmas may the Good Lord bring to Swazi: Two Defeated Diseases and One Godly King

Swaziland not only has the world's highest HIV prevalence rate, it also has the highest tuberculosis (TB) rate.

HIV and TB (from WHO website)

HIV and TB form a lethal combination, each speeding the other's progress. HIV weakens the immune system. Someone who is HIV-positive and infected with TB bacilli is many times more likely to become sick with TB than someone infected with TB bacilli who is HIV-negative. TB is a leading cause of death among people who are HIV-positive. In Africa, HIV is the single most important factor contributing to the increase in the incidence of TB since 1990.

For More Click Here:

HIV and TB in Swaziland

12 Days of Swazi Christmas- Day 1

On the first day of Christmas may the good Lord bring to Swazi - One Godly King.

1. Pray the king have an "authentic" encounter with the King of Kings
2. Pray that any unrighteous voices would be removed from the Kings ears. That he would surround by righteous council.
3. Pray for wisdom! None of us could imagine the weight of leading a dying nation. Not to mention navigating the cultural complexities of the Swazi people.

Click here for more:

About the King

Capes and Stretchy Pants

This may come as a surprise to some of you, but you must know the truth . I AM NOT a super hero! I know, with the impressive physic and dashing good looks (laughter intended), you would automatically assume as much. As shocking as this must be, I assure you I do not own a cape or stretchy pants. In fact, there is pretty much nothing about me that is super or heroic. I'm just a normal guy who has good days and tough days. I hope that doesn't disappoint you too much.

Missionaries have always been my heroes. I could tell you about one in particular who made such an impression on me when I was a kid, but he says it makes him feel old when I tell that story so I'll refrain. Nonetheless, the process of becoming a missionary has really humanized and demystified the role for me. When I was appointed they gave me a super big Bible but no cape or stretchy pants. I'm not sure what I expected, but not much has changed.

My bad days come with a different set of worries but they still come. I struggle with things like- What are we going to do for a house when we come home if we sell ours? What about cars, if we sell ours? If we get rid of all our stuff, what do we do then? Will everyone who makes a pledge meet the commitment? What can I do if a couple of my large pledges don't come in or several of our smaller pledges? Every pledge every month is the difference for us. Will people forget about us, like out of sight out of mind? Will people quit on us?

So I know how many of you will respond to these questions. I certainly know how unreasonable they are. God has provided for us in unbelievable ways and people have been so generous. It is just that my emotions are not bullet proof. I'm not even interested in owning a cape, but I will own up to fears. I have to admit considering my emerging love of good food I also wouldn't mind having pair of stretchy pants.

RF

traveling here, traveling there

Well, it's been a while since I have posted anything. It's been quite a month. We have been able to see both sides of our family, we have had services in Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, Texas, Texas, Texas, Arkansas....LOTS of driving has taken place. All 6 of us go on the weekends, but since Hudson is in school, the kids and I generally stay home on Wednesday nights. There was one weekend when the babies and I had to stay home due to sickness. Since then, well, there's been more sickness. I think it's safe to say that I may indeed have children prone to ear infections. Praying they outgrow them quickly. Sleepless nights are making me cranky. I mean, sleepless nights are making them cranky. It's possible that we are all cranky. Ok, well, that isn't fair. Randy isn't really all that cranky.

Back to itineration. Honest to goodness, I cannot begin to say how good God is. Words seem so unable to express the magnitude of how great He is, and how beautiful His people are. Everywhere that we go we are amazed at how generous the family of God is. In church after church, we watch as the people we meet become genuinely excited about changing the statistics in the nation of Swaziland. The way that they commit both in prayer and in financial support to cover us as we go has been both inspiring and humbling. We are grateful for the opportunity that God has blessed us with, and we are thankful for the beautiful people that he has surrounded us with as a covering.

Traveling has presented its challenges. First, there's the packing. There are 6 of us...and one mini van. Then there's the driving. Ella does not love to be in her car seat. We thought turning her around....I know, I know, now days they tell us not to turn babies around in a forward facing car seat until they are like 7 years old, but those people have never driven a mile in my mini van! Ella faces forward.....so she can see us....and more importantly, so she can eat! We have found that food helps us to get a few more miles out of her. Then there's the potty training. We are pretty certain that Griffin has such good control of his bladder that he chooses only to use the restroom when he sees places he wants to visit and when he is ready to get out of the car. Hudson and Olivia are great travelers. They should earn an award or something. I am a pretty good traveler, too. But Randy, he likes to keep the car too cold... Going to different churches every Sunday seems to be getting easier and easier. Even though Griffin informs us every time we are on our way to church that he is NOT going to class....he does eventually end up there...one way or another. Ella loves nurseries...as long as there's gold fish to snack on and toys to play with. Olivia has fully embraced her role as the missionary kid and would be more than happy to speak at any children's church, children's convention, children's conference, or children's retreat that any of you may need a speaker for. She is not shy, she has a great speaking voice, and she heard Randy talk about Swaziland once in a service, so she has all the information she needs. Hudson continues to play his guitar and sing the song he and a friend wrote at missionary training. I continue to cry almost every time he sings it. And Randy continues to cry every time he talks about Swaziland. All in all, I think we are doing alright.

Thanks for your prayers and support. We pray blessings over you daily.

Always the Good Time....

Well, the last couple of weeks have been good. It's been nice having Randy home from Africa. But the trip definitely made us even more eager to get there and do what we know God has laid on our heart to do.

The itineration trail continues. Last Sunday we were in Buffalo, TX, with Pastor McAdams. We decided since it was less than 3 hours for us to drive down to Buffalo, that we would just drive in on Sunday morning. Dezra's new rule is, unless it's over 3 hours...we are not staying in a hotel! The sleepless nights that hotels provide are just not worth it. Well, unless we have to be at the church at like 6 am or something....then it would be worth it. But otherwise, I'm letting Griffin and Ella sleep in their own beds whenever possible! While I'm discussing itineration rules, Griffin is no longer allowed to drink a 24 oz. lemonade while traveling. This brings me to this last weekend's trip. It was suppose to be 4 hours and 10 minutes according to Mapquest. It took us 6 hours and 15 minutes. Griffin had to stop and use the restroom 6 times. Thanks to the afore mentioned 24 oz. lemonade. Sometime I'll have to post the official "Itineration Rules"...for now I will move on.

So this last weekend we were in Skiatook, OK with Pastor's Vince and Jenny Boone. We enjoyed this weekend a lot because we have been friends with the Boones since college. It was a lot of fun to catch up and laugh over old times. The weekend went too quickly...but we crammed a lot into it! We went to dinner Saturday night and talked and laughed as long as Ella was willing to sit in her highchair. Then we decided to take our party next door to Chick-fil-A, so the kids could play and we could eat ice cream. This is where things took an embarrassing turn. As I looked into the play area I could see a complete stranger taking care of Ella. I went in to see what was going on...being the good mother that I am and all. Sure, some might say my 11 month old didn't have any business being in there, but after riding in the car for over 6 hours, she was not going to sit in a highchair any longer. Not at the restaurant, not at Chick-fil-A, not anywhere. She wanted in the play area, and she wanted to climb up the slide. Even if 10 year olds were flying down the slide and plowing into her....that's where she wanted to be. Besides, she had 3 older siblings in there that could take care of her, right? So why is this non-related, 10 year old girl taking care of Ella? This question was quickly answered by none other than.... Olivia. Apparently, she had told the girl she would pay her if she would babysit. NICE! The girl looked at me a little confused by Olivia's proposition, but insisted she really liked babies, so it was alright. So awkward. I could feel the disapproval of the girl's family. But what was I to do? Ella wanted to be in the play area......and I didn't. Do not judge me. I could see them, we were sitting right by the window, and well, Olivia had made a deal. Anyway.....Sunday was great. The Boones have a wonderful church and it was a pleasure to be there. We are so happy for them and the place where God has put them. As an added bonus, that afternoon Jenny took our pictures! She is a wonderful photographer! Ella did not want to take pictures either, by the way.... The trip home was much less eventful. We kept Griffin's drinking to a minimum, and we traveled during prime Ella napping hours. As always, God is good, and we are blessed. Please keep the prayers coming. We are ready to be in Swaziland!!!

Busy Busy Busy

Well, this weekend Randy got home from Swaziland. We picked him up at the airport on Saturday morning. It is sooooo good to have him back home! Plus, he brought me the South African chocolates that I requested! He can keep his wooden bowls, candles, and glass animals....I need chocolate!!! And fortunately, he indulges me on this one. :) We stopped and had breakfast at Mimi's on our way home from the airport. I'm not sure what we are going to do without Mimi's in Swaziland. :( I've got to figure out the secret to their pancakes!!! After breakfast, we went to Hudson's guitar recital. The recital went well, I was extremely nervous. I realize I shouldn't make Hudson's guitar recital about me, but he asked me to sing his song with him, and so suddenly, his recital made me even more nervous than ususal. I didn't want to mess him up! He did fantastic, and I didn't faint...that's all that matters. Recitals are always tricky. We never know what the little ones are going to blurt out while the room is quietly listening to mostly beginner talent. There are times we wish Griffin didn't speak quite so well. And there are also times when we wish Olivia spoke in a softer, less audible tone. It could have been worse....like the last recital. I'll move on....

We were so honored this past Sunday to be with Pastor Charlie Tuttle in McKinney, TX. We had such a beautiful time there at Family Worship Center. Pastor Charlie, his wife Sherri, and their precious children are such a wonderful example of strength, courage, and faith. Pastor Charlie has been a dear friend to Randy throughout our time as pastors of Life Fellowship. I know that Randy values his friendship immensley. It was so good to be in service with them and their wonderful people. And their new facility....GORGEOUS! I'm so happy for them that they are getting to enjoy the fruit of all their hard work. It is stunning!

Our day didn't end there! :) After lunch with the Tuttles, we were off to Cleburne, TX. to be at Bethel Assembly of God, for their Mission's Banquet. Pastor Mizell was so very generous in having us come and share our heart for Swaziland. We enjoyed our time there getting to know the people of his congregation. We could see how important missions is to the people there as they one by one would come up to us and share their own hearts for this world. It really was great to see how a church can get so excited about reaching those who do not know Christ.

This week has been a busy one. Randy's playing catch up from being in Africa for 2 weeks, and as usual, I'm the family chauffer. I've joked before that I need a nanny, but I think an extra driver to get my kids to and fro would suffice.

We continue to be blessed each and every day on this journey. God has provided in so many ways that it is sometimes difficult to keep up with it all! We certaily stand in awe of His ability to provide. God is so good! Please keep us in your prayers and know that we are well on our way to Swaziland! We can't wait to get there! :)

Good Times

So this weekend we were in Temple, TX. We had the privilage of being in service with Pastors Erwyn and Regina Johnston. They had us do something a little different than the norm while we were there. They had us walk around to different Sunday School classes and talk for 10 minutes or so about what we were going to be doing in Swaziland. Then we would open it up for a short question and answer time. We enjoyed getting to know the people in a small group setting....it was a lot of fun! Pastor Johnston also worked us into his sermon on doing the will of God. It was a great reminder of all that God has done for us, and how we knew that Swaziland was His will for our family. God is so faithful, and I love how He confirms His will time and time again. We enjoyed our time at Bethel Church, it was a refreshing service in a place that clearly cares about world missions as well as local missions.

It was a short road trip, only 3 hours. Fortunately, we passed by the Collin Street Bakery again. We used some self control this time. We only stopped on the way home.








This was probably our easiest travel. I finally figured out that Griffin and Ella would be more content if they could watch a movie they actually cared about. Barney was on the agenda...and can I just say, PRAISE THE LORD for Barney! They both giggled and clapped with glee...it was a much more pleasant sound than what we have been hearing. Trust me! I don't think there was any crying or screaming. Not from them anyway.... and the other BIG praise report...this was the first trip that we didn't have to go to the store because we forgot something! I guess I should mark this trip down in the itineration scrap book or something. of course if you know me at all, you know that there is no scrap book....











Since this drive took us south, and that has actually been a bit rare, I've posted some pictures of my beautiful downtown Dallas. These were taken 20 to 30 minutes from my house. The skyline is more beautiful at night...but it's still nice to look at.













This is I-30...it's been under construction my entire life....









On another note, Randy is leaving for Swaziland today. We are having trouble getting Griffin to understand that Randy is going to Africa by himself. We've been telling him for a while now that we are all going to Africa. So, it's not making sense why daddy is packing just himself.... Nonetheless, keep me in your prayers, I haven't been a single mom of 4 for such a long period of time before. They are good kids, so I don't expect any issues. Still, prayers would be appreciated.

the longest short trip ever...

Randy has still been doing sectional councils this past week. This has made for a very tired and less than jovial Randy. I'm laughing here, if you know Randy, you are too. :) I think he's driven around 3500 miles in the last 6 days, and well, it's starting to wear on him a bit. Nonetheless, this budget isn't going to raise itself, so press on we must. Onto Giddings, Texas this weekend...and what a trip it was. I don't think we have gone on any trip so far away that we only spent one night. Suffice it to say that Griffin and Ella were in complete revolt by the time we got home last night, and some of my body parts aren't particularly happy either. But the time was good, and we enjoyed our visit. Pastor Pat and Diane Herlitz treated us wonderfully, and their church was very kind. Olivia got to participate in their BGMC (Boys and Girls Missionary Crusade)offering and tell the children's church about Africa. At first we all thought the BGMC offering was a contest, so of course our family was excited...as we tend to be competitive people, but it turns out it was more of a pot that everyone poured their offering into at the end. Could Buddy Barrel be a socialist??? I'm just kidding. Anyway, moving on. We had the pleasure of stopping at Collin Street Bakery going and coming...because, well, we passed by it going and coming. The kids thought this was wonderful...Griffin seemed as though he had found a little piece of heaven. And really, it pretty much is. Randy found the cookie he apparently fell in love with 15 years ago in Corsicana at the other Collin Street Bakery. I didn't know he had a love for this kind of cookie, but he did, now I know, and while I will never be able to make this kind of cookie, I'm glad that he has something he's fond of in the cookie family. You see, for 15 years I've made cookies... he's eaten one of each batch...and I've eaten the rest. Randy's not a cookie eater. Go figure....

Griffin and Ella seem to be staging a coup against us in terms of our travel. They've begun spitting, yelling, screaming, crying, shouting, and hitting each other every time we are in the car. And even though they manage to sleep through the night just fine at home, they once again are in revolt whenever we are in hotels. If you could make this a matter of prayer, it would be awesome... :)


Randy hits the sectionl council trail again today...good times are sure to follow. :) Thanks for all of your prayers and support! We greatly appreciate it!

Oh, and for those of you keeping track of our, "what we forgot list", let's just say Randy and I were looking especially fantastic at church this morning, in our Wal-Mart dress shirt and make-up....

We're Still At It

Well, this week was super busy for us. With it being Labor Day on Monday, it made for a short week to do work. Notice I didn't say a short work week....there is a difference. To say that you had a short work week would imply that you had less than a week's worth of work to do. That was not the case. Thus the phrase, short week to do work. :) I really should copyright my phrases.... Anyway, normally through the week we don't do much traveling. However, this week we had the wonderful honor of speaking at my grandparents, Chuck and Inez Freeman, and my aunt and uncle, Jerry and Cindy Freeman's church, Capitol Hill Assembly of God in Oklahoma City, OK. Because we have always been on staff at a church, we very rarely have ever had Sundays off. And when we do, it's vacation...and believe it or not, we don't ususally attend church on our vacation. WHA???!!! I know, shocking! Anyway, having explained that we are always working on Sunday, it stands to reason that we have never visited our family's churches... Well, it was great. It was so nice to finally meet all of their friends and the people at their church. They treated us so kindly. The family of God really is just that...a family! We enjoyed our evening there very much. Olivia even received a first aid kit when she attended missionettes there. They were working on their first aid badge. She's been wearing the ace bandage ever since. No, she's not hurt, she's just wearing the bandage. There have been other times of her "nursing" family members along. I don't forsee the band aids lasting much longer. And don't ask poor Griffin about the alcohol pads...

Anyway, after we left church Wednesday night, Randy had to head towards Abilene, Texas. Sectional Council started Thursday morning. My mom was kind enough to drive the kids and me back to Allen...and what a drive it was! Hurricane Hermine dumped LOTS of rain on us on our way home. It was a rough drive going and coming. And once you add potty breaks for the 2 year old, and his mother, we were all soppy, wet messes when we arrived both at church and back at home...oh well...we were there safely, that's all that mattered!

Randy continued to travel to different sections for their Sectional Councils. He got home Friday evening...it was good to have him back. The kids and I did enjoy having my mom for a visit though. I don't think she has been able to stay with us since Ella was born...so it was nice.

This past Sunday we were in Prosper, TX. It was a close 30 minute drive, which was wonderful!!! It was the first Saturday I've had at home in quite some time, and my house and laundry were glad to have me around! There was so much to catch up on...and honestly, still is. But, we tried... :) We enjoyed our service today with Pastor Gabbard and his wife. They and their church were so kind. They definitely welcomed us with open arms and made us feel very wanted. And on a side note, we drove by a farm with a miniature zebra. I'm not even lying...we saw a miniature zebra! And we aren't even in Africa yet!

Also this week, my dear little Ella really got to walking! She is 10 months and a week old. She is my first to walk so early...but that's ok. I'm proud of her and her new accomplishment! She is such a happy baby....such a blessing to our home! Griffin is still keeping us on our toes...and demonstrating what he sees us do...that always provides opportunity for self reflection... Olivia and I are getting the hang of homeschooling. She is doing really well, and I think we've hit a good stride. She really is a joy to work with...I haven't yelled, and she hasn't cried in a while. Success really is how you measure it. :) She also started gymnastics last week. I'm pretty sure she was born to swing on bars. :) Hudson is still loving Jr. High. He's making good grades, doing well in orchestra, and loving guitar club. Life is good for Hudson the 7th grader. In fact, life is good for all of us. God is great, and we are blessed!

Happy Labor Day!

Well, it was quite a weekend...as always. :) I had to finally take drastic measures to ensure that we would no longer forget things. I am stopping just short of a prepacked suitcase that must never leave the van under any circumstance. I am not sure if we are stupid, or if we are just too busy making sure to remember all four kids and keep Griffin from pushing the alarm on hotel elevators, but we cannot seem to remember everything. I'm not sure what our issue is when we leave the house...I'm not going to go into detail as to what all was forgotten this weekend, but there may or may not have been some rinsing out of certain clothing. Or least maybe there should have been. Nonetheless, I have taken steps to reduce our losses. THERE WILL BE A HOME SET AND A TRAVEL SET OF TOILETTRIES! Obviously I should have done this sooner. Being cheap and trying to get by with one of everything was just not working out. But I have since come to the conclusion that it is costing me more money to not have two sets. I'm sure you will all be on the edge of your seats waiting to see if this works. :)

On to more important things. Sunday we had the privilage of speaking at Village Assembly of God in Hot Springs Village, AR. It was really fun to see our college friend, Donald Laymon, and his beautiful wife, Lorrie. We also enjoyed getting to know the people in their church. The church is located in the largest gated community in the United States! It was beautiful up there! The scenery reminded us a lot of what it's like in Swaziland. Ah Swaziland, we can't wait to get there! :)

After we had dinner with Pastor Laymon and his family, we drove back down to Texarkana. We spent the night with Randy's parents and hung out with them and his sister and her family for Labor Day. There was guitar playing, swimming, and a rousing game of farkle involved. :) It was a great weekend!

This coming week is very busy. Sectional councils start here in the North Texas District, and Randy will be traveling a lot! So, if you could, please remember him in your prayers, and remember us here at home. God has been so amazing and faithful to us on this journey, and I know it's because of all your prayers. Thank you for that!

Have a wonderful week!

Big Week!

So this last week marked Hudson's first week of Jr. High. He survived!!! :) I think he more than survived, I think he actually enjoyed it! He enjoys the freedom that comes with being in 7th grade....better lunch choices, having a locker...and I don't think he's too sad about the ladies either. :)

It was also a big week because Olivia and I embarked upon the adventure that is homeschooling. The first few days were challenging, with potty training, making sure Ella doesn't choke on things she mysteriously finds, and laundry. But we made it. I think once we got in the groove, it started going smoothly....I think. :) The nice thing about having her home is, now she can homeshool Griffin when she is finished with her own work....and she does. So far he is being cooperative, sitting and listening to her instruction...even answering questions when called upon. We'll see how long this lasts.... Sometimes she is kind of mean though...I told her she can't yell at the student when she is a teacher. Well, not until he gets to 3rd grade. Did I mention that Olivia is in 3rd grade?

This weekend we had the amazing honor of speaking in Piedmont, Oklahoma, at Spring Creek Worship Center. The pastors there, Craig and Michelle Eidson, were my youth pastors growing up. Being with them reminded me of how much I missed them...they are always a such good time! It was so great to see the church that they planted there in Piedmont. It was wondeful to see their kids, Cody and Heather. I use to babysit for Cody and Heather when their parents did Chi Alpha every Tuesday night. I told them I hoped that they didn't remember when I babysat...honestly, I don't know how good at it I was. Although, they are still alive, so I guess I did the job well enough. Heather said she didn't have any bad memories...that was good news. On another note, Randy said he thought Cody was in our wedding...does anyone out there remember if this is accurate or not??? Anyway, we also got to see Randy and Dovey Thomas. Ah, they are such great people, too. They were youth sponsors while I was growing up. (I think we all did a fantastic job of making each other feel really old) Anyway, Randy, Dovey and their 3 children have been helping the Eidsons since they planted the church. It made me think of the people who helped us in planting Life Fellowship. You can't do it without the help of people like that...it was a blessing to see them all working together.

It's always nice when we go to our home states to minister. This weekend we got to stay with my grandparents, Chuck and Inez Freeman. We love them so much. It was my grandpa's birthday...I am not sure which one, as he and grandma don't openly discuss such things. :) I'm quite certain he isn't a day over 60 though. My kids love seeing them so much...so do Randy and I. We know we are extremely blessed to have them in our lives.

We also visited with my cousin, Melanie, her husband Mike, her son, Sam, and an interesting little neighbor girl named cadence. She seemed to have a good time with Ella under the dining room table...there was no crying so I figured everything was ok. Anyway, Mike has an extensive collection of videos about many of the first missionaries to go around the world. Believe it or not, he had one about a missionary to Swaziland in the early 1900's. It was really cool to watch...and apparently Randy is going to have to start calling me mama....it seems to be the African thing to do... :) It was a great week...and now on to the next! Thanks for all the prayers!

Blessings to you all!
~Mama

Over the Weekend

So, it's official...we are the worst travelers ever! Every time we go somewhere Randy forgets some part of his preacher clothes ensemble....every time...without fail. And sometimes, when I'm really unlucky, he forgets part of my ensembles, too! The other reason we are the worst travelers ever is because we leave something, something we did not intend to leave, every where we go. It's inevitable. It happens no matter how hard we try to prevent it. It's getting really old. How many bottles of advil or belts, undershirts, and shampoo can we possibly replace without it reaching ridiculous proportions??? And don't get me started on missionary orientation, when my entire wardrobe for the week was left hanging in the closet....at home. I'm proud of me though...I haven't yelled about it. And that is a missionary miracle in and of itself! :)

Anyway, I will move on... This last weekend we drove to OKC and spent the night with my grandparents. We love seeing my grandparents. They are the kind of people you just can't help but love, and spending time with them is always a lot of fun. We went to my cousin's (on my mom's side) wedding Saturday. It was good to see all of my aunts, uncles and cousins. We always laugh a lot...and LOUD! It's what we do. :) Then on to Weatherford. We spent the night with my parents because our service Sunday was out their direction. It's always a good time there...more loud laughing. :) My dad took Hudson and Olivia to the Hydro Fair. I've never been there myself, but apparently it's really quite something! Randy and I stayed home, unpacked and put the little kids to bed. We woke up early this morning and headed to Hobart for services. The pastor and his family were so incredibly sweet to us. Thank you, Pastor Reston, for booking us on such short notice...we appreciate your generosity so much. It was a wonderful church, and we feel so blessed that we had the opportunity to go there. The people were so kind, and it was good to connect with more of the family of God. Traveling around has been such a blessing to us. God's people are beautiful...everywhere you go!

Well, that sums up the last few days. Thanks again for all the prayers! Be blessed!

A Long Trip

In some ways the weeks feel like they're flying by. In other ways, mostly when we are in the van, time feels like it's standing still. I've learned that some interstates have a hamster wheel feel to them....we drive and drive and drive, but never feel like we are going anywhere. The kids travel really well. We rarely hear from Hudson and Olivia in the back seat. Griffin will talk to himself all day if necessary, and Ella is fine.... as long as we schedule trips around her desired nap times (she has a way of making us try to do that).

This past Sunday we were in Hardy, AR. Pastors Stan and DeAnna Jones are long time family friends. It was so good to see them and their church. Hardy is way up there in the northeast corner of Arkansas. The scenery is beautiful. There's a river that runs through town that comes from a natural spring, so the water is always 58 degrees. Stan and DeAnna, and their son and daugther in law, Jason and Sarah showed us around town a bit Saturday. It was so hot! It was so humid! The kind of heat and humidity that makes a person feel crazy. Well, it makes me feel crazy anyway. By the time we got to the river I was reaching levels of heat insanity. I don't know if it's an actual disease, but I am quite certain I suffered from it. I couldn't get to that river fast enough. It felt wonderful. Ella cried to put her in, and Griffin and Olivia "fell" in. I'm quite certain it was on purpose. It was so good to hang out with all of them. We love the Jones family dearly. Being with them is like being with family. We enjoyed their church, and they took such good care of us there. We are honored to call them friends.

Because this trip was a little longer than normal, my mind often wondered to the times when I was growing up and my family traveled as evangelists. Traveling to new churches and hotels, or staying in our travel trailer for weeks on end. How my parents made it I will never know. As a kid I can remember hanging a coat over my head in the pick up just for some alone time. There were times during this trip I wanted a coat...obviously the day at the river was not one of them.

For those of you who care about Griffin's potty progress, read on. For those of you who don't...this is your out. :)

Griffin did excellent on the trip! You will notice that he has a sucker in his mouth in almost every picture. :) Turns out, he was a potty genius. Probably the easiest of all my kiddos to train. Go figure....

God is So Good

Well, this past Sunday we were in McKinney at Hertage Assembly of God with Pastor MacLaughlin. We enjoyed our time there very much, getting see familiar faces, and getting to know new ones. It's always fun getting to meet new people in different churches.

We were busy this week with booking services, writing thank you notes(which always reminds us of how good God is), and potty training Griffin. :) We are pleased to say that he seems to be catching on quite quickly...especially when dum dum suckers as a reward were introduced. Hopefully the damage to his teeth will be minimal. :)

Wednesday, the pastor from McKinney Worship Center took Randy and Hudson to lunch, then had the tires and break pads on our van replaced. It was such a blessing! Then Hudson went to his house and hung out with his sons. It sounds like they played guitar, piano, and talked about whatever teenage boys talk about. :) Hudson also went to youth with them that night...it is still hard to believe he's old enough to do that sort of thing....but he had a good time.

Last night we attended a sectional family fellowship dinner. We enjoyed fried chicken, and good company. :) It was so nice to see some of the pastors and church leaders that we have had servcies with. Traveling has afforded us the chance to get to know so many in our section much better than we did before. As we all said good bye, Griffin went on his usual round of hugs tour. I'm pretty sure he sees everyone as family...we are glad about this. :)

Today we head out for Hardy, Arkansas. We have really been looking forward to this church, as it was planted by good family friends, Stan and DeAnna Jones. We can't wait to see them!!! We will leave this evening, stopping in Texarakana to see Randy's family. It will be good to see them, it's been a while! Normally the trip would be a little over 7 hours, but with Ella and her dislike for travelling in more than 1 hour intervals, and Griffin and his new ability to use a toilette, it will likely take us much longer. :)

As always, God is providing in amazing ways. The pledges keep coming in, sometimes from people we don't know, and sometimes from wonderful churches that we have gotten to know over the last few months. We stand in awe of all that God has done for us. We are so blessed! Thank you for all your prayers and support. We appreciate it so very much!!!

And the Traveling Continues...

This past Sunday we had the privilage of itinerating in Oklahoma. Since we were in the state of my kinfolk, we decided to drive in a couple of days early... so we drove on over to Weatherford on Thursday night. My parents had just gotten in from a mission's trip to South Africa....so they were still a little groggy from the time change. Fortunately, this did not stop my mom from making her amazing coconut cake. I don't ask what is in it, I don't want to know. The important thing is, while there I have it for breakfast, afternoon snack, bedtime snack, and occasionally in between. You know it's good because it has like 42 different ingredients. Which is why I don't make it....I'm partial to recipes with 4 ingredients or less....

While there, some of the mission trip's team members, Dan and Vivian Sparks, had a pool party. It was fantastic! The kids jumped in the water, flipped in the water, dove into the water, slid into the water...well, Hudson and Olivia did...Griffin stayed on the steps. That's his M.O. these days...but he does it with a smile and a giggle so whatever. It was good to see all of the people from Weatherford that we got to see. We love them all so much!

Sunday morning we got up super early and drove into Tonkawa, Oklahoma where our service was. We met some really wonderful people there, and enjoyed the service very much. Afterwards, a dear family had us over for lunch. And WOW! Could they ever cook!!! Hudson had 4 helpings of banana pudding. They had a huge garden where they had picked all the green beans, potatoes and okra that day. It was super delicious! Thank you to Melvin and Brenda Osburn. We enjoyed our day so much!

Because the drive from Tonkawa to Allen is a little long...especially with Ella in the van, we decided to stay at my grandparents lake house near Arbuckle Lake. We got there around 8 p.m. Hudson and Olivia got to swim a little in the pool there....and Griffin got to sit on the steps some more. :) We also tried a chinese food restaurant there in Sulfur, Oklahoma. If you have heard bad things about the place...don't tell me....we enjoyed the food. :) My new approach to non-chain restaurants is...~I'm moving to Africa, I may as well be flexible on this issue.

So, today we woke up early...thank you Ella. Hudson and Olivia went for a quick swim, and then we headed to Allen. Trips take a little longer than they are suppose to...we stop...a lot. But we've decided there is no need to get in a hurry. It would just make us and the kids miserable. And we don't want itineration to be miserable.

Thanks for all the prayers and support. Here's the quick update of this weekend. Blessings to you all!

You Have Our Hearts!

Well, tomorrow some missionary friends of ours are leaving for their appointed country. We haven't met them in person yet, but we are excited to do so. We've watched them post on facebook about selling everything they own. We've watched them post on facebook about saying their good bye's to family and friends. We've also watched them post on facebook about packing the 15 suitcases that they are allowed to take with them as they move their family. It has been exciting to watch! Everytime I see their posts I put myself in their place. I think to myself, oh how exciting this must be! I can't wait to be so close! Although I have to admit, the posts of their good byes made me teary eyed....because I know some day soon we will be in their shoes. As they posted saying good bye to parents, siblings, friends...again, I put myself in their place...and I am not sure I can imagine how difficult this must be. And yet, we can't get away from it as a family. We all (well, those of us who can talk) say everyday..."we just can't wait to get there!" "we wish we were moving today!" We are all so excited to be in Swaziland! Our friends who are leaving tomorrow, the Goodlings, are also moving to Swaziland. We will all be working together, along with the Drews, Amanda Koll, and the Myers. Swaziland, you have our hearts, and we cannot wait to be there! Thanks to all of you who support us with prayers and finances. It's an honor to be able to serve in this capacity. We are beyond excited for all that God is doing and is going to do in that country. And to the Goodlings, we will see you on the other side of the world just as soon as we can!

Our Favorite Thing

As we travel and itinerate one of our prayers is that we will minister to the churches that we go to. More than just raise funds from them, we want to bless them. Raising support is a necessary part of what we do. We have to gather the cash budget to get us to the field and monthly pledges to keep us there. It is not a dread to us or burden to us to raise money. I don’t know that I would call it a joy yet, but it is what it is.

I guess, offering people the opportunity to give and partner with us financially is ministry. I’m not sure there is any greater discipline for the heart than the obedient investment of our finances. Jesus did say that where we invest our money reveals the position of our heart. I have always found it funny that Jesus had so much to say about money, but if a minister does these days he’s considered a crook.

Nonetheless, raising money is fine and we embrace it as a part of what we do, but we love to be a blessing to people in other ways. To leave something with them that encourages and strengthens them really is our aim. We are noticing a couple of very interesting things though. God is taking care of the finances. As we simply share the need without violating our conscience by being obnoxious or pushy, He’s speaking to people. We are also noticing that God is using these churches to minister to us way beyond money!

Our favorite thing about itinerating so far is that at the end of almost every service, the church gathers around us and prays. Oh, it is so awesome! They pray these amazing faith filled prayers for our ministry. They pray these powerful prayers of protection. THEY BLESS OUR CHILDREN! As I’m sitting here with tears on my cheek, I’m reflecting on the things that have been spoken over my children and their ministry to Swaziland. Dez and I are not in this alone, our kids are a part of this team. We knew that, but we are so thankful that others know that to.

Your financial support is such an encouragement to us. We can’t get there and stay without it. However, your prayer support is our favorite thing!

RF

Our most asked question....and the answer. :)

The question I am asked the most is: “So when are you moving to Swaziland?” This simple question makes perfect sense but the answer is not so simple. I often respond by saying, “When we get our budget raised.” However, I am finding that most people don’t really understand what that means. I think they get that we need money to buy food and rent a place to live, but aren’t really clear what else is involved. After all, isn’t it much less expensive to live in Africa!

Imagine all of the expenses related to running your household, not any extras just the basic things. Then add to that the cost of education for your children because that is not free in Swaziland. When you’re thinking of the basics don’t forget everything from health insurance to toilet paper. Think of everything. Once you have that in mind, think of the expenses related to running the daily operations of your office, a ministry, or nonprofit organization. Things like office supplies and gasoline to get to places of ministry.

There are the one-time expenses like flights to the field and flights home three years later (there are six of us- btw). The cost of setting up a home and shipping stuff to the field is also included in our budget. There are deposits, visa fees, etc. The mission we are a part of is so helpful and gives such great assistance. WE ARE SO THANKFUL FOR THE TEAM WE ARE A PART OF! They have our back and we know that. They help us keep our costs down, but even with their help our monthly budget is substantial. The cash budget is also substantial.

We have to raise all of this before we go to the field and for our first term we go for three years. So we have to find people who are willing to partner with us monthly for 3 years and how ever long it takes us to raise the budget. This can be hard because for some folks a monthly commitment for that long is hard to imagine. The quicker we get people to come on board as monthly supporters and get the cash budget raised the sooner we get to the field. The benefit of that is that less money is wasted itinerating and less time wasted before we get feet on the ground meeting the need.

So people often ask next what our greatest need is. My answer is daily prayer warriors and monthly partners. We need people who will come along side us and through our Missions organization support us monthly starting now. We need people who will hold us up in prayer daily.

I hope this answers the question and I would be happy to discuss it further with you if you have any more questions.
Randy Freeman (follow me)
www.lifeforswaziland.com

Home Sweet Home

We are finally home! We spent the last 3 weeks in Springfield, Missouri at Pre Field Orientation. We loaded up the family, and all that that entails, and drove to Springfield on June 12th. The seven hour trip took 8 hours, as we had to stop many times for diaper changes, snacks, and the feeling of going out of our minds if we did not. We finally arrived in Springfield around 3 p.m. and commenced to getting registered for orientation. As missionary candidates, we were required to all stay in the dorms at Central Bible College. I will get to the good times that we "endured" there in a moment. :) One of the first things we did at orientation was go up to medical processing so that Hudson and Olivia could have their blood work done. They took it like champs! 3 large viles filled each, and no tears. Clearly they did not inherit this from me. From there we unloaded the van into our lovely 2 room dorm "suite". Memories were made there that will surely last a life time. We were lucky enough to share the hall with what had to be close to 20 other babies, toddlers, and their equally as enthused as we were families. I don't think there was a time on that hall when at least one baby wasn't crying. Mostly, I was just thankful when it wasn't my own....and terribly sorry when it was. There was much misery in the dorms. As our beds were very loud and springy. At first we had no chairs, but some our friends shared theirs after the first week....when we made our "need" known. :) There was no Internet in our room...this was terribly unfortunate. We felt like we were being prepared for a third world country or something. This made sense for us, considering where we are going...but it made us feel sorry for our friends going to Europe. Why would they need this kind of preparation? Anyway, moving on....that night we had dinner with the legendary Bill Moore and his lovely family. We enjoyed getting to spend time with them, it's always great to talk to veteran missionaries! The next day we got up early and went to a church that had invited all the missionaries that were at orientation to come and be their guests. This church's heart for missions was amazing! They let each one of us share what we were going to be doing in the countries we were going to. They also gave us gifts, and prepared a wonderful lunch for us. They blessed every one of the family's children with an individual gift, and had a drawing for family prizes. We won a dual dvd player for the van! Their out pouring of love was unbelievable! Thank you Life 360 Church!



The next three weeks, for Randy and I, were filled with cultural studies, dental visits, forums, dinners, area director meetings, educational specialist meetings, U.S. relations meetings, church services, a class on how to fill out an IR, choir practice, and the list goes on and on. The kids' three weeks consisted of physical exams, dental visits, swimming, cultural studies, bowling, camping for Hudson, going to the zoo, barn swinging, Silver Dollar City, a Branson show, making crafts, and meeting lots of other missionary candidates' kids. They had a little more fun than we did, but really, we greatly enjoyed getting to spend time with all of the other candidates, veteran missionaries, and our area directors. We love the people that we are working with in the region of Africa, and the people in the South Africa area are just icing on the cake! God has blessed us with so many new friendships....we are overwhelmed! In a good way. :)



Thursday night we had our official commissioning service. It was beautiful to see all of the missionaries as their names were called to serve in places all over the globe. So many of them had become dear friends over the 3 weeks we were at PFO. It was hard to say good bye to some of them...as we know we may never be with them on the same continent again. Fortunately, we live in a day and time when Facebook can keep us close....cyberly speaking of course.



Thank you so much for praying for us over the last month. We have been so blessed in so many ways...we stand in awe of our Lord. He is good and He is faithful. We are honored that He loves and takes such good care of us.

Meltdowns and Miracles...a Story in Faith

So, as of June 1st we are full time missionaries. From here on out, this is what we do for a living. This is what we do for a paycheck. This is how we pay our bills, eat, put clothes on these 4 kids....this is it! This is it.... Now I knew that we would be taking a significant pay cut. I was prepared for that. And then the first official check from AGWM came....it was even less than I thought...... and so I had myself a big meltdown. Really big. I ran the numbers, and they weren't good. It was not going to work. It wasn't even close to working. In my mind I'm arguing with God as to whether or not I can even go through with this. All the while realizing, well, what in the world else am I going to do? We came this far, we can't exactly bail now...or can we.... I thought.... Randy was calm. He kept saying, "Look at all God has already done. Look at all he has already provided!" He was annoyingly calm! It was really getting on my nerves. I needed someone to weap and gnash with for crying out loud. And I really was crying! But he wasn't budging. He would smile and say God will work it out. URGH it was really irritating me. In the middle of my revolt, I jumped on facebook. A friend of mine instant messaged me that she was having an issue with her teenage daughter. The daughter was basically throwing a fit b/c she wasn't getting her way. I prayed for my friend and for her daughter, and the conversation was over. A few minutes later the Holy Spirit called ME her daughter's name. He proceeded to tell me that I had been throwing a fit and that I was being childish. That God was my heavenly father and He had everything under control. I needed to stop acting ridiculous all because I wasn't getting my way. I began to cry. But this time it was for different reasons. I sobbed as I repented for not trusting God. I never ever want to do anything that limits my father's ability to take care of me. Not financially, not in any way. How could I put limits on what God can do?!?! How could I not trust Him? I never want to speak or act in such a way that God cannot provide for me because of my own lack of submission, my own lack of faith, my own bad attitude. This was on Friday.



Two days later we were itinerating at our very first official church. The worship was wonderful, the pastor and his wife so incredibly kind, and the people very friendly. We were really enjoying our visit. At the end of the service the pastor and the people prayed over us...prayers I can't imagine soon forgetting. He prayed many things that rang true in our hearts, but one thing he prayed that Randy and I have been praying for for a year now, was that we would be completely debt free when we left for the field. After church a lady came up and started talking to Randy. She asked him what debt we had. Randy told her that all we had was our student loan. She asked how much, and so he told her. She told us that she wanted to help us with that, and to call her the next day and let her know what pay off was on the loan. The check has been written, our first week into itineration we are debt free! This was an almost $20k miracle! God has it! He has it! We don't have to fret, we don't have to throw fits, we don't have to yell and scream and cry. He has it under control! We are so humbled at His generosity. God truly overwhelms us with how much He loves and cares for us.



We leave Saturday for missionary training in Springfield, MO. We will be gone for the rest of June and part of July. I'm not sure when I will be able to update the blog again, but please know. For those of you who are praying...THANK YOU! For those of you who are supporting us financially....THANK YOU! God is amazing, and He continues to do amazing things. Be blessed, we certainly are! :)

An Open Letter to our Pastor and Ministry Friends

For the last 8 years Dez and I have served as the Pastor’s of Life Fellowship in Allen, TX. It has been a wonderful ride, but we are very familiar with the pressures and strains of leading a church. We understand that often our heart is larger than our budget. We have had to tell missionaries “No, we can’t support you right now.” We have felt terrible about not being able to book a missionary for a service because we didn’t think we could afford the hotel room or the meals.

It is important to Dez and me that you know we know what you are going through. If we call, email, or see you in person and you’re not in a position to schedule us for a service or you’re not in position to pick us up for support we ARE NOT offended. If your church is already committed to other missionaries and projects, we ARE NOT offended. Please don’t feel like you have treat us different or things have to be uncomfortable between us. Just let us know where you’re at. If you need to book us 6 months down the road, were good with that. If you need to put us in you budget next year, we are good with that. If we just are not a right fit for you and your church, we are good with that. We are not good with losing relationship.

We must find financial supporters. We have to book services. So we are going to ask, but please know that to us your friendship is just as an important part of partnership as pledges and services. We value relationship so much and hope that we don’t lose “our friends” with our new role.

I would add, as much as we had to deal with budget limitations, we have also experienced the unbelievable joy of taking steps of faith and God using our church to meet important needs. From the first day of our church plant we have highlighted missions and I believe God has rewarded our church for that. So as a fellow minister who understands limitations, let me encourage you to prayerfully consider the limitless God you serve and the possibility of leading your church to be a vehicle of God’s blessing to Swaziland. - Randy

The Beginning of the Journey....for us anyway....

In 2005, Randy took a group from Life Fellowship to Swaziland, Africa. Randy had gone on quite a few mission's trips prior to this one. He had even gone to Africa before, so I really didn't think anything different about this trip. I dropped him off at the airport as usual, and went about my 10 days with Randy being gone. He called a couple of times, he spoke of the wonderful missionaries there, and he told me how beautiful the country was...but I didn't really become suspicious of anything. :) ....but then I picked him up from the airport..... I could see it in his eyes. As he spoke of the trip, of the things they had done, the people he had met, the missionaries, the Swazis, the culture, the need....it was becoming clear. At some point, I knew we would be going there for a more permanent stay. I didn't say anything about it. It certainly didn't make sense for us to go. We had planted this church just 3 years before. We planted it with being there forever in mind. We loved our people, we loved our community, we loved what we were doing. Why in the world would we go to Africa? Not to mention, I had never had any desire whatsoever of going to Africa on a mission's trip. Let alone to live there. Nonetheless, I tucked it away in my heart and my head. Thinking to myself, even if we do go....surely it would be many, many years down the road.

Two years later I was able to visit Swaziland on a mission's trip. It was a beautiful country. The missionaries there were wonderful. The need was certainly great. The missionary's wife would make comments about what it would be like for us when we got there. I knew she knew what I knew. Many years away....I thought.

A year or so ago, when this process of becoming fully appointed missionaries began, I thought about how I always imagined going after the kids were all older. I had never thought about taking such small children to go and live in Africa! Again....many years away....I thought. And then the Holy Spirit said, Swaziland doesn't have MANY years.

Where you say to go, God, we will go....but also, when you say to go, we will go. And so, here we go.

The Journey

So, we're moving.... to um....Africa?!?!? I don't really know where to begin. We have so many things to consider before we go. What do we keep? What do we leave? What do we sell? The thought of packing up the house that we have lived in for over 7 years is overwhelming...I'm not gonna lie. I am trying to look at this process as a perfect time for decluttering and deep cleaning....but...... that's not really a gift of mine. Randy and I are both border line hoarders. It's not something we are proud of, just sayin'.... and I've never really been good at moving in general. One time we packed our entire duplex in trash bags to move. It didn't end well. Between the trash bags and trying to move the fridge without emptying it....we were young. Don't judge us! It almost worked...

But, before all that....we itinerate! We are not sure what all to expect as it relates to raising the budget. Olivia is so NOT excited about traveling. Sometimes she gets nauseous in the car...good times. My kids are also concerned about eating fast food. They don't like it, or the way it makes their tummies feel. They are really worried. They have also asked to bring apples everywhere we go. They're funny kids. We are looking forward to the adventure that awaits us as it relates to itineration. I'm sure it will all work out just fine. :) Apples or no apples....


Other thoughts....

I'm encouraged by the kids and their attitudes towards this move. Hudson has said he is excited to go. That sometimes he gets tired of the same 'ole same 'ole. It made me laugh, but made me feel better knowing that he is up for the adventure that lies before us. Olivia still has days of sadness. There are days when she gets emotional about leaving her friends. Even though the actual move isn't for at least a year probably. I know that she is sensitive to the Holy Spirit and to the need of the Swazi people. I have no doubt God will give her strength. I can't wait to see all that my children will do when we get to the field. I know He has great plans for them, just as He does for Randy and myself. Anyway, we will keep everyone informed as to what our days and weeks ahead will bring. Your thoughts and prayers are greatly appreciated.