the eternal mission's trip....

i've been on 3 mission's trips in my lifetime. the first two were to romania, and the second was here in swaziland. all three mission's trips have been during a time of the year when temperatures were chilly. most people don't seem to believe us when we say we are cold...but it's been dipping into the 30's here in swaziland this winter....and romania....oh romania....you were so cold i don't care to ever visit you again. i'm going to sound completely pathetic here, but the thing i remember most vividly about each one of those trips, was being cold. cold inside, cold outside. on every trip i slept in my clothes. that way, i didn't have to change in the cold morning temps. i slept with socks on my feet, and socks on my hands. on all three trips i remember having little or no hot water. i remember terrible water pressure....barely enough to rinse soap off one's body or out of one's hair. i remember wanting to eat...but nothing sounding good....nothing tasting good.

i have been here 11 weeks and 4 days. but it feels more like 11 years and 4 more years. all the things i remember about a mission's trip have become my life. incase anyone ever wondered, no, the water pressure isn't any better away from where the mission's team stays. the hot water is just as unreliable....so is the cold for that matter. basically, you turn the water on and hope for the best. it might be too hot, it might be too cold......but hey, you have running water...so you are blessed. my body temperature has made it up to "not shivering" on 4 different days since we have been here. that's it...4 days. i cannot get warm. and then there's the food....it's not hard to eat at home...really, where else are you going to go? the options....they don't exactly feel optional at all.....

the part about the eternal mission's trip that is the hardest though? the part where people come to your car needing money to feed their children when you are loading your groceries. the part where the man comes to your gate asking for bread and juice because the ARV's he's taking to combat the HIV/AIDS are making him sick because he doesn't have enough food to make them work. the part where he raises his pant legs so you can see his frail skin and bone legs with sores on them so you will give him money for pain medicine. did you know that if people taking the ARV's, to keep the HIV/AIDS at bay, don't get enough nutritional food along with the medicine, the medicine actually makes them more sick? i didn't. not before i got here. this man comes by our house ever so often. he comes by wanting to spray for bugs. he comes by telling us he's trying to pay for his kids' schooling. as i looked at him today, i realized something i had never seen before. i looked closely. where before, i always thought he was older. he looked older. he walked older. he acted older. he sounded older. but today as i looked closely, i realized, he isn't old at all. his skin hangs on him because he is thin. his skin hangs on him because he is sick. why had i not done the math? he told me he had children....why did it not register? is he even in his 30's?

before, when i went on a mission's trip, i always got to go home. i would see the faces. i would give the money. i would sleep in my clothes for the 10 days, and then i would leave. i don't get to do that now. now i sit here wondering...how many people can i hand money to? how many people can i give food and water to? how many nights am i going to sleep with socks on my feet and my hands before it feels "normal?"

Failed- "I think"

Failed- “I think”

I have been to Swaziland many times. I know a lot about Swaziland. Well, a lot more than I did 6 or 7 years ago and a lot more than most people I know. I can tell you a little about the history, the culture, and the people of this beautiful little country. I especially can tell you about the challenges Swaziland faces. Unfortunately, that is all most people know about Swaziland.

With all my knowledge about this place and experiences in the past I think I failed my first real “cultural” test since being here. The truth is I have probably already failed many, but I only know about this one. LOL

I was recently invited to the Executive Committee Meeting of the International Ministries Assembly of God. That is the organization that has officially invited my family and I to Swaziland. They are partners with my own organization back in the States. I have worked with the guys in this meeting on many projects and have preached in most of their churches. Needless to say I felt pretty comfortable in the room. I was there for my “official welcome” and to give a brief explanation as to how I was going to accomplish the tasks which have been assigned to me by the Chairman of the Executive Committee, the General Superintendent of the International Ministries Assemblies of God.

I was under the impression that I would be brought in at some point in the meeting, they would greet me and then let me give my presentation and that would be it. I didn’t have any other business being there. I have been a part of enough boards and committees to know that things are discussed and decided that are not for public consumption. So I was a little surprised when I got there and there was chair for me. Then I was handed an agenda and on it the “official greeting” was at the top and the presentation part was 2/3 down the page.

I was thrown a little off kilter by this because I wasn’t sure if this was standard practice and that it was understood that because I was on the agenda I would be at the entire meeting and should just sit there silently or was I suppose to interact. It all made me very uncomfortable. Not at all because of the people or topics discussed. There was nothing too heavy in the meeting. It was just that I knew there were rules everyone in the circle was playing by and yet no one had given me a copy of those rule. I like to know the rules. I NEED to the know the rules.

Was I suppose to sit the quietly or was I suppose to talk. I just couldn’t decide so I tried to remain quiet, but just in case I was suppose to participate- I asked two questions, which seemed to be safe. I was asked to share one suggestion so I did and refrained from any follow up or pushing the topic. It was so insightful to watch the group work through the nuances of my suggestion. I learned a lot that day and I feel so fortunate to have been invited to come along side these great men and help in any way I can.

Enough with all of that, the real reason your still reading is because you want to know how I failed. LOL It was toward the end of the meeting (which was way past the scheduled time) and the group was trying to finalize the assignments on the agenda for their upcoming General Council. It is an important meeting where all of their churches come together and they try to accomplish many things. The topic came up of who was going to share the first devotion. NOW, please understand I’m telling you this after much reflection. In the meeting it looked and felt very different. It started with one man suggesting that another do the devotion and he would respond with something and then quickly defer to someone else this went around the room until one of the gentlemen suggested me. This particular man had seemed the most in tune with what was going with me in the meeting. I noticed him observing my facial expressions and body language. Several times in the meeting he said or did things to make me feel comfortable I believe quite intentionally.

So when I was asked I was shocked a bit. “Wait that is not why I am here.” “I’m already going to be making a presentation at the General Council about our Church Health and Church Planting efforts” “But maybe everyone deferred to make room for me cause they really want me to speak” “I’d like to speak, I always like to speak.” “How do I say no, this is the Executive Committee!” So I didn’t say anything, which was as good as a yes and it was decided I would speak.

As it was being decided it was hitting me like ton of bricks. “You big dummy!- DEFER DEFER” Cultural Intelligence why did you have to fail me now?! I didn’t have to say no but I certainly wasn’t supposed to say yes. This kind man was simply trying to included me. There were at least three other guys in the room I could have deferred to. If it really were the will of the Committee that I speak they would have brought it back around to me. Worse yet, our Field Moderator, who represents the missionaries on the Executive Committee, was just two chairs away from me. I should have deferred to him especially as my representative on the EC. I’m such an idiot, I know. I allowed my preconceived ideas of what my role in the meeting was to be, that lack of knowledge and expectations of how a visitor should behave in these meetings, and quiet possibly my own pride and desire to preach blind me from picking up the cultural clues right in front of me. Cultural Intelligence is hard!

It felt just like swinging at a bad pitch. You know it as soon as you jump on that ball your going to whiff, but once you’ve started to swing there is no pulling the bat back. There is nothing left but to feel like a knucklehead.

So I really don’t know if they actually wanted “me” to speak or not. However, I was already swinging so I gave it the best whiff I could. I know I failed the cultural test but hopefully I didn’t fail at speaking. It seemed to go very well and many people came up and affirmed me. LOL Now that I think about it, many people came up and affirmed me when I first preached at 12 years old also. LOL Who knows??? I know that many of kind friends and spiritualist friends will chime in here. I'm not trying to have false humility, I know I'm a pretty decent preacher and I believe these guys feel that way. Yes, in spite of me or not, God did show up and people were touched through His word. The point is that there are lessons to be learned in every inter-cultural interaction.

Lesson Learned – Even if distracted or uncomfortable read the room for cultural and behavioral clues. Unplug from my “American” auto pilot in this case in the area of decision-making. Stay in “their” rhythm of the communication. Lastly, in spite of it all, your pride and ambition can blind you in any culture.

rf ; )

and the conflict begins...

it seems like the moment we arrived in swaziland, this conflict crept up within me. how can i live with everything that i need while so many around me have so little? it's winter here right now, and it's very cold in the evenings....well, very cold considering there is no central heat. it's been getting down into the 40's and 50's at night, and our house was clearly built to stay cool. which i'm sure will be wonderful in the summer, but it's chilly indoors right now. i'm cold natured....very cold natured. it's a bit miserable in the evenings and mornings. and yet, all i can think about is how i have a scarf to put around me neck. i have plenty of sweat shirts to put on when i am cold. i have a warm comforter to climb under. i have hot water to bathe in before i go to bed. i have a house. i have a roof on my house. i have, i have, i have. all things that seem perfectly normal to have. normal to me...because i was born in the united states of america.

since we moved here i have become alarmingly aware of our waste. when eating at the shopping center, my kids didn't finish their meals. the moment we put them in the trash, there were children who ran to dig our leftovers out of the garbage and then they proceeded to eat them. this has happened every time we've eaten in the plaza since. growing up i remember hearing things like, "don't waste your food, there are kids in africa who could use those leftovers." of course it was true, but it was a reality that seemed a world away. i was completely and totally unaffected by it. but now, when i scrape the uneaten food into the trash can, i can't help but think of the people who live down the road....literally, down the road.

when i bought hangers at the store for all of our clothes, the looks i received were embarrassing. it wasn't that many hangers by american standards, after all, there are six of us and we had very few hangers to hang everything we owned on....and yet, i suddenly felt ridiculous.

everything i do is normal. normal to me. normal to people where i'm from. in fact, i'm the frugal one. i'm the one who doesn't buy things i don't need. i have fewer shoes and clothes than almost every woman i know! almost everything i brought for griffin and ella were hand me downs...but when i look in their closet, it seems so over the top.

from the moment we moved in, there have been people coming to our house wanting a job. every day, several different people a day. we were told that the community expects us to hire people to work at our house.....that we would be seen as selfish and untrusting if we didn't, that it is providing people with a good job. but the thought of it seemed so foreign. of course people hire a cleaning service to come in once a week, or every other week, where i'm from...but every day? who am i that i can expect someone to come into my house and work for me? how is it that it is such a good job here? i look at these women and i am continually reminded that the only thing that separates me from them is where we were born. everyday i look at the gate in front of my house and i wonder, how was it determined which side of that gate that i would stand on? what determined that i would answer the intercom and not be ringing it?

i find myself with racing thoughts as to what i can do to help with hunger, HIV, kids who can't afford to go to school? it's all around me, it seems too big, i feel helpless, i feel overwhelmed....but this doesn't mean i do nothing. just because something is too big, it doesn't mean i do nothing. i pray for wisdom. i pray for creativity. i pray for ingenuity. i pray for strength.

the great gulf of mexico tour 2011

we left allen in an ice/snow storm. seriously, we didn't know if we were going to be able to get away from home. it took us an hour to drive about 10 miles...it was scary....but we overcame.

we drove down to san antonio and arrived just before griffin and ella's normal bed time. in the past, we have tried to keep the kids on their regular schedule, but quite honestly, this isn't working out as a hotel strategy. so this time around, we decided to keep them out late, party it up, feed them, take them shopping, anything that makes them sleepy!!! when we got to san antonio we took them for ice cream, and i took ella shopping for some boots. unfortunately for her, outgrowing your winter boots (that complete all of your outfits) in february, is a BAD DEAL! it seems all the stores are selling spring stuff, and therefore her cold feet weren't getting any warmer. poor ella...

the next day we were up and at 'em. we had to get on the road to make it to mcallen, texas by saturday evening. but first, since we were in san antonio, we decided to make a quick trip and remember the alamo. anyone who has ever been there, can understand when i say that it doesn't take long to remember the alamo. it's not as big as one might think, and i'm not sure, but i think it shrunk since last time i was there in 1996....i remember the year because randy and i celebrated our 1st year anniversary in san antonio, and we remembered the alamo then, too. the kids were so impressed. as i recall, the first thing they said was, "where is the gift shop?"*sigh*

we got back in the car, but not before griffin had to use the restroom....at the alamo...which is his favorite part of the adventure if you ask him. i guess that's better than the gift shop, but i'm not sure...

back on the road.... we drove and we drove and we drove. and in between, we got out of the van, used the restroom, got a snack, got gas, and then we all got back in the van. the getting in and out takes more time than one might think....as we have to unpack the van, get the kids out, pack the van back up, unpack the van, put the kids in, pack the van back up. it's a bit like jenga getting all of our stuff in there, but i don't seem to notice it being a big deal........when it's warm. *sigh*

once in mcallen, we were greeted with warm, sunny skies. it was fantastic! we took off our coats, put on our flip flops, and ella's feet finally thawed out. the church was wonderful, so many friendly people. randy got to enjoy spending time with the pastor that he grew up with as a teenager, and i finally got to meet them! we were in service that sunday morning and at their mission's convention sunday night. which meant we didn't watch the superbowl. i was excited about the mission's convention, and possibly more excited to miss the supberbowl.

while we were in mcallen, we decided to drive down to the border. it was only about 10 minutes...so i took some pictures.

apparently, there really is a fence between us and mexico....i thought it was figurative...but nope....there really is a fence.

monday morning we were up again...but let me make it clear, we do not just wake up in morning time. oh no, we wake up all night long. we just only come out of our hotel room in the morning time. ella loves to wake up, cry, get in bed with us, sleep on our heads, scratch our faces, pull our ears, and kick us in the face all night long. it's awesome.... *sigh*

anyway, back to our monday morning. since we had a service scheduled in the houston area for wednesday night, we decided to take our time making our way up the coast of the gulf of mexico. we started by going to south padre island....after all, sunday it was 75 degrees outside. beautiful! perfect! what could be better than the beach?!?! *sigh*

we stopped at an interesting store on our way...griffin tried on a hat.

it was 65 degrees and so windy i was afraid we may actually end up in mexico. which got me to thinking, man, i wish i was going to mexico! nonetheless, we frolicked in the sand and made an afternoon of it.

the next day we headed north. we saw the ocean, we even rode a ferry. we spent the night somewhere, i'm not sure where. we ate with the locals...of whatever town we were in. we became concerned about the weather as we headed north, as it became clear our wednesday night service would probably be a no go. thank you 24 degree weather and threat of precipitation. *sigh*

we made it home today. after 6 days of travel, 6 nights in a hotel, 2 services, 43 times of someone saying, "how many kids' menus do you need?!?!?!", and 27,000 times of telling our children not run, jump, or yell in a hotel.

and now, now we do the laundry....because we leave again saturday. :)

Maybe in Our Next Career?

Well, it's half way through January and here we are. Things are going really well on the fundraising side of this new adventure...now to get the rest of our lives ready for the big move. It's actually debatable which one is more challenging at this point. I told Randy we should be at least 80% finished with getting rid of our stuff if we are 80% finished with raising our budget. He smiled...and eventually we went through our closet donating everything we aren't taking with us. WHOO HOO for progress.

So far in January we have been staying here in the great state of Texas. The first Sunday we were in Corsicana. Corsicana is special, because during the second week of school, when Randy and I were at Southwestern, Randy asked me if I wanted to go to Corsicana with him on a Wednesday night for church. He was interviewing for a youth pastor position. I thought sure, why not?.... So I went with him. As I was getting in his car, it occurred to me that I didn't know this guy...and I didn't know where Corsicana was. I thought to myself, I must never tell my mother about this. I'm sure I probably did tell her....eventually. Randy got the job, a year later we got married, and the rest is history. Ministering there was nice, it was so good to see the people we knew all those years ago.

Today we were in Bryan, TX. It was a longer drive, so we stayed the night last night. Ella was in rare form. She and Griffin refused to take their nap on the way down...even though it was their exact nap time. They finally fell asleep about 20 minutes before we got to the hotel. Of course. Ella also decided she needed no sleep last night. It's almost as if she is completely oblivious to our need for rest.....especially on Saturday nights. Once we got up and got going, our day was so fantastic. It was one of those churches that you felt like you were at home from the moment you walked in. I really cannot say enough about how friendly the pastor and the people were in this church. Another really great thing, was there were many people in the church from Africa. We met people from Zimbabwe and Kenya. It was really good visiting with them. Honestly, it made us even more excited about our upcoming move.

Bryan is located right next to College Station. Which of course is home to Texas A&M. So we drove around a little before dinner last night. WOW! That's a big school! We enjoyed the town...it had such a great feel to it. As we were driving home this afternoon, I told Randy maybe when we come home from Africa, years down the road, we could buy some land and farm oil down there in the Brazos Valley. Or maybe grow natural gas or something. I've heard natural gas is where it's at these days! But then I remembered my above average fear of fire. It's quite possible I would drive myself crazy always thinking I smelt gas. I remembered the one time I had a gas stove...I hardly slept that year.... I'm not all together sure of how the whole natural gas farming thing works. :) Maybe we should start with something less flammable...

A Note for Donors

Many of you have made pledges for us over the last few months or plan to do so in the very near future to help support our missionary effort in Swaziland. We are so grateful, but we are aware that sometimes the system can be a bit confusing and may even feel a little awkward if you are used to operating in an electronic economy. We apologize for this and want you to know that as team members with a pretty large missions organization we are sure there are many people doing the best they can. I want to go over a couple of commonly asked questions and hopefully help with some of the road blocks we are experiencing.

1. I made a pledge but haven't heard anything.

When you make a pledge it takes a little time for the Missions Organization to process the pledge and assign an account number to you as a donor, etc. This means that it could be a little while before you get anything in the mail from them acknowledging your pledge. I am attempting to send something from me directly when I get acknowledgement of your pledge, but as you might imagine this can delayed as well. I am so sorry for the delay.

2. Where do I send the money? I haven't gotten an envelope.

The first thing to note here is that the address to send the money is:

Assemblies of God World Missions

ATTN: ACCT# 2545895

1445 North Boonville Avenue

Springfield, MO 65802-1894

Secondly, one quirk in the system is that you do not get a envelope and statement UNLESS you have sent in a donation. So your first donation, you will have to provide the envelope (although I try to send that out to you, once I receive notice of your pledge). If for whatever reason you miss a month or misplace your statement and return envelope you will not get another one until you have sent in another donation. They do no automatically come each month. I am exploring an automated service for my newsletters once I leave for the field that will included an envelope, but I just have to figure out a way to keep costs down. If you need extra envelopes please let me know and I will be happy to send them you. I would also be happy to set up an email reminder if you like each month to send in the donation.

3. Why can't I just give online?

Ahhhhh, why indeed. I am sorry I can't answer why to many questions, but I can tell you what is available. You can send in a donation by debit or credit card online by following this link:

https://secure1.ag.org/contributions/detail.cfm?LedgerID=d92bb7ae-6928-4a76-ac48-a8143ecd99f4

If you like to pay each month this way, just follow the link and make a contribution. Again, if you would like an email reminder, I can send you one each month with the contribution link attached.

4. What about automatic giving?

AT this time the system is not set up to directly debit your checking account each month. If you have auto bill pay with your bank you can set that up with them. What you can do is fill out the Credit Card Authorization form and fax or mail it in. By doing so it will automatically charge your credit/debit crd each month. Think of it as auto bill pay. For those of us who are comfortable living in an electronic economy, and don't have the automatic bill pay option with our bank this is my recommended method. *****You make a pledge and then send in this form.***** The web address of the form is here:

http://ag.org/contributorservices_PDF/CRCDAUTH.pdf

I hope this helps with a few issues we are having. I really hope to get all of these things ironed out before leaving for the field. As you might imagine, the fear of getting to the field and budgeted donations not coming in is a real concern for us. We are a missions organization, not a financial institution, so our systems can be little frustrating at times. I hate that, but again please know as many people as possible are working as hard as they can to offer administrative support. Thank you for your patients and please email me at any time if you have any questions.

Randy Freeman

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!