Getting Back in the Saddle Again

We really thank God for bringing us safely to Lusaka, Zambia for our fifth term of service with ACTION Zambia.  Not only did our family and luggage all arrive safely, but we had a young lady from our sending church (Ellie Schwab) also traveling to Zambia along with us and the trip went very smoothly for her as well.  We were met by friends and Ciyanjano staff at the airport and again at Ciyanjano.  We also found the following surprises at our house at Ciyanjano:

Yes!  That really is a welcome back sign hanging in front of our house with a family picture on it!

And YES!  This is a delicious and beautiful cake with a picture of the Ciyanjano family on it!  How fun is that?!  We were definitely feeling the love from all of the people who missed us while we were away on furlough.  Thank you, everyone, for making that day so special.

Of course we also want to say THANK YOU again to all of our family and friends back in the good old USA who made our furlough so incredible.  What you all did for us is truly touching and amazing and we are so grateful for that time.  It really helped us to be ready to get back in the saddle again!!!

Since arriving in Lusaka we have been unpacking and organizing our home, meeting with people around Ciyanjano and visiting around our neighborhood, and just catching up in general on sleep and maintenance issues around the house.  We are feeling much more settled in already -- please pray for us to continue to settle in well!!!

It was especially fun to visit with our current Champs group and the teen girl Bible study.  We are so proud of our leaders who kept up these programs in our absence and have done a marvelous job.  The teen girls group has really grown with Aunty Judy and Aunty Nkumbu leading and the girls welcomed the ladies in our family back to Bible study with a praise song.

A unique thing about our return this time is that we have Ellie staying with us.  She has rolled with everything super well and has jumped into different projects around here.  She has been working with the donkeys trying to improve their manners, helping Aunty Violet with a project in our Reading Room, and learning a lot about Zambian culture and food.

Again, we are just so thankful to everyone who has loved and supported our family through this whole coming and going process of furlough.  It's not easy with such a big family over such a distance, but God has given us the most unbelievable people in our lives.  Please continue to pray for wisdom and God's will as we continue to organize and plan and review our finances and ministry goals.  God bless you all in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.