Most Random Post of Updates and Random Facts Ever!

Thought it would be fun to do an update and fact list about the latest happenings in Zambia. These are in no logical order, some are serious, some are not, and well, hope you have fun catching up with us this way.

1.  The container of belongings (household supplies, beds, kitchen stuff, table/chairs, etc.) that we packed in December of 2012, that left America in March and arrived in Mozambique in July has still not made its way to us here.  It will be like Christmas if that thing arrives before we leave for back home.
2.  We got an electric bug zapper for Christmas from Mickey's parents and it has been put to good use!
3.  No matter how many times you sweep, scrub, and mop brown painted concrete floors, they will never look clean. 
4. The preschool opens tomorrow and I spent the day today setting up the classroom, which used to be one of  my most favorite things when I was teaching.  Excited to see those kiddos tomorrow after a month long holiday break!
5.  Alea is obsessed with the color pink, princesses, and dresses.  She has to wear these three things daily.
6.  Mickey and I have been eating all of our meals on a futon sofa for the past 3 months now. (table is on container that we are waiting for)
7.  We have had running water lately, praise The Lord, although sometimes it shuts off once in a while and when it comes back on, it is an interesting shade of brown.  No thank you.
8.  I don't think I will ever get used to having a housekeeper, but I do love Felista dearly, and enjoy having her here and appreciate her work more than she will ever know.
9.  Since we have been in Zambia, our camera was broken, then the zoom function on our video camera busted, Mickey's phone stopped working, our GPS also stopped working, and last, but definitely not least, our MAC computer stopped working. Yes, that's right.  The all-powerful Apple computer that is supposed to never fail you, just wouldn't turn on one morning and we haven't been able to turn it on since.  (side note-this is partly the reason I haven't been blogging lately, not easy to type on IPAD)  
10.  Mickey and I enjoyed watching the first 3 seasons of Downton Abbey, that we loaded on our hard drive before we left, now we are patiently waiting when season 4 releases, and trying to avoid reading any social media about what is happening now in season 5.  In the waiting, we started watching Sherlock Holmes from the BBC channel with Jeff and Heidi.  We also our working our way through the Bible series that was shown on the History Channel with Jeff, Heidi, Doreen, James, and Moses.  It is soooooo good.  If you haven't seen it, watch it!
11. One of my favorite things about living here is the cheap produce.  We eat so incredibly healthy!  I also love my gas stove.  It heats up things so quickly, which is especially nice with no microwave.  :)
12.  Ev is a Ninja Turtle lovin, sword carrying, emerging reader, who has the most incredible, sweet heart, and also just a tad bit stubborn.  He will be 5 soon, I have no clue how that happened.  My baby.
13.  We have had some rain lately, because it is rainy season right now, but it has not been enough. Please pray for more rain, here rain equals water which equals life.
14. My awesome homeschool group from back home worked together to put a container of supplies for the preschool (things like scissors, games, toys, etc.) and it is coming here this week. Can't wait.  Thanks girls! (and hubby Jeff for bringing it)
15.  Typing lessons with Doreen, James, and Moses came to a standstill since I don't have a computer, but we will back later this week when Mickey's parents arrive.  Yeah!  
16.  Mickey visited Kalungula, the place where our church body supported us to help them, and he was very pleased with the progress of the field and how they are maintaining it.  We now feel like we can move forward and do other things to help them.  An irrigated garden is coming up next.  
17.  Christmas and New Years can really only be described as "different".  Different than what we have ever experienced in our whole lives.  We know both holidays mean the same things here and in Iowa, but it is funny how growing up in the Midwest, you just associate these two days with certain things that can't be found here.  
18.  For a fun day, we took our friends, the Smiths, to the animal park south of Lusaka and we also got to see the movie Frozen-and got to admit, I kept wondering what all the Zambians were thinking during that movie with all the snow-and we went out for pizza.  Heidi and I also squeezed in some grocery shopping.  Full day, but super fun.
19.  Speaking of above, it is really funny trying to describe snow, ice, and how cold it is in Iowa right now to our friends here.  Some will say, "Me? I would not survive in that."  And we have to explain that we have heat in our houses, but they still say, "no, I couldn't do it."  Ha!  
20.  I had my first taste of goat on New Years Day.  Mickey and Jeff and our friend Humphrey went and bought the goat, then Jeff and his kids and some other Zambian friends  did the killing and the butchering.  I personally didn't care for it, but I don't know if it is just because I was forced to think about the whole process the way we did it.  :-)
21.  Mickey's motor bike injury really slowed him down this past month.  It is healing fine, but don't think his ankle will ever be the same.  He is finally getting back into the swing of things, even getting to play doctor the other day at the medical clinic at the Bible college.  He really enjoyed this, and will be working out there more often in the coming months.
22.  Back to our computer, we will send ours back to the States with Mickey's parents to get fixed and my parents will bring it back in April when they come to visit.  Thankfully, in the meanwhile, someone Jeff knows works at Meredith Corporation in Des Moines and they were getting rid of their old Mac computers, so they are donating 4 right now to Jeff and Heidi's ministry here, and since they are sooooooo nice, they are going to let us use one for right now.  This computer will arrive this week, when our pastor from our home church arrives for a visit.  Thanking God for this provision.  We use our computer for a lot of things here.  
23.  When visiting the boys the other day, we were trying to teach J how to tackle Mickey.  So Ev did it and Alea-they lower the shoulder and try to knock Mickey over-but J didn't get it at first and literally kicked Mickey in the head.  LOL.  We had to tell him, no kicking, keep that for the soccer field, this is how you tackle.  He got it the second time, and the third, and the fourth.  Little E didn't really know what to think.  It was pretty cute.  He kind of went up to Mickey and barely tapped him.  I am sure that won't last long. 
24.  We are so thankful for our friends the Smith family and the Nelms family here.  God is teaching us so much about community, love, trust, sacrifice, and so much more.  Lessons that I know we wouldn't be learning at home right now, and that reminds me of yet another reason God has us here this year.  
25.  And finally, here is a big one.  We are going to be on:  Wait for it........................................
House Hunters International!  No, not kidding.  Dead Serious.  Mickey applied when we first started talking about coming here over a year and a half ago kind of as a joke, and we got an email 2 months ago, and then a phone call, and we are in.  Have to admit, really nervous.  Please don't laugh at me when you see me on TV!  I will blog more about this soon, we don't have the shoot date yet, as they want to wait till we have the boys.
Hope you enjoyed reading our little list!  Next up, adoption news.  Coming soon.  Promise.