Friday, December 06, 2013

"COUNTDOWN TO SWAZILAND" UPDATE

So we got back from Swaziland about four weeks ago and since then, it as though someone put time on fast forward. It is absolutely insane how fast these weeks have flown and we still have so much to do before we pile into that plane on December 29.

I thought I'd give my faithful readers and friends a quick overview of what's happened since we returned and what's facing us in the days ahead.

We arrived back from Africa on Saturday, November 16 and had our ordination service at Restoration Church the next day. My mom was already here taking care of the kids but my brother and a nephew drove up for the service and Jim's parents came down from Columbus. We also had an abundance of sweet friends there to support us including the majority of the We Will Go missionary family and some of Betsie's Troubadour sisters.

What an honor to be blessed and ordained by this group of servant leaders.  One more big step towards living and living in Swaziland. #ordinationservice #cfn #missionaries #blessed #praying #restorationchurch #journeytolivinginswaziland #sundaymorning

Jim's parents drove down from Columbus and Anna drove up from New Orleans for the big event. #ordinationservice #restorationchurch #sundaymorning #family

So blessed to have my only sibling at the service and his youngest.  Connor said he wishes that Patrick could be his brother. #ordinationservice #sundaymorning #restorationchurch #family  #brothers

It was great having a huge crowd of We Will Go folks come out for the ordination service.  They are family for sure! #ordinationservice #wewillgo #sundaymorning #restorationchurch #lifeatwewillgo #journeytolivinginswaziland #family #friendsareapricelesstr

Karen McGivney has been such a helpful friend over the years, whether babysitting my kids or helping me move into our house at We Will Go.  I am very blessed to have her in my life. #ordinationservice #restorationchurch #sundaymorning #blessed #friendsare

Three of Betsie's Troubadour sisters came down to celebrate the event with us. #ordinationservice #troubadoursisters #wgirls #troubadoursocialclub #blessed #sisters #friendsareapricelesstreasure #sundaymorning #restorationchurch

Wow!   #ordinationservice #restorationchurch #cfn #sundaymorning #journeytolivinginswaziland #missionary #whatanhonor

With the departure date quickly approaching, we've been doing lots of packing and getting rid of stuff. A sweet gal at church put on two rummage sales for our benefit. We provided lots of things to sale and she did most of the work. It was a huge, huge blessing.

Loading up stuff for tomorrow's rummage sale at Restoration Church. #journeytolivinginswaziland #gettingridofstuff #rummagesale #fundraiser

Amidst all the purging, packing, and tying up loose ends, we've taken time to do fun things, such as go to the Doctor Who movie.

At the DOCTOR WHO movie with David Tennant, Tom Baker, and Matt Smith. #doctorwho #davidtennant #tombaker #mattsmith #whovian #drwho #doctorwhomovie #doctorwho50thanniversarycinemaevent

Eat out with friends, like my Troubadour sister Audra.

Crazy faces at my favorite vegetarian restaurant. I was so psyched that Audra agreed to go there with me. #troubadoursisters #wgirls #muwalums #audrasvisit #nachosalad #highnooncafe #happyfoodie #foodiemama #eatingclean #eatyourveggies

Take the kids skating with the homeschool group.

Skater chick. #verylasttime #skatingday #homeschoolers #florencerichlandhomeschoolgroup

Walking on the beach with the big girls.

Anna, Jim, and Betsie. #thedayafterthanksgiving #walkalongthebeach #oceansprings #mississippiautumn #thanksgivingholidays #daddyandhisgirls #walkingofftheturkey #beachatnight

Visiting Delta State with David so Jim could see it for himself.

Planning for the day. #dsubound #dmi #deltamusicinstitute #deltastateuniversity

And continue to enjoy the every day life here at We Will Go, whether that's serving in the clothes ministry or celebrating a birthday.

Just surprised this neighbor with a birthday party.  No longer Little Mario but Manly Mario. :) #surprisebirthdayparty #21stbirthday #lifeatwewillgo  #prayingbigthingsforthisguy

We also spent a few days over the Thanksgiving week with Jim's family up in Columbus and then my family on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

And now the dessert. #thanksgiving2013 #lastthanksgivinginamerica #macthanksgiving #desserts #pies #aplethoraofpies #pumpkinpie #pecanpie #applepie #kingcake #southerntradition

Lazy Thanksgiving afternoon. #thanksgiving2013 #macthanksgiving #lastthanksgivinginamerica #feelinglazy #desserttime #cousins

The men folks --- Jim, his dad, his sister's husband, and the five grandsons.

Pancake feast at my brother and sister-inlaw's. #saturdayafterthanksgiving #breakfast #breakfastfeast #family #pancakes

Happiness is ... #pancakes #saturdayafterthanksgiving #breakfast #breakfastfeast #hellokitty #happinnessis

Me and my mama. #saturdayafterthanksgiving #breakfastfeast #breakfast #thanksgivingholidays #icraveprotein #foodiemama #christmascups

Three cousins and some cookies. #saturdayafterthanksgiving #mandmcookies #thanksgivingholidays #cousins #family #familytradition

Instagram Queen Mama and her Instagram Princess Niece. #sundaylunch #thanksgivingholidays #sundayafterthanksgiving #auntandniece #igers

And now we're right smack dab in the middle of final preparations for Swaziland while also juggling Christmas activities (obviously pared down) and spending as much time with friends and family as possible.

Our teeny we're-moving-to-Africa-this-month Christmas tree. #christmasseason #christmas #imdreamingofawhitechristmas

Pray for us, PLEASE! We have got so much to do in the next 23 days.  We have to finish packing, make a thousand decisions about things we never even thought about before, move out of our house, visit family and friends, throw a going-away party, and on and on.

I will post more about this in my next post and give y'all some dates. 

This really is the biggest, craziest thing we've ever done. And that's saying a lot for this family.

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