30 Days and counting....

We are so sorry that it has taken so long to get back to the blog. We left home in the middle of October and were home for one day and off again to Johannesburg for the Mission Presidents Seminar. We returned home just a few days before Thanksgiving. Then to make things just perfect, we were without Internet during the holidays. Now here we are, Internet back up and running and here comes the latest blog. 

We went over to Malawi and had great conferences and up north and did the same. Johannesburg was wonderful. It was a lot cooler there then in Lusaka. It was nice  to hear Arlene say, "I'm cold". I thought it was wonderful. We even had some rain. It has been so hot here in Zambia. We are just getting into the rainy season. Everyone is busy planting the corn and crops. We are praying for good rain this year. 

We were very excited to listen to conference. We were really pleased to hear about the new format for missionaries. We were told at the seminar that our area will receive an increase of about 30%. Thant means we will grow again. We have about 22 new missionaries in process to come to Zambia & Malawi. We are thankful that so many young people will be coming to join us. We can really use the help. Now if we could get 10 more Senior Couples to come as well. We need your help in order to grow. If we had more couples, we could expand into the Western and Northern Provinces. One step at a time. We are thankful for the blessing we receive. No complaints, just hopeful. 

Thanksgiving was nice. The girls really went all out. Arlene found a turkey. At least that is what the package said. It was kind of a Zebra/Yak/ Tofurky kind of a meal. At least that is what we called it. The pies were the best I ever had. Arlene found two pumpkins and cooked them and made the filling and they were the best. We used bananas from our own banana trees in the yard. They were great. All of the couples came over and we had a fine time. 

We are busy as always. We will prepare for Christmas in the next week or so. All of the missionaries are looking forward to calling their families. We will get together in all corners of the mission and spend the day together. It should be fun. 

We will travel over to Malawi again on the 5th for about a week. We have to look into some challenges with the new flats and the new building construction projects. We are counting the days until Ed & Jolene Smith arrive. We hope to see them next time we travel to Johannesburg. We can hardly wait until Russ & Cindy Milhoan get here. We know they have really had a challenge with their business. We continue to pray for them. 

We got a small opportunity to Skype the kids the other day. It is great to see them, if only for a few minutes. We love our kids. We are so thankful for them. We miss all of you. We think of you all the time. As things change here in Africa, we ask for your prayers. We need your love and support. We have many challenges. We know that this is the Lord's work. We know that He is aware of our needs. We know that together, we will make a difference. We are thankful for all of you. We are truly blessed to be part of this great work. 

Until next time. We love you all.....

xoxo

M&A