We're finally ready to start on our journey down south tomorrow early in the morning :) I'm SOOOOO excited!!! Hannah and I have been in need of a vacation for a VERY long time! so I think we're the most excited about it :) and just to make things better we're meeting up with the woodrows and spending about a week with them at some beach place that we get to stay at for free. And then we head to Jo'burg to take our SATs..please be praying for that...we've been studying, but the math part just doesn't seem to stick in our head, so we're pretty discouraged about that. While we're in Jo'burg Grandma is flying out to meet us...and we were all SO surprised when dad invited her and she said yes. So we're all SOOOOOOOOO VERY happy!!!! :D that makes our trip SOOOOOOOO AWESOME!! God has definitely blessed us in letting us go to SA with the Woodrows and then having Grandma fly down and spend 2 weeks with us!! :D What an awesome God we serve!!! :D So we spend a couple days in Jo'burg, then we, the woodrows, and Grandma head to Kruger, which I am thrilled about, cause I get to use dad's camera to take pics...I'm sooo happy!! :) haha! so yes, hopefully we will get to see all the cool african animals :D Then after that we head back to the beach (just our family and Grandma) and we spend a couple days there :D oh yes, and how could I miss one of the greatest parts...WE GET TO GO SHOPPING IN A REAL MALL!!!! haha...I'm thrilled! :D oh and we get to drink MILK!!! I'm SOOO happy...I've been craving REAL milk...haha :) so yup, we're all very excited! please just keep us in your prayers, especially as we're driving down and back up, cause our car has been having some problems, so we're just praying we make it down there without any problems. oh, and another family is driving down with us, which is really an answer to prayer, cause in case something happens to our car we're not stranded there, we have somebody to help us :) so I'm very thankful for that!
well, I hope you all have a wonderful month!!! I'll update you when we get back :) thanks for all your prayers!!!

ooops...I guess I kinda forgot to update this for a while=P sorry about that. But not much has been going on...or I guess to much has been going on and I don't feel like typing it all and boring ya'll to death=P haha! I do have lots of pics...and as people say a picture is worth 1,000 words=) so I'll give you the link to the pics first then I'll blabble a bit=)

random happenings

Easter

Zoe's Birthday Party

well, those pics kinda speak for themselves, so I guess I wont say much. we got our computer back, which is wonderful! but the people weren't able to save any of my pics that I've taken here since Octoberish, so that was REALLY sad='( But thankfully my favorite pic I had uploaded the pic full size to a picture developing place, so I still had that..yeah!! =) lets see here...I'm looking at some new and better cameras, and praying about it, cause I don't have any money, so I guess I should start saving for a nice camera if I want to make photography my profession...we'll see what God has for my life=) oh, since mom brought back about 6 sceins (sp?) of yarn I've crocheted 3 scarves, and hopefully I'll learn how to crochet a beanie=) but now I'm out of yarn, so hopefully we can find some here=P haha! But I guess that's about all for now. Have a splendid end of March!!=)

we got news last night (our time) that Nana (mom's mom) had passed away. It's very hard to be so far away from everyone, but our aunt Susan said that Nana did confess that she knew that believing in Jesus Christ was the only way to get to heaven, not by works or confessing your sins to a priest. So when we hear that we were rejoicing that one day we will see Nana in heaven=) And that was really encouraging to hear because ever since I remember we have been praying for Nana's salvation, and then to hear that she is now in heaven is just amazing!

Please just be praying for mom as she flies to NY on Friday, and also for all of mom's family as their mourning their mom and grandma's death. thank you so much for all your prayers and encouragment!

I'll definitely miss Nana! she never had a mean word for anyone. She was always thoughtful and cared about everyone. And whenever mom would call nana to ask her about some disease us kids would have Nana always had a remedy. And whenever either we talked to nana on the phone or in person she always cared about us and asked how we were and what we've been up to and if anything new is going on, and you could tell that she always meant it, and she would always sit there and listen to us ramble=) she was definitly the BEST Nana in the world! I'm going to miss her so much!

Today the mozambican church that we're a part of here came over after church to give their condolences. I'm not sure why, but it really made me feel at home (I think that's a first since I've lived here) seeing how many people cared about us. I actually had goosebumps when I was looking around and seeing everyone who had come to give their condolences to dad and to also pray for mom's mom (nana). There were 26 and two lil kids all together...just about 1/2 the church congregation...how awesome! So I was just sitting there thanking God for putting us in this body of believers. They also took up and offering at the end (which they usually do) and everyone gave money...it didn't add up to a whole bunch, but just to see that these mozambicans...some of them are dirt poor...are giving to us "rich" americans. It was so touching!

Another thing that happened today was that after church we usually go out the side door and all the visitors and people who spoke line up and everyone goes through and shakes their hands. As I was heading out I feel this hand slip into mine, and look down and there's this little mozambican girl smiling up at me. it was so precious! when her family was first coming at the church (about 1/2-a year ago) she was sitting in front of us with her mom and she kept looking back and smiling at us, and then we were playing around with her, and just to see that she remembered me was so sweet. I felt loved by a mozambican=) so yes, God has blessed me today in just showing me that He is in control of everything and He does care for me=)

last night we got a call from mom's sister, aunt susan, saying that Nana wasn't doing very well and that she has, I think a calcium deficiency in her leg which caused a big lump, so the dr.s said that they might have to cut off her leg, but Nana doesn't want her leg cut off. Then this morning mom got a call from her other sister, aunt Jeanette, saying that nana has been in the hospital since Sunday because nana couldn't really breathe, and because of the lump in her leg, so she's still in the hospital right now=( Please pray for her, and for all of mom's family who is with nana. and mom also as she's deciding whether to go back or not. thanks so much!