Well, we’re in our new place and while it is smaller than our other house, the benefits outweigh the size. Our flat as they call it, is attached to the main house where the owners live. They have a beautiful, beautiful garden in front and back. It is great place to sit and reflect on the Lord’s handiwork, pray and read scripture.
Our house was partial furnished. It came with a dining room table and chairs, a sofa, living room chairs, a refrigerator and a small washing machine. Now, it’s the kind of washer that you load the water into, set it to wash, drain it, put more water in to rinse, drain it again then put the clothes in the spinner. I still have to dry clothes outside but if it’s good enough for our forefathers (foremothers, I should say), then I can do it. At least I don’t have to hand wash clothes. While we have a washing machine, Mphatso still wants to wash things by hand. So she has the cleanest doll clothes and I have the cleanest wraps in the area.
We live outside of town so it takes us a while to get to town but we are close to a market. While we have a mini bus stag close by, it’s not the kind where the mini-buses sit waiting for a fare. We also have screens on our windows which is a huge plus. That keeps the mosquitoes (and lizards) out. You know how much I *hate* lizards! Mphatso laughed and laughed at me because I chased one with a broom that was on the outside of our house the other day. I wanted to let him know not to even think about coming into our house. Hopefully, he told his friends too.
We don’t have a stove so we purchased a two-burner hot plate. I am struggling with it. You don’t realize how much you use an oven until you don’t have one. A stove with oven is our first priority. My next priority is a refrigerator with a freezer. They have a refrigerator in this house. Even if it does not seal properly and it does not have a freezer, at least I can keep food cold.
We have lost power several times in our new place but have not lost water yet. We hear that we do have water issues here too but we are thankful that we have not yet.
Our car still is not starting so we are driving Miqlat’s van. Thank God for this van because we’d be here completely without transportation if we didn’t have this donated van. We did find a mechanic to look at our car and he’s still working on the problem. Hopefully, we can get it resolved soon. We will need another vehicle when school starts next week so I can pick Mphatso up from school while Ray is out in the village.
Internet access is a possibility in this house so we are researching that. I researched what we paid for internet access cards per month and it would be cheaper for us to have internet access at home. But of course, there is always a glitch – they don’t have any internet phones available right now. So, we’re checking with some people to see about finding a used one. At least it is now a possibility in this place.
Weather here has been hot. We are getting to the end of the rainy season. It has rained most days but not the long downpours we get at the beginning of the rainy season. Everything here is so green and so beautiful right now.
We weren’t here but a day when Mphatso and I wanted chips and a Fanta. Nothing better than chips (fries) cooked outside in dirty grease with shredded cabbage and tomatoes put in a small blue plastic bag and loaded with salt. That and a Fanta Orange in a bottle and we were happy campers. Oh, the small things we appreciate.
Ray’s been out to the village a couple of times and is getting information from a researching center on agricultural issues. He is really into Farming God’s Way and is learning what he can to get this program off to a good start.
We are still searching for a missionary compound to house missionaries on the ground and teams coming over – then my work begins.
I better go check to see how dry my clothes on the line are – it looks like rain.
