Home Sweet Home!

Yes - we are home, and it sure is sweet! There is much to catch up with, since we did not have easy access to the internet this past week. Thanks, Sarah, for letting folks know we were alive and well! Ryan and Hollis picked us up from Dulles after a good flight of 18 hours, with a quick stop for re-fueling. Driving up to our home was more emotional than I expected. It hit me just how long I was away as everything seemed familiar, yet strange. But thanks to my sister and some friends, it was clean and fresh! And thank you Deb, for the wonderful, homey, comfy look - fresh flowers, mums in a big pot and chocolates on our pillows. Then in the fridge was dinner she made for us, food to get us through a number of days, and in the freezer were some more meals. It was wonderful not having to go to the grocery store today! Tears flowed as I felt a rush of emotions that seemed to say, "It is so good to be home!"

Driving home, I couldn't help think:
- it's odd seeing pick up trucks with no people in them
- there sure are a lot of cars driving around...and where are all the people that walk on the streets??
- no one is selling anything along the side of the road
- these roads are so smooth
- I miss 2 very familiar faces...I wonder how my dear parents are doing.

I did talk to them once this past week, and they are doing well. They took this weekend to visit some dear friends of theirs, the Siadeebe family (I don't think I spelled that right!). Their daughter Esther was named after my Mother 18 years ago.

South Africa was interesting...
- clerks from the rental car company discouraged us from driving at night to our destination (said they don't drive at night, even with a man, but we made it fine...thank you Lord!)
- security guards with guns at grocery stores
- men approaching us in parking lots offering to watch our car
- people encouraging us to lock our cars at all times

But it was beautiful too....
- we saw the BIG FIVE: buffalo, leopard, lion, elephant, and rhino, plus others like giraffes, zebras, monkeys, antelope, hippos, kudu, crocodiles, ostrich, etc.
- wonderful variety in the land: forests, mountains, plantations, grasslands, canyons, waterfalls, farmland, lakes

Thanks for your prayers. My heart is full as I think back over the past 15 weeks. I will try to write some things this week, but I also know my schedule will pick up as Matt gets orientated to school once again, as we try to catch up 3 weeks into our charter school. I hope to put some pictures on the blog as time allows. I'm sure there will be days that I will long for the slow paced life of Zambia, but it is good to be home.

Tomorrow will be a very special day...I get to see our daughter's family and our son's family...and our 5 sweet grandchildren. Oh what joy that will be!!! We are all gathering for a short but sweet reunion at Ryan and Hollis's home.

I must get to bed; it's been a long day! I got a few hours of sleep on the plane, but stayed up all day today, and now I am ready for some shut eye.