Church Camp

Church Camp Group Photo (we are on the right!)

Clint with some of the young adults

The sunset from our campsite, pretty awesome huh?

Clint's mad soccer skills

Our whole church did a "barn dance".... I don't think I've laughed this hard in a while watching South Africans learn American barn dances. Yee-haaah!

Our speaker this year was Stuart Olyott. He was so awesome! He spoke on Justification, Adoption, Sanctification and Perseverance. It was so great sitting under awesome preaching and then having him in our home afterwards. What a priveledge!

Spurgeon

So there is another little addition to our family (besides the littlest one EVER (the size of a lentil bean at this point). SPURGEON!! We got him last Saturday as a friendy for Geneva. Most families in South Africa that we know have like 3-4 dogs (no joke!). I've always wanted a Lab, and we went to the pet shop to pick up something else, and there was Spurgeon!! They were selling him as a half german shep/half lab. But the Vet reckons he's a purebread.

Geneva and Spurgeon are now best friends. They sleep together, eat together, play together and fight together. Yesterday it rained, and Spurgeon was black not white! (Geneva had taught him how to roll in the mud!) I love him so much, he runs soooo clumsy, it is hillarious!!

Spurg and Geneva napping after a long day at the park.

Spurgeon and Tobi (they are becoming friends too)

My parents arrive in just under two weeks to visit us!! Woo hoo!

What to expect...

So after going to 2 malls and 6 bookshops, I finally found it!! Wooo hoo. It's so funny not being able to just strut right on into a Barnes & Noble thats 2 stories tall and pick out whatever book you are looking for!! But it was kinda fun going on the hunt. It's funny cause all the pregnancy magazines here are British, so they all use the word "mum" instead of mom, which has always freaked me out a little! So my favorite thing this book says is that I can't change the kitty litter when I'm pregnant. Yippeee!

So many people have asked how I told Clint?!?! Well, after taking the test at 7am to find out, and after seeing TWO lines (not one!) I ran straight to the fridge and pulled out Clint's favorite possession, an IBC Cream Soda in a bottle that we brought over from the states in December that he was hoarding cause its his favorite, and he was waiting for the "occasion" to drink it. I ran straight back to the bed where he was asleep, woke him up and I said "I think you should drink this for breakfast" and he was like...."huh? is it going bad?" and I was like...."no to Celebrate!" and he was like "huh?" and then I told him I thought I was pregnant, and showed him the stick. With blurry eyes he looked at it, looked at me and smiled...and was like....are you sure?!?!? So we drove across the street to the medical centre to take a blood test, and after a (grueling!) hour, she said, congratulations!! We couldn't believe it, and are just so happy. Clint made the announcement on Sunday morning as his opening illustration...everyone was suprised and started clapping. It was a pretty cool moment. It still doesn't really feel real.

Our church camp is next week, and Stuart Olyott is the guest speaker. He is staying with us this week, and he has a gluten allergy (no wheat, rice, oats or anything!) so if anyone has any good "gluten free" recipies...please give me an email!! :) Stuart Olyott wrote an awesome book on preaching, so we are super excited to have him in our home. Its one of the blessings of being the "pastors home" is you get to host really cool guest speakers!!

Expecting!!

Any idea why Clint gave me THREE flowers on Tuesday?!?

Cause there are 3 of us now!!

WE ARE EXPECTING!!

There will be a little Archer sometime in May

WOOO HOOO!

"Behold children are a gift from the Lord. The fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of an ARCHER, so are the children of ones youth. How blessed is the man who's quiver is full of them. They will not be ashamed."

Psalm 127:3-5

Picture of the day: Rain on my flowers this morning on my front porch

So this week we are having the meeting at the church to see whether or not our church is moving to this new location, and whether or not we are going to build it! The elders have asked Clint to preach on the biblical principles involved as well. So its gonna be a huge day for our church this next Sunday!

There is a family in our church who is really greiving right now. The Webster's have been coming to our church for the last month or so, and their 2 son in law's who were best friends (Mark & David) were hit by a car while cycling on a local road here in Durban. Mark was instantly killed (early 30's with a wife and 2 kids) and David is still severely injured (also early 30's with a wife and 2 or 3 kids) . We met with Mark's wife Tanya (who is just a little older than me) this week. It was amazing to see how strong her faith is while sitting in her now quiet house at the loss of her husband. I didn't even know what to say. But since this tragedy both wives have started attending our church regularly, and I am going to be giving Tanya a ride to Bible study tomorrow, so pray for me that I'll have the words to say, and pray for Tanya and Bernadette (sisters) who are both going through extreme pain. Tanya says she has no idea how she's gonna face every day without Mark.

It's so hard to know what to say to Tanya when I've still got my husband sitting right next to me. It made me thank the Lord once again for such an amazing husband like Clint, and for sustaining both of our lives for this long. I don't know what I'd do without him.