A Family Visit and Two Photos

Good day, family and friends!

I hope you shared in our joy in the previous post about getting to move in to our new staff house here at Ebenezer. It really is quite a thing to celebrate- we recognize God’s goodness and faithfulness in both the process as well as the final product.

And I can’t wait to share more of the house with you and show you the fun I had decorating each room with its purpose in mind. (But before I share that, I have to actually do the decorating, and I need drill bits for that!)

BUT, today, I wanted to record a post about my family’s visit!!

For two weeks in February/March, my mom, stepdad, one brother and sister in-law got to come and experience a bit of life in Zimbabwe. It was such a wonderful time. (I am speaking on my behalf, but I think they would say the same!)

We started out with the first half of their time right at our home.

They got to acclimate, get over jet lag, and see our brand new house. They could finally see with their own eyes the place we had been telling them about and referring to in stories for the past 19 months. It’s always cool to me when worlds collide like that. They met our coworkers, the apprentices, saw the dairy and demo garden that Brierly and I spend a lot of time at, had dinner at a community member's house, and so much more.

Another thing that I enjoyed throughout the trip was that two of them had been to Zim before, and two of them it was their first time on the continent. So I got to relive some experiences through Doug and Bethany’s eyes that I had previously had in 2007 when I first came to the region.

The smells.

The colors and patterns.

The loud and neighborly greetings.

The flora and fauna.

The singing and harmonizing.

So many new things.

Then the second half of the trip, Brierly and I showed them some of the gems that western Zimbabwe has to offer. We visited Matopos National Park (which is right in our backyard), Hwange National Park, and Victoria Falls- one of the seven natural wonders of the world!

The bridge over the Falls, that connects Zimbabwe and Zambia, is in the back ground

Despite it being quite rainy the majority of the time, we kept our spirits up by enjoying the wildlife, good food, and each others’ company. Charlotte enjoyed seeing and doing many new things, and it was fun to have family along to experience those moments with us. We had fun on game drives, sitting by bonfires, and amazing views from vantage points.

Charlie on her first solo horse ride- notice her face, she was telling her horse, named Government, "Come on!!"

One particular special moment was when we got to the stop on the map that is View Point #8, Main Falls. You see, this is where Brierly proposed to me just over 8 years ago!

So I took a moment to think about all the things that have happened between the two times that I’ve stood at that point in Victoria Falls.

In January of 2013:

We were college students

We were getting engaged

We weren’t yet farmers or livestock people

In March of 2021:

We’ve been married for almost 8 years

We’ve lived in 9 different houses

We’ve gone through 6 different vehicles

Had a variety of mediocre and amazing jobs

Have cherished friendships in so many places

We’ve suffered two miscarriages

We have a wonderful daughter

We have more testimonies of God’s faithfulness than we could have imagined

We’ve learned so many lessons- some through mistakes and some through observing others

Really, the list could go on and on about how many things have happened in that period of time, but I’ll just share one more. In the second picture, the visual changes in our family are obvious except for one- that there is a little baby growing inside me!

We are so thankful that we can be pregnant. We are so thankful that I am through the first trimester. We are thankful that we’ve gotten to see and hear the heartbeat. Knowing our pregnancy history, these are huge things for my mind to get through and be reassured by. We are thankful for those we asked to be prayer warriors for us in those early weeks.

And I ask those of you reading now would consider saying a prayer for us as well- specifically that we can have a healthy and full term pregnancy, and that we could find the right place to deliver and the right healthcare professional to work with.

So many things change over the years, and I truly enjoyed reflecting on our life journey thus far when we were back at Mosi-Oa-Tunya National Park (the original name for Vic Falls). There is a time to look back and reflect and express gratitude, and a time to look forward.

January 2013

Thanks for looking back with me and recognizing that God has is hand in all things and he gives us the strength and courage to do what He asks us to do.

Back to the timeline of my family’s trip, we headed back to Ebenezer for their last two nights and they got to join in on Family Night at Ebenezer. It’s always a special Thursday supper with apprentices where singing, activities, a good speaker, and discussion are usually on the agenda, and that Thursday was no exception.

Then, we headed to the airport the next day and felt like we were saying “goodbye” in the same breath that we had said “hello” with … The visit went by so quickly! It was such a blessing of a time. Thank you Doug, Dawn, Holden, and Bethany for such an amazing visit!

With Growing Courage,

Mackenzie