Merry Christmas

 

I baked yummy American style cakes for the Christmas party and they ate them all up.  I'm back for another personal update. My last one was after 6th months of being here, and I was having a tuff time. Now we've been here a year. And for me, Lori, things are much better. Conversations are flowing. We've made many good friends. We are helping with a church plant. The kids are involved in activities and ministry and inviting friends over. (Sigh) I am definately in a better place now. God brought me though, and I'm not saying life is easier now, but I am saying that I'm enjoying it more!

Oliver and Zeke have been taking Tennis lessons this whole year, and I started taking an early moring class everday, for the workout, and for anyone that knows me, I need regular excersize. So even that is so nice.

I've also gown fond of the visiting culture here. One must not wait for an invitation to someones house. Because inviting someone creates a lot of work. So they would prefere just pop in visits. That way if they don't have anything to serve, it's because they didn't know I was coming instead of that they didn't have the means to get something. If that makes sense. Anyway, I make visits to mainly the people in our blind assotiation. And I've been practicing reading Umbundo Bible passages by reading at our weekly blind association food distribution. So I have hopes of learning that difficult language in the coming year.

Anyway, here are two pictures from the Boa Vista Team Christmas party. First my handsome men and me, and next is the whole staff.

 

Next are picture from our blind association party. Finding donations from some stores and mainly churches and also from Boa Vista, we were able to give each person on our list, a large sack of goods to cook with and some clothes. This young man in the following picture is not on our list, but he came to read a Christmas devotion in brail for us. What an amazing man. He was able to attend and comlete his first year of, I guess it's our equivelent of college. And is looking for funds to return for another year. He is the one person we know that reads brail. We are so proud of him.

 

 

Below is a group of women called Project Ana, these women are always donating time and money to spread the Love of God. The were able to come up with many of our donations for the party.

 

Distributing sacks

A good friend of mine, Elvira, carring her very heavy sack on her head while being led by a guide. 

 

And finally are some pictures of a dinner party that I hosted, and I'm happy to say that having people over, has become a joy of mine, and I can also understand the conversations!! Yeay! One family we know from church and the other is the other is the only Angolan Opthalmologist in Benguela.

 

 

 

Anyway, thank you all for you prayers. And you can continue praying for John, his health has not been 100%, and it's taking a tole on him. So as we enter into a wonderful 4 week trip back to the States, we hope that he will regain his strength and be renewed for more hard work. We will be in Texas for Christmas and Nebraska for New Years, and stopping for a very short visit to our church in Somerville, Mass. Please contact me for a visit at loriclements@juno.com if I'm going to be in your city.

Below is our churches Nativity Scene.

God Bless you all and Merry Christmas!

 

With Love From Angola,

Lori