We are here in South Africa!!!

We made it to South Africa! Thanks so much for your prayers. We experienced God's protection in so many ways and are so thankful. Here were some ways that we felt His hand of protection:

* During our Kansas City airport check-in, of our 16 pieces of luggage/boxes, not one piece was weighed. The luggage handlers took our word that each piece was the correct weight (since our bathroom scale at home may not of been 100% accurate, we could of been off a pound or two and been charged for overweight bags).
* We took off from the Amsterdam airport at 10am, 40 minutes prior to the airplane crash that closed the airport.
* Stan left his wallet on the plane from Detroit to Amsterdam and was able to have it retrieved from the plane once he realized it was gone.
* The airport transport had to drive a different route from the Johannesburg airport to our new home, because he found out that a car accident had occurred that involved a truck and 8 cars. We would of sat in traffic for hours if he had not be informed about the accident.
* Only 1 out of the 16 checked pieces of luggage were lost and they may never be able to retrieve it. It was the smallest of the boxes. Now if I can just remember all the things that were in that box.
* Most importantly our family was protected from so many other incidents that we may never know about.

We love our new home. The home owners worked really hard to have it ready for us. We are so thankful for that. The girls have been enjoying the summer weather and have been in the pool every day. They start school on Monday morning. We took a walk yesterday around our community and met a neighbor with 2 kids that are the same ages as Christina and Angela. We also went out to dinner last night and Angela met a girl that would be riding on the bus with her every day to school. She was so excited to have a friend.

It has been so nice having our kids to ourselves for a little while. It has brought our family even closer together. We need to rely on each other so much more for most everything. I can see that the Christina and Angela are even closer friends now. Stan did an incredible job picking out our home, car, etc. Now if you can just pray that I can figure out how to drive on the "other" side of the road and on the "other" side of the car. I keep getting into the wrong side of the car when Stan is driving. I did do a test drive around the neighborhood and managed to not crash into anyone.

We will go to church this Sunday at the place that Bible Study Fellowship is held. I am even going to try driving with Stan in the passenger seat. Please pray that we find a church soon.

I promise to have pictures up soon, especially of the big brown spider that appeared on Christina's ceiling in her bedroom. He was about the size of my hand with thick legs. Stan tells me he is harmless. We kept the door closed until Stan got home from work. he managed to get him out the window without harming him. We also had a bat fly into our house and out again. It was quite comical chasing him out of the house. If you want to e-mail us, please use, contentcontentmentcontent@yahoo.com
Please be patient, since the internet is very slow here and I have to wait my turn getting on to the computer. We can only go on one at a time until we can figure out how to use it on all three computers at the same time.

Stay tuned for more adventures in South Africa!

We are on our way to South Africa!

We are finally on our way to South Africa. We are in Detroit waiting for our Amsterdam connection. Yesterday was a busy day and we could not of completed all that we needed to complete without our friends. We are so thankful for your help. You became an extension of our family.

Stan and I stayed up last night until 2pm packing and getting ready to leave. There were so many details that needed taking care of. It is amazing how complicated our lives can become and how difficult it is to wind everything down. Things that I wish I could of done before I left the U.S.

* A visit to N.C. to say goodbye to my family and friends there. A walk on the beach at Figure Eight Island.

* More time with each and every person that has touched my life in Kansas,.

* More jacuzzis in our backyard.

* More BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) lectures from my teaching leader and time with my group as well as the other group leaders and BSF staff.

* More time watching Christina ice skate (we hope to get her a coach in South Africa), so maybe I will see that fulfilled.

I am so thankful that:

* Stan's sister, Lillian came to visit and say goodbye from St. Louis.
* We got to go to St. Louis over Thanksgiving to visit with Stan's family.
* Stan's Dad recovered from his hip replacement surgery and numerous trips to the hospital from a dislocated hip and also that he will have another surgery to stop any future hip dislocations.
* I have such a wonderful husband, Stan and 2 wonderful daughters that are excited about sharing this adventure to South Africa together.
* I have friends that have been like family to myself and to Stan and the girls.
* The girls had the opportunity to attend such a wonderful school, with so many wonderful teachers and staff in Kansas.
* The Lippard family, Aaron and Ivy and their 4 kids who were able to move into our house and take care of it while we are gone.
* We are able to communicate with the people we love through technology such as this blog, Skype, e-mail, Vonage digital phone service, etc.
* I was able to be a BSF discussion group leader for a group of awesome ladies, studying, "The Life of Moses", as well as getting to know other BSF ladies in leadership week after week and to listen and grow in Christ through the study of Moses.
* I was able to live in the neighborhood that we lived in, and to have such awesome neighbors that are my good friends as well. They were an extension of my family.
* We were able to visit our friends and family in N.C. this past August as well as a quick trip in Sept. to the N.C. mountains to attend a ladies retreat from our previous church in N.C.

I could go on and on, but have to catch a flight to Amsterdam. For those living in the U.S., we will arrive in SA around 4pm, your time on Wed. 2/25. Please keep praying for our trip. So far it has gone so smoothly. We can see your prayers answered before our eyes.

Love from The South African Shillings

Happy Birthday Gina!

Today is my sister, Gina's 52nd birthday. Gina passed away 6 years ago from lung cancer. She fought an 11 month battle for her life. Even though she is not physically here on this earth, I know for sure that she is with Jesus. A week before she died, Gina accepted Christ as her savior, and began a personal relationship with Him. I never thought I would live on this earth without my older sister. I thought I would always be the middle child and now I am the oldest.

My sister Gina had a servant's heart and looked for ways to make everyone's life brighter. She was beautiful inside and out. She was not just my sister, she was my dear friend, and I miss her every day. My sister was the family's peacemaker and always looked for the good in everyone.

Today, I want to honor Gina and her life. I am who I am today because of her. We are who we are , because of our history, our joy and our pain. That is what makes us who we are and how we handle our every day lives. God has plans for my life, and just like the book of Esther, He has put me on this earth for, "Such a time as this", but He must prepare me to serve Him and that preparation includes every bit of the pain that I have experienced in my life, even my sister's death. I pray that I will hear His voice, in His word and do as He wills.

Thank-you Gina for being my sister. I cannot imagine a greater honor. I know that you are in heaven now. I know that I will join you there one day, and we will have many more times together.

Are we packed yet?

Christina and Evan at lunch today. Later Evan came over for a jacuzzi. It is hard to say goodbye to friends. So many of Christina and Angela's friends are very dear to me. I will miss them in some cases as much as the girls will.

It's Saturday and Stan and I have worked very hard packing up any remainng stuff that was left in closets, drawers, etc. to get our house ready for our caretakers to move in . Meanwhile the kids were at neighborhood playdates. Oh, how I will miss the fantastic neighbors that we have. In some ways, it is like an extended family. Tomorrow is our last weekend day in our home for awhile. We will miss our life in Kansas.

We will end the day, tomorrow at the Lunney's house for dinner. The Lunneys moved to Kansas from N.C. Although, they do not plan on following us to South Africa anytime soon. :)

We did follow another N.C. family (The Hearls) to Kansas and now will follow them to Jo'burg. We will be moving to their same community in South Africa. In fact one of their sons, Jonathan is the same age as Christina, and will go to the same school (American International School of Johannesburg). Both Stan and Greg work for Black and Veatch.

Stan informed me that our internet connection at our home in South Africa has not been installed yet and there is no date provided. The pace is much slower in South Africa, so please be patient with my blog updates. You can rest assured that as soon as I have internet access, I will be making regular posts about our life in South Africa. In the meantime, I will have to write myself notes about our experiences until I am able to get onto the internet.

Angela says goodbye to her Brownie Troop!

Angela attended her last Brownie Troop meeting before we head to South Africa. I was so glad that I got to be there at the end to see them all go around the circle and say what they will miss about Angela and to sing their final song. Both Angela and I were touched and of course I began to cry. Goodbyes are so hard.

Paulette

Goodbye Heartland!

The last Friday at school!, before we head to South Africa. Christina and Angela posing next to the school mascot as well as Kourtney dressed as a cookie! This is a classic picture.

Angela is reading her book report to her class. Angela's class, wore PJs to school and ate snacks all day to say goodbye to Angela. I came for lunch and ate in Angela's classroom with her teacher and Christina. I read a book to the class afterwards. At the end of the day, Angela and her class got to watch the show, "Magic School Bus". What a nice way to say goodbye to Angela. We have so many wonderful Heartland memories.

Aunt Lillian's Valentine's Day visit!

Stan's sister, Lillian came to visit us recently to say goodbye before our family moves to South Africa. We all enjoyed Aunt Lillian's visit so much. She is such a giving, loving person. She took both girls shopping, played a board game and helped Christina pack up her room. Everything is much more fun with Aunt Lillian around. We were so thankful for her visit and will hold those special memories deep in our hearts. Stan even cooked us all a fantastic dinner of coconut tempura shrimp, crab legs as well as steamed spinach and fresh warm bread. What a wonderful Valentine's dinner we all shared together and a fun time in the jacuzzi afterwards.

Miss Jan - Chirstina's Ice Skating Coach

We all love Miss Jan, Christina's Ice Skating coach. A year ago, Christina was taking group ice skating lessons, and now with Miss Jan's superior coaching and a lot of hard work, Christina is now doing, flips, loops, sit spins, scratch spins, split jumps, and more.

This Thursday is Christina's last time on the ice with Miss Jan, before we leave for South Africa. Miss Jan has worked her way into all of our hearts and will be missed deeply. Thank-you Miss Jan, you are a champion! We will miss you so much!

Paulette

10 days to go!

It is count down time and it is time to start packing the 16 suitcases (3)-70 lb and (1)-40lb, for each family member. So how do you decide what to pack? I ponder that question all the time. The girls already have their clothes and toys selected. I will have to go through them and "whittle" them down to less. I will also have to do that for myself. My "toys" are my books, not to mention the needed paperwork that keeps the family going and keeps the house running while we are away. I pray for discernment, and wisdom daily regarding all the many decisions needed to move out of the country for 1 1/2 years. We are still trying to figure out how to take a year's worth of Angela's refrigerated growth hormone on the plane with all the necessary paperwork needed to show authorities. What a lesson in simplicity. How relieved I will be to get on that plane and have all of this preparation behind us. Once that time arrives, It will feel like a vacation away from all of our stuff, which keeps us from spending quality family time with each other. I look forward to that increased family time together.

Angela's debut!

Angela was a hit at her second grade rock and roll play last night. It was so much fun hearing her sing and dance to oldies like, "I want to hold your hand", by the Beatles. I was lip singing along with her. We all went out for ice cream afterwards with some friends, to celebrate the second graders' performances. And yes, Angela did forgive me for forgetting about her play that morning (see previous post), and I did get plenty of hugs before she went to bed that night. What more can I ask for? I am so blessed! :)

Two ladies will move ya, AKA "Operation Move to South Africa"

I was beginning to feel overwhelmed with the moving preparation and scheduled a friend to come over. The phone rings and it is my 2nd grade daughter in tears calling me from her classroom to remind me that her dress rehersal was that day at school and she was supposed to come dressed up in pony tails, bobby socks, etc. and that everyone else was dressed like that but her (thank-you to her dear teacher that allowed her to call). Well you might as well stab me in the heart. Guilt took over, and when another friend called, I broke down in tears, telling her what happened. Tears, not just because I forgot my daughter's 2nd grade play, but for moving, leaving my friends, my comfortable surroundings not to mention all the work involved in moving out of the country for 1 1/2 years.

I collected myself, headed to the school with all the things necessary to remake my daughter for a Rock and Roll themed play. When I got to the office and told the awesome ladies at the front desk why I needed Angela pulled out of her classroom, I broke down in tears again. Dear Susan came around the front desk, hugged me, led me into the conference room while they found Angela for me. I was also given a bottle of water.

After a rock and roll transformation, I hugged my daughter, sent her back to her classroom and headed home. Both my friends arrived and helped me pack and even brought lunch. But, before we got started I was on my knees in prayer giving the day to the Lord. Something I should of done from the moment I got up. What a special day it turned out to be with my girlfriends, just what I needed. We all need to go over to each other's house, help de-clutter, do a project that is needed or whatever,. 3 girlfriends together can accomplish so much and encourage one another. I thank God for friends like this. It was just what I needed to stop procrastinating and stay focused on the job at hand, "Operation Move to South Africa". What did I learn from all of this? I learned to never start my day without prayer and to ask God to direct my day. I cannot do this on my own, instead I was sent many angels that day (Kristina, Tempest, Susan and Patti-School front desk people extraordinaire, and Christy-Angela's teacher). I am so thankful for God's provision.

Creating lasting memories

Melina and Linda,

What a fun time I had! Thanks for the laughter and the memories! I can't wait for you both to get blogs!

Ice Skating Goodbye Weekend!

Thanks to all of the parents that helped out at this awesome ice skating goodbye party for Christina,! The bracelet from the group was so special and all of the other gifts from the heart. Christina is blessed with so many friends. We will miss you all so much.

Christina also attended an Ice Skating party this past Friday night with her summer "Dear Diary" book club at the Crown Center outdoor Ice Skating rink. Stan and I even made a guest appearance after a date. How beautiful it was with all of the white lights on the trees. Kansas City is such an awesome place to live. We leave so many special memories and are so glad that we will be returning after living overseas.

We have not seen much of Christina lately as she says her goodbyes to all of her friends, between sleepovers and parties. But soon, I will have her all to myself, at least for a little while, until she makes more friends in South Africa. :)

Paulette

Zebras at the power plant!

Here is the zebra picture that I promised. Stan took this during a visit to the Eskom power plant in South Africa (their local utility). Zebras are just roaming around wild there near the power plant. This picture is amazing to me.

Our weekly prayer group goodbye lunch

Thank-you weekly prayer group ladies for the wonderful Goodbye luncheon. I am so thankful for a group that prays for our schools, neighborhood, families, and the world. If someone comes with a prayer need, it will be prayed for. I have shed tears of joy and sorrow during this prayer time. It has touched my life in so many ways and at so many levels. Thank you all for being there and being available by making prayer a priority! What a praise that we have so many answered prayers. Keep praying boldly ladies and I will be praying with you from South Africa using the book of verses that you gave me as a gift! I love you all!!! :)

Giraffes- The early warning system!

This is the 4 ft. giraffe that Stan hand carried on the plane. It is hand carved out of a single block of wood (Angela and the giraffe are about the same size).


Did you know that giraffes have a 25 pound heart ?

More fun Facts about Giraffes :

The giraffe, the tallest animal in the world, lives on the African plains. It can reach high into the trees, especially acacias, to feed, and can run at nearly 50 kmph.
A giraffe can clean its ears with its 21-inch tongue!
A giraffe's tongue can sometimes be over a foot and half long!
When attacked by enemy, an adult giraffe can run 35-mile-an-hour (56-kilometer-an-hour).
The lion spots a young giraffe, called a calf. Before the lion can attack the calf, its mother positions herself over the calf to protect it.
Giraffes can easily live 25 years.
The giraffes' 18-foot (5.4-meter) height and excellent vision gives them a wide view of the grasslands where they live, making it easy for them to spot predators from a distance. Some scientists believe that other animals-such as zebras, antelope, and wildebeests-often congregate near giraffes to take advantage of their ability to see danger from a distance. The giraffe could be considered the early warning system of the African grasslands.

Biblical Early Warning System
The 10 commandments shelter our future by sensitizing us to deadly hazards in the present. Many of these operate in stealth mode: No danger is detected until the chance to escape has been lost. Paul wrote, "I would not have known what sin was except through the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, ‘Do not covet’ " (Romans 7:7). While no law has the power to produce righteousness in our hearts, it can awaken us to the truth about sin in time to do something about it.

Priase the Lord that God provides an early warning system in His word.

Stan's Home!

Thanks for all of your prayers. Stan arrived safely home, hand carrying a 4 ft carved wooden giraffe. We were able to convince him to put it down so we could all hug him. I think he got a little attached to it since they spent so much time together (only kidding Stan :) He had many adventures during his stay there. I will post pictures that Stan took of zebras and gazelles runing wild near the power plant. Awesome!

Stan can now drive safely on the other side of the road. As for me, I need to first get used to being a passenger on the other side of the car, before I even begin to drive on my own. Stan promises to give me lessons. He says that it is much easier when you are following someone, but when you are alone on the road, it is easy to forget what side you need to be on when making a turn. We tend to turn right and want to stay in the same lane, on our right. I have to start getting used to turning left and staying in the left hand lane. Speaking of driving, it is illegal to talk on a cell phone while you are driving. It is a good thing, since it will be enough for me to be driving on the other side of the road. It would be really scary to add a cell phone to that mix. :)

We now have a house and a car waiting for us for when we arrive in Joannesburg, South Africa. The car is equivalent to a Toyota Camery. After we arrive, we will buy another car (used). Stan said that I can use the new leased one with the built in navigational system (hmmm, I wonder why). He said that he will drive the used one back and forth to work. What a guy!!!

The girls start school on Friday, 2/27/09. They get to rest on Thursday, 2/26/09, since we will get in very late Wednesday night. Every Friday, they get out of school at 1:30pm, so their first day of school will be a short one. Both girls will be taking after school activities. They will take Girl Scouts and Art on Mondays and Tuesdays, and on Wednesdays, Christina will take International cooking and Angela will take beading. The bus will take them both home after their activities. In fact they will be riding the bus to and from school every day. No more carpooling for me (at least until we return to Kansas).