Baby Its Cold Outside

We made it safely to New England where we find ourselves longing for the 90 degree weather in South Africa. We had forgotten how bitter the winters in NE can be. It was certainly a shock to have such an extreme weather change overnight. 

Us:
Upon our arrival, we were greeted by family and housed by them for a few days in Maine. Last weekend we headed south to Massachusetts, the place we now call home. We are temporarily staying at dad’s house while he is in rehab. He has a tiny home with a small single bed in the bedroom. Our suitcases take up the remaining space in the bedroom, so we have an inflatable mattress we put in the living room floor, which despite its lack of furniture, also has little space. Since the apartment is government housing for seniors, we technically are only allowed to visit for a few weeks. We are therefore searching for a place to live nearby. There are some apartments, but most of the landlords require their tenants have jobs. Go figure. The job market seems to be closed for the season so that is a slow process. The car hunt continues as well. Craiglist has become a good friend, but with limited internet, we spend little time together. It seems like everything is slow going or on hold for the holidays at this point. So we are trying to make the most of the time we have to spend with mom & dad and each other. Although we feel a little discouraged about our progress this far, we know things will work out soon. 

Mom & Dad: 
On our way from Maine last weekend, we received a call from the hospital that dad had suffered a heart attack. With anxiety we made the three hour drive quickly and found him recovering well in the hospital. He fortunately was doing well and was in high spirits. The attack delayed the amputation surgery, so he had to endure a few more days of pain in his leg. Nevertheless, he went under the knife on Wednesday to remove his right leg. He is now back in the nursing home with mom (the home doubles as a rehabilitation and physical therapy center) where he will work to regain his strength. He is in uncomfortable pain from the amputation while the doctors are working to find the right medication to ease the suffering. It will probably still be at least another month before he will be able to come home. We are hoping at that point a handicap apartment at the government housing will become available. 
Mom seems to be doing better since our visit in September. She is more vocal and has a stronger grip. She is happy to have us visit and seems very comfortable in the nursing home. Although bound to the wheelchair, she loves going for walks/rides up and down the halls of the home. 

We are pressing on in faith. We know God will provide. We cannot express our gratitude for each of you. Your prayers and support are so encouraging to us and we deeply thank you. 

God bless, 
Mike & Jeanine 

 Arriving at Logan Airport

 

Hanging with mom & dad at the hospital

Winchendon, MA  (aka Toy Town)

Jeanine with the Winchendon town statue

Mike...

Leavin On a Jet Plane

We once again find ourselves facing the unknown, willing to go where the Lord leads us. We spent the day packing up our lives into six luggage bags and closing out our beloved home in South Africa. In a few hours we will be leaving this beautiful country heading to New England to embark on our new adventure. 

These few weeks have been so jammed pack with activity that we have had little time to reflect on the past year and prepare for the next. The last four days alone have been so physically and emotionally draining that we are actually looking forward to rest on the airplanes.

We spent the weekend with the kids and staff of Siyathemba Nokeng. We had the fortunate privilege to attend the graduation of the kids. They proudly displayed their artwork they worked so hard on with Jeanine. They sang songs and stood tall in front of the crowd. 

On Tuesday we were with BEAM Africa during their year-end party. Over 200 kids were in attendance being blessed with gifts, food and cupcakes. At the end, they sang songs for us knowing it would be the last time they saw us. They lined up to individually give us hugs and say goodbye. It was impossible to hold back the tears. 

Throughout the previous year, we often spoke about how difficult it would be leave South Africa and our treasured friends here. We dreaded the day we would have to say goodbye. We always thought it would be a long time from now. But we have come to that day. So with long hugs and sweet tears, we depart from our friends in this magnificent country.

To be continued...

God bless,
Mike & Jeanine