Back in Cavango!

We made it safely home to Cavango exactly one month ago today!! We arrived with visitors and this weekend we have 9 more visitors coming! It's basically feast or famine as the visitors usually accompany the visiting missionary doctors that pay the clinic a monthly visit!
This month we have done a lot of work on the house - particularly the kitchen cabinet bases, and we put formica on the bathroom sink cabinets. I say "we", but it is mostly Peter, with me as chief assistant!
We've made some good contacts with the local and municipal government officials in this past month and we are getting into a bit of a routine on the mission itself. I have enjoyed the weekly ladies meeting at church on Weds mornings and have started teaching them how to do hand-sewing! Today we had over 40 ladies - all sewing - it was quite the circle!! The Clinic has not needed my help lately as both the senior Angolan nurses have been here to "man" it. We still need many more patients to make it financially viable, so that is a prayer request. We have received local and municipal government approval of the idea of developing campsites here - so that is also a need for prayer - for the capital to get started!!
I'm going to upload this to the blog already and then add some pictures a bit later!! Thanks for reading!

Still in Namibia -

The 1st bass caught at Freidenaur Dam, near Windhoek, 2kg or 4.4lbs

Peter then caught 5 more of the same!!

Table Mountain from Blauberg

Table Mountain with it's Table Cloth - also from Blauberg

Dear long time family friends - "Uncle" Paul and "Auntie" Elf

Cape of Good Hope from Cape Point

Your's Trulies!!

Madchen(pronounced like Maichen) on the left and Jock on the right

Madchen

Jock

Shelley on Madchen

Shelley on Madchen

Peter on Jock

Lara on Madchen

Shelley on Jock

Lara on Madchen

Jock getting ready

Madchen getting ready

Well, we are still in Namibia, enjoying a "forced" vacation as we wait for our Angolan visas to be processed. It has been a wonderful time for us as we have made many new friends, read a few books, gone fishing and even played quite a bit of tennis, but we are very ready to get back home. We were also treated to a trip to Capetown by some friends who loaned us their car to drive and a house to stay in while there.

We have also added to our menagerie - we are now the proud owners of two horses! They are over 16 hands tall and gentle natured. They are both about 15 years old, but still have some good energy! We bought them from some folk who are selling their farm and returning to Germany, and wanted a good home for their horses. We bonded well with both animals and previous owners and feel that these are the horses for us! God also provided a farm just 10 miles from the original farm, for them to stay while we figure out the logistics of getting them into Angola. This farm also has a 16 year old girl who is quite the horse woman and has offered to work the horses until we can get them "home"! Her name is Lara and you will see her in some of the photos. Thanks Lara!! The gelding is named Jock and the mare is Madchen(pronounced like Maichen) - German for "little girl" though she is not so little!!

It's about time for an update!!

Pretty much what the outside still looks like. Waiting for bricking!
Living Room

Master Bedroom

Guest Bathroom

Middle guest bedroom

Office

Kitchen

Living Room again from different angle

So as you can see it still needs some work - paint etc, but is very livable! Since these photos were taken have added curtains and some pictures on the walls so things look a bit homier!

The New House in Process!

Bella is now 9 months old!

Well the new house is underway! The team was delayed until late September, and the containers of materials had their own delays, but God has worked the miracle of having team and containers all arrive at Cavango at the same time! We have had a wonderful two weeks with the team - an encouragement to us in every way! Below are some pics of the building progression. It is just amazing! Well - annoyingly blogger loads ones photos in reverse order - so you will have to start from the bottom and go up to see the progression! Sorry, I don't have time to rearrange them all!

Cavango - Some Before's & Beginnings of the house site!

Well, we have been for two 1-week long stays at Cavango and have been able to get some men to start cleaning up the old foundation upon which we will build our house. A team from the US is coming in July-August to do the building, but the slab has to be ready when they arrive! We have also planted some citrus trees and started cleaning the whole yard and fenced a garden area - so it's starting to like something more than a a pile of brush!! Thanks for your prayers on our behalf!

This is the site of the house - just looks like a pile of brush - Where's the house??

Above is the start to the water pipe trench

Below is one of our newly planted citrus trees

Below is after one week of work - there is a foundation and a decent floor still there!

Below is the original water tank for the house - it still is water-tight!

Above is the "back-yard" and the fenced area is where we will have our garden