We've Moved....Again!!

Due to some technical difficulties and errors on our end with our internet access, I haven’t been able to post any updates this past month, but all is resolved now and we know what NOT to do in the future.  Currently we are living on the Footprints base in Lammermoor, South Africa.  This became our new home on Friday, October 10^th after the Lord spoke to both Josh and I on separate occasions that this should be the next step for our family.  Mama Yolanda and other members of the Footprints family gladly welcomed us and have continually helped us to get situated into our new home.  I don’t have an exact count of how many missionaries and African children live on the base here, but right now we are the only “foreign” missionary family with young children that live and serve here.

Prior to moving on base, we were traveling back and forth daily from Pretoria to Lammermoor (45 minutes each way) for about two weeks because we were asked to prepare lunch and dinner for the Iris Harvest School (250+ people).  Josh was the main one cooking or coordinating meals, and it was a lot of fun to watch him in action in the kitchen.  Three Mozambican ladies came to help, and occasionally our kids or other students would help cook, serve and/or clean up.  We moved on base right as Harvest School was concluding, and it has been such a blessing for our family to have a home here on base now.  The kids are making lots of great friends, and Jade even got to have a sleepover with some of the girls last Friday night.  We’re encouraging Jade to connect more with the girls on the base that are around her age, and in time, I think it will become easier and more natural for her as she branches out more.  The boys have had no problem making new friends, and often times Gracie will join them in whatever they’re doing.  Each of our kids has at least one person their age that they can become close friends with, and that is such a blessing for us and the kids.  We live in a very safe place that is gated, and for the most part, we’ve all stayed healthy (aside from congestion and a slight fever that lasted only 1 ½ days).

For those that like details, we are now staying in a one-room bunkhouse.  At first the girls shared a bunk bed, as well as the boys.  Josh and I put 2 bunk beds together for a few nights so we could be close to each other, but then we were blessed with a queen-sized bed which has been wonderful, and the kids all have single beds now.  To give me and Josh some privacy, we strung rope across the room and hung up sheets as a divider between “our room” and the kids’.  This week we brought in a table and some chairs for homeschooling.  It’s community living here so we share a common bathroom area and kitchen (detached from where we live) with others on the base.  Right now lunch and dinner is provided for us, but we are responsible for our own breakfast.  Long-term missionaries have access to a washing machine, so that has come in very handy for me (and Jade who’s been doing her own laundry for close to a year now).  We have clotheslines for us to hang our clothes on to dry, which I think is so awesome.  This is something I’ve always wanted to build in our yard even when we lived back in the States.

Currently, we homeschool our children Monday through Thursday, usually from about 8:30am-12:30pm.  I love starting off our days with worship and then Bible.  Our iTunes is having troubles to where we currently can’t obtain most of our music, so we’re hoping to get that resolved soon.  Prayers appreciated for that, as we love to worship through song and dance together as a family.  Josh teaches all of the kids Geography and Science, and then I have taken on the role of teaching Language Arts, Math and Reading to Christian (2^nd grade) and Gracie (Kindergarten), in addition to planning some simple activities for Josiah to learn.  Jade (7^th grade) works independently on her Math/Language Arts that is CD based, although we still have involvement with assisting her in those subjects as needed.  She just started a big science project that Josh put together for her.  Our kids enjoy being homeschooled, and Mom and Dad love being their teachers!

Fred and Renee, the couple whom we first lived with, have blessed us with the use of one of their vehicles – a Land Rover – that seats our entire family plus an additional 8 kids if needed.  How incredibly awesome is that!!  We have a bigger vehicle now than we’ve ever had.  We don’t own it, of course, but the vehicle primarily stays with us at Footprints and we can use it whenever needed and simply pay for the gas to drive it.  Gas is a little more expensive here than back in Idaho, but we don’t find ourselves needing to drive it much right now….and besides, the Lord is our provider and He knows our needs.  Just as His word says, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.  Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done.  IF you do this, you will experience God’s peace.”  Philippians 4:6-7.  Notice how this verse is conditional.  “IF” means it requires something of us.  What does it require?  SURRENDER AND TRUST!  You can’t worry (hold on to something you shouldn’t) and trust God (experience His peace) at the same time.  You must let go (make your request known to Him) and then trust (receive peace) that God will come through for you.

Don’t panic about your needs no matter how big or small.  Either you trust God or you don’t.  It’s not a gray matter but rather black and white.  The Lord knows your needs and He will provide.  That doesn’t mean God is handing over a credit card and saying, “Here, spend my resources as you wish.”  Just because I’m a daughter of God doesn’t mean I’ll get everything I want or “think I need”.  He knows what a person truly needs and He knows the position of one’s heart.  As I think about this, I’m reminded of when we lived in the States.  For years we talked about needing a bigger vehicle so that our entire family could fit in one vehicle when we went places, but we never felt released by the Lord to buy a bigger vehicle so…..we either crammed into one or drove two cars.  We chose to be obedient over what seemed logical, and in hindsight we know why.  We are thankful we didn’t try to purchase something that we thought we needed, when in reality we did just fine without it.  If you think about it, there truly is a lot in life that you CAN live without – you just might not want to.  The only time a want or perceived need becomes a roadway to destruction is when you start believing that you can’t live without it.  The only thing we can’t live without, person in this case, is JESUS!  What it comes down to is – what are you willing to live without so God’s Kingdom can be furthered through you?  What are your priorities?  Where your treasure is, there your heart is also.  Don’t misunderstand me.  God likes to bless His children with good gifts.  He likes to give us things we want, which is not a bad thing, because He’s the best Daddy ever.  BUT we show honor to God by being obedient, thankful and good stewards (wise) with the blessings He has given us, even if He doesn’t provide or bless us in the way we originally wanted or expected.  Someone shared a testimony with us a couple of years back and I feel prompted to share it in this blog post.  I hope I don’t butcher the details.  A couple had been saving up to purchase a home and wanted enough cash for a down payment.  It’s definitely not a bad thing to want your own home.  One day when they prayed again about what to do with the savings they had, God led them to give it away to a family who needed money to attend Iris Harvest School.  This couple had a reasonable want, but they sought God for direction and were obedient to His leading.  As much as they wanted to purchase a home, I find this to be such a beautiful picture of obedience even when logic and personal desires would say to use the money for their down payment.  I don’t know how the entire story unfolded with this couple purchasing a home, but I do know that God is faithful and when you choose obedience above all else, the reward is eternal.  Sometimes we can want something so badly that when we pray about it we receive false peace that God wants us to have the same thing, so we find ourselves making decisions based on false peace.  Things may appear good for a while, but without realizing it, we are detouring God’s original plan and blessings for us.  That is why it’s so important to know the voice of the Lord and how He speaks to you so you can discern the difference between His plans and your own - His voice, the enemy’s and your own.

We had a wonderful time speaking with Mama Yolanda on Tuesday about her vision for Footprints and the vision God has placed on our hearts.  We believe this time with her brought more clarity for us and why we’re here instead of in Pemba right now.  We will share more details after we have some time to process things as a family and with the Lord.  This weekend our family is going to Fred and Renee’s farm to spend time getting to know each other more, have some fun fishing and exploring (wish you could be with us Ethan!), and spend some time praying with each other over how the Lord might want us to partner together in ministry.  Their farm is about 2 ½ hours away.  We will leave Friday morning for Pretoria to pick them up, leave later that afternoon for the farm, then return to Footprints Sunday evening.  We’ve been looking forward to this time for over a month now.  Prayers over the weekend would be greatly appreciated as we seek the Lord for our next steps.  If the Lord gives you a word for our family, shows you a picture, gives you a dream, anything at all, please feel free to e-mail us at any time with what you believe He is saying on behalf of our family.

We’d like to tell you what the next chapter in the Mason Family life might look like, but you’ll have to keep following along for the next few weeks to find out…..because we don’t even know ourselves, haha!  Oh the suspense!!  Thank you for joining us on the journey!  Love, peace and joy to you all!

Bitter Sweet Day

Thursday, September 18^th was a sweet day for our family, because as you know, our 3 youngest children gave their lives over to Jesus.  However, it was also a bitter day for us as well.  Not only did Josiah fall from the top railing of a balcony (about 20 feet high), which could have been fatal…but my father, Rob Campbell, passed away from an unexpected heart attack.  We are saddened by the loss but also rejoicing that he is with Jesus!  AND I am thankful I didn’t have to experience 2 deaths in my family in one day.

I will start off by sharing about Josiah’s fall and end with a tribute on behalf of my dad.  Some of you may have already read about this on Facebook, but for those that don’t use Facebook this will be news to you.  Extended from the kids’ bedroom is a balcony with couches, etc.  We have told the kids that they are not allowed on the balcony unless mom or dad are with them.  Early on Thursday evening Josh was downstairs preparing dinner for the entire household and I was in our bedroom typing my latest blog “3 Special Salvations – Our Children.”  Suddenly I hear a scream from the kids and am wondering who’s fighting with whom.  Then the scream became more alarming and I knew something wasn’t right.  Josh and I both heard it and ran towards where the scream was coming from – outside in the back.  We found Josiah sitting on the tile flooring outside all by himself.  I immediately go to him and pick him up.  Then Gracie tells us that Josiah fell from the balcony.  We had her repeat what she was saying because it was too unbelievable.  It turns out that he and Gracie were playing on the balcony.  Josiah was on the couch, which leans up against one of the side railings.  He then proceeded to climb on top of the railing.  I’m not sure exactly what happened after that, if he decided to climb over the railing and stand on the little ledge or if he just stood up on top of the railing, but Josiah tells us that he then decided to let go.  Of course, doing so he lost his balance and fell to the ground.  We checked him for a concussion and any protruding bones, bumps, bruises, etc., and miraculously he had nothing but a scratch on the bottom of his left pinky toe.  The moment we found him we began praying over his body and that no injuries would result.  We also PRAISED THE LORD for sending angels to protect our sweet, brave little Josiah.  There’s no way he could have fallen that far without help from above.  Josiah was a bit rattled, understandably, but he woke up the next morning saying his feet (mainly left one) feels great.  Josh and I have scoped it out and put pressure on it to see if he flinches in pain at all, because we’ve noticed him favor his foot and limp a little, but he says it doesn’t hurt at all.  We continue to declare wholeness over his entire body, and my heart cannot express how grateful I am that he was protected that day.  What causes a righteous anger in me is that the enemy knows Josiah just gave his life to Jesus that very morning.  I don’t think he liked that one bit and would love to end Josiah’s life early, but I know all of heaven is rejoicing because Josiah is part of God’s family FOREVER no matter what, and even earthly death cannot separate him from God now!

I don’t like how the enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy.  He’s a punk!  On the same day that Josiah gave his life to Jesus, I received heartbreaking news that my dad, Rob Campbell, passed away unexpectedly from a heart attack.  I will rewind to how that all happened.  It was actually the morning of Friday, September 19^th in Africa when I woke up early and picked up my phone to see what time it was.  I believe it was around 6am.  I had received a private message via Facebook from someone saying that they were sorry to hear the news and that they love our family and are praying for us.  I was puzzled at first but then thought maybe they were referring to Josiah’s fall from the balcony so I thanked them for their message and then moved on.  Although, there was still something not quite right to me about the message I received because I had spoken to this person in years.  I then noticed that I had been tagged in some Facebook posts so I began reading those.  The same pattern of “I’m sorry for your loss” and “our prayers are with you,” were plastered all over Facebook.  At that point I sat up in bed and noticed Josh was reading posts on his phone.  He said that he read some posts about “Uncle Bob” so he said to me, “Don’t worry, it’s about Uncle Bob.”  I said, “Yes, my cousins and aunts and uncles call him that.”  In my spirit I knew something was wrong and sensed that my dad had passed away, but it wasn’t confirmed until my sister, Amber, sent me a message to have me call her.  Fortunately, we can make phone calls back and forth through Facebook for free…..something we discovered not too long ago!  She informed me that Dad passed away that afternoon from an unexpected heart attack while at a cross-country meet in Kimberly.  Some middle school girls found him lying on the ground (he may have possibly hit his head during the fall) and tried to roll him over but couldn’t so they cried out for help.  Some others went to find my brother, Ryan, whom also helped coach.  My mom was back in Shelley at the time.  They tried to resuscitate him, but I believe after 40+ minutes my brother told everyone he was gone.  I can’t imagine being my brother, Ryan, and seeing my dad lay their lifeless, but my understanding is that he had peace and was comforted.  My dad passed away doing something he loved.  For those that don’t know my dad, he was passionate about running and coached for many, many years.  I allowed the tears to come as Josh wrapped his arm around me, but immediately my heart broke for my mom.  As I explained to my kids, “Grandma just lost her honey.  He’s not on earth anymore where we can see him, but he is alive with Jesus.”  My sweet, little Christian has been so sensitive about the situation since he heard the news.  He came up to me later that morning and said, “Mom, it’s okay to be sad.”  Then he gave me a big hug!  He also asked if it would be okay if he told people in the house about what happened so that they could pray for “grandpa”.  He colored me pictures all throughout the day, even one of grandpa as an angel.

Some call it “Campbell stubbornness” but I’d like to call it determination – that’s one thing I inherited from my dad.  He’s always been a hard worker and was blessed with many incredible talents – teaching, coaching, painting, building things, creating new foods or concoctions (okay, that’s a Campbell inside joke) – just to name a few.  He will be forever in my heart and honored in our home.  His grandchildren will grow up knowing all about him.  I tell Christian all the time that he has Grandpa Campbell’s smile and it’s soooo true!!

For those that know my background, they know my beliefs are different than my family’s.  HOWEVER, all week long our family has been talking about John 3:16.  I know my dad believed in Jesus.  In the body of Christ, there are many doctrines or teachings that have been developed that divide the church (which is unfortunate), but the truth is that JESUS is the way, the truth, and the life and no one comes to the Father except through Him [John 14:6].  The greater our understanding of this truth is, the greater we’ll walk in freedom!  I asked the Lord to show me what my dad was up to, and this is the picture I got:

My dad was laying on the ground, younger in his years, and a puppy dog was licking him on the face.  He was smiling and laughing, rocking back and forth on his side - full of joy!  Sometimes pictures I receive are symbolic, and I believe the Lord was saying that joy and childlikeness has fully returned to my dad and that he’s having a GREAT time in heaven!!

I will be flying back to the States, arriving on Tuesday, to attend my dad’s viewing and funeral service the following 2 days.  The Lord is my provider and I trust in Him for this journey!  Please cover Josh and the kids in your prayers while I’m away.

On behalf of everyone that has shared their condolences, love, prayers and support – THANK YOU!!

3 Special Salvations - Our Children!!!

Every morning before starting school, we spend time as a family worshipping the Lord through song and dance, and then we talk about whatever the Lord has placed on our hearts to talk about.  Sometimes we pray for things on our hearts, sometimes we talk about our feelings, sometimes we share pictures God may be giving us so that we can discuss/pray into the meaning of them.  Who knew that this morning was going to be a very special day for our family and 3 youngest children…..!

After worship and prayer, we began by reviewing the Bible verse we’ve been talking about this week: John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”  After Josh had them repeat it a few times, I asked them who the “Son” was referring to.  I don’t want to take for granted and assume that they already know.  It’s good to ask probing questions to affirm one’s understanding of something.  I then felt led to explain to our kids what “perish” meant and the difference between that and eternal life.  When we receive Jesus into our life, even when we die physically on this earth, we will live forever with Him in Heaven.  As we were about to move on, I had these thoughts going on in my head: I’m sure my children have already received Jesus.  They go to church.  We’ve talked about it.  There’s no need to ask them now………..But then Holy Spirit prompted me to ASK them if they believe in Jesus and have received Him into their lives/hearts.  Christian seemed unsure if he had or not.  Gracie and Josiah said no.  I went on to tell them that receiving Jesus into one’s life is a personal choice that we must all make at some point – there is no right or wrong age for when we do it, there is no right or wrong way for how we do it.  Why?  Because God looks at the heart and not at our religious approach or traditions.  I told them that if they ever want to receive Jesus into their life to let Mommy and Daddy know and we’d help them, or they could just ask Jesus into their lives on their own.  Growing up I know how detrimental it is to make decisions for yourself and not based on others’ expectations of you, so I said nothing further and didn’t want them to feel pressured or manipulated into making the choice today.  Right as we were about to move on, Christian says, “I want to receive God/Jesus into my heart TODAY!”  This was a bold decision for Christian because often times he tends to shy back and fears the “unknown” – like what it will look like to allow Jesus to live in Him through the Holy Spirit – but I am so proud of him for choosing to be bold and be an example for his younger brother and sister!  I mean, his whole face lit up and he was grinning from ear to ear when he said it!!  When Gracie and Josiah realized what was happening, they too decided to receive Jesus into their hearts!!  I will briefly mention, so as to not exclude Jade, that she gave her life to the Lord already when she was younger and has been seeking after Him ever since!  Josh helped the kids to vocalize their decision to God through prayer (a simple conversation with Him).  Of course, joyful tears were streaming down my face!!

I expressed to the kids how they just made the best decision of their lives!!  I shared with them how, ever since they were born, I’ve prayed that they would all know Jesus at a young age – and when I say “know”, I’m referring to having a personal relationship with Him.  I shared with them how Mommy didn’t understand fully what this meant until I was almost 25 years old, and even then God took me on a long journey of discovering who I am as His daughter!  I shared with them how angels and a cloud of witnesses in heaven were rejoicing over them at that very moment!!  They just smiled!

We’ve been praying over our kids that they would see angels and that God would speak to them in their dreams, amongst other things.  We invite angels into their rooms and into our home every night.  Jade began to share how she’s seen angels before.  She said one time she saw a very large angel laying in our bed in Pemba, Mozambique 2 years ago.  It was during the first few weeks when we were there and our entire family was sleeping in one room.  She said we weren’t laying in the bed at the time, just the angel was, and his feet hung way over the bed….he was VERY large.  She then shared how she saw another angel at our old rental house that we just moved out of.  The angel was standing in the corner and its wings were encircling our entire home.  Then Christian said one day he saw Jesus.  We asked when that was.  He said at the hospital.  We asked when he was at the hospital, and he said, “When I was a baby I saw Jesus in the hospital.”  We asked what Jesus looked like, and he said Jesus had brown hair and was wearing a white “thing” (he didn’t know what to call it) and that Jesus looked a little older than Daddy. 

I love how our kids are learning that they can have a close relationship with God/Jesus/Holy Spirit NOW, and that they’re not far away or a figment of the imagination like many think.  For those reading this whom haven’t made the personal choice to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior, it’s never too late!  God loves you right where you’re at, and He wants you to experience His love like never before.  That is the gospel in its simplest form.  Many have accepted the idea of Jesus or teachings about Jesus but still don’t know Him.  Some live in bondage of fear, offense, lies, bitterness, unforgiveness, hurts, pride, control, etc., but God’s word promises us an abundant life – a life full of peace, love, joy, patience…..FREEDOM!!!  His word also says that we shall know the truth and the truth will set us free!!  When you know Jesus, it transforms your life and you are free to love Him no matter the cost!  For me to love Jesus, it cost me my pride, it cost me giving up my right to be right, it cost me surrendering my life to Him – oh yes – there is a cost.  It will require you to let go of things, but in the end it is so worth it.  At some point the Lord is going to have me type up my testimony, my story, but until then I will leave you with this………………

Psalm 118:24 - Today is the day the Lord has made, let us be glad and rejoice in it!!  Thanks for rejoicing with us!!

Footprints

To go to villages in Africa where they have very little and yet do not complain, that’s where I want to be!  To see children line up with excitement – bowls and cups in hand – waiting to be served a simple meal of porridge and cabbage with juice to drink………..it’s priceless!

We’ve had the opportunity to go to an Iris base called Footprints in Lammermoor, South Africa on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday of this past week.  The first day was a bit more challenging because our own kids were still experiencing jet lag and were tired.  Christian became very dehydrated and began throwing up after a few hours of being there and playing with the children, so we ended the day earlier than expected and headed home.  Christian woke up the next day feeling much better, and we have remedied the dehydration problem by purchasing water bottles for each child.  We fill them up multiple times a day, and they have all done great with drinking water now.

During our second visit, we were greeted by many sweet smiles from the smaller children that live on base.  I am proud to say that I have learned all of the little ones’ names.  I believe there are 28 children that live on the base, but we have yet to spend much time with the older ones.  Josiah has made friends with a few boys his age, specifically Duncan and Mikey, and I like to think of them as The Three Stooges!  They all have quite the personalities and keep us laughing!  The children have enjoyed the area as they have a playground, sandbox, trampolines, horses (Captain & Charlie) and other pets.  I’ve been told that there are pet snakes somewhere, but I have yet to see them…Jade is okay with that! ;-)

We went with a team on outreach to a village called Allveville.  We brought yogurt and frozen fruit drinks with us and simply loved on the children there.  I encountered great teaching opportunities with our children during this time.  Gracie and Josiah were both wanting yogurt, but I explained to them that they wouldn’t be having any unless there were some left over (which we gathered there wouldn’t be).  We brought a backpack with snacks for them anyways, just in case it was a longer day than expected.  I wanted our children to know that it wasn’t because they were “undeserving” of these special treats, but I took the opportunity to explain to them why we were there and what we were doing.  I basically taught out of Matthew 25:35-40 and explained to them how these African children sometimes go without meals and rarely get special treats like this.  Jesus commanded us to go and feed the poor so that’s what we’re doing.  Josiah and I then went on a walk to where the garbage piles were.  I told him that the children live in these little homes surrounding the piles of garbage and sometimes there are people who even live in the garbage dumps and look for food there because they don’t have food to eat like we do.  He said, “Ewww.”  I told him it’s sad and that’s why we’re here to help them.  He was really soaking it up in his spirit because as we walked back to the group he said, “Mom, can you tell me that again?  I want to hear it again what you just told me.”  He then asked me to walk over to the garbage dumps so that I could explain to him the truth of God’s word again.  It so touched my heart that he was actually absorbing in his own heart what I was speaking about!  There was one little boy there whom Josiah really connected with.  He began playing chase/tag with him and both were giggling the entire time.  The boy found it funny that we hid behind a parked vehicle so he couldn’t see us and then we slowly snuck up behind him (because his back was towards us) and surprised him!  Shortly after, it was time for us to head home.  Josh did enjoy his time there, not only hanging with the little children, but also visiting with a couple of the teen boys there...encouraging them with their dreams.  What a glorious day!

The next day, Friday, September 12^th, we went to Donald’s Village to feed the children there (after spending some time at Footprints and making paper airplanes for some of the children).  As the village children gathered, they lined up with their bowls and cups (for possibly the only meal they’ve had that day, I’m not really sure) and some other team members dished them up porridge, cabbage and juice.  They were thrilled!  I was blessed to pray for some ladies while there and speak into their identity.  In case anyone is wondering, they do speak English where we are.  While playing in the dirt, Gracie was swarmed by a bunch of children.  Everyone loves her blonde hair (which I just cut about 6” off of).  She handled it rather well and didn’t shy away from them like she normally might.  I did check in with her to see if she was okay, and she just kept on playing in the dirt.  Gracie may be shy at times, but she does have a boldness and fearlessness in her!  I see more and more how content our kids are to simply play in the dirt – the simple life.  One of the team members brought nail polish so Jade enjoyed painting the little girls’ nails yellow and pink.  There was music playing, and I tell you what, these little African girls can dance!!  It was such a place of joy!

These village children may live in shacks, wear dirty/holey clothes and not have much food, but in my experience I have never heard them complain.  I don’t think they deserve to live that way, but I do believe we can all learn a little something from them.  When you begin to focus on your troubles or lacks, then the enemy pounces on the opportunity to enlarge them and tell you lies so that your situations or circumstance become worse in your mind than they really are.  That is why God commands us to focus on the positive [Philippians 4:8].  When things don’t go exactly the way you expected or envisioned they would, stop for a minute and ponder the following – God, where are you in the midst of this?  Help me to see where you’re at work so that I can grow closer to you!  Because the truth is, God is always at work.  Don’t accept the saying that “everything happens for a reason” because not everything that happens is part of God’s plan, but God will use everything in our lives for good if we allow Him to.  We just need to make sure we’re magnifying the positive instead of the negative in our lives.  This is called having a heavenly or kingdom perspective, and when you focus on the truth instead of the fact, it will set you free!

We Made It To Africa!!

Our traveling experience with Emirates Airlines has been incredible!!  We thank God that he blessed us with affordable plane tickets through the best international airline company known.  We’ve experienced very little turbulence and extremely smooth landings and take-offs.  AND I’m happy to announce that no one’s ears hurt either!!  We experienced no popping or blocked hearing upon our landing in Africa.  Thank you to those that covered this in prayer. During the flight from Dubai to Johannesburg, Africa (which was non-stop), I (Mindy) finally caught some sleep.  It was an 8-hour flight and I do not know how long I slept, but all I know is I woke up to a voice on the intercom announcing that we’d be landing in 20 minutes.  The kids slept most of the time too.  An 8-hour flight only felt like a couple of hours to us.  We did put the 2 youngest children (Gracie & Josiah) in pull-ups during our flying travels, just to be safe, but we are happy to say that they both stayed dry the entire time!  Christian even got to experience losing his 1^st tooth all on its own too!  He actually had 3 baby teeth pulled shortly before leaving the States because an adult tooth wasn’t coming in properly, but this was the first tooth that fell out all on its own and while flying of all places!!  It’s not every day you lose a tooth on the plane!

One thing to cover in prayer is the kids’ glasses.  We only have 1 pair for Gracie (for those that don’t know she got glasses about 1 week before leaving).  Both she and Josiah are currently farsighted.  We “had” 2 pairs of glasses for Josiah, but the nose piece broke on his newest pair so we have reverted back to him wearing his old pair (which are actually better) and are praying that super glue will do the trick with his other glasses.  Pray that we have no more problems with glasses.  Even better yet, pray that eyes are healed!!

Upon landing in Johannesburg, South Africa we were faced with an escalator and no elevator.  It’s very challenging to get all your little ones on the moving escalator along with their suitcases and backpacks.  Fortunately, we were blessed by 2 people who insisted on helping us.  When we got to the bottom, an airport worker got carts for all our carry-ons and backpacks, another huge blessing because at this point the younger kids were tired and could no longer carry theirs – which meant Josh and I were carrying 2, sometimes 3, backpacks on our shoulders in addition to pulling 1, sometimes 2/3 suitcases on wheels.  Our shoulders were fairly sore at this point.  Wishing our favorite masseuse was here to massage us!!  You know who you are! ;-)  Aside from that, our kids did very well traveling and doing their part with carrying or pulling their own luggage.  What troopers!!

After our carry-ons and backpacks were loaded onto carts by the worker, she continued to lead us to customs and passed the ginormous line of people waiting.  That’s right, she took us to the VERY FRONT of the line (which looked a mile long!)  This probably saved us 1 ½ to 2 hours of waiting in line.  Then she and another lady worker helped to locate our 3 tubs, which don’t come through the regular baggage claim conveyor belts, and got us more carts for our remaining 9 suitcases.  After loading everything onto 5, yes 5 carts, they assisted with pushing them out to the front doors where we waited for our shuttle driver, Ralph, to pick us up with his car and trailer.  He arrived around 5:30pm and took us to Pretoria (about 1 hour away) where a couple named Fred and Rene have opened up their beautiful, did I say beautiful, home to us!

A team of young adults met us at the gates where they unloaded all of our luggage for us.  Our family was given 2 rooms to sleep in and a bathroom.  We were prepared for Pemba, so for those that are familiar with that area, our kids keep asking, “Where’s the red dirt and ocean?!”  There are many young adult missionaries living in the home with us, but in the future things will be changing.  We don’t know how long we will be here, but we are praying for clarity and clear direction on that.  If you receive anything from the Lord related to our family, please feel free to share it with us via e-mail or private message in Facebook.  Even if it doesn’t make sense to you, it very well might make sense to us!  A very delicious dinner was prepared on our behalf, and we enjoyed sitting with everyone in the dining room (which isn’t a custom with everyone’s different schedules but they wanted to honor us and we felt very honored).

We’ve posted various updates on Facebook, but for those that don’t use Facebook, we are experiencing some jet lag in our family but there’s actually a funny story behind that.  So, as you’ve read in our last blog, our kids were wide awake at 4am in Dubai.  For their first morning in South Africa, they woke up at “5:30am” so we looked at this as progress…..!  We decided to spend some time talking with the kids about how they’re feeling so far and then for those that wanted to they prayed over various things.  We then decided to worship together to a few songs – fast, lively songs like, “This is What You Do” and “Deep Cries Out”.  We did try to be somewhat quiet because we didn’t know who’d be awake at 7:30am.  Josh also read Psalm 91 over our family.  Afterwards we decided to head downstairs for some breakfast.  Not long after, one of the young adults came down and said he was headed to preach to some students.  He normally has to be there at 7am.  In our minds we’re thinking, um, you’re a little late this morning.  That’s when the light bulb went off…..!!  After asking him what time it was, it turns out it was only 6:45am instead of 8:45am like we thought.  That means the kids actually woke up at 3am instead of 5am like we thought, oh my!  It turns out our phone clocks were still going off the Dubai time zone and hadn’t recalculated, our bad!  We hope we didn’t wake anyone with our family worship time. J  Although, as our Vineyard Meridian Pastor Reeni pointed out, waking up to a family worshiping the One they adore isn’t so bad!

Today was our first full day in South Africa, and both Josh and I felt like it was to be a day of “chillin’.”No plans, no “we have to get unpacked/organized”, just simply hanging with the kids.  It turns out we all needed it because we ended up taking a family nap around 9/10am and slept until about 1pm. We decided to wake the kids up so they’d actually go to sleep at a decent time tonight.  When I woke up my phone said 3pm, and I was worried that I had missed our Skype session with my parents at 2pm, but then Josh pointed out that the time on my phone still hadn’t updated to the South African time zone and it was really only 1pm.  Phew!!  Unfortunately, the Skype session never happened because Grandma and Grandpa Campbell (my parents) were having connectivity issues.  Pray that gets resolved soon!  We are being diligent with getting the kids adjusted to the time difference from America (8 hours different) so we kept them up for the remainder of the day so they would actually go to sleep at night.  They managed to fall asleep around 9-9:30pm, with the exception of Christian whom stayed up playing Legos and coloring in our bed until 10:30pm.  Please pray that the kids sleep in until at least 7am.

Our plans for tomorrow morning (Tuesday) are to head to the Footprints base in Johannesburg to meet the director, Pastor Yolanda, and the rest of the team.  Excited to love on some children!!  We’ll write another blog on how that visit goes.  It’s now midnight so I’m going to try and get some rest.  Until next time………..

And We're Off!!

….and we’re off!!  We said our “see you laters” to family and loved ones and boarded our first flight out of Boise, Idaho Friday afternoon on September 5th.  It was an emotional time, especially for Josh, as it's the first time in almost 38 years that he's been away from his parents.  They've always lived in the same city, and his dad is one of his bestest friends!  Thank you to those that showed up at the airport and also to those that wanted to be there but couldn’t make it but were covering us in prayer.  Prayer is powerful and we have definitely been covered and experienced God’s blessings and favor!

It’s one thing to go on vacation with a family and pack a few suitcases.  It’s a whole other story packing up and moving your family of 6 across the world.  The Lord gave us much wisdom on how to pack, what to pack and techniques to use that would enable us to locate our luggage quickly, and it has all proven to be very successful.  Josh had the brilliant idea to wrap orange duct tape around our luggage handles so we could locate our carry-on luggage quickly on the carts after landing in Seattle and at the baggage claim in South Africa.  We even numbered each one of them so that we can locate them quickly upon arriving in South Africa, in addition to making lists for what was in each suitcase (in case any luggage gets misplaced).  When the lady was checking us in at the Boise Airport, she said I should write a book to help travelers with packing techniques.  Maybe I will, maybe I will!  I was very diligent when it came to packing and weighing each suitcase and tub because I didn’t want to pay any overweight fees, which could apply to each airline we use (in our case only two: Alaska Airlines & Emirates).  I’m proud to say that we made the weight limits and even came under weight on a couple of suitcases.  We were a couple of lbs over on one, but we just took a few items out and shoved them in another suitcase that was 10 lbs underweight.  Maybe we could have fit Gracie Beers in our suitcase after all!!  Wink, wink Mel Beers!  There is also a weight limit on carry-ons, and we knew we were way overweight on those, but we were praying that they wouldn’t even weigh them…and sure enough they didn’t, thank you Lord!!  I’ll just say we’ve had the smoothest check-ins I’ve ever experienced, especially with 12 large suitcases/tubs and 12 carry-on suitcases/back packs.  We discovered that, because our layover in Dubai is longer than 12 hours, they wouldn’t be able to check our luggage in all the way through to Johannesburg, South Africa.  They did suggest, however, that we check with the airline in Seattle to see if their system would allow them to do it.  Of course, that’s what we asked and prayed for, and once again the Lord came through for us!  While in Seattle Josh checked with a boarding assistant, they re-tagged all 12 pieces of our luggage and checked them in all the way through to South Africa, hallelujah!  Upon arriving in Seattle, we got off the plane and faced multiple flights of stairs.  When trying to figure out how the kids were going to manage pulling their suitcases up the stairs, a worker came around the corner and led us to the elevators.  What a blessing that was!

Our first stop out of Seattle was in Dubai, which is where I am currently typing this blog while the rest of the family sleeps.  Everyone slept great on the plane, except me.   I didn’t sleep at all, but I thank God that He blesses me with supernatural rest often.  During our flight Josiah kept looking out the window and saying, “We’re not flying, we’re not flying.”  He said this because everything looked the same, just sky and clouds below, so he thought we weren’t moving.  What a cutie-patootie.  We call him “joy boy” because he’s always making us laugh and is constantly full of joy and smiling!

Upon getting off the plane in Dubai, we had 2 gentleman offer to help us carry our luggage.  We must have made quite the scene with our children and 12 carry-ons.  Just imagine what it would have been like to carry those on top of 12 more checked suitcases/bins!  The hotel we are staying in is absolutely beautiful!  The boys got a kick out of the front entrance glass doors that open and close (like at Wal-Mart), and pretended to have special powers like in Star Wars.  While checking into our hotel, a lady randomly came up to Gracie and started petting her hair and saying it’s beautiful and looks like Barbie.  Let the “petting” of Gracie’s hair begin.  This is exactly what happened when we came to Africa 2 years ago because people there aren’t used to seeing blonde hair, and Gracie’s is definitely blonde!  We are blown away by the beauty of our rooms, a suite with 2 rooms in 1.  Of course, we put all the kids in one room so that we could enjoy some privacy of our own! ;-)  We have a balcony which overlooks the beautiful city of Dubai.  There is even a swimming pool on the roof, although we won’t have time to enjoy it during this visit, as we must leave the hotel @ 7AM to catch our next flight.  In comparing time to Idaho, we are currently 10 hours later.  When Josh and I first looked at plane tickets and were deciding whether to stay overnight and get a hotel or choose a route with a 9-hour layover in the airport, we decided to go with the option of staying overnight so the kids could get some good rest and we’d just spend a little extra money on a room.  Well, then God put it on our hearts to ask our friend, Samantha (whom we just briefly and recently met within the last year), whom used to live in Dubai if she knew of anyone that could host our family for a night.  She wasn’t able to find anyone, but her mom (Elsa) so generously offered to take care of and pay for ALL of our sleeping and transportation arrangements.  We have been blessed by a lovely woman, whom until this evening, we hadn’t even met before.  I love how the body of Christ comes together in ways like this, and we are truly grateful and humbled by Elsa’s love for us and our children.  She not only met us at the airport while holding a beautiful “butterfly” sign with our names on it, but she arranged for us to be delivered to our hotel room and bought us dinner and personally delivered it to our room – while staying for a while to visit.  On top of that, she did a little shopping and purchased outfits for each of the kids and blessed me with some beautiful rose-gold jewelry!  Oh wait, and there’s more………..  She bought us some yummy chocolates to top off our dinner with.  Hip, hip hooray to Elsa and her beautiful heart of gold!!  We are thankful to have met her.  Now she’s a part of our journey and we’ll never forget her!

I am happy to announce that no one has gotten motion sickness on the fights nor are anyone’s ears bothering them.  The reason I bring this up is because we were praying over these two things after our last experience going to and coming back from Africa.  On our way there 2 years ago, my ears remained clogged for 2 weeks until they finally decided to pop and clear up.  It was painful for at least the first few days but not this time!  Also, on our way home during our last trip to Africa, Josiah threw up on the descent/landing on two separate occasions.  So, now you know why this is such a big deal and another blessing from the Lord!

Some of you may not know the most recent changes in our plans, but right now we are currently headed to Johannesburg and will be staying with a couple there (instead of on a base) until God directs us otherwise.  We will arrive there Sunday afternoon, South African time – around 8AM MST (in Idaho).  We will have many opportunities to serve at Footprints, the Iris ministry there, because their need is great.  We have chosen to live each day at a time, asking God what He’s up to for each day so we can partner with Him in what He’s doing.  We are continually learning what a surrendered life looks like, and I recently came across this article that speaks directly about the things that are going on in my heart……

“Surrender yourself to the Lord, and wait patiently for Him.” Psalm 37:7

Surrendering your life means:

- Following God’s lead without knowing where He’s sending you.

- Waiting for God’s timing without knowing when it will come.  Not being afraid to step out and take risk because you know He is with you.

- Expecting a miracle without knowing how God will provide.

- Trusting God’s purpose without understanding the circumstances.

You know your life is surrendered to God when you stop trying harder to control situations and start trusting Him more.

All God wants is ALL OF YOU.  Are you willing to give Him that?  I pray that as you each go on your own personal journeys in life, you experience in greater levels what it means to surrender your life to Him and to love Him with everything that you are!  We definitely don’t have it all figured out, but we know THE ONE who does and we’re choosing to lay down our lives for His glory!!  Loves to you all and thank you for your continued support and prayers!

The Unknown

I’m thankful for the moments I got to come up for air during this past month as things got super busy with packing, more packing, even more packing, cleaning and moving!  At least I didn’t end up MIA by packing myself into one of the boxes or suitcases!

I had my pile of suitcases that were packed with things “specifically for Africa”, a pile of “donate to the Salvation Army,” another pile for “in the future”, one for "selling," and one for “keep out for now until we leave in September.”  We also had our “take to Mom & Dad Mason’s” pile, take to “Mom & Dad Campbell’s” pile, and “give to friends” pile…..oh, and don’t forget the “throw away” pile.  Holy moly, that’s a lot of piles to keep straight, but I’ve really enjoyed the process and am glad it’s all done.  The kids have done incredibly well with this transition and haven’t complained once….I think because we just gained some incredible neighbors (our good friends, the Beers Family).

We officially moved out of our home on Thursday, August 7^th and headed straight to my parents’ in Eastern Idaho.  The rest of my family (minus a few) joined us throughout the weekend for a “mini” reunion to celebrate one last time before we move.  It was great to spend time with my family and I am thankful for the special moments I had with them.  I was also able to visit my brother (currently incarcerated) in person one last time before we leave the country.  Typically visits only last 30 minutes, but sometimes longer for out-of-towners, but the guard in charge surprised us with the blessing of 1 ½ hours!  That was pretty sweet!!

We are back home now and the first week of living in our RV has gone rather smoothly.  Our friends have been gracious and generous with sharing their home and belongings with us.  Their daughter, Gracie (age 6), surprised us with giving up her room for a month so that we could have somewhere to store all of our suitcases for Africa.  Thank you Gracie Beers!!

After returning from Eastern Idaho we had planned to list our Jeep for sale.  However, an employee of Josh’s approached him the next day when he returned to work and asked him if we were selling our Jeep and that she wanted to buy it and pay cash, say what?!?!  She also told us we could keep the Jeep until we leave in September.  WOWZERS!!  I mean, I know the Lord is good, but I just love testifying of His goodness and how much He’s been taking care of our every need as we step out in faith.  While we were driving home from our trip, written on the back of a dirty semi-truck was “Matthew 6:33”.  I looked it up right away.  “But seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”  The part He really highlighted to me was at the beginning – seek first His Kingdom.  He was reminding me to keep my eyes focused on Him and all will be well.  Sometimes we can get discouraged or disappointed when people we care about don’t understand our hearts, but that is when it is imperative that we keep our eyes focused on Him so that we can protect our relationship with Him in turn protecting our relationship with others.  This verse was very timely for me to read.  With the rest of the verse (and the verses prior), we know the Lord is our provider so we don’t worry about the unknowns of this journey we’re on.  When we worry, it’s like telling the Lord we don’t trust Him.

There have been some changes that have occurred that have placed us in a greater position of faith.  Without going into great detail, we are unable to get visas at this time to enter into Pemba, Mozambique (which was supposed to be our final destination).  We have plane tickets to get us as far as Johannesburg, South Africa, so that is where we’ll remain until the visa situation in Mozambique gets resolved.  Your prayers over this situation would be greatly appreciated.  We don’t need visas for Joburg (Johannesburg), which is why we can remain in that country until we receive further direction from the Lord.  We are looking into serving at another Iris Global base in that area, and either way, are excited to see what the Lord is up to.  We don’t see it as God leading us a different direction.  Sometimes things happen that are outside of our control and the Lord’s, but with the new twist in our journey, we’ve learned to ask the Lord daily what He’s up to at the time so that we don’t miss what He’s doing from day to day.  Yes, we are 20 days away from leaving and, at this point, have no idea where we’re going to end up………but we trust God and know that we’ll be taken care of.  Living a life for Jesus isn’t supposed to look normal to the world.  To me, living a life for Jesus looks exactly like it did for the disciples – they left everything comfortable to them to follow after Jesus…not really knowing what that would look like.  That doesn’t make the journey easy, it just makes it worth it!!