It has been a while since we posted. July was a very active (and very good!) month for us. We cannot say enough how blessed we are for God's love and providence. To kick off the month, we were able to attend the US Embassy's 4th of July party. Turned out to be a bit more formal than what we are used to for the 4th, but it was a huge blessing! Many of the program managers for aid organizations were there, including the CDC, USAID, and the Peace Corps. It was awesome to learn about the programs they have here and how they are trying to help the Malawian people.
Shortly following the 4th of July, Kelly's dad and step-mom came to visit for a week. Luckily they were just coming from a week in Amsterdam, so no jet lag! It was great for us to see them and show them where we are living. They really enjoyed seeing where Kelly works and the people she is working with. We took them to Liwonde National Park, where we spent a night and got to go on two safari game drives. It was also great having DR spend quality time with his grandparents. By the end of the week he new them by name and would always ask for "Merme" and "Poppey" (pronounced "Potty" by DR).
In between Kelly's parents visiting and Donald's parents visiting, the container shipped by ABC arrived. It was such a blessing to receive the five boxes of donations our home church, Rice Temple Baptist Church, sent on the container for us! We cannot express how loved we felt when we received so many gifts. If you sent something to us, thank you SO much for supporting us!
Towards the end of the month, Donald's parents came to visit us as well. They came for two and a half weeks, which allowed us some time to travel around Malawi a bit more. We actually visited our neighboring country, Zambia, to visit the South Luangwa National Park. We also took them to Liwonde National Park in Malawi and the Zomba Plateau. Donald's mom loves birding, and these places are very rich with different species, so it was a blast for her to sightsee. Donald's parents were able to spend lots of quality time with DR. It was awesome to see them reconnect and for Donald's parents to see how much DR has grown.
July was a crazy and wonderful month for us here in Malawi! It was amazing to see our family and such a blessing to receive so many donations from our church back at home. The amount of love we felt from our friends and family, and especially from God, was more than what we can put into words. Once again, thank you for your support and for showing an interest in what God is using us for here in The Warm Heart of Africa!
