This is what happened in November and December!

"I'mmmmmmm dreaming of a wwwwwwhite Christmas ..."

Just kidding! The weather here has actually been fabulously cool at night and perfectly mild/hot during the day, that I'm actually NOT too upset to be away from the snow! We've already had a few Christmas parties and carol sings, and there's even a giant Christmas tree, Christmas music in the stores, and a SANTA CLAUS in the new shopping centre here in town! Despite the economic crisis, Lubango is doing surprisingly well in the "festive spirit" department!

So, I suppose I should catch you up on all the things that have gone down in November and December. With my blogging at an all time low, I hope to use these holidays to catch up on some communication. Let's start with MAF business first.

A New Family ... 

The biggest news by far these past two months is the arrival of a new family to our MAF team! We are super excited to welcome Jez and Carina Simpson, from the land of the Queen (aka. UK) to the team, to fill the role of Program Manager. They are kind, enthusiastic, totally God-focused and bring tons of experience to the team from years in missions and business. They will help on the "non-flying" side of things, including administrative work, meeting with churches and government, and public relations.

... and Flying Discipleship

We also had a pretty cool week of flights in early December. Pilot Brent flew a few church workers/missionaries to the far east of the country, near the Zambian border. They went to go do discipleship training with pastors there, as well as Fistula prevention and awareness. The churches and pastors in the far east are very isolated and desperate for training. Two nurses also went to provide the women of the area with information about fistulas, an unfortunately all too common injury in childbirth here in Angola. Fortunately, organizations exist to help these women and offer them surgery at CEML hospital (see the Fistula Foundation website and Hope for our Sisters).

School Christmas parties ...

At the school, the last few weeks have been very busy preparing for Christmas! We had two Christmas parties to end the term--one for parents and families, and one for just the kids. The highlight for me was putting together a short skit about the Christmas nativity story for the kids to perform for their families. Everyone was very enthusiastic about acting, and it went super well (and was super cute!). The kid's organized their Christmas party with cupcakes, swimming, and a gift exchange.

... and a New Teacher!

The best news in these past few months has been the addition of a new short-term teacher! Elena comes to us from Germany and has helped fill the position we were needing most--a kindergarten teacher! She will be with us until June, and then the search will be on to find another teacher to fill her role. She is a great fit in the school!

And Then There's Family News ...

On the family front, we have passed through a difficult time and are looking forward to Christmas vacation and Marcel's parents visiting in the new year! Emotionally and physically, Marcel's health is much better, although work is still very busy trying to get all three planes up and running (two are up and functional, and the new engine for the Caravan is set to arrive early February for installation).

Ethan is in a very sociable stage, loving playing all day with the various compound kids and school kids. He also loves eating crayons, chasing the dog with his toy lawn mower (no, we don't have a dog, yes, we are dog-sitting one), and yanking the balls of the Christmas tree. He is now sleeping through the night! YAY x100000!

Herrr done for our school Christmas party!

Kiddos at the MAF Christmas party!

Rafael, Basilio, Lorindo and Elias hungry for all the delicious food at MAF Christmas party.

Ethan, Benvinda, and Siena in front of the Mudde's Christmas tree.

Ethan riding his early Christmas gift!

School Christmas party, crazy present game!

Kindergartens excited for their gift exchange!

Post-pool cupcake decorating and silliness!

Happy 1 Year Anniversary!

Happy 1 Year Anniversary ... not only to ourselves, but to all those who have journeyed with us in Spirit to Angola. We arrived exactly one year ago on a bumpy, vomit inducing flight, to a crazy rainstorm and intense heat. I can still remember the first smells, the first sounds of dogs barking, the first restless night of sleep. One year ago, we arrived, more or less intact ... to this new home of ours.

I'm going to take a moment to reflect on the past year and share some photos but before I do, I want to above all say: THANK YOU. Thank you for supporting us, and praying for us, and caring for us, even though we are just three pretty average people in a country worlds away from home. Thank you, friends, for being that ... friends, in the true sense of the word.

Thank you, too, to our new friends and family here. For those that have helped to make Angola a little more like home. In a land where we are all strangers, really, it helps to have friends who would do anything for you ... check your kid's ears when he's sick, drop everything and help you with a leaky tap, lend a listening ear when you need to vent, teach you all you need to know to survive your first year in Angola. You are strangers that have become family!

When we count the blessings, there are just far too many to count. Looking back on a year ago, we have grown so much. Our Portuguese has improved TREMENDOUSLY (although those that have learned a language know that the more you learn a language, the more you feel like you have yet to learn!). We have moved several times, but now are happily settled in an incredible home with lots of space for Ethan to play and run around. The MAF maintenance program has come leaps and bounds over the past year, thanks to so much hard work by Marcel, Marijn, and Basilio. It has NOT been easy work. It's been incredibly challenging and full of growing pains. But that's what we are doing ... growing.

If I'm being honest, this year has been spiritually one of the most challenging seasons of our lives. Straight up, we miss our home church ... our family. That being said, God has been faithful and has provided us with a new family here, and a new perspective on who He is, and what it means to follow Him. It has NOT felt like a mountaintop year. More like ... one of those years where you are just obediently "sticking it out"--reading the bible, praying, listening to sermons, attending church--and yet, not really "feeling it".

Part of it is a new language, a new culture, a new way of doing life. It isn't easy to "get fed" in church. Everything takes an intense amount of effort, concentration, and patience. It takes months to develop deep friendships. It may take us years before we really get what it means to be a Christian in Angola. But God is faithful.

Part of it is being a parent. No really, any new parents out there agree? Priorities shift, tiredness takes on a whole new meaning, life gets busy, and everything ... changes. But God is faithful.

His blessings have abounded. We have dove to new depths of understanding scripture, learning to rely on God, learning what it means to suffer. We have been challenged and we have been encouraged time and time again. I, personally, am more in love with Jesus than ever before--not because He has taken me to wonderful highs and I have been swept up in emotion, but because I see what He is doing and what He has done in the lives of beautiful people here. I treasure Him now, more than ever, because I know and see He is real like never before. Thank you Angola for showing us that.

For our family, this will be a year we will never forget. From amazing vacations, to tackling malaria and other sicknesses. From enjoyable days at work and rewarding conversations with students, to immense frustration with traffic and airplane problems. From glorious days in the sun, to wishing we could just have snow ... it's been a year to remember. Angola, you have become another home to us. We look forward to year two, hoping that we've learned a thing or two, and it won't be so difficult. But God is faithful ... and He'll carry us through it, no matter what it brings.

A Few Highlights and Lost Pictures from this Year

Leaving Canada, on our way to Angola! Ethan was just 6 months old!

Our final flight into Lubango was a bumpy one in the MAF Caravan, but Ethan loved it.

Our first MAF flight (this picture was pre-takeoff, post-takeoff was not so pretty).

Marcel in the operating room at CEML hospital,
to watch Dr. Steve Collins do some cataract surgeries. We are so thankful
for our friends who work at the hospital, they have an amazing ministry.

Watching a glorious sunset, just 20 minutes from home. One of the first of many incredible
African sunsets.

This is where we live ... beautiful Huila province in Angola.

Our first Thanksgiving, just a few days after we arrived, with two Canadians and two Americans.
One of our first tastes of the precious fellowship here.

Many hikes, many beautiful places--but this one was awesome! A two hour off road drive to a
waterfall inside a big hole in the mountain.  Hungueria Falls.

The hangar where Marcel spends most of his days--pre hangar doors.

The Leba--a famous viewpoint and tourist attraction in our province, and the main way to get to Namibe and the beaches.

Yet another beautiful waterfall and fun day of swimming!

We are blessed with many short-term visitors, mostly medical students, doctors, or nurses.
Sometimes, they become good friends and you hope they come back!

One of the tougher parts of living overseas--skyping in to my sister's wedding.

Marcel's 20 km hike--that was one for the record books!

Special moments!

Heading through the desert to the beach ... an analogy for our life right now.
Sticking through some tough times, knowing that the best is still ahead!

A new appreciation of MAF ... my flight to Chinhama

September has been VERY busy for Marcel, and more relaxed for me, as school is on pause. Of course, I'm making up for it chasing Ethan around the compound as he tests his new sense of independence.

This less busy time means I also had the opportunity last week to go on a MAF flight. I was super nervous and super excited for this opportunity--nervous because I don't have a strong stomach for flights in small airplanes, and excited because, hey, how many people get to fly to rural Angola in a small plane on a Friday morning!?

We flew in one of the Cessna 182s (a four-seater airplane) to Chinhama, a small village with an airstrip, about 10-12 hours drive from Lubango, or a two-hour flight. Chinhama is probably one of our most frequented sites, ars it is the closest airstrip to Cavango medical clinic, a clinic serviced by our friend, American doctor, Tim Kubacki. We frequently fly medical supplies and patients for the clinic because of the long drive over poor roads to get there!

I thoroughly enjoyed the flight there, as conditions were clear, and there was hardly any turbulence (therefore, a happy stomach!). We delivered a patient and his wife back to their home after a month stay at the hospital in Lubango. He was flown in for prostate surgery, and was happy to be reporting home healthy and well!

When we arrived in Chinhama, just as I expected, there was quite the crowd of people waiting for the plane. Kids watching from a good distance, police, family, and curious onlookers. We dropped off Mariana and Rafael, and picked up two more travellers--a blind man and his wife for surgery in Lubango. Later that day, pilot Marijn would do one more flight out to Chinhama to deliver medical supplies and pick up another patient and his companion.

After the flights, I must say, I came to a new appreciation of the whole MAF experience. Before I left, Marcel jokingly said, "The plane SHOULD be safe to fly." *Gulp!* Of course, I trusted him, but it helped me realize the gravity of his job, as well as Marijn's--he is in charge of keeping lives in the air multiple times a week! That's no small feat--no wonder my husband takes his job so seriously!

Not only that, but I was amazed by all the people involved in making these "flights for life" happen--from the nurses and Dr. Tim out at Cavango, who refer the patients, to the drivers that take them to and from the airstrips and airports, to the program manager who organizes flight details, to the mechanic who inspects the plane before it can leave, to the pilot who not only flies the plane but also represents the heart, soul, and face of MAF to the patients and the villages, and finally, to the doctors that perform life-changing, life-altering, God-honouring surgeries! WOW! And the crazy thing is ... the patients aren't VIPs or celebrities, or anything of the like--they are literally "the least of these"--mostly rural, simple country folk, in need of an encounter with the earthly and heavenly Doctor.

So, let me end by saying a few words that stick out to me after the flight. The first word--professional. I'm proud to say that the whole experience was incredibly professional, and I had full trust in the incredible abilities of the pilots and the mechanics. Second-- life-changing. I talked about the surgeries, the opportunity to access health services that otherwise would be all but impossible. But I haven't talked yet about the fact that some of these people have never been in a car--much less an airplane! Can you even imagine how life-changing that is to fly, through the air, in a small four-seater airplane to a big city that you know very little about? WOW!

Finally, prayer. Yes, these wings soar on prayer.  Not only that, but in these last few weeks, we have felt a pretty heavy spiritual darkness on us, that we know is connected to the fact that we have now been here almost one year, and are past the honeymoon stage of life here. Suddenly, it is hitting us that we still have yet to master the language and figure out certain cultural things, that we have lots of work to do, that people here need a whole lot of love and a whole lot of help, and that we long to have deeper friendships, deeper discussions, and a deeper rooted life here--but as of yet ... don't. Pray for us. Pray for the MAF program.

Loading up the plane for this family to return home. Looks like that did a *little*
shopping at the praca ... and by a little, we mean a lot.

The passengers, Mariana and Rafael, and of course, Marijn photobombing!

Don't know what he's filling in, but it sure looked important!

There's the runway! First time for me landing on a dirt airstrip!
Hint: there's a hole about 3/4 of the way up the strip, make sure you avoid it!

The kids weren't scared to laugh and joke about us, but they were too scared to get
much closer!

To Canada and Back

Wow. Where has the month gone? One month and a few days ago, I was dreaming of Canada, counting down the days until I hopped on a plane for my much anticipated “wedding trip”. And then, in a flash, it was done, and we’re home again … wondering, what on earth just happened?

There is so much to process, I think I may be processing it all for weeks yet. But let me share a few of my reflections about Canada and Angola.

So … arriving in Canada. First thoughts … “Wow. This is the most beautiful country in the world. No wonder people think we are crazy to leave Canada. Who would ever want to leave here?” Seriously though. Sometimes we forget how good we have it. In fact, it’s scary how much we take Canada for granted. It is the proverbial land of milk and honey. Smooth highways connecting incredible cities, quaint little towns, and pristine countryside. Grass so green it needs a whole other category of green to describe it (yes, even though it’s dry right now in Ontario … our Angolan grass is currently, well, dead). Trees! Public parks! Organized traffic systems! Stores that are in stock! Entire aisles devoted to barbequing and my personal favourite, barbeque sauce! Free samples! Starbucks! Playgrounds! Swimming pools! Every kind of food imaginable!

If the things I mentioned don’t amaze you, don’t feel bad. It’s just that here in Angola, well, they are hard to come by … and getting harder to come by. For example, one of the things I miss the most from Canada is public parks and playgrounds. Oh, and don’t get me started on splashpads—they’re God’s gift to parents. We have three parks here in Lubango … but they’re nothing like the ones in Canada. They can’t even be measured on the same scale. And you have to pay to get in. I truly miss the parks of London—seriously, did you ever notice there’s like a million little parks all around London? It’s great!

And on the same thought, can we just talk about grass and trees? When I arrived at my parents’ house, I jumped out of the car and just laid out in the grass. It was SO soft. You see, it’s dry season here, and it hasn’t rained in months. Furthermore, every plant in Angola is prickly to some extent. Some hurt more than others. Even the grass is a bit prickly. And most people don’t have a lot of grass, including our apartment. It’s mostly concrete or dirt. So Canada is like … it’s like … green heaven. Yes, GREEN HEAVEN.

And speaking of heaven, I actually think that if you took an average Angolan to Canada, they would think they were in heaven. That’s how amazing some things are in Canada compared to Angola.

But before you wonder if I even like Angola, let me share the greatest discovery I had when I was in Canada. What was this discovery? That my heart was at peace. I had the most reassuring peace in my heart and soul that right now, Angola is home. For all the amazing aspects of Canada, there was an overwhelming sense that Angola is where we are supposed to be right now. That we are learning so much in Angola.

For example, I know I would never have the appreciation of Canada that I had if we didn’t live in Angola. Furthermore, let me tell you how incredibly excited it makes me for heaven one day. Nothing on this earth, not even Canada, compares to heaven! And let me tell you, the poorest of the poor will have the greatest appreciation, the greatest joy in heaven! The trials of this life, the sacrifices of this life will be more than rewarded in heaven. Therefore, when I long for Canada, and feel the weight of living in Angola, far from family, far from luxury, heavy on my shoulders, I think about heaven, and how none of my present circumstances will compare to the joy, the peace, and the riches of heaven!

When all is said and done and processed about my trip back to Canada, one thing sticks out in my mind. The one thing that we miss most here in Angola is “our people”. Our families first and foremost, and then our friends. We have our Angolan family, and each day they become increasingly important and precious to us. I missed them, really, I truly missed them when I was in Canada. But by far the best part about being home was seeing our family and friends. It had it’s hard times—it’s not easy to see your son play shy around his grandparents, aunts, and uncles—and it had it’s stressful times—trying to be in two weddings and take care of a sick, confused, and grumpy child who doesn’t really understand that everyone just wants to love him—but at the end of the trip my heart was full. And arriving back in Angola has been full of “saudade”, that feeling of missing home.

Fortunately, home is no longer just in Canada. It’s here in Angola too, here amongst dusty pot-holed streets, here amongst close-knit missionary communities that love you like family, here amongst so much poverty mixed with so much hope. Angola and Canada are worlds apart, yet so close to my heart.

Mugg & Bean in Jo'burg airport--a coffee shop with quite the view!

Wedding #1--Selfie with the happy couple!

Friends to play with! It was a hot day of *almost* pool fun with Mason and Wolfe!

So Ethan's new obsession? Water! Even a leaky hose will do!

And his other obsession--chasing a very patient cat around my parent's house!

A final dinner with the Boers crew--oh my heart!

It's been two years--but that's normal for two ex-pats, right?

Future Camp Elements camper--he wanted to get right into the action!

Uncle Brett showing Ethan the ropes of camp, basketball, and life.

Can I get Ethan to wear a hat? Nope. Does he enjoy trying to put it on Uncle Darren's head? Yep.

Like I said, with the hat ... this lasted only one more second.

A little bit of Auntie love at our last meal together!

Ethan, sleeping on the way back to Lubango!

Canada Day with my parents and the Montgomerys.

Future quarterback!

Beach day fun with Uncle Sam ... they're happy, just not in this pic!

Lunch with these fine folks was just what the doctor ordered!

Ladies went for coffee, boys stayed at home!

Some post-wedding down time with my Nana, sister, Uncle Mike, and Uncle Sam!

I think you should buy a jet.

Yep. Have you ever thought of having one before? Sure you have. How many good times could be had? Life would be easier (I did not say simpler), you could go anywhere you want whenever you want. Got some sort of event to go to that is located far away? Who cares, just take the jet! Even if flying isn’t your thing, how good would it be to be able to say, “yeah…I’ve got a jet… I never fly it… but still… I’ve got one”.

I realize that normally, having your own jet is too expensive. They’re thirsty and fuel isn’t cheap, not to mention maintenance costs. Then there’s the rest of the airframe too, because I’m sure we’re all aware that by “jet”, that really only refers to the engine. You still need the rest of the airplane. The truth is that if it were easy and affordable, we would all have our own jet! …and airframe.

So what’s all this about? well, right now, for a limited time only! ACT FAST AND YOU WILL… sorry, starting to sound all pressure-salesman here, but you CAN buy your own jet, and it costs whatever you want to put into it! Obviously there’s a catch, and part of it is that even if you had your own jet (with all the costs that come with it), what would you really do with it? You might as well put it somewhere it will be put to good use, right?

Enter, “Wings of Hope”. The Cessna Caravan which fondly refers to me as “maintainer”, at least I like to think so. She gets her name from her registration – D2-WOH, and currently has a jet (engine) that is about to be expired as of this August, and thus, will require A NEW ONE!

Imagine this. You’re talking with one of your friends, or whoever it is you talk to, and they ask, “so, what did you do today?” by helping “Wing of Hope” with the purchase of a new engine, you could tell your friend “oh, just bought a jet”. Plus, you get the added benefit knowing that your jet won’t be sitting idly, no instead, she’ll be flying all over parts of Angola to exotic places such as, Chinhama! Cuando Cuvango! and Cazombo! With the mission of transporting doctors to remote villages, carrying de-mining teams to minefields to remove land mines from war affected areas, and providing a medevac service for sick and injured people to be transported back to Lubango for treatment that sure beats some of their more local methods, like rubbing cow manure on an open wound. True story. This aircraft you can be sure will be put to good use.

But hey, don't just take it from me; see for yourself at https://www.mafc.org/projects/angola-engine