Spicy Monkey
Monkey is a favorite food of the local people in the villages around here. I (Eric) have not been too fond of eating it myself. Although, if it has enough other flavors and hot peppers cooked with it, it is actually not bad.
New house
In August we plan to be able to move into a small town that is about four hours from LuKa. LuKa is the name we have chosen for the village where we will be moving into to live long-term. The main purpose of living temporarily in this small town is to have a place to live while we are building our home in LuKa. This small town has a small body of believers that live close by and they found this house for us. These believers will also be able to help Cherie and the kids while I am away. This house does need a bit of work before we can move in.
We will need to fix the broken ceramic in the bathroom, the crumbling cement on the walls, and fixing up some other odds and ends. As a bonus we will replace the toilet since the squatty potty is not our favorite.
We are so grateful to the Lord for providing us the perfect place to live in during our transitionary time of moving to LuKa.
Slippery Roads
The roads going from LuKa to the closest small town is about 4 hours of hilly slippery roads. Driving in mud is not quite the same as snow and ice so it is something I am learning to get used to; However, it is a lot warmer to deal with when you are stuck on the side of the road.
We have recognized that for our family it will be an essential need for us to have a 4×4 vehicle in order to navigate these roads. We are currently weighing the options of what will be the best vehicle for our family. For now we are leaning towards a Toyota Fortuner which is considered a reliable vehicle for interior roads.
Family News
Right now we are waiting here in the city until baby Chloe is born in mid May. Sometimes our time waiting here in town feels a lot like the age old saying: “hurry up and wait”, but we have plenty of opportunities to serve right here for the time being. Cherie is now 32 weeks pregnant and doing fine.
The kids are keeping us running around trying to keep up with them. They are so full of energy and millions of questions. (What do squids eat Daddy? Why do my fingers stink? When will I grow a beard?) Although life here can be difficult it is also such a blessing to be part of this beautiful country and these sweet people who are so in need of a Savior.
We thank you guys so much for your prayers and giving on our behalf. May God bless you and give you his peace and joy that comes from knowing him. We love you guys!
What wonderful pictures, everyone looks so healthy and full of life. Thank you always for the updates. God is so good to show us how you are doing, we pray for you every day and trust that the Lord is taking care of you but it is so good to see it in pictures. You are so special to so many of us and we will pray that you find the right vehicle. We live on a dead end dirt road and every spring I dread driving on our road so you have my extra prayers for this need. Thank you again and know you have our love and prayers. Joyce
Thank you so much for your encouragement and prayers! I didn’t know you lived on a dirt road. I’m sure with melting snow that can be pretty muddy in the spring. We miss you guys!!!