Around here, life has been intense.  Our days have been beyond full and our nights of sleep sometimes a little a lot too short.  Around here, our minds have been swirling with the need-to-do’s, the want-to-do’s, the must-do-nows, and the emergency-do’s.  Around here, our bodies sometimes feel like they are keeping up simply with the force of adrenaline and a little afternoon caffeine.

Around here, our hearts have been heavy with injustice and burdened with illness.  Around here, our joys have been overwhelming and our hearts filled with excitement of what’s happening and what will come.  Around here, we’re in awe and yet we’re in question.  Around here, life.is.happening.

Here’s a few tidbits…

Around here… English classes have started for the employees of the Sarobidy Maternity Center and Eden Projects twice a week.  Jamie has been substituting as teacher for the last 2 weeks as the peace corps teacher is out of town.

Around here… we’ve been creating and compiling all the government paperwork, legal contracts, project description write-ups, CV’s, descriptive drawings, supply lists, etc, etc, etc that will be submitted for the legal registration of the Sarobidy Maternity Center.

Around here… Jamie has taught his first seminary course, Communicating the Gospel Cross Culturally to Malagasy lay pastors.  

Around here… the local Eden Projects team has been delivering thousands of young trees to various planting sites, composting, collecting thousands of seeds and purchasing supplies for the upcoming nursery season. Jamie has been overseeing this.

Around here… Josy’s health has stabilized and we’re talking with his immediate family about finding a living kidney donor and the logistics that this and a transplant surgery entails.  Around here… we’re praising God for this!!!

Around here… we’ve been preparing to receive LOTS of guests in the next few months… emailing back and forth about travel plans, dates, agendas, housing, writing an orientation manual, etc, etc, etc.  In total it’ll be around 20 folks.  The first two arrived last night.

Around here…. we’ve been working on the never-ending lists to apply for Jamie’s Malagasy citizenship.

Around here… we’re overseeing the massive renovations at the Sarobidy Maternity Center: chipping out broken concrete walls, sealing off doors, fixing ceilings and roofs, building new shutters, screen doors and shelving, fixing bars, and reinforcing existing structures.  There’s been a steady crew of 5-8 guys working 5-6 days a week.

Around here… we’ve been painting the Sarobidy Maternity Center just in time for visitors, Jeff and Rebecca to stay there.

Around here… we’re training the health educators on how to take vital signs, calculate due dates and fill out patient charts.

Around here… we’re talking with medical supply, pharmaceutical and oxygen distributors.

Around here… we’re hanging out with the ultra wonderful 4 teenagers who are on a 2-week school break from Tana.  We’re looking into SAT and TOEFL testing for two of them.  These are the children we created a child sponsorship program for.

Around here… our 2-year old is potty training and taking it Malagasy mora mora style.  Slowly, slowly.

this little guy is a total character!

Around here… we’ve learned that another missionary family with small children  are leaving our city and leaving the island.  That’s two families that we’re close with that will be leaving within 1 month of each other.  This leaves only 1 other english-speaking family in our city.

Around here… we’ve been meeting with doctors and lawyers, hospitals and clinics to make all the necessary contacts and working contracts for the Sarobidy Maternity Center.

Around here… we’re sweating up a storm as the rains have practically ceased but the days are still hot and humid.

Around here… we’re thankful for A/C in our bedrooms.

Around here… our 7-year old lost her 3rd tooth and is stoked on this most recent development in her young life.

Around here… our girls are loving French school and are excelling in their French language abilities.  And around here, we’re working on their English reading and writing abilities so they can catch up to their French!

Around here… we’re sharing meals and life with our Malagasy friends and preparing to host an easter egg hunt with our english speaking friends.

Around here… we’ve been applying for micro-nutrient grants for the Maternity Center.

Around here… we’ve been enjoying Friday night movie and pizza nights and the beach or the pool or lazy saturday mornings with pancakes and family time.

this is the way we roll here… making pancakes in our skivies

Around here… we’re being intentional.  Intentional with our family, our friends, our Lord and our exercise.