It's So Hard To Say Goodbye...

Amber and I had a joint going away party! Thank you to all our family and friends who came. We appreciate all your love, prayers and support. 

Here are a few pictures from the fun had:

Lori and Noah being sad.

My parents and my second parents with my best friend Kim. I've known these guys since I was two!

The Gregory family is awesome! 

Institute Reunion (well 4 out of 9)

I'm really going to miss this family! Thank you for letting me be a part of your lives.

Quality Time

I have been blessed with the opportunity to spend time with family and friends these past couple of weeks...

Family Game Night! 

I'm sad to admit that the boys won Pictionary & Taboo. 

Amber and I visited the 1st/2nd grade Sunday School class to talk about South Africa. We sang and played African drums!

Habitat for Humanity -- house built by women

We had fun helping build a storage shed. And I got to use a power saw :)

The sweet family that I have had the privilege of babysitting for. 

I love you and will miss you girls!

My Small Group Rocks!

We celebrated my soon departure with a night out on the town! Filled with arcade games, go-karts and laser tag.

Please take note of our domination in laser tag... so what if we played young children.

Lynn is not just holding her arm out for the fun of it... we missed you Sarah!

Thank you for "adopting" me and being willing to support and pray for me! I'm going to miss you guys but I'm looking forward to a visit from the PCPers while overseas.

Love you  :)

Please Vote!

I need your help... I think I've narrowed it down to 3 pictures (out of almost 140).  Which one of these do you think I should use for my prayer card?

And thank you to Shannon and Brett for taking all these pictures!

Howzit

American Term............South African Term

Grocery/Food:

Grocery cart.........................Trolley

Receipt..................................Till slip

Pharmacy..............................Chemist

Napkins.................................Serviettes

Cookies.................................Biscuits

Dessert (any kind).................Pudding

Hot cereal............................Porridge

Ketchup................................Tomato sauce

Corn......................................Mealie

Outdoor barbecue....................Braai

Around the House/Yard:

Yard......................................Garden

Living room...........................Lounge

Trash can.............................Rubbish bin

Flashlight............................Torch

Bathroom............................Toilet/Loo

Vehicles/Traveling:

Traffic light...........................Robot

Trunk.....................................Boot

Van.......................................Kombi

Truck...................................Bakkie

Gasoline..............................Petrol

Congested traffic/schedule.....Chock-a-block

Other:

Vacation................................Holiday

Last name.............................Surname

To get, bring.........................To fetch

Emergency Room...................Casualty

Operating Room.....................Theatre

To give someone a call............To give people a tinkle

On the road again

My mom and I took a road trip:

... to Palm Bay to see my Grandpa Breezy, Grandma Shirley, Mark & Gloria.

We went to a Strawberry Festival and to Universal Studios.

.... to Keystone Heights to see Grandma LoLo, Aunt Barbara & Uncle Pete.

It was fun reminiscing of family reunions at Grandma's every spring break.

            

... to Atlanta to see Vanes and Ryan O.

We celebrated Mom's birthday by going to the Aquarium. It was amazing.  Then we enjoyed a fondue experience for dinner!

Snow in March!

What we did on our snow day:

Built a snowman (notice the hat Brett sculpted)

Snowball fight (boys vs. girls)

Made snowcream (delicious)

Played Clue (Erin was too good)

Drank Russian Tea (yeah Lori)

Thanks to the M family for having us over!

Carolina vs. Duke

We headed to Charlotte to watch the Bobcats in style in our very own suite.

Thanks to Lori's mom!

This game was especially exciting because the Charlotte Bobcats (with UNC's Raymond Felton) played Orlando Magic (with Duke's J.J. Redick).

Lori & Lynn (UNC) vs. Brett & I (Duke)

Who won?

DUKE

We Be Cruisin'

Part of my family (missed you bro and sis) and our best friends went on a cruise to the Southern Caribbean for one last hoorah before I head to South Africa. 

Here are my top 5:

1.  Meeting Zelda

She was our waitress at dinner each night and "just happened" to be from South Africa  :)

I was able to get her contact information and hope to see her on the other side of the Atlantic!

2.  Experiencing different cultures

We had many opportunities to meet people, from the cruise waitstaff to our taxi drivers on the islands. We were able to speak with them and learn about their lives and culture. I pray we showed Christ's love through our speech and actions.

Meet Mustin from St Lucia.

3. Snorkeling in Tortolla

We got to see many colorful fish and even a sea turtle. We had a guide named Taz who showed us the way into this cave. I was pretty scared which was proven by my scream of terror when out of no where D swam in the cave behind me. Taz thought it was pretty funny and said we were his favorite.

4.  Cosol Tours in St. Lucia

We got to see the Piton mountains (which means Twin Peaks in Creole), a waterfall, botanical gardens, volcano, banana plantation, as well as enjoy a boat ride to a secluded beach and a spread of local foods.

5.  And of course, spending time with loved ones! 

Thank you guys for coming and making this so special and memorable.

It's Official

YES! I'm headed to South Africa at the end of June :)

And a Happy 33rd Anniversary Mom & Dad

You have always been there for me through the good times and especially the bad. Thanks for always supporting and praying for me. I thank God daily for giving me such loving parents.  

It is because you have raised me up to fear the Lord through your example that I am now headed to South Africa.  Thank you.

I'll miss you!

Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.   Proverbs 22:6