43 Days In…Life, Transition, and God’s faithfulness
Hi Friends and Family,
I want to give a fair warning that this will be a long email. Think of it as a blog post or a chapter of a book instead of a quick email update. Hopefully you will all enjoy reading it over a cup of coffee when you wake up this morning!
Well, it has been 43 days since Preston and I got on a plane and left for our home in Africa. We spent some time in Cape Town on our honeymoon, then headed to Pretoria, South Africa for Preston to do some work. I thought it might be helpful to let you all know exactly what Preston does on a daily basis. He also serves in ministry through his role with Third Lens, as the Director of Program Management for Southern Africa. In this role, he helps oversee and support ministry construction and development projects across the region, equipping organizations with strategic planning and project management so they can focus on the work God has called them to do. His work supports ministries by helping create spaces that foster healing, growth, and discipleship.
During our time in Pretoria, we were able to purchase all of the bigger items we needed for the house we are renting, get those sent to Eswatini, and purchase a car. While we were there, we got a call that the container we shipped with all of our belongings, furniture, and tons of wedding gifts was going to arrive. We quickly made a plan for me to head to Eswatini to be there for the delivery. It arrived about 3 to 4 weeks before they had estimated, which we were thrilled about, but the house we are renting wasn’t quite ready for us to move in yet. So we made another plan to store all of our stuff somewhere and then were able to move in about two weeks later.
Our goal was to have the house set up before I started my role at Project Canaan on February 2. We worked hard to get everything unpacked and set up so we could begin creating a home together. If you have followed along on my journey, you may remember that I have never really had a home of my own as an adult. I have always lived with family or friends in their homes, so you can imagine my excitement every morning to wake up and open another few boxes or gifts and get them set up.
All the emotions were flooding in each and every day as I remembered the people who gave us each gift or contributed to different items that are on display around our home. What a gift it was to pray for each of you as we set up chairs, a couch, a coffee table, opened kitchen items, or put bedsheets on the bed and prayed for the giver of the gift. We feel SO loved and cared for when we look around our home and see the tangible reminders of those who have supported us to get to where we are.
I also want to say thank you to those of you who are financially supporting us. Because of your generosity, we were able to purchase a car for me to use to get to and from work every day, and it handles the dirt roads like a champ.
I started work just a week and a half ago and have been diving into learning the ins and outs of the Spiritual Life department. We have started using a new curriculum, so I have spent a lot of time getting that in place and preparing our staff and leaders for the transition. Our team has been dreaming about what we hope and feel God is calling us to accomplish in 2026, and it has been so fun to dream big for our team and for the spiritual growth of the children and staff at Project Canaan.
Our team consists of myself, Allen Vilakati, who is a senior manager for the children’s campus, our pastor who is on Project Canaan Wednesday evenings through Sunday afternoons, and a counselor who is there daily. Because of your generosity, we are able to help pay for half of our counselor’s salary. He is qualified and is working hard to implement new ideas, group counseling sessions, individual sessions, and teaching the kids a greater understanding of their emotions and feelings. I am so excited to see what God has in store for this team.
On a personal note, I thought I would share from a place of honesty and vulnerability. Moving to Eswatini, getting married, leaving a life that was so full of family and friends close by, and learning to live in a new place and culture has been the HARDEST thing I have ever done. Getting married at 38 is a daily reminder that I have been doing life on my own and am really set in my ways, and learning to share space and life with Preston has been quite the adjustment.
A friend reminded me last night that I have to look back and see just how clear God was with my, and our, assignment here. This is the first time in my life that I bought a one-way ticket to a new place that I would call home. While I love all the goodness that God has blessed us with, it doesn’t mean it has all been easy. I think I spent so much time preparing my heart for the wedding that I didn’t prepare myself for this move.
Living in another country comes with lots of challenges and, as my friend Janine Maxwell says, “nothing is easy here.” I finally understand the meaning of that. While Preston and I did our best to navigate getting settled and set up here, opening bank accounts, getting car insurance, bringing items purchased in South Africa into Eswatini, learning how to best utilize our solar panels, and so many little things that don’t matter but have been a challenge.
On Monday this week, I sat down at my desk at work and took a deep breath and thought, wow, we are finally settled and everything is here and done and paid for. Then about five minutes later my phone rang, and it was the licensing and registration company for our car saying we needed to take the car to South Africa to get a “roadworthy test,” which is essentially an emissions test, and it needed to be done ASAP. So we rearranged our day yesterday, took our first road trip on our own, crossed the border, got the test, grabbed a few things from the grocery store that you can’t get here, and then made the trip back home. Again, nothing is easy.
Now I will give you a few positive updates that will hopefully bring you some joy in the midst of me sharing the hard I have been navigating.
Preston has been a quiet, calm, and steady presence for me in this season. When I go to the extremes of freaking out, he reminds me to take a deep breath and that everything is going to be okay, even when the situation doesn’t feel like that. What a gift it is to be doing this with him instead of all alone.
We started a new series at church on Sunday with our 5th through 8th graders on bullying, and it was so cool to see the curriculum that was written and executed from my home church in action all the way in Eswatini.
The family we are renting our house from has become our “Framily” here, and they have helped us navigate everything that has been overwhelming with such grace and compassion. They have three boys, and we had them over for their first sleepover on Friday night, and it felt like a sweet gift from the Lord. It reminded me of all the families back home who shared their kids with me to love on.
More people are wanting to come and see what God is doing here. We have our first guest, outside of a trip with Heart for Africa, booked to come and stay with us at the end of June, and we are thrilled.
Our good friend, Janice Johnson, is here and staying at PC for a month, so we have enjoyed having a familiar friend and face here with us during this transition.
The kids at PC seem to be more and more excited that I am here and around during the week.
I have my first training scheduled on Friday for our staff who teach the Bible story at our first service for our preschool-aged children. I am excited to use all my years of learning and leading from my Waumba Land days at North Point to help them tell the story in an engaging way for the children to learn and understand.
We hosted our first dinner party with guests who are at PC serving from Canada, California, and Taiwan. It was a dream come true getting to host so many lovely people in our home!
I could continue writing for a few more hours, but I am not sure you would all want to hear about the daily highs and lows of life in Eswatini. Thank you for making it to this point if you did! 😊
Prayer Requests:
Preston and I to find our rhythms and routines with crazy schedules, meetings, work here, and the time difference with meetings in the US.
For me as I find my place at work and what my weekly schedule and rhythms are with the kids and staff.
For us to continue to depend on God for our needs and for Him to be enough for us, even on the hard days.
For 5 to 7 new monthly partners. We have had a few donors drop off due to job loss and other unforeseen circumstances. You can click the “Become a Monthly Partner” button in my signature to set up a monthly gift or make a one-time gift.
THANK YOU to every single one of you who is supporting us on this new adventure. We could not do it without your prayers, encouragement, text messages, phone calls, and financial support. My word for the year is ADVENTURE, and my verse is, "For we walk by faith, not by sight." 2 Corinthians 5:7 and I am clinging to this verse these days. The road ahead looks difficult with my eyes but when I look through the eyes of the Lord I know He is leading and guiding us every step of the way.
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