Saturday, April 6, 2013

Our lives in America

We have been in America for over 2 months now but it feels much longer. We have missed the warm weather although we have also enjoyed the snow and had fun sledding and skiing. The weather is warming up so Summer is just around the corner.

The Things I Love about America:
  • friendly, helpful people
  • meeting new people/cultures
  • opportunities for the boys
  • sledding, skiing
  • cost of living and expenses LESS here
  • clean environment, services offered to communities, everything works!!
  • GREAT library!
  • Burger King with enough burgers to feed our family for $10 (no cooking for me)!
The Things I Miss in Zimbabwe:
  •  friends, hearing from friends
  • coffee in a REAL mug at restaurants and not in a disposable
  • Summer days, being outside, sun sets, sounds of the African bush
  • the Zambezi, camping, fishing
  • the bush and animals and all our pets we left behind (I so miss all our furry creatures) 
  • our Ladies Bible Study
  • the elderly folk at Borrowdale Trust
  • living in a small community - being involved, interacting with people as you go along in your day
  • cleaner food - grass fed cows, cage free chickens/eggs/ fresh raw milk, less perservatives/chemicals in our foods
 Duncan playing cards. He has grown so much and his jeans are tight on him – he is so chuffed!! Must be all the hormones and chemicals in the food here??! He drinks loads of milk everyday – I think he thinks that is what is making him grow? I won’t talk about how Phil and I have also grown!

 We went to a Maple Syrup farm and museum with the Miller family and 2 other familes. Phil also came along as it was during Spring Break and he didn`t have to go to lectures.
 It was a freezing cold day and we really didn`t go prepared. The boys didn`t even have their gloves so they all froze. It was all outside except for a few things.
 Lyn and her girls and a friend who also joined us.
 We were all waiting to do the Virgina Dance! Levi with Murray and Duncan and Linda and Noelene, Lucien and thier children.
 So, we were doing our thing!
 That`s me in the brown jacket with phil opposite me.
 Linda filming again!
 Maple Syrup bucket with tap in the tree.

 Dancing again. Once we had it then it was fine but it took me awhile to figure it all out. We had many laughs!!
 We also had a pancake breakfast which I don`t have photos of. The breakfast consisted of pancakes, maple syrup, sweet sausages (made with maple syrup!) and juice and coffee. The Americans love their sweet breakfasts.
 The village with their little houses.
 Sugar Camp where they boiled the syrup.
 It was such a big job! You can`t see the very big pot behind the lady - but it was enormous. She showed us how to test when the sryup was ready and once all the water had evaporated. One batch of syrup can take more than a day to boil depending on the wood used and the weather. I sure would not want to stand over a pot for that long!
 Outside demonstrations showing us various activities.
 Maple syrup blocks which can be ground up into syrup granules when you are ready to use it. They were transported in blocks.
 Marie, my next door neighbour. She took me cross country skiing. It was more difficult than downhill skiing!
 This is Marie`s house and this is what everything looks like now - NO SNOW!
 Duncan playing in the play ground after visiting the waterfall.
 A visit to the Science Center.
 The Cornel Squash courts. This is where Murray is playing squash and plays with the Cornel team once a week during their practise sessions. He plays other guys on various other days. I have just joined as well as I need some serious excercise!
 Luke having fun!
 One of the many puzzles the boys have done, borrowed from Marie.
 The troop after a great day at the Science Center, the waterfall and play ground.
 Luke and me walking to the big tree house. I couldn`t find a photo of it. It was HUGE!
At the nature center. We went with Marie.
 Murray and Marie.
 Going to church. The boys go to a teen Bible study at the youth pastors house on Wednesday and then have Sunday school at 9am on Sundays and then youth group at 5-8pm on Sundays. Sunday is a real busy day with study groups for them. They really love it and go willingly every week.


Inside our church - Bethel Grove Bible church. Our church has a great youth pastor who has been so good to our Boys. He has also given Murray some filming work to do at the church where there are musicals and other events happening. Murray is also going on a media- filming training course with a Christian film company in May and will be involved in a real live production, called “In His Steps,” (based on the book) so he is over the moon. I am SO NERVOUS for him as he has to catch 2 connecting flights, one in Philadelphia and one in Denver, so I am anxious but hopefully there will not be any delays or problems. The Christian organisation is a non profit and being Christian too, this is just an amazing opportunity for him. A real God send. 


 School. The boys do quite a bit of school on their lap tops. Duncan does an online English and math course where I help with his assignments but it is great as it is all set out for him. He has a spelling course on disc called Excellence in Spelling. Luke is doing Saxon math, various English workbooks and an online computer course. Then I do science Apologia with both Duncan and Luke where we study science from a Christian perspective as well as looking at evolution. We all do History and Bible together. We are studying Christian History and I read historical novels like "the Apostle Paul" told in a novel. So we have been reading Acts and then will go on to studying Revelation again, which we took a break from because we were studying Christian History, this brought us to the book of Acts. 

Murray is preparing for his SAT so he works on tests and videos for Math and English. He is also doing a Diploma called Electrical Fundamentals through the U.K. For his Filming course, he needs to complete 5 modules of theory before he completes his practical in May. I love being able to choose according to his interests and that`s why I love the flexibility and choices that we have as home schoolers. He is not sure what he will do after his diploma but possibly a trade, so he can begin that in the next few months.

We also watch lots of movies on various wars, especially World War 2 and the Haulocast. These bring many discussions about the many intolerances in the world. So, what we go through in Zimbabwe is really happening all over the world, so we shouldn`t be surprised. Intolerance of people groups is still going on and will continue until man`s attitude changes and people start to see people the way God sees people.

We only have one race and that is the HUMAN RACE. We all have the same skin colour, just different shades of colour. There are different cultures, not different races. We are all ONE BLOOD. Adam and Eve had variation of skin colour so in one generation they had all coloured children and relatives. If you know a little about genetics and science, recessive genes and dominant genes (you can research how this all works if you are not sure – it is simple science) All genes come from the same pool, just different variations depending on what gene is recessive or dominant. We have the same ingredients, just different amounts, so groups of people will have different variations of skin colour.

There is no such thing as inter racial marriage as we are all one race – from one blood!! God did not make black, coloured, indian. he simply made one Human race and because of genetics, we get various shades of skin colour! We have all been so indoctrinated about 'race' and when we see humans from God`s perspective, it changes everything! God changes everything!

 Murray barely managed this snow man as the snow was melting away. One last one for the end of Winter!!

This has not been the coldest day. The coldest day has probably been about -14 Celsious.

We look forward to some letters and feedback! (either email, skype, blog) Miss you all and pray for all our friends as you go through another election in Zimbabwe. God knows. God is in control. Trust in Him Only!



4 comments:

  1. Great place to catch up with all of your doings, Mandi. Thanks so much for posting!

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  2. Hi Frosties, great to hear your news, great pics, keep them coming!! We are all okay, great to have Barbs back, so she could take over some of the load!!!! My boat is fixed up and going like a boeing - have advertised it in Zim Classifieds, so hope it sells soon, although it will also be a sad day, because its so nice to hitch it up and head to one of the dams nearby. We went to the one at Mukuyu Winery (Sable dam?) on Sunday and just at sunset I hooked a beast of a bass, about 7 lb - but he got away!!! Take care and God bless - everyone says hi and sends love - thanks for prayers, its going to be an interesting election!!

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  3. Hi Greenies! Great to hear from you! Yes, it is hard selling a boat. We also felt the loss when we sold ours to come to America! We miss the great outdoors! We do pray constantly for all our friends in Zim and for me, personnally, this has been one of the hardest things, being away while our friends have to deal with all the injustice and violence, so please know that our hearts are with you all. We are praying for safety and protection for you all! Lots of love xxx

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