Not Forgotten: I Moved Four Years Ago

It's been an incredible four years! Enjoy a brief recap of my journey so far (highlights - no lowlights in this one)...represented through photos (the transformations especially of B&L):

June 2014 - My last class of students bid me farewell (and this didn't go without tears)

YEAR ONE -

I moved into the girls home, sharing a room and bunkbed with the house sister, Titi. I had to get used to cockroaches, mice, and beans and rice (but I didn't complain about the beans - the way Gogo cooked them made me enjoy eating them for every meal!). Also at end of that year, Baby boy was supposed to be put up for adoption or moved to an orphanage, but we fought for him. And we got to keep him. He is still our only man of the house. :)

[Note: This move was only made possible by two women who went before me --Christina Venerick and Sandy Gallardo, our first and lone volunteers who had to do the impossible for an entire year without support. Truly, they are the missionary heroes. Hosea's Heart would not exist today without them. ]

July 2014 - Hello new home!

Full House - First year with Kiley, Rachel, and Gogo Martha.
The year would not have been successful without Kiley and Rachel,
not just serving Hosea's Heart, but becoming two incredible friends -
as loyal and selfless as Ruth to Naomi. <3 td="">

But I got to keep a little bit of La Crescent with me -
Ally, one of my first students and the first to join me in Swazi!

And even got to have a piece of HOME with my new home -
My sister/"twin" lead the missions team that summer

Lucia and Benny (2 and 1 yr old)

Cutie and Chunker

Little stinker peaking at her baby bro (probably teasing)

Chunker just chillin and enjoying being center
of all girl's attention

YEAR TWO

After some disagreements on how to treat the girls and run the home, we split ways with our partner organization. At first they had demanded I move out of the house and they would take over the operations of the girls home. We had to comply - with tears and fear, but God fought for us. A new director took over the partner organization and asked us to take the girls home back! I had already moved out, but it ended up being healthiest for me anyway, as my heart had its share of bumps and bruises. I moved out into a house with another missionary friend but maintained daily commitments at the girls home. And I took on the mothering duties for Ben and Lu fulltime.

July 2015

Paralleling last summer, my second student joined the mission!
Rachel Schuster took on this adventure to bless my heart
with connections from back home. Afterall, it was my first year
not teaching, and I missed my kids immensely.

And sisi wami led our missions team for her second summer!
Rachel, Rachel, Sarah, Jenna (missionary onsite), and Laura

ALSO, paralleling last summer, this time
it was my brother Garret who brought home with
him - and his friend Tony - to bless us girls!

Rachel Palmberg braved the unknown by signing up to be
our intern (and even extended for a second year!)

We are also blessed to have two volunteers from the UK
for the whole year! Thank you Ali and Tara!

Lu and Ben now 3 and 2 years old

Beautiful family

YEAR THREE

I moved for the third time to a beautiful house on the campus of African Christian College, where I was teaching English to first year students. This was by far my favorite place to live, especially because there was a playground for Benji and Lucia. This is the year we (Hosea's Heart) were recognized as an official home through the social welfare department, which also meant strict regulations we had to meet. The Director of Social Welfare told us we had six months to move out of our current rental house because he said it was necessary to own our own land/housing. Furthermore, the social workers had previously begged us to build more homes because there were numerous girls needing placement with us, but we had been full - basically within five months from initially opening. We tried many options to buy an existing house, find affordable land, etc. but came up empty. Until... we found our promised land - 7.5 acres of freedom and hope waiting for our feet to touch it. However, it took long into year four to make the dream come true.

July 2016 - I think you'll notice some patterns :)

AND for the THIRD summer, I was blessed with one of my students!
Liesl came on the mission team and came again J-term -
and is coming to volunteer long term after she graduates!)
I've now had THREE students! All from my first class -
La Crescent Class of 2015 <3 td="">

Full family! We were blessed with incredible new interns:
Lora (and Adam), Alyssa, and Brittine! God chose them for a very
important year in growing our ministry into a homeschooling success!

Just mama and her girls :)

Ben and Lu now 3 and 4 years old!

They were not in my mission plan. But when has my
life ever actually gone according to plan? Thank God
for His way and not mine. They are now two of the greatest
surprises and blessings I could ever receive. I am humbled
always in this journey of being Mom.

Baby J added to our family mix! He stays
with his awesome grandma on his dad's side full time,
but we come get him for outings and family fun.

YEAR FOUR

I moved for the fourth time. Yes, fourth time. Yes, it was annoying, unwanted but necessary. (I cannot wait until year five when I get to tell you that I've moved for the fifth but last time to the staff house on our new campus!) I moved to a flat (their name for apartments) in the middle of Manzini. My first daughter was living with me and her kids full time (she had been for a couple months while we were living at ACC), and it was amazing. Unfortunately, the flat was near a bar and the streets she came from, so every weekend she could hardly sleep from all the music and temptations calling her back to her old life. The move to the flat was hard for both of us but even harder when she ran away again. We are praying that year five brings her back again.

For the ministry, we bought our promised, got our title deed, cleared the thorny-forest that it was, and began building our new homes! We are currently at 56% funded/finished of phase one! How incredible! Other amazing things happened that year, too: Ayanda got accepted to Viterbo University and moved across the ocean to attend university full time to pursue her dreams of "Being a Voice for the Voiceless" through her social work major. I watched my first class of COLLEGE students graduate, we had a successful basketball season and they even awarded me MVP of the women's league, I had a much needed great family reunion when I visited home. Truly 2017 was one of the best years yet.

July 2017

We were blessed with intern Erin for several months and Brittine
decided to come back for year two of serving with H<3 td="">

Missions team lead by Board rep, Rachael, (whose husband joined us later)
came for J-term! All returning volunteers, isn't that amazing?
And they brought with them our next yearlong intern, Danielle! (Who
is also considering extending for a second year!)

Ayanda arrived to America! She had a thrilling
plane ride and loved the Wisconsin corn fields.
I introduced her to all my favorites, of course my
first stop was Culvers. :)