Wanna guess what we’re having??

We are still trying to acclimate our brains to the idea of welcoming another female into our home.  Our minds are whirling.  We’re SUPER excited…well, I guess I should say WE PARENTS, cuz the boys aren’t too enthused “yet”.  They were hoping for another dude to add to their clan.  Although I’ve tried to appeal to their protective instincts saying that they’ll be her bodyguards…they’re not having it.  They’ve made me promise to never allow baby dolls in the house.  I told them that if she turns out anything like her Momma…she won’t play with dolls.  (Hey Dad…do you remember that Barbie Dollhouse you bought me one Christmas that I never played with?  Yeah, you got mad and gave it away.)  Hmmm…

Regardless of gender, we are once again overwhelmed by God’s loving kindness towards us.  Since we found out about this new bundle of joy, God has been going before us and clearing obstacles, everything from providing a larger vehicle (both stateside and here), providing a wonderful doctor for checkups, and even hand-me-down clothes!  I don’t have one piece of girls’ clothing 😉  Other than more varicose veins and headaches (Ugh!  Thanks baby girl!), I honestly can’t complain about a thing!

So, due to a mid-May due date, we’ll be flying home on February 16th (3 days after Grandma leaves).  WOW, that’s soon!!  Will you join us in prayer as we look into finding a midwife and prepare for this delivery?  Pray for good health for me and baby and for an uneventful flight back.  

Dias Future Family of 6 will see ya soon!!

Christmas, Homeschool Co-op and Visitors

Boy have these last 2 months flown by!  We’ve been so engrossed in our house building project and with moving that I don’t feel like I’ve had a minute to catch my breath.  Let’s look at what has happened since I last updated our blog.

The church in the village we just moved out of traditionally has a Christmas Eve service from 9 pm to midnight/1 am.  There were skits, singing, dancing, snacks, sharing from the Word and lots of laughter!  I would guess around 200 people showed up because we ran out of room and lots of kids were sitting on the floor.

The repetitive theme was a focus on the true meaning of Christmas.  It isn’t about coming to church dressed all fancy in the new church material (Every year church associations have material made with their logo and verses for the year.  Then they sell it to their members.  There is great social pressure to purchase the material and make a new outfit to wear for the Christmas service.), but instead, it’s about the birth of our Savior that came to forgive sins and give eternal life.

3 sleepy boys enjoyed building new Lego sets all day!  Special treat:  Chicken!!

Then after New Year’s we moved into our new home!  Look under “projects” for an update on our house construction.  We only spent 3 nights in our new home as a family before me and the boys headed up north to the capital for the homeschool co-op.  Three times a year the homeschoolers in the area get together for a group study. This “Winter” co-op lasts 2 weeks and this time we had a small team come from Messiah College to teach our kiddos. Everyone had a blast!  The theme was health/fitness related so they got to practice Olympic sports in the morning and study the human body the rest of the day.  It’s such a blessing to have this opportunity of getting our kids together with friends in an educational environment.  I really enjoyed hanging out with the Moms 🙂

 

And there was lots of time for trying new food too…

Yummy Lebanese food!! 

I’m very thankful for God’s protection and provision for us during the co-op, especially since Daniel was 9 hours away in the village working on the house.  We are glad to be reunited as a family as we await…Grandma’s arrival!  Yep, she’s coming back this Thursday!  Round 2 in Burkina Faso!  This time however, she will get off at the right airport in the right country because she is flying with a wonderful friend from church, Mary Ellen. We look forward to spending 2.5 weeks together 🙂  Pray for a safe trip, for all luggage to make it, and for an easy transition to life, food, and climate here.

As most of you know already, we’re expecting baby Dias #4 (Look for a separate post for a gender reveal soon!) so we’ll need to fly home earlier than planned.  Grandma and Mary Ellen will fly out first and then we’ll follow 3 days later!  I can’t believe it!  I’ll send a prayer reminder for traveling safety closer to mid-February when we get ready to travel.  We’re looking forward to seeing many of you soon!!

Thank you all for your prayers and support this term.  Your faithfulness has blessed us in so many ways!