Hello!

I am back to posting! It's been a long time. A lot has happened, so let me catch you up.

We moved to TZ in 2011, in March, the hottest month of the year. We spent our first 3+ years learning Swahili and receiving coworkers. We have been living here and ministering to those around us for the past 8 years. During that time we have traveled home for a 1 year home assignment, meetings, little brother's wedding, unexpected health related trips. This past summer we went to our other home as a family for several reasons. We were so blessed during this trip. It was so good to be reminded of God's faithfulness, His love for us, and the love and support we have from our families, friends, and churches. We wish we could have seen everyone, but we were there for such a short time.

The kids have grown so much over the years I have been absent from blogging. I'll add some pictures. They are amazing, flexible third-culture kids. They all are so special in different ways.
D is Passionate and Smart!
M is Brave and Creative!
S is Beautiful and Funny!
I love being their mom, and appreciate your prayers for me to be a better mom.
To listen more, and talk less.
To understand more and react less.
To love more and critique less.
To inspire more and nag less.
(Sounds easy right? I bet that's the cry of your heart too, as a mom or a dad, or a brother or a sister!) We could all fill in the blanks of "I want to be more of ______ and less of _______" with other things. What I mostly want to be More of is STILL before the Lord and Less busy "doing" for Him. I am learning how to do this out of the desperate need of my heart to be in His presence all the time and trust him to work things out for His Glory.

If you know our situation then the update is that there is no new news. No Update. After a year and a half in this situation I have no more information to tell you. We are still trusting in God and waiting to see what He does. Maybe He works it out like we are hoping. Maybe he says "No." It is such a hard place to be, BUT...I make that a Big BUT, because you know what follows...God is Good! He is for us! We are seeking after His will and we will follow Him wherever. So, I have no update, but that's okay. We are just going to keep moving forward, keep doing what we are doing till He changes our path.

If you are reading this, Thanks! We appreciate you. Keep us in your prayers. If you want more information about our situation please feel free to ask. Leave me a comment with your email address and I will respond. Or email me if you know my email address.

I have included some recent photos of our visit to our other home.
Love and Blessings,
Amy

We have Arrived!!!

I give glory to the Father that the sights and sounds that were a shock to my system upon our first arrival, were there to welcome me home this time. Some things have changed here, but what has not changed is my love for this country I also call home and the people who live here.

We had such a great trip here. We stayed a night in the Doha airport Hotel because our flight schedule was changed giving us an 11 hour layover. It was such a blessing to get to swim in the hotel pool, take showers, and get some sleep before the last flight. Shortly after arriving in country we were welcomed by our coworkers DJ and Lucy. It was so great to arrive and see our friends and get to our current home.

We are now in the process of looking for a house to rent. We would like to settle in before school starts. We looked at one house today which I liked. What we are not sure of is if the dirt roads to the house from the main road flood during the rainy season. Please pray for this process to go smoothly and quickly. Pray also for wisdom to make the best choice.

Enjoy some recent photos and hope you are having a Blessed day!

Amy

The kids were waiting patiently as we were checking in.
After getting almost through security, I had to go back
and check a 2nd EXTRA bag because I didn't want to
throw away my new Mary Kay products and some prescription
lotion. I was blessed to not have to pay the extra fee for the bag,
due to the fact that all of British Airways computer systems
worldwide had gone down at that moment. :)

Waiting to board the first plane in Miami!

After we arrived in country we needed to wait
for our ride who was stuck in traffic.
So I took that time to get a phone card an internet access. 

We packed the car FULL to get us, our luggage,
and our friends back to where we live. 

Today we had a team social to celebrate ours and
another family's return. Our team cooked hamburgers
and hot dogs for us all and we played 2 great games of
Capture the Flag. These were the folks my team had put in jail! :) 

Haven of Peace Academy

Believe it!  There are opportunities for you to live overseas and serve on our team!  Do you have a desire to serve God somewhere in the world?  Do you have a desire to see kids and teens learn how to walk with God? 

Our kids attend the Haven Of Peace Academy (HOPAC) in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania….(check out their video here!). There are SEVERAL opportunities for you to serve on STAFF at HOPAC starting in August.  Please take a look at the list of positions open and see if there are any that you might be interested in.  You’ll notice that there are IT/Computer teacher and Librarian/Media Specialist positions open as well!  So if you are interested in serving in these positions, please contact: connect@ntm.org  This is a fantastic opportunity to serve overseas as a missionary with New Tribes Mission!    

>>> Join the team where YOU get to serve the LORD and experience life as an overseas missionary.<<<  

Secondary Geography, Mathematics, and Economics Teachers 

Secondary Art and Design Teacher 

Secondary English Teacher

Special Needs Teacher (all school)

Librarian/Media Specialist (all school)

Internet and Computer Technology Teacher (all levels)

Kindergarten Teacher 

PE Teacher

Back on US soil!

It has been a lot of fun being back in America. Our flights from Tanzania to America went so well. The kids did great. The airlines were great. The airplane food was the best I have ever eaten. :)

Since being back we have traveled from Florida to Alabama, from Alabama to Louisiana, back to Alabama, and tomorrow we head to Kentucky. We have seen lots of family and been able to visit one of our supporting churches. The transition has been great back to...being with family, so many choices, cable with commercials, fountain drinks with ice, Chick-Fil-A, open roads, driving on the right side of the road, road trips with fun stops along the way, fireworks on the 4th of July, trying on clothes before buying them, no mosquito nets, etc.etc.etc...

We are looking forward to the rest of our summer on the road and then getting back down to South Florida where the kids will start school. It has been nice to not have a set schedule, although it will be nice to be back in a routine at some point. 

Please email us if you would like to connect with us over the next year. 

safariseekers@yahoo.com

Enjoy some of our adventures through pictures. 

We drove by my Alma Mater-the University of Southern Mississippi

We surprised the kids with a trip by Duck Dynasty's Duck Command!

Cool piece of art there

Cousins having fun at the reunion!

Shelbyanne on the battlefield at Vicksburg, MS.

Donovan and his cousin having fun with the canons. 

First Bike ride! They rode their borrowed bikes everyday!

My favorite firework at home.

We went to the Battleship parkway to watch fireworks.

Loved hearing the kids say,
"This is so awesome! I can't believe it! Wow!"

Fireworks over the Battleship USS Alabama

We took the girls to see how doughnuts are made at Krispy Kreme.
Of course we had to get a dozen while we were there. 

Pops(Amy's dad) reading the girls a night time story. 

Meet Fluffy

I even touched her! She is very cool.

Emily wasn't so cure about holding her, but she did touch her too.

This is Pickles. He is a cool Cockatiel. 

Have a Great Day!!