Christmas Tree

Thanks to some missionary friends in Ndola we have a Christmas tree this year. However, all of our ornaments are still buried in the recesses of our container. So the kids made some ornaments and had lots of fun decorating the tree. Near the top of the tree, you will see a lovely Christmas shark. After a few more interesting decorations, we channelled the kids creativity. This is a tree we will remember for quite some time.

Christmas is celebrated by many here in Zambia, though we don't see the commercialization one sees in the West. There are a few decorations put up in some of the stores, and a few items available for sale. Most Zambians celebrate very simply with a special meal.

One thing that makes it hard to realize it is almost Christmas is the weather. Absolutely no snow here, since it is in usually between 70F - 80F most days unless it is raining, which makes it a bit cooler. The kids were a bit disappointed when we told them they could not make snow angels here, but we are waiting until they try it in the mud.

We look forward to celebrating Christmas together with our missionary friends here in Zambia. We would appreciate your prayers as it will be hard on family ties during this holiday season.

Future Vet?

The Rains Continue to Come

Here are a few shots of the recent afternoon rains that we have received. The rainy season is upon us. I always wondered what was meant by "rainy season" - Does it rain every day? Does it rain all day? For those in other climates what does this mean. Well, we are still learning about it, but we can let you know what has happened so far.

Does it rain every day? No, at least not yet. However we do get rains at least every few days.

Does it rain all day? No, so far we have had mainly fast moving storms come through. These last anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours. They come with lots of lightning and thunder and pretty good downpours. Yet, we have had a few nights where the rains started in the afternoon and then switched to a good steady rain that lasted until early morning.

It has made a major difference in the landscape. In just a few weeks our yard has changed from almost no grass to one that needs mowing frequently. Many flowers are beginning to pop up and, as we have shared earlier, many creatures have been forced out of their homes to look for dryer accommodations.

The main thing about rainy season is that we actually get rain. We arrived at the end of June, and did not see a drop of rain until late October. We expect that it will continue to rain like this until sometime around April. But we do expect heavier rains to come yet this season.

Sunset

Thought you might want to enjoy some of God's beauty that we have been seeing here.