31 Days of My Real Zimbabwean Life

So I haven't been blogging.

No shocker there, I have so often left huge gaps in between posts.  I generally do not write when things are hard, when they are just not going the way I would want them to.  Sometimes I write in my journal during these times, but I would RARELY consider putting those thoughts out there.

Our little Vivienne is 8 months old.  She is a treasure: a tiny girl who brings such joy to our lives.  However, Vivienne exhausts me.  On the days that I work, she tends to want to wake up and play at THREE A.M.  I am not exaggerating, it is as if she is making up for lost play time from earlier in the day!  She exhausts me.   So does cooking, tidying the house, going to work, parenting Ruth (our 11 year old) taking care of Lucy (our hyper, needy 3 year old Jack Russel) and trying to be a wife to Nyasha and attempting to be present in our community.

These are all good, necessary things.  They just leave me feeling as if I hardly have a moment to get a breath in and when I have a precious moment to myself there is one thing I value above anything else: S.L.E.E.P.  Uninterrupted sleep is like my long lost love.

Before Vivienne was born, my best friend and I used to joke that in order for me to be friendly I needed to have a solid 10 hours of sleep.  We were kind of joking.  Ok, we were stating the cold, hard facts.  It has now been over a year since I have had 8 hours of sleep in a row.  Watch out people, things are getting ugly!  And by things I mean me-- and my words.  I am snippy and snarky and my poor husband is getting the brunt of it.

So,

Although I generally tend to hide my words from the world when things are not well.  I am challenging myself to write for the next 31 days in an attempt to not only better myself but to save my marriage.  Kidding, I don't think I am in danger of finding divorce papers on my dining table-- unless I keep trying to pass popcorn off as dinner.  Oh, that reminds me: I need to get to the grocery store (AKA the place that exhausts me the most.)

People, I love this man SO much.

Vivienne Mudiwa, the one responsible for my lack of sleep. Honestly who could be mad at that face?

Ruth the one who stole my heart and made me stay

NRB

Each year a group of volunteers from ROCK of Africa head to Nashville for the National Religious Broadcasters convention.  This is always an important time to spend with other Christians, learning about how God is moving in the world and being encouraged! It is also a time of long days, longer nights and not very much sleep.

One of the highlights of the convention each year is Kay Arthur.  She is often found speaking at either Women in Christian Media, or NRB...this year she did both--BIGGER BLESSING!

I met so many amazing people this year and heard so many great things, however I was most blessed by a talk at Women in Christian Media in which Kay Arthur, Vonnette Bright and Thelma Wells shared insight into their ministry--and gave lots of advice on marriage!  What priceless wisdom to be able to behold from these godly women!

I have also decided, with the encouragement of several people that I met at NRB, and so many others over the years, to begin writing a book.  I had been collecting stories from my experience in Zimbabwe, but when my laptop and all of my data was stolen, I was discouraged and kind of gave up.  I have a renewed sense of purpose after this convention and made a commitment to a woman I am respect very much, to write a chapter a month.  So here we go... someday ROCK of Africa volunteers might see my book on display at NRB!  If my story can be an inspiration be an inspiration to someone--or more importantly to bring glory to God, then how can I not tell it?

They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. Revelation 12:11