It's a....

It's a...

     Girl!  

    Baby Girl DeLaughter is due March 11, 2018.  

No, we do no have a name picked out yet.

I am feeling ok, but I am starting to have Braxton-Hicks contractions.

Leah at 27 weeks pregnant

      Things have settled down at home, since Katrina has started studying from home with a tutor and has stopped collapsing.  We are beginning getting excited to add another child to our family!

Gender Prediction

      Baby DeLaughter Boy or Girl?

  Our next ultrasound is November 6th, and we will be able to tell the baby's gender at that time....   

         But what about old fashioned gender predictors?
According to the theory of how your bump is shaped------  It's going to be a Girl

According to the Chinese Calendar-------                              It's going to be a Girl

According to if you have a lot of morning sickness or not---It's going to be a Girl

According to the baby's heart rate--------                               It's going to be a Boy

According to my completion-------                                           It's going to be a Girl

Craving Sour and not sweet-----                                               It's going to be a Boy

According to my hair growth rates----                                    It's going to be a Girl

Carrying out front----                                                                It's going to be a Boy

Craving fruit-----                                                                       It's going to be a Girl

According to baby's skull shape---                                          It's going to be a Boy

                   In two weeks, we'll see which of these predictions are correct!

Difficult part about living in America

One hard thing about being back in America is that because the kids are in school and not being homeschooled, mornings are much more rushed.

    In Tanzania, we get up around 7am, get a leisurely breakfast, get ready, Heather and I will usually take a walk, then we'll have a worship time, and personal Bible reading before starting official "school" around 9am.  


   Now, in Lincoln, we are up at 6 or 6:30, rushing through breakfast and getting ready and the kids are out the door by 7:45am.   We have had to cut out worship time, memory verses and Bible reading in the mornings.

  Recently, Bill has started having a devotional with Jonathan in the morning before school because he has a little more time.


  However, I have found this a very hard part of being back, and I'm not sure how to get it back.  I am still trying to figure out how to have those same devotional times with the kids that were so natural in Tanzania.  I find living in America to be very stressful, and over scheduled.

    This is a work in progress.  Hopefully, in the near future I'll be able to update how I was able to fit in family devotion time to our lives here.

Things You'll Find in America that You Won't Find in Tanzania

 We have been back in the US for four months now, which is how long our entire furlough was last time!  We have just gotten settled into our apartment in Lincoln, IL and the kids have all started at public school.
  Katrina is attending Lincoln Community High School for Junior year.  Heather (8th) and Jonathan (4th) are attending Chester-East Lincoln Elementary School.  They are doing well.
            ----We are also looking forward to the addition of another baby in March!------



Now, for

"Things You'll find in America that you won't find in Tanzania"

1.  Free Water at Restaurants

                                                 

    Here in America, you usually get a glass of water at a restaurant before you even order, complete with ice.  Water is free in America!  Not in Tanzania!  Since the tap water isn't safely drinkable, if you want water at a restaurant you will have to order a bottled water.

2.  Huge Portion Sizes

                                               

   Speaking of restaurants, we are taken back by how large the portion sizes are here (in America) when we order food!  We could serve the whole family off of one portion of food!  We are used to portion sizes in Tanzania in restaurants being enough for ONE person.  We usually just take the rest to go and have another meal the next day with the left overs.

3.  Convenience Stores
                                       
               I like to joke that in Tanzania we have "InConvenience Stores".   The hours are NOT 24/7 in Tanzania for shops. The hours of operation are roughly 10am-12pm and 3:30pm-6pm.  But, the owner is preoccupied  for any reason those hours are up for negotiation.  Also, there are not 15 types of bread, 5 kinds of milk including soy, lactose-free or chocolate, and  100 kinds of cereal.  We are lucky to have two choices between foods, and usually the choice is "do they have it or not".    Also, the customer is NOT always right in Tanzania.  If you buy something and later find out it was broken when you bought it or if it was food and it was spoiled.... that is on you!  Tanzanian shops do not believe in the concept of "returns".  The only RETURN that will be happening, is you will be returning to that store again because there is nowhere else to go!

4.  Some of my Favorite Foods

                                                 
       Gyros, cottage cheese, Gluten Free Pretzels and Oreos, Dr. Pepper, affordable grapes and kiwis, peaches... these are some of my favorite foods that you can't find in Tanzania.  I am definitely enjoying foods I have missed.  It's so convenient to buy Gluten free products here, and most pizza places even sell gluten free pizza!  It's nice not to have to bake my own bread and pizza all the time.

5.  Vast, Open Spaces

                                   
         This summer we drove from the West Coast to Chicago, through 6 National Parks and 7 States, including Wyoming.  We were able to see Yellowstone and Old Faithful, Mount Rushmore, and the Badlands.  It made me realize how big America really is.  And, how much open space there is.  In Wyoming, we would drive for miles and miles without seeing a house or person anywhere.   That is NOT the case in Tanzania. Even in rural areas, you will find people almost everywhere.  The only places that aren't full of people are inside the Game Parks.

6.  Baseball

     My husband is a huge Cubs fan.   I am a mediocre Cardinals fan.  Baseball is the National Pastime of America.  But, in Tanzania it's all about SOCCER!  When I would play baseball with the kids in the yard, the Tanzanians would watch us and wonder what in the world we were doing.  The World Cup is a huge deal in Tanzania and people will buy cable just for the time it is on.  No-one has heard of the World Series in Tanzania.  They would probably wonder why it's called the "World" Series if it's only America and one team from Canada.   The World Cup actually has teams from all around the world.


7.  Fast Food
                                            
    There are many good restaurants in Tanzania, none of which I would call "Fast".   Food usually takes from 1-2 hours to come at restaurants in Tanzania.  We take along cards games to pass the time while we wait.  It can be relaxing to sit and talk while waiting for your food.  I have noticed that it is not just Fast Food restaurants that are fast in America.  Even sit-down restaurants bring your food out within a few minutes!  Where is the time to talk and relax?  Haha.  It's nice that everything is so efficient, we are just used to a much slower pace.


Ok, That's all for now!  We are enjoying our time in America even though it is so different from Tanzania.  We do miss Tanzania a lot, and look forward to returning next June.

Top 5 Things I Noticed about the US

 This is a random list of things that changed while we were in Tanzania this last term, that I noticed when we first got back.

1.  You can order ahead to fast food restaurants on an app now, and it will be waiting for you!  That is so cool.  Also, so frustrating.  I haven't been very successful using it.  Usually we have arrived before I can place the order on the app and we just end up ordering the old fashion way.
 
2.  Black and white American flags with a blue stripe.  I had to look it up to find out that it stood for policemen and their courage.  That was a new one on me.

3.  Clothing styles like leggings with mesh panels, sports bras with open sleeve tee shirt over it, and lots of pink, and blue hair.

4.  Doctor's offices text instead of call.  Found that interesting.

5.  Popsockets-- little handles on the back of phones.

Things You'll find in Tanzania that you won't find in America...

Things You'll Find in Tanzania that You (probably) Won't Find in America
  All photos are copyright Bill DeLaughter

First, the obvious-- The Wildlife, the Fauna!

This giraffe wasn't going to move from the road in Mkumi National Park. We weren't going to rush her!

   Zebras, lions, rhino, hippo, giraffe, monkeys... these are all found wild in Tanzania.  You can see them in America, in the zoo.  I always think they look so sad in those small pens after seeing them roam on wide open plains in Tanzania.



The Flora!

    We having in our yard lemon trees, lime trees, jack fruit tree, mango tree, custard apple tree, cashew trees, banana trees, and coconut trees.  There are many palm trees in our yard as well as giant bamboo, moringa trees, African Tulip trees, and deciduous trees as well.  And that is just our yard!  There are giant baobab trees here, and so many beautiful flowering trees, and flowers in Tanzania.  It's like living in a botanical garden.

Some of the lemons from our trees

One of our lemons

Jack fruit from our tree

Some of my favorite foods

Nundu.  Nundu is fat from the hump on the back of the cow.  It is served alongside mishkaki (shish-kebobs).

Tanzanian style Barbecue

Samosas

And many other favorites like Mchecha (fried spinach), pilau (spicy rice and meat dish), chapati (thick tortillas), Tanzanian style beans, and many, many others

-Our house doesn't have glass in the windows because you always want to let in a breeze to keep cool.

-Motorcyle helmets are required by law... but sometimes they are sitting on the top of a ladies' very high hairstyle!  I wish I could have found a photo of that one.  

-Cattle walking the streets, including in front of our front gate.

-Open air used clothing market.  This is where we do all of our clothes shopping here.

-

A Tropical Christmas

  Christmas is a little different on the coast of Tanzania.  There are no Christmas sales, or Christmas music playing in stores.  Most people here do not celebrate Christmas.  There are no Christmas trees for sale, no lights up on houses, and certainly no snow!

      We definitely have to make our own Christmas spirit around here!  We don't mind though.  In fact, sometimes the over commercialization of Christmas in America can be overwhelming.

Our Christmas tree is up

Hot cocoa with marshmallow and peppermint- special treats from  my mom!

  What makes Christmas special this year, is having Katrina home on school break and having Bill's mom, Carolyn, here visiting as well.  I am enjoying these times together so much: shopping, cooking and baking, doing crafts and just talking.   

Family Time!

Bill's mom, Carolyn, is here visiting for Christmas and Katrina is home for Christmas break!

The Search for Thanksgiving

This year has been a very difficult one for us.

          In January, Leah's grandmother, Clara Zuener passed away and we weren't able to go home to be with family.  We have lost family members, friends and mentors this year.

We were asked to step down from the Management Team of ACM in February while at a retreat in Kenya.

   We have been through three verification processes for our organization and our work and residence permits here in Tanzania which have been mentally, emotionally and financially draining.

 We have seen very little progress in the "soil" in our area, even as we continue to pray and meet with people, while at the same time the discipleship in Arusha is flourishing.

It has been a discouraging year overall, and we are looking forward to this year being over!

              With Thanksgiving approaching, I am encouraged to thank God for those things this year that we may have taken for granted.

For our health
For our family, both those living and those who have gone before us
For our supporters
For food, clothing, water, shelter
For our safety

Thank you, Lord, for your blessings!

New Pet Kitten!

Masala in the background and Periwinkle sit on the couch

So... we have a new pet kitten!  She is a female, and we named her Periwinkle.  A friend almost hit her with her car and rescued her.  Having looking and not finding her mother, she brought her to our house and we got very attached.  After keeping her over the weekend, it became official, and we have made her a part of the family.

Our cat, Masala, is not too thrilled about having to share her family and space with a new kitten.  They are starting to get used to each other though.

We now have 2 cats, 2 dogs and a hedgehog!

Max and Ruby

"Mouse" our hedgehog

Heather turns 13

   Heather turned 13 on September 13th!

I now have two teenagers!  

Heather loves to paint with acrylics.  

She entered this painting of a sea turtle into the Celebrating Art completion and her painting will be published in their book!

Heather also plays the piano, knits, loves to read on her Kindle, play with our pets, and of course with her brother and sister.

We love you, Heather!

Katrina returns to RVA

Katrina at the airport

Somehow sending Katrina for her second year at RVA was harder than sending her last year.  Maybe its because now we know what it's like to go months between seeing her.  Maybe its because she has struggled with migraines last term, and we know she could be heading into the same struggles again.

Whatever the reason, as she walked through the security at the airport alone with her luggage to return to RVA somehow it hit me.  Katrina is grown up.  I am not "raising" her anymore.  She is making her own decisions now.  We can still guide her as parents, but she is making her own way in the world now.

Turning and walking away from the airport, leaving her there alone, was so hard.  Even though I was crying, I knew in my heart that she was ok and that she was going to thrive at school.  It takes a lot of faith to send your child out into the world, especially at such a young age.

It is a little shocking to think that all of her ideals, all of her values, and what we have instilled in her has, for the most part, already been done.  That is a sobering thought, as I quickly thought back over her childhood wondering if I did it right, and what I might have forgotten or done wrong.

How quickly they grow up!

Personality Based Homeschooling

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End of the School Year

Heather finishes 6th grade, Jonathan finishes 2nd grade homeschool

Katrina finished 9th grade at RVA- home on school break

             We have successfully completed another school year.  I am proud to say that Katrina is on the Honor Roll at RVA for this last year.  Heather has completed her online testing for RVA, and her application has been applied for her to attend in 9th grade, in two years from now.

         For now, we are going to enjoy our six week break together just enjoying each other and resting.

Friendship

Charnelle and I- 2017

We were so blessed to have Charnelle visit us the day after we arrived home from our counseling retreat.

Charnelle holding Heather 9 months old in 2005, during language school. We are in a taxi going out to eat together.

We first met Charnelle in 2005 when we were going to language school together in Morogoro, Tanzania. After language school, she was based near Moshi, and we were living in Arusha, which is about 40 minutes drive away so we could keep in touch.  

2011- We stayed with Charnelle for three weeks while we looked for a house

Our kids grew up knowing Aunt Charnelle, and her two dogs, Fredrick and Tandi.  She was a constant in our lives.  In 2012, she moved from Tanzania to South Africa, and now she teaches at an international school abroad.  In 2013, she came to visit us in Arusha.

Charnelle visits 2013

Now, when she came to see us again, it was so refreshing to see her again.   There is something about seeing a good friend that has known you for a long time. They can help give you some perspective, and help you think of the big picture not just what is happening in the "here and now".  But, also, just knowing they accept you for who you are and where you are, and you can pick up again where you left off after years without seeing eachother.  

I am blessed to call Charnelle my friend.

2017