One word best describes my six weeks in the USA (part 1)

INDESCRIBABLE! But I will try anyway.

First of all, it broke my heart to leave my hubby and four of our children in tears. All who know me will remember that I wouldn't even leave our little ones in the church nursery if it upset them to do so. Imagine how difficult it was to leave them for six weeks!

I was grateful for the privilege to globe-trot with 10 year-old Sia and 7 year-old Caylie. The girls are terrific travelers and enormously helpful. We managed to have extra seats for both transcontinental flights (Jo'burg to London then London to San Francisco) giving us more space to stretch out and even doze a bit. Honestly, I cannot imagine embarking on such a long journey alone. I know people do it all the time but I'm glad I didn't have to.

Finally, we landed in San Francisco found our luggage without incident and started for the Customs area where we were greeted by a huge sign "Welcome to the United States of America". I choked up at both the sign and the friendliness of the officer. He handed over our passports and said cheerfully, "Welcome home".

Still teary eyed over that experience, we rounded a corner and saw another sign with "Sibley" hand written in blue Sharpie (of course) held by my oldest son. Next to Justin capturing the moment on camera was my daughter in-law Lisa. How do I describe that emotional scene? Indescribable!

As if I wouldn't know him! It was absolutely wonderful to see Justin and Lisa after all this time! I so appreciate Lisa capturing these moments. The photos bring back joyful memories.

We brought six empty suitcases. Trust me, they didn't all fit onto one cart when I returned to this same airport six weeks later. They were far from empty thanks to so many of YOU!!!

Together at last!
Left to Right: Me, Justin, Caylie, Sia

Our first days were spent recuperating from our long journey and purchasing clothes for Sia. She had grown through several sizes and had nothing that fit. So off to Target we walked. (Justin and Lisa were temporarily living in Sunnyvale, California while they waited for their new house to be finished).

It was great to find terrific deals on summer clothes since the States was well into fall weather. I found several tops and shorts under $5 for both girls and boys. In one store, I asked a clerk if the items were mismarked as the tags read $1. Yippee!!!

That Friday, Lisa had scheduled an appointment with her favorite hair stylist for ME! The whole salon experience was heavenly and came complete with pink lemonade on ice.

While I was being completely pampered, Justin took Sia and Caylie to Jamba Juice where they met two of his co-workers at eBay. They laughed and shared a few "Justin" stories between them.

Lisa shared every free moment she could with us and we savored each one. However, without any vacation days left for this year, her time was a bit limited. That said, the fact that she put so much effort into being with us and making that time extra special touched my heart to its core. I am blessed with a very dear daughter in-law whom I treasure.

The next day Justin drove us and our empty suitcases to Redmond. It had been a full year since we had the pleasure of taking a road trip. With Zambian gas prices ranging between $9-10/gallon, we only travel when we have to and the longest distance is a one-and-a-half hour bumpy ride to Mufulira. So Sunnyvale, California to Redmond, Oregon was absolutely spectacular. I enjoyed that one-on-one time with Justin, Sia and Caylie along with viewing the beauty all around us.

There is no way to fit my whole six weeks into one post as every day was full. So I will post a little bit each day in between filling you in on life in Zambia since our return.

Blessings and joy,
Beckie

(The rainy season has begun which means everything is beautiful BUT our internet service is interupted with each down pour. That said, I'm trying to get all of my posts done on Word so they are ready when service is restored.)

THANK YOU!

Let me take this opportunity to thank all of you who made my and Sia's six weeks in the USA some of the most treasured experiences of our lives. Truly, I was completely unprepared for all the love showered upon us. We were treated like royalty.

To the congregation at City Center Church, thank you for your never-ending love, prayers, and support. I was pleasantly surprised to feel not an ounce of nervousness each time I was called upon to share. Instead, when I approached the front and turned around, I saw "family". The love, acceptance, and genuine interest radiating from your faces melted away all anxiety and panic. For someone who has always suffered a fear of public speaking, this is nothing short of miraculous.

I was overwhelmed by all of your cards, letters, and gifts which we will enjoy for months to come. These are tough times and yet you gave abundantly and sacrificially. We are honored and humbled by your generosity.

To the congregation at Cottage Grove Faith Center, thank you for welcoming me once again into your fellowship even though I was 15 minutes late AND in my haste forgot to turn off my cell phone! Yet no one rolled their eyes or darted dirty looks my way as I tried desperately to "sneak" out of the service, cell phone ringing wildly--at least not that I could tell (said with a grin).

Thank you also for your faithfulness in prayer and in finances. Again, we KNOW these are difficult times and are continually honored by your faith in what God is doing through us in Zambia. Your steadfast commitment gives us great courage to accomplish our part of God's plan for this beautiful country and it's amazing people.

And to New Life Fellowship in Madras, Oregon: I regret there were not enough Sundays in my Central Oregon schedule to allow a visit to one of your services. Jason and I continually thank God for you and your partnership with us. We so enjoyed our visit to your church shortly before we left for Zambia. Pastors Todd and Kim offered godly wisdom as former missionaries, which we have referred to many times this past 14 months. Thank you for your faithfulness in communication as well as in financial giving. We are enormously grateful and honored.

To loving friends and family who enthusiastically opened their homes and guest rooms to us, THANK YOU for your generous hospitality, warm friendship, and oh so yummy food. We thoroughly enjoyed each and every scrumptious meal and treat along with communicating face to face for the first time in more than a year.

At the market today, our friend Partner looked at Sia and announced, “You are fat!” This is not considered rude in Zambia. Sia was not impressed however and didn’t say a word. I tried to smooth things over by telling her that Partner did not mean to hurt her feelings but meant she must have enjoyed American food. I don’t think it worked as Sia is quite sensitive these days.

I can hardly wait to share some of our adventures and pictures so stay tuned. Until then. . .

Blessings and joy,
Beckie

Mulberry Pick'n Fun

One of our favorite things about living here in Kansenshi area is that we meet people from all over the world who come to serve the people of Zambia in many different ways. A few weeks ago, we met four young teaching students working on their internships at a local primary school. Christine Louise and Alburt arrived from South Africa while Tanya and Anna Marie are both from Namibia.

All are part of the same school and will graduate November 29. We soooo want to attend their graduations and represent their families who aren't able to come.

Last week, they popped in to invite our children to the guest house where they lived during their internships to pick mulberries and play games. All had a glorious time of it while I enjoyed rare moments of tranquility at home for a couple hours. Jason was teaching MTI in Ndeke.

In the photo below, Caylie has looks for the best mulberries. One of her favorite places in the world is in the branches of a tree. And a tree with fruit??? It just doesn't get any better than that!

And now it's Carlin on higher branches.

Shauna and Anna Marie playing some sort of game. Since I was at home enjoying the quiet of an empty house, someone else captured all of these images.

Christine Louise, Isata, Sia, Shauna, and Alburt enjoying the fruits of Carlin's, Steven's, and Caylie's efforts in the mulberry tree.


Climbing trees, eating freshly plucked berries, playing games, and then cooling off in the sprinklers. . .it just doesn't get any better than that!


Below, Caylie hides behind the tree as the water hose and sprinkler came out. By the time she returned home, those cute little curls were long gone.

A glorious time was had by all!

Well, this most likely will be my last post before leaving for America on Tuesday. I will continue to update my blog during my six week visit but instead of giving you a picture (literally) of our life in Zambia, I will be updating my loving family back in Zambia.

I look forward to seeing many of you very soon.

Blessings and joy,
Beckie

Fun Fridays

We have designated Friday afternoons "Fun Friday". The kids work all week to get their classwork done before lunch on Fridays and then it's party time! Would you like to join us?

Above, it's manicure time. Kiara Janman paints Isata's fingernails while Shauna applies a different color to Gloria's. You can see that this is serious stuff.

Caylie and Gloria show off their beautifully manicured fingertips in the picture below.


On the other side of the house, the boys play a game of American football. We are officially in the "hot" season down here in the southern hemisphere so with a little improvising of the rules, it is possible to play the game and be refreshed all at the same time.

Daniel Janman has grown to enjoy the American football game as much as our boys.

Pictured below is an example of a common Zambian "sprinkler" system. It works great! Jason did manage to find a Rainbird type of sprinkler but knew that it would most likely suffer some accident during the game. And this actually works better for play anyway.


Last year at this time, the heat seemed unbearable. I am happy to report that I have climatized! Hip, hip, HOORAY! And now I get ready to head to the cool fall weather of the USA. You don't suppose I'll have to get use to the heat all over again when I return to Zambia do you???

I so look forward to see many of you very soon!

Blessings and Joy,
Beckie

Look Out USA, Here We Come! (Me, Caylie and Sia)

It gives me great pleasure to announce that I will once again walk on American soil when my plane lands a week from Wednesday!!! No words can describe the emotions churning within as I prepare to see my country and loved ones after one of the most intense years of my life.

Although the purpose of this trip is to return Caylie to our oldest daughter Jessica, I plan to soak up time with my loving family, faithful friends, my most amazing and supportive home church (City Center Church in Redmond, Oregon), and the beauty of my homeland. Our wonderful friend Katie Hartley provided the way for Sia to join us for which I am enormously grateful as I knew that our youngest daughter would suffer the most from my absence.

I look forward to seeing everyone and everything through a renewed vision gained from living a year in Zambia. I have instructions from all of our children and even my husband to get pictures of Safeway (our favorite grocery store), Mrs. Keller's home baked cinnamon rolls, a Costco cake, and our old neighborhood. And then of course, they want pictures of our beautiful Cascade Mountains and the McKenzie river. The list goes on and on.

Sia said she plans to return to Zambia fat. For those of you who know her, you will totally appreciate that statement. She wants to enjoy all the varieties of food available. A real treat for me will be to celebrate Thanksgiving (a month early but who cares?) with my mother and brothers. Can you tell I'm just a tad bit excited???

Oh, and another really big event that we all have missed as a family: FOOTBALL!!!! So I will represent the entire Sibley bunch when I watch Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts. Actually, it doesn't even matter what teams I see. I just want to view a football game on a Sunday afternoon! Woooo Hooooo!!!

But most of all, and this is very serious, I look forward to nurturing the relationships we are so privileged to share with the most loving people on the planet. Truly, living in another culture makes one appreciate the easiness of conversations with someone who knows your history, your culture, your language. That's not to take anything away from our Zambian friends. God knows they have all had their hands full trying to teach me Bemba as well as Zambian culture. And it isn't something I would have thought about before living half way around the world.

Anyway, I know I have rambled through this post. I look forward to seeing many of you VERY SOON! Your love and support during our time away has made me appreciate you even more than I did already, and that was TONS!

Blessings and joy,
Beckie