A year

antony and kieren.

sarah and kieren.

market, eating grounds.

vineyard.

cattle (note shadows, i'm so artsy).

Hey ya'll. Hope everyone's weekend was swell! As you can see from the above Hans and I had a pretty enjoyable weekend with our new adopted family, the Princes. Friday night we went and watched the game with BAnt (Ben and Antony) at a place called Polana. It is a shabby sheek little joint that meets a Moroccan theme with windows that overlook the ocean, literally waves practically crashing into the restaurant. Breathtaking.

Saturday morning Sarah (our new mama) came and took us to a market called, The Old Biscuit Mill. The cutest place I've ever seen. It has everything, clothes, jewelry (yes I have many good gifts for you freaks back at home), flowers, yummy food and wine, vintage nick-nacks and such. Overall amazing atmosphere. It's a place the yuppies of Cape Town chill. I felt pretty kewl, not gonna lie. Casey (new daddio), Ben, Antony and Kieren came down to meet us for lunch, which was delish. The perfect morning. When all the boys walked in Antony had Kieren strapped to his back, with Ben in town with the diaper bag and Casey on his crutches carrying the camera. It was quite 3 men and a baby.

After lunch, we all wandered around until finally it was time for the kiddos to head off to wine tasting. We drove to Stellenbosch, and found this quaint winery where you could pet cheetahs it was . We found a field of cattle, which was quite mesmerizing. The weather was like Texas in the Fall it rocked. We got lost along the way, naturally thanks to Antony's lack of navigational skills but ended up back at the Prince's home to watch the US game be defeated.. shame. Hannah and I spent the night over at their house so we could come to church with them in the morning..

As I laid in bed last night I just kept thinking about how great the day was.. but what I really kept dwelling on was a conversation I had had with Sarah, less than a year ago. A little history I met Sarah at camp last year where she was a speaker, she talked about how her and her husband had felt the Lord call them to move to South Africa. Immediately while she was giving this testimony I knew I had to talk to her. AFRICA! I HAD ALWAYS WANTED TO GO THERE. Well somehow we ended up sitting on the beach sometime the next day talking about the upcoming move. I confided in her that I had always wanted to go to Africa, but either my parents had discouraged the idea, or I just had never known where to start searching for a program. I will never forget how she responded, "Carley, if you want to go, GO! No one is stopping you. If it's God's will it will all unfold." I think back to that conversation and then realize where I am, I'm here! It really doesn't make sense. I never thought I would follow a call like this. I never thought I'd have enough strength/courage to do something like this. I like the comfort of home, and I love my friends, and if you know me well, I have the biggest fear of missing out. But for now, I'm learning to deal, it's faith in knowing that it's what is intended for my life and that it all has a purpose in serving something and someone so much bigger than we'll ever understand.

It's just crazy to think about the different people and circumstances that the Lord uses in our lives to carry out his plans...

1 Corinthians 2:9 - "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him."

true dat'- ceg