work

work

there is work to do here in so many ways

the campus above is where joey will spend most of his time

"living way"

business development, greenhouses, you name it

we are excited at the opportunities here

there are lots of things happening and developing

in one of the areas we will work we were able to play with some of the children.
briley
was so excited to meet friends.
there were thumb wars, chase and tackles, gymnastics, ball...
all played in the 10 mins we spent with these precious kids.
can't wait to get to know these little ones!
this pic is just a glimpse of the crowd that excitedly swarmed us.

the fields are ready here and we are too!

from london to cape town

our last day in london


we awoke in london to our only rainy day there
and set out for an adventure in the toy store of toy stores HAMLEY'S
we are talking 7 floors people!
the kids were in heaven and joe and i a bit frazzled.
but really, it was incredible!

we took a quick trip to visit st paul's cathedral. amazing. my pic don't do it justice...

and more tube fun. the kids are becoming pros at this form of travel.

and just for scrapbook memories...

oh 
yes 
we
did!

we
did
travel
with...

18 checked bags,
2 carry on bags,
6 backpacks,
2 purses,
3 cameras,
4 pillow pets,
1 stroller,
an opened box of cheerios,
another pillow...

and honestly after that i lose count.
oh yes we did!

and yes,

we did travel through the tube in london, the airport there and here, and to our temp quarters here
with THAT much luggage.
eek, is all i can say.






cape town is beautiful. 
we are meeting friends, learning the ropes, settling in, exploring, enjoying the breathtaking beauty, and searching for a home.

pics from the first days here coming up!

with all that said i do think back often of the home we left, the family, the friends...
those thoughts are for another post...

lankford's in london day 2

today we loaded onto the big-double decker red bus for a tour of the city

after several stops we took quite a hike through some royal gardens
and more gardens
until we made it
over to the zoo for a special visit

a thankful heart we have to Mr A for helping us get behind the "bugs" scene
and for his friend who showed us some bug-gi-ness
this was over the top for our want to be scientist/vet briley (and brax was pumped too)


then back to the bus tour and...

guess where we are uncle rich?

just wanted a good pic. 

one not looking. one sneezing. geez. 

trafalgar square...amazing!

and onto
where?


yep...look kids big ben...

and
to
play
along
with
the chevy chase theme

this is where we lost the big red bus tour tickets and...
had to go to plan b of getting back
no big deal people
just try the tube, right?
normally, would work.yep.
but tonite, nope.
couple of major issues underground (including a person under the train? what?)
so along with thousands of other people,
many who know these tubes quite well,
we impressed ourselves with our navigating skills
and found a round-about way back for baths and bed

day 2
success!

truly was blown away by the architecture and beauty in this city...
incredible green space,
magnificent buildings...
even saw some more reminders of back home (H&M, GAP, Starbucks, etc)

oh, and no one was sick today. what a praise!


as i was checking this before "the official post",  i couldn't help but laugh at the pics. seriously, someone is goofing in every one. promise, i did get some good perfectly posed ones...but i guess i am not sharing those:)

lankford's in london

the journey started friday afternoon. 

we boarded the little plane which took us to the big plane 

and our overnite, overseas flight.

this leg of travel 

went perfectly.

here we are

boarding the plane after saying goodbyes back home...

hard. almost numbing. 

but the comfort of the Lord was upon us throughout the travel.

after getting our enormous amounts of luggage settled
and money exchanged
and riding quite a long time in the "tube"
we made it to our hotel and crashed for a bit.

up next
was walking the streets of london and looking for good pub food.
a suggestion from uncle rich that we felt needed to be a top priority.
and good food we had!
fish and chips was of course one of the choices we tasted.
 and the minted peas...i don't like peas but i liked these...

day 2 brought us to a tree with a living room hanging from it. chairs, sofa, lamps, tables

and the best part was you could sit and swing in them.

golly gee...you never know who you will run into around here

 just kidding...
we took a visit to the famous wax museum in these parts.

 oh how we love the red phone booths around here.

thankful today that after a rough start,
sweet briley overcame some sort of s
tomach bug issue
and she and i were able to sneak in some girl time
then
we able to join the group for more fun:)

we have been quite impressed with the city and all it has to offer.
briley, in fact, thinks we could live here one day. who knows? maybe.

more to see and do tomorrow!

the adventure begins...

today is the big day!
leaving all we know to serve Him.
last minute packing, hugging, and soaking in tennessee/home.


"But I have raised you up for this very purpose: that I might show you My power, and that My name might be proclaimed in all the earth." Exodus 9:16

thanks to everyone for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers!
we will keep u posted on our journey:)

down to the wire

what do you do when you are down to the wire?
you pack
and move
sleep in cool places
and ride in other people's cars
sleep in other people's beds
misplace many an item
break a few rules
hug many a neck
and soak every drop in

a place to lay their heads
after loading up the beds, these 3 musketeers enjoyed a couple nites of pallet fun!

moving is hard work for everyone involved

fun times in the party van with cousins

girl cousins are hard to find for sweet briley
so thankful for SJ :)

sometimes you just have to let them entertain themselves while you are so busy

"the shrine"

so we walked in our "hotel lankford" our first nite of homelessness
to what i dubbed a shrine
thanks nonni for letting us crash here
you will never know how perfect it has been
a home away from home
a place of comfort and love
just what we needed


the days around here are drawing to an end
there are still goodbyes to say
bags to re-pack
and lists to check off

soon soon soon

how do i put it in words?

this week has been one of the hardest for me.

after years of praying, months of planning, weeks of packing...the big move was right smack upon me.

busy as a bee i have been-
packing boxes, organizing, re-packing boxes, packing suitcases, and packing crates...
oh, oh, oh- deciding what to put in the infamous "oranges" for the over seas extravaganza!
what a task!

one of the hardest parts this week-
deciding if this or that makes the cut!
does it go with us?
is it "special" enough to take up space in the pod?
must we give it away?
is it going to goodwill?
life. all the "stuff".
the couches, beds, mirrors, clothes, spices from the kitchen, baby stuff...that we gave away...
all of it represents my life, our life
over the past 10 1/2 years.
and it was hard to let it go. i wanted to keep it for next time. for later. but, we just couldn't.
we were out of space
and really... it's just stuff. and there is more where it came from. right?
still, it was hard.

then, oh then, there is the house.
the house
where with every wipe of the counter and every turn of the corner
memories flood my mind. life.
my life. our lives.
babies being raised. taking first steps. movie nites with popcorn. 4 kids in the jacuzzi tub. dinners. christmases. views from the back. homework. baking cookies.
memories. home.
life.
it was there in that house.
and it was all i could have wanted it to be.

but, greater than all that
is God
and God called us to do something, something big
and no matter the cost
here we go
yes, i have moments of tears, of fears
of leaving home, our close families, our friends,
all we know
but God
He is with us always and we are following Him,
praising Him that He chose us to use for His glory!

so today we are "homeless"
homeless for Christ.
maybe i should put that on a bumper sticker
except that in just a few days we will be "car-less" too!

not sure i really put to words all that is running through this head and heart of mine.
but i tried.
if you're reading this
please pray for us this week and every time you can
yes, we are excited about this journey
but so many other emotions swirl around too.


as for this week...

we finish tying down loose ends.

loving on friends and family

and preparing our hearts and minds
for the adventure of a lifetime

one that calls us to sacrifice

one that will forever impact each one of us and so many others

proclaimed

today 10/10/10

my second born 

Braxton

PROCLAIMED

CHRIST 

as his 

SAVIOR

thru BAPTISM

the joy on his face as he arose from the waters echos the joy in our hearts.
Christ in him.
a heart and body full of Christ now and through all 
Eternity.

              
  oh how my heart is bursting....                                                                                                  

broke

you can get her down 

but can't keep her down

after spending 5 hours in the woods

climbing trees, building forts, having adventures

a broken, scratched, tearful, grass stained, leaf covered girl

met me at the back door

gingerly holding an obviously broken arm.

a trip to the local children's hospital 

lasted..get this...almost 10 hrs.

no. i. am. not. kidding.

we had to wait long enough past

the last time we ate (5 ish hrs)

then thru shift change

emergencies

wkend chaos

etc

etc

THEN the docs

re-set or reduced

her break

and 

we waited some more.

note to self:

only break bones during business hours

and on an empty stomach.

thankful for an amazing hospital

these days i don't take things like that for granted

thankful we left that place with only a cast 

and the promise of complete healing.

yep. this adds some chaos to our journey.

but we are praising God that only an arm was broken

falls from high atop a tree 

could be so much worse.

be prepared to sign this cast 

and her "real" one she gets next

she takes autographing seriously

lost!

look close

and a little closer


yep. that's it. you see it don't you?


or should i say...
you don't see it?




yep. that's right.

that annoying- little- dangling- chiclet of a tooth
   let loose of it's tight grip


today,
right smack in the middle of 1st grade

finally.




(there were quite a bit of tooth fairy facts being deliberated around the bedroom tonite. who knew there were so many details available for public knowledge of this notable little fairy?)