RETREAT!!!!!!

Wow! Where to begin?
WE travelled Thursday to the Mokolodi Game reserve just outside of Gaborone. I knew there were many many varieties of wild life there however I was most interested in meeting the people I have been corresponding with for three years. What a great crew! These families have been all over
africa and the children are all multi-lingual-very exciting.
We stayed in chalets and the one I was in looked out over a very busy waterhole. The birds here are so incredibly gorgeous and the flowers, yum. Just breathtaking. Our accomadations were very nice, and we had several days of activities planned.
We had Bible study and worship every morning at 830. This was lead by Jonathan Larsen who is quite a pastor. He and his wife have been missionaries for many many years and he has stories of God's Intervention in situations that would seem impossible. His topic for this retreat was "loss". This was difficult but necessary for all of us-in one way or another we have all endured and will certainly endure again such losses. We discussed at length how difficult finding emotional support was when folks who are missionaries feel as though we basically "asked " for tough times just by nature of being missionaries. One woman talked about folks at home that seemed to not want to hear what she had to deal with, although homefolk spent a great deal of time passing on their own tough stuff. It is sometimes as if we are expected to change into superhumans just to deal.
I find that it is different for me because I did not move my entire family. yet there is a sense sometimes of being pushed aside, that this is the life I chose. We all felt great cammeraderie-it is good to finally find people who understand truly what happens. Almost all the south african team told me they only receive at most three or four letters a year! I guess I better get used to this. It is sad, and yet refreshing for me. A little tough, maybe, too, because I am barely started and I heard some really hard to swallow stuff. I have not heard from one brother in a week and the other brother at all!!!
Well, okay, enough belly aching!
We went on several game drives and they were incredible! Impala, Kudu, Ostrich, many birds like hornbills and owls, wildebeest, waterbuck, mongoose, and ZEBRAS!!! We even saw rhino. Understand that this is a game reserve, meaning the land is safe, but understand also these animals are wild and natural. We also saw much to my delight cheetahs. Cheetahs are incredibly beautiful and quite graceful. Oh and also ELEPHANTS!!!!!!!
The only animal we had trouble with were baboons. First of all, they were huge!!!!! And they are mean, pathetic pirates and scoundrels that broke into our kitchen and garbage. They also scratched one of our kids and hung out on our porches all night making quite a dodgy ruckus. Quite cheeky, these old boys. Unfortunately, they will probably be shot by the reserve because they have gotten too fearless and so present a problem.
I am tired and really have so much to write. I really do miss the States. But I am learning alot about home. One of our lessons was in Matthew-"Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to put His Head." So wehere is home? Jonathan says home is wherever his wife is, and that is very cool. I say home is where Jesus is.

More on this retreat to come