how crazy is this whole online...connectedness...multiple networks...sitting by yourself stuff?

Drakensberg Hike - A taste of SA

Had a great long weekend hiking the spectacular Drakensberg Mountains. It is so great to be able to spend time in nature with friends. The hike was tough though, doing 37 hours of hiking in 3 1/2 days. Outdoor fans in the US would love this place. I felt like I was regaining my South Africaness after years in the States. God is good.

They said we were in trouble...

Here is a little treat of our baby growing into a little girl. The dress Keira has on was one we bought in Mexico on holiday before we new the gender of our baby. I think it looks perfect on her.
This was before going to church one morning. She ended up throwing up all over the dress on the way to church and so ran around with just a diaper on. She looked equally cute.

March Prayer Update 2009

Hello Friends!
We have now been in South Africa for about 3 months! Some days it feels like we've been here a lot longer, other days it feels like we just stepped off the plane! Nonetheless, we are learning what life is like here. Just to give you a little taste here is a glimpse at our week:
Monday -Friday from 8-5 Trevor spends his mornings at Emthonjeni, the community center, cultivating relationships and helping with the management of the center, then in the afternoon he goes into the squatter community to meet with different families and young men that he has been introduced to. Every conversation is a brick laid on the road to building a network to create change in the community. As you might have guessed this takes a long time and so each day it is necessary to hold onto a bigger vision of what we are doing here. That also comes in handy when he is in meetings with the sponsoring church that is excited to dive into the community. Trev is learning to walk a balance between two worlds and trying to navigate when to put on the brakes and when to move forward. All of this in at least 4 languages at a time. (English, Tswana, Afrikaans,and Zulu)
That is something we are both learning to work through, we can be in a conversation with a group of people, comfortable in our communication and then in a blink the language changes and we have no idea where the conversation is going! Thankfully we often have someone with us who will graciously give a rough translation of what just happened. But the problem with that is people often process their thoughts in their own language so we get the result or the answer to a question but not the process, and what we really want to hear is the process.
But we are hopeful because everyone says that we will learn everything we need to know in 6 months : ) We laugh but I think they are serious !

For me: Mondays and Thursdays I go to the antenatal clinic to meet pregnant moms and help them with their medical information. I have enjoyed this time as I get to make someone smile in the midst of filling out paperwork, and meet moms that might be interested in a doula. Lately there have been a lot of very young moms that I have tried to connect with. Currently I am waiting for a baby to come! Hopefully this week, and if all goes well, it could be my last certifying birth! Yeah!
The other days in my week are filled with young boys fixing their bikes in our yard, meeting with moms from the clinic, connecting with some friends we have met here and meeting and getting to know our neighbors. ( Quick Story) One of the little boys who fixes his bike here rang our bell. He had come because all the other boys were gone and he wanted to talk to me. I thought something was wrong at first, but soon I realized he just wanted to hang out! I felt priviledged that I was cool enough to hang out with a 10yr old boy! Anyway, I got to hear about his family and what school is like and he shared with me that his Mother passed away when he was 5. It was that moment that I felt a nudge from the Lord that when he is a my house I can be like a mother to him, what a gift! Please pray for Mandla and his relationship with Trevor and I.
Another gift is that this week, I have started meeting with a Zulu conversation partner who lives just around the corner from us! She is a young college student and she comes over whenever she can and teaches me Zulu culture and language, I can see a nice friendship developing.

We are still trying to find a church, which is proving to be a challenge! We would love to attend a church that is diverse and pursuing reconciliation, with great teaching and worship, in english. We have attended one church where the teaching has been solid and reminds us of InterVarsity manuscript study and teaching, but it is predominetly Afrikaans, which leaves Keira and ultimately me, out of the service and out luck for understanding. So our search continues.
Keira has been doing much better adjusting to her new diverse cultural surroundings. She has been happy to play with other children and even take the lead with kids older than her : ) ( Its so cute watching her tell 5yr olds to join hands and make a train with her!) In the picture on the left is Keira and Mervyn our next door neighbor, whom she cares for very much, in fact that day she and Mervyn were in the splash pool and Keira looked and Mervyn and touched his hair and said " Beautiful . . . beautiful hair Mervyn!" It was a precious moment.
In a nutshell we are trying to connect! Please continue to pray for us;
~The relationships that we are building, and that they will form the network that is necessary to create change here
~Pray for our need for friendships and comraderie
~ Pray for the broken systems in this country
~Pray for the lack of jobs in this country

We continue to be grateful for all of you! Thank you for praying and caring for us! We now have internet at our house so if you would like to skype please email us and we can set up a time!
Blessings!
Chrissy for the Davies

The start on 09

Hi all,

We hope you are all doing well. We thought you would enjoy this video of Tayla and Keira. It has been fun to watch them together. It is crazy how quickly they are growing up.

We are doing okay, getting settled and getting to know our neighbours and the folks in the community we are working in.

Like anything you start, it takes a lot of energy and courage to build new relationships and friendships, putting yourself out there and trusting that God is going to use it. We are doing our best.

We are surveying the land, looking for God's hand print, asking Him to reveal himself and lead us to those people who we will be able to partner with in the future.

Chrissy is doing great a the anti-natal clinic and already has some potential folks she can Doula for.
I am having fun getting to know new people in the community, playing pool in shacks and just trying to become a normal part of community life. The kids love to shout "umlungu" which means whitey. I am enjoying the challenge of winning their hearts over.

Of course there are those who think we are crazy but that is part of the fun, breaking down the dividing wall and letting God's light shine.

We love you all and miss all you in the US. We miss familiar conversation and just being known.

Keep us in your prayers and when you get a chance send us your news.
We don't have internet at home yet and things are just slower here so bear with us as we try to keep you up to date.

All our love
Trev, Chrissy & Keira

A home at last

We found a place to live!

As many of you know whe have been in transition for a long time, but finally we will get to settle into a home of our own. We are renting a place in Cosmo City and we will move in the middle of January, now all we have to do is set up our house. . . which is equally as exhausting as finding one, but alas it will be home!

So far we are doing okay, I finally took a stab at driving which was better than I thought it would be, next I just have to drive where there are cars on the road. . . my goal is to feel comfortable driving by the time we move in, so I have a lot of work to do.

In my mind I knew there would be a lot of adjustments to my life, driving, new language and people already thinking that I speak it, new brands and foods I have never heard of, everything going a lot slower. . . but I never could have imagined what it would feel like to have everything happening at the same time. It is a whirlwind of unknowns and new experiences, so far nothing is easy, so I just have to change my attitude: my montra " Nobody told me that the road would be easy, but I don't believe He's brought me this far to leave me." I am so glad that Jesus doesn't change when the world around me is so unfamiliar.

And I am so thankful that Trevor is even keeled and takes things easily, when I let him, he really brings me out of my "tornado of crazy" and helps me to take one thing at a time :)

The last 2 weeks with Christmas and NewYears, I am missing home and the easy friendships that are so close to my heart, but again one thing at a time!

Happy New year friends!

Sending you love and blessings fo 2009!

Mabula 2008 Click on the picture. It is a link to a web album.

Remembering my Dad

Yesterday was the 1 year anniversary of my Dad's passing. It was good to grieve as a family and remember the legacy Dad left us. A legacy of courage and compassion. A life lived well.
The picture above is such a gift to me, Dad connecting with Keira, full of joy and life. I miss him.

Well we made it, after 22 hours of flying time we arrived to a great welcome of our family. You should have seen the peoples faces when we hauled our multiple bags and boxes through customs with the help of the local ground crew.
We then headed straight to Mabula, a game reserve where we spent the first week. It was so great to relax, hear the sounds of Africa and have the sun shinning on our shoulders (We'll maybe a little to much of that....can we say sun burn).
We were up at 5:30am thanks to jetlag and of course Keira. We watched the sunrise together, chased birds, squirrels, played on swings and went for walks all before Mom got up. Mono can be a good thing sometimes I guess. It is good to see Chrissy getting better and be able to swallow again.
It was a special joy to be with family and to watch Keira play with her cousin Tayla and interact with all the critters that were in abundance. You should have seen Chrissy's face as Keira picked up and played with the bugs. Proud and yet fearful that she might give them to her.

We were well rested being in the bush, but now we face the hectic pace of Johannesburg, trying to get things sorted out. We waited in line at the traffic department for 3 1/2 hours to get the car we bought registered. Don't let me here anyone complain about the DMV. It was an African experince. A line to get in. A line to hand the papers in and a line to pay. Each taking over an hour. Glad that's done.

Then we tried to get cell phones. But you can't get them if you don't have credit, or 3 months pay slips or bank statements. Tricky when you haven't lived here in 11 years or never. Thankfully this is Africa and we have made a plan. Just ask nicely and bring some chocolates next time.

That's enough for now. We miss you all in the US. Play in the snow for us.
Trev, Chrissy & Keira


P.S. We would have liked to post more pictures but for some reason we could only load one. We will try to show some of the animals Keira had fun seeing.

Ready to leave

We are less than 24 hours from leaving the US and heading to South Africa. This has been something that we hard been preparing for months and years.
We are grateful for the time we have had to get ready, time with friends, donors, supporters and family. Fun watching Keira have fun with all of you.
Chrissy was recently diagnosed with Mononucleosis (Glandular Fever) on Friday last week, which has been a real bummer. She has been really sick. The doctor saw her on Monday and put her on steroids which meant we needed to postpone the trip a day.
We are thankful we are still able to leave mostly on schedule and are looking forward to resting with my family in South Africa. We will be taking the first week at a vacation spot at a game reserve, a peaceful, slow paced place.
We just wish this added stress of Chrissy's illness could have been better timed. Now to make it through the rigours of long-haul international travel.

A call to Auntie Cat!

We had great fun tonight when Auntie Cat called from California. Keira has been "talking" up a storm today. So we gave her the phone and after a while she started walking around, having a "conversation" with Cat. Enjoy the little video below. Pretty cute.

We are in the last week before we leave for South Africa. The time has finally arrived. As we celebrate Thanksgiving tomorrow, I am thankful for the time I have lived in the US, for my family here and for all friends I've made through the years. Because of who God is and what he has done in my life during my time in the US I have great hope for what God has for us in South Africa.

I came to America with a suitcase and a backpack 11 years ago. I now return to SA with a beautiful wife and daughter. A serious upgrade. I am thankful.

Time with Grandparents in Seattle

Keira has been having a great time with Granma and Grandad. Playing games, reading and going the park.

Above we are off to see the fishies....


We had a great time as a family on this special sunny, fall day. Of course Keira made it extra special and watching her get excited about the fish was fun.

Chrissy Here!

So this is my first post, I know it has taken me a long time but here I am! Here are some pics of Keira having fun with Larry at the dinner table! It is such a gift to be able to stay with the Passmores and share Keira with them, it is home!! We have had such a great time this week connecting with friends. It is just sad to know that this is goodbye for a very long time.

I feel so greatful for the relationships that we have here and the influence they have had on our lives. Being here this week has really solidified God's call on our lives as it has helped us remember where we have come from. We still have a few days here before we go to the coast so we are taking advantage of the rest and reminising before we leave Corvallis.

Goodbye Benni the Beaver

As you know we are in Corvallis Oregon this week on our farewell tour. So, we had to stop and introduce Keria to Benni. She is really into animals. The house we are staying at has about 14 different animal carvings around it and Keira can name them all. She is having trouble the the hedgehog though. The first thing she says when she wakes him is horsie, horsie and off we go.
It was fun walking around the OSU campus remembering all the times we spent here. This is where Chrissy and I met, and the start of this next adventure.
I will post some more picture from our time with our adopted parents in Corvallis, Cathryn and Larry Passmore later this week.

Harvest Party

Parties are so much fun when you get to experience them through a child's eyes. Keira has such and innocent joy about her as she takes new things in. She was enthralled as we went to a Harvest Party at a local community center. We met our good friends the Sommer's (Above) there and had a great time watching our kids have fun in their costumes. Keira was a crocodile. Coc O Dile...as Keira says.
This was our last night in Portland after a week of packing. We are tired but glad to be done for now. We are so grateful for good friends to spend our last days with.

Ironheads Party!

These are some pictures from the Ironheads party. We had fun getting dressed up and hanging out with everyone. This was our farewell to the team as we leave Portland in a week. Our hosts Dave & Ann went to great lengths to throw a great party. Their whole house was decorated. Apparently Ann spent a whole week decorating. Amazing. We will miss these new friends who we spent all year training and racing triathlons together.

Fall Fun

I had so much fun with Keira today. Playing in the fall leaves in Salem. It was just beautiful in the park and Keira was having a blast playing in the leaves and chasing the crows and squirrels. Get it, get it.....

Having fun playing in Fall leaves...

It's time to go!

The time is here! After much waiting and preparation, our time of departure has arrived. Our tickets are booked for December 2nd. We will however, be leaving Portland at the end of October to spend some time in Corvallis and the Oregon coast before heading up to Seattle to spend our last two weeks in the US with Chrissy’s family. As we reflect on our time here in Portland, we are so thankful for the plan that God has for our lives and are confident that He always knows, better than we do, the way our paths should go.

This season of investment in counseling and our relationship has been invaluable, as we have been learning how to live out the vows we promised each other, before God, at the forefront of our marriage. As vulnerable as it is, to have outside input into our relationship was very helpful. As our sessions came to a close it was clear how Jesus had been transforming our hearts by peeling away fear, lies and false perceptions. We have discovered a newfound peace in the sober reality of leaving our family, friends and comfort to follow Jesus’ call on our lives.

In August we had the privilege of meeting with other Servant Partners team leaders in Mammoth Lakes, California. There we spent time in scripture, worship and reflection, as well as talked about the future of the organization. It was really helpful to be able to talk to team leaders that are already on the field, so close to when we are leaving, to ask last minute questions and process our journey so far as well as gain some insight into what to expect as we leave. Although we are new to the organization, and feel we have a lot to learn from those who have gone before us, we feel so welcomed and assured that we are in the right place when among this team. There is a true sense of fellowship and wonderfully apparent value for families.

As our time is drawing to a rapid close we have been doing our best to end well, and say goodbye to our friends and to Portland. October 5th participated in the Portland Marathon and did his “farewell lap” of Portland. We have several gatherings planned to get together with friends and donors here in the Portland area. When we think of all the people there are to say goodbye to we are overwhelmed with thankfulness. We have been deeply impacted by so many who have left lasting imprints on our hearts. We have no doubt that Jesus knows what we need, when he places us in the families He has. It has given us such an abundant depth of joy that we can’t help but be thankful. You will be greatly missed!

Please cover us in prayer as we continue to prepare to go:
Oct. 13-31: Packing, selling cars and moving out
Nov. 1-10: Corvallis visit
Nov. 10-13: The Oregon Coast
Nov. 14 –Dec 2nd: Seattle with Chrissy’s Family
December: Living with Trevor’s Mom before moving into our new community.

With love,
The Davies
Trevor, Chrissy and Keira

To donate to our ministry go to: www.servantpartners.org/give.php

Packing

Well we are packing up our last things. Keira is having a good time, climbing into everthing...

Her closet...

Daddies shoes...

and of course, our tubs...

The community centre

This is the community centre we are working with in South Africa. Check it out.