Sunshine, Sand, and Squid

We had a great Easter weekend in East London, South Africa at the Indian Ocean! The kids journaled about the trip and I wanted to include their writings in this blog!


Our Vacation to the Indian Ocean by Hannah Friedrich
For Easter we went to the Indian Ocean! We went shell hunting and we found beautiful shells. The sand was warm and soft on our toes. The ocean was salty and cold. The waves were big and strong. Thomas and I were belly surfing on the waves together. At our campsite there was a play ground we played at.

Thomas
Yesterday we went to the Indian Ocean. Me and Hannah went belly surfing and we went shell hunting and I almost died! There was a very big wave! It took me out! So I went back to the beach.

editors note: He did not almost die-I was about 2 feet away from him when the big wave hit! :)

Thomas also enjoyed lots of seafood including squid. None of us realized that squid is served (at least here) with the tentacles, body and head. The heads were served in little cups. He ate every bite and it has become his new favorite seafood.

Noah-spoken word:) What I like the best about the ocean was getting soaked and my next favorite part was making a sandcastle and my last favorite part was running up the big hills (sand dunes). What I didn't like about the ocean was, well, one time I was in the ocean and a big wave almost came and got me and I didn't like it, it wasn't very fun. Let me think here, um, about camping my first favorite one is animal safari, my second favorite part was seeing the giraffe, why do we call zebras zebras? My last favorite part of camping was going to the Indian Ocean. Thats all.
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The kids had a great time and so did Traig and I. Oceans always amaze me! We camped at a great campground that was inside a small game reserve. Ostriches roamed freely among the tents and we also had to navigate around giraffe to leave the park! The kids took a wagon ride to see the rest of the animals, zebras, wildebeests and bontebok and more giraffe and ostriches. We spent everyday at the ocean and enjoyed the sun. It was a very nice departure from life in Maseru which some days overpowers us. The extreme and desperate poverty surrounds us and is closing in on us more each day it seems. Until we left for the weekend, I had forgotten what it was like to not have someone begging for food and money as soon as we were in public.

Traig is STILL waiting for the poles that are the first step in the satellite dish installation. Each week we are promised this is the week they will come in and the weeks keep passing. That is our prayer request this week-please pray for 4 galvanized poles to arrive in Lesotho from South Africa. The solar installs are complete and the clinics are now waiting for the dishes. We had another waterless day today. I was keeping track of the days but they are piling up as quickly as the laundry! I hope this finds you all well and enjoying all the luxuries that we are so desperately missing right now-like the water :)

Grace and Peace, Laura

P.S. We are so excited to become aunt, uncle and cousins to the new baby Akland coming in September--Congratulations Amy and Jim!!!