Getting settled in Gabs again

Hi folks,

Well, we survived furlough (Sep 08 - Jan09) and are back into the life
of Botswana once again. Furlough was a great time of getting caught
up with family and friends and it was especially great to have
Christmas with family.
Some unfortunate and unexpected 'happenings' occured here while we
were in OZ which have resulted in some matters having to be handed
over to the law to deal with. That has been very sad for us, but we
know that even in things which seem meant for evil God can work the
same circumstances for His good - just like He did with Joseph when he
was sold into slavery and taken to Egypt.

It has been exciting though to see how God has been working in some
lives while we were gone. We praise Him for the growth in grace that
is a joy to see in several individuals.

With all that has happened of recent days, as well as little bits and
pieces of conversations, conferences, and other experiences combined
with a few chats with our pastor and my brother, we have begun some
research into 'shame cultures' and what we have found is just amazing
for us. We have had so many pieces of information told to us over the
years, and we have had 'cross-cultural' insights given at Bible
College, Mission Orientation and then even a Cross-cultural
Communications course, but for the first time so much is making
sense. The understanding and ramifications of 'shame culture' do not
magically make everything easy, but it does impact incredibly on
effectively sharing the gospel and ongoing discipleship here in
Botswana and for sure in other settings as well. If there is anyone
else out there who might wish to comment on this topic and share
insights, we welcome feedback.

Since coming back we have also expanded our family to include another
dog - Zac - a cute Labrador puppy. His name is derived from the word
ANZAC - 'cos of the great Aussie biscuit slice of the same name -
since it is Aussie, and a food (almost all our animals are named after
foods, and mostly Aussie foods), and the main ingredients are oats and
syrup - the colours of Zac......He's really cute!