A Day in South Africa...

Yesterday, a dear new friend, Kim, took us on a coffee date in South Africa (30 minutes across the border).  It was so enjoyable to see such a different side of Africa at Living Life Coffee Shop.  We also picked up our new Irish Wolfhound pup, Caoimhe or "Keevah".  Caoimhe means "gentle" in Gaelic.

Living Life has an awesome playground for the kids!

Meeting Caoimhe!

Meet the Amazing Auntie Kim!  She takes her role as the MK Auntie very seriously, which we love!

Getting Caoimhe across the border. 

Pray with me today...

 "But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumph, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God's Word; but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ." 
2 Corinthians 2:14-17. 

If you pray for us today, join me in my prayer this morning as I looked at my hill outside my kitchen window.  Pray that Sam, myself, Elaina and Sawyer will be a fragrance of Christ among these mountains.  Pray that we will be sincere in our love and that we will be diligent in this work of spreading the knowledge of His hope.  Pray these things also for our MAF team.  

The Danforth Pad in Maseru, Lesotho!

Check out our new home for the next few years!

The hill I see each day from my yard and kitchen window.  I love washing dishes and looking at that hill and praying over the Basotho who live in the mountains this winter.

Our front yard is mostly cement, which has become a joke amongst the Danforth Four.
We may open the Danforth Roller Rink Skate Park in our front yard :)

Our driveway/roller rink/skate park 

The side of our house currently has patches of some kind of garden.

And who DOESN'T want THAT in their garden?

The tacky playground has GOTTA GO, but I'm sharing a pic for your amusement.

Laundry lines in the backyard. 

Also in the backyard.  Wonder if there are any stories on the ricochet effect of a brick wall target.

Mailing Address...

Our mailing address for the next few years will be:

Sam Danforth

c/o MAF Lesotho

 PO Box 931 

Ladybrand 9745 

South Africa 

*PLEASE mark on any packages "GIFT, no commercial value" to avoid us paying any unnecessary fees.

WHAT TO EXPECT FOR COMMUNICATION IN GENERAL:

Our Danforth Four Newsletters will come out quarterly.  If do not currently receive these and would like to, please contact us!  You can sign up for hardcopy or e-letters.  These will take the place of the periodic email updates we used to send out.

This blog and our facebook will continue to be updated.  We may have limited communication the first month or so in Lesotho as we settle in and try to put down new roots.

We will find out our phone and facetime/skype capabilities when we arrive.

SUPPORT and one-time gifts should continue to be sent to:

Mission Aviation Fellowship 

P.O. Box 47 

Nampa, ID 83653 

Account: Danforth 9017

Little Goodbyes...

Little Danforths have just as great a need for healthy closure and meaningful goodbyes as Big Danforths.  Elaina and Sawyer have said many goodbyes to little friendlies recently.  Every once in awhile they have the opportunity to say goodbye to a big friendlie who has invested in their lives.

This week, Elaina did lunch with someone very special to us.  This someone poured love, joy, energy, and sound teaching into Elaina during her kindergarten year in the public school system.  This someone is a bright spot in the journey of our lives because of her investment in Elaina.  Teachers, don't be fooled.  Your one year with a room full of students can impact a child for life if they can sense your love and joy during their formative years.  Thank you, Mrs. Steil, for the gift of love you shared with us and all the other elementary friendlies!

Cousin Fun...

Sam's brother and his family came to visit for one last cousin shabang and goodbye.  The cousins had a sleepover in the sunroom, drove the ranger, and picked cherries.  A pretty good weekend, I'd say!  This is mostly for Momdee who lives in Africa and needs to see pictures of her grandbabies :)

Cousin Sleepover!

Ranger Drive Lessons!

Picking cherries!

What is it like to be commissioned?

What is it like to be commissioned by your church for overseas service?  That entirely depends on how deeply you've invested in them and they in you.  It entirely depends on if God has given you those moments where you get to stick together through thick and through thin.  It entirely depends on if you have been fiercely loved and fervently prayed over by a few special ones sitting in those pews.  It entirely depends on if you look out in that sea of faces and could shed tears over the specific sacrifices that you know THEY are making to send you overseas.  It entirely depends on if you have the body of Christ like we have at Grace Fellowship Church.

Sunday July 14, 2013 our body of Christ commissioned us for service overseas.  What a powerful day it was.  I can't quite muster up the words to describe what it meant to us.  Powerful message, powerful emotions, and powerful bonds of love that have been established over time.  We love this family.

"The harvest is PLENTIFUL, but the laborers are few; THEREFOR PRAY EARNESTLY to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” (Mat 9:37). But when you do, know that the Lord might just see your hand raised.  -Pastor Rob Borkowitz

These little VBS friends raised money for our vehicle fund!  Such an honor to receive!

The Double Meyer Hug :)  This whole family means so much to us.