The Squirrels are Playing and the Baboons are Barking

Well, its now been a couple of months since we moved house to a small
village just a few minutes outside Gaborone - it will probably be
swallowed up into the 'greater Gaborone' area in a few years time!

The area we have moved to is however, not right in the middle of the
village - rather it is on the very edge and also on the edge of a
small hill. (Yes there are a few small 'hills' on the eastern side of
Botswana - most of them look like someone piled up a bunch of rocks -
because the area around each hill is still very flat and the hills are
very rocky - hence a reason why our house is made from stones.)

Apart from an abundance of trees, cool clean air, and wonderful views,
we have also been blessed with the sounds of nature around us. The
bird life is prolific and we have some other 'wildlife' around us as
well. Apart from a few scorpions, one snake and a bazillion ants some
of which are of a gigantic 25mm long, we have lots of vervet monkeys
who love to gorge themselves on marula fruit on the tree at the bottom
of our garden area, several cute squirrels, a mongoose here and there
and baboons. The baboons we don't see too often but we hear them
'barking' a lot from wherever they are further up the hill.

We have gone through what many would call 'trials' of various kinds
over the years of our time in Botswana, and even having to move house
this last time seemed like a huge trial. We didn't want to move, even
though the house continued to have leak problems - we liked the house
and location and had decided we would just put up with the leaks.
However, God so arranged it that we had no choice when the landlord
decided to change his mind and not renew the lease and demolish the
house instead. At the time we would say to ourselves that if God was
moving us on, He had something better in mind! We had no idea how
much better, 'better' could be!

The ambience, environment, size of house, landlord and his staff, and
garden are more than we could have ever imagined. I never imagined
living in a stone cottage with thatch roof and slate floors! Even
when friends have told us the Gaborone temperature has got up to
45degreesC, inside our house has not got above 30! This has done
wonders for better coping with my POTS issues, and is just so much
more refreshing. The whole environment is also so very much conducive
to a relaxed mind that can focus more easily on the research we are
now involved in with "Honour and Shame", ......and we almost didn't
even look at this house in the midst of our house-hunting efforts!

But God knew that despite the huge task of moving, this was the huge
blessing He had waiting for us. He has lavished His love upon us and
has given us a home far beyond what we could ever ask or think!