We left the States one year ago today! We are heading into Mozambique in the morning for the beginning of our outreaches. We were hoping to have a video that Brit and Alicia put together but we were having trouble uploading it. So, check back in a few weeks and hopefully it will be up.
Please pray for us and the rest of the mission staff as we are on outreach. Please pray for the team members as well as the local village people.
When Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Friday, June 11, 2010
June ALREADY ????
Wow, June 2010 is here and almost 1/2 over already!
The Raley family ... we celebrate living in South Africa for a year on the 24th!
Samaria Mission ... outreaches have begun and the mission staff is BUSY with all the preparations, teams and travels.
South Africa ... The World Cup begins TODAY! This is the first time ever in Africa.
Samaria Mission ... outreaches have begun and the mission staff is BUSY with all the preparations, teams and travels.
South Africa ... The World Cup begins TODAY! This is the first time ever in Africa.
Raley Family
Mark
Mark finished his first semester of Seminary and he is enjoying a little break from his school schedule ... Although his break so far has been full of many days of running around and collecting things for our hall bath and making sure things are getting fixed that need to. He is also busy preparing for outreaches and helping when and where needed with the mission.
Alicia
Our last post we told you about Alicia passing out - well happy to report that the stitches are out and the scar is not too bad. The headaches are pretty much gone and the scar is only a little tender. Thank you for praying. We praise the Lord for such a quick recovery.
before
after
Brit
We are happy to report that Brit has finished the 9th grade and is officially on summer (or I guess we should say winter) break. She started home school in October and managed to complete all of her subjects by the first week in June! She worked very hard and we are very proud of her.
She is 15 and if we were in the States she would have her permit. In South Africa you have to be 18 to get a drivers license. We take her out to the Mission Farm and let her practice driving. She is bummed about not getting her license when all her friends do but we have told her that she will be one ahead - she is learning to drive a standard and learning to drive on the wrong side of the car! She is like any typical 15 year old ... always wants to go to the farm for a practice driving!
Luke
We started home schooling Luke in April. Since we were pulling him from the school here in South Africa and home schooling him with an American curriculum we felt that he needed to start at the beginning of 3rd grade to make sure he understood everything. (side note - South Africa schools run from January to December with "holidays" throughout the year. So when we moved to South Africa and started the kids in school here last September they had to go in the grade they had just completed in the States. So Luke didn't officially start 3rd grade here until January) He is working very hard each day by completing 2 to 3 lessons in each subject. He is already ahead of schedule on the program. Our goal is to have him finished with 3rd and 4th grade by next May. For Luke this means taking school with us into Mozambique this year for the outreaches.
We want to have both of the kids on the American school schedule due to the fact that June - August we will be in Mozambique each year with the different teams that come on outreach. So this will be all around better for our family.
Luke also celebrated his 10th birthday. He invited a few friends to go play at the Maropa Entertainment World ... How does 18 holes of miniature golf for R10 each (which is about $1.50), a 6 laps in a go-cart for R20 per kid (which is about $2.75), and a walk through a bird and snake park for R5 per kid (which is about $0.75 per kid) sound? He had a great time and so did we.
Almost One Year!
We left the States last year on June 22nd and arrived to our new home in Polokwane, South Africa on June 24th. We have experienced so much in the last year. We are so thankful to be here serving the Lord and working with Samaria Mission. We will spend our 1st year anniversary in Matsilele, Mozambique on an outreach. This is the village that it all began in for us. More about our first year to come in a few weeks.
House
Our hall bathroom is almost finished. Hopefully by this time next week we will have 2 working bathrooms!!! Here is a little of the progress ...
Samaria Mission
The first outreach this year was the 4th Year Seminary Students. William & Sharyn as well as Gabriel and Nikki headed this team. It was a successful outreach and for some of the students their first time in Mozambique.
The mission staff has spent the last few Mondays in meetings doing last minute planning and organizing so that everything we will work smoothly with all of the different outreaches. We have packed and loaded most of the supplies for the teams and the rest will be finished this next week. This week the whole staff and their families gathered at the Mission Farm to have dinner with a family from New Zealand who is on their way to Zambia for 3 months to do mission work. We enjoyed the food and fellowship with them.
Please pray for the whole mission staff and our families as we begin the busiest time of year for us. We are all excited to see what the Lord has planned during all of the different outreaches. Pray for the people in the different villages in Mozambique. Pray that their hearts will be open to hear and see the good news of our Lord Jesus Christ! Here is a list of the different villages we will be ministering in ...
Mark
Mark finished his first semester of Seminary and he is enjoying a little break from his school schedule ... Although his break so far has been full of many days of running around and collecting things for our hall bath and making sure things are getting fixed that need to. He is also busy preparing for outreaches and helping when and where needed with the mission.
Alicia
Our last post we told you about Alicia passing out - well happy to report that the stitches are out and the scar is not too bad. The headaches are pretty much gone and the scar is only a little tender. Thank you for praying. We praise the Lord for such a quick recovery.
before 
afterBrit
We are happy to report that Brit has finished the 9th grade and is officially on summer (or I guess we should say winter) break. She started home school in October and managed to complete all of her subjects by the first week in June! She worked very hard and we are very proud of her.
She is 15 and if we were in the States she would have her permit. In South Africa you have to be 18 to get a drivers license. We take her out to the Mission Farm and let her practice driving. She is bummed about not getting her license when all her friends do but we have told her that she will be one ahead - she is learning to drive a standard and learning to drive on the wrong side of the car! She is like any typical 15 year old ... always wants to go to the farm for a practice driving!
Luke We started home schooling Luke in April. Since we were pulling him from the school here in South Africa and home schooling him with an American curriculum we felt that he needed to start at the beginning of 3rd grade to make sure he understood everything. (side note - South Africa schools run from January to December with "holidays" throughout the year. So when we moved to South Africa and started the kids in school here last September they had to go in the grade they had just completed in the States. So Luke didn't officially start 3rd grade here until January) He is working very hard each day by completing 2 to 3 lessons in each subject. He is already ahead of schedule on the program. Our goal is to have him finished with 3rd and 4th grade by next May. For Luke this means taking school with us into Mozambique this year for the outreaches.
We want to have both of the kids on the American school schedule due to the fact that June - August we will be in Mozambique each year with the different teams that come on outreach. So this will be all around better for our family.
Luke also celebrated his 10th birthday. He invited a few friends to go play at the Maropa Entertainment World ... How does 18 holes of miniature golf for R10 each (which is about $1.50), a 6 laps in a go-cart for R20 per kid (which is about $2.75), and a walk through a bird and snake park for R5 per kid (which is about $0.75 per kid) sound? He had a great time and so did we.
Almost One Year!
We left the States last year on June 22nd and arrived to our new home in Polokwane, South Africa on June 24th. We have experienced so much in the last year. We are so thankful to be here serving the Lord and working with Samaria Mission. We will spend our 1st year anniversary in Matsilele, Mozambique on an outreach. This is the village that it all began in for us. More about our first year to come in a few weeks.
House
Our hall bathroom is almost finished. Hopefully by this time next week we will have 2 working bathrooms!!! Here is a little of the progress ...
Samaria Mission
The first outreach this year was the 4th Year Seminary Students. William & Sharyn as well as Gabriel and Nikki headed this team. It was a successful outreach and for some of the students their first time in Mozambique.
The mission staff has spent the last few Mondays in meetings doing last minute planning and organizing so that everything we will work smoothly with all of the different outreaches. We have packed and loaded most of the supplies for the teams and the rest will be finished this next week. This week the whole staff and their families gathered at the Mission Farm to have dinner with a family from New Zealand who is on their way to Zambia for 3 months to do mission work. We enjoyed the food and fellowship with them.
Please pray for the whole mission staff and our families as we begin the busiest time of year for us. We are all excited to see what the Lord has planned during all of the different outreaches. Pray for the people in the different villages in Mozambique. Pray that their hearts will be open to hear and see the good news of our Lord Jesus Christ! Here is a list of the different villages we will be ministering in ...
Mbeti
Mbuzi
Matsilele (we will be on this outreach)
Panhame (we will be on this outreach)
Xicumbane
Tchale & Mabuzanne (we will be on this outreach with our sending church -PABC!)
Xicumba (we will be on this outreach)
Since this is the year of the World Cup the youth at Christ Baptist Church (our local church here) is going on outreach to Matsilele on 23rd. They will hold a VBS with the focus on evangelism while holding soccer clinics and hosting a tournament with 3 other surrounding villages.Mbuzi
Matsilele (we will be on this outreach)
Panhame (we will be on this outreach)
Xicumbane
Tchale & Mabuzanne (we will be on this outreach with our sending church -PABC!)
Xicumba (we will be on this outreach)
World Cup
From the day we arrived in South Africa last June you could see all the preparations for the World Cup. As we entered our city there was a huge billboard with a count down on it. We remember it said 11 months as we passed by. Polokwane has been busy cleaning up the city, fixing pot holes and repairing roads, businesses have been cleaning up their store fronts, banners and flags have gone up all over town, the stadium has been completed with the finishing touches put on last month, decorative statues and flower gardens on the main roads welcoming everyone to the FIFA 2010 games! Count downs all over town now say things like "let the games begin" and "can you feel it". For the last several months we have heard people blowing their vuvuzela's off and on throughout the day. In fact we woke up this morning and heard someone starting to blow theirs at 6:45 am and our neighbors across the street have been blowing theirs all afternoon.
When we told the kids that we were moving here one of the things that Brit (our soccer player) wanted to do was attend the World Cup. Then we found out they were building one of the 10 stadiums in our city and that 4 games would play here. Mark started checking into tickets several months ago and everything we found were just SOOOOOO expensive. We began to tell Brit that there was just no way we could afford tickets to a game. She of course was disappointed. To be so close and not see a game. Mark kept looking and we found out that we would qualify for the South African ticket price since we reside here. So we applied and we were able to get tickets to the Greece vs Argentina game on the 22nd. So we are excited to say that we will get to watch one of the World Cup games in person for only $20 a ticket!
Here is a little of what Polokwane looks like right now ...
From the day we arrived in South Africa last June you could see all the preparations for the World Cup. As we entered our city there was a huge billboard with a count down on it. We remember it said 11 months as we passed by. Polokwane has been busy cleaning up the city, fixing pot holes and repairing roads, businesses have been cleaning up their store fronts, banners and flags have gone up all over town, the stadium has been completed with the finishing touches put on last month, decorative statues and flower gardens on the main roads welcoming everyone to the FIFA 2010 games! Count downs all over town now say things like "let the games begin" and "can you feel it". For the last several months we have heard people blowing their vuvuzela's off and on throughout the day. In fact we woke up this morning and heard someone starting to blow theirs at 6:45 am and our neighbors across the street have been blowing theirs all afternoon.
When we told the kids that we were moving here one of the things that Brit (our soccer player) wanted to do was attend the World Cup. Then we found out they were building one of the 10 stadiums in our city and that 4 games would play here. Mark started checking into tickets several months ago and everything we found were just SOOOOOO expensive. We began to tell Brit that there was just no way we could afford tickets to a game. She of course was disappointed. To be so close and not see a game. Mark kept looking and we found out that we would qualify for the South African ticket price since we reside here. So we applied and we were able to get tickets to the Greece vs Argentina game on the 22nd. So we are excited to say that we will get to watch one of the World Cup games in person for only $20 a ticket!
Here is a little of what Polokwane looks like right now ...
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
The Story of Why Alicia Passed Out
For those of you who don't know I (Alicia) passed out on Tuesday evening around 6 pm. I want to thank all of my friends and family who have been praying for me. For the most part I am doing fine. I just don't have my normal energy and I am battling a headache that comes and goes with different pain levels. I am sure in a few days time it will be better. As today went on I discovered more areas on my face that I must have hit that are so sore and my neck is pretty stiff but that too will heal in time. Many have asked "why" I passed out. Sorry to keep you waiting but this is the first time I have really had the energy to sit and type. So here it is ...
Several years ago I passed out for the first time. Since then there were random times. Places I have passed out ... San Angelo fair, home (more than once), on the airplane as we were waiting to get off the plane, at target, and almost at a football game. I have hit my head a few times before but never anything more than a goose egg. It has been over 3 years, I think, since I have passed out. At one point I went to the doctor and he told me I had Vasovagal Syncope. I am fine it is just something that happens from time to time with certain "triggers" like dehydration, stress, pain, stomach aches and list can go on and on. I feel it come on and some times I can breathe my way through it. Passing out is not the problem. When it happens I am only out a minute or so. The problem is when I pass out I tend to fall and that is where the danger comes in.
Tuesday night we had just finished eating dinner (McDonald's) and we were sitting on the couch relaxing. My stomach started hurting and I didn't feel so great. I headed to the bathroom and immediately felt light headed. I tried to breathe through it and I started asking Jesus to help me through this and not let me pass out. I yelled for the kids and Mark, yelling their names and help (all our walls are brick so sound doesn't travel well). Luke came running and I told him to go get daddy I was about to pass out. He ran out to get him. The next thing I know I am on the ground and Mark is rubbing my arm talking to me, telling me to wake up, calling my name etc. I opened my eyes and knew I had passed out. My head hurt and I just didn't feel good. He then told me I was bleeding. Apparently, I feel forward straight on my forehead and hit the tile. Brit walked in the bathroom in front of Mark and I was laying on my face in a little blood. Mark rolled me over and then I came to. They called a friend here who was able to tell Mark where to take me. She called and told them we were on the way. I hurt so bad, my head, my left cheek bone and my tongue. I was also nauseated. Luke got me a bucket to take in the car, Brit got me a wash cloth to put over my cut and we headed out. Brit sat in the back with me. I was alert but just felt like I needed to keep talking. Didn't matter what just needed to keep speaking. Then I started to throw up. Poor Brit was trying to help me but found herself almost getting sick. So she rolls down the window and holds her head out trying to gain composure. We finally get to the clinic and Mark helps me out of the car. My head is throbbing and I can feel blood dripping down the back right side of my head. The wash cloth that is on my cut is stuck to it and I am holding the side of my head. We walk up to the door and a security guard asks how we are doing tonight. I chuckled and told him that I had been better. We go in and the receptionist has Mark fill out some paper work, I ask to sit down and then I decided I need to go the bathroom. After that the doctor told me to go lay down in the room. He asked what happened and then he started to look at my head. He said that I was not cut on the back it was just the blood from the cut on my forehead. I laid back and he started to clean me and give me the local injection to numb me. He poked me 7 or 8 times and then started to stitch me up. Meanwhile the kids and Mark are in the room with me. We are talking to the doctor etc. Luke left the room and came back telling his daddy he didn't feel well. The doctor told him to sit down. All of a sudden he threw up right there on the floor by Mark. (Today Luke told me he was watching the doctor and when he got the the third stitch he didn't feel good so he walked out to the waiting room. He said he sat down and felt dizzy so he put his hands on his head and then went to tell Mark.) Meanwhile, Brit just saw her brother throw up and she was trapped in the room. She got out of the only chair in there and then walked to the other side so she could just focus on me. The way she kept herself from throwing up was laughing. Poor Mark, got Luke to sit down and then he went to get a mop and start cleaning up. Then doctor finished my cut. He said it is a little over two inches and it was not a clean cut. I had also torn a blood vessel so he had to stitch that as well. We headed home. So that is the story. I am fine just part of my life sometimes. I am so thankful that Mark was here and not in Mozambique at the time and that we were able to get the help needed. I am also so thankful that my injuries are not worse than they are!
On top of all this Mark had two tests to take in Seminary on Wednesday. Amazing how the enemy will use anything to distract. Praise the Lord he did the best ever on his tests.
After calling both our mom's yesterday we posted on facebook. Here was Mark's status (it made for some fun comments and a few good laughs) ...
Mark Raley ... wife Passes out...gash on forehead...new to country so had to call friend to find where to go... blood soaked hair... trip to doctor's office... kiddo gets sick when mom gets injection... dad cleans puke while wife gets stitches...daughter just laughs during the process as a way to deal with stress...WOW What a Night!!!
There were several comments with questions ... Here are a some of the questions and a few of the answers ...
Q. Why did you pass out
A. See above
Q. Are you ok?
A. I am sore but I will be fine
Q. Do they know how to do good stitches over there?
A. They did fine
Q. Did they give you anesthesia?
A. Yes they gave me a local
Q. Did you have to bite on a piece of leather while they stitched it?
A. No
Q. Did they have to shave any of your hair off to do it?
A. No, they didn't
Q. Who found you on the floor?
A. They were all on their way but Brit saw me first
Q. Who drove you to the hospital or vet clinic--whichever they have over there!!
A. Mark and it was a human clinic!
Q. Did I see Dr. Mark?
A. No, it was one of his partners
Q. Are you eating?
A. Yes, not as much/slight nausea off an on today but did eat 3 meals.
Q. That must have been scary for the family
A. Yes, not much fun for them to see me like that
Thank you for your prayers. Here are a few pictures for you.
Several years ago I passed out for the first time. Since then there were random times. Places I have passed out ... San Angelo fair, home (more than once), on the airplane as we were waiting to get off the plane, at target, and almost at a football game. I have hit my head a few times before but never anything more than a goose egg. It has been over 3 years, I think, since I have passed out. At one point I went to the doctor and he told me I had Vasovagal Syncope. I am fine it is just something that happens from time to time with certain "triggers" like dehydration, stress, pain, stomach aches and list can go on and on. I feel it come on and some times I can breathe my way through it. Passing out is not the problem. When it happens I am only out a minute or so. The problem is when I pass out I tend to fall and that is where the danger comes in.
Tuesday night we had just finished eating dinner (McDonald's) and we were sitting on the couch relaxing. My stomach started hurting and I didn't feel so great. I headed to the bathroom and immediately felt light headed. I tried to breathe through it and I started asking Jesus to help me through this and not let me pass out. I yelled for the kids and Mark, yelling their names and help (all our walls are brick so sound doesn't travel well). Luke came running and I told him to go get daddy I was about to pass out. He ran out to get him. The next thing I know I am on the ground and Mark is rubbing my arm talking to me, telling me to wake up, calling my name etc. I opened my eyes and knew I had passed out. My head hurt and I just didn't feel good. He then told me I was bleeding. Apparently, I feel forward straight on my forehead and hit the tile. Brit walked in the bathroom in front of Mark and I was laying on my face in a little blood. Mark rolled me over and then I came to. They called a friend here who was able to tell Mark where to take me. She called and told them we were on the way. I hurt so bad, my head, my left cheek bone and my tongue. I was also nauseated. Luke got me a bucket to take in the car, Brit got me a wash cloth to put over my cut and we headed out. Brit sat in the back with me. I was alert but just felt like I needed to keep talking. Didn't matter what just needed to keep speaking. Then I started to throw up. Poor Brit was trying to help me but found herself almost getting sick. So she rolls down the window and holds her head out trying to gain composure. We finally get to the clinic and Mark helps me out of the car. My head is throbbing and I can feel blood dripping down the back right side of my head. The wash cloth that is on my cut is stuck to it and I am holding the side of my head. We walk up to the door and a security guard asks how we are doing tonight. I chuckled and told him that I had been better. We go in and the receptionist has Mark fill out some paper work, I ask to sit down and then I decided I need to go the bathroom. After that the doctor told me to go lay down in the room. He asked what happened and then he started to look at my head. He said that I was not cut on the back it was just the blood from the cut on my forehead. I laid back and he started to clean me and give me the local injection to numb me. He poked me 7 or 8 times and then started to stitch me up. Meanwhile the kids and Mark are in the room with me. We are talking to the doctor etc. Luke left the room and came back telling his daddy he didn't feel well. The doctor told him to sit down. All of a sudden he threw up right there on the floor by Mark. (Today Luke told me he was watching the doctor and when he got the the third stitch he didn't feel good so he walked out to the waiting room. He said he sat down and felt dizzy so he put his hands on his head and then went to tell Mark.) Meanwhile, Brit just saw her brother throw up and she was trapped in the room. She got out of the only chair in there and then walked to the other side so she could just focus on me. The way she kept herself from throwing up was laughing. Poor Mark, got Luke to sit down and then he went to get a mop and start cleaning up. Then doctor finished my cut. He said it is a little over two inches and it was not a clean cut. I had also torn a blood vessel so he had to stitch that as well. We headed home. So that is the story. I am fine just part of my life sometimes. I am so thankful that Mark was here and not in Mozambique at the time and that we were able to get the help needed. I am also so thankful that my injuries are not worse than they are!
On top of all this Mark had two tests to take in Seminary on Wednesday. Amazing how the enemy will use anything to distract. Praise the Lord he did the best ever on his tests.
After calling both our mom's yesterday we posted on facebook. Here was Mark's status (it made for some fun comments and a few good laughs) ...
Mark Raley ... wife Passes out...gash on forehead...new to country so had to call friend to find where to go... blood soaked hair... trip to doctor's office... kiddo gets sick when mom gets injection... dad cleans puke while wife gets stitches...daughter just laughs during the process as a way to deal with stress...WOW What a Night!!!
There were several comments with questions ... Here are a some of the questions and a few of the answers ...
Q. Why did you pass out
A. See above
Q. Are you ok?
A. I am sore but I will be fine
Q. Do they know how to do good stitches over there?
A. They did fine
Q. Did they give you anesthesia?
A. Yes they gave me a local
Q. Did you have to bite on a piece of leather while they stitched it?
A. No
Q. Did they have to shave any of your hair off to do it?
A. No, they didn't
Q. Who found you on the floor?
A. They were all on their way but Brit saw me first
Q. Who drove you to the hospital or vet clinic--whichever they have over there!!
A. Mark and it was a human clinic!
Q. Did I see Dr. Mark?
A. No, it was one of his partners
Q. Are you eating?
A. Yes, not as much/slight nausea off an on today but did eat 3 meals.
Q. That must have been scary for the family
A. Yes, not much fun for them to see me like that
Thank you for your prayers. Here are a few pictures for you.
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