Dear Family and Friends,
It is now 5 weeks after the birth of our precious daughter REJoyce Zoe Ndecheck on June 14th. These past 5 weeks have been a growing time for our family. Jackson was able to finish his studies and is enjoying a bit of a break now. I have been able to recover quickly from the birth which has been such a great blessing. Last night REJoyce slept for 6 hours straight, which was the breakthrough we as somewhat sleep deprived parents had been waiting for J.
Our 21 month old daughter Hope Shekinah absolutely loves her little sister and this morning she was able to get her to stop crying when I couldn’t; I was in the kitchen, REJoyce was in the car seat and she was crying. Then Hope came in and before I knew it REJoyce had stopped crying. So I really wondered what she had done. When I looked I saw Hope was rocking the car seat back and forth, sending REJoyce into a peaceful nap. I am so blessed with these two precious girls!
Jackson has been such a blessing to me as well having taking this time off. He took REJoyce for a walk this morning so I could sleep an extra two hours and he frequently goes to the pool or beach with Hope. In this new season we are definitely growing as a family and trying to figure out the best routine for daily life. I am very grateful to be on maternity leave so I don’t have to worry about working and can really focus on the children, the ever growing pile of laundry and the food we are to eat.
Looking forward Jackson is going to be putting into practice much of what he has been trained for over the past years. With the Word by Heart (where he memorized the Gospel of Mark) training he is going to be presenting here in Kona, but also in the UofN workshop at Tijuana Mexico in September.
With his Community Development training he will be taking a team to Nigeria and Cameroon this October-November period to focus on Water & Health Care. If you would like more information about this trip and are interested in joining Jackson, please send an e-mail to: thuisfrontja@gmail.com
The girls and I will be spending time with my family in the Netherlands when Jackson travels and he will join us there after his trip so we can all spend Sinterklaas and Christmas in the Netherlands!
Here in Kona we are also looking forward to the arrival of three Dutch people: next week our friend Jessica arrives to work here on the campus as a mission builder for the summer. The mission builder program is a way to serve the Kona campus by a 40 hour work week in exchange for free room and board. In addition time is spent in daily devotions and weekly activities. We look forward to spending time with her when she is free!
Then in September my sister Martine and her friend Judith are coming for a vacation in Hawaii. I know Hope is going to love going swimming with her aunty and we are all going to love catching up with them.
Thank you so much for all the congratulations cards you sent for the birth of our daughter REJoyce. Thank you also for your continued support in prayers and finances.
Blessings,
Jackson & Anneke, Hope and REJoyce
