Hello everyone. I know it has been a little while. I guess you could say that I am just trying to keep my head above the water. It has been an extremely busy past few weeks for Liina and I.

Liina has been very busy with helping run a de-worming program for kids that Hands at Work is helping. Because of some different circumstances, Liina ended up co-leading this along with helping lead a team of people to help de-worming get done. I know that she felt stress through out the week, but she did an amazing job. I know that she really is understanding the community and how to work the different Home Based Cares. Also, it was great that she helped me this last summer with teams for english camps because that was great experience for her as she dealt with a team from Canada. After a week of hard work, they were able to help de-worm around 3000 kids and get them a small gift since Christmas is around the corner. This year, they did not do gifts like in the past, but provided gifts that would help the child and the care giver. In their bags, each child received a wash cloth, soap, toothbrush and paste, candy, and some received a water bottle. This year things had to be adjusted because many of the orphans and vulnerable children live with other care givers and their children. Often these children get more abuse and have more problems when they receive a gift and the other children don't. Orphans and vulnerable children have a hard life here and often get stigmatized at home, school, and in the community. Hands is working hard at educating the communities in how to deal with these children since the numbers are growing faster than anyone can keep up with. By the end of 2010, it is estimated there will be 20,000,000 orphans and vulnerable children with no one to look after them. It is going to be a hard battle as we will have the next generation of kids here in sub-Saharan Africa who will grow up with no parents. The numbers seem impossible, but as I have had the opportunity to walk along side the care workers in the different communities, they are making a huge difference. We just need to rejuvenate the church here in Africa to begin to take responsibility for their communities. It will be a slow process, but a fruitful process here. I look forward to watching over the years how the church responds to Africa.

I have been quite busy with continuing to help with organizational management. I have been really helping one of our donor and Hands with systems, team building, people management, conflict mediation, and building capacity into individuals on our team. I will admit that I love working with the people here. They are opposite of Estonians as they freely share their life and hardships that they are facing. I have developed some real deep friendships in such a short time that I know it will be hard to leave, but I know they will continue to grow to reach their potential. Also, God's hand has been on Liina and I in amazing ways. God has opened doors and has allowed us to meet people and be involved in things that we never thought we would or could. Because of some of these relationships, we have been able to open up some doors for Hands so they will have a better relationship one of the communities in which we work. God is an amazing artist and we are thankful to just to be the tools of His trade.

Though God has doing many great things, we have had many hard and frustrating days. Days where you wonder why am I really here or what am I doing here? But this is where knowing that God called us here for a reason has been a comfort. Through this process, God is refining us. Our faith has increased. Our character is getting more refined. God has increased our confidence in him. Liina and I feel our marriage is closer than it has ever been. It has been through this hardships that God has grown us. One quote that I came across many years ago is this: It is doubtful whether God can bless a man greatly until he has hurt him deeply. A.W. Tozer. I have often pondered this quote from time to time when facing hardships, but I think here in Africa I am just starting to understand this. Liina and I have been deeply wounded by the things that wound God. We are being ruined by Him, but we know that through this process we are becoming more like him. We are uncertain what will become of us after this experience, but we know we won't see things the same ever again. God has touched our souls with the things most important to him.

We only have around 2 weeks left, but we hope to make the most of every opportunity. Our time is pretty much booked till the time we leave, but we are excited to what lies before us. Starting Friday, we will be out living in the communities again. We were invited by Big Boy and Fortunate to spend a last weekend with them, then on Monday we will be off near Swaziland to assess a new community that needs help and assistance. This new community has been doing Home Based Care for patients, needy, and orphans for over the last 10 years without any help or assistance. They have a heart for their community that has helped many orphans have a chance for the future.

Thank you everyone for your continued thoughts, prayers, and facebook messages.

"This is pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father, to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world." James 1:27