Wow friends, I have so much I (Kriek) want to share with you! We are settled in our new house and loving it. There are a few more boxes begging to be unpacked, but they just need to show me some patience and mercy! It has been really hot and humid and we have been enjoying our little pool (or rather a cuddle puddle). We had no water for 3 days and we were taking water from the swimming pool to flush the toilets and we took our baths in the pool! So we were really thankful for the pool then! (Oh, on the third day the city council sent a truck to give water to all the houses. We were running like ants trying to get empty containers to fill. Two hours later the water was back!)

Since being back I have led 2 trips; one with 6 ladies from USA and another with 20 (really fun) Canadians. After being gone for so long it was so good to be back and to see the kids and many of the ladies. I was in bad shape when we left last year, but I could truly see how God has restored my love and passion for the people and kids of Swaziland. Part of my prayers while being in the States was for God to ‘make me feel again'. I felt like I was ‘just going through the motions', lacking joy, love and passion for what we were doing. But while spending time at the carepoints now, my heart was overwhelmed with love at times for some of the kids. I even had to wipe away a tear or two a few times. I know it is God who has touched my heart!

(Oh, I went on a home visit to one of my favorite little girls. I thought it was just her and 2 siblings. With a shock I discovered that there are 7 young children living on the very small and primitive homestead. I have never seen any man around and I have no idea how this mother takes care of all her children. It really breaks my heart to see this!)

But I believe there were more to the tears! I think it is also God preparing my heart ... for motherhood. After lots of prayers (from lots of friends), God has heard our prayers and He is blessing us with a little Gerber baby of our own. Yes, for those of you who haven't read it on Facebook yet, I am pregnant! It is amazing!

God is so faithful! We have been trying for about 3 years and at some stage we even thought that we might never have our own children. We had peace with whatever God was doing; it was sometimes just hard to deal with the monthly disappointment. But we were trusting God! While being in the States 2 different people confirmed that God has seen our heart's desires and heard our prayers. He was going to do something soon. We were just not sure when that soon was going to be! Our soon might not be His soon!

But it seems like God's soon was this time our soon! We praise Him for this little life growing in me! It is still very early and we ask that you continue to pray with us for this precious Gerber baby. But we are excited and we want to enjoy each moment of God's goodness!