On Roots

The other day while texting with our missions coordinator back in the states, I was filling her in on all the amazing things happening lately (the couch story & the great ex-pat sale among them!)
Then I told her that we have a chance to buy a vehicle for a really good price.  An SUV with 4WD that's great for driving on these crazy Tanzanian roads.  A diesel engine, a good history, and only a 3 year old engine in it.  And that's when she said:

"Putting down roots..."

I hadn't ever thought of it that way.

I mean, when we moved here that was it.  We'd sold nearly everything we owned back in America, this was already home in our heads and our hearts before we even stepped on the plane at the Charlotte airport. 

But slowly, over the past 2 1/2 years, we've definitely been putting down roots.  We've got our own place, we're acquiring more furniture, we've begun decorating our home. This is it for us. And it feels good.

And now to think that we will have a car makes it all so much more real. Yea, it's taken us over 2 years, lots of walks, lots of bumming rides, lots of taxi rides and car-sharing to bite the bullet, but it's here!  

We're so thrilled - over the moon - at the possibilities that await us having our own transportation!  There will be so much more we can go, do, serve and help others knowing we've got our own set of (quality, dependable) wheels! 

So we're rallying for help - because though the car is a great deal, it's still a big chunk of change :)

We need to raise $5000 to cover the cost of the car, plus the cost for the insurance and some minor work that needs to be done on it. 

To help raise funds I've created a cook book with 20 family recipes for breakfast, lunch/dinner & dessert.  The recipes are all tried and true, and the most-requested from family & friends when we've served them! 

We're accepting donations of any amount - but for donations of $15 or more given through our PayPal account (mrnmrs618@gmail.com) via the "Send Money to Friends & Family" button, each supporter will receive a link to download the PDF of the full-color, photo-filled cookbook!  

If you'd like to donate to our car fund, but don't need a cookbook, you can give a tax-deductible donation through our Church or through our Missions Organization.  

Please just e-mail us to notify the amount you donated toward the car fund, so we know to put it in that fund and not in our general support fund. 

A HUGE thank you for your generosity in advance - every dollar helps and we appreciate your gift!!

Check out the thermometer to the right to see our progress!