WE'VE GOT SO MUCH TO TELL YOU!

Some of our communication has been sparse lately, but it's not because we don't have anything to say. And it's certainly not because we aren't thinking of you and praying for you. My mom is landing in Cape Town in less than 48 hours. I'm reverberating with excitement (and a ninja baby in my belly). The goal here today is not to be poetic, but to get to the point... with bullet points.

The point:

God's love is so big and so visible in our lives.

You are a huge part of that!

What's been going on in Cape Town:

CHRIS:

He cut the mullet!
The main reason he cut the mullet is one of the brides in the two weddings he's officiating this month said it had to go. (Which was awesome.)
He has exchanged long distance running for long distance rowing on our home rowing machine. He somehow finds a happy place when he puts on many layers of clothing on a hot day and rows 25km.
He's decided to spend the next 90 days building muscle in personal training with our friend, David.
He has successfully navigated living with a toddler, teenager and pregnant wife for 9 months.
He has just become the leader in a local movement we are thrilled about. The local church is partnering with the local police station - by the police's request! Next week, Chris will be teaching and training a team of church members (including their police escorts) to do prayer walks. Chris has been dreaming of this opportunity since he started prayer walking in 2017 when we moved to Cape Town. The police are believing with us that crime levels will go down and peace in communities will go up. HOW COOL IS THAT!?!
The church is growing deep and wide under his humble and passionate leadership. He's continuously investing in the staff and inspiring new initiatives.

KACY:

I'M HAVING A BABY! Wyatt Christopher Ladd is due April 10, 2022. He's already clocking in at over 6lbs, showing no signs of an early departure, and is certainly working on his black belt.... which he will need to keep up with his brothers. This pregnancy has been blessed and beautiful!
MY MOM IS COMING! After six years apart, I can hardly wait for the next two days to crawl by. She's never met Benjamin face-to-face and has only spent a few days with Lifa when he was 7 years old. I cannot sit still or think about anything else!
I've wrestled through many tearful nights in the last several months, begging God for His wisdom and grace on how to parent a teen and toddler while carrying another baby - along with running two Bible studies and helping Chris lead the church. I have found the end of myself and recognized the need to cut back as my capacity waned. At the bottom of my abilities, I found a steadfast God, compassionate husband, and network of support larger than I ever realized. Parenting is not getting easier, but God has never wavered. The Church works, and I feel overwhelmingly blessed to be a part of ours.
I was recently surprised at our church by a Texas Rodeo themed baby shower! They even had a line dance caller! I could not have felt more loved, seen or celebrated than when I watched a room full of South African women in hats and boots, stomping and clapping to Shania Twain's, "Any Man of Mine".

LIFA:

Rugby season has started with a bang! Lifa has played two matches for his grade's A-team, and scored a try in both games! This is the first season with spectators allowed in two years! They are undefeated so far, and he gets to go on his first out of town trip without us for a rugby tournament this weekend.
The boy is cool. He's got dreadlocks, a very defined sense of fashion, and has suddenly become a young man.
He gets up at 5am every week day to go work out at his school's gym and then stays after school for rugby practice. He's growing stronger and more active by the day and is the apple of his little brother's eye.

BENJAMIN:

His 3rd birthday is fast-approaching, and it seems like he's growing in mind, body and will everyday. Such a strong will.
He sees the world through the lens of good guys and bad guys, and is always looking for the hero - usually found in his big brother.
We are seizing the opportunity to teach a version of the gospel that goes like this: "Good guys can make bad choices and still be good. And bad guys can become good guys any time they want, no matter what they've done. They just have to decide to join God's team."
He's navigating the waters of secure attachment after moving out of the baby room into the big boy room and with the imminent arrival of Baby Wyatt. He's working through anger and defiance. But at the end of the day, he rehearses all the "things he's done" so he can hear us tell him that Mom and Dad still love him when he disobeys or makes bad choices.
The child is still 100% uninterested in potty training. I'm counting on my mom to handle that for me.

THE FAMILY:

We've recently re-instilled family dinners after taking a break when all the schedules and changes were flipped upside down. It is the sweetest part of the day.
We're outgrowing our vehicles. We are prayerfully raising money for a van that we can all fit in. So far, we've raised a little over $10,000 in our $30,000 goal. God is so good!
We are still praying for visas! We submitted the application for mine and Benjamin's visas last year in July. The process is supposed to take 5 weeks, but due to backup in Home Affairs, we still don't have them. This could cause some hiccups in our ability to register Wyatt's birth. The next steps after registration of birth are to apply for Wyatt’s US birth certificate, passport, and then submit an application to home affairs for his South African visa. Once we have all of our visas, we can come visit the US.
We will also begin aggressively pursuing Lifa's paperwork as soon as I have a visa. He's already 14, and we only have until he's 18 to be able to advocate for his basic human rights, such as the ability to graduate, open a bank account, secure a job, travel and pursue higher education.

How's that for a snapshot update? We care about you, and are unspeakably grateful for how you've cared for us. Thank you for those who've read along, sent messages or emails, given financially or been friends in any capacity. It reminds me of 1 John 4:12 that speaks to our relationships with each other making God's love complete in us. I have experienced that firsthand with our church here in Cape Town and the global one around the world.

We will send out updates when we can but will be focusing on family and our local church in the weeks ahead. Feel free to reach out to us, and watch my social media accounts for photo updates!

"No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us." 1 John 4:12

The Great Big Ladd Family Update