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We see how God has always been working in our stories as we tell them. Our prayer for you is that you start finding Him in your stories too.
Why God Gives Us Friends
“As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.” Proverbs 27:17
These two boys (and the tagalong little brother) excavate the edges of their creativity, bravery, strengths and weaknesses in the security of an unbreakable friendship. That’s how God designed it. You become the fullest version of yourself and experience the fullest version of Him in the context of accepting, loving relationships.
Today, we play.
“We are never more fully alive, more completely ourselves, or more deeply engrossed in anything than when we are playing.” -Charles Schaefer
The Ladd family adults have had a heavy week. I haven’t been showing up for my kids the way I want to. So today, we play. Sunshine, peanut butter sandwiches, bodies in action. I don’t need to wait until it feels better.
The Sky’s the Limit!
Benjamin has been BEGGING to build at the Cape Town Science Centre. We had an exciting morning building, breaking, learning and sliding!
Another Day. Another Donkey.
A morning at Anna Beulah Farm with the little guys was a beautiful breath of fresh air. We all needed the car ride, peace and donkeys!
The same path. The Shepherd’s path.
I've lived in Cape Town for almost eight years. That's the longest I've lived anywhere since I was 18. We got dealt a few hard blows upon arrival in the city we left everything for... so hard my stomach twisted in knots at the sight of that big, beautiful Table Mountain.
Eight years later, I've learned to love this city through the lens of special needs parenting and "a church to call home, a family to call our own". I know how the weather changes based on what side of the mountain you're on, to check tide times and wind speeds, and how to navigate the traffic.
Full Throttle Spring
Spring is blooming in South Africa! It’s the perfect time of the year to put all fives senses to work in God’s glorious creation. You can’t help but encounter the Creator in the midst of it. I relished in watching and cheering the littlest Ladds on as they did exactly what they were meant to do - found the perfect walking sticks, dug in the dirt, studied footprints and tracks, threw rocks that were way too big, climbed, jumped, balanced, and rolled.
Happy Father’s Day, Chis!
We celebrated Father’s Day on Saturday morning with an epic trip to one of our favorite places in Cape Town - the Friends of the South African Air Force Museum! (See our post from last week about it!) Chris has never been able to come with us, and it’s right up his alley. Passionate volunteers giving their time, tankers, fighter jets, legendary stories and equipment, plus the BEST burgers and wors rolls of all time.
🙌It's the Friday Call to Worship!🙌
Yesterday, I was part of a "hike" with a pair of five-year old best friends. They had a map, binoculars, super hero figurines, and the electrifying energy of friendship in the wild. Their hearts were set for adventure. They would seek it until they found it. In fact, everything was an adventure because they were looking for one. The same paths they've walked since they could walk played out like a symphony in their spirits - the songs of the Cape frogs, the moss-covered climbing rocks, the slippery bridge and twisty trees, and the cold waterfall foaming into the perfect rock-throwing target.
The Power of Passion
Benjamin is all about soldiers. He’s got his own “soldier table” at home where he lines up miniature soldier figures over and over again. (Usually in rugby formations, telling me I have to cheer for Lifa’s team!) The Friends of the South African Air Force Museum is right down the road from our house. It is operated by a group of passionate volunteers every Saturday morning. Naturally, we call it “The Soldier Museum”.
We Saw Hope Float
Yesterday the boys and I went to the V&A Waterfront to check out @logoshope_southafrica It’s the world’s largest floating book fair! Even more importantly,it’s a huge vessel with a huge mission. We were awed by this mighty missional tool to take literature, education and the Word of God all over the world. It was extra special to watch a young man take time to walk Lifa through an interactive experience of The Prodigal Son and show him new ways to spread the Gospel.
The Day We Became Hikers
Something changes the moment you take that first deep breath of mountain air. It’s Creator-air. It fills your lungs with the good stuff and somehow makes any other “bad stuff” dissolve for a while…