We're back in the USA!
The 15-hr flight home went much smoother than our flight there - mostly because we went in with a better game plan this time around now that we knew more what to expect!
Kathrynne (who had been very nervous about such a long flight the first time around!) told me as we got off the plane and back on US soil, "That flight just felt like it was a few minutes!!"
I told her, "Well, if you can survive a 15-hour flight and feel like it was easy, you can pretty much survive any flight!"
Other than a very messy bloody nose from one child, it was highly uneventful and all of us got good sleep. I finished two books, watched two movies, AND got in a good rest! 15 hours is a long time! 
I looked over during children's church on Sunday at Maubane and saw Kathrynne standing with two girls next to her like this.
Our kids were so nervous about going on this trip, but after a few days, they didn't want to leave! Everything we hoped this trip would be it was… and so much more.
Our kids now want to save more so we can give more. They have new appreciation for other cultures and have seen firsthand that there is so much we Americans can learn from people on the other side of the world.
They have seen new animals they've never seen before. They've experienced a completely new climate. They've eaten and drank many new foods and drinks. And they have realized that you don't need to speak the same language if you know how to speak love.
One of the things we talked to our kids about before we left was about how this was not a mission trip, but a relationship trip. We have so much to learn from the South Africans and they don't need quick fixes or Amercanized solutions, they need our friendship and love most of all.
Yes, we want to give in very practical and tangible ways, but the most important thing we can give is ourselves - to be WITH them, to listen to them, to let them know that they are not alone.
There were hard moments and awkward moments for each of our kids, but there were many, many moments when I saw them - all on their own - pushing past language barriers and cultural differences and just reaching out their hands and hearts in love. It was beautiful beyond words.
Coming home, our bodies are tired, but our hearts are so full and happy (and our kids are begging us to plan a return trip to South Africa ASAP!)
We took many other photos on this trip that were much more posed, but this photo above… THIS accurately captures the joy we experienced in South Africa as a family.
My family now understands why I'm so smitten with this country and they have all fallen fast in love, too! Silas, the child I expected would struggle the most on this trip with all the newness, said a few days before we left: "Do we HAVE to leave in a few days?? It feels like we've only been here for a day!!"
It was good to be away. We learned so much, we experienced so much, and we are coming home with renewed passion for giving and refreshed perspective on what really matters.
These are our forever friends in South Africa. We love these people more than words can express and we miss them so much already.
(These are the beautiful people who make up the Take Action Ministry team - two local South African families and the Fey's who moved to South Africa from the U.S.)
{It's a shame that none of us have any personality. As you can imagine, when we're together, it's just all stoic and quiet and boring. ;)}
What Would You Like Me to Blog About Our Trip?
Because I wanted to soak up the moments and be 100% present while we were in South Africa, I was offline most of the trip. It was good, but there is so much I want to share about our time there!
I have so many different post ideas, but I've love to know what YOU would most like for me to blog about our trip. Leave a comment with questions you'd love for me to answer in a post or a suggestion of a post idea. I'll read through your questions and suggestions and use them as a basis for the posts I write about our South Africa trip over the next few weeks.
For now, I'm headed to bed… But I do plan to hop back onto Periscope for my regular Morning Show at the usual 7:30 am CT time tomorrow morning! See you then!
Do you have a fun and frugal DIY idea to share? I'd love to hear about it! Read the submission guidelines and submit it 
