we are proudly sponsored by...

Stef and I ran into a friend on the street the other day. It was a typical chilly day and we both were wearing our nice jackets and ski caps.

"Are you guys sponsored by The North Face or what?" he asked. Zing!!

We shrugged and realized that we were totally decked out in gear from The North Face. It saved me last time I was here and I have been a loyal customer since, paying more for the quality when the time to buy outerwear came around.

Laughing about our friend's comment afterward, I thought it would be fun to give credit to the products that are rocking our world over here. Be prepared. When I say that we are spoiled missionaries, these products are the reason why.

First, The North Face. We have vests, jackets, hats... And we guard them with our lives. It is the warmest, lightest, most comfortable stuff on the planet. A better investment than Google stock (especially after last week - ouch).


Burt's Bees. The greatest lip balm we've ever known. We used a gift card at Academy and bought 3 little tins of it. We haven't even gone through one yet and our lips are wonderfully, luxuriously moistened every day. Buy Burt's Bees.


New Balance. Oh, boy, how we love those nerdy, gray New Balance sneakers. They are comfy and surprisingly rugged. Well, not so surprising since I've bought the same pair of New Balance 3 times over since I was in college. Do I have a problem with brand loyalty?

Apple. Talk about reliability... Our little, white Apple iBook G4 computer is still going strong after several years of hard work. Then, we were given an iPod that is allowing us to listen to podcasts and our music from home and making us feel so connected to home. Don't forget the iPod Shuffle (the little clip-on version) that discreetly allows us to study Scripture or just rock out during the day. We love Apple. (We especially love the "refurbished" stuff on the website - same stuff just cheaper!!)

Excedrin. If there is a better medicine for headaches, we haven't found it. Tension headaches, sinus headaches, migraine headaches...Excedrin has us covered.

Takamine. I don't know much about guitars. I was told by someone who does know something about music that my guitar from the EZ Pawn Shop was a great deal. Um, OK. All I know is that mine has been a hoss over here. It has been put through a meat-grinder and still holds it's tuning, sounds good, and carries it's rainbow-strap well. (Nothing cooler than a guy with a rainbow strap on his guitar. I oughta wear suspenders too.)

USAA. We have complete access to all of our finances over the internet and we have free ATM withdrawals in South Africa. And no fees for the currency conversion. The church just drops our funds in an account designated for our time here and we go pull it out of an ATM. They even emailed us to make sure that our purchases here in Africa were not fraud. They didn't freak out. Just emailed us and made a note of it all. Someone send this company flowers, please.

God. Best thing ever. Not in a smug, arrogant way. It's just been crazy how consistent the presence of God has been in this place. Being stripped of life leaves little to distract from God. Same God as in America. Just less stuff to distract us over here...except for Burt's Bees, The North Face, etc... :)

Have a good weekend, people. Darkness into light...