Recently I noticed my neighbor's swelling belly and found out that in African culture you typically don't announce being pregnant. It is a secret for you and your husband until your belly is too big to hide. I was excited about this discovery because they are our direct neighbors, a young couple that we have eaten dinner with at least 3 times and they don't have any kids yet. Judging by her belly I was guessing she was about 6 months along.
Well, today there was a number of women gathered around her house coming in and out. An older woman came over and said something about Alima and a baby and it seemed she was inviting me to go with her. I wasn't sure what she was saying and thought maybe they do something to announce the pregnancy or something, like an African version of a baby shower?? So I followed her to find out.
I greeted the women sitting outside and a few more on stools inside the house. From behind a curtain I heard, "Tengi Mama Thailie!" (which means "Welcome", and they call you by your first born's name). I walked through the curtain into her dim bedroom to find her lying down with her breast uncovered. I thought, "Could she have actually had the baby?" I looked and there was a small bundle of kangas next to her. She sat up to greet me and the bundle let out a squawk. Picking it up she presented to me her tiny new baby girl! I could not believe it! It was an amazing surprise!
In Rangi culture, we have been told, no man is allowed to see the new mom for a month after the baby is born. They bring the baby out from time to time to show the husband and others, but only the women are allowed in to see the mother. No Rangi man knows what actually goes on during that month after the birth. I felt so privileged to be personally invited into this sacred time. I'm not entirely sure when the baby was born, but I'm pretty certain I got to hold her within her first 24hours of life outside the womb. It was so calm, so peaceful, so beautiful! It brought back all the desires I have had to be a midwife. I can't imagine what it would be like to be apart of a birth where the mother is in her own little home, surrounded by a handful of women with years of life and experience, who love her and care for her as she makes the transition into motherhood!
Monday, August 27, 2012
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Fresh Air
TODAY WAS A REALLY GOOD DAY (after a lot of hard ones!)
It seems funny to say that after the night I had last night though. Our team drove to a neighboring village to go to church today but our family stayed home because everyone was still sick. I was thinking I'd take the girls but after Nia threw up twice last night and had diarrhea, I figured we could all use some downtime at home. We have had such a struggle with sickness. Poor Nia has been sick for the majority of the month and in the few days she has felt ok, Thai has been sick. I'm not kidding, they literally alternate if not overlap. We have not had a day or night where both of them have been doing great. If one is sleeping, the other is up sick. Finally, after Nia battling fevers, Thai having diarrhea and both girls having ear infections (diagnosed by me, DR. Mom with my handy-dandy-otoscope. I could totally see which ears were infected and it lined up with the ears they said were bothering them. So I was thankful for that resource and knowledge.) Anyway, we were at a loss and decided to put them both on amoxicillin in hopes to wipe anything and everything out. (We figured it really couldn't get a whole lot worse!) Yep, that's right. Here in Africa you just go to the duka la dawa (dispensary) and ask for some amoxicillin. No dr., no prescription, just hand them the 2,000 shillings (less than $1.50US) and walk out with antibiotics. It is so crazy!
Now Thai seems to be doing much better but still has some pains after eating and Nia now seems to have what Thai is getting over. The last week or so she has been nursing more and eating real food less and less. The last few days she hasn't eaten more than a few bites of solid foods. So I am thankful that she is still nursing at least. (it was very odd however to change a diaper that looked like it came from a newborn!)
WE'VE GOT WATER!
So, sicknesses aside, (Mat also is battling a nasty head cold and stomach issues) like I said, we had a good day today. Mat and I were both able to be productive. It felt good to catch up on some of the house work and our bookshelf came so Mat organized our office and it looks great! He also went out and found someone to fill our water tank. We have a 10,000 liter water tank that runs to a spicket inside our kitchen where we get all our water. The rest of our team had there's filled when it was around half full. Well, lets just say we cut it probably as close as you can without officially running out! The way that you fill it is by asking around (in Kilangi) who will fill it and then you hire that person to fill it whatever way they are capable. The person we asked strapped water jugs to their bike and hauled it back and forth from the water spout about 1/2mi away. I can't imagine if we had to fill it! Peter said if you fill your own water tank you have really made it! Even he hires someone.
BEING A ZOO
We have had a lot of challenges with the kids around here. They just mob us. Calling to us through our windows, trying to watch us and see in, they jump our courtyard wall, surround our gate and our door anytime it is remotely open, they call out "Thailie, Nia" all day long, we have both had to chase them out with a stick or bricks because they DO NOT listen or care when we tell them to leave. One day Mat took the girls out for the day so I could get caught up around the house and I literally hid in my own house hoping the kids would think we were all gone and would leave me alone the rest of the day.
We had Rachel, a team member, talk to the kids in Swahili one day. We wanted them to know that when our gate is open, they are welcome and we want them to come play but they have been out of control and we don't want them yelling in our windows. They're really not bad kids, just poorly trained. That was helpful and recently there was a circumcision/initiation ceremony in an abandoned brick shack thing across from us ( yeah, that is a whole other story!) so now the boys stay there for awhile to heal so there are adults there through out the day who yell at the kids, throw bricks to scare them and there has even been an occasional caning to keep the kids in line and away from our house. Never in my life did I think I would thank my neighbor for throwing bricks at kids! Oh man, that sounds crazy but it is so normal! So, yeah. Things have been a lot quieter around here and we have been enjoying having our doors open without feeling like a reality show.
MAKING FRIENDS
Today one little boy that typically comes around, Idi (pronounced like the ice cream Edy's) was kinda around by our door so Thai sat in the doorway and they interacted. Another little boy or two showed up and they all kind of interacted and played until I had Thai grab some little animal pieces. They played just inside the door in our living area for a while. It was cute. We like Idi. He seems to be a sweetheart and he is very helpful and pretty respectful.
Then, later on one of our neighbor ladies stopped by and sat with us for awhile. It's funny because we can't communicate so we just sit there awkwardly and smile. It's their culture though. They just want to be with you. We really like her and her husband Jordan. (we don't actually know her name) They have had us over for dinner three times now and even served us duck which was really good!
She brought her granddaughter Fatuma with her who is probably just three. The girls like her and know her so when our neighbor left Fatuma stayed and played. This was an answer to prayer because Thai was wanting friends to play at our house who could come in but we just couldn't because it was always a mob of kids and once anyone saw any toys it was like Best Buy on Black Friday! So the girls played for a little while and then two other little neighbor girls came by and joined them. It was great! They played with babies, which wasn't the same because they don't have dolls so it is more fascination than actual role playing. Later Thai wanted to color and brought out coloring sheets for each girl and passed out markers. I'm pretty sure they have never colored before. They didn't really know what to do with them and the way they handled the markers definitely made it seem like they were very foreign to them. But they caught on and really enjoyed it. There was another neighbor girl probably 15-16 years old who came by and even she gestured to me like "What are they doing? What is this for?" She took one and drew a flower design on her hand (they are used to henna) she really enjoyed it and even asked if she could have the marker.
Well, unfortunately the sweet day of play had to come to an end because a bunch of kids showed up and turned into another crazy mob! But I am so thankful for today because with the escalating problem with the kids it has been overwhelming for Thai to get involved with the kids and she has been expressing more homesickness and missing her friends. I have prayed for good friends here and God provided a quiet day for her to play with some sweet neighbor kids.
WHAT'S THAT SMELL?
The last thing that was fabulous about today is we made bread! It is not the most beautiful bread but it sure tastes good! We baked it in an oatmeal can inside our pressure cooker. It's pretty amazing to bake without an oven! So I look forward to continuing experiments as we try other breads, treats and even cake!
It seems funny to say that after the night I had last night though. Our team drove to a neighboring village to go to church today but our family stayed home because everyone was still sick. I was thinking I'd take the girls but after Nia threw up twice last night and had diarrhea, I figured we could all use some downtime at home. We have had such a struggle with sickness. Poor Nia has been sick for the majority of the month and in the few days she has felt ok, Thai has been sick. I'm not kidding, they literally alternate if not overlap. We have not had a day or night where both of them have been doing great. If one is sleeping, the other is up sick. Finally, after Nia battling fevers, Thai having diarrhea and both girls having ear infections (diagnosed by me, DR. Mom with my handy-dandy-otoscope. I could totally see which ears were infected and it lined up with the ears they said were bothering them. So I was thankful for that resource and knowledge.) Anyway, we were at a loss and decided to put them both on amoxicillin in hopes to wipe anything and everything out. (We figured it really couldn't get a whole lot worse!) Yep, that's right. Here in Africa you just go to the duka la dawa (dispensary) and ask for some amoxicillin. No dr., no prescription, just hand them the 2,000 shillings (less than $1.50US) and walk out with antibiotics. It is so crazy!
Now Thai seems to be doing much better but still has some pains after eating and Nia now seems to have what Thai is getting over. The last week or so she has been nursing more and eating real food less and less. The last few days she hasn't eaten more than a few bites of solid foods. So I am thankful that she is still nursing at least. (it was very odd however to change a diaper that looked like it came from a newborn!)
WE'VE GOT WATER!
So, sicknesses aside, (Mat also is battling a nasty head cold and stomach issues) like I said, we had a good day today. Mat and I were both able to be productive. It felt good to catch up on some of the house work and our bookshelf came so Mat organized our office and it looks great! He also went out and found someone to fill our water tank. We have a 10,000 liter water tank that runs to a spicket inside our kitchen where we get all our water. The rest of our team had there's filled when it was around half full. Well, lets just say we cut it probably as close as you can without officially running out! The way that you fill it is by asking around (in Kilangi) who will fill it and then you hire that person to fill it whatever way they are capable. The person we asked strapped water jugs to their bike and hauled it back and forth from the water spout about 1/2mi away. I can't imagine if we had to fill it! Peter said if you fill your own water tank you have really made it! Even he hires someone.
BEING A ZOO
We have had a lot of challenges with the kids around here. They just mob us. Calling to us through our windows, trying to watch us and see in, they jump our courtyard wall, surround our gate and our door anytime it is remotely open, they call out "Thailie, Nia" all day long, we have both had to chase them out with a stick or bricks because they DO NOT listen or care when we tell them to leave. One day Mat took the girls out for the day so I could get caught up around the house and I literally hid in my own house hoping the kids would think we were all gone and would leave me alone the rest of the day.
We had Rachel, a team member, talk to the kids in Swahili one day. We wanted them to know that when our gate is open, they are welcome and we want them to come play but they have been out of control and we don't want them yelling in our windows. They're really not bad kids, just poorly trained. That was helpful and recently there was a circumcision/initiation ceremony in an abandoned brick shack thing across from us ( yeah, that is a whole other story!) so now the boys stay there for awhile to heal so there are adults there through out the day who yell at the kids, throw bricks to scare them and there has even been an occasional caning to keep the kids in line and away from our house. Never in my life did I think I would thank my neighbor for throwing bricks at kids! Oh man, that sounds crazy but it is so normal! So, yeah. Things have been a lot quieter around here and we have been enjoying having our doors open without feeling like a reality show.
MAKING FRIENDS
Then, later on one of our neighbor ladies stopped by and sat with us for awhile. It's funny because we can't communicate so we just sit there awkwardly and smile. It's their culture though. They just want to be with you. We really like her and her husband Jordan. (we don't actually know her name) They have had us over for dinner three times now and even served us duck which was really good!
She brought her granddaughter Fatuma with her who is probably just three. The girls like her and know her so when our neighbor left Fatuma stayed and played. This was an answer to prayer because Thai was wanting friends to play at our house who could come in but we just couldn't because it was always a mob of kids and once anyone saw any toys it was like Best Buy on Black Friday! So the girls played for a little while and then two other little neighbor girls came by and joined them. It was great! They played with babies, which wasn't the same because they don't have dolls so it is more fascination than actual role playing. Later Thai wanted to color and brought out coloring sheets for each girl and passed out markers. I'm pretty sure they have never colored before. They didn't really know what to do with them and the way they handled the markers definitely made it seem like they were very foreign to them. But they caught on and really enjoyed it. There was another neighbor girl probably 15-16 years old who came by and even she gestured to me like "What are they doing? What is this for?" She took one and drew a flower design on her hand (they are used to henna) she really enjoyed it and even asked if she could have the marker.
WHAT'S THAT SMELL?
The last thing that was fabulous about today is we made bread! It is not the most beautiful bread but it sure tastes good! We baked it in an oatmeal can inside our pressure cooker. It's pretty amazing to bake without an oven! So I look forward to continuing experiments as we try other breads, treats and even cake!
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Treading Water
It's so weird being here. We have had many struggles and I can't help but feeling like I'm treading water just trying to stay afloat. Some days I am so tired of swimming I think I can't go on one more day or move any farther and then I will get a break like a back float. A chance to catch my breath and just enjoy being. I don't gain a lot of ground on my back but at least I stop struggling and just enjoy.
It has become frustrating because I feel like one minute I can handle every frustration calmly with a smile and with grace and then the next second I am snapping at everyone and acting totally harsh and crazy. I hate it so much. This is not who I want to be. I guess your sin will find you out though. My proverbial bottle has been shaken and out spills craziness!
I try to feel thankful for the things that go well. Like being thankful that Nia is feeling better and sleeping better, yet Thailie is now very sick. So then I feel like, "Really?! Is two healthy kids too much to ask for?!"
I know that I am not seeking the Lord and trusting in Him alone. So it is very foolish to even be surprised by my struggles. The verses everyone put together for me from DG has been really helpful. They have been so encouraging and help recenter me each day. I need to fix my eyes on Jesus daily!
It has become frustrating because I feel like one minute I can handle every frustration calmly with a smile and with grace and then the next second I am snapping at everyone and acting totally harsh and crazy. I hate it so much. This is not who I want to be. I guess your sin will find you out though. My proverbial bottle has been shaken and out spills craziness!
I try to feel thankful for the things that go well. Like being thankful that Nia is feeling better and sleeping better, yet Thailie is now very sick. So then I feel like, "Really?! Is two healthy kids too much to ask for?!"
I know that I am not seeking the Lord and trusting in Him alone. So it is very foolish to even be surprised by my struggles. The verses everyone put together for me from DG has been really helpful. They have been so encouraging and help recenter me each day. I need to fix my eyes on Jesus daily!
Sunday, August 19, 2012
A Bit Catch Up
We have been in Africa for a month! Ok, so I need to catch up on a few things so that I can move on and hopefully keep a more up-to-date account on all that is happening!
SUPPLY RUN
This week Mat went to Kondoa with the team for our first official supply run. When he came back it was like Christmas! We were so excited to have simple things like two huge tubs of peanut butter, bread, mango juice, dry yeast, cocoa powder, vanilla flavoring, powdered sugar, and some other items that are very simple to come by in the States but not common here. It's kinda fun to have something as simple as PB&J be an exciting treat! He also used this time to google a few things at the internet cafe, send and receive our emails and mail off a few hand written letters. The girls and I stayed home due to space and ease, so after a day it was nice to have Mat back.
WE HAVE COME FOR OUR GOAT!
The last night of our home stay the Dr came home very drunk and was going on to Mat something about God, Peter, Mat and a goat. I walked out hearing Mat saying, "Sawa, Sawa." (good, good or yes, yes) Then he leaned over to me laughing and said, "I think we are sacrificing a goat to God tomorrow with the Dr and Peter!" Well, the next day we found out that we were not, in fact, sacrificing a goat, but they wanted to give us a goat because it was a blessing from God to have us stay with them. So, a few days later, sure enough, we went with Peter to see about picking up our goat (because of course Mat thought that having a goat would be an awesome idea!). They weren't quite ready so they had the kids deliver it later on that day.
Peter said it was a big goat and that we can get a lot of money for it if we sell it to the butcher and then we can just buy back some of the meat. We were joking with Thai about what we should name the goat. She came up with some name like Felecia at first and then later decided very matter of factly that we should name the goat "Butchered" since we will have him butchered! We bust out laughing. She now refers to him as "Butchered" or The Beast. (We put him in our shower house over night and in the morning she told me, "Mom, Daddy released The Beast!" So, for now we have a beast that wanders around our courtyard bleating all day, trying to get into our house and jumping up onto the top car. (Even now as I type this, Mat is herding him out of the kitchen... Yeah, really awesome idea!)
LIFE IN BUSI, TANZANIA, EAST AFRICA
You know, I think we are beginning to like it here. There have been MANY struggles and frustrations which at times has left us wondering what we got ourselves into for the next 2.5 years, but we trust that God is good and everything He does is for our good and His glory!
It is so weird to me all the things that have become normal already. Here are just a few:
● We have a gated courtyard.
● Our bathroom and shower house are outside in two separate rooms.
● We go to two main markets to get our groceries. One on monday and one on Friday. There is also a large one they call an auction that comes on the 10th and 27th each month.
● We prepare almost everything from scratch. Reheating the leftovers every 8-12 hrs to kill bacteria since there is no refrigerator.
● There is livestock everywhere (mostly goats, chickens, donkeys and cows. Also, some sheep and weird looking ducks. The cows and sheep look different too. The cows have a weird hump on their back and the sheep have gross looking thick, wagging tails.) (Below is a photo taken out our front door.)
● Hearing the call to prayer from the Mosque
● Being the minority
● Not understanding anything anyone says. Sometimes I actually forget that they are communicating with each other. I just feel like it is all gibberish to everyone. Like the Tower of Babel just fell and we are all trying to figure out how to communicate. Then they all laugh and I remember we are the only ones that don't have a clue what's going on.
● Sleeping under mosquito nets.
● Not having technology
● My kids being dirty
● Walking everywhere
● Not having electricity
I'm sure there is so much more but those are just a few.
The people here are very nice. We have heard that there is some resistance to us being here but we have only witnessed welcoming neighbors. We have been here a month and not including our week long home stay, we have already eaten with neighbors six times. Peter told us there is a cultural saying that a guest's stomach is very wide. This is because everyone wants to have you over and they feed you SO much food. They are not fans of the western figure! We are constantly so stuffed because they serve way more food than we could possibly eat and when we begin to slow down they ask us why we are not eating. It's a tough balance of not offending them and not throwing up all over!
THE FOOD
The food really is good though! No, you probably wouldn't go to a restaurant and order it but it is cheap, tasty and filling. Typical foods are ugali, usually flour spun and stirred with boiling water until it makes a substance comparable to a gritty mash potatoes. This tastes fine. Very plain. Probably my least favorite of the typical dishes. They cook tomato with onion, garlic and potato chunks to serve with rice or ugali. This is very good. They eat cassava with what is called sweet potatoes but are not like our sweet potatoes. They are basically regular potatoes only a little sweeter. They make noodles in oil with some sugar served with beans. Ugi which they say is porridge. I don't know what porridge really is like but this stuff is good. You mainly drink it but could eat it with a spoon. It is made up of millet, rice flour, peanuts, and corn. You buy all the items and then have them ground in the corn grinder. Then you have a bulk instant mix that you just cook with water and add sugar. It doesn't sound good but we all enjoy it! I have started to acquire what I need so I can have some on hand here at home. They also eat sugar cane. If you pick a good one it is so sweet and juicy. They peel it with a machete, then cut smaller pieces to chew. You basically chew it until the sweet juice is gone then spit it out. It's funny because I thought that my kids would get away from sugar being here but they eat it a lot! (sugar cane, spoonfuls in Chai and Ugi, they cook their foods in it, and are always giving the kids soda and candy!)
THE WEATHER
The wind is blowing a nice cool breeze right now. I find it so relaxing. I love the weather here. The mornings and evenings are pretty chilly. We sleep in warm pjs and most times have long sleeves on until the afternoon which can get very hot. The night time sky is amazing. When we walk out for our last potty run for the night, many times we shut our lanterns off and just pause for a moment to Oooh and Ahh and the wonder of God's handiwork. Trust me, you have not seen a sky like this in MN!
CHALLENGES
There have been small things and big things but here are a few:
● Nia has been sick for probably 80% of our time here. (Even having Malaria) which also results in functioning on little sleep.
● Keeping up on a schedule with other team mates (who don't have kids) in the beginning.
● Hand washing laundry (I don't know if I will ever catch up!)
● Missing home and grieving the loss of the richness of relationships we will lose because our lives are separated by continents.
● Dirt everywhere! Sounds silly but our doors have a gap at the bottom and the dirt blows into the house all day long. (not to mention that we are all covered in it 24/7)
● Trying to figure out how to parent kids going through culture shock, in another culture while dealing with culture shock ourselves.
● Getting tired from a culture that does everything out of "kindness" when really sometimes it's not that they are even thinking about what's best for us as much as what they want to do for us. (like giving my toddler gum or candy when she is throwing a fit in the market or having us stay for Chai and chapati when they already know we were supposed to be at the neighbors having chai so we have to stuff ourselves and have it twice!)
It doesn't sound so bad after typing it out, but nights of being awake 4-6 times a night with a sick baby who had been crying all day while we tried to cook, clean and unpack was exhausting by itself. Add to that cultural adjustments and missing home to the point of it being painful... Let's just say, it's been rough!
AT LAST, PROMISES TO SUSTAIN
Jeremiah 23:23-24
"Am I a God at hand, declares the Lord, and not a God far away? Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the Lord. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the Lord. (Jeremiah 23:23, 24 ESV)
Isaiah 41:9-10
you whom I took from the ends of the earth,
and called from its farthest corners,
saying to you, "You are my servant,
I have chosen you and not cast you off";
fear not, for I am with you;
be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Gerri VanAcker had our Discipleship Group put together verses for me to encourage me. They put them on card stock, laminated them and put them on a ring for me. It has ministered to me SO much. There are 27 different cards so I am just reading one a day. The Lord has used them to speak to me and minister to me in so many ways already. I am so thankful for such an amazing support team back home! Thanks girls!
God is with us!
SUPPLY RUN
WE HAVE COME FOR OUR GOAT!
The last night of our home stay the Dr came home very drunk and was going on to Mat something about God, Peter, Mat and a goat. I walked out hearing Mat saying, "Sawa, Sawa." (good, good or yes, yes) Then he leaned over to me laughing and said, "I think we are sacrificing a goat to God tomorrow with the Dr and Peter!" Well, the next day we found out that we were not, in fact, sacrificing a goat, but they wanted to give us a goat because it was a blessing from God to have us stay with them. So, a few days later, sure enough, we went with Peter to see about picking up our goat (because of course Mat thought that having a goat would be an awesome idea!). They weren't quite ready so they had the kids deliver it later on that day.
LIFE IN BUSI, TANZANIA, EAST AFRICA
You know, I think we are beginning to like it here. There have been MANY struggles and frustrations which at times has left us wondering what we got ourselves into for the next 2.5 years, but we trust that God is good and everything He does is for our good and His glory!
It is so weird to me all the things that have become normal already. Here are just a few:
● We have a gated courtyard.
● Our bathroom and shower house are outside in two separate rooms.
● We go to two main markets to get our groceries. One on monday and one on Friday. There is also a large one they call an auction that comes on the 10th and 27th each month.
● We prepare almost everything from scratch. Reheating the leftovers every 8-12 hrs to kill bacteria since there is no refrigerator.
● There is livestock everywhere (mostly goats, chickens, donkeys and cows. Also, some sheep and weird looking ducks. The cows and sheep look different too. The cows have a weird hump on their back and the sheep have gross looking thick, wagging tails.) (Below is a photo taken out our front door.)
● Being the minority
● Not understanding anything anyone says. Sometimes I actually forget that they are communicating with each other. I just feel like it is all gibberish to everyone. Like the Tower of Babel just fell and we are all trying to figure out how to communicate. Then they all laugh and I remember we are the only ones that don't have a clue what's going on.
● Sleeping under mosquito nets.
● My kids being dirty
● Walking everywhere
● Not having electricity
I'm sure there is so much more but those are just a few.
The people here are very nice. We have heard that there is some resistance to us being here but we have only witnessed welcoming neighbors. We have been here a month and not including our week long home stay, we have already eaten with neighbors six times. Peter told us there is a cultural saying that a guest's stomach is very wide. This is because everyone wants to have you over and they feed you SO much food. They are not fans of the western figure! We are constantly so stuffed because they serve way more food than we could possibly eat and when we begin to slow down they ask us why we are not eating. It's a tough balance of not offending them and not throwing up all over!
THE FOOD
The food really is good though! No, you probably wouldn't go to a restaurant and order it but it is cheap, tasty and filling. Typical foods are ugali, usually flour spun and stirred with boiling water until it makes a substance comparable to a gritty mash potatoes. This tastes fine. Very plain. Probably my least favorite of the typical dishes. They cook tomato with onion, garlic and potato chunks to serve with rice or ugali. This is very good. They eat cassava with what is called sweet potatoes but are not like our sweet potatoes. They are basically regular potatoes only a little sweeter. They make noodles in oil with some sugar served with beans. Ugi which they say is porridge. I don't know what porridge really is like but this stuff is good. You mainly drink it but could eat it with a spoon. It is made up of millet, rice flour, peanuts, and corn. You buy all the items and then have them ground in the corn grinder. Then you have a bulk instant mix that you just cook with water and add sugar. It doesn't sound good but we all enjoy it! I have started to acquire what I need so I can have some on hand here at home. They also eat sugar cane. If you pick a good one it is so sweet and juicy. They peel it with a machete, then cut smaller pieces to chew. You basically chew it until the sweet juice is gone then spit it out. It's funny because I thought that my kids would get away from sugar being here but they eat it a lot! (sugar cane, spoonfuls in Chai and Ugi, they cook their foods in it, and are always giving the kids soda and candy!)
THE WEATHER
The wind is blowing a nice cool breeze right now. I find it so relaxing. I love the weather here. The mornings and evenings are pretty chilly. We sleep in warm pjs and most times have long sleeves on until the afternoon which can get very hot. The night time sky is amazing. When we walk out for our last potty run for the night, many times we shut our lanterns off and just pause for a moment to Oooh and Ahh and the wonder of God's handiwork. Trust me, you have not seen a sky like this in MN!
CHALLENGES
There have been small things and big things but here are a few:
● Nia has been sick for probably 80% of our time here. (Even having Malaria) which also results in functioning on little sleep.
● Keeping up on a schedule with other team mates (who don't have kids) in the beginning.
● Hand washing laundry (I don't know if I will ever catch up!)
● Missing home and grieving the loss of the richness of relationships we will lose because our lives are separated by continents.
● Dirt everywhere! Sounds silly but our doors have a gap at the bottom and the dirt blows into the house all day long. (not to mention that we are all covered in it 24/7)
● Trying to figure out how to parent kids going through culture shock, in another culture while dealing with culture shock ourselves.
● Getting tired from a culture that does everything out of "kindness" when really sometimes it's not that they are even thinking about what's best for us as much as what they want to do for us. (like giving my toddler gum or candy when she is throwing a fit in the market or having us stay for Chai and chapati when they already know we were supposed to be at the neighbors having chai so we have to stuff ourselves and have it twice!)
It doesn't sound so bad after typing it out, but nights of being awake 4-6 times a night with a sick baby who had been crying all day while we tried to cook, clean and unpack was exhausting by itself. Add to that cultural adjustments and missing home to the point of it being painful... Let's just say, it's been rough!
AT LAST, PROMISES TO SUSTAIN
Jeremiah 23:23-24
"Am I a God at hand, declares the Lord, and not a God far away? Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the Lord. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the Lord. (Jeremiah 23:23, 24 ESV)
Isaiah 41:9-10
you whom I took from the ends of the earth,
and called from its farthest corners,
saying to you, "You are my servant,
I have chosen you and not cast you off";
fear not, for I am with you;
be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Gerri VanAcker had our Discipleship Group put together verses for me to encourage me. They put them on card stock, laminated them and put them on a ring for me. It has ministered to me SO much. There are 27 different cards so I am just reading one a day. The Lord has used them to speak to me and minister to me in so many ways already. I am so thankful for such an amazing support team back home! Thanks girls!
God is with us!
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
(Overdue) Update
Writing by kerosene lantern, hearing muffled foreign words from the mosque outside and thinking back to team members with malaria and a scorpion sting, and having a belly full of new experimental foods sure makes one feel like they are living the true missionary life! :)
A lot has happened and really not much of it has been all that easy! I know Mat said he sent out an update to a few people when he was in Kondoa, but I don't know who he sent it to or what he sent!
On our way to Busi for the first time, anticipating seeing "home" and getting settled at last we broke down and pretty much hung out in a village on the side of the road for six hours! Mat had to go back and forth bringing our team members in trips into Busi and then back to tow the car to Kondoa where they could get it fixed. So the first night I saw my house but slept in our team leaders' house with Ruthi (the wife) and Megan another team member while all of our husbands went back into Kondoa for the car.
After only two nights in our new home Mat had to leave (back to Kondoa) to rush a team member, Dawn to the hospital. She ended up having Malaria, bronchitis and tonsillitis. They said had they waited until morning she probably wouldn't have made it! It was a very crazy experience!
While he was gone, I felt like I was transported back in time! All I knew was that Dawn was sick (didn't know with what or how serious) and that they would be back when she was well. We had no communication the entire time. The few days we were home was a struggle, even the day He left. So in the morning I woke up and the girls and I started the day off with praise and a few songs. I sang "10,000 Reasons" (bless the Lord oh my soul) and cried really for a lot of reasons. The main one though was because I really meant the line that says, "Let me be singing when the evening comes..." After we prayed, my only goal for the day was that we ate! (which is actually more of a goal than you might think!) But God was so good to us and we not only ate, but we got out, met some neighbors, went for a walk to our national team members' home (The Mashauri's). They had us for Chai and then walked us home. In the afternoon, we had kids come play in the courtyard and even a few adults. After two of the ladies tried to communicate something to me, all the kids started packing up our stuff and they helped me lock up. I wasn't sure where we were going or what was happening but we just went with it! Turned out we had been invited for dinner! We sat for about and hour and people attempted to talk with me. They just laughed but continued to stick around just to see what we were all about! Then we were seated inside a separate room and were served Ugi (porridge) and some beans. Both were super good! We didn't just survive, we really enjoyed the day!
The next day I continued to wonder if Mat would be home that day or not. The Mashauri's came by and did a whole load of laundry for me and helped me start my beans for the evening. It was another good day. Mat ended up being gone for two nights and three days. God was with us!
During the time away, Nia had been seeming like she was coming down with something. I just prayed that it wouldn't turn and be an emergency with no way to get to a good hospital. (There is a hospital here in Busi but the Dr. is an alcoholic.) I just prayed and trusted God to give me wisdom. After a day or two of Mat being home Nia was continuing to get worse. Not sleeping, had a fever and would pretty much just cry all day. (which made cooking, laundry and unpacking near impossible and very frustrating!) We talked to Peter our team leader and they described malaria symptoms and all her symptoms fit. We had the medicine so we treated her with that and also an antibiotic. Within a few days she finally started to get better which was a huge relief! Towards the end of her sickness I started to get a cold as the weather is chilly here in the morning and evening and I was getting no sleep. Then within a few days Thai started coming down with it and a few days later Nia also. So even up until now, nobody has gotten much sleep and I am up 4-6 times each night with one or both of the girls. It has been very rough especially since the past week of it we have been in our home stay. There are nights I'm up with Nia for an hour or two and wonder how I can make it another night like this and then there are times where it is just fine. God is sustaining me and somehow we function! Please pray for health for us all and that Nia starts sleeping. One praise is that the last few nights Thailie has slept in her own bed (Mat had to make her rails because the bed is narrow and high. I was afraid she would fall out and drop onto the cement. So she has been in our bed.) Then last night for the first time she slept in her own bed ALL night! It was so cute in the morning to have her climb out of her bed, under the mosquito net, climb down using the stool, and greet us in her undies and pink bunny slippers! It was great!
Sorry this is really random but there has been so much I have wanted to share with you. Many times I find myself up with Nia composing emails in my head about all sorts of things that have been happening, that I have been learning and pondering, and although those emails will never be written, it has definitely been therapeutic for me to process all that is going on!
So, what else has been going on? Well, it's impossible at this point to convey, and I'm really bummed about that. Once things get a little more normal I am hoping to keep track of life a little better!
While we are home we are still working on unpacking and organizing. Oh yeah! Our house! It's huge! :) actually more space than I want! We have three bedrooms, an office, a kitchen, living room/dining room and the bathroom and shower house are both two separate rooms outside in our courtyard. (I hope to have pictures for y ou next time. Sorry for the delay, but just this week we got our devices charged and just found out today that tomoorow, they will be doing a supply run into Kondoa, where there is Internet.) The house is red mud brick with a tin roof. The walls on the inside are not finished all the way up to the ceiling so you can hear everyone in every room as if they are right next to you. Really funny when you are trying to find someone because you can't tell what room they are in.. not so funny at night when one of the kids is awake crying...
So, back to the days. We spend the day organizing, sweeping up all the dirt that blows in under our door, Mat has been grooming out courtyard, trying to catch up on laundry, but most of my efforts go to taking care of sick kids and cooking. Which, praise be to God has been going really well! It honestly is an answer to prayer because that was something I was most worried about and from what I can tell from others on the team, I think we are having the least struggles with it! Basically I have figured out that if you just put varying amounts of flour, water, sugar, salt, sometimes baking soda and maybe an egg, you can make all kinds or things. Also, I have found that varying amounts of oil, onion, tomato, and garlic paired with potatoes, rice, beans or noodles also makes all types of yummy filling foods!
Most mornings we eat French pressed coffee (which is amazing!) and either chapatis or pancakes with jelly/honey. Both I make from scratch every time which is still crazy to me!
We were supposed to start our home stay the week we got into Busi but the home we were supposed to stay in kinda didn't work out so we actually just finished ours on Monday. It was divided into two different homes next to each other. It was really a great experience. We had probably the best home stay set up of our whole team. Which after just getting over Nia with Malaria and then being sick with the girls starting up again and not sleeping, it was hard enough! I hope to add more once I share pictures on that.
So, I am very tired and should go to sleep but first I just thought I would give you a little update one each girl.
Thailie:
She loves the attention from the neighbors. The kids are constantly calling out, "Thailie, Thailie" honestly, a lot of times it feels like we are celebrities and we have to hide inside just to have any sort of privacy. But even then, they press against the windows and try to see in any window that isn't shut. When we let the kids in the courtyard Thai is hesitant to join them yet she likes to play in the hall leading up to our door so that they can see her. We scold her many times for being a show off and just attracting attention rather than making friends. We are trying to help her in this.
Once she gets comfortable she loves to go around pointing to things saying "ikine kintu che?" which is saying "What is this?" in Kilangi. And her friend will tell her the Kilangi words. It's great.
In times where she has had enough, like during our home stay or just long busy days she says she just wants to go back to our Forest Lake home and she misses her friends. It's hard sometimes and we miss people a lot and we miss a lot more things that we thought.
A marvelous work in Thailie's life is that she officially has repented of her sins and put her trust in Jesus! She has had a growing understanding of God, sin, Jesus, the Bible... But last night I asked her if she wanted to ask God for anything while I prayed and she said we should pray and ask God to go to heaven. Well, that led to a wonder conversation where we could talk over all the stuff we know about what the Bible says. Who can go to Heaven, why we deserve Hell, how Jesus said "I am the way the truth and the life, no one comes to the father except through me" etc. In the end she said that she wanted to go to Heaven like Daddy and Mommy and she wanted to be with Jesus. I reaffirmed with her what we believed and asked her if she did and told her what it takes to go to Heaven. She believed and prayed, repented of her sins, thanked Jesus for forgiveness and prayed the Holy Spirit would help her to obey God and glorify Him. Yes, this is all on a three year old level, and we will pray for her continued salvation and discipleship, but we are rejoicing in God's work in her heart and opening her eyes to spiritual things!
Miss Nia:
She is still the dramatic tornado you all remember her to be only now she is also constantly covered in dirt! Her vocabulary has regressed. She pretty much just says "Mamma" for everything. Every once in awhile we will catch a "Whoa!" or "Uh-oh" but not often. Up until this week everything was a shake of the head no, with a grunt-type "Uh-uh" but this week she just started nodding her head yes, which is really cute now because we can ask her all sorts of yes or no questions. (like "Do you love Daddy/Mommy/Thailie?" to which she'll nod her head yes!)
She also is a bully! She pushes and hits a lot! This is pretty frustrating to deal with especially because she is just so matter-of-fact about it! We have started to put her in a one minute time out when she hits. It's pretty cute because she hates it and then I tell her, "Nia, you are in time out because you hit Thai. Are you sorry?" She responds with a head nod. "Ok, then go give Thailie a hug" which she does. She gets it and its really sweet to watch them make up.
The two of them have been becoming buddies more and more. (Also partners in crime!) Nia is becoming more of a toddler in subtle ways. She takes a baby out and plays with it. The more she plays, the more she and Thai interact. She also is following in her sisters footsteps and loves to sing and dance! She will find a step, chair, table, really any elevated surface and put her hand way up in the air, start swaying, spinning and singing as loud as she can! I love it so much and HAVE to get it on video very soon!
A lot has happened and really not much of it has been all that easy! I know Mat said he sent out an update to a few people when he was in Kondoa, but I don't know who he sent it to or what he sent!
On our way to Busi for the first time, anticipating seeing "home" and getting settled at last we broke down and pretty much hung out in a village on the side of the road for six hours! Mat had to go back and forth bringing our team members in trips into Busi and then back to tow the car to Kondoa where they could get it fixed. So the first night I saw my house but slept in our team leaders' house with Ruthi (the wife) and Megan another team member while all of our husbands went back into Kondoa for the car.
After only two nights in our new home Mat had to leave (back to Kondoa) to rush a team member, Dawn to the hospital. She ended up having Malaria, bronchitis and tonsillitis. They said had they waited until morning she probably wouldn't have made it! It was a very crazy experience!
While he was gone, I felt like I was transported back in time! All I knew was that Dawn was sick (didn't know with what or how serious) and that they would be back when she was well. We had no communication the entire time. The few days we were home was a struggle, even the day He left. So in the morning I woke up and the girls and I started the day off with praise and a few songs. I sang "10,000 Reasons" (bless the Lord oh my soul) and cried really for a lot of reasons. The main one though was because I really meant the line that says, "Let me be singing when the evening comes..." After we prayed, my only goal for the day was that we ate! (which is actually more of a goal than you might think!) But God was so good to us and we not only ate, but we got out, met some neighbors, went for a walk to our national team members' home (The Mashauri's). They had us for Chai and then walked us home. In the afternoon, we had kids come play in the courtyard and even a few adults. After two of the ladies tried to communicate something to me, all the kids started packing up our stuff and they helped me lock up. I wasn't sure where we were going or what was happening but we just went with it! Turned out we had been invited for dinner! We sat for about and hour and people attempted to talk with me. They just laughed but continued to stick around just to see what we were all about! Then we were seated inside a separate room and were served Ugi (porridge) and some beans. Both were super good! We didn't just survive, we really enjoyed the day!
The next day I continued to wonder if Mat would be home that day or not. The Mashauri's came by and did a whole load of laundry for me and helped me start my beans for the evening. It was another good day. Mat ended up being gone for two nights and three days. God was with us!
During the time away, Nia had been seeming like she was coming down with something. I just prayed that it wouldn't turn and be an emergency with no way to get to a good hospital. (There is a hospital here in Busi but the Dr. is an alcoholic.) I just prayed and trusted God to give me wisdom. After a day or two of Mat being home Nia was continuing to get worse. Not sleeping, had a fever and would pretty much just cry all day. (which made cooking, laundry and unpacking near impossible and very frustrating!) We talked to Peter our team leader and they described malaria symptoms and all her symptoms fit. We had the medicine so we treated her with that and also an antibiotic. Within a few days she finally started to get better which was a huge relief! Towards the end of her sickness I started to get a cold as the weather is chilly here in the morning and evening and I was getting no sleep. Then within a few days Thai started coming down with it and a few days later Nia also. So even up until now, nobody has gotten much sleep and I am up 4-6 times each night with one or both of the girls. It has been very rough especially since the past week of it we have been in our home stay. There are nights I'm up with Nia for an hour or two and wonder how I can make it another night like this and then there are times where it is just fine. God is sustaining me and somehow we function! Please pray for health for us all and that Nia starts sleeping. One praise is that the last few nights Thailie has slept in her own bed (Mat had to make her rails because the bed is narrow and high. I was afraid she would fall out and drop onto the cement. So she has been in our bed.) Then last night for the first time she slept in her own bed ALL night! It was so cute in the morning to have her climb out of her bed, under the mosquito net, climb down using the stool, and greet us in her undies and pink bunny slippers! It was great!
Sorry this is really random but there has been so much I have wanted to share with you. Many times I find myself up with Nia composing emails in my head about all sorts of things that have been happening, that I have been learning and pondering, and although those emails will never be written, it has definitely been therapeutic for me to process all that is going on!
So, what else has been going on? Well, it's impossible at this point to convey, and I'm really bummed about that. Once things get a little more normal I am hoping to keep track of life a little better!
While we are home we are still working on unpacking and organizing. Oh yeah! Our house! It's huge! :) actually more space than I want! We have three bedrooms, an office, a kitchen, living room/dining room and the bathroom and shower house are both two separate rooms outside in our courtyard. (I hope to have pictures for y ou next time. Sorry for the delay, but just this week we got our devices charged and just found out today that tomoorow, they will be doing a supply run into Kondoa, where there is Internet.) The house is red mud brick with a tin roof. The walls on the inside are not finished all the way up to the ceiling so you can hear everyone in every room as if they are right next to you. Really funny when you are trying to find someone because you can't tell what room they are in.. not so funny at night when one of the kids is awake crying...
So, back to the days. We spend the day organizing, sweeping up all the dirt that blows in under our door, Mat has been grooming out courtyard, trying to catch up on laundry, but most of my efforts go to taking care of sick kids and cooking. Which, praise be to God has been going really well! It honestly is an answer to prayer because that was something I was most worried about and from what I can tell from others on the team, I think we are having the least struggles with it! Basically I have figured out that if you just put varying amounts of flour, water, sugar, salt, sometimes baking soda and maybe an egg, you can make all kinds or things. Also, I have found that varying amounts of oil, onion, tomato, and garlic paired with potatoes, rice, beans or noodles also makes all types of yummy filling foods!
Most mornings we eat French pressed coffee (which is amazing!) and either chapatis or pancakes with jelly/honey. Both I make from scratch every time which is still crazy to me!
We were supposed to start our home stay the week we got into Busi but the home we were supposed to stay in kinda didn't work out so we actually just finished ours on Monday. It was divided into two different homes next to each other. It was really a great experience. We had probably the best home stay set up of our whole team. Which after just getting over Nia with Malaria and then being sick with the girls starting up again and not sleeping, it was hard enough! I hope to add more once I share pictures on that.
So, I am very tired and should go to sleep but first I just thought I would give you a little update one each girl.
She loves the attention from the neighbors. The kids are constantly calling out, "Thailie, Thailie" honestly, a lot of times it feels like we are celebrities and we have to hide inside just to have any sort of privacy. But even then, they press against the windows and try to see in any window that isn't shut. When we let the kids in the courtyard Thai is hesitant to join them yet she likes to play in the hall leading up to our door so that they can see her. We scold her many times for being a show off and just attracting attention rather than making friends. We are trying to help her in this.
Once she gets comfortable she loves to go around pointing to things saying "ikine kintu che?" which is saying "What is this?" in Kilangi. And her friend will tell her the Kilangi words. It's great.
In times where she has had enough, like during our home stay or just long busy days she says she just wants to go back to our Forest Lake home and she misses her friends. It's hard sometimes and we miss people a lot and we miss a lot more things that we thought.
A marvelous work in Thailie's life is that she officially has repented of her sins and put her trust in Jesus! She has had a growing understanding of God, sin, Jesus, the Bible... But last night I asked her if she wanted to ask God for anything while I prayed and she said we should pray and ask God to go to heaven. Well, that led to a wonder conversation where we could talk over all the stuff we know about what the Bible says. Who can go to Heaven, why we deserve Hell, how Jesus said "I am the way the truth and the life, no one comes to the father except through me" etc. In the end she said that she wanted to go to Heaven like Daddy and Mommy and she wanted to be with Jesus. I reaffirmed with her what we believed and asked her if she did and told her what it takes to go to Heaven. She believed and prayed, repented of her sins, thanked Jesus for forgiveness and prayed the Holy Spirit would help her to obey God and glorify Him. Yes, this is all on a three year old level, and we will pray for her continued salvation and discipleship, but we are rejoicing in God's work in her heart and opening her eyes to spiritual things!
She is still the dramatic tornado you all remember her to be only now she is also constantly covered in dirt! Her vocabulary has regressed. She pretty much just says "Mamma" for everything. Every once in awhile we will catch a "Whoa!" or "Uh-oh" but not often. Up until this week everything was a shake of the head no, with a grunt-type "Uh-uh" but this week she just started nodding her head yes, which is really cute now because we can ask her all sorts of yes or no questions. (like "Do you love Daddy/Mommy/Thailie?" to which she'll nod her head yes!)
She also is a bully! She pushes and hits a lot! This is pretty frustrating to deal with especially because she is just so matter-of-fact about it! We have started to put her in a one minute time out when she hits. It's pretty cute because she hates it and then I tell her, "Nia, you are in time out because you hit Thai. Are you sorry?" She responds with a head nod. "Ok, then go give Thailie a hug" which she does. She gets it and its really sweet to watch them make up.
The two of them have been becoming buddies more and more. (Also partners in crime!) Nia is becoming more of a toddler in subtle ways. She takes a baby out and plays with it. The more she plays, the more she and Thai interact. She also is following in her sisters footsteps and loves to sing and dance! She will find a step, chair, table, really any elevated surface and put her hand way up in the air, start swaying, spinning and singing as loud as she can! I love it so much and HAVE to get it on video very soon!
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