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!