The Girls

MISS THAILIE

Thai is still the likable, outgoing, talkative and girly little smarty that you remember—only older with a larger vocabulary including two new languages! Her love for Jesus and His word is continually growing. It is such a blessing to be a part of and facilitate.

Well, another thing about Thailie is, despite my best efforts, this girl is a diva! If it has sparkles, glitter or twirls she's gonna love it! Along with that goes her pursuit of fashions and styles. So, one day she saw our neighbor cutting her baby's hair with scissors. What do you suppose happened later that same day — Yep! She decided she needed a hair cut too.

Future hair stylist?? Please note the bald spot in the middle!

Well, I decided I would try my best to give her a pixie cut. If I wasn't successful the only other option I could think of was going local — shaving it all off! Just a side note, up until this point her hair was only slightly trimmed meaning that it has taken her 4 years just to grow it as long as it was and now we get to start all over!

The final product! I was able to keep the top a little longer creating a sort of "comb over" to cover the main bald spot.

There were a few choppy pieces left but overall I think I managed to conceal most of it!

Well, she definitely learned her lesson, but did get a lot of compliments on her cute pixie cut!

Thai is definitely getting over her fear of every living creature. Daddy gives her exposure to all sorts of things! Here she is holding our chameleon, Pascal.

Lately Thai has really been getting comfortable playing with some of the neighbor kids. There have also been a few girls that have come over which is a nice change from constant flow of the rowdy boy crowd.

Thailie and Aziza made goofy glasses from a toy egg container.

One of Thailie's favorite things is school. We are currently on a bit of an "extended break" because she has blown through the materials I brought out for her. I have ordered an actual curriculum and we are both really looking forward to getting back into the swing of school.

Mat built her a little desk and stool to sit on. It was a huge hit!

Thai's desk was so popular, Nia wanted one too! We put together a Rangi stool to sit on and another stool to work on. Not only was this a great solution to keep Nia busy while helping Thai, but it made Nia feel like a big girl doing her own school work!

Nia works on puzzles while Thai does school work. 

Well, speaking of Nia...

This little girl is only just a little different from her sister! She is changing and growing so fast it is a blast to watch; yet sad to know everyone in The States doesn't get to experience the amusement she brings to us on a daily basis.
She has mastered the African art of greeting even to the point of being offended when she is overlooked because of her age. She lacks quite a bit of elegance and even simple coordination. She is not graceful but she is very gracious. She notices and is considerate when someone needs help. She is quick to offer a rub on your back and an empathetic word to bring comfort to anyone with an "owie". At every meal she monitors us to make sure everyone has been served and that no one takes a bite before we pray.

Showing off one of her birthday dresses

She loves playing with babies!

We are having a lot of fun seeing her personality blossom and as her vocabulary expands we are beginning to see how her little mind works.

Nia and Amina going for a ride down the hall in a box.

Testing out her new bed daddy made just for her!

When we first got here none of us really got any sleep. Nia was sick which led to frequent trips under the mosquito net, out my room, into her room, under her mosquito net, unzipping her tented bed to finally. beginning the process of comforting her to get her to sleep. It was a ridiculous process to continue every night. Many nights I fell asleep in the plastic chair in her room exposing myself to scorpions, spiders and malaria carrying Mosquitos. Something had to change! Finally, we decided just to take the local route and pull her into bed with us. Well, as time passed her room became a storage room all the while she was growing bigger taking up more space in our room. So, silly as it may be, this is the solution we came up with. Bunk beds! Well, kind of. Our bed goes one way and then her bed is perpendicular suspended above our feet. Crazy as it may seem, it has worked out great for everyone and become a new favorite play spot for the girls.

Having her "quiet time" in their play house.

THE DUO

These two are great buddies and playmates. I prayed for kids who would love each other and play well together. Sure, they fight and are selfish at times picking fights just to cause trouble, but overall they are best friends looking out for one another.

Thanks Castillos for the matching clothes! The girls LOVE to match!

Thai fixed her hair, got her purse and then wanted her picture taken. This led to Nia wanting her's taken....

I think she missed the fixing hair/looking nice part! :)

Thailie loves to read so many times if I am too busy, she will let Nia pick out a story and read it to her.

Enjoying their matching Tinker Bell headlamps and other goodies in a care package sent to us. Thanks Adams!

The girls decided to hold their own Bible study.

Two Monkeys swinging on the hallway swing!

Friends, Can We Talk?

I thought I would say something instead of wishing things were different. I'm feeling kinda left out. I live on the other side of the world from just about every friend I ever had. This is a choice we made in submission to God's will and honestly, I love it here and wouldn't trade being at the center of God's will for the best friendships here on earth.

But that doesn't mean that I wouldn't love to hear from you now and again. You don't need a long bio of what you have been up to in the year since we left or apologies for not writing sooner, I just want to know what you have been up to, what God is doing in your life, maybe a picture or two of your family or growing kids. I have gotten a few emails from people saying they knew I probably had tons of other emails to go through so they would be quick. Well, truth is I don't. I get more emails from my bank than my friends.

Please! Don't read this as me feeling sorry for myself or trying to make anyone feel bad!! I just want to paint reality so that if you think I am some super missionary who is too busy and doesn't have time to hear what is going on back home, please know, that is not the case! A good friend sent me a simple paragraph update of her family and little growing girl, some pictures at the zoo, bike riding, around the house etc. It was perfect! The girls look at the pictures over and over and we love it.

Truth is, it's hard to connect and my responses may be quite a bit more delayed than you're used to but that is just evidence of living in an internet-less village. Not because I don't care. Also, because we don't have connection, we aren't able to keep up with Facebook. Even when we get connection we are also running around getting supplies like toilet paper to take back to Busi with us. This does not allow much time for surfing the net. But we can download our email to read for the rest of the month.

Ok, the biggest deal to me is this: I LOVE pregnancy and childbirth. Ok, I'm weird and I actually think it may be something God is developing in me. (Hmm, maybe more on that another day!) So, please, please, shoot me an email when you tell people you are expecting and send us a picture when your baby is born. (Even if it is a month later once you start seeing straight again). Nothing feels more left out for me right now than to find out someone had a baby and I didn't even know they were pregnant!

Ok, recap. This is not a guilt trip. This is not aimed at anyone in particular. I want to be a part of your life but it is difficult considering the circumstances. I want to work on getting better at making time for emails even though it is more work and keeping my blog current. This will let people know what we are doing. You can help by giving me a one line announcement that you are expecting or send a picture of that beautiful new baby, or even a few shots of your life lately. We didn't have to be best friends. If you are reading this, we have enough of a relationship for you to share your life with me!

Hope to hear from you soon! :)

Don't You Just Hate It When...

Don't you just hate it when you are at the internet cafe trying to re-pin something fabulous, but your chicken keeps getting out of the bag?!

I kid you not, this man holding a live chicken in a plastic bag was next to me at the Internet cafe in Babati —just hanging out, using the computer. Every once in awhile the chicken would flap and gain some freedom from its plastic confines.
Funny thing is, it didn't strike me as weird until about 15min later; then It clicked, this is NOT normal in America!
:) Enjoy!

Oh Happy Day!

Over the kati, through the shamba to Mama S's house we go!

This would totally pass the safety tests in America right?!

Don't be alarmed. We do this quite frequently. Helmets? Check! Knee pads? Check! Elbow pads? Check! Wrist guards? Check! Nia's shoes... Umm, ok, maybe you should be alarmed! Yes, this is how we traveled to Sambwa. Nia tied to Thailie's back with a kanga, Thai hanging onto me or the seat, me biking, our stuff in the basket and off we go! We rode bikes like this to Jared and Megan's house, parked our bikes there and then followed Megan through the sunflower fields back towards the mountain. The man who owns Jared and Megan's house has a third wife (yep) who lives back towards where we were told Mama S's family lives.

Heading towards the mountain not quite sure what we would find.

It was about a twenty minute walk on a small path where all you can see is sunflowers, millet and corn. The crops have grown up so high it blocks anything in peripheral view. We continued on this route for quite some time until we got to a clearing of a few houses only to find no one home. As we continued to walk further back my emotions stirred with the anticipation of finding her or not. I wondered what she would think and how the rest of the day would go.
We got to the next clearing of a few houses and could hear some kids shouting "Wazungu! Wazungu!" One of the women in sight turned around in shock and exclaimed, "Mama Nia! Akajamani!" to our surprise it was Mama S! Joy and excitement came like a flood! She repeatedly proceeded to alternate phrases of both welcoming and disbelief as we approached their home, entered and were seated. I have to say that I was definitely overcome by not only her response of joy, but also the overwhelming emotions of my own from seeing her and Baby S again. It was beyond words.
We sat and hung out, met a lot of her family, ate and just enjoyed being together again. The kids made themselves at home like they always do with Her. It was so great. As we ate we talked about how she had left, what her husband was doing now, when she would come back etc, etc. I didn't gain a whole lot of insight as to what actually happened but I did see that she cares for him and has been upset ever since leaving. She said she has been sad thinking about us everyday and wondering how everyone is. She has missed him, us and Busi in general.
After hanging out for awhile she asked if we could all go together to get mapera (guava) before we leave. So we headed out even further back through the fields, across a small nearly trickling river bed, up and down a few hills and into an opening where the mapera trees are. It was such an amazing way to spend the afternoon. The kids climbed the trees knocking guavas down to Mama S who piled them in a bag for us to take home. After awhile we just lounged around in the shade of the trees eating mapera, talking and watching the kids play. There was something so charming about our time out there—so natural, so carefree. Nothing felt forced as if I were out there because it was the right thing for a missionary to do. It also helped that we didn't feel like the "white monkeys" in the zoo. Just friends spending time together. It was a very enjoyable, simple afternoon!
Through out our time Mama S and I continued to talk a bit more about her and Baba S's situation. By the end she told me, "Tell Him that I'm sorry —I miss him, I miss Busi. I'm sick of Sambwa. I want him to come get me tomorrow morning." She repeated that to me many times to make sure that with the language barrier I got it all and really understood. I would repeat it back to her for her approval.
We stayed awhile longer after returning from our adventure, but it was getting dark which meant we had to be going. Alima and the kids walked us out through the fields to Megan's house and sent us on our way with a gift of corn, guavas, and oranges. She reminded me once more of her message to her husband. I left both elated and uncertain. I was so filled with joy to see my friend again yet concerned for what her future may hold.
When we came home (in the rain on the bike!) we saw Baba S out at his house. Mat went over to talk with him and get his machete sharpened while I joined them a bit later. He asked how Baby S was, asked how our time was. He seems genuinely to care for his family. I told him all that she said. He smiled and listened and then thanked me. Anytime we ask about her he just says, "Not yet." So we will continue to pray and know that God is working whatever the outcome.

What We Have Been Eating

Here are just a few things we are eating right now. Things come in and out of season here so we eat accordingly.

We LOVE mango season! It is coming to the end of Mango season, but when it was in full swing our family easily ate 3-5 mangos a day! We did find out however that Nia is allergic to the sap of mangos. It is from the same family as poison oak! Kinda weird. We are just glad that it is not the fruit itself. So as long as we wash it well and she doesn't come in contact with the skin she does just fine.

We also eat a lot of leaves! Apparently they are a vegetable. Really, it looks like you just started picking random things from the backyard like when you were a kid playing house out in the tree fort!

I am beginning to identify the different leaves and although they are all cooked the same, I have learned the special ways of preparing each one!

These are a simple green. All you need to do is separate them from the main stem and cook them.

This is a pumpkin/squash leaf. These you have to snap and peel the stems to get some of the stringiness off. Then you bunch it and shave it into small pieces.

There are a few other different leaves that we eat around here including potato leaves! Did you know you could eat pumpkin and potato leaves?! I didn't but now we enjoy them on a regular basis. I would love to know the nutrition info on the stuff we eat out here considering it doesn't come with labels!

After frying onion, garlic and tomatoes, you add the washed greens. They cook down quite a bit but are very tasty with ugali.

Meat! This is always an interesting one. We have eaten cow, chicken, duck, goat, goat liver, dik dik, fish aka minnows(!)... We have enjoyed cow and goat ground and made into tacos or chili. Mat made great jerky with the dik dik meat. Up until recently, the chicken has really been a bust but we did enjoy it during our most recent taco night with the Hoods. Our neighbor makes great duck, we actually didn't mind the goat liver and as for the minnows, well, they taste like they smell!

We still have no idea what this bird actually is, but Jordan brought it over as a "gift" (which we paid for) for us to butcher. Unfortunately we didn't get to try it because Mat was sick and it died before he felt well enough to butcher it.

Where's Waldo?

Have you ever felt like you were playing "Where's Waldo?" in real life? That is how I felt today except that instead of wearing a hat and a striped shirt my Waldo was dressed the same as everyone else —which included having a full head covering! Needless to say it was difficult! Ok, and I didn't even know if she was there.

Today I went to the Munaadi, the big twice-a-month market in the next town over. I was hoping to find Mama S my neighbor who apparently left her husband a week ago. As we drove around the village of Sambwa Peter, our leader, hopped out of the car to ask passers-by if they knew where her family was. After following a few false leads and coming up empty handed, I decided to head into the maze of the Munaadi hoping to find her or someone who would know where I could find her.

Need any shoes? Most items are just sold in big piles you dig through.
A lot of it is leftovers from thrift stores which end up out here. It's quite amusing!

These planks of wood under tarp are actually benches for a restaurant!
Women cook food in the center and sell it to the venders and customers of the Munaadi.
Mat stops at one just about every time he is here!

After roaming around for a few minutes I knew we were going to need some help—divine help! The girls and I prayed that God would guide us to where we needed to be and if Mama S was there we would find her. Only a few minutes into our seemingly aimless wandering Thailie began to sing the song of the Israelites— "It's hot! I'm tired! Why are we here anyways? I don't think God is answering our prayer! It feels like we are just wandering around!" *Cue teaching moment* "You know Thailie, sometimes with God we don't always understand what He is doing and it can feel like we are just wandering around" I began to explain, "but then, God answers our prayers and we look back to see that He was working all along!"
So we continued to "wander" and we continued to trust. After a lot of staring eyes and shouts of "wazungu!" (Translation: "white people"—oh, so tactful and not a bit obnoxious!) we saw a familiar face, not Mama S who we were hoping for, but Florencia, our good friend and "house helper". She asked what we were buying and I tried to explain nothing but that we were just looking for our friend. I have no idea how much was understood, but she decided to join our "wandering"—which, to be honest, made it a lot more awkward to roam freely.

We headed into the "produce section" with Florencia. Yeah, that's a
random chicken by the bicycle. Totally normal.

I was tempted to be discouraged, feeling like she was hindering me from turning in random directions, but I shook the notion reminding myself that I was trusting God to get us where we needed to be with or without company. A minute or two later I looked up and said, "Hey! Is that Baba S?" The girls confirmed that of all the people in this crazy place, headed right towards us was our next-door-neighbor, "Mr. Waldo"!
We stopped and greeted him. I asked if Mama S was here or where she was staying —anything I could find out. He said not yet... something about a dress... something about Sambwa... Ugh! This stinkin' language thing! Life would be so much easier if I knew what he was saying and didn't have to play charades just to get my questions answered! After a few minutes of this Florencia motioned that we should keep going, but I still didn't know where to find Mama S. "No!" I thought. "This may be my only chance to figure this out so I am not going to let this language get the best of me!"
I tried again. He still didn't understand but this time Florencia got it! She explained to him and they proceeded to have a conversation in Swahili which included where she was staying! As we walked away I told Florencia to remember everything he said so that she could tell Peter, who could then tell me!
Just think, if God hadn't led us to Florencia I would never have figured out what's going on or where she is staying! Ha! So much for "wandering aimlessly"! (Thailie was very animated retelling every detail of the story to everyone of how God answered our prayer! How great!)
So, after some translation we found out that Baba S is glad that I have been looking for his wife and wants us to visit her. Peter thinks this is a good sign of our friendship with them; that even during these troubles they want us involved.
Well, our "Search for Mama S" will proceed and we trust we will never be truly lost. Yet, as we continue to pray for them we will remember that they are truly and hopelessly lost apart from the light of Christ.

"And Jesus said to them, I am the way, the truth and the life..." John 14:6

Boys Will Be Boys!

I think it is safe to say there are some days out here when Mat is just having way too much fun!

Omari and Mat taking aim

Mat has been building relationships with the neighbor boys by doing everything boys, young and grown, love to do. They have hiked up into the mountain, built fires, roasted meat, made slingshots, bows and arrows then put them all to the test.

Arrows and slingshots at the ready!

The target they made

Victory! The crew rejoices after Mat beheaded a snake.

"I'm Really Going to Miss Her!"

This thought has been coming to my mind as I have realized the friendship that is forming with my neighbor Mama S and I. She is the same neighbor that had the baby when we first moved here, she and her husband were the ones we invited to Christmas, Thailie and Nia play at their house almost everyday —most of the time multiple times a day. She helps salvage all the cooking mishaps I have, lends a hand with sweeping, borrows tomatoes, water and oil when she needs it.
Just yesterday I was caring for our teammate's two girls while Mat took their parents to the hospital in Kondoa. Overwhelmed with the chaos, I went to track Nia down. She had gone outside wearing only a shirt and her undies - I knew where to find her though. I grabbed her boots and a skirt and headed to Mama S's. There Nia was, sitting on a stool, drinking uji with Mama S and Baby S. "Karibu Mama Nia! Karibu nyumbani!" She stops what she is doing and rushes to grab four stools. Looking behind me, I see Thailie, Abigale and Sara had followed me in. She fed all four uji and warmly welcomed us to stay and sit for awhile. I sat and finished my morning coffee thinking how nice it was to just sit with a friend while Mat was gone and things were getting crazy at the house.

Thailie and Nia chatting with Mama S waiting for chai to cook.

We speak different languages, come from totally different cultures, world views, and religions, yet I couldn't help but think, "I'm really going to miss her." There is going to come a day, most likely after our two years with TIMO is up, that we will pack our bags and, apart from physically visiting Busi, we will never see or talk to them again. It was sobering.
That was just yesterday. Today, one of our regular boys, Salamani came in to get treated for a gash on his ankle. (We've been doing minor bandaging/fist aid so they come here when someone is bleeding.) As I cleaned the wound he told me Mama S left for Sambwa. Her family lives in the next village and she visits them from time to time; even this past Munaadi I tagged along with her and saw her brother-in-law's shop, sat with her sister-in-law and met a few brothers. But Salamani's countenance made me wonder if there was more to the story. I asked about her husband Baba S, he said he was at home - again normal, but something didn't seem right. I asked when she would be back. He said tomorrow, his brother said today. Then Salamani just looked at the ground. "Something's up" I thought.
Later that day I walked to get tomatoes and onions from the market and saw Baba S outside a shop with some other men playing a local game —similar to mancala, but more complex. He greeted us, I didn't think anything was amiss. We went about our day as usual, I didn't think much about Mama S, knowing she wouldn't be stopping by today. As the day progressed we had our typical kids in the window, an occasional egg seller, and a neighbor or two stopping by to see how we are doing. The last of our visitors was Bibi A. (The other couple we invited to our Christmas event) she stopped by and brought us a gift —of goat liver. Gifts exchange back and forth here regularly. It is a way to keep up relationships and have reasons to visit friends. She stayed awhile. Finally, just before she left she told me Mama S wanted to make sure I knew that she went to Sambwa. I was trying to understand through a great language barrier the rest of what she was saying. Finally as she spoke again she made "face-slapping" motions. I asked if Mama S was coming back, her reply was simply, "sijui" —she didn't know.
I understood now and my heart was saddened greatly. We were told that in Africa it is very common and almost a give-in that wives are beat. We had heard this from many outside and western sources but never saw any direct evidences of it. Baba S and Mama S were two of the happiest people we knew, and not just in Busi. They were always friendly, welcoming and hardly without a smile. It is hard to picture the two of them fighting, let alone having a fight heated enough to cause abuse.
About four or five months ago Babu A's daughter-in-law took her two kids and "left for Sambwa" —she hasn't been back since.

These are the smiles we remember and hope to see again.

Please pray with us. Pray for our wisdom, their reconciliation, and ultimately salvation.

What We Do Around Here

Here are some pictures of some random things we have been doing around here.

OUT AND ABOUT

To accomplish e everything on a supply run, local transportation is helpful. Mat and the girls in a matatu also called a tuktuk.

Thailie mailing off a few letters.

"This is how we do it!" Yep. This is how you file your taxes in the bush! Which actually doesn't work so you have to frantically call your mom to bail you out by printing them and getting them in the mail. Yeah, lesson learned!

If you look closely you can see the phone on the bike seat - this is the precise location it needs to be in in order to keep the signal. The phone picks up a slight Internet signal. Then we set up a wifi hotspot and sometimes if we are lucky enough, no clouds or wind, and no one touches the bike, we just may be able to check our email!

The kiddos with their buddies at team day. (Baraka, Nia, Sarah, Thailie, Abigale)

AROUND THE HOUSE

Rainy season presents many benefits as crops begin to grow bringing the village its livelihood. It also brings some challenges — like trying to dry clothes during a season where it rains day after day.

Indoor clothes line —Day 3

We have been living it up making tacos and chili twice a month. Mat bought a hand meat grinder on a supply run so now we are able to purchase cow meat at the big market on the 10th and 27th. It has been so great having the option of ground beef again!

Mat and Kim cleaning up the meat prepping it for the grinder.

Some of the best house help in all of Busi washing the dishes!

The girls wanted to be like mommy as we set out to visit the neighbors.

Thai has been reading through the God's Love Bible story app and after she read through the story of Palm Sunday she wanted us all to "play" it/act it out. Well, it just so happened to be the day before our Palm Sunday so we had a great family afternoon learning about and experiencing the triumphal entry!

Hosanna! Holding our branches, Thailie and I were ready for the Messiah's arrival.

"Jesus" arriving on the donkey!

FAMILY MOVIE NIGHT

Mat and the kids built a tent to house our movie night.

All set! Popcorn and all!

BABY CHICKS

After much anticipation our first two baby chicks hatched!

TEACHING

Mat has been teaching computers and English in the secondary school. I know what you are thinking. Computers in a village that has no electricity?! Don't worry. Totally practical!

Mr. Adams in front of his chalkboard. Can you guess what he is teaching?

Mat's form 3 class

We opened up our home to give some hands on computer experience along with a game of scrabble to practice English.