Monday, November 23, 2009

Our time is almost gone...

Hello all!

The past week has been quite eventful. Let me take the time now to fill you all in on my life thus far.

The trip on the bus on the way back from the capital city was rather uneventful. It was long and hot and I slept most of it thanks to Dramamine. We spent the next day resting and reorganizing since Melissa didn’t come back with us. Mike and his family (Melissa’s team leader, our new fill-in supervisor) came down and we ate lunch and discussed what the future is going to look like. We found out later that Melissa is going to leave the country to seek medical care for her back. As of right now it’s still unclear whether or not she’ll return before we leave, but it doesn’t look like it. So instead of going in to Melissa’s on the weekends, Mike will pick us up and we’ll stay at their house most weekends (they live 3 hours away). I was a little concerned about all the details to begin with, but now I am at peace with everything, thanks to Dad.

Tuesday we went back out to our village. One of our moms, Laidy, had her baby while we were away. It’s a precious little girl. She’s a good size and looks really healthy. We got to hold her and hang out with the family most of the day.

Wednesday night was the highlight of my week. It’s been getting really chilly at night so after dinner I put on my hooded sweatshirt and my sweatpants and we started making some ashi for the chief and hot tea for us. As we sat there drinking in all the warmth our tea had to offer, we seized the opportunity to tell the chief another story from the Good News. We really wanted to share about the love of Dad, so we thought about it for a few minutes and decided to tell him the story of the prodigal son. We hadn’t actually prepared anything or thought much about how much language it would require, we just went for it. We asked him if he wanted us to tell him a story and he happily agreed to it. We then told him about a man who had two sons. One son was a good son. This son worked in the fields for his father and was a good worker. The other son was a bad son. This son took money from his father and went to a city far away. The son then spent all the money he had taken and spent it on things like ashi and shirts (we couldn’t come up with anything better) and then when he ran out of money his friends left him. He had no money for food and he had no friends. He then decided to go back to his father because at least he had food. As the son was coming home the father saw him a long ways out and ran to him, hugged him and said “I love you.” Then the dad killed a sheep for him and the roasted and had a party like they do for baby naming ceremonies. The chief understood everything we said and even retold the story to one of his wives instantly and he told the story way better than we did. They all seemed to really like the story. We then told him how the dad in the story was like our Dad and how we are the bad son because we have sin and we’ve taken everything we can from our Dad and left Him. But just like the dad in the story our Dad still loves us and if we return to Him He will run after us and welcome us home. He will always welcome us back no matter what we’ve done while we were away. He loves us no matter what, we just have to return. The chief understood everything we said and even applied it to him and retold the story and the application to us. I was so happy that tears came to my eyes. I know it’s ridiculous, but after over 5 months of trying so hard with a difficult language and hard concepts when we finally go across that Dad loves him no matter what and to have it make sense to them it was almost too much for me. I was so proud of us. I couldn’t stop smiling. We finally did it without any special preparation or help of a translator. Dad did it through us! Of all the vessels in the world He chose us to deliver this message at this time in this place and it felt great.

We don’t have much time left now and it saddens me. I feel like I’ve finally got what this is all about. I’ve been able to successfully share the Good News on the spur of a moment and it crossed all the cultural barriers and was understood. I’m not sure anything can get better than this. I still can’t believe He chose me to come here to do this. What an honor. I’m so in love with Him right now it’s not even funny. But it’s almost time to leave. Only a few more weeks here. I don’t want to leave. But then again life here isn’t all roses…

On Thursday Lindsay and I got locked in our hut for 45 minutes! That’s right, we got locked in a mud hut in Africa. We were not alone though, we had Nana, the two month old baby, with us too. Oh and we were locked in by a TSA lock, one of the locks with a three digit code. Hannah-tu, only nine years old, had gotten a little upset with us for shutting the door to our hut and somehow managed to lock us in our hut. This wouldn’t have been so bad but nobody knew how to unlock it. We knew the code and we told several people, but they would look at the lock, spin the dials a little bit and then proclaim that they didn’t know how. Finally someone when out to the fields and got the chief because he’s the only one that knows how to operate those kind of locks.

Friday we headed back to the family that we are staying with on the weekends. We went a day earlier than we expected because we’re all getting a little sick due to the change in the weather. When you are used to 120 degrees, 70 degrees seems like frost bite. The weekend was really relaxing. We were able to just hang out and be in a family atmosphere all weekend.


My Heart
For those of you who don’t know me very well, I’m ridiculous. If you look that up you find all sorts of synonyms for it including, but not limited to, ludicrous, preposterous, absurd, silly, outrageous, unreasonable and my favorite…incredible. I am all of those things. The antonym is sensible. That’s something that is rarely attributed to me. Often I don’t think things all the way through. Let’s take this trip to Africa for example. Let’s look at what I was getting myself into.
Africa is hot…I don’t like to sweat.
Africa is dirty…I don’t like to get dirty.
Africa has limited food…I’m a picky eater.
Africa is full of bugs…I hate bugs.
Africa has gigantic snakes…I’m terrified of snakes.
Africa has parasites…I’m afraid of parasites.
Africans wear headscarves…I’m not really a scarf kind of person.
Africans wear bold, mismatching patterns…I’m into earth tones and pastels…that MATCH!
Africans rarely touch each other…physical touch is my number one love language.
Africa has the poorest countries in the world…gifts are my second love language.
Africa is full of work…I’m not a huge fan of work.
Africa is full of millet…I love flowers not millet.
Africa is full of morning people…I’m NOT a morning person
Africa is for strong people…I am weak.
Africa doesn’t run on a watch…I thought I didn’t either.

If I was a sensible person I would have opted for a different culture, or at least a different climate. If I were a sensible person the idea of living in a mud hut would have sunk in and I would have run in the other direction. I was not assigned to Africa…I chose Africa. I wasn’t thinking, but Dad was. It has been incredible. I’ve learned a lot because of it too.

I’ve learned that after a while you don’t notice sweat running down your back.
I’ve learned that after living in Africa you stop seeing the need to shower constantly…you’ll just step out of the shower and start sweating again and before you know it you’re dirty again.
I’ve learned to enjoy all sorts of food. I can eat bread and salad and actually enjoy them.
I’ve learned to not think twice about killing bugs with my bare hands.
I’ve learned that some things don’t change…I’m still terrified of snakes.
I’ve learned that parasites aren’t the end of the world…just take cipro.
I’ve learned that headscarves provide a nice alternative to showering daily.
I’ve learned that just because they don’t match doesn’t mean I don’t have to.
I’ve learned that if you want to hug someone you just have to teach them how.
I’ve learned that gifts come from the heart, not the pocketbook.
I’ve learned that hard work helps you sleep at night and gives you a sense of achievement.
I’ve learned that you can find flowers in the desert and millet is good roasted.
I’ve learned that you can get used to pounding at 4:00am and if you do happen to be awake at that time Dad often makes up for it by providing a beautiful sunrise.
I’ve learned that God only uses the weak.
I’ve learned that a waltz ain’t a waltz if you’re rushing it.

And that brings me to the next topic on my heart… “a waltz just ain’t a waltz if we’re rushing it.” That’s a line from one of Amber Dlugosh’s songs. I’ve been reading Captivating by John and Stasi Eldridge for the second time. Last time I read it I was at Windermere working at the Edge (a challenge course), which happened to be one of the best summer jobs ever. I was able to read about the beauty of Dad then go to work outside and drink in the beauty of His wonderful creation. I saw deer drink out of a shallow creek and raccoons play in the woods, one time while I was at work I even saw a small red fox just chillin’ in the woods. I could see the beauty of Dad’s creation everywhere I looked. I could even see it in the people I worked with. Each of them had unique characteristics that I could see directly reflecting the image of Dad to me. In Amber I saw Dad’s sensitivity, in Chris I saw Dad’s desire for us to enjoy Him, in Kayla I saw Dad’s delight in each of us, in Malissa I saw Dad’s nurturing spirit, in Coty I saw Dad’s protection, in Jered I saw Dad’s passion, in Clark I saw the love of Dad, and in Dan I saw Dad’s desire for us to do good. All of that to say, that last summer I experienced the beauty and love of Dad daily. I felt beautiful even though I was sweaty and disgusting because I knew that I was actively being pursued by the creator of the universe. Dad was literally using everything in the world to show me His love for me. That summer I wasn’t worried about the future. I didn’t have to. I knew it was taken care of. I mean I’m sure there were days that the weight of the world seemed to be on my shoulders, but those just aren’t the parts that stick out to me. Sadly when that summer ended so did my ability to see Dad’s love for me. I mean I knew he loved me, but I just didn’t feel it the same way anymore and to be honest that really sucked. So the past year has been a heavy one. I’ve constantly felt like I need to know what to do…about everything. I felt like I need to know what I was doing the next semester and when I graduated. I felt like I needed to either be content with singleness or catch Mr. Right real quick. I wanted a foolproof plan. As it turned out my plan turned out to be further proof I was a fool. As you might recall from previous posts I’ve had a bit of difficulty giving over my future to Dad because I want things to go my way. This also includes that I want things to happen in my timing. Dad has recently convicted me of how difficult I’m making things by always desiring things to go my way in my time. Dad is still trying to romance me the same way He was that summer at Windermere, but I’ve been missing it. He’s created a beautiful symphony to set the pace of dance of my life, but I’m trying to rush things. I’m trying to lead and stepping on His feet in the mean time. I’m missing out on part beauty of the mystery of the future by trying to plan everything out ahead of time. I’m rushing the steps trying to figure out where we’re going next. I’m missing out on the excitement and thrill of not knowing what comes next. I’ve never been a very good dancer; just ask anyone who’s ever dared to dance with me. Rhythm just doesn’t come naturally to me, but it doesn’t mean I can’t learn to follow. After all, a really good dancer once told me that it only takes one good dancer to make a couple look good and right now I’ve got the best partner in the world, I’ll even let you in on a little secret… He created the dance. So I’m learning to follow. I’m trying to be fluid. I relish in the beauty of the present and flirt with the mystery of the future. I’m at rest and I can see the beauty in all of it…including myself. There’s nothing like being romanced with someone who knows you better than you know yourself and let me tell you…He knows me. And after all…”a waltz just ain’t a waltz if we’re rushing it.”

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Five Down, One to Go...

Well hello to all!

Yay for Public Transportation
When we were planning to go to the capital city, Lindsay and I volunteered to take the bush since there would not be enough room in Melissa’s truck and DF always is encouraging us to take as much public transportation as possible. The day before we left Linds wasn’t feeling well so Lacey ended up taking her spot. The next morning we woke up early and got to the bus station a little before 6:00am. Still extremely tired and a little disoriented Lacey and I found a wooden bench at started waiting for the bus. Then this really old man started staring at us and mumbling something in a language we didn’t understand and at this point we knew the trip was going to be an interesting one. The old man lurked around for a bit until we made eye contact with the bus station worker and he instantly asked the man to leave. About ten minutes later the bus pulled up and we hopped on. There were two seats saved side by side for us right by the door. The bus was completely full and off we went. Off on our great adventure to the capital city. About an hour into the trip, to our great surprise, the Rimbo man started passing out kossoms (drinkable yogurt in a pouch) and smashed cupcakeish things. They were really good. I’ve never ridden in a gray hound bus, but I think this was probably comparable. I almost I forgot I was in Africa until trash started flying from all directions as people attempted to throw their wrappers into the stairway that just happened to be directly in front of us. It really scared me for a second. In the early morning the bus was still really cool and was actually quite enjoyable. At one point the bus driver stopped the entire bus because there was a three year old little girl that had to go to the bathroom. She and her mother got off bus did their business on the side of the road and got back on. It was actually pretty cute. We stopped about half way through and got off for a few minutes and found some random man walking around selling really cute leather shoes, so Lacey and I both bought a pair. I was really excited about them until I wore them once or twice. As it turns out 100% leather means 100% so the bottoms are just one piece of leather and they are really slick to walk in. The second half of the trip was not nearly as enjoyable as the first part. The sun was fully up and baking us inside of the bus. We did have a window seat so I opened it up and it helped a lot, but it was still quite warm. When we got about an hour outside of the capital city the bus driver hit the brakes and I looked up just in time to see a giraffe running across the road. There were probably at least three giraffes on each side of the bus. As it turns out we are in the only country in the world that still has this type of giraffe living in the wild. Later on we went on a tour to see the giraffes and learned that there are only 153 of these giraffes and we saw six of them and one baby giraffe that was only a month old. We finally made it to the capital city and we taxied to the guest house and met the rest of the team. Now, tomorrow morning at 4:15am we will be out of the house and on our way back to the bush.

Marine Ball
Well the Marine Ball was a success. We did our nails, hair and makeup, put on our pretty dresses and went to dance the night way. As it turns out there are only six Marines in the country…opposed to the nine that we thought there were. The night started with a short ceremony and a reading of a speech Hillary Clinton sent. Then the Ambassador was announced and she cut the cake and dinner began. I was seated next to one of the marines who turned out to be quite the character. He was a lot of fun though. He left his phone and camera at the table while the ceremony was going on and it kept going off, so I turned it off. Instead of a house salad, he started out with rum and coke. Before long he was in an enthusiastic conversation with a retired army man at our table. Dinner was really good though, I had the steak and potatoes…I’m definitely a steak and potatoes kind of girl. The man that was supposed to sit on the other side of me didn’t show up, so we looked at his little name card and saw that he was getting the tiramisu (a personal favorite of mine) and that I had ordered the crème caramel, so we messed up his place setting and had the waiter give us his dessert and we all shared it. After dessert we got out on the dance floor. The marine that had sat at our table earlier was already quite drunk and kept trying to dance with us. We refused. We did do the electric slide a few times and danced in a circle with a few guys. The drunken marine turned out to be a majority of the evening’s entertainment. Linds and I did manage to make friends with a few of the marines. One of the marine’s named Matt was super sweet and it turned out we had met him when we had arrived back in June. He knows a lot of the people we work with and he invited us to go sand boarding with him and some of the guys the next day. We agreed. Most of the music that was played that evening left a lot to be desire…there was a lot of random salsa music and stuff we had never heard before. So, we called it a night around 11:30pm and headed home. Over all the night was quite a bit of fun, it felt good to dress up and go out again.

Sand boarding
So the next day we all went sand boarding on the dunes on the other side of the river. I attempted sand boarding once before, but it was on a much smaller dune. I knew we were in trouble when the first marine went tumbling down and came back up out of breath. Anyone who knows me knows that I’m not exactly the most coordinated or athletic person in the world. A few more of the guys went, then Lacey when, then Lindsay, then Lauren….and then it was my turn. I tried to back out gracefully, but they wouldn’t have it. So I slipped my feet in the straps and off I went, screaming down the hill. I fell a few times on the way down, but nothing too bad. Then I started the daunting task of climbing back up a massive sand dune. It’s so much harder than it looks. For every big step you take you only move a few inches because the sand slides down each time. So it turns out to look something like 12 inches forward 10 inches back and for a big hill two inches at a time takes a lot of effort not to mention the fact that you still have to bring the board back up with you. Anyways, we all had a good time. It was fun to hang out with guys our age and just have fun for a while.

Recent Developments
Our supervisor, Melissa, has been having some back pains for a while and they have recently gotten a lot worse. She’s been trying to fix it with Tylenol, but now pain killers won’t cut it and her toes are going numb, so she’s staying in the capital city and we are going back out to the bush with Rachel. Things are still pretty up in the air for Melissa, as of right now it looks like she might be flying out of the country to seek medical care. Please keep it in your yarps. It will also affect our last few weeks here. Since we are living a very bush lifestyle there is no way we could spend the rest of our time without someone being fairly close and the next workers are over 3 hours away, so it means that for the rest of our time here either we will have someone else staying at Melissa’s house (which will take them away from their current work) or we will be staying with the other worker 3 hours away. Either way, things are going to be changing and our time left in the bush will be less than we expected. Time is flying.

Bush Activities
As for actually doing what we’re here do…we’ve been doing it. Were continuing to go from compound to compound telling stories and Hajia’s compound still loves it. Last week we were also able to have Apollos (our second language teacher) come out and do some translation work for us and we were able to interview the Chief, the new followers, and some of the women. We’ve gotten to know a lot more about the culture, but if you want that information you’ll have to read our ethnography at the end. We also had at least three more men say that they want to know more and that they want to follow as well. It’s super exciting. Also I’m not sure how much I told you last time I blogged, but it’s officially freezing cold here at nights. In the bush we have to wear sleeping bags or else we wake up at 3 or 4 am shivering.

Good Night Sweetheart It’s Time to Go
I’d love to write more, but I’m getting really sleepy and I have to be up and out by 4:15am…I’m not a morning person. So please keep everything in your yarps and I’ll see ya’ll in a little over a month.