More from You might be living in Africa if.....

You might be living in Africa if you are at a bridal shower and a monkey jumps out of the tree and steals your cake!

You might be living in Africa if driving sideways and slipping back and forth across the road doesn't scare you because it is perfectly normal.

You might be living in Africa if falling into ditch becomes a normal occurrence with bad roads.

You might be living in Africa if you are constantly waving to people as you are driving along in the car. I have achieved celebrity status simply because I am white.

You might be living in Africa if someone starts to crumple wrapping paper and everyone gasps. Wrapping paper can be ironed and reused!

You might be living in Africa if you open the window to your office and there is a snake. (This happened to someone who is in my old office and not to me. Thank GOD!)

You might be living in Africa if you go back to your room and there is a baby spitting cobra waiting for you. (Not at my house, while I was in one of the villages)

You might be living in Africa if those crazy stories that people seem to make up about everything going wrong are actually true. (No joke, I had to get a hold of someone. They sent me a text. I could not reply because my texting was not working. Then the network was down. Then, they had their phone turned off. And, finally,I ran out of credit).

You might be living in Africa if that weird itch on your skin really is a big crawling on you.

You might be living in Africa if knowing two languages is considered normal or even basic. Tribal languages make life more interesting. Each village requires a different greeting!

You might be living in Africa if no party you have ever been to compares to the praise and worship here!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for more. Life here is never boring!

Word for the day

In my quest for mastery of the swahili language, I often forget words that I learn. Some days I just can't make them stick in my head. In order for them to find a permanent place in my memory, I need to use them or there needs to be a context. Usually, there is a word of the day for me. This past Friday, I learned two new words! Kwama and matope which means stuck and mud. Any guesses as to how I learned those words? That's right, you guessed it. What an adventure! The rainy season definitely makes life interesting here.

We were heading up to the village of Likamba Friday morning. As we turned off the tarmac road, I quickly realized that it was going to be a slippery day. However, I am not sure why but the roads to Likamba have had a lot of erosion. Looking over the valley you see endless paths of ditches that are between 5 - 15 feet deep. The terrain is hilly and a bit trecherous. Since the previous week we had gotten stuck towards the end of the trip and had to walk, I was hoping that things would go a bit differently. As we were driving past a particularly deep ditch, I had a vision of our truck laying on the side stuck in the ditch. So, I turned around and asked Isack if he had already prayed for our journey. At that moment, the slipping into the ditch began.... Thankfully, our driver was able to put the car into park before we fell in. I, on the other hand, was not so lucky. After getting out of the car, I quickly checked out the consistency of the mud. I felt it was important to fully understand how wet the mud was. Before completely falling, I caught myself with my hands. It took a lot of leaves to get the mud off!

While we assessing the situation, several men walked by. From what I understand, they planned to just pass us by and assumed that no one spoke Masaai. However, both the driver and Miriam(our admin) are Masaai and quickly greeted them. The men reluctantly decided to help. The ground needed to be dug up to try to give the tires some traction. So, Miriam went to one of the huts nearby to get a pick and a hoe. After a lot of digging and a lot of mud later, the car was able to be lifted over onto the better patch. Once the tires were able to get some traction, the driver took off. Because we were not sure if it was safe, the driver took the car and we walked. In case any of you are thinking about walking in the mud, please wear shoes other than flip flops. They are not the easiest to walk in. I almost slipped SO many more times. Everyone had to help me and I felt like an idiot! There was nothing left to do but laugh and enjoy my time skating on the mud.

Eventually we felt like it was safe to get in the car again. However, not to long after we ended up in a ditch. The car was half in and half out on its side. Getting out of the car was a bit of an adventure. I am not sure how, but the truck was able to drive and eventually right itself. Once again, however we walked. I couldn't help but laugh that we would walk and the car would drive. I felt like what was the point in bringint the truck if we were just going to walk. This time, we just walked all the way to our final destination. Needless to say, we were a bit late. Since it is Africa, we actually arrived before anyone else. Sweet Miriam washed my feet, what a servant. I tried to protest but she insisted. It definitely gave me more of an idea of what it meant to wash someone's feet during the time of Christ. After all that traveling, people would want to have their feet clean because they would be DIRTY. To have someone that you respect washing your feet was very humbling.

Going back was not quite as adventurous, THANK GOD! We have learned that we need to travel with our own pick and hoe!

Building Relationships

During my months here, I have quickly learned the value of building good relationships with others. Of course, the people that I work with are of the utmost importance. However, the man that I buy my fruit from, the one I buy vegetables from, the butcher, the woman at the store that has western goods have all become people that I have gotten to know well over the past year. Now knowing them by name and being able to greet them has made life easier and nicer. I know what to expect and it is familiar. One area that has been a little unexpected and maybe even a little unwanted is the Medical Clinic. They all know me now. The place has become familiar. I am incredibly thankful that the people there are very kind and helpful but I wouldn't mind seeing less of them. =) I have been sick for a week and not able to get better so I finally got over my stubbornness and went AGAIN to the doctor. Bacteria.... ICK!

Balance

Do you ever achieve balance? Are there people out there that know how to handle things and respond to things with a clear head and keep things in perspective? I am sure there are, I am just not one of them. I tend to be a person of extremes in just about everything. Since living here, I feel as though this has been magnified. How do you not make your life your work? Especially as a single person? I know God does not need me, but I don't think I really believe it. When what I am doing affects the lives of so many, it is hard to not feel like things have to be done all the time. How do I take time to just sit at home relaxing when that means that the children at one of the villages might not get their porridge when they need it. How do I go over to a friend's home to have fun when there are children suffering? How do live in a world surrounded by poverty and need and spend $9 on Frosted Flakes? I did it. Today, I just really wanted some Frosted Flakes. As soon as I get to my car, there is a street child begging for money. I know that money is not the answer but it is hard to know what to do. The other night we watched "Runaway Bride." Who doesn't like the love story, but for me it was seeing the countryside, the leaves changing colors, the sight of something familiar. I miss America. But then there are times that I think, how can I go back to normal when I know what I know now and have seen what I have seen. I know that the only reason I am here is because God has called me here, but sometimes I just feel all turned around and upside down.

The value of life

During my short stint here so far, I have learned things that just make me cry. Sometimes I just don't know how to respond. I do not know what to do in the face of so much despair and poverty. Like today when I pull into my very nice gated house and see this little old women sitting looking lost, alone, and hungry; the street children that greet me every time I get out of my car in town, the man sitting crippled on the side of the street. When I pass it on the street, I feel at a loss for what to do.

However, I know that the ministry that I am blessed to be a part of is doing something about it. One of the tragedies of one of the tribes here is that if a child is born with any deformities or disabilities, then he/she is killed. Can you imagine what it must be like to kill your own child? To kill it because you know that you will be ostracized and cast out if you do not? To be lied to and told that it does not have any value? But you have to know that when you kill that precious baby, that you have taken life? What happens to a heart after it has killed another? A child in the village of Mairowa lost both of his legs when he was a young child. The mother stood in defiance of her culture and did not kill him. Our ministry helped the child find help: money for an operation, prosthetics, and a special school. What is even more amazing is now that 15 year old boy has returned home walking. The tears of his family were running with reckless abandon. There was a special time of thanksgiving and prayer. People came from all over, even Kenya, and several towns close by. The District Commissioner came which is a huge honor. One man who is also disabled came and spoke. He brought his two beautiful children and wife with him. He is even a doctor! The people could not believe it. Can you imagine what it must be like for people who have thrown children like them away to see that there is value in life? Even though they are supposed to kill, some just hide their children away. They were challenged to bring them forward. Three did and now will be able to get help. Unbelievable! God is definitely in the business of transformation!

God's sense of humor

When my family and I first moved to Georgia when I was sixteen, it took us a little while to find the shortcuts. However, with my dad and I on the case it was not too long. Both of us are quite determined to find the quickest, best, most efficient way to do just about anything. So, you can imagine my excitement when I discovered a new shortcut to one of the main roads. I distinctly remember coming and telling my dad, but he said he had found the fastest way. In the end, we had ourselves a challenge. We needed to clock the mileage for each way. My dad's was 4.1 and mine..... 1.6!! I was the winner! (Not competitive at all) I put that on the refrigerator. I wish this was a lone story in the history of my childhood, but it is not. Throughout my life, I have been on the search for the most efficient, best way to do things even things like loading the dishwasher. I cannot stand inefficiency. To make matter worst, I went to an engineering school and even studied more ways to make things better and more efficient. This is me, for better or for worse, it is me.

Then, what does God do. God calls me to a place where relationships are valued over efficiency. Interesting, don't you think. Find the most efficient method, is just about impossible because things change so much. I needed to go and get an Xray for my foot. We were told that the technician at one hospital would be there at 9am. So we showed up, at 9am. No technician. By now, I should not be suprised. No one was really sure where he was. He never showed the night before. He is out traveling. He could be back anytime. They just told me to wait, but by now I know better, ask more questions! What does anytime mean I ask? Later today? Maybe, or maybe tomorrow or maybe next week. I figured that waiting could take a while.

So, we went to another hospital. Finding how to see the doctor was a bit challenging. People just kept going in to the room with the doctor even people that had come after me. Since I could not walk very well, it made it a bit difficult to beat anyone to the door. Thank God for Julia. She got me in. Of course, once I was in, I still had to wait for 15 minutes for the doctor and nurse to talk. Once they finished, he said, "Hello, mzungu" Clearly, he did not realize that I had understood everything that he and the nurse had been talking about. He asked what happened, never once looking at my foot or examining me. Sent me off to get an Xray. That technician was of course no where to be found and no one really knew where he was or when he would be back.

At this point, I wish I could say that I responded with grace and humility and was an example for Christ. But, alas that was not to be. The result was me telling the nurse who was trying to find the xray technician, that I was sorry that her hospital was so poorly run. My emotions got the better of me. My foot was in a lot of pain and I was aghast at the complete inefficiency of the methods. Oh well..... Maybe God is trying to teach me something....

The Klutz strikes again

When you read stories of missionaries, you often find that they have suffered from various illnesses such as malaria, typhoid, etc. I know that having malaria is horrible and serious, but getting it while you are missionary seems almost romantic, suffering Jesus, laying your life down. Please do not get me wrong, I DO NOT WANT MALARIA! However, those illnesses come from going to another country to serve God. To me, it seems like there is almost a nobility to them.

A story that I read as a child was called, "Megan the Klutz." The sequel which was almost as good was called, "The Klutz strikes again." To my knowledge, I do not think that those were based on my life but they could have been.

Throughout my life, I have been brutally aware of my inability to walk and talk at the same time, that coordination was just one of those things I do not have. I trip on flat ground. I walk into walls. I don't see the cord in the front of my classroom and fall over in front of all of my students. I sit down on a chair that isn't quite in the right spot and miss it once again in front of my class. Yes, this is the life of a klutz, my life.

I hoped that my tendency to fall would have been left back in the states. Surely that now that I am a missionary, I would finally be graceful. That was not what happened. Last Wednesday, I was coming out of a night of amazing worship with all of our teachers and just simply walking down a few steps. By now, I should know better. PAY ATTENTION! Do not walk and talk at the same time. But, I did not, and I fell just like I usually do. This time I drew a huge crowd. The pain was bad enough for me to almost pass out. My ankle quickly grew tennis ball size and now it has all sorts of pretty shades of blue and purple. The Klutz strikes again!