So, we've been adjusting to all kinds of things here. We've learned that accomplishing things takes WAY longer than you think it will and that the journey is more the goal than the end product. Just a couple days ago, I went to get a taxi to go downtown. As I was walking to the road, a guy walked up and asked if I wanted a taxi ride. Now, it's only a five minute walk to the road to where tons of taxis drive by, but I thought, "Why not, I'll save myself some time and take this guy up on his offer." I agreed thinking he would get in the car he was leaning on and we would go. He went to go get a change of clothes, some food, some gas for his car, oil, and a friend....everyone needs a friend when they go do stuff, right?
As I was waiting for this guy, I wanted nothing more than to just say, "Hey, never mind, I'll walk out and get a taxi at the road," but I thought maybe this was a way I could learn some patience and appreciation of the culture. I waited for probably ten or fifteen minutes and then the car was ready to be started....without keys. A few guys came and pushed the car down a small hill, but it didn't quite catch. A woman came by and asked the taxi driver for a ride as well and she and I helped the guys pull the car back up the hill and try for running start #2. It worked and the taxi took another few minutes to turn around and we were on our way. The driver was a really sweet person, though and helped me find the place I was looking for even though I wasn't real clear on its location.
I am learning to slow myself down. Greet people before thinking about business (and somehow not forget about business then, either), stop to talk to people who are just hanging out in the road, wait for the taxi in the road, etc. It's going well, and I am also sure that people are extending a lot of grace to me as I am not following cultural norms yet.
We're celebrating the small things like our success this week in managing to avoid the exuberant seating assistant at church who likes to forcibly seat us in the front row at church. We celebrated in a quiet way as we sat in the middle of the congregation and were able to watch everyone else and figure out what to do.
I can't wait to see the things that we'll learn in six months or a year. It's fun and exciting to look into this culture and enjoy aspects of it so much!
My camera cord is missing right now, when I find it, I will post pictures.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Emotional Culture Adaptation
Two days ago, we woke up to the sound of women wailing. An 8-year-old child passed away in our neighborhood during the night and everyone gathered at a house two away from ours to mourn together. She died of a very high fever, they took her to the hospital but there was nothing that could be done. It haunts me in ways, would it have made a difference if I had offered her mother some information about how to purify water, what if it was completely preventable, what if.... But all the what-ifs in the world are not going to make a difference now. We are here and we are working as hard as possible to get started the things we hope will make that kind of impact. There will be mornings we won't wake up to the sound of wailing and maybe it is be because someone has learned to washed their hands well or has purified their drinking water or did know how to keep someone hydrated if they have diarrhea. We're looking forward to those mornings. For now, we grieve with the people who experienced this loss recently and try to pray the serenity prayer.
At MTI, we spent a day talking about loss and grieving and they used verses from the Bible from all places that talk about different kinds and ways of showing grief. I took away from the lesson that it's critical to access emotions and deal with them fully in my own way before they abcess. For me, it usually means crying quietly, but not always. For a Guinean woman, it might look very different. Both are valid ways to handle loss.The flip-side of grieving outwardly is that most emotions are openly expressed here. Laughter is loud, conversations get loud and spirited easily and people here usually don't hold grudges long. It made me wonder if keeping emotions out in the open might be a great idea. Once you've cried out and expressed all you were feeling, what's left but to move on? Once you've had a huge argument and said all you had to say, you just call it done where if you hold it in and get upset, you never quite let it go the same way. Then, when it's time to laugh, you can do so openly and fully as well.
Since arriving, I have wanted nothing more than to start working. Now don't get me wrong, we are working, we're learning language, we're learning how to run a household in a whole new world, we're starting off and it takes time. But I, in all of my American "get 'er done" mentality, just ITCH to get to writing lesson plans, talking business, making what I would call progress. I have to keep stopping to realize this IS progress we're making right now.
The picture below is of us Skype-ing with some family and friends recently. That in itself was a whole new skill-set to learn. Cooking is a MAJOR learning experience for me. Last time I was here, I just snacked most of the time, now I am starting to cook....and it's SO different than cooking has ever been. We got our water filter out and have cleaned it and it's just now filtering its first CLEAN water for us! I went and got medicine for Sheba today and learned more Kriol on the way. I have hired my friend, Ruthie to help me with the work of washing and cleaning so I can have time to work on teaching and things when we move. We pay her about $30 per month for 10 hours a week of work and it is a good wage for someone here. We're learning how to carve out time for us and spend time with people just talking and getting to know them. It's all a process and we're learning to walk at a pace that's reasonable.
Thanks for reading these thoughts about recent experiences. We love you tons!
"God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change
Courage to change the things I can
And the wisdom to notice the difference."
Author Unknown
Guineans grieve very differently than we do. A large group of pepole gathered and chanted the wailing songs and cried loudly. They waited at the house near us until a large number of people had gathered and then they walked together to where I can only assume the burial was conducted. Then they returned to and sang and cried a while longer. There were people in the road who were wailing all day. One woman ran up and down the road by our windows screaming and singing, others curled in half and wept from the depths of their hearts. It was the sound of absolute heartbreak. I was struck by how different this is from how we handle grief in the USA. Much of the way that we grieve is very silent--that is what seems sincere to us because it's what we're used to. We are very aware of our impact on others and try to minimize any chance we make someone uncomfortable. The wailing in the streets was like an invitation to what I see as a very personal affair, and I think it was meant that way. I was laying in bed early in the morning and just wept with them silently in my American way of experiencing sadness.
At MTI, we spent a day talking about loss and grieving and they used verses from the Bible from all places that talk about different kinds and ways of showing grief. I took away from the lesson that it's critical to access emotions and deal with them fully in my own way before they abcess. For me, it usually means crying quietly, but not always. For a Guinean woman, it might look very different. Both are valid ways to handle loss.The flip-side of grieving outwardly is that most emotions are openly expressed here. Laughter is loud, conversations get loud and spirited easily and people here usually don't hold grudges long. It made me wonder if keeping emotions out in the open might be a great idea. Once you've cried out and expressed all you were feeling, what's left but to move on? Once you've had a huge argument and said all you had to say, you just call it done where if you hold it in and get upset, you never quite let it go the same way. Then, when it's time to laugh, you can do so openly and fully as well.
Since arriving, I have wanted nothing more than to start working. Now don't get me wrong, we are working, we're learning language, we're learning how to run a household in a whole new world, we're starting off and it takes time. But I, in all of my American "get 'er done" mentality, just ITCH to get to writing lesson plans, talking business, making what I would call progress. I have to keep stopping to realize this IS progress we're making right now.
The picture below is of us Skype-ing with some family and friends recently. That in itself was a whole new skill-set to learn. Cooking is a MAJOR learning experience for me. Last time I was here, I just snacked most of the time, now I am starting to cook....and it's SO different than cooking has ever been. We got our water filter out and have cleaned it and it's just now filtering its first CLEAN water for us! I went and got medicine for Sheba today and learned more Kriol on the way. I have hired my friend, Ruthie to help me with the work of washing and cleaning so I can have time to work on teaching and things when we move. We pay her about $30 per month for 10 hours a week of work and it is a good wage for someone here. We're learning how to carve out time for us and spend time with people just talking and getting to know them. It's all a process and we're learning to walk at a pace that's reasonable.Thanks for reading these thoughts about recent experiences. We love you tons!
Friday, September 16, 2011
The odd menagerie blog post...
This blog post is kind of an odd assortment of thoughts, feelings, experiences, etc.
I am on my way over to Emily Atkins' kitchen for the next couple of hours. We're attempting to make some salsa that a friend, Catalina, showed me in Washington DC. Hope we get it right, if so, our tastebuds will be duly rewarded! :)
About our current place in the journey:
I have been absorbing all that's going on rather slowly. This transition has been different on every level from the last transition. Last time, I think the way I prepared myself and set to work here in such a hurry was great, but not sustainable. This time, I feel like we're preparing for more of a marathon than a sprint. We're taking our time to pick a place to live, think about the things we might want in our house that will help us feel at home (for me, that's things like having good bedding on my bed and a pressure cooker in the kitchen; for Jason, it's having an internet connection that's easy to use and knowing the doors lock well--no cheesy locks). I think this will be a time of being ready for the long-haul. We're sinking our teeth in.
Thanks for being with us:
Jason is in the bathroom right now using a hand-pump water filter to get us clean water for the day. We're thankful to have running water and filters to make it drinkable! Sheba is napping on her bed wishing she could curl up in our clothes, and I am writing you. It's like having you here in our house. We can feel your hugs, your encouraging words, your jokes and smiles. I can imagine each of you hanging out with us here right now and I know what you'd be doing.
There was a large spider on the wall this morning. It was one of the kinds that when you hit it with the fly swatter, all its legs fall off. I should take a video of it some time, you kinda have to see it to believe it. Anyway, I kept laughing because I was thinking of different ones of you and how you would react; from friends who would say "It's a spider, they eat other bugs, let it live in your house" to those who would be climbing the tallest thing in the room and just screaming. The spider was too high for me to reach so I was going to leave it alone, but Jason decided to swat it. It was over our bed, so when he hit it, its legs showered down on the sheets around its body. What inefficient spiders! Jason was a bit awestruck--he's heard about these spiders, but I don't think he realized they REALLY did lose their legs when you hit them.
Thank you all for pouring into our lives. As we spend ourselves and our hearts here, we are pouring out to people and God uses you to pour into us. Sometimes, when I talk to someone here, I see them through the eyes of the people who send us. There is tremendous love, compassion, sensitivity, humor, and joy we receive from you and it is so uplifting. Thank you for your heart for Africa.
Talking in Church:
A few days ago, I spoke at a women's group at church. I have no idea if the message I prepared was any good, but they were gracious and seemed appreciative--people here are SO kind. They tell you that you're doing a great job even when you slaughter the language completely, and they ask you to speak at meetings and groups on your first week here, just trusting us immediately. It's VERY humbling. Before I spoke, one of the women stood up and delegated different topics of prayer to each person in the group. The one that struck me most was the topic of prayer for women and marriages in Bissau. The way the woman talked about marriage was very telling. She said that there is an absolute war in in the spiritual realm over marriages. Marriage itself has become a battle here. She asked us to pray for God's intervention in marriage. The way she said it cannot be conveyed in words. Her eyes were alight with sincerity and the immediacy of this need. All at once, I saw these women in a whole new light, like fierce and sweet soldiers fighting for God's glory in their own families. They are like pillars of strength, and yet they are so fragile. Speaking before this group was absolutely the most humbling thing I have done in a while. All I wanted to do was pull up a seat and ask them to tell me their life stories and share with me about their strengths and experiences. I told them about how we've said goodbye to all of you and how it has been to leave the USA. I said that I've said goodbye to my family and dear friends knowing God has people for me to grow close to here, and I told them how glad I was to finally meet them!
I look forward to going back for women's group again this week. I know God is doing AMAZING things in the lives of women here and I am honored to witness it and play a role. Please pray that I approach all aspects of this with God's grace and heart.
I am on my way over to Emily Atkins' kitchen for the next couple of hours. We're attempting to make some salsa that a friend, Catalina, showed me in Washington DC. Hope we get it right, if so, our tastebuds will be duly rewarded! :)
About our current place in the journey:
I have been absorbing all that's going on rather slowly. This transition has been different on every level from the last transition. Last time, I think the way I prepared myself and set to work here in such a hurry was great, but not sustainable. This time, I feel like we're preparing for more of a marathon than a sprint. We're taking our time to pick a place to live, think about the things we might want in our house that will help us feel at home (for me, that's things like having good bedding on my bed and a pressure cooker in the kitchen; for Jason, it's having an internet connection that's easy to use and knowing the doors lock well--no cheesy locks). I think this will be a time of being ready for the long-haul. We're sinking our teeth in.
Colossians 1:10-12
This past Spring, we spent from January to May running and training to run races. We ran lots of 5Ks and one 10K. It's my long-term goal to run a half marathon the next time we're home and 4 yers from now, I want to run a full marathon. Once we've done that, we want to stay in shape to keep running at that level for as long as we can. The video here is of part of our race in the Bolder Boulder this year. Our life is a lot like our race training right now. Sustainability and long-term vision are important to us at this point.
This is a brief video from our 10K race this year.
This is a brief video from our 10K race this year.
Hebrews 12:1
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
Thanks for being with us:
Jason is in the bathroom right now using a hand-pump water filter to get us clean water for the day. We're thankful to have running water and filters to make it drinkable! Sheba is napping on her bed wishing she could curl up in our clothes, and I am writing you. It's like having you here in our house. We can feel your hugs, your encouraging words, your jokes and smiles. I can imagine each of you hanging out with us here right now and I know what you'd be doing.
There was a large spider on the wall this morning. It was one of the kinds that when you hit it with the fly swatter, all its legs fall off. I should take a video of it some time, you kinda have to see it to believe it. Anyway, I kept laughing because I was thinking of different ones of you and how you would react; from friends who would say "It's a spider, they eat other bugs, let it live in your house" to those who would be climbing the tallest thing in the room and just screaming. The spider was too high for me to reach so I was going to leave it alone, but Jason decided to swat it. It was over our bed, so when he hit it, its legs showered down on the sheets around its body. What inefficient spiders! Jason was a bit awestruck--he's heard about these spiders, but I don't think he realized they REALLY did lose their legs when you hit them.
Thank you all for pouring into our lives. As we spend ourselves and our hearts here, we are pouring out to people and God uses you to pour into us. Sometimes, when I talk to someone here, I see them through the eyes of the people who send us. There is tremendous love, compassion, sensitivity, humor, and joy we receive from you and it is so uplifting. Thank you for your heart for Africa.
Talking in Church:
A few days ago, I spoke at a women's group at church. I have no idea if the message I prepared was any good, but they were gracious and seemed appreciative--people here are SO kind. They tell you that you're doing a great job even when you slaughter the language completely, and they ask you to speak at meetings and groups on your first week here, just trusting us immediately. It's VERY humbling. Before I spoke, one of the women stood up and delegated different topics of prayer to each person in the group. The one that struck me most was the topic of prayer for women and marriages in Bissau. The way the woman talked about marriage was very telling. She said that there is an absolute war in in the spiritual realm over marriages. Marriage itself has become a battle here. She asked us to pray for God's intervention in marriage. The way she said it cannot be conveyed in words. Her eyes were alight with sincerity and the immediacy of this need. All at once, I saw these women in a whole new light, like fierce and sweet soldiers fighting for God's glory in their own families. They are like pillars of strength, and yet they are so fragile. Speaking before this group was absolutely the most humbling thing I have done in a while. All I wanted to do was pull up a seat and ask them to tell me their life stories and share with me about their strengths and experiences. I told them about how we've said goodbye to all of you and how it has been to leave the USA. I said that I've said goodbye to my family and dear friends knowing God has people for me to grow close to here, and I told them how glad I was to finally meet them!
I look forward to going back for women's group again this week. I know God is doing AMAZING things in the lives of women here and I am honored to witness it and play a role. Please pray that I approach all aspects of this with God's grace and heart.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
No tene casa! (We have a house)
Somehow, it's just more fun to give things a headline in Kriol. Right now, that's kind of how I see my life. It has headlines, side-notes and subtitles and and they are NOT in English.
The real news is about the decision we made today! We chose a house to live in and we went and signed papers! I forgot to get a picture of the outside of the house, so the Pepto-Bismol wonder that it is will have to wait until another day for your viewing pleasure. :)
This is a picture of Jason w
ith the landlord and the guys from MAFI here who have helped us find this wonderful house. The people in the picture, from left to right are: Adu (I think) our landlord, Pastor Felix, Jason (easy to spot in this crowd) and Fernando. It is House #1 from the Facebook post, it is the one with 24/7 electricity and a yard that will enjoy some improvement. The landlord seems like a really honest guy and has been hoping to find renters with integrity, so I am glad we can both be glad to have found each other. The picture with the 4 guys was taken on the front porch at our house.
The real news is about the decision we made today! We chose a house to live in and we went and signed papers! I forgot to get a picture of the outside of the house, so the Pepto-Bismol wonder that it is will have to wait until another day for your viewing pleasure. :)
This is a picture of Jason w
ith the landlord and the guys from MAFI here who have helped us find this wonderful house. The people in the picture, from left to right are: Adu (I think) our landlord, Pastor Felix, Jason (easy to spot in this crowd) and Fernando. It is House #1 from the Facebook post, it is the one with 24/7 electricity and a yard that will enjoy some improvement. The landlord seems like a really honest guy and has been hoping to find renters with integrity, so I am glad we can both be glad to have found each other. The picture with the 4 guys was taken on the front porch at our house.
After this picture is a picture of our kitchen at the house that we will move into. It's pretty nice and has a huge pantry. I was standing in the hallway that goes from the living room to the kitchen and the bedrooms to take this picture.
The next picture, and possibly the most fabulous is of the infamous shower-toilet. Both clean and efficient. Why perform only one bathroom function at a time? Now there is no need with the improved shower-toilet! Bidet not included, limited warranty. Side effects may include a ridiculously wet toilet seat and no shower curtain.
The next picture is of Jason and Jason Atkins in the machine shop at the Youth Center. The guys are both very technically minded, so this kind of collaboration is great for both of them. I believe they are building a metal door that was engineered by Jason Atkins. If one Jason is awesome at puzzle-solving, then two are awesome-er. Haha. I think these two have been waiting quite a while to get to work on some projects together. This machine shop was something that Jason Atkins built himself from brainstorm state to the present wonder that it is. It houses machines and parts that can perform almost any project you could imagine here. Jason has been a part of lots of different projects throughout the country as his machine shop has proved useful and his expertise invaluable. It's really cool as missionaries just starting out to see projects like this and imagine that we might some day have something like this that's useful to lots of people in many ways. We hope so anyway!The final picture here is of me with what equals I believe $2 worth of cucumbers when they're in season. When things are in their growing season here, they grow like CRAZY and they are crazy cheap. Bet you can guess what we eat a lot of right now! Sadly, we arrived just after mango season, so we'll have to wait a whole year for mangos now. Unless we want some out of season, which isn't the worst idea. There are also TONS of limes here. They grow really well, and are the best limes I have ever tasted. I made limeade with them yesterday and liked it so much, I bought three kilos of limes ($4-and that was a bit expensive) and will be making LOTS of limeade tomorrow. The funny thing about the limes is that they are about the size of a ping-pong ball, so each one is tiny, but they're good!
Emily Atkins has been teaching me to cook here. She taught me to make this awesome Orange Beef today and it was better than a lot of Asian food I've had in the States. Seriosuly, Emily is an amazing cook and has mastered the art of cooking overseas where things are not available. She doesn't just make-do, she makes masterpieces in her kitchen. It's going to take me quite a while to reach this level of skill in my cooking! We've appreciated her help and the time she and Jason have put into helping us with this transition. They even came out to look at the houses we were debating over to give their input as people who've spent a lot of time here. We're truly blessed and really thankful.Monday, September 12, 2011
Bu obi Kriol?
People around here are used to talking to Emily and Jason Atkins in Kriol, so they usually don't talk to us unless they know us already. Then, if I chime into a conversation (if I'm picking up what's being said), people look at me and ask "Bu obi Kriol?" and I say yes, but not well.
We had our first lesson in Kriol today with our friend, Fernando. He spent the entire lesson patiently talking to us in Kriol and trying to help us get a clue about what's going on. Even the Kriol that I speak is limited enough that people have a hard time knowing exactly what I mean.
It's the funniest thing to BE the foreigner. You realize that people are being nice just to talk to you because it takes them extra energy to give it a go. You are not the only person around that they could try talking to and it's kind that they even try!
We went to church yesterday and fought sleep. We were very tired to start with because our dog had kept us awake (we fought with Sheba to get her into her bed and off of us all night--we are sleeping on the floor right now) and then we'd gotten up early to go give a friend our baggage tickets so she might be able to look for our bag at the airport in Senegal. There are many things in that bag that we need. Pray they arrive!
We went to the downtown market today with Emily and Savannah Atkins. We got some basics for life in the next few weeks. We'll move into the Guest House in a few days and will spend a couple of weeks there while we get our house in order. During that time, Emily has said I can practice cooking in Bissau (she's been showing me how to cook affordably and with not too much difficulty using what's here) and that way I can come borrow anything that I forgot to get and ease into the process a bit. The Atkins have been a complete lifesaver for us! We are SO thankful for them!
Tonight, we go to our first leadership meeting at MAFI Church and we have no idea what's in store for us there! It should be fun!
We also decided that we should get a small scooter as our form of transportation. We're in the process of finding one right now and will get one as soon as possible. When we do, we'll have to send you a picture!
Tomorrow morning, we will also go look at another house here that is a possibility for us to live in and we will also go to Pastor Felix's house to look at some items that the church has there that we can borrow until we have enough to be able to float on our own. They have a bed for us (well, two twin beds) and a table and chairs and some other things. It's such a strange thing to be putting together a house in another country. I feel like I've done a lot of this in the past few years, but this is a whole new puzzle. I don't know what I even need.
We're going to borrow a stove that's a gas-powered stove and we won't have a fridge for a while. When we do get one, since we're in an apartment with electricity, I think we can get an electric one, but most of the fridges here are run off of propane and you change the propane tank every couple of weeks. I think we're going to need things that I can't even physically identify right now. :) We're really blessed by the people who are helping us get established.
We had our first lesson in Kriol today with our friend, Fernando. He spent the entire lesson patiently talking to us in Kriol and trying to help us get a clue about what's going on. Even the Kriol that I speak is limited enough that people have a hard time knowing exactly what I mean.
It's the funniest thing to BE the foreigner. You realize that people are being nice just to talk to you because it takes them extra energy to give it a go. You are not the only person around that they could try talking to and it's kind that they even try!
We went to church yesterday and fought sleep. We were very tired to start with because our dog had kept us awake (we fought with Sheba to get her into her bed and off of us all night--we are sleeping on the floor right now) and then we'd gotten up early to go give a friend our baggage tickets so she might be able to look for our bag at the airport in Senegal. There are many things in that bag that we need. Pray they arrive!
We went to the downtown market today with Emily and Savannah Atkins. We got some basics for life in the next few weeks. We'll move into the Guest House in a few days and will spend a couple of weeks there while we get our house in order. During that time, Emily has said I can practice cooking in Bissau (she's been showing me how to cook affordably and with not too much difficulty using what's here) and that way I can come borrow anything that I forgot to get and ease into the process a bit. The Atkins have been a complete lifesaver for us! We are SO thankful for them!
Tonight, we go to our first leadership meeting at MAFI Church and we have no idea what's in store for us there! It should be fun!
We also decided that we should get a small scooter as our form of transportation. We're in the process of finding one right now and will get one as soon as possible. When we do, we'll have to send you a picture!
Tomorrow morning, we will also go look at another house here that is a possibility for us to live in and we will also go to Pastor Felix's house to look at some items that the church has there that we can borrow until we have enough to be able to float on our own. They have a bed for us (well, two twin beds) and a table and chairs and some other things. It's such a strange thing to be putting together a house in another country. I feel like I've done a lot of this in the past few years, but this is a whole new puzzle. I don't know what I even need.
We're going to borrow a stove that's a gas-powered stove and we won't have a fridge for a while. When we do get one, since we're in an apartment with electricity, I think we can get an electric one, but most of the fridges here are run off of propane and you change the propane tank every couple of weeks. I think we're going to need things that I can't even physically identify right now. :) We're really blessed by the people who are helping us get established.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
From Africa
I have not written you yet because I didn't know what to say. There's so much to tell you and I want to say it right. Our journey here was one of the most difficult experiences of my life. I cried a lot and have been emotionally overwhelmed. It was an eye-opening experience and we certainly gained a lot by being able to see more of West Africa. We drove through Senegal and Gambia and finally into Guinea-Bissau. The picture in the car was taken at the beginning of our lengthy car trip. West Africa is not all the same, somehow, when we crossed the border into Guinea-Bissau, we felt different, much more at peace and much more secure. When we got to Bissau, I was shocked at how much has changed since I was here in 2007. The roads that were desperately potholed are now driveable, the city has lights at night in certain places and there are a lot of nice new buildings. I was told that since I was here, the city has more than doubled in size. There are a lot of people coming from other countries to here as refugees.We arrived and realized that our immediate situation is not quite what we thought it would be a
nd have adjusted accordingly with the gracious help of many friends. The picture to the left is of our friend, Emily Atkins and her daughter, Savannah. We are staying on their floor until we have a more permanent arrangement. This will be a few more days. We're working on getting a house and then after that's settled, a full job description. We went to church this morning and everyone there was very excited to have us. Apparently, they've all been hearing about us coming for a few months and are excited. It was quite a feeling just hoping we don't let them down somehow. There seems to be a lot of excitement, but we're still trying to get a really level-headed idea of what our immediate goals and plans are. Take one step at a time....we're here, now. That's a HUGE step.
For anyone wondering, Sheba is doing fine. She handles all the displacement better that us at this point. Pray that she doesn't get any more ticks. There have been a lot at the place we're staying right now, so she's been pretty loaded with them. She has a REALLY high quality tick collar and it does kill them when they bite her....most of the time. But they have to bite her and hang out for like an hour or so. Most of the ones we find on her are not doing too well by the time we pull them out, they're usually mostly dead. :) Sheba has discovered that she is the same size as most livestock here.
We will be blogging more often from now on, I promise, I just needed a week to get my feet and thoughts under me. This transition has been bizarre and fun and emotional and exhausting and exhilirating all at the same time. 
The picture below is Jason at one of the houses that we are considering renting. We have several very awesome choices to consider.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
At the airport
I am waiting to board the plane and thinking about the culmination of amazing events that brought us to this point!
Right now, I am overwhelmed with thankfulness. I can't believe we've been planning to arrive at THIS moment since 2007 and are FINALLY HERE! It's amazing. Each of you has played a vital role and we are unbelievably thankful and excited to go into Africa with you in our hearts. You've loved us and supported and cared for us in ways we never dreamed possible and we've been blessed by so many of you.
We love you dearly and say farewell and thank you! Next blog is from Africa!
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