The past couple weeks here in Sarh have been filled to the brim with new experiences as well as extra of the usual. In anticipation of busyness, we scheduled to take school off beginning February 14th. No we were not planning big Valentine's day parties (although we did make some delicious cookies). On the evening of Feb. 13th, our first guest arrived. She was the cousin of JoAnna. It was fun to have a new person around to help celebrate Moses' birthday on Saturday and we also put her to work doing music class with the children. It was great to see the kids listening to the variety of classical and world music. They participated in fun activities like guessing the animal the composer was describing with their music, dancing the waltz, drawing pictures to music, and learning about different styles of music from different countries. The kids were thrilled to have someone new to interact with and smother them in attention.
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| Clifford for Mariana's birthday - done by me |
A week later the bulk of the visitors arrived. Twelve people from Pennsylvania came to volunteer their time here on the YWAM base. Two members of the team were JoAnna's mom and aunt. It was great to see the miniature family reunion. Thursday night the whole team slept at our house. It was quite the group, but we made cinnamon rolls, eggs, and fruit salad for them all (and in honor of Marianna's birthday). Just making food to feed the group, filtering enough water, doing laundry and dishes, and putting the house back in order kept us busy most of the time the team was here. We were very grateful for all the dishes and other help that Jo's family were around the house. With other people to help out at the house and more things occurring at the base I was able to do a few activities I hadn't yet participated in while living in Chad.
Saturday morning I got to go to the base and help with the construction projects. Essentially all I did was haul wheelbarrows of sand into what will be the dinning hall to create a level surface for the cement to be poured onto. It was hard work in the hot sun, but a little heavy labor while chatting with new friends was just what the doctor ordered for me. A change of pace, a little sun, and new conversations were well worth the bruises that showed up a little later. Saturday evening, thanks to Moses' willingness, I was able to join the team again when they projected the Jesus film on the outside wall of a church. There were probably about 300 people in attendance and many children gave their lives to God. The movie was in the local language, but unfortunately due to technical difficulties many people could not hear it. It was neat to sit amongst the people (even if the wooden backless benches caused sore bottoms rather quickly) as they watched the film and hear them talk about the different characters when they made their appearance on the screen. I liked to hear them laugh as well when people of Caucasian descent with big bushy beards came on the screen speaking their language. Of course before the start, I got to hang out with some kids and let them take pictures with my camera. I will continue to pray for all those people, that their commitment to God will turn into something truly wonderful.
Sunday brought the team back to our house after church services. One of my highlights for the day was getting to serenade Jo with my few praise songs on the guitar while we prepared lunch and then getting to play Rook after lunch. It has been a while since I got to play semi competitively with others and have a little friendly banter with the opponents. It felt a little like being at home playing with my brothers, although I wasn't volunteering to play the dummy hand.
Monday was a laundry day although I did play some games with the ladies staying at our house.
Tuesday I was able to go back to the base and help haul sand again. Again, it was nice to hear others chatting and laughing and just enjoying being amidst a different group of people.
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| University of the Nations |
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| Morning view |
Wednesday was probably the most memorable day for me. I spent the morning at home dong the usual house things, but in the afternoon I was dropped off at the base with Zack and Josh. We wanted to be there for a youth gathering, primarily teenagers, that was taking place at the base. Around 20 teens, the team from PA, plus some other YWAM staff and DTS students were there to participate. We sang a number of songs. They asked the PA team to lead a couple songs in English, so they pulled out Father Abraham. Needless to say, we weren't afraid to make fools of ourselves. I also got pulled out into the middle to dance during another song. I am pretty sure I need some Chadian dance lessons before I do that again. We were able to share a meal together and play a little Frisbee after. It was a great opportunity to introduce the youth to the University of the Nations and the possibility of them attending a DTS. Due to the program ending in the evening, we planned to sleep at the base. After the sun set, no work could be done so the students and team sat around talking and singing. It was truly amazing to feel like I was a part of that community, even if it was for just one night. I actually had to use some French (a skill I am sad to say has not improved much with my lack of practice). Instead of just being la maîtres de les enfants de Moses, I was Elin. It was great to get to glimpse a bit of their lives on the base and I will cherish that moment for a long while.
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| Moving sand - and kids - at the base |
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| Drum kit |
Thursday was party day. After breakfast I did the dishes at the base and then began to haul sand. The difference was that this time I had a whole lot of help. Four boys whose dad was working at the base helped us (even if it was just playing in the sand pile). Zack, Josh, another boy around their age who came with the PA group, and one man from the PA group all helped out. Though it didn't look like a whole lot of sand got moved, there were many big smiles and laughing going on. After tea time I got the assistance of one of the female team members and we filled about 70 water balloons. This was quite the challenge being out at the base with only one faucet that was much too big for the balloons. In order to obtain enough pressure to get the water into the balloon, we used one of my platypus water bottles that could be squeezed. It took about 1.5 hours to fill them all and the water balloon fight lasted about five minutes, but Zack said it was the best birthday ever…which makes it all worthwhile. We also make frozen pudding pops for everyone to enjoy - as close as we get to ice cream here in Sarh. After the party, I headed back to the compound via motor bike and got to have a few hours where I was completely alone in the house. It was nice to sing and play the guitar…no audience frees me up a bit.
Friday was a preparing for the team to come back to our house to stay the night and Saturday morning the team arrived back at chez Kariuki. After a delicious lunch, I was able to take the group on a walk to the river where we saw a group of around 12 hippos. This was the most I had seen in one place and I know that the team was thrilled to see a little of the Chadian wildlife. That afternoon and evening I simply enjoyed hanging out with people and playing more games like Rook and Scum.
It was certainly a packed few days with pretty much nonstop work of one type or another. I am completely exhausted but also renewed. I feel a little bit closer to the Chadians I have been living amongst for over a year and I have had some outside interaction, which I was craving. I got to joke and laugh and play with people over the age of 12 (and with kids under that age too). I must admit that as I watched them leave, I couldn't help but think that in 1 month, I too will be back in the States. It makes me a little sad now knowing that I have made a little more connection with people out at the base, but I am looking forward to some family time. I hope that the team from PA will remember their visit here fondly and know that it was greatly appreciated.
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| Baby snuggle time |
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| Gift from the neighbor |
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