Off to make dreams come true (not just mine)

Well folks, time here in the U.S. has simply flown by!  I was hoping that while here in Ohio the days would slow down a bit and I would have the feeling of too much down time.  I can assure you, that was not the case.  Let me fill you in on what August has looked like for me.  My first week home in Ohio I assisted with Vacation Bible School at my church.  This is a time where we can share about God with some kids from the neighborhood.  It is always a lot of fun but also a lot of work as there are stories, crafts, songs/dances, snacks, and outdoor activities to plan.  It certainly kept my family busy.  After that week I began my preparations for returning (primarily shopping).  I had rather large lists of requests and gifts I wanted to return with.  I also was able to spend some quality time with my grandparents and got to help them around the house a bit.  Visiting with high school friends also consumed much of my time, but I simply love getting to catch up on people’s lives.  Though we are apart for months or even years, lots changes and often I have not idea how it affects other’s lives.  Thus running around town collecting items to pack and visiting with people made the time fly!

This last week of Aug. I had the great privilege to go to Chicago and meet up with some amazing college friends.  I had not been back to Chicago since graduating 3 years ago.  I must admit, I did not miss that city but the people I met there are missed.  I loved getting to see these friends and listen to their most recent stories.  I know that I have mentioned in earlier blog posts that I am blessed to have such amazing friends, but really I have met some pretty cool people in my life!

Today I got to attend the wedding of a high school friend.  It was wonderful to see such a kind and generous person commit to spending their life entwined with another.  I wish the both a magnitude of happiness.

As Monday morning quickly approaches and my bags become carefully packed, I have come to a few conclusions.  This summer was a wonderful time of rejuvenation through time spent with friends and family.  All the encouragement I have received and support I know will continue when I am in Chad makes me feel confident in my decision to return.  I do miss having friends close by but I have been reminded that though lives might change, friendships will continue.  I also am so grateful that I was able to speak in two churches sharing about my experience and that a 3^rd church has added me to the missionaries that they are supporting.  With all that prayer behind me I look forward to how God will use me.  Finally I am excited to go back and teach the wonderful Kariuki kids.  They truly are great students and I am so lucky that this is my first teaching position.

After an amazing summer of fun and connecting across the country, I am returning to Chad for another school year.  I will try to keep this blog updated to share about my continued experiences.  I will miss all my family and friends here in the US, but returning to Chad allows me to “make dreams come true” (a quote from Katelyn).

July

Well for those of you who were concerned, I have indeed made it back to the U.S.  In fact I have been in the land of plenty for over a month now.  I first got to have 2 weeks of wonderful family time, as my grandpa put it, “a family reunion from 4 countries: Mexico, South Korea, Chad, and the U.S.”  It is true we had that sign taped to the back of our 12-passenger van that my dad was maneuvering around the streets of San Francisco.  It was a wonderful time of catching up on each other’s lives, playing games, and of course celebrating with my Uncle as he married his amazing bride.  I also admit that I was a wimp when it came to the bay area weather….my body was just not used to those frigid temperatures!

From the bay area I travelled north to Portland…the home of my eldest brother and my home previous to departing for Chad.  It was an amazing time of catching up with friends, relaxing, and honestly simply enjoying being with people my age.  We even got to spend one extremely sandy, windy, and unforgettable night along the coast of Oregon.  I will always remember waking up in the morning and not really being able to see the bottom of my tent due to the amount of sand inside.  It was sad to say good-bye, but I left Portland this time knowing that I would be returning in about 8 months.  There is no way I would miss out on the first wedding in my immediate family!

Next stop on my U.S. tour was Redwood City, home of the amazing Sandquist family and Holly.  For the record, I think that since meeting Elle every visit to California has included a stay with her family.  My time there was busy catching up with friends, finding out how lives have changed, and really just being reminded of what Christian community in the U.S. can look like.  Without roll models like these lovely ladies, it is so easy to get sucked into the mainstream culture and simply put my faith on a shelf somewhere.  It is the inspiration that they provided that encourages me to be more intentional in my faith.

This is the brief synopsis of what life has looked like for me in the glorious month of July.  It has been wonderful spending time with people and eating delicious junk food like chips and ice cream.  It is strange to walk into the grocery store here and see all the new flavors or new products that exist, but also realizing the insane amount of choices we must make to create a simple meal like spaghetti.  Honestly though, keeping busy has allowed me to sort of ignore the fact that I do have some things to process from my previous year.  I think that it is easiest to go along with the fun and ignore the idea that my life has been altered over this last year.  Remember I am only just starting to really process what this last year has meant to me.  First I know that I get joy from serving others, making their lives easier, and of course hanging out with children.  There is nothing quite like getting a big old hug from a child to brighten up any day.  I realize how blessed we are to grow up with so many luxuries.  I have learned to appreciate all the little things and thank God for how much he provides for all our needs.  Listening during our family prayer time I’ve realized that probably 70% of the prayers are thanking God for things he has done, has provided, or trusting he will provide.  I am getting to experience first hand how God watches over us.  We could face so many trials or situations could escalate to a dangerous level, but they don’t.  It is amazing how God wakes us up at the right moment, provides us with the needed information, or really works through local government to keep us safe.  It is interesting to change to the mindset that God has us in Chad for a reason, thus he will deliver us safely away when the time comes, or if he calls us home we can rejoice also.  It is finding that happy balance of being smart (like not going out of the compound alone after dark) but not being afraid.

A big area in life is how God is challenging me.  My original intention for going to Chad was the selfish idea that I would finally be able to return to Africa.  I also went under the concept that this trip would be like one of those vegetables your parents tell you to eat because it will be good for you.  Honestly this trip has been more challenging that I could ever have imagined.  First of all I love to serve others, make their loads lighter, and brighten their day some how.  I on the other hand really struggle with asking for help or even admitting that I do need help.  Originally I was planning that I could pretty much cover my costs, for this last year, from my own bank account.  Well God had other plans.  My taxes ended up being way more than I had counted on, reducing my savings by half.  So I had to begin to ask for help.  I started small with family and friends and last year was able to raise all my support through this simple effort.  Simply asking family was uncomfortable, but much easier than asking complete strangers.  This year though I am trying to branch out and really involve a few other churches not because I need so much more money, but because I want to share about my experience, the church in Chad, and the concept of Mission Nannys.  I want to help inspire others to step out of their comfort zone and experience the good and the bad.  Another struggle of mine is learning how to wait and listen.  Travelling off to Africa by myself is not how I imagined my life looking when I was younger.  After college it seems like I am just going from one thing to the next, figuring out each year what to do with the next year.  It seems like I am listening and waiting for God’s timing…but it is very hard to not be in control.  I do not like not knowing what comes next and not knowing seems to be my reality.

But anyway what comes next at this point is VBS or vacation Bible school.  We are actually just wraping up our week, then I can finally start to focus again on my return to Chad.  It is that time again….also if any one has any questions I can answer please, send them my way!

June travels turn into July

First, I apologize for any grammar errors or other sentences that don't make sense....you try writing on weird sleep patterns, traveling through a variety of time zones, etc.  Continue reading for a taste of what life has recently been like for me.....

Well for all you curious readers, here is a brief update of my recent travels.  It all began at the wonderful hour of 4am on Friday June 27^th.  After multiple stops, a delicious road lunch, being extremely squished, and watching the sunrise and set, I arrived in N’Djamena.  It only took approximately 14 hours.  I had the privilege of spending the night in the home of some family friends.  The hospitality was amazing and I truly enjoyed myself, however……I had no mosquito net and even with the assistance of good ole Deet, I still pretty much look and feel like I have the chicken pocks.  Saturday morning I sat chatting with members of the family.  I headed to the airport only to discover that my flight was cancelled or seriously delayed, who really knows.  Instead of leaving Chad at 2:00pm I left around 12:00am.  Needless to say, my connection was long missed.  Thus began the long process of waiting in lines.  I waited in line to obtain my boarding pass.  Then I waited in line to obtain a hotel voucher.  I had a scare that I would be trapped in Ethiopia for quite some time, due to my voucher saying that my flight would leave at 11:00pm on July 1^st.  Turns out that paper was wrong!  Upon arrival in Ethiopia, I began standing in line again.  I had to get my hotel assignment.  Then I had to go through customs in order to leave the airport.  Finally I caught the shuttle to my hotel.  All together I spend about 2 hours waiting in the Ethiopian airport just trying to figure out where to go.  Now remember, I am exhausted, itchy, and these are not nice neat orderly American lines I was waiting in.  There was a whole lot of pushing and crowding and I was honestly ready for a bit of personal space after the whole ordeal.  So I arrived at my hotel and immediately took a WARM shower.  It has truly been months since I last did this, and let me just say it felt amazing.  It was rather disgusting when I washed my feet and I could see the dust just melting away from them.  Also another shocking things was simply sitting on my bed and having it bounce a bit.  It has been some time since my bed bounced!  Being slightly more comfortable I took a long desired nap.  After my nap I went to eat lunch…It was rather strange.  The food was good, but it is never nice to eat alone and then they took my water.  The greatest discovery of the day was WiFi in the hotel.  So I was at least able to contact my beloved family, their plans are also ruined due to my late arrival…

Later in the evening I returned to the front desk of the hotel to double check the shuttle’s departure time, because I did not want to miss that!  The lady at the desk said my name was not on the list and asked if I was sure I was leaving.  I immediately said yes, I have my ticket.  She said, well if you think so, the shuttle leaves around 8:00pm.  So I was prepared and managed to get my flight and arrived in Washington.  I will finally reach my destination of SanFran at 3:18pm.  It most certainly was some long days of travel but I am very grateful to finally be back.  I highly anticipate seeing my family waiting for me to travel to my grandparents and enjoy a nice swim in the pool.  I am ready to be done with waiting in lines and sitting all day long!

view out my hotel room in Addis

Summer Plans

Very shortly a new summer of travel will commence for me!  I am one lucky girl.  My next blog post will be from a place where internet speed will be fast enough for me to make my own post instead of having my father do the posting.  I am excited to be heading to San Francisco and look forward to spending time with my wonderful family.

Here in Chad we have had our rapid first week without school.  It is amazing to think how quickly the time passed.  We have been working on a variety of projects, went out to the base to see the happenings of the Service d'été, and even spent some time playing with local kids at the soccer field near our house.  It really has been fun just relaxing and working on projects that have been long dreamed of but not complete.  There are many projects to complete before I depart, but as long as sickness continues to stay away I have no fear that they will get completed.

Lunch!

Service d'été class



Now!  Crazy what a little rain does!

Remember when ... February?



Winds of change

The winds are blowing a new time for us here in Chad.  It is really amazing how the winds pick up (speeds that knock trees over) and with them come cool breezes and rain.  It will be perfectly sunny and then suddenly the dark clouds start rolling in and just before the rain hits the temperature drops around 10 degrees Fahrenheit.  It is sad to admit that when the temperatures are in the lower 80's we are all feeling a bit chilled.  Also the winds can't help but remind me, thanks to my mother, of Something Wicked This Way Comes all except for the creepy carnival that gives people their deepest desires…..Anyway, there is nothing quite like a good rain on a tin roof.


It is hard to believe that June is here and that school is ending for lots of people, including us.  This week's project was to choose a book we read and do something creative about it.  Josh created a game, similar to chess, based on a book called Justin Morgan Had a Horse.  This book was about the first Morgan horse (now a more common breed).  It was set during the time after the birth of the US.  So when there were all those revolutions going on in Europe, and France and England constantly warring with each other and the US., Josh's game burst forth with the idea of attacking the other player's army and collecting all their horses and turning them into dog food (complete with a can to put your food in).  Zachary on the other hand did his project on And Then What Happened Paul Revere? A book about, you guessed it, Paul Revere.  He built a model of Paul's fateful trip across the river where the horse, which would take him on his famous ride, would be waiting.  The model is complete with cannons on the Summerset and cloth wrapped on Paul's oars so they wouldn't make a sound in the water.  I on the other hand chose to do my project on The Candymakers.  I wrote letters and emails from the main characters to one another.  Simple, yet fun to think about what might happen after the end of the story.

Our school year is nearly complete, and so it is time for me to start making lists and checking them twice to make sure I get done all I hoped to do prior to my departure in 3 weeks.

Thinking of summer reunions!

It is hard to believe that June is here!  In just 1 month I will be arriving in California to celebrate with my family.  I am so excited for all of us to be together again.  I must admit, I have indeed started my packing lists for my return to the states.  It might seem a bit early but trying to coordinate things always takes more time.

Our school year is drawing to a close and thus it is project time.  The boys and I are trying to do a science experiment related to growing radishes.  We are testing different growing conditions and observing the way plants change to get what they need for survival.  The problem we are facing is that the experiment was clearly not created for Chad.  Our radishes will sprout really fast, but by the time we get to the activity they are dead.  Radishes prefer temperatures below 90 degrees Fahrenheit.  Believe it or not, we have had a few days below 90 (thanks to rainy season), but these days also had high humidity.  It is a little like summer in Ohio.  Our project for this week was writing poetry.  All year we have been studying different forms as well as some famous authors.  So I decided it was time that these kids tried out the different forms.  We tried our hands at nursery rhymes, nonsense verse, limerick, haiku, narrative verse, lyric verse, shape poems, epitaphs, riddles, acrostics, and free verse.  We also studied more specific forms of narrative (like ballad) and lyric (sonnet, villanelle).  It was pretty fun hearing what the kids came up with.  We still haven't had our poetry reading, but I think tomorrow will be the day.  I will let my publisher pick some of the best to be shared here on the blog, since there is a whole book full to choose from. 

Besides doing poetry we are busy with many other projects in these last 2 weeks of school.  It is an exciting time as we approach the end, and I think we are all looking forward to our break (although Marianna did say on our last day off, "Can I do school today?")  I think we will set up some supplies for the girls to play school this summer…..

I hope that spring finds you all well, and I hope that this poetry inspires you to try something new!

Nobody (by Katie)

I’m invisible so I am nobody,

But people see me when I am muddy.

It’s dangerous when people can’t see me.

They might hurt my knee!

Why Do Cows Say Moo (by Marianna)

Why do cows say moo?

Because they’re all named Sue.

Maybe the grass has glue!

And that’s all they do is mooooooo mooooooo mooooooooo!!!!!!

The Mighty Whale (by Zack)

Listen my children to this chilling tale,

About Herod the killer whale.

On every moon lit night,

Sailors see a flash of white.

It sent many into a fright.

 

When Herod rose from the water to his full height,

It made many sailors fear the fight.

Their ships are full of fish,

And this is what is Herod’s wish

He wanted the pile on his dish,

 
In order for Herod to eat,

He sank each ship he did meet.

He would take a bite from the bottom of the boat,

Until the structure would no longer float.

 
A mighty warship emerged from the fog.

So Herod picked up a giant walnut log.

The war ship planned to sink the mighty whale,

The captain shouted, ”Let down the sail.”

 
Herod the whale used his tail

He broke the ship to pieces and split the sail.

With no fish on board to fill a pan

Herod ate each and every man.

To this day

Herod the whale is a –okay.

Mars trucks (by Josh)

The aliens of mars,

Needed some trucks.

They had cars,

To carry their ducks.

But they needed things to carry their candy bars.

 
So they set off,

With a grim laugh.

They ran into a great piece of chaff,

On reaching the planet of calf.

 

The mother cows gave a bellow.

The aliens turned yellow,

Of great fright,

Summer Home (by Elin)

Sun turning all green

The smell of cut grass and mint

Water beckoning

Rainy Season

May 18, 2013
 


New Life

It is official, rainy season is making its debut, well for this year anyway.  It is amazing how life gets its first quenching drink and instantly seedlings are bursting out of the ground.  We have had a few garden plants growing throughout dry season but they require watering at morning and at night.  The trees are opening new leaves, little trees are popping up, and small amounts of grass are growing, particularly in our flowerbeds.  Plant life is not the only variety emerging.  Bugs are coming out in full force, something that the toads and lizards are happy about.  A few mosquitos and a few crickets have entered our lives.  Not yet in the extreme bulk which we had previously experienced, but present never the less. 




Our fun discovery is that the new puppy greatly enjoys gobbling up crickets.  She is not really coordinated enough, nor does she have enough focus, but she will consume the crickets when caught and placed before her.  Who needs dog treats when we have a plethora of crickets hiding around our pool!  Chui is looking much healthier now with 2 meals a day and 50+ ticks removed (not exaggerating).  She is also sporting a new flee collar and has consumed her worm medicine.  She is very playful and has a blast chasing the children around the compound.  Secretly I have special snuggle time (I know I shouldn't have her in my lap due to parasites and pests so I do it when the children aren't looking so as not to set a bad example J).


We are still accidentally ripping workbook pages out due to sweaty arms, because though the temperatures have dropped the humidity has increased.  The good news is that school is drawing to a close.  In fact the boys and I make it through the curriculum so rapidly that I have had to come up with some new projects for them.  All fun of course!  Perhaps I will join them in their writing.  So many fun things we can do!  I hope each and every one of you who reads this is also finding fun things to do!