Birthdays and Wakes

It was my birthday on July 31. I received at least 20 video messages on my phone from the missionaries singing Happy Birthday and telling me how much they loved me. They all call me “Mom” now which is so sweet. Scott and I drove an hour to Kenema to meet with two of our missionaries who are struggling – one with learning English and the other with health challenges. It felt good to talk through these issues and help them come up with solutions. We accompanied one of the missionaries and his companion to several teaching appointments. That’s one of my favorite things to do. The missionaries teach simply and yet with great power.

Side note: During one of the teaching appointments, a nearby goat kept baa-ing loudly at the most inopportune times. I don’t think anyone else noticed but I had to bite my lip to keep from giggling.

Before we left Kenema, we stopped by a house to inspect it for a senior couple who will be moving into it soon. Four of our young sister missionaries live in a house next door. We found out the water truck was not able to fill their tank because the road had been blocked off by the city. These sisters were collecting rainwater from their roof in bowls and buckets. Despite this challenge, the sisters did not complain. Instead, they smiled and expressed their faith that God would take care of them. I believe He did because if we had not felt the need to go to Kenema, we wouldn’t have known about their water problem. All it took was a quick chat with our housing coordinator and he had someone bring fresh water immediately. These sisters didn’t even wait around for the water to come as they had a teaching appointment scheduled and didn’t want to miss it. I am constantly astounded by the missionaries' attitudes here. They try so hard to look past their own needs and focus on others. It's inspiring to witness.

My birthday ended with video messages, emails, and phone calls from friends and family.  It was a perfect day!

Scott gave me a handful of Peanut M&M's for my birthday. He even designed the wrapping paper! It was a fun surprise.

I haven’t seen much wildlife here other than the bird I posted a picture of last time. I did see a man with a monkey on his shoulder, but he was too far away to get more than a glimpse. Our driver, Pascal, told us he used to have a monkey and a baboon as pets. He explained that most of the wildlife was scared off during the war. Apparently, Bo School has a pet crocodile named Fred. And I thought a tarantula was an exotic classroom pet!

I found these Corn Flakes at the Bo Mini Mart. I believe they come from Lebanon. Notice "Step Number 1". I think this box of cereal will last ua a long time!

There aren’t a lot of options for fresh vegetables. The only ones I can find are onions, cabbage, cucumbers, little tomatoes, and small green peppers. Sometimes I can get carrots and Irish potatoes. You can buy hot peppers called pepe. The missionaries are not supposed to eat them because they cause ulcers.

I did find some frozen vegetables - spinach, green beans, peas, and cauliflower.

Fruit is also sparse. We just barely missed mango season when we came in July and pineapple season is now over. Oranges are just starting to arrive. They are green and very sour. The people here don't peel and eat them. Instead, they slice off one end and squeeze the juice into their mouths. Bananas, apples, and fresh coconut are available year-round. It’s fascinating to watch men use a machete to quickly chop the husk off a coconut and slice the end open.

The way people travel is so fascinating! On our way home from Kenema we saw a guy sitting on the hood of a car, holding onto the windshield wipers. The car was going 80 km, and it was pouring rain! A little later we saw another man sitting on the roof of a car, holding onto the top rack. No space is wasted - every corner of every vehicle is stuffed with people or cargo. My favorite of the week is three guys riding a motorcycle carrying a 18’ ladder on their heads. The van in the picture below is carrying two large couches.

I really love the sense of community here. The people work hard all day – washing clothes, selling food in the marketplace, gathering wood, and cooking in their outdoor kitchens. At night, they sit on their porches and visit while the children run around in large packs laughing and playing games. Mothers help care for each other’s children, even adopting them informally, if their parents don’t have enough money to feed them or if they die.

One night, the residents in our neighborhood had a party. They played music, danced, sang, and laughed late into the night. It was easy to tell they were having a great time. The next morning, I found out it was actually a wake – the celebration of someone’s life who had passed away. What a great idea!

Every week I learn something from living among these sweet people. I still experience moments of homesickness and miss my family terribly but for the most part I am happy and grateful for this experience. I still have much to learn.

Brent and Jan Arnell arrived on July 21. It is wonderful having them here!

Fred and Tracy Thacker came on August 4. We love them already and are so grateful for their help!