Winding Down

In just three short weeks we will begin our trek back to the States. Can that really be possible? It seems like just yesterday I was writing a post about me learning how to make yogurt and knead bread for the first time. We still have some things to catch you up on (mostly on the medical stuff that Marc wants to share with you) before we leave and we hope to finish those posts in the next few weeks. We have had an amazing experience here and God has given us plenty of food for thought in the coming months and even years. I'm not sure I will ever be able to put words around all that we have seen and learned, but it has been good. Hard at times, but good.

Here's a quick catch-up on the home front...

This past weekend we decided to take a family trip to the reservoir. You might remember that Marc mentioned biking a few months ago to this man-made body of water. He really wanted us to see it before we left, so on Saturday morning we, along with the Kubaczs and our friend David, all piled into a car. We drove just a couple minutes outside Galmi and were dropped off for an hour at the reservoir. I should probably mention that Marc had been telling Eli all morning that he was going to get to throw lots of rocks into the lake. It is a good thing our little man can make an adventure out of almost anything because I wouldn't exactly say that what we found was a lake.

Not the most award winning scenery for a photo, but this is what you get in the dry season of Niger. :)

Ok, so maybe you need a reminder of what the reservoir looked like a few months ago...



and now (see the same tree)...

Crazy! I guess they decided the crops needed some watering because the water had all been let out on the other side. It will probably be some time before the lake begins to fill up again. The people have taken full advantage of the rich soil that was under that body of water and it is now covered with crops.

We still managed to enjoy our hour of climbing rocks, seeing a few camels, and taking a break for a snack.

 

There was a group of boys with an older man who were fishing the whole time we were there. We saw a big bucket near these boys on the water's edge with some tiny minnows in it. We initially thought they were using the minnows for bait to catch fish... and then we realized that those teeny, tiny minnows were the fish they were working so hard to catch. Just when I thought I was getting used to seeing the poverty here, I was again humbled.

This man was fishing knee deep in the water with a net.

Yes, that is a live fish in that boy's mouth...yuck. :)

Even the fish they caught that were a little bigger than minnow size would still have been thrown back into the water at home because they would not be worth the effort to clean. Not in Niger though.

We are SO blessed. I thought I understood what that meant before, but I didn't . I had absolutely no idea how wide the gap is between "us" and the majority of the world. I mean it is like a Grand Canyon sized gap. Please don't take that lightly. Let it sink in deep, deep, and deeper still. It does hurt us a little to go there, but I promise God will use it for good if you let him work.

On Sunday, we celebrated Mother's Day with an nice relaxing morning. I didn't think there would be any Mother's Day brunches here in Galmi at all of the many restaurants we have to chose from, so I made my first batch of cinnamon rolls that I refrigerated the night before and then baked up on Sunday morning. Marc took charge of the kids all day and really let me have a day of rest. It was a perfect day.

I love being a mommy to these two.

Well, now that I caught you up a little I am going to go start PACKING! We are sending some of our luggage by car early next week so I better get moving. :)

Thankfulness

Yesterday, I wasn't sure I could endure another single day here in this climate. It seemed much hotter and stickier than previous days, which I was trying to attribute to the busy work I was doing in the kitchen while the kids were napping. I was really beginning to sweat while baking up the breads and muffins we will eat for the next two weeks. Baking in this heat quickly raises the temperature in the front part of our house. As I was pouring some batter into a loaf pan, I felt something quickly run down my leg. I frantically whipped up my skirt expecting to find an ant or a spider crawling, but there was nothing. Then, I felt it again. This time I saw it. It was sweat trickling down my leg. As I sat there pondering how much perspiration is actually needed in order for a sweat droplet to make the distance down my leg, Marc walked in the door.

Marc had been in surgery all morning and was well overdue for lunch. Since the kids were thankfully already fed and asleep, I was able to express to Marc some of the weariness I was feeling in regards to the heat. After we talked for awhile, the kids woke up, and we decided that a trip to the pool would be the best way to refresh ourselves, both physically and mentally. We got the kids in their suits and lathered on some sunscreen. Just as we were about to head out the door, I heard a very loud noise outside. We live right next to the main road in Galmi and hear lots of loud noises, day and night, from the big trucks that travel up and down the road. But, this noise sounded different, almost like a clash of thunder. I excitedly asked Marc if he heard any thunder, but he did not hear it. I looked outside and saw the wind was blowing like crazy, and I started to hear a "clink," "clink," "clink" on the metal roof.

“Marc, do you hear that? Is it raining???
    “No, it’s not raining.”

“No, Marc, I really think it is raining.”

We opened the door wide, and then we saw it..... the first precipitation since we arrived at Galmi.
Look closely.

 See it?

 We were all a little excited. :)

With our kids in tears when we told them we couldn't go to the pool, we decided to let them splash around in the rain and mud. We got a great video of them jumping into this mud puddle. They probably had more fun playing in the rain than if we had gone to the pool.

 After the rain was over, the clouds parted and it was glorious. I kept thinking of the Chris Tomlin song "Kindness" when I looked at this.... "Open up, the skies of mercy, and rain down the cleansing flood..."

It was unreal how quickly the temperatures fell. The cool breeze was the most refreshing thing I have felt in months. I'm not sure that I have ever been nearly brought to tears by the sight of rain, until that moment.

There are probably plenty of reasons God had it rain yesterday (a few weeks ahead of what is normally considered the rainy season). However, it felt like a personal gift that God hand wrapped and delivered on my doorstep. In the midst of my frustration and despair, it was a reminder to me that God has made promises to me and he is faithful to see me through everything he calls me to go and do.  He will not leave me or forsake me. He will be with me wherever I go.

So, today I am thankful…

Thankful for God’s unconditional love and faithfulness.

Thankful for the first rain of the season.

Thankful that the Nigerien people who don’t have air coolers and ceiling fans were able to enjoy a cool night’s rest.

Thankful to know what rain on a tin roof sounds like.

Thankful for another month here in Niger for God to teach me beautiful lessons like this.

And, thankful that after the most incredible rain, someone brought MAIL to our door! We are thankful for everyone who reads this blog and sends us encouraging emails, prays for us, or sends us a package. Thank you!!! These goodies will certainly carry us all the way home. :)

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9

Feeling Hot! Hot! Hot!

Whew, I can feel the perspiration on the back of my neck, my forehead and above my lip as I begin to type. There is no denying that hot season is upon us. I'm not sure how hot our house is right now, but I do know that usually from 11 am till after dinner is ready every day I am sweating inside our house. Thankfully, a few weeks ago we got the other two air coolers in the house up and running! We now have an air cooler in the main room of the house which has been SO helpful, especially on the days that I am baking. We have noticed that the air coolers don't work well with humidity (unlike an AC unit) so we'll see how much stickier things get in the weeks ahead as we get closer to the rainy season. The kids really don't seem to mind the heat in the house. However, Eli frequently tells me that he doesn't want to go outside and play because it is too hot. I can't argue with him since I am usually in agreement! So, we have been a little more home bound in the past few weeks and had to be more creative with our time.

Eli made up a game hitting a little soft ball along the ground with some plastic serving spoons. We hit the ball back and forth for probably a half hour and he loved it. Marc was pretty excited when I showed him these pictures because he felt assured he could made a hockey player out of Eli once we move to Peoria. :) 

Eli and Hailey both love playing drums with some of our empty powder milk and oatmeal cans.

 And there is usually a video (or two) for the kids each day along with some nice salty popcorn to help replenish all that we sweat out. :)

We have started putting Hailey in pigtails to keep her neck a little cooler.

With only 37 days to go, we are no longer rationing anything... including the sticker supply. :)

(They recently put new cushions on our couches! Aren't they nice!)

And we certainly enjoy several trips a week to the pool! A few days ago Eli swam the length of the pool in his swim vest all by himself. He was so proud. He is quite a little fish!

We received this email below from a missionary mom here in Niger and thought it was too funny to not share. We certainly enjoyed a good laugh...

OK, all of you who are hot season experts, this is only my second hot season. Please humor me as I laugh about my life right now, and add whatever you'd like! I'm sure you all have your own lists.

Top ? Reasons You Know It's Hot Season:

-You consider refrigerating your child’s bath water so she doesn’t complain about the tap water being too hot.
-I’ve heard of wipe warmers… anyone know where I could get a wipe cooler?
-You start to wonder if major psychological changes happen when your external environment is consistently higher than normal body temperature
-Your high-tech camera shuts down and gives you the following error message: “Too Hot.”
-Bedtime: Instead of snuggling with your sweetheart, you opt for a block of blue ice wrapped in a pillowcase.
-Your rubber bands in the desk drawer melt into a big blob. Bummer! One more non-food item that has to be refrigerated…
-Your air conditioner keeps turning off because it’s overheating.
-Not only do you let your child sleep with a sippy cup, but, “Here! Have two, or three, and don’t forget to check to make sure they’re all empty before you call me for a refill!”
-Your temperature-sensitive infant spoons tell you your silverware drawer is too hot for your baby’s mouth.
-You try to think of places to go in the car to have an excuse to sit right in front of an air conditioning vent.
-Everyone asks if your children have a skin disease – you want to just put a sign on each child that says something like “Diagnosis: Heat rash; Cure: Cooler temperatures in a couple of months.”
-Your elastic waistbands start to feel considerably looser, not because you’re losing weight but because the elastic is melting.
-You get creative in starting to freeze items such as pillows, blankies, and snuggle bears before bedtime. You know you’re in trouble, as you’re distributing frozen snuggle bears, when your two-year-old asks you to, “Make my diaper cold!”

The Lord will guide you always;

he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land 

and will strengthen your frame.

You will be like a well-watered garden, 

like a spring whose waters never fail.

Isaiah 58:11

Eli's Birthday Party

We celebrated Eli's third birthday last Saturday! We had a Thomas and Friends theme party which is Eli's favorite right now. Eli was really excited this year about having a birthday party. I have always loved planning his parties, but it was even more rewarding seeing his excitement and anticipation this time around. I made him some "train tickets" to pass out to all the kids here. He was really excited to walk door to door with his daddy and invite people to his party. :)

I printed out some favorite pictures of Eli before we left for Africa and used them to make this train.

Eli watched me draw and color this Thomas on some poster board and he really loved watching it come to life. When I was done he said, "Mommy you made me a good Thomas for my birthday party." :)

I made my first attempt at a yellow cake from scratch on Eli's actual birthday and then made the real thing a few days later. It was a little time consuming but the end product tasted nice and Eli thought it looked pretty cool. I have decided that a stand mixer and reliable power would be very helpful for any future cake baking that I do. :)  I brought a few tubes of colored icing from home and was able to fix this up into a real Thomas cake for a pretty special little boy.

Eli became quite shy once we all started singing "Happy birthday." The thumb of course went straight into his mouth. We might attempt to break that habit in the near future. :)

The birthday boy patiently waited for his piece of cake.

Marc tried to organize a water balloon toss since we have so many older children here on the compound. Eli thought this was pretty fun as well.

Gracie was very worried someone was going to pop her water balloon.

Hailey mostly just watched all the other kids. She turned 18 months old last week!

Time to open some presents!

Eli had a REALLY great time. We feel so blessed to have such a sweet, smart, energetic, and loving little boy. Thanks to everyone here and back home who helped us celebrate! I told Eli the other day that he will now be three for a very long time (just so he wasn't expecting to have a party every weekend). Now if you ask him how old he is he says, "I'm three, and I'm going to be three for a veeerrrry long time." Ha! Love him to pieces.