On the journey...

Creative Rest

2010-01-13T09:52:00.000-08:00

This picture from Zambia symbolizes "creative rest" to me. It's an old tire leaning against two home-made bricks. The man who "made" it, had just gotten up - he had been sitting supported in a reclining position with legs outstretched!!
I read this post last weekend. I appreciated the reminder from Adrienne that as we pour out into people around us - from our "full cup", we need to be continually allowing God to refill us.

Refilling happens in my life in many ways. Reading God's words. Spending time focused on His attributes - in silence, with words, through music. Taking my concerns, my pain, my hopes, my joys and placing them in His capable hands - sometimes "prying" my fingers off first!!:) But in turn, God fills my heart with peace, comfort and joy - peace that's not logical, comfort in the midst of pain and confusion, and joy even in times of sorrow.

The past week here in DC God has also used conversations to build up, comfort and encourage my soul. Opportunities to share about the many blessings and miracles I have seen God work in my life over the past 6+ months. Opportunities to hear what God has been doing in the lives of friends! Reminders - bright pictures - of His faithfulness, deep love and constant support - in the midst of hardships and blessings.

It amazes me to look back over the past year and see how even last January I had no interest -AT ALL - in moving away from DC, and yet God has really changed my attitude and now I have peace and a sense of excited anticipation toward this move! I am grateful for these days to say Goodbye - for now - to precious friends. A great last paragraph to this chapter of my life! Thanks God!!!

In the midst of this joy and gratefulness, my heart is breaking for the people of Haiti. Watching the photos on the news brings tears to my eyes. What heartache, pain and confusion. Pray with me that God's hand of comfort and His strength would be felt. And that He would give wisdom in the many difficult decisions being made in the midst of such confusion and chaos. The Livesays are living in Haiti and are sharing their experience here...

Snow!!!

2010-01-06T18:02:00.000-08:00

I do believe I've seen more snow in the past month at my parents in WI, than I've seen in the past decade:)!! It's BEAUTIFUL!!! The coldest temperature I saw was -17 F last Saturday... I tried to take a photo, but my camera froze!!:) Strangely enough 20 has started to feel warm:):). I have learned to always wear LOTS of extra layers!!

Christmas was great!! The blizzard brought some of the family in early and so we had nearly six full days ALL together!! It was GREAT fun!! We had some serious Rook competitions, ate lots of yummy food and laughed a lot! ...and played with the niece and nephews!!

Here's the youngest... Jonathan!! He's got the greatest grin!!

While in Zambia I felt God clearly directing me to move closer to family. In the past few weeks, God has orchestrated a fabulous new job and place to live in Minneapolis! I'll be two hours from both my parents and my older sister and her family!!

I'm back in DC for about a week, picking up some of my stuff and catching up with old friends!! It's fun to be back around, but a little sureal as well:). May God bless you richly in the year ahead!!! xoxo L

Traveling North!!

2009-12-15T13:19:00.000-08:00

Well, it's been a busy couple weeks finishing things up in Marion. It was great to have time with family and friends!! I was able to visit Kirsten on the way north and enjoyed spending time with both her little girls - Vienna (2 yrs) and Anthia (2 months). Here are Kirsten and I in front of her Christmas tree!!

I broke up my trip north by staying with Carla (she was our history prof in Zambia). It was great fun to meet her family and catch up a little on her life! We ate at a FABULOUS Thai place... it was hard to believe, but it had been nearly four months since I'd eaten those flavors! Delish!!:):) Thanks Ladies for a great weekend!!
So then I drove the rest of the way up to Wisconsin on Monday, and by evening when I got to my parents it was a GLORIOUS 6 degrees Fahrenheit!! That's a serious drop from the 120's not so very long ago!! Thankfully my blood is slowly getting thicker!!:)

I did have a couple interesting moments on the way - one of them involved a beautiful male pheasant posing in the middle of the interstate!! I had a truck next to me at the time so couldn't avoid hitting it. Feathers flew!! Thankfully my CRV seems to have come through unscathed! If it had been on a side road I'd probably at least have TRIED to go back and pick it up. :) Mom is good at cooking pheasant!! Welcome to WISCONSIN!! It IS good to be back with my parents! Great conversations and lots of hot tea!!

Last week pics...

2009-11-25T02:14:00.000-08:00

While in Livingstone we visited a small game park... the first time I got to see Giraffe's in the wild!! LOVED THEM!!:):)

Here's a picture of the deep fried termitets... I ate one of those!! It was actually yummy:), with it's crunchy buttery taste. Mind you, they had taken the wings off them... but it still took a while to get all the legs out from between my teeth:):):).

The last sunday I wore a traditional Zambian dress... with head scarf. Here's Lauren posing with me:)...

Here are some of the kids from our last trip out to villages...

It's good to be back in the US safely. I'm at my brother's home right now... enjoyed fixing my own breakfast! Looking forward to going grocery shoping later this morning, and then spending the next couple days with family and friends!! Happy Thanksgiving all!!

Last few days in Zambia!!

2009-11-20T22:31:00.000-08:00

Hello! I've tried multiple times to upload photo's, but without success... so I thought I'd write a quick note and promise to upload pics once I'm back in the US next week!

We've had a busy last couple weeks with saying many goodbyes. The students baked various goodies to take with cards to the many places around Choma and Zimba where they had their clinical experiences. We also served a tea to the WHIZ staff and prepared a meal for the team who have been taking care of us at the guest house all these weeks. The many friendships we've developed will be the most valuable thing we take with us from our time here in Zambia!

Since Thursday evening, we've been here in Livingstone. Friday (yesterday) we visited the local game park - saw zebra, giraffe, buffalo, impala, bush buck, crocodile, monkeys, some stranded fish (after flooding the night before) and all kinds of birds! My favorites were the giraffe!!

We also visited Victoria Falls. Stunning!! This was definitely the moment where I missed my time in Zimbabwe the most - the river is much deeper on the Zim side and so in the present dryer season, there is not much water on the Zambia side. Amazing, regardless... and a tad intimidating for those with any fear of heights!!! BUT we didn't get soaked by the mist like we could see happening on the Zim side. It was really neat to be back there again!! God gave us sunshine between the clouds and we got to see the rainbows in the mist at the bottom of the falls!! Cool pics:)!!!

We have a few more things on our schedule with some down time as well. Our flight home will start Monday. I'm looking forward to being with family in Indiana for Thanksgiving!!! Where will you be for Thanksgiving?? Any good traditions you'll be upholding??

Where does YOUR water come from??

2009-11-14T12:33:00.000-08:00

This week, we visited a few villagers and were able to see where they get their water from. This first photo is of an open well, with a bucket that can be lowered down to fill with water. This is close to one family's home, but a longer walk for many who live multiple km away!

Alissa took a turn at carrying a bucket full of water. It was a rather long walk, on a sandy road! What a challenge!!

This was one of the local women filling up the bucket... imagine trying to do that when pregnant!! This hole was about a foot deep. They said that it would fill about 3 buckets, then took about an hour to refill!

Carrying water back up the hill from the creek...

Filling our buckets up at the creek!

It was a big reminder of all that we take for granted... clean water in bottles IN THE FRIDGE, or coming out of the tap! Safe "instant" water - a privilege or a right??

It's rained a couple times over the past week. The bugs are out in full force... flying termites, misquitoes, etc. Six of the group have already battled malaria over the past 5 weeks, we are praying that this influx of mosquitoes does not cause any others to fall ill!!

We've started to say our Goodbye's. The tears have begun to flow. It is hard to believe we're leaving Choma this coming Thursday and then starting our flight back to the US the following Monday! The students are working hard to finish all their papers and projects!!

Village life III

2009-11-12T13:18:00.000-08:00

Well, we spent the day out in the village today. These photo's are actually from other villages than the ones we were in today, but Internet has not let me upload photo's the multiple times I have tried over the past week. Sadly I got my first real sunburn... it was a cloudy day and I didn't manage to put sunscreen on before we left... and lo and behold, the African sun is not so gentle on my skin!! Hopefully a few coats of aloe will help most of it turn into "tan"...:)

Back to the more important part of the day... we visited families that are caring for orphans, and others where the children would be considered "vulnerable" due to poverty, illness or similar issues. One the one hand, it is exciting to see what communities are doing to support and provide for those in their midst who are in need, and yet the harsh realities of their needs are deeply humbling. God keeps reminding me how deeply blessed I am on so many levels!! I pray I never loose sight of this - but will always remember to pray for children like Yolanda (one of the girls we met today) and for the families who are caring for them! At a couple of the homes, we walked with them to where they get water - one a creek a 3-4 min walk down a hill, and another an open well a 6-8 min walk away. Each time, the students helped fill buckets with water and then took turns carrying the full buckets back to the homes.

The photo below is of a "soccer ball" we found at another home earlier this semester ... it's a bundle of plastic bags. Carla (pictured below) proceeded to kick this same ball around with one of the young boys for a little while.

People's homes in the village are made up of small "compounds" - though they do not have fences around them in rural areas, they are a collection of small buildings. Usually the largest building has a roof and is where people sleep. There is often a cooking hut, storage huts of various kinds as well as toilets off to one side. Today we saw similar storage areas to the one pictured below. We also saw a dish rack similar to ones I saw in Sierra Leone and even a solar panel lying in the sun next to one of the homes.

The chickens have these really cool little huts that are up on stilts, with tall ladders attached.

Like this:
This is another photo of the colorful chetenges we see most women wearing.

The 90 min drive, much of it on washboard dirt roads was a little bit of a challenge, but what a great experience! We have really been blessed with a real diversity of experiences and have been exposed to some of the extremes of culture and lifestyles seen in this part of Zambia!

It is hard to believe that we have only one more week here in Choma and will be back in the US in less than two weeks time!! I am grateful for God's continued faithfulness and blessings. We have seen His hand on our lives in truly remarkable ways!!

Village life II

2009-11-08T20:02:00.000-08:00

Hello all! We've just gotten back to Choma from five days in Lusaka, the capital of Zambia. It was a six hour drive north. It was a little of a culture shock for us all... seeing traffic lights for the first time in nearly eight weeks!!:) Also the first set of stairs since we walked off the plane (down those rolling stairs) to the tarmack in Livingstone in early September! I still need to upload the photo's from the last week, but here's a few from earlier visit's to a village.

The women can often be seen carrying a heavy load on their heads as well as a young child on their backs!

Chabbobboma Banana Plantation

2009-10-31T06:11:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we traveled the three hour trip (two hours on dirt washboard roads, up and around mountains) to the edge of Lake Kariba where one of the churches has a banana plantation that they have been working together. It has tripled in size since they first opened it about six years ago, and is supporting the community - including orphans and others living with AIDS. We stopped partway there, for our first glimpse of Lake Kariba.

Keri, Alicia, Lisa and Lauren

Pam and Phil Leslie

Here are the most recently planted tree's, just starting to grow!

Once they flower, the bananas start to grow!

AND GROW!

And grow, until the tree needs help holding up all the fruit!!

They use sawdust around the base of the tree's, to help keep weeds from growing and as it decomposes, as compost as well!

We didn't see any banana spiders (BECKY!!!!), but we did see this cool chameleon!!

We ate a delicious lunch (cooked over open fire by the women of the village) - YUM YUM YUM - under this amazing tree. Here's Lauren and Meagan smiling away! We ate Nshima, green veggies stew and chicken! With our fingers of course! The photo below is of the whole tree - the trunk was just amazing though, the roots seem to grow down around the trunk and expand the trunk over time! It was under this tree that the women first greeted us - with singing and dancing as they shook each of our hands!

What an memorable day!!

Cuteness personified!!

2009-10-30T06:13:00.000-07:00

Can you hear the giggle that accompanied that smile??

I still can!!

Community Health Education

2009-10-29T06:31:00.000-07:00

This morning we went with a WHIZ Community Health worker to a local village area. We sat on benches under a big shade tree. It was neat for the students to have opportunities to share about various health education topics as well as learning about what things the women had already learned and put into practise. My favorite part was interacting with the children and mothers after the education time as they were preparing to eat lunch. Each week this group of mothers meets together with all their children under 5, for education and to eat a well balanced meal. In the photo below one of the girls, she is 26 months old, is eating Nshima (a cornmeal mush of sorts) with a sauce of Kapenta (small dried fish) and soy chunks.

Here's Estie getting help putting Patrick on her back. She's gotten to play with him a number of Sundays at church and enjoyed carrying him around on her back for a while this morning. They use the traditional piece of cloth, a chetenge, to tie their children on to their backs or sides. The women also use the same material for many other things, including as a wrap around skirt.

Hippo's!!!

2009-10-27T05:49:00.000-07:00

It was really thrilling to see so many pods of hippo's! They are cute, in and out of the water:), but don't get too close!!

Their home!!

Ellie's!!!

2009-10-26T17:02:00.000-07:00

What fun to see so many elephants so close up!! This picture is for Diane... the first time I saw African elephants in the wild, we mostly had butt shots... sot this was to remind me of that:) This view was acutally from the patio where we ate our meals, just a couple hours before we finished our vacay...

The only place we saw mother's with their young was inside the park. It was harder to get close because they would get nervous easily and start trumpeting.

This guy was wanting to eat some of the tree just by our vehicle, so he mossied on over with his elegant stride... when you have to take your camera out of zoom to see the whole elephant, he's getting a little TOO close!!:)

We saw lots of old dung piles, but this was especially fresh:).

This was my foot inside an ellie's foot print... on a sandbank in the middle of the Zambezi river... at sunset:).

They can drink up to 100 Liters in one sitting!!

These last photo's I took sitting on a boat or in a canoe!

Animals!!!

2009-10-26T16:39:00.000-07:00

The lions!!! These three are sisters, two from one liter, their mother used to be part of their pride but died in the past year. They are one of three prides in the area of the park we traveled through, but the only ones we found. One male lion maintains this and another of the prides.

Cape buffalo! They were so interesting to watch, because for a while they just stood there and all stared at us!Impala were the animals we saw the most often, but each time their beauty and gracefulness was thrilling!

Lower Zambezi National Park

2009-10-26T03:55:00.000-07:00

Friday we spent the day at my first game park! Here's the rest of the crew (L to R) Dr. Dan Jones, Dr Joan Jones, Jesse, Meredith and Meaghan. It was quite a thrill, with "real" safari transport - just like the movies:):). Stoping for lunch...
Meredith and I attempting to protect our skin from the over 105 degree sunshine!! Meredith decided that "fair skin, doxycycline and safari's do not mix!!" Amazingly, with multiple sunscreen applications:), using the chetenge to block the sun... I managed to survive 12+ hours in the sun without a burn!!

We needed the four wheel drive for some parts of the trail through the park, and even experienced a couple river crossings!:)

Richard was our fabulous safari guide...

Fishing on the Zambezi... skinny dipping on the Zambezi!!

2009-10-25T11:31:00.000-07:00

Thursday afternoon we got a chance to go fishing. We stopped a couple times at the side of the river, to barter for fish to use as bait. Our guide traded fish hooks for the fish he then cut up for us to use as bait (I DO have pics of all the steps, among the 760ish pic's I took in 4 days:), but I won't inflict them ALL upon you:). Then we cruised further down river, and set up a spot along the Zimbabwe side of the river. I took a turn at casting... here's the evidence... but then I just enjoyed taking pic's of the setting sun and other's successes!!

So... this is the AMAZING fish that Jesse caught!! We'd been out there just over an hour when all of a sudden he felt a bite, and with 15-20 minutes of HARD work, bending fishing rod, chasing the fish with the boat, etc... this Vundu (giant catfish) - all 53lbs - was in the boat!!! Just watching was a serious adrenaline rush:). God's orchestrating our fun and adventure... the person who caught the fish was the one in the group to whom it would mean the most!!! We heard later that some fishermen staying in the main lodge had been trying for days to land a Vundu, without success!!
This is the drum they played to let us know it was tea time or that dinner was ready! Ahh... ambiance!!:)

Here's once of the chalet's we stayed in. They were up on stilts, with amazing view's of the river and wildlife from the porch!!

The bathrooms were attached by a little walkway and were open to the sky (leaves, bugs, etc) and in full view of the river (as seen bellow)... About a 1/4 of our shower space was visible from the path as well:). SO, especially after dark, when we had little lights around us, it was quite the adventure:)... a little like I imagine skinny dipping would be. The breeze, sunshine and hiding from passing speed boats during daylight hours really made it a "COMPLETE" nature experience!:)

Canoing on the Zambezi

2009-10-25T04:59:00.000-07:00

Thursday morning, starting just after 6am, we canoed the 7 miles down river along the island... the wildlife was stunning!! The croc in the picture above I spotted myself!!:):)

Towards the end of our ride, we saw a large herd of teenage male elephants... VERY cool to get so close and get to watch them eating and drinking...

A large flock of bee-eaters migrate to this area each year, digging out nests in the sand cliffs to protect their young!

Local fishermen!

This is one of MANY termite mounds we saw, this one with a bird perched on top!

Kanyemba Lodge - Mini Vacation on the Lower Zabezi River

2009-10-25T01:50:00.000-07:00

I just got back from an amazing four day break. Six of the Zimba staff have been making plans for a little vacation for the past few months. The dates of their trip co-incited with the week that two other IWU staff would be here visiting, so I was able to take a few days off! We stayed at this great lodge along the Lower Zambezi River - about 50km upriver from Lower Zambezi national Park. It was about a 5 hour drive from here in Choma. The photo below was taken our last day there, just before we ate lunch. The patio looked over a lagoon that was often frequented by elephants... our little chalet/cabins on stilts, were just a short walk along the ridge. Amazing sunsets, sunrises and all kinds of adventure!!!
We stayed on a 7 mile long island in the middle of the Zambezi, called "Kanyemba Island Bush Camp." We could hear the lions roaring at night from across the Zambezi, in Zimbabwe. The first night we were there, an elephant was traipsing along just by our cabin and eating some leaves off the tree next to us! The next morning, on our way to the boat, another elephant almost started stampeding us! After dark we had escorts back to our cabin's so we would be safe!!
I woke up to this view every morning, and a fresh pot of coffee!! I was reminded of holiday's with the Lambert family in Goa, tea in bed was always a priority:)

This is supposedly the oldest Baobab tree in all of Zambia - 20m around, so nearly 2,000 years old!! BEAUTIFUL!!

The sunset's were absolutely AMAZING... This was on Friday evening as we took the 90min boat ride back up river after our safari... I am grateful for a refreshing break!!! God is ever faithful!!!!

How do you carry YOUR chicken??

2009-10-19T00:04:00.000-07:00

I was walking between wards around the hospital last week, touching base with students when I ran across this gentleman under a tree. He was tying up his chicken so he could transport it home on the back of his bike. I asked if I could take a photo... and he proudly posed for me!:)

Watching him reminded me of the many chickens Luis, Meredith and I received, as welcoming gifts, while traveling through villages in Eastern Sierra Leone doing our grad school field research, back in 2007.

I was also reminded of a poster I saw at Chikankata hospital that talked about how if one did not have cash to pay hospitals bills, one could pay with in kind equivalents in the form of bags of maize, chicken or goats.

There is a country wide shortage of petrol and diesel fuel right now. This makes traveling a challenge. Our driver graciously waited for over 30min at 5am today to be able to purchase fuel for our trip to the hospital today. I think the last time I saw long lines at a fuel pump was on 9/11!! When do you last see lines at a fuel pump??

Out and about...

2009-10-18T03:15:00.000-07:00

Decked out for a day at the hospital in our white lab coats!!
Playing with kids in the village (Kara)

(Biranna)

Brittany and Kara playing "Red Rover" with a gorup of kids after school one day!! Check out the air the kid got on that last pic!!:)

Sickness and Health

2009-10-15T10:41:00.000-07:00

This last week has been a busy one. Saturday evening one of the girls was starting to get sick. Around 1am she suddenly got worse and I ended up taking her to the hospital nearby. I stayed with her through early afternoon on Sunday and then other's were able to take turns staying with her till she was discharged on Tues morning. She's still recuperating, but doing much better. Throughout the whole experience we were amazed at God's protection and provision. The clinic we go to is run by Mr Dr and Mrs Dr Jain. Originally from India, they have lived in Zambia for over 30 years. They have their own little 6 bed hospital next to their home and are only a short drive away. We've been blessed with such close access to great care! It was interesting to see health care from "the other side" - especially in place where family is so involved in patient care.

Today I accompanied two other girls for visits to the clinic to be tested for malaria. Both had started having symptoms today, and were started on medications right away. When caught early, the worst of the symptoms should be avoidable, though it will still take them at least a few days to fully recuperate. Thankfully neither had to be admitted!
Monday and Tuesday I was at Zimba hospital with eight of the students. I always enjoy spending time in the hospital settings here, but am often reminded of all that we take for granted in the US. There was a patient this last week in a severe condition that, though likely still terminal, would have required intubation and mechanical ventilation to survive longer. The Dr we were working with informed us that the closest ventilator was a five hour drive away. Just a few beds away though, that same afternoon, was a young man who had come in with difficulty breathing. We helped administer breathing treatments, started his IV and were able to give medications. By the next afternoon, he was walking around the hospital, fully recovered. It was encouraging to be reminded of the good that WAS possible within the limitations.

Now that I have returned to Zimba three weeks in a row, there are some patients that recognize me. My favorite is probably this young 6 year old girl who is waiting for the visiting surgeons who are coming next week. Her smile lights up her whole face! Each group of students has enjoyed talking to her and coloring pictures with her on their notepads. One afternoon this past week, two of the students and myself were sitting outside the pediatric ward with her on this bench for a while, attempting in vain to stay cool:). One of the students commented how she just enjoys BEING with us - the enjoyment was mutual.

The photos above are from one of the villages we drove through. I was sitting in the bus when I took them:). The driver had stopped to buy some potatoes.

The photo above is of two cooking stoves at the place we stayed in Chikankata. When the electricity is out, they use these to prepare food over wood fires.

Well, I'm in the living room to get better Internet access... but the mosquito's are dive bombing me, so I'll quit for now and head to my room for the rest of the evening... maybe I'll escape them under my mosquito net!!

How has YOUR week been?? I've enjoyed writing blog posts - being able to add photo's for all to see, but I sure miss all the emails about what's going on in YOUR lives!!! Thanks though for your many prayers!! I feel their impact!

Roses for Rob

2009-10-15T10:08:00.000-07:00

I've been trying to load these photo's for the past 6 days, but this is the first time I've succeeded. I took them (and a whole lot more:) in Chikankata last week, between visiting the students on the various wards across the hospital grounds. One of the men who was helping to care for our group told me that they use banana peels and rotten bananas to fertilize the rose soil and that was why they grew so well!! They were all over the hospital grounds and ALL stunning!! So... here's my favorite's...

Nurse speak

2009-10-10T09:58:00.000-07:00

This was the ICU nurse showing us how to draw up an injection using sterile procedure! A 15min procedure!! Fascinating to watch!! He gave it to a young child suffering from meningitis.

Estie and Lauren getting ready to pass out meds to patients. A different system than pyxis!!!

The next three pictures are of all the meds at one of the hospital pharmacies that we visited. There are four walls of shelves. Three are dedicated to ART (anti-retro viral therapy - HIV) and one is for all other conditions. One of the three ART shelves is all liquid doses - for newborn and pediatric patients. The government does provide ART free for patients. The three ART shelves are in a small room with temperature control. More stock is kept locked in another room, but still the balance of available medication options was eye opening - illness prevalence vs treatment options . For example, only two types of meds were available to treat malaria juxtaposed to the wide variety of meds for ART.

The shelves on the right half of this photo are the suspensions - liquid.

Above: more of the ART's.

Below: all the other meds! (including anti-malarial)

CLINICALS!!!!

2009-10-09T10:57:00.000-07:00

This week started out at Zimba Hospital with half the students. It was my second week there with students, and it was fun to go back and already know some of the staff this time:). I've enjoyed being back in a hospital and getting to help teach skills!! Here are Lauren and Estie watching a GYN surgery!

Wednesday we spent a few hours watching a Pediatric ART (anti-retro viral therapy - HIV) clinic. We helped by checking weight, height, head circumference and temperatures. The students also observed the nurses, volunteers and other staff examining and counseling patients and their families or caretakers. It was fun playing with some of the kids while they were waiting for their check ups, but also heartbreaking to see some of the really sick kids. Putting names and faces to the innocence of AIDS brings tears to my eyes.

Later that afternoon, we drove about four hours north of here to Chikankata - the Salvation Army Hospital. It is in the middle of a VERY rural region of southern Zambia.

We were really impressed by all their facilities and the expertise and professionalism of the staff! Their ICU and NICU were the first I've seen in Zambia - they had oxygen, but no ventilators. It was fascinating to see some of the procedures - some very similar to ours in the US, and others very different. I loved asking LOTS of questions of the nurses!!:) Here's Heather starting an IV with the nurses assistance!
There is a big emphasis on education and many really impressive posters all over the hospital (we've seen similar ones around other medical facilities). This one deals with the false perception that sex with a virgin will cure AIDS. Haley and Rachel couldn't help posing with it though:)!

Ox carts like the one below are called "ambulances" - we learned they are privately owned and used to bring sick patients to the hospital for a fee. This one had a mattress in the back to make the ride a little more comfortable!

Market views...

2009-10-07T15:27:00.000-07:00

Purple blossoms on the Jakaranda tree (sp??:)

A little market place next to Zimba hospital.

Dried fish!!!

Kapenta ... LITTLE dried fish!! We see these everywhere!!!

Jembo

2009-10-06T14:55:00.000-07:00

Ever heard of "slash and burn" ... well we've seen this technique a few times in the past weeks, but the closest we've come to it was driving home from Jembo. A stretch of land along the road was burning, and in places it had already started to jump the road. We had no other option, but to drive through it! The heat poured in our open windows and we all tried to get a few photo's with our camera's!! We decided it would be a great idea for a new ride at Cedar point!! Those few moments really got our adrenaline pumping!!:):) The black lines in the picture above are the ladder on the side of the land rover...

Pam and Alyssa, surviving the adrenaline rush!!

Papaya sure is yummy when it's fresh!!!

We had some AMAZING lemonade from these lemons!!!

The view from the garden on the Bible School compound at Jembo. Note the cool fence and the purple tree in the background!

Village life...

2009-10-03T06:00:00.000-07:00

I saw this lady carrying water on her head... couldn't resist the chance to take a photo (I did ask first!). It reminded me of the pen drawing that someone made for my parents years ago...

Being out in the villages on Wed/Thur last week, I used more than one toilet similar to the one above... walls around a hole. The first few times though brought back serious fears... I was reminded of the time in Sierra Leone when I accidentally lost my ONLY pair of glasses down a similar toilet hole. TRUST ME, I held on tight this time:):):)... by the end of day 2 I was a little more relaxed:).

This is one of the vista's from my favorite "mountain top" church. Sadly the photo's don't tell even a 1/4 of the story.... Sorry! You'll just have to come over and see it for yourself!!:)

Glimpses

2009-10-02T04:13:00.000-07:00

Here are a few glimpses of the last week here in Zambia! The photo below is of Kara visiting with a few ladies under a tree, reading their Tonga Bible. This tree was just outside one of the churches. These women had walked from 10km away for revival services. The older woman had suffered from left leg swelling and right ear hearing loss. The pastor had prayed for her and she was healed. This church is at the top of a small mountain and the views around were beautiful!!

The photo below is inside another church (Sichibunde). This building was built in 1995. It too is at the top of a mountain, and the 360 degree's of vista were my absolute favorite that day!! STUNNING is such an understatement!!:):) I think it's now the second place in the world I've sat where I could have watched the sun rise and set from the same spot!! (the other at the southern most tip of India - Kanjakumari) Just sitting on those benches for a few minutes and thinking of all the men, women and children who have sat their before me, hearing about how much God loves them - and seeing Him working miracles in their lives - really touched me. It is humbling to see their trust and faith in light of the depth of struggles they face each day, just to survive!!

The past few weeks I have been blessed to see God at work around me - not only in my life, but in the lives of the other team members! We have faced various challenges, and seen God smooth the way for us - providing for all our needs!! Just the other night, one of the girls came into my room to share what God had done just that day that had shown her in a new and BIGGER way His faithfulness! Knowing the challenges she'd faced that week - to see the joy and encouragement on her face was such a blessing!! God is good!!!

The photo below was taken at Zimba hospital with one of the nurses who work in the Pediatric and OB ward. Meagan and Heather were working with her that day! Their highlight was seeing a delivery just after lunch, but their hearts were saddened too, to see the illnesses that the children were suffering from! It is truly heartbreaking to see what dying of AIDS really looks like, but when it is young children - it is especially difficult to come to grips with!

Job 1:20-22 (TNIV)
"At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said:

'Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart.

The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.'

In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing."

This passage has been an encouragement as we wrestle with the sorrow we see. We need to follow Job's example when he was faced with unimaginable heartache - take time to express our sorrow, but then follow it closely with worship to God, knowing that in all of life's "unexplainable moments" - HE is still in control and worthy of our trust!

"Everyone ready? Flying over bridge!"

2009-09-30T13:21:00.000-07:00

It's been a LONG, incredibly busy week with little to NO Internet access.... so will try to write a note, but must apologize for the lack of photo's. Internet is just not THAT cooperative tonight:).

First, the quote in the title was from our driver as he was HURTLING the Land Rover down the bumpy dirt road, trying to get us home before dark. He DID warn us before we caught some air going over this little bridge.:) Not only did he get us home on time, but he proved himself to be a very safe driver on some VERY challenging roads!

Half the group and I went out with World Hope staff today for a "Food Distribution" for the "Home Based Care" program. The grant runs out this month so this was the last opportunity for us to observe. My camera battery ran out after only three photo's today and so I used a couple of the girls camera's a few times:). I'll eventually collect them and once the Internet is working better, will try to post them. We were traveling in some STUNNING country side today!!

Last Sunday we spent the day in Jembo at the Wesleyan Bible School. (we enjoyed a youth meeting and even shared a couple songs with them... their singing/dancing was way more impressive than ours though!!:) It is a 60-75min drive from Choma. The first 20 min are on a nice paved road, but then the last 30km are on dirt roads up and over and into this "range" of hills - stunning vista's. The vegetation and dust, as well as all the traditional homes along the way kept reminding us that we're smack dab in the middle of Africa!! On Sunday, when we drove straight to Jembo, I kind of wondered why the Bible School was "out in the middle of no where", but then today as we visited 7 churches along that 30km route (some up to 30 min down deeply rutted dirt roads) - I realized how there are communities for miles around, with active churches that are being pastored by graduates of the Bible school. The food (finely ground corn meal in 10kg bags and cabbages) we were taking was to support orphans, vulnerable children and others dying of Aids. We enjoyed meeting the men and women of the communities as well as playing with the children!

I'll try to post some more stories from the past week in the next couple days... I should THEORETICALLY have some time....

Random pics

2009-09-30T07:55:00.000-07:00

I uploaded these last week, and am finaly able to post them... enjoy!!

Some random guy riding his bike, with a bag of charcoal on the back... they make it out of wood and sell it on the side of the road!
Carla (far right), the history Prof who's here for 2 weeks with (l to r) Estie, Meagan, Kara and Brittany The turkey that wandered around our patio for nearly a day before the girls watched his last moments... he'll be our dinner in the near future!!
Taking a walk last week, we saw this pump being used to irrigate the gardens nearby. It reminded me of the pump Dad used to empty the duckpond into the rhubarb patch!

The sunsets have been stunning every night!!!

New Definitions

2009-09-23T21:48:00.000-07:00

We are learning new definitions to word's we thought we knew. Flexibility for one. Our daily schedules often change multiple times throughout the day. It's an adjustment for all of us, but we are learning! I remember in Zimbabwe learning the difference between "just now" and "now, now" - JN meant "any time now or later" where as NN meant "right away." "A little bit difficult" is a typical Zambian phrase and we are learning it is often the ultimate understatement!!

This poster hangs near the front door of the office building here on the compound.

Here's the classroom...

And here are some of the girls wearing their traditional "Chitenge" - a wrap around skirt. We're excited that we'll be here on Zambian National Day on October 24th and hope to get to watch the festivities!! We'll all probably be wearing one of these! I love the bright designs!!

Tuesday we took a "history field trip" and visited the local museum that talked about the local provincial history. They had a lot of really interesting photographs depicting village life, as well as artifacts from the past few decades. It is interesting to see what each culture finds most important to emphasize about themselves!

We then spent some time visiting the city library. It was a very small building, one medium sized room, with two small rooms attached. Approximately 20 bookshelves full of books. The newest book I found was from 2000. Many books were printed in the 70's and 80's. It was fascinating also to read the various postings along the walls. There was a whole section just with HIV related pamphlets. Two computers were in one of the side rooms, but I am not sure if those are free for people to use or just the librarians.

That afternoon Pam and I got to meet with Dr Jain, one of the local surgeons. He and his wife, an OB/GYN own a clinic (with 6 inpatient beds), that is located just down the road from us. He is originally from Rajastan, and was born in one of the cities Kirsten and I visited over five years ago. He and his wife have lived in Zambia for over 30 years. For the past few years they have run their own clinic, but previously for over 10+ years he was the only surgeon/MD for the local state hospital. It was incredible to hear him tell of some of his experience - the challenges and rewards. As the only surgeon available he was forced to become skilled at all types of surgeries, from orthopedic to neurosurgery to abdominal or whatever else came along! His enthusiasm was catching!

Some of the students' clinical hours will be at their clinic and I know they will learn a lot! Seeing the various rooms within their clinic reminded me of my experiences both at Karanda Mission hospital in Zimbabwe (back in 1998) and the orthopedic surgeries I assisted with in Chennai, India (in 2003). Fond memories!!:)

Neighborhood kids

2009-09-20T18:35:00.000-07:00

Here's a picture of the metal statues that decorate our front porch, we sit at the picnic tables for all our meals!! WHIZ (World Hope International Zambia) office is in the distance. It's a beautiful, newly constructed compound.

Near one of the neighboring villages is this site of "slash & burn" - farmers preparing to plant?! That was as close as we were willing to get to get pic's of the fire:). We saw similar sites a number of times en route to Choma from Livingston.

As we were heading back to the compound last evening, this group of kids started running after us from the village. They were yelling all the English phrases they knew and finally caught up with some of our group.

Here they are posing for my picture with "Karate chops"... The girl at the back of the group (wearing the white t-shirt) has a great singing voice! She and some of her friends were on the compound today and graced us with some of the songs they'd learned at church as well as the Zambian National Anthem. (I didn't have my camera with me at the time...) One song they sang was really heart wrenching. The verse described this incredibly destitute life, talking about hardship after hardship - and it was sung as a solo by one of the girls, then on the chorus they all chimed in to tell us that their Daddy had told them not to worry as Jesus would provide. It brought tears to my eyes as I knew that the hard life they talked of was indeed likely a reality for each of them, yet their joy and unwavering faith in God's provision humbling to observe!

Fun translates to any language!!

We have a couple big days ahead with visits to villages! Please pray for health, strength and wisdom, as we're battling a flu/stomach virus that seems to be making the rounds, lasting 12-24 hrs. As often happens when you enter a new environment, we've encountered new bugs and it will take time to adjust. By His grace and for His glory, L

Walking at Sunset

2009-09-19T19:30:00.000-07:00

During the day here it's been getting up into the upper 90's... with out A/C that's taking a little bit of getting used to!!:) THANKFULLY, about 4:30pm it starts to cool down and with a fan the evenings are quite pleasant! I've even needed a sheet to keep me warm a few nights:). So, once it gets cooler a group of us have started going for walks on the dirt roads and paths near where we are staying. It feels great to get out and get some excercise before the mysquitos descend! Here's some pic's from our walk tonight.

Not sure if this is a wasp nest or an mini ant hill?? It's on the ground, with out obvious inhabitants and with similar things all over?? Any ideas anyone??

The whole area was pretty desolate except for the occasional bright red flowers, some up in this little tree and others at the bottom of this plant. "beauty in ashes"

I've really been enjoying getting to know all the girls in the group! Their kindness to each other, their great attitudes with all the unkowns and their openness to listening to God's voice in their lives is not only an encouragement, but challenges me as well!!

Keri, Haley, Estie, Megan, Lauren, Heather and Alyssa

Black Mamba

2009-09-19T10:13:00.001-07:00

We've all been enjoying the incredible sunsets recently.... they don't capture so well the night's I've actually had my camera out with me, but here's one from the other afternoon. The first clouds we've seen!! No rain yet:) The other morning, four girls and myself headed out the door about 615 in the morning for a walk before breakfast. The last person out the door slid on the rug and we realized that a "small" snake was curled up below the front stoop. God's angels protected us as we'd all stepped right over it!!! Beth, who lives here on the compound (pictured below) came over and eventually (after some hissing and striking at a distance) killed the snake with a really big rock. The photo is of her holding the dead snake up after we got back from our walk. After photo's she took it to one of the guards and he told her it was a black mamba - a very poisonous snake. It was a big reminder to all of us that God is in control and is faithfully protecting us! Thank you for your prayers!!

When he was all curled up, from above he totally looked black, but the underbelly is more grey/green :).

Morning at the market

2009-09-16T05:02:00.000-07:00

Here's just a few pics from our walk through the market the other day. I had forgotten how intense the sun can be! I always find it so fascinating to see what kinds of vegetables are available and how people go about displaying and selling them! Lots of tomatoes, onions and cabbage. They had a variety of dried fish as well, the small ones with the heads still attached and some larger fish that had been gutted. Some of the other groups described walking through a part of the market where the were selling "fresh" fish, I will have to keep my eyes open for that place next time! (We'd split up so as to attract less attention). In some ways it's like the ulitmate department store ... you can find about anything, if you just know where to look!

Ankunft in Zambia!!

2009-09-15T14:57:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe it's been only 6 days since we left the US!! The flight from Atlanta to Johannesburg, South Africa was incredibly smooth, despite it's nearly 15 hr duration! I watched a few movies between meals and a couple good long naps:). One of the girls nearly lost her passport, but God protected us and we were able to retrieve it off the plane, where she'd forgotten it in her seat back pocket.

We had an overnight in Jo-burg so had our first "African" meal together. We had just ordered our dinner when I thought to tell the girls at my table about how often when traveling to other countries, items on a menu might be called by familiar names, but the taste - though good- would likely not resemble tastes or appearances that they might have assumed. Sure enough, the "Caesar" salad they'd ordered look more like a garden salad, with tomatoes, peppers, onions, cheddar cheese and yogurt like dressing. There are moments that traveling has consistent inconsistencies!!:):)

The next morning on the flight from Joburg to Livingston, two of the girls and myself got bumped up to Business class!!! We acted like the ultimate cheezy tourist up there!! That's Rachel in the pic above... and that was just with the glasses of water before we even took off. :) The service was fabulous, with cloth napkins, yummy food, great options, and all on real china!! My coffee came in a REAL cup with a very cool rock sugar stick (pictured below with the remains of the cheese tray I had for dessert). That was a definite first in all my travels, so I SURE enjoyed it!!:):)

Then we arrived in Livingston, Zambia and were hit by a 20-30 degree increase in temperature! That's some of the girls walking off the plane below.

We have arrived!!

This is in front of the bus that took us from Livingstone to Choma. In the middle of the group is Maureen, a wonderful woman who is helping to orchestrate details for our months here. Her kind heart, sense of humor and deep love for God have already been a blessing!!

This is (some of) us all stuffed into the bus... 22 people, 38 BIG suitcases and 20ish carry on's!! The 3 1/2 hr trip was bumpy at times, but we made it, tired but safe!!

The last few days have been full of meetings, but we did spend one morning walking around town, visiting the market and buying chitenge' (the wrap skirts that women wear here).
Sunday we visited church, the Sunday school started at 9am, followed by nearly 1 1/2 hours of amazing singing and musical specials (the church has at least 3 choirs!), and then a fabulous sermon. It was "woman's Sunday" so there were women leading worship and another woman preached. The service finished around 1:15pm! Our group has been split into 3 smaller groups who have each been assigned a church to attend for our time here. I'm grateful for this as it allows us to really grow friendships with people and become more of the community! The girls in my group are really excited about getting involved with working with the kids Sunday school. We did have to walk up to the front of the church for introductions. It was a tad weird being the "leader" this time who had to say a greeting to the church body and then introduce the girls.

Tonight we had a great "debriefing" - were we each shared the thing about Zambia we had expected and the thing that was most un-expected. Laughter and tears. It is a start to processing all they are seeing/hearing/tasting/feeling!

Please pray for the girls, Pam and myself as we are continuing to adjust to the heat and life here in Choma. God's love and faithfulness is evident in the many details he's orchestrated - I am encouraged and excited to see all that lies ahead!

IWU Nursing Zambia Semester '09

2009-09-09T20:16:00.000-07:00

Well, this is a group photo we took this morning! My bags are sitting by the door, packed, weighed and ready to go!! The last two days of orientation meetings were long, but very productive!! It was fun to meet all the girls, I've learned over half their names:), and trust I'll have them ALL down pat before we arrive!! My excitement just keeps growing!!!!

After packing and repacking for the past two months during my prep proces, it's a relief to have tomorrow nearly here. There are a lot of unknowns and huge challenges ahead, but I have confidence that God will provide strength and wisdom as I continue to ask. I'm really looking forward to seeing all that God will teach each of us on this team in the weeks and months ahead!! Keep checking back and I'll do my best to keep the photo's and stories coming!!

3 days to go...

2009-09-07T09:46:00.000-07:00

Here's a few of the photo's I took a few weeks back while traveling in MN with Annette.

I've been in Indiana now for nearly two weeks working on Zambia prep. It's been a good time, but busy with trying to sort out many details and be as prepared as we can for the semester ahead. It's been fun too to have time to hang out with my brother and his wife, as well as a number of old friends here in the Marion area.

Being back in Marion at this time has made me realize how much I've changed and grown over the past seven years - since I moved away. My perspective on some topics has remained the same, but in a lot of areas my point of view is from a whole new angle, or has at least shifted

some. I guess that's called growing up??:)

As I've been contemplating my upcoming move back to the southern hemisphere I've been remembering watching the moon from Zimbabwe back in 1998. That was when I first learned about the "hare" in the moon, or the lady bent over carrying a load of sticks on her back. Last Thursday I was hanging out with friends who have just moved back from New Zealand. That evening the moon was especially bright. So Emily and I took a moment to twist our upper bodies more parallel to the ground so that the moon would look a little more like it does from the southern hemisphere. BEAUTIFUL!!

I'm looking forward to meeting the 16 students that will be in Zambia first thing tomorrow morning. We have two days of training before we head to the airport on Thursday. I appreciate your prayers for wisdom as there will be many decision to be made in the days and weeks ahead. Also for safety as we travel (one flight is around 16 hours - NON-STOP!!) and for a smooth adjustment to the new culture and environment!

I'm getting more and more excited... and know that God has an amazing adventure ahead!!

Beautiful Stars in the countryside!!!

2009-08-22T09:21:00.000-07:00

Well, I've had a great 2 week with family and friends in WI, SD, MN and IN!

Here's some of the highlights:

Conversations over multiple cups of tea with Mom and Dad

(this is Patches one of my Dad's dogs... isn't she cute??)

Amazing fresh veggies from their garden!!

Watching eight people be baptised in the lake - my favorite part is hearing their stories!
Seeing my niece Julia pull herself up for the first time - she's eight months old and just started crawling two weeks ago... but is already shifting into 2nd and 3rd gear:).
Visiting Mrs Fletcher
Visiting the Zoo with Grandma, Aunt Pearl and cousins!!
Some great (stomach churning :) rides at "Valley Fair" with Annette, Matt and their friends
(OK... so this is just Joshua in Mrs F's yard, but I didn't take my camera into VF....)

Sister bonding at Mall of America

(Makeovers... later at the Cuban joint referenced below...)
Fabulous Cuban food (another of Matt's great research jewels) in a serious "hole in the wall" in southern Minneapolis

Seeing shooting stars AND the milky way (one of the +points of living 6 miles outside a small town, between the bean fields:)

It's fun to be an Aunt!!
Joshua (with Curious George)

Julia, happy as usual!

A mini high school class reunion with Kirsten and Chrissy (the three of us DID equal nearly a quarter in attendance!!:)

A week of Goodbye's...

2009-08-11T21:39:00.000-07:00

The last days have been busy with saying goodbye and spending last moments with friends here in DC. I am deeply blessed by the many amazing people in my life!!

From co-workers....

To college friends who've moved out here...

To grad school friends....

I have learned so much from each of them over the past four years. I hope to be back here in DC early Jan, once I'm finished with my semester teaching nursing students in Zambia, but only God knows exactly what I'll be up to five months from now!! Goodbye's are never easy but I have learned their importance - for good closure to one chapter of my life, and so I can more fully embrace the next chapter!!

I still have some packing to do before my flight tomorrow, so I won't describe all my experiences of the week, but just a couple...

Karen and I found a random spot in East Falls church to have lunch on Friday afternoon, after which we headed to the ice cream shop.... YUMMY MANGO SORBET

Anyway, we heard someone playing acoustic guitar, singing and another man playing the bongos in a little park next to this grocery store:

Apparently they have wine and beer tastings once a month....

So we just enjoyed eating our frozen desserts while listing to some great music.... FREE!!!

Sunday night we enjoyed the grills mastering of Scott R. What great hospitality.... this group were some of my first friends here in DC! Precious gifts each of them!!

Regina, Lisa, Kat and Ang

Picturesque AND Ironic

2009-08-07T16:52:00.000-07:00

I've been staying with friends in NW DC the past few weeks before I leave town and have really enjoyed walking around the neighborhood. Not only are there a lot of parks with amazing landscaping, the architecture of many of the older homes and buildings create opportunity for great photo therapy:). But first, a picture of my fabulous companion on most of these walks.... MOLLY!!

And the occasional laugh as well!!

I suppose it was his destiny?!!!:):)

At the Zoo with Kate

2009-08-01T23:06:00.000-07:00

I've lived in DC for nearly four years, but today was the first day I finnally made it to the zoo!! We did see the pandas, but the baby gorilla was probably the cutest!!

A yummy Indian lunch followed - Masalla Dosa!!!

Thanks for a GREAT day Kate!!

Jonathan

2009-08-01T20:40:00.001-07:00

(L to R) My older sister Annette, me, holding my newest nephew Jonathan and my younger sis (his mom) Katie!! Isn't his hair amazing?? It's nearly 3 inches long... and he's not even 3 wks old in this picture!! His hands are the same size as my niece who's 7 mo's old... so I think he'll be at least 6'2"... but with his hair he'll be 6'5"!!!!:):):)

Tidbits from my emails... (while in India May'09)

2009-08-01T19:53:00.001-07:00

Some people in Kodai have big resevoirs for the rains that they are able to use for much of the rest of the year!

Well, the monsoon rains are just starting, so we've had some heavy rain most afternoons, but when the sun is out the weather is BEAUTIFUL!! Combo of sun, humidity, hiking up and down the mountainsides and the elevation (7000 feet) each time I walk across town I literally drip puddles of sweat!!

I've definitly gotten a kick out of bargaining for fruits in the market and one of the students (Yuki) who speaks Tamil came with me to buy a couple sari's for graduation and such. The shopkeeper who sold me my carpet still remembers me too:).

I had to go to the bank to change some money yesterday and was wishing I had the nerve to take out my camera and record the event!! I went to the bank that I'd done most of my dorm banking at, where they have computer's, but most of the banking is still done on papers and there are books and papers stacked all over the place. All the signs were in Tamil, so I walked up to the man sitting in the middle section of the counter, explained to him that I wanted to buy rupees with my US$, he directed me to the man sitting next to him, who handed me a form to fill out. I did so, grateful I'd brought my passport with me and handed the paper's back to him, he joted down a few other things, counted my money a few times, used his little calculator to do the conversion math and passed the papers back to the guy sitting in the middle. I stood there for some time, waiting for the guy to finish with some other papers he was taking out of the top of the drawer next to him that was stuffed to overflowing with random pieces of paper. He double checked the other man's math and then handed me back my pastport and the copy of the form I'd filled out. He instructed me to go to either of the cashiers, but not to wait in line and get my rupee's from them. The cashiers sit in these wire cages with multiple locks on them and only little slots to fit a hand and some papers through. I don't think I would ever feel comfortable using them to keep my life savings for me!!

It's been fun visiting my favorite restaurants in town, some things have lived up to my memories, other things not so much:). Dosa at hilltop veg and the tandori chicken at the place above Sunshine arts have been my favorites!

The view from the porch where I stayed. I'd watch this view as I drank my tea each morning!

Well, I'm starting to get used to sleeping on the hard beds again:). I don't think I'll ever get used to the honking horns though... it's high tourist season here in Kodai this month and the traffic is CONSIDERABLY worse than I've ever seen it before!!

The plains of Tamil Nadu

2009-07-31T20:52:00.000-07:00

Rice fields with the mountains in the background.

This picture was from the trip back to the airport - the girls I traveled with were playing with a "pet" monkey at the rest stop "Sapeeti's". They are still "kinda" cute when little, but as I say "If you've actually lived with monkeys... you don't think they're cute any more!!"

India - Tamil Nadu - Madurai

2009-07-31T20:31:00.000-07:00

I was sitting in the back of a taxi en route from Madurai Airport, up to Kodaikanal, and started taking pictures... it was a 5 hr drive across the plains and then along the winding uphill ghat road. It was a Saturday in "high season" and I'd never seen so much traffic on the ghat... but thankfully they'd re-done much of the road since I left four years ago so it was better than it might have been:)!

Back in the Land of honking horns...

2009-07-31T20:08:00.000-07:00

Well, I've been back from India for nearly 2 months, so it's high time I post some pics:)... I'll add quotes from emails I wrote while I was there!!

"Monday morning I accompanied my friend Karen and her three kids out to a local orpanage to play with the girls there. One of the 3 yr olds is also named Lisa. She quickly attached herself to my hip and wouldn't let go till lunch time! The kids are so precious, but still lacking so much in life. It breaks my heart and I wish I could take a group of them home with me!!"

Lisa!!

Washing their hands for lunch!!

Yearly Trek to NYC!!

2009-04-16T20:26:00.000-07:00

These flowers always remind me of field trips in elementary school.... SPRING TIME!!!

This is the second museum adventure these two have enjoyed with me... this time it was at "The Cloisters" (part of the MET).

Sabah and Yeotoe, beautiful in the sunshine!!

Music Supersedes

2009-03-31T22:55:00.000-07:00

About two years ago I had the most surreal cassette tape moment ever. I was doing grad school research in a little village in North Eastern Sierra Leone. We had traveled by land rover more than six hours past the end of the paved road, along dirt tracks, to an area where electricity and running water were still only figments of our imagination. The sun was going down and the only lights remaining were from the cooking fires across the village. When all of a sudden our driver popped his "Shakira" tape into the pickup's stereo and this group of kids started to swing their hips. And did they ever have some moves!! I'm not sure what surprised me more, hearing Shakira after listening to Celine Dione for ALL of the 6+ hours out there:), or watching music so swiftly supersede culture and traditions.

BRAIN FOOD

2009-03-15T18:42:00.000-07:00

Right now I'm chewing on a few thoughts running around my brain.

"Are the choices I make - in attitude, thoughts and
actions - enabling or hindering the potential God
desires to bring to fruition in my life?"

It is easy to see when others choose not to allow God's love or grace to preempt their own selfishness or pride. But am I aware of the times in my own life where my own actions kept others from seeing God's goodness, love and grace?

"Am I really doing MY best? or am I satisfied with being mediocre?
Do I have the courage to give my all, regardless of the cost?
Have I let go of the hopes and desires I've buried deep in my heart,
and entrusted them into His keeping?"

I think it is important to keep that perspective of entrusting ourselves into His keeping. It's not right to assume He's going to crush our dreams and hopes. Rather I need to hold on to the knowledge that God is in control, regardless of the circumstances. I can rest in His goodness, His faithfulness and His love, because I have known and experienced them countless times in the past!!

To God be the glory!!!

This plant has just bloomed this week, the second time in the past four months. It also happens to be the second time - EVER - in all the ten years I've taken care of this plant.

God's timing is not our own, but it sure is beautiful when it blooms!!

Dinner with friends

2009-03-04T10:52:00.000-08:00

Last week I had a fabulous evening with Reg 'n Scott.
Old friends stepping forward in life, watching God provide.
As usual, there was a lot of laughter. And great food.
It was my first time to play "Rock Star" and though I'll
never compete with Reg's skills... I did enjoy myself!!

Coffee quote

2009-02-28T18:36:00.000-08:00

The way I see it # 21
(off Friday's 2nd cup of coffee)

People need to see that,
far from being an obstacle,
the world's diversity
of languages, religions and
traditions is a great treasure,
affording us precious
opportunities to recognize
ourselves in others.

-Youssou N'Dour

Senegalese musician

N'Dour at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival

So I was sitting at the health center at work, waiting for my immunization, when the words on my starbucks coffee cup caught my attention. The nurse came in to give me my shot and I made her read the quote. As we started talking about it, I happened to say the author's name out loud. All of a sudden the PA poked her head in the door and told us that N'Dour lived just down the street from her mother-in-law back in Senegal. WHAT A SMALL WORLD INDEED!!!

Internet -- is it a positive or negative develpment??

2009-02-25T12:39:00.002-08:00

(here's my answer to the question when posed by a friend...)

Like anything in life, there are pro's and con's and moderation is healthy:). But for me the pro's for the most part really outweigh the con's. Facebook for example. I once listened to a father talk about how he will not allow his daughter to be on facebook as some child he heard of committed suicide after comments sent to her on her facebook page. I think kids will be cruel regardless of the most popular mode of communication and the full picture of what pushes a kid to commit suicide is very complex and multifaceted. Personally, Facebook has helped me to reconnect with hundreds of dear friends from the past 30 years of my life. It is a simple tool that gives me instant access to photo's and stories from their present lives - ALL around the world!! As a result, the world -- in all it's diversity -- has become smaller and more accessible, and yet that only makes me want to explore more of it!!!!

VA Taxi drivers

2009-02-20T23:17:00.000-08:00

Some like it hot, other's like it WINDY!!

I was sitting in a cab on the way to work the other morning and once again was blessed by mr "I like my cab to average 110 degrees" even though it's only 45 outside!! I was working up a sweat without lifting a finger!! He's probably the same one who in the summer won't turn on the AC... but rolls down the windows and blows away whatever style you managed to talk your hair into that day!!

I had quite an interesting conversation with "#17" the other day, he does happen to be my favorite NOVA taxi man!! Somehow we got to talking about honesty, greed and work ethic. He told me about how a certain taxi driver who had been working for the same company for nearly 20 years, recently lost his job for swindling a passenger out of an extra $10!! It was over inauguration weekend when there were lots of tourist in town and lots of road blocks halting traffic. Apparently the driver wrongly assumed that his passenger was a tourist, insisted on going the "long way" while blaming it on blocked roads, and didn't listen to what the passenger asked him to do. She got a receipt signed by the driver.... wrote a letter and that was that!

My favorite "embarrassing moment" is appropriate under this title as well. I'd been working a long string of night shifts and was craving those extra 15 min of sleep... so had gotten in the habit of taking a cab to work rather than the metro. It's quite convenient as there is a taxi stand a few feet from my "front door." My easy justification was that I was still spending less than if I'd had to park in the garage at work... even though I don't own a car, my guilt was mostly appeased.

Well, I realized I'd been taking too many cab rides when... One evening I walked out my "front door" and before I could even cross the street, two cab driver's had STOPPED their conversation, gotten into their vehicles AND started their engines. I finished walking up to the cab, got in, said "Hello." Without needing to ask where I was headed, the driver just dropped me right at the front door of my work!!! I've now become familiar with my local cab drivers in TWO countries!!! How's that for a claim to fame??:):)

today's start

2009-02-12T17:22:00.000-08:00

What a beautiful day it's been in DC... only February, but spring is on it's way!!

I sit here in a coffee shop, having just finished a rather long job application. If God opens this door... what an incredible adventure lies ahead!! I am excited to see what happens.

Thank you God for the hope of a future that I have in you.... wherever you take me!!