A New Lens

When I sat down to write some thoughts for this week, it took me awhile to decide what to focus on.  Our move here still being so new, there are still thousands of experiences and thoughts to process each day it seems.  It is difficult to know what to share and how to share it.  But, I felt that my personal focus this week was one of trying to look at things differently that I did initially upon our arrival.  I was moving past the shock of all things different, to a new place that opened me to seeing the beauty and simplicity of life here; that while there is a ruggedness to existence, there is so much routine, love and just being real.  

These are just a few examples that I hope might make sense about how my mind is re-orienting to the world we live in now:

-instead of meeting kids and focusing on how their clothes might look a bit dirty and mismatched, like boys wearing girls shoes, etc. to just look into their beautiful eyes and see the joy and love they have in their hearts and how when the kids you don't even know get the biggest smiles when you drive or walk by and they call out Mzungu and wave like crazy and say, "I see you!"

-when Troy and I were taking the time to worry about what Avery and Henry would do at lunch at school when we found out the kids don't get any silverware to eat their posho and beans with, we were reminded by Avery that they didn't want to bring a fork along, they just wanted to be like everyone else.  

-instead of feeling intimidated to buy something from the local stands right on our road, Avery and I now look forward to visiting our new favorite stand that has a young girl working that has such a beautiful smile, and you tell her that pineapples are our favorite and we'll buy some if she gets some.  And instead of worrying about the quality of the food, you notice how good and fresh it tastes.  And if you end up getting a lime or an orange when you thought it was a lemon, oh well, you use the lemon. 

-at first I wondered how long it would take to make new friends in a place so different and far away, and then every single person you meet makes you instantly feel like you are part of their family and that you belong here.  You have great conversations shelling g-nuts or riding in the back of the truck.  You see your kids laughing at stories they tell.  I was told at church today by more than one person that I was just meeting for the first time that we are so loved.  

-instead of seeing the kids' church Fruit of Repentance that we attended today for the first time as just a small shed made of tin and sticks, that you see the beautiful flowers surrounding it as you walk up the path and that you feel the love of God just pouring out of everyone's hearts during worship.

-and instead of wondering what we have gotten ourselves into, you start to see a vision developing of how you can be integrated into the great work taking place here.

There are still so many adjustments to be made, but I think my heart is opening more and more each day to the fact that these changes and my reactions to them are greatly impacted by the lens through which I choose to view them.  And yes.....sometimes I still just really need that little piece of normal at the right moment, like that little Snickers bar  or an email from someone at home.  :)  

Now I'll end by completely switching gears and just jot down a few things that are "normal" in our new routine.

• Laundry day is Tuesday.  They wash all our laundry by hand, except our socks and underwear, which we have to do on our own and I am behind on again.....And you pray that there is hot weather on these days as it can take things a long time to dry on the line.  We've had lots of rain this past week.
• The menu is set at the house.  It's usually bread and little bananas set out for breakfast, but we had a few surprise treats this week with pancakes one morning and little sausages another.  Dinner is at 7:00 pm and the menu for the week is Monday: Irish (potaotes with veggies in a sauce)  Tuesday:  Rice & Beans, Wed:  Local Foods (myatoki, g-nut sauce, rice)  Thurs:  mashed potatoes, meatballs and gravy - MY FAVORITE!  Friday:  Spaghetti, Saturday:  Rice with peas and carrotts  There is also often a cabbage salad of some sort and fruit for dessert (watermelon or pineapple - the pineapple here is absolutely incredible!!!)  We are on our own for lunch each day, so we usually just grab a chapati, rolex, or kikamondo at a stand or find a "restaurant" close by with local foods.  Lunch is not as predictable and is just whenever it works, usually around 1 or 2.  Sunday we are on our own for meals.  
• We have a driver that CLD hired for us for September.  We just have to pay for gas, which is an everyday thing here, as any trip is usually almost an hour.  We most often take the truck since we can fit lots of people with riding in the back.  We had 16 in there the other day.  Someone is always coming along or hitching a ride to save money on transport.  The more the merrier!  The other vehicle is the Super Custom, which is a van.  Although we haven't had any problems yet, I guess it is a bit less reliable and on the verge of a potential breakdown.  CLD also owns two taxis, one of which will take the kids to school every day.  After September, we'll be on our own with driving, so hopefully Troy who can drive a stick shift will be ready to take all our lives in his hand on these crazy roads!  The school takes about 30 minutes on average to get to, and the farm about an hour.  But, they are both easy to find as they are straight outside of Nansana on a main road.  Thread of Life is more of a mystery as it's much more challenging to get to, but probably takes about 20-30 minutes as well usually.  
• The kids school day (which starts tomorrow) will look like this.  They'll get on the taxi at the top of the hill at 7:10.  Class starts at 8:00.  They have a snack (I think either fruit or maybe a hard boiled egg) at 9:30.  They have lunch at 12:30 for an hour.  Posho and beans Tues - Thurs, and special days on Monday (rice and beans) and Fridays (eggs).  They brush their teeth after lunch.  Class is over at 4:00 and they'll get on the taxi to come home, arriving at the top of the hill about 4:45.  Friday is a half day and classes end at 1:00, and the teachers have staff development those afternoons.  Not sure how we will fit in homeschooling after these long days?  They have uniforms and all of the kids just have one set, so I guess Avery and Henry will learn to keep them clean as we can't just throw them in the washer at night!  They have soccer on Mondays and Wednesdays.  Avery will have 6 in her class, including her and Henry I think will have 11.  They are in their last term of the year and their new school year begins in January.  They go 3 months and then have a month off, so December and April the kids will be on holiday.  

Sure there are lots of things I'm leaving out, but just wanted to give a glimpse of some daily routines.  Be sure to ask any questions that you're wondering about!  

Once again, this ended up being longer than I intended.  Thanks for reading.  Have a wonderful week!  Please keep us in your prayers as Avery and Henry begin school this week as this will be the last big transition for them.  

~Heather