Morning Peace-Day 2

“Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way…” 2 Thess. 3:16


There is absolutely nothing like the peace of a morning here on the Rapid 14 Base. How did I go for so long without soaking in the sun first thing in the morning?

The entire time that we spent at home in the States, I struggled in the morning. I had to drag myself out of my warm bed and into the cold and often dark. It was a battle to get up with Sunda (even when she slept until 7:30 or 8 o’clock.) This morning, however, despite not falling asleep until 1am or later, it was easy to get up by 7am. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not always easy to get out of bed in the morning in Zambia. But it’s definitely a whole lot easier than getting out of bed when it’s blowing snow and -5 degrees outside. When the sun is already hot, and people are walking past your bedroom window on the way to staff devotions, it’s easier to convince yourself that the day has started.

Back to the peaceful part: It’s still cool in the shade at 7:30 in the morning. Sunda is playing already, and I can hear the water from the rapids rushing below me as I sit with my Bible and coffee. There is a lot to be done today. But, no one minds if it’s not all finished today. In Zambia, as opposed to in America, I feel like I can work diligently for the day and then “knock-off”, satisfied that tomorrow is a new day with new opportunities to get stuff done. In America, I always feel rushed to complete the next thing…there never seems like there is enough time!
Amidst the difficulty of transition, I am remembering why I love it here so much. Also, I am reminded of why the transition is so difficult. While I enjoy not being rushed, being here means that I actually have to give up control of my plans. My schedule. My comfort. My home’s cleanliness. But that’s exactly what makes this morning so peaceful. Knowing that while I can try and plan today down to the minute, it probably won’t work. And that’s okay.

On a sidenote: When people first come to Zambia, the smell really bothers them. After a while, you don’t notice it anymore. But, when I first got here in 2006, I definitely noticed. It was hard for me to be amongst lots of people, especially in church. Strong body odor mixed with harsh lye soap mixed with cooking fire and the sweet smell of wet thatch. Now, that combination of smells just smells like…home. When I opened my suitcases today and got out some of the candles and potpourri I’d packed, they almost smelled too strong. Too sterile. Very weird. So, even though the bugs still bother me…the smell doesn’t.

(On that thought, our friend Jack just killed a spider the size of my palm. Okay, so, the bugs still REALLY bother me. But, don’t worry, the Lord is “giving me peace at all times.” Also, don’t let that spider be the reason you don’t come to visit me.)

10 Day Journal

Today is definitely a new day in terms of my perspective and attitude. 10 hours of sleep last night and a nap this afternoon probably helped quite a bit. After re-reading what I wrote last night, I decided that I am going to try and journal for the next 10 day about how we are re-adjusting to Zambia. (We'll see if we can even get the husband in on the blogging action.) It'll be as much for my own records as anything else, and should be interesting to see what the next 10 days holds.

So, like I said, it's a new day. There are still bugs in my bed. (This is due to the fact that in the rainy season, the damp thatch roofing attracts little tiny bugs that love any moisture, including sweat.) But, church was great. Jake and I sang our favorite praise song, "Ta Kwabaoowabanga Jesu" at almost every church we visited back hin the States. But today, we finally heard it the way it's supposed to sound. It felt like home to be in a tiny, dark church singing loud enough for the cows to hear.

How's Sunda adjusting? Does Sunda actually have to adjust to anything? She dove right in yesterday, rolling in the grass, taking off her long sleeve shirt, and cruising around on her little tricycle. "Look at da gorge, Mommy!" "There's da doggie, Mommy!" "Where's Auntie, Mommy?" I think we can safely say that Sunda is a true missionary kid, she goes everywhere happily with little adjustment period. Now if she can just get her Momma to catch up!

The internet is fast enough for me to post a picture (how cool is that!) So, here you have Jake and Sunda on their moto-cross mud adventure today. This was the first thing she wanted to do when we got back, can you blame her?


See you tomorrow!

Warning: It's dangerous to articulate feelings when you haven't slept in 48 hours

Okay, so...we're here! We arrived this afternoon with all persons and luggage (and minds) intact. Praise God! Our little chalet isn't quite finished yet, so we're stay in the guest room of the "big" chalet until it is. (Also a huge blessing).

So, like I said...we're here. But, if I tried to articulate my feelings right now, they wouldn't necessarily be positive. I hate to admit that I actually tend to have quite a difficult time transitioning from America back to Africa (not so much the other way...imagine...) It's so funny, because once I get my groove goin' I love it and am absolutely comfortable and at home. But after 4 months in the States, the heat and the bugs are making me crazy already! However, I haven't slept more than 7 or 8 hours in the last three days. SO, I suppose tonight isn't exactly the time to analyze my calling in Africa.

This post has no lesson or value or even information. It's only a slow sigh and whine from this American girl who just got thrown back into a country/continent that she loves, but always has a little bit of trouble adjusting to. Just want you to know. In case any of you have any sort of delusion that I'm really tough and faithful or that this is always a piece of cake for me (I won't speak for Jake, it pretty much is a piece of cake for him, but he doesn't really count, there's not much that ever bothers him). Besides the hardships that make for good stories, sometimes Africa is just plain hard because it makes you doubt the reason you even tell those stories...

However, tonight promises sleep (hopefully!) And tomorrow will consist of church in the bush (one of my favorite things to come back to). So, chat with me later. I might have a totally different attitude. Like I said, I don't know if it's safe to judge feelings when you're this sleep deprived.

Peace.

48 Hours to Go....

...and I've already lost my mind (that, or it's going, really fast!)

Down to the Wire

I have to admit, the next few days will be some of my least favorite this year. We're leavin' on a jet plane from D.C. on Thursday evening. Which means that we are renting a car from Pittsburgh on Wednesday night, and leaving Thursday morning to make the 4-hour drive to D.C. We fly for South Africa on Thursday at 5:40pm. We'll be on the plane for 18 hours, and then spend the night in South Africa. On Saturday, we'll arrive in Zambia at about 1:30 in the afternoon. Just in time for church on Sunday.

However, the reason these days are not my favorite is not only because of leaving friends and family. That part is really hard too. But the part that is REALLY stressful is trying to get everything together, packed into the appropriate number of 50-pound bags, and out the door so as not to miss our flight to Zambia. It's really hard to get motivated to do this. At least for me. "Will I want this?" "Will I need that?" "Do I need anything else from Walmart?" And then, the whole time I'm in Zambia, I think things like, "Would it have been so hard for me to bring some more Ziploc bags?"

On that note, I MUST get started. This is ridiculous. I'm stressing myself out just thinking about it.