... 2 extraordinarily tiresome weeks.
Hello my dear friends - Let me fill you in on what has been happening in our corner of the world for the past few weeks
Last weekend (April 2-5), Tanzania held a 'Missionary Fellowship'. We had the Crums from Kenya, Bro. Rd, and of course the guest of most importance (in my books), Pops! The weekend was great, as usual. Mom and I just about went crazy, with cooking and cleaning and 'hosting' everyone. Of course, the Bro. and Sis. Smoak helped, but they have no car as of right now, and therefore it is is difficult for them to get out and about town. SO... moving on. Did I mention that we had NO water? Yes I do believe I did. Why we had no water for 8 DAYS I have no clue. Call it 'African'. So here we are with NO water and Pops is staying in our house(OF COURSE), and laundry is building up, dishes are getting washed with the water that Patrick(our groundskeeper) carried from the well, and about half a bottle of bleach that Agatha(housekeeper) poured in. I think she wanted CLEAN dishes! Let us all say STRESSFUL. Enter everyone else. I quickly learned that 6 other people can SERIOUSLY use a LOT of water!!!
Friday- All the guest arrived in town and everyone came to our house for lasagna(BTW - IT WAS AMAZING!), banana bread, salad, banana bread(Did I mention that we had banana bread? Hate bananas,but love banana BREAD - go figure.) all in all, we had great food and fellowship.
Saturday- Bro. Rd., Mom and Dad, Bro. and Sis Smoak, Pops, Bro and Sis. Crum had morning devotions. After devotions, I played tour guide and took Pops and Sis. Crum shopping to a few of my favorite little hole-in-the-wall shops and all in all had a grand time. That night we went out for Indian food @ a near-by restaurant. MORE food and fellowship.
Sunday- Pops, Mom and Dad, Bro. Marco, and myself took off for the village in Chemka (it means boiling. There is a hot spring near by). This church is amazing! About 90% of the saints are 15 or younger! Pops did a great job preaching on the subject 'Jesus Loves You'. We closed the service by singing the song 'Jesus Loves Me' in English... that was a HUGE hit. I love listening to Tanzanian kiddos sing in English, even if they have NO clue what they are saying(Now I know what I sound like when I speak Kiswahili.)!
Thankfully on Monday morning, water arrived with a vengeance and Agatha started doing laundry with EQUAL vengeance!
Moving on to THIS weekend...
Thursday- Mom and Dad have been in TMF (Tanzania Missionary Fellowship) meetings all day, I've been at home just chillin around the house. Mom and Dad return from a 5 or 6 hour meeting, exhausted beyond all exhaustion, and of course - the power goes off. Mom, was NOT impressed, and Dad was convinced that it would come back on before we went to bed. I was not so sure. We waited, and waited, and waited some more... by this time it is 11:30 pm and we are ALL exhausted(missionary midnight had passed 2 and 1/2 hours before). So off to bed we go.
Friday- We wake up, after a night of swatting mosquitos, and tossing and turning. That day passed E X T R E M E L Y slowly. By this time, Dad has called Tanesco(our electrical company) about 45 times and the answer keeps coming back 'A transformer has a problem. A fundi(repairman) is working on it, you should have electricity today'. So dad was like 'Ok guys, just wait it out a little bit longer.' Well we are now into the evening, and the mosquitos that visited on Thursday night, brought their friends for 'All you can eat Wazungu' buffet. Mom and I were NOT impressed. So another night of tossing and turning, mosquito swatting, and heat suffering passes.
Saturday- Dad gets up and lets the guard out (@ 6am) and immediately calls Tanesco. AGAIN. I'm pretty sure that the tension has crept into his voice, and he 'firmly' tells the operator, 'I NEED ELECTRICITY TODAY!' Of course, the people continued to answer him with 'Oh today Bwana... today'. By this time it is 3ish in the afternoon. And Dad CONTINUES to hold onto the sliver of hope that we will have electricity. I have reached the 'I'll-believe-it-when-I-see-it' point. After much persuasion, I convinced Dad to start the car, so I could charge his computer, and my ipod(THANK GOD FOR CAR CONVERTERS!). During all of this, it is raining. I mean RAINING!!! Like serious, open the windows of Heaven kind of rain! It's now late evening, and Dad is BEYOND frustrated. So yet again.... a sleepless night in Moshi.
Easter Sunday- Mom excitedly wakes me up, as is her custom on Easter Sunday, and convinces me that I HAVE to come downstairs. I know that she is just waiting for me to jump up and down with great excitement over this basket stuffed to it's gills of 'STUFF'. Of course, it's all extremely GREAT stuff... but stuff nonetheless. My poor brain does NOT start to work that fast in the mornings... So the enthusiasm wasn't expressed to the level of Mom's hope. Never the less.... I did get a new skirt, a new pair of shoes, a new skirt, a cover for my ipod, a iTunes gift card, a couple of headbands, and a whole bunch of candy... Moving on to the electrical drama. (Yes we did have a drama on Easter Sunday... just not your 'Normal' Burial and Resurrection Drama.) We get dressed and head over to the missionary apartment for a special Missionary service with the Smoaks. On the way there, Dad drives into town so that he may speak with the people at Tanesco... YET AGAIN! So here we are, at Tanesco, Dad is shaking his head and making all sorts of hand motions to emphasis his point. He FINALLY speaks with someone who is polite enough to tell the TRUTH about the problem and says that he will call dad just as soon as it is fixed. So off we go to the missionary apartment. We arrive, and are in the middle of our 'service' when my dad's phone starts to sing a merry little tune! Dad jumps up, answers the phone, and says 'I'm on my way - Five minutes' and walks out the door. After about 15 minutes... he returns and WONDERS OF WONDERS... We have electricity. So we continue with our service, eat an incredible lunch of chicken tacos... and came home to a house with electricity. Did I mention that we had been 70 hours WITHOUT electricity? So of course, Mother and I had to clean out the fridge and freezer... we lost EVERYTHING! Ugh - Let's just say that it was DISGUSTING!
As I have so fondly said over the past 3 and 1/2 years... 'Welcome to Africa'. I do remind myself 'In everything give thanks'.... and not necessarily 'FOR everything give thanks'.
Until the next chattering...
Hello my dear friends - Let me fill you in on what has been happening in our corner of the world for the past few weeks
Last weekend (April 2-5), Tanzania held a 'Missionary Fellowship'. We had the Crums from Kenya, Bro. Rd, and of course the guest of most importance (in my books), Pops! The weekend was great, as usual. Mom and I just about went crazy, with cooking and cleaning and 'hosting' everyone. Of course, the Bro. and Sis. Smoak helped, but they have no car as of right now, and therefore it is is difficult for them to get out and about town. SO... moving on. Did I mention that we had NO water? Yes I do believe I did. Why we had no water for 8 DAYS I have no clue. Call it 'African'. So here we are with NO water and Pops is staying in our house(OF COURSE), and laundry is building up, dishes are getting washed with the water that Patrick(our groundskeeper) carried from the well, and about half a bottle of bleach that Agatha(housekeeper) poured in. I think she wanted CLEAN dishes! Let us all say STRESSFUL. Enter everyone else. I quickly learned that 6 other people can SERIOUSLY use a LOT of water!!!
Friday- All the guest arrived in town and everyone came to our house for lasagna(BTW - IT WAS AMAZING!), banana bread, salad, banana bread(Did I mention that we had banana bread? Hate bananas,but love banana BREAD - go figure.) all in all, we had great food and fellowship.
Saturday- Bro. Rd., Mom and Dad, Bro. and Sis Smoak, Pops, Bro and Sis. Crum had morning devotions. After devotions, I played tour guide and took Pops and Sis. Crum shopping to a few of my favorite little hole-in-the-wall shops and all in all had a grand time. That night we went out for Indian food @ a near-by restaurant. MORE food and fellowship.
Sunday- Pops, Mom and Dad, Bro. Marco, and myself took off for the village in Chemka (it means boiling. There is a hot spring near by). This church is amazing! About 90% of the saints are 15 or younger! Pops did a great job preaching on the subject 'Jesus Loves You'. We closed the service by singing the song 'Jesus Loves Me' in English... that was a HUGE hit. I love listening to Tanzanian kiddos sing in English, even if they have NO clue what they are saying(Now I know what I sound like when I speak Kiswahili.)!
Thankfully on Monday morning, water arrived with a vengeance and Agatha started doing laundry with EQUAL vengeance!
Moving on to THIS weekend...
Thursday- Mom and Dad have been in TMF (Tanzania Missionary Fellowship) meetings all day, I've been at home just chillin around the house. Mom and Dad return from a 5 or 6 hour meeting, exhausted beyond all exhaustion, and of course - the power goes off. Mom, was NOT impressed, and Dad was convinced that it would come back on before we went to bed. I was not so sure. We waited, and waited, and waited some more... by this time it is 11:30 pm and we are ALL exhausted(missionary midnight had passed 2 and 1/2 hours before). So off to bed we go.
Friday- We wake up, after a night of swatting mosquitos, and tossing and turning. That day passed E X T R E M E L Y slowly. By this time, Dad has called Tanesco(our electrical company) about 45 times and the answer keeps coming back 'A transformer has a problem. A fundi(repairman) is working on it, you should have electricity today'. So dad was like 'Ok guys, just wait it out a little bit longer.' Well we are now into the evening, and the mosquitos that visited on Thursday night, brought their friends for 'All you can eat Wazungu' buffet. Mom and I were NOT impressed. So another night of tossing and turning, mosquito swatting, and heat suffering passes.
Saturday- Dad gets up and lets the guard out (@ 6am) and immediately calls Tanesco. AGAIN. I'm pretty sure that the tension has crept into his voice, and he 'firmly' tells the operator, 'I NEED ELECTRICITY TODAY!' Of course, the people continued to answer him with 'Oh today Bwana... today'. By this time it is 3ish in the afternoon. And Dad CONTINUES to hold onto the sliver of hope that we will have electricity. I have reached the 'I'll-believe-it-when-I-see-it' point. After much persuasion, I convinced Dad to start the car, so I could charge his computer, and my ipod(THANK GOD FOR CAR CONVERTERS!). During all of this, it is raining. I mean RAINING!!! Like serious, open the windows of Heaven kind of rain! It's now late evening, and Dad is BEYOND frustrated. So yet again.... a sleepless night in Moshi.
Easter Sunday- Mom excitedly wakes me up, as is her custom on Easter Sunday, and convinces me that I HAVE to come downstairs. I know that she is just waiting for me to jump up and down with great excitement over this basket stuffed to it's gills of 'STUFF'. Of course, it's all extremely GREAT stuff... but stuff nonetheless. My poor brain does NOT start to work that fast in the mornings... So the enthusiasm wasn't expressed to the level of Mom's hope. Never the less.... I did get a new skirt, a new pair of shoes, a new skirt, a cover for my ipod, a iTunes gift card, a couple of headbands, and a whole bunch of candy... Moving on to the electrical drama. (Yes we did have a drama on Easter Sunday... just not your 'Normal' Burial and Resurrection Drama.) We get dressed and head over to the missionary apartment for a special Missionary service with the Smoaks. On the way there, Dad drives into town so that he may speak with the people at Tanesco... YET AGAIN! So here we are, at Tanesco, Dad is shaking his head and making all sorts of hand motions to emphasis his point. He FINALLY speaks with someone who is polite enough to tell the TRUTH about the problem and says that he will call dad just as soon as it is fixed. So off we go to the missionary apartment. We arrive, and are in the middle of our 'service' when my dad's phone starts to sing a merry little tune! Dad jumps up, answers the phone, and says 'I'm on my way - Five minutes' and walks out the door. After about 15 minutes... he returns and WONDERS OF WONDERS... We have electricity. So we continue with our service, eat an incredible lunch of chicken tacos... and came home to a house with electricity. Did I mention that we had been 70 hours WITHOUT electricity? So of course, Mother and I had to clean out the fridge and freezer... we lost EVERYTHING! Ugh - Let's just say that it was DISGUSTING!
As I have so fondly said over the past 3 and 1/2 years... 'Welcome to Africa'. I do remind myself 'In everything give thanks'.... and not necessarily 'FOR everything give thanks'.
Until the next chattering...
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