BFFs

Nala continues to be the joy of Eli's young life. Here they are just chillin' together by the front door.



Even being on separate sides of the door won't keep these two buddies apart.

Walkabout

On Wednesday, George went to town, on a mission. His goal was to visit a few schools to see if he could start Christian Clubs or help with their existing ones. George’s life was changed by the advisor of his high school’s Christian Club and knows how valuable it can be to the students. George’s advisor, Charles, became like a father to George and sacrificed his time off to help George. As an orphan and sent away by relatives, George had to come up with school fees on his own. Many weekends, he and Charles would walk trying to find people to sponsor him, sometimes up to 20 kilometers because they didn’t have money for transport. Charles and his wife, Emily, discipled George and taught him so much. While they didn’t have money to help, they provided love, counseling, guidance and family. More than ten years later, George is still close with them. Charles and Emily even walked me down the aisle at our wedding in place of my family who couldn’t be there. We can only hope and pray the Lord would use us in the life of a needy student like He did with Charles and Emily.

Back to Wednesday. A friend of ours has a friend who is a teacher so George started there. What he found out was slightly discouraging. Sometimes things are easy here and other times, the process is complicated. Some schools would be an immediate, definite no for a variety of reasons: a Muslim principal, beliefs of the school (ex. A Catholic school wouldn’t allow it), etc. For the ones that are a possibility, some may have lots of requirements, certifications, approval letters, etc that are needed first.

The students are on break now, so when they return, George will go back and see what he can do. There is a college campus near our house, so he’ll try that too once school is back in session in a couple weeks.

Big Calves

One time I went for a pedicure (in the US) and the lady said "you have big calves." What do you say to that? At one point in my life, I might have resisted the urge to cry. She just called me fat! At the time however, I was in a better place mentally and thought, well, it's true, I do. So I just said thanks. She later pointed at the calluses on my foot and said, "you want me to get rid of that, right?" As she kept pointing out my "flaws" I felt totally judged. I had just come from Sudan and those calluses came from hard work! Fortunately, my time in Sudan helped me get used to the bluntness of other cultures.

One guy in Sudan, said "Casey (he couldn't say Stacie), I went to Wau (a city three hours away, to get supplies) and saw a dress... even for you" and gestured with wide arms. I just laughed and said, thank you. He didn't mean to insult me. He was just saying he saw a big size dress! I was big and that was that. In Africa, being heavy means you are doing well and are healthy. If they say you are fat, they are just stating a fact and not judging. In fact, the other day at the store, George and I were congratulated because Eli is fat (Her words not mine. I prefer to say chubby!). The employee was truly complimenting him and us. Several times here and in Kenya, I have been complimented on my legs. I have been told I have nice legs. That is SO not what I am used to hearing in the US. Here, most people's legs are straight and shapeless so when someone goes by with big calves, they are appreciated and desired. It still cracks me up what is admired here vs in the US. For example, a gap between the top two teeth. Here it is a very attractive feature. In the US, we fix it. Funny.

While being fat is usually admired here, I still am not comfortable when I am heavier. I just don't feel as good. Over the last few months, I have put on some weight and began exercising daily a couple weeks ago. I walk and jog on the street in front of our house in the evening while George and Eli cheer me on. And also while people laugh at me. I never see anyone here exercising, but I do I see people pointing and laughing, wondering what the big mzungu (white person) is doing. I just block them out and keep jogging with the strength of my giant calves.

To add to my fitness routine, George had these made.



They are made from old milk and paint containers. The smaller one is mine and the bigger one is George's. The watchman who roams our neighborhood made them for us. So now I will big calves and guns (biceps)!

Waking Up

I don't know why Eli is waking up at night?

Puzzled About Easter

About a week ago, I found out some news that shocked me. Easter here is no big deal. Just another Sunday. I couldn't believe it. In the US, Easter and Christmas are the biggest days of the year for the Christian church. It's the two biggest days that we celebrate. Church is extra special and then we spend the day with family. Here, the only people that observe it are Catholics. And they dress in all black. For the other churches, it's not a day that is made of big deal of.

I am still trying to wrap my head around it. I'm not saying they don't understand the resurrection or take it for granted. They simply just don't make a big deal of celebrating it once a year like we do. I don't know what to make of it. I keep saying to George... but it's Easter!!!

So, I don't know if we should try to celebrate it like they do in the US or just go along with how they do things here. I would love to have people over for a big meal that day, but I think we'll be at church in the morning and then have class as scheduled in the afternoon.

I'll let you know what we end up doing.

Ministry in the Meantime

Now that we have our permits, we have more flexibility to get out there and do more ministry work. It will take time for work on the orphanage to begin. The two big things that must be done first is fundraising and getting established as an NGO. Those could take a few months to do (best case scenario). So, what do we do in the meantime? That is what we are asking ourselves and God. We want to be used while we are waiting. George, especially, is ready to get out there and be busy every day. So we are praying, asking God to use us according to the gifts he has given us. We are open to anything. We have been working with Yesu Anaweza and will continue to do so, but want to have more during the week. One thing that will help us out is a car. We have had some ministry opportunities come up, but have had to turn them down because we don't have one yet. We know the Lord will provide in His time. For now, we'll have to stick to places close to our house. This week, George will meet with a teacher about starting Christian Clubs at local schools. He is great with youth and would love to start a discipleship program.

So, we'll see what God does and will keep you posted!

Youth Camp

Our church was very lively on Sunday. It was full with the energy of the youth. On Saturday, three churches came together to put on an overnight youth camp. They met Saturday evening, had dinner, fellowshipped, prayed and worshiped and stayed up all night! I remember when I was in junior high and high school and had overnights at church. I thought it was so fun to stay up all night laughing with my friends. Sorry John Sparks! (My youth pastor). Now that just seems awful. I can stay up late every now and then, but now, I cherish my sleep!

Somehow these kids were awake and excited for church in the morning. Kids from various churches led worship which included dancing. I am pretty sure I saw them doing the electric slide at one point. No joke! The place was hoppin’. I loved it. After, there was a drama about not being lazy. I had no idea what was happening, but they translated for me afterward. The pastor from one of the other churches taught about keeping ourselves pure and staying in the Word. It was a good message for the kids to hear… everyone, actually.

The service was so much fun. I LOVED seeing the kids together praising the Lord. They don’t often have a chance to get together so it was a lot of fun for them too. George encouraged them to do this often. We really want to be involved with them and help in any way we can. After all, the way to change a country is to start with the kids.

7 Months

Eli is seven months old today. Lately he is looking less and less like a baby and more like a little boy. This past month he has learned to sit on his own. Now he gets to bathe in a basin instead of his bath chair. He loves to splash around in there.

Eli really likes to stand so we bought a walker for him.



Unfortunately, it is poorly made or he is too heavy because soon after we put him in there, it collapsed. We can get it to stand for a bit, but it eventually starts to sink down. Now, it has become a fun toy and his favorite mode of transportation around the house. He loves it when we roll him fast across the floor. We call it his Nascar (shout out to Mike Yordt). Here he is lounging in it and on the way to the bath tub.




He is getting more hair and teeth. His top two teeth have come in as well as one on both sides. Two have just popped up on the sides of his lower two also. That makes 8 teeth already! As a result, his sleeping still has not been good. I am hoping once he is done teething or gets a break from it, he’ll stop waking up so much at night.



Eli is starting to interact more with people and things around him. He is interested in everything and is very active. Unless he is sleeping or eating, George and I have to walk outside with him at church. He is either restless and wanting to get down and play or babbling/screaming and is a distraction. Eli likes to play with odd objects: packages of wipes, the remote, cell phones, water bottles and mirrors. Here he is kissing himself in the mirror.



Due to his recent ear infection, he stopped eating a lot. Once he started taking his bottles regularly, we introduced food again. We try to give him small tastes of our foods. He can drink from a sippy cup and water bottle (with help) and likes to put the spoon in his mouth when we feed him.

His favorite book is “Mr Brown Can Moo Can You” (I think partly because of the hard cover he likes to chew when we aren’t looking.) and his favorite song is “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands.”

Eli loves his toes. He is constantly trying to munch on them. Here he is all bundled up on a cold Moshi day (mid 70's probably), with his foot in his mouth.



We are trying to teach him "no." He likes to pull hair and grab our faces. When he was smaller, it wasn't so bad, but now it hurts!

By next month, George is hoping he'll be walking! I am ok if it's just crawling! We'll wait and see...

Forgiveness

Yesterday, George continued teaching from James. In the morning, he spoke about all good things coming from the Lord. Many people, however, look for their good things in the world and are left unsatisfied. He encouraged them to keep their eyes on things above.

After the service, we hung out at the pastor's house until our afternoon classes. It's too expensive to take a taxi home in between so we are thankful they have opened their house to us.

In the afternoon, George reviewed the first chapter of James with the class and asked them to pull out key ideas we can learn from it. Even though the class is in Kiswahili most of the time and I am in and out with Eli, I like seeing them engage in discussion. George is good at getting everyone involved.

After they finished, it was my time with the ladies. As we discussed gossip last week, I sensed a lot of hurt in the lives of the women which led me to talk about forgiveness this week. Forgiveness is key in our walk as Christians, yet it can be very difficult. During our hour, we talked about many things regarding forgiveness including:

Why it's hard to forgive
Why we need to forgive
How do we forgive

We looked at many Bible verses for guidance. We learned a lot:

- We are commanded to forgive
- We often have to forgive someone multiple times.
- Jesus is our model when it comes to forgiveness.
- We are forgiven and need to forgive others.
- One incredible example of forgiveness, other than Jesus is Stephen.
- Love leads to forgiveness
- Forgiveness is a priority. God asks us to set things right with others before coming to the altar.
- It is not our job to seek revenge.

and more.

If forgiveness isn't given, it can lead to more sin - bitterness, anger.... Even though forgiveness is so hard, it really is the best thing for us. We can make a bad situation worse by holding on to the hurt and harboring hatred for another person. But, how do we let things go when it hurts so much? I shared with them what a pastor of mine taught me when I was having trouble forgiving someone who had hurt me. Forgiveness is a choice, not a feeling. We do it as an act of obedience to God, not because we feel like it. If we wait until the hurt goes away or until we feel like forgiving, we may never get there. We have to decide to forgive and release those feelings to the Lord. Then we need to ask Him for help in healing our hearts. It's not by our strength that we can forgive, but by the power of the Holy Spirit. Sometimes the hurt lingers so we need to keep forgiving that person when anger or bitterness comes back.

It's a difficult process, but doable with the Lord. As we talked, I really felt the Lord in the room. My heart was ministered to as I thought of people who had hurt me that I needed to forgive. I felt the ladies in the room were receiving healing as well. It was a powerful class and I pray that the Lord heals all the wounded hearts and helps us forgive.

PRAISE REPORT

Our work permits were issued!!!!!!!!!!! WOO HOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We have asked you to pray for this for several months and today the process is finished. George went to immigration today and got our passport stamps. We are now allowed to work in the country and live here for two years. We no longer have to leave the country every 90 days. We are extremely relieved to have this done. THANK YOU for your prayers. Thank you Lord for your faithfulness.

Update on Kenyan Elections

I have been waiting to update you on the election because we were waiting to see what would happen. It was very hard for George to be here while everything was happening in Kenya. We don't have cable (or DSTV) here so the only access we had to the news was online. The elections occurred on Monday the 4th. The day was very peaceful, other than a couple random skirmishes. Everyone waited to see who would win... Raila Odinga or Uhuru Kenyatta. In order to be declared the winner, one had to get at least 50% of the votes plus one. You might be thinking, duh.... one of them had to get 50%. Well, there were a bunch of people running. I think around eight. Odinga and Kenyatta were the front runners by far. If either one didn't get 50% (plus one!), they would go for a run off in April.

The tallying process was a HUGE mess. The IEBC (the group responsible for announcing the results) encountered many problems. The electronic system for voter ID didn't work forcing them to go back to a manual vote. People waited in line for hours (some over 12). There were reports of many wrongs - hiding votes, adding votes, refusing to report votes, etc. One truck was found full of blank ballots. It was a disaster. By Friday, the IEBC announced that Kenyatta won. He received 4099 votes over 50%. No run off needed, he would be the president.

Raila Odinga's camp has petitioned the court challenging the results. The IEBC has refused to present the evidence to support their announcement. It is still a mess, but I believe the courts won't over turn the results and Kenyatta will be president. One big problem facing Kenya now is Kenyatta is awaiting trial by the ICC for crimes against humanity stemming from the post election violence in 2007. Many Western countries may pull their support from Kenya and levy sanctions against the country due to his win. Time will tell what will happen in the long run.

The good news is that people have remained calm and peaceful. Though the process was full of problems, people seem to be accepting the results, despite their personal feelings. Our house was hoping for a Raila win, so we are sad here. We'll keep watching the news to see how things keep on developing.

Gossip

Yesterday, in the morning at church, George continued teaching from James. This week's verses focused on faith. George urged them to pray with faith. Often times we don't receive because we don't believe. He also told them about the story of the prophets of bael verses Elijah in 1 Kings 18. These prophets were doing a bunch of rituals and nothing happened. Elijah eventually taunted them and said "Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened." Their prayers weren't answered because they prayed to a god that didn't exist. So George was encouraging them to pray to the Lord of Heaven and Earth. The Alpha and the Omega... who is all powerful and capable of anything. The one who doesn't sleep or go away.

After the service, people were really touched and many came forward for prayer. Some because of physical pain or problems they faced and others because they wanted their faith to increase. As I prayed for some of them, I felt my faith increase as I brought their requests before the Lord, knowing He can do anything and He loves us so much.

In the afternoon, George continued the discussion with the discipleship class. Sometimes we have faith and don't receive what we are asking for. God doesn't always give us what we ask for. Does that mean He doesn't love us or we did something wrong? No. We have to accept that He knows best and has a reason for everything. Sometimes we can look back at our lives and say, "now I know why God didn't let that happen. I am so glad He is in control, not me." For example, think of the people we wished would have asked us out on a date, someone we were so sure was "the one." God had someone else in mind and we thank him for letting that prayer go by unanswered.

After the discipleship class finished, it was my turn with the ladies. This week's topic: gossip. Gossip is a problem everywhere. All cultures, every country...women like to talk! We can talk with each other for hours and hours. I could talk with my best friend on the phone for four hours. If someone asked me what we talked about, I would say, nothing. It was nothing and everything.

There is nothing wrong with talking, but we have to be careful we don't gossip. Men can gossip too, but I think it's more of a struggle for women. So, we talked about what is gossip, why is it bad, why do we like to gossip and then we looked at what the Bible says about it. We came to the conclusion that it can be very destructive and hurtful. It can ruin friendships, churches, ministries, workplaces and families. All the ladies have been the victim of it and experienced the pain from it, me included. So... how do we stop?

1. Try to avoid hanging out frequently with someone who is a known gossip
2. If you are not part of the problem or the solution, stay out of it.
3. If you are the victim of gossip, confront the person who is talking about you.
4. If you have fallen into the habit of gossiping, ask God to change your heart.
5. If someone starts to gossip, change the subject.

It's easier said than done. We love hear and talk about other people. BUT, we all agreed it can be so bad (No wonder the Bible says not to do it!), so we must do our part to stop it. As the ladies shared their hearts, I saw many of them were still wounded from the affects of gossip. They brought up questions like "what do we do if someone keeps gossiping about me and won't stop?" That made me realize what next week's topic should be: forgiveness. Pray that God will give me the words to say to them to help them be able to forgive those who have hurt them. I struggle with forgiveness too, but have learned that holding grudges hurts me more in the end than letting it go. Should be a good class next week.

Clothes for Eli

My mom is coming in April and is able to bring some things for us. There are a few things we need that I thought I would see if anyone could help us with. Mainly, Eli is in need of clothes. Thanks to the generosity of so many people, we were given tons of clothes for Eli. He was set up to size twelve months. Now, our formerly little runt, is huge and he is rapidly growing out of all his clothes. Currently he is wearing nine and twelve month sizes. Clothes are expensive, so we don't want people to go out and buy new clothes, however if you have any baby clothes size 18 months and up that you no longer need or know of anyone who is getting rid of some, we would be blessed to use them. We haven't lived through the rainy season yet, but I don't think it gets very cold even when it rains. So we wouldn't need cold weather clothes (like thick jackets). Onesies, shoes, socks, pants, shirts, shorts... all that stuff would be so helpful. Just leave a comment or email me at spacie19@hotmail.com if you have any clothes that could come with my mom and I can tell you how to get them to her. Thanks!

Kilimarathon

On Sunday, Moshi was packed with people who came for the Kilimarathon. The starting line was right by our house so Eli and I headed down to check it out. The marathon began at 6:30am. Although we were up at 5:30 that morning, we didn't make it for the marathon. We did arrive on the street just in time to see the 5k start at 7:30. There were thousands of people participating. All kinds - young, old, thin, fat, white, black. It was great. I got emotional watching it. Community events do that to me. I love seeing different types of people blending together. I told George that the Orwa family should do it next year. It looked so fun and I can't wait to take part in it.







(There was a great view of Mt. Kilimanjaro for all the runners.)

Slow Going

Our Tanzanian work permits still are not here. They were approved at the end of December and should have been here by February. Since we have to leave the country every 90 days until we get our permits, George had to go to Kenya last weekend to get his passport stamped. We are praying they get here soon before my (and Eli's) 90 days are up the beginning of April. In addition to the avoiding the expense of leaving the country, we really are anxious to get to work here. Since we can't work without the permits, we are laying low until the permits arrive. We know God's timing is perfect so we are trusting him and trying not to get frustrated. His timing is better than ours so we will just keep praying. We would love your prayers too!

Growing Boy

Since starting his medication for the ear infection, Eli has steadily improved. The last few nights he has only woken up once or twice. Woo hoo! Much better than the 6-10 times he has been doing the last few weeks. Thank you so much for your prayers.

Here is an update on what else he has been up to lately:

Look who can sit on his own now!



He is playing with his favorite toy... a package of wipes. I don't know what he loves about them!

He is still new at sitting so sometimes he ends up like this...



He also does this funny superman thing where he balances on his (substantial) belly with his hands and feet in the air.



The world around Eli is really starting to come alive in his eyes. He engages with other kids now.



And Nala... well Nala is just the greatest thing in the world to him. If he is fussy, we just call Nala over and he immediately is happy. It's difficult to stop her from licking him though and as well as preventing him from grabbing a fistful of hair and shoving it in his mouth. I just watch closely with wipes in hand.



Due to the sun and the heat, we spray him with sunscreen and use a scarf and umbrella to shade him when we are out. If we don't, multiple people will stop us on the street to tell us he is being burned by the sun. When I recognize the word for sun (jua), I try to reassure them he is ok! It's just easier to use the umbrella we have found. Although it makes it a bit awkward to push and it looks like something from Mary Poppins or Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. One thing I love about it is Eli holds the umbrella handle the whole time (while maintaining his tough guy face of course). It's so cute and always makes me laugh.



And just for fun, here is another photo of our little goofball.

Kisses from Katie

A few people had recommended I read Kisses from Katie. It's a true story about a young woman from the US who moved to Uganda after high school and adopted several children and began a ministry that sponsored kids to go to school. I am only half way through the book and am already so inspired. Her life was radically changed. It's hard and unbelievabley challenging, but she wouldn't have it any other way. Her knowledge of God's love and forgiveness in her life, keeps her going to help many others. I can relate to many of her experiences in the East African country. I, too, see the great need for helping orphans and needy children. Without an education, a child doesn't have much hope for the future. At this point in the book, she has found sponsors for over 200 hundred kids. I makes me want to do the same thing here. Kids are desperate to go to school and for just $10 per month, that can happen.

It's something I am praying about. So many questions... how is the big one. Anyway, I recommend this book. It's very motivating

Health Care

Health care here is ... challenging. I often find myself longing for the health care resources we have in the US. I know there are many problems with the US health care system, but one extended stay abroad and you’ll realize how great it really is. I have mentioned in previous blogs about the health care here being sub-par and poor and I wanted to explain what I meant.

Basically it comes down to people being underpaid and overworked. Those two things contribute to many of the issues with African health care. Now, I am sure there are places and health care providers that are great, but those are the exceptions and I am talking about the rule - what you will find generally in Tanzania and Kenya.

In Kenya, jobs are very hard to come by. There are nurses and doctors, but not enough paying jobs to support them. Government hospitals pay very little and are understaffed. As a result, the employees are stressed out. They don’t have the equipment, supplies or help they need. Private hospitals have more resources, but still pay low. The owners of the hospitals are trying to make money. And you often feel that when you receive treatment there. Before any service is given, they demand full payment. If someone happens to get treatment before paying and don’t have the money, they are held hostage until the bill is paid. Guards don’t let them leave all the while they are racking up a bigger bill. When I was in labor, they wouldn’t admit me until George paid the fee. He had to run out at midnight to the ATM while I was fully dilated and ended up delivering 30 minutes after arriving. Fortunately George made it in time!

I believe most people go into the medical profession out of a desire to help, but end up developing a hard heart due to the work environment. As a result, patients are treated roughly. Midwives often slap a mother in labor if they aren’t “cooperating.” Patient care ends up being very low on the priority list. There have been stories of patients coming for help and dying on the steps after being turned away for various reasons. One nurse may be responsible for over twenty people.

There are government clinics that the average person goes to for vaccinations, well baby care, deliveries and for treatment when an illness or injury occurs. But they are very crowded and patients wait for hours to receive services. Doctors are over extended so they aren’t able to give the attention each person deserves. We experienced this when looking for a doctor for Eli here. One doctor we met was very rude. When George told him how to pronounce Eli’s name, he said he didn’t care and we should stop wasting his time. We were in shock and ended up leaving. The sad thing is most people don’t have an option to go elsewhere and endure bad treatment because they don’t know they should be treated better.

We were blessed the Lord led us to a pediatrician who seemed experienced, knowledgeable and caring. She even gave us her phone number. Now we know who to go to if Eli gets sick in the future.

Labs are another big issue. Since George is a lab technologist, he has the behind the scenes scoop. Sadly, many techs write down fake results. They are either too busy to keep up or aren’t paid enough and can’t be bothered to do it. It’s difficult to find labs with trustworthy results. False results lead to a false diagnosis which causes patients to not get accurate treatment.

For all these reasons, it’s our desire to set up our own lab. Just a small simple one can make a huge difference. We would love to have a place where people can get free, reliable tests and walk away feeling loved and encouraged. Also, it would give us peace of mind as we raise Eli here. It’s scary not having a good place to take him. It wouldn’t be a huge undertaking and George could operate it when we are free from other ministry duties. A lab is something we are praying about and seeing how the Lord provides. Everyone should feel cared for, especially when sick. We want to show them the love of God while meeting their physical needs.