Backwards Week

I woke up with plans of working all day at school. The day didn't exactly turn out like that. Instead I vaguely thought of school and shopped with my friend Jenny. We had such a relaxing time! I even bought a new dining room table and chairs. Several of my chairs started breaking on the bottoms. Before long I would have needed a new set anyway. This one will be smaller than the current set so I'll have more room as well. The next big purchase will be a new couch. My poor couch has been borderline broken for quite some time now. I'm trying to hold out a few months longer.

Yesterday I had five girls from BJU spend the day with me. Four of them were able to spend the night. Traffic yesterday was horrendous! We somehow got around anyway, and managed to have a lot of fun. They were a HUGE help to me in getting my classroom ready. I hope to finish getting it ready tomorrow.

Thursday I spent the day working at school the whole time.

I can't remember what else I've done since I last wrote. Somehow my days are starting to mesh together. Thank you everyone for the prayers. They are much appreciated!!

busy...unstable...

School hasn't even started and I feel like all I've done for the past week is work! It's been good but exhausting. I've made all my copies for English and Spelling, 1/3 of my copies for Math, and the 1st Unit for Reading. I'd say it's been productive. I have also moved classrooms this year. Three rooms in the new building have been finished. So I was able to help move the 1st grade teachers things into her room, and then I moved my things into my room (her former room). My housemate Anne moved out Monday morning, and my new housemate, Lori, moved in Monday afternoon. Today is actually Lori's birthday. She's in meetings all day so I hope to see her sometime tonight. I have a friend in town who spent the last month in Tanzania. He'll be going back to Jacksonville, FL tonight.

We start school the 10th of August. The voting for the Constitution takes place on the 4th of August. We were supposed to have returning/new staff orientation the 5th and 6th, but it has been canceled due to the fact that we don't know how stable Nairobi will be. We've been advised to stock up on food, water, petrol, and phone credit just in case we have to stay hunkered down for any amount of time. The school has changed orientation to the 3rd and 9th. We've also canceled the Welcome Picnic on the 7th. Please pray that violence does not erupt.

Revive Us Oh Lord!

This morning Dr. Olinger from Bob Jones University preached. It was amazing. I felt like I was back in the States. I loved the immense use of Scripture he spoke throughout the message. I've been listening to my home pastor, Tom Messer, on podcast a lot this week. His sermons are pretty powerful. I really believe that this year God is going to do something extraordinary with both West Nairobi School and Emmanuel Baptist Church. This summer has been spiritually nurturing for me. I've been able to take a break and seek His face and His alone. Oh how wonderful our God is! I seek for those that I know here to have revival in their hearts as well. "Revival is the outpouring of God’s Spirit which brings an abhorrence of sin and an overflowing delight in the nearness and goodness of God." - Pastor Tom Messer

Tonight I went to Mediterraneo with some friends. Mediterraneo is a really good Italian restaurant. It's a little pricey, but I must say it's become one of my favorites.

Provision

I was on my feet for 4 1/2 hours today making copies for English and Reading. I've also been working on study guides for Bible. Tonight I'll be working on study guides for Science and History. I'm in full swing work mode now. I've been praying about a certain situation at school. Next year I'm taking on more responsibility with being elementary lead teacher. A child is being placed in my class that has an autism disorder - Aspergers. I have fought this decision from the beginning. My main reason for fighting it being the added responsibility of lead teacher. Another reason would be that I'm fearful of it because I'm not trained to work with autistic children. I joined a friend and a short term missions team for lunch today. The girl who sat next to me happened to be an autism specialist. She has agreed to come at the beginning of August to give me some tips that will help me in relating to this child. She may also come again toward the end of August. Best of all she's a Christian traveling around Nairobi and surrounding areas to train for autism. Her missions trip is 4 months and August is her last month. She actually leaves the country on my birthday. God is SO GOOD in His provision for His children.

Today I made a batch of homemade chocolate chip cookies for my complex's day guard. It was well worth it when a smile spread across his face the minute he recognized what was in the bag. I like putting a smile on George's face. :-)

Complaining - Gross!

Today I had a really good conversation with a friend. It brought to mind Proverbs 27:17 "Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend." I appreciate friends who are just flat out honest with me. I had a friend tell me today that I've been complaining too much. She said that I am not praising God as He should be praised. It was a huge pill to swallow. She is completely right though! She shared Scripture with me and then prayed with me. After we got off the phone I decided to write a praise list. Right away I thought of 17 praises without much thought at all. It's easy to get into the rut of complaining. We want things to go as we planned them and therefore when they don't go as planned we get all worked up simply because we did not get our way. When our focus is on Christ everything else fades into the background.

*I praise God for honest friends. They challenge me in my faith.
*I praise God for the opportunity to minister at West Nairobi School. It stretches me as I'd never imagined.
*I praise God for a home church in the States that loves and supports me. They encourage me when I'm down.
*I praise God for Christ's sacrifice at the cross of Calvary. Without salvation through Christ I would spend eternity in hell apart from a relationship with Him.
*I praise God for taking my parents. I've learned to lean on Him as my Abba Father.
*I praise God for my burns. My confidence should be in Christ alone and not in outward appearances.
*I praise God for moving me to Africa. I am learning to live out of my comfort zone.
*I praise God for daily trials. I have to cling daily to His Word.
*I praise God for difficult parents at school. I am developing relationship and problem solving skills.
*I praise God for my new students this school year. I am privileged to shepherd a new flock for His honor and His glory.

These are just a few praises from my list. Today think of 10 things you can praise God for. I promise you it's an easy exercise. There is so much to praise Him for!!

Talk, talk, talk

This year I'm moving classrooms. We're trying to put all the elementary rooms in two buildings. One of the buildings is brand new. There are four rooms (two on top and two on bottom), but only the bottom two rooms are finished. The original plan was for 1st grade & kindergarten to be on the bottom and music & pre-K to be on the top. Well circumstances have caused 1st grade to be moved to the top and pre-K to the bottom. I'm moving into 1st grade's old room. Sadly the new room is not complete and won't be for at least another week. Once it's finished and furniture is moved in the old room will need to be painted for me. It may still be another week and a half or two weeks before I can move in. Interesting enough I got back early so I wouldn't be rushing to get ready the week before school starts. I've decided I'm not going to stress over it. I'll simply plan more vacations for the next two weeks, and I'll try to finally get some book work done.

This post reminds me of a quote I read the other day. I have to say I agree with it wholeheartedly. LOL I'll share part of it.

" In the South, the breeze blows softer... neighbors are friendlier, nosier, and more talkative. (By contrast with the Yankee, the Southerner never uses one word when ten or twenty will do)..."

I guess I could have just said that I'm moving rooms and it won't be ready until the week before school. :-)

Pigging Out!

So the bread came out a little heavy, but it tastes good. I know exactly what my mistake was. I let the dough rise but then transferred it to the two pans without letting it rise in the pans. When I shaped it into the pans it deflated. So therefore I should have let it sit and rise another hour. No worries! I'll just make more this week.

I realize I'm an emotional eater. Okay so I didn't just realize this about me. I've always known this. When I'm emotional I either eat or exercise. Today I was craving cookie dough pretty bad. Instead I ate Ezekiel bread with honey and dark chocolate with spices. Way to pig out!! LOL

Melancholy Monday.... oh wait.... maybe Sappy Sunday??

We had ladies meeting this morning at church. It went really well. It was led by the 13 girls from the BJU team. Even with a wonderful morning/afternoon I’ve been sort of melancholy all day. I’m sure you’ve noticed by now that one thing that will typically cheer me up is cooking or baking. I began homemade Ezekiel bread last evening and allowed it to ferment overnight. This afternoon I came home to finish making the bread. I actually have never made bread before so I went to the store to buy 2 bread pans. When I returned home I turned the oven on, cleaned the pans, and proceeded to transfer the risen dough to their respective pans. As I was transferring dough the electricity shut off. Such is life in Kenya! Happily while I’ve been typing this the electricity has now turned back on. :-) I’ll let you know if my attempt at baking bread was a flop or success. I’ve made homemade biscuits here and they’ve turned out fantastic so I have to admit that I will probably be disappointed if they don’t turn out well. That doesn't mean I won't try again though.

As I’ve been typing I hear the children in my apartment playing. When I came back from the States my housemate told me that the children would knock on our front door and run away. She said it took her a few times before she realized it was them. Oopsie! I probably should have told her before I left that they sometimes do that. I usually open the door and call out to them with a smile in my voice. They typically respond from their hiding places with giggles.

Stuck On Food

I was watching a movie last night, and I couldn’t help but copy a quote from it. The quote is “Life is not solely comprised of tasks but tastes.” Bonus points if you can tell me what movie it’s from. I thoroughly enjoy watching cooking shows and movies about cooking (Ratatouille, No Reservations, etc.). There’s something thrilling about creating a new meal that sparks life to your taste buds. I’ve decided to start eating healthier, and as of right now it’s been 8 ½ days since I’ve had sugar. By sugar I mean sucrose – table sugar. I’ve had plenty of fruits and some honey. I’ve also cut out foods containing white flour, processed things, artificial sugars, or heavily fattening ingredients. Being a person who enjoys cooking I’ve looked at this new lifestyle challenge with eagerness and determination. I have been surprised to find that there are a myriad of meals you can make that are super healthy and tasty. For example this morning I had leftover brown rice, homemade guacamole (avocado, tomato, onion, garlic, & a pinch of salt), and egg whites seasoned with cumin and ground chili peppers fried in olive oil. Last evening I had tilapia seasoned with Caribbean seasoning, brown rice, and a delicious sweet potato. I’ve noticed that without eating sugar some things just taste sweeter – like the sweet potato. It was so good on its own that I didn’t even need to add a bit of butter to it. I’m hoping to make it to the store so I can get a few more ingredients I need to make homemade Ezekiel bread. Once the bread is made I’ll eat it with homemade tomato soup. Yum! The next thing on my list to do is to find an excellent homemade spaghetti sauce recipe.

food . . . memories . . . love

I grew up in a home where many meals were quick and makeshift. Holidays on the other hand were a different story. When Thanksgiving or Christmas or New Year's took place somehow our kitchen was transformed into a magical workplace. Homemade goodies abounded. This is where I learned to love cooking and baking. They say you always want what you can't have. I suppose that's true in more than material possessions. When holidays came along the men were usually outside talking about sports, the kids were playing outdoors, and the women were in the kitchen laughing and cooking up a storm. As a child I usually wanted to be in the kitchen observing rather than playing. It was a glorious day for me when I was finally allowed to help. You see we weren't allowed to help in the kitchen until the women felt they could trust us to do things the way they would. So in saying that, I desired to cook before I was ever allowed to. I wanted what I couldn't have. :-) I remember baking on my own even as a small girl. The cookbook was a good 'friend' of mine. Proud was the day when my sisters praised me and said that I made the best peanut butter cookies in the family. The best part is the fact that I didn't really care much for peanut butter even then, but I made them because everyone else enjoyed them so much. There's something joyful about seeing a smile spread across someone's face who's just tasted a meal you've prepared or goodies you've baked. I LOVE to cook! Even here in Nairobi I find myself having people over just so I can prepare a meal for them. There are a few guys here that I try to cook for at least once every other week. I do it simply because I know it is well appreciated by them. They live off sandwiches and most recently pancakes and beef fried rice. I couldn't imagine eating those same things over and over. Variety is the spice of life! I enjoy cooking for my housemate. She's convinced I can't make a poor meal. I believe that cooking reflects the chef. When I make a meal I don't usually throw it together quickly without thought. I think about what I'd like to pair together. Then I determine what spices would bring out the best flavors in each item. I may even spend hours upon hours on the internet looking for the exact recipe I believe would be delicious for the item of choice. Then I typically will add my own touch to it after I begin to cook it. All this to say I miss my mom something terrible. I can imagine her calling me and my sister in from playing with hot bowls of custard awaiting us. Or her ever gently dipping cherries wrapped in coating in chocolate for her homemade cherry cordials. Some of the best memories I have of her revolve around the kitchen or good food. Perhaps I enjoy cooking so much because it causes me to feel like I still have a piece of her with me. Alright, I'm going to dry my eyes and get back to preparing dinner. I promise I'm not typically sappy people, but today is just one of those days I guess.

Back Home :-)

I'm back in Kenya and jet-lagging. I hope I can get over it soon. It has been eventful and fun since I've been back. The day after I got in I went to Nairobi National Park with some friends and a new acquaintance. We got to see many animals, and we got chased in the van by a rhino protecting its baby. Here's a pic of them while they were chasing us. My camera has terrible zoom, but I promise you they were much closer than the pic makes them out to be.



Tomorrow I plan on running errands and re-organizing my kitchen and bedroom now that I've brought back some good stuff from the States. Wednesday I head to Lukenya, and I'm going on safari to Amboseli National Park with the Weaver's visiting team on Thursday. I'll come back to Nairobi on Friday. It should be a fun-filled week.

Fireworks & Fun

Last night we had our Trinity Freedom Festival at church. There were stands set up for food, inflatables for the kids, good music, and plenty of fellowship. When it got dark we had an amazing fireworks display. My church hires a company to put on a show. It was cued to music which was pretty cool. This was my first time being able to attend in 3 years. Last year I was in Louisiana for my niece's 14th birthday. I can't believe she turns 15 tomorrow! The year before I was traveling around getting ready to move to Kenya. It was just as fun as I remembered it. I guess I really am an extrovert because I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with friends. Today I'm hanging out with a friend, then tomorrow is the lakehouse. Oh summertime I love you!!