Two Worlds

This gorgeous little girl is Pili, our most recent Mavuno arrival.  Pili comes to us from Forever Angels, so joining Michael, Aika and Bianca is just meeting up with great friends again.  She seems to be adjusting well.  If you want to read more about Pili on the Mavuno blog, click here!  We praise GOD that Pili has been able to become part of the Mbugua family and that she now has a mom and dad who love her (and lots of siblings to make her feel at home!).

We have been blessed to spend the last two weeks catching up with old friends and even meeting new ones.  It is hard to describe how FULL we feel from times of fellowship and encouragement--and we just got here! 

Musa got off to a good start at the Bible college and seems to be doing well adjusting to life here.  He went skiing on Saturday with Dave, the kids, and lots of friends.  He didn't turn out to be a big fan of the wintry slopes, but he did get past the bunny hill, which was a lot better than I did, since I didn't even go!

Musa continues to be amazed at various things in our culture.  It has been fun to watch, after all of our comments about the interesting things in his!  He has had a difficult time understanding the roles of dogs in our society.  In Tanzania where we are, people don't ever pet their dogs, and they don't feed them on purpose either.  Their only job is to bark if someone comes around.  You might let a chicken walk through the house, but NEVER a dog.  So trying to find words to explain a dog with a hooded sweatshirt on, its own bed, a picture of it in the house, was beyond us. :)  He has said more than once, "what is this dog's JOB?"

We had a candle lit the other day in the livingroom.  Musa asked Dave, "Why is that candle lit?  Is it for light?"  Dave said no, because the lights were on and it was also daytime.  "To warm up with?"  No, just for smell and sight.  That sounded kind of lame after we thought about it. :) It is enlightening to have him with us.  I am still enjoying candles in this snowy weather. 



Our African Kate, loving the SNOW!



Speaking of winter, I find it humorous that my one big goal for this time back was to not complain about the weather, as I am more of a fair weather kind of gal.  God obviously knew that the temptation would be too great for me at -10 and has given us this great warm(ish) air, right about 40 degrees most days.  I am SO THANKFUL.  Musa even took his coat off at 46 degrees the other day and declared the day WARM.  Our blood must be thickening. :)

What are you going to do until May?  Several people have asked us this.  Our plans are to spend lots of people time--catching up, sharing the great things God has done and is doing at Mavuno.  Dave is taking a Spiritual Warfare in Missions class at the Bible college, which he is excited about.  We are trying to fill up on times with others in the Word, individually and as a family.  We are also trying to combine trips that we need to make so that we take time to rest and get some perspective and have time to be still.  We are praying GOD would also speak to us during this time and prepare us for who we need to be when we head back.

Psalm 47:8 "God reigns over the nations, God sits on His holy throne."

Culture Shock

We usually think of culture shock in regards to heading overseas and eating goat intestines and the like.

It is harder to think about strolling the aisles of Wal-mart and staring blankly at the many choices looking back at me.  However, that is what I found myself doing as I searched in vain for PLAIN TEA and instead considered the many flavors available.  This included hot chocolate in new varieties including WOMEN'S WELLNESS HOT CHOCOLATE.  I thought I had heard of everything!

Watching Musa's reactions to things has also reminded us of how far apart our worlds are.  Imagine coming from a land where you carry every drop of water on your head to a land where (in the Minneapolis airport) there are fountains that run all day simply for visual enjoyment.  And from using precious wood to boil the water so that you can drink it, to being able to drink from that same entertaining fountain if you needed to!

While in South Caroline, we went to another astonishing place.  As Musa said to Kate, "Katie, you and me will see something amazing, called ZOO."  Musa stared at the aquarium of sea creatures and all he could say was, "God is very wonderful!"
Lauren and Megan were at the giraffe area and one zookeeper lady pointed out the baby giraffe that she said we were lucky to see, as sometimes it didn't come out.  The girls, having seen their fair share of giraffes, told her excitedly, "We saw a SQUIRREL EATING AN ACORN!"  She wasn't as thrilled as they were. :)

Musa started Bible college yesterday.  Last night I asked him what he noticed or what was different for him.  I thought he would be astonished most by the library (which was incredible to him).  But what he was most taken aback by was that the teachers and the students sat together at lunch and they even ate the same food.  In Tanzania, a teacher wouldn't lower himself to be with the students, and if they did happen to be in the same area, the teachers would be eating better food.  "We were there together, reaching for the same pizza."

One of the biggest blessings for us is just seeing our friends and family again.  The kids' friends welcomed them back like they were playing together just yesterday.  Aside from them being about a foot taller, we wouldn't know anything had changed!  And our Bozeman family had everything ready for us.  At the beginning of December, we didn't have a house or a car.  By the time we got here, we had three houses and so many vehicles we had to say no thank-you!  God has been so gracious to us in every way!  And so have you all!

Christmas, and beyond

I know I’m a little late, but I am going to have to cram Christmas and the trip home all together. We had a GREAT Christmas with Chris and Lindy, the Millers, and 8 of Chris and Lindy’s boys that they have gotten off the streets, helped get an education, and done some much-needed loving on! It was such a privilege to spend the day that we celebrate the humble birth of our Savior with these boys—ice skating, if you can believe it!—getting to know them and see their love for Chris and Lindy and the excitement they had. Our children enjoyed them and Jake in particular had a engaging time with them. Unfortunately, we shared our pictures with Chris and Lindy and forgot to save some for us. So if you want to read more about the day, click here to go to their blog and see the pictures.

Musa, Jake and Carter keep themselves busy

Our trip back went very well. We had a short 5 ½ hour flight to Doha, where the airline put us in a very nice complimentary hotel overnight. Musa wasn’t the only one who was amazed by this place—it was incredible! Definitely a quick start on culture shock for all of us!

Whoever makes kids’ meals on airplanes has never traveled with an actual child, I’m convinced. Every meal, including breakfast, had a bag of candy. Lunch had a bag of candy plus a candy bar, and breakfast had the same but also included a bag of chips! Maybe it was a cruel test the airlines was doing on small children—load them up with sugar, then make them sit still for 14 hours. Yes, the second flight was 14 hours long. Thankfully, the kids are television deprived, and could pass the time watching family movies.  We were all glad to finally arrive in DC.

Because we had a decent layover there, we weren’t worried about getting through immigration, etc. What we forgot was that Musa’s immigration line would take much longer as a non-citizen. After a lengthy waiting time, we finally decided the kids and I would go ahead and try to make the next flight to SC while Dave waited for Musa.

Long story short, Dave and Musa ended up getting on the later flight that night, and by the time the kids and I had gotten through the airport checks, the later flight was all booked up. SO, we spent the night in the DC airport and got out early the next morning. Not our original plan, and Dave sure didn’t sleep very well in SC, but we all made it just fine and the kids and I even slept most of the night. I’m pretty sure this was the reason we had listened to a sermon on Romans 8:28 on our way to Nairobi!

We are so thankful to be here at my parents’ house, and to see my brother and his family as well.

Cousin Alex and Carter

My brother just returned from Iraq two weeks ago, so it is extra special for us to have this time with them all. It is such a gift to be with family again.

Cousin Kaitlyn and Megan

We head back to Bozeman next week and are excited to see many of you again. God has been so faithful and good in every way. And Carter’s foot, while still a funny color, is completely healed.

“Every good gift and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, in whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” James 1:17

update on Carter's foot

Wanted to write a quick post to say thank-you to those who prayed for Carter's foot.  Two nights before we left Nairobi, he started walking on it again.  Within minutes he was running around on it!  He had no pain during the entire trip, for which we were extremely grateful to God.  And Carter was able to see God's great care for him during this time!

One hundred to One

A little more than a week ago, Carter was bitten by a large centipede.  We had always heard that these bites were worse than a scorpion, but we really didn't know how bad it could be!  Within five minutes, there was a dark blue spot the size of a quarter around the bite.  It progressively grew, as did the swelling in his foot.  About half an hour later, he vomited quite suddenly. 

 By the next morning his foot was extremely swollen and bruised. 

After talking to my dad, we realized that the situation was actually more serious than we thought, as the swelling in his foot could also cause compartment syndrome, where a part of the foot is cut off from blood supply, and dies. This would mean the loss of function of his foot--permanently. This got us praying quite a bit more than we had been! Our doctor friend is back in the States, and we didn't have anyone who would be able to check out the foot whom we could really trust. We DID have three nurses on hand that day, which was a special blessing!

SO, it's been 8 days now and he still can't walk on it. He doesn't have much pain, except if his foot or ankle is pushed on. He is getting around on some great crutches we had at Mavuno (another HUGE praise). He has missed out on some things, but is keeping his chin up.

I'm so thankful that we can trust our great GOD with this and ALL that happens to us, knowing that He has a great plan and that He is sovereign over ALL things, even the beasts of the fields!

Ingenious Engineering

I love the children of Tanzania. They have so little, for the most part, but they are sweet and happy and survive against so many odds. They are also CREATIVE, with the little they have. This little guy, Emma, came over a couple of days ago. He brought this car he had made—drove it all the way here. Lots of kids make these cars, or others like them, from whatever they have on hand, but I never get tired of watching what they come up with. Emma’s car has been fashioned in such a way that the little stick in the middle clicks on that revolving wooden “barrel” when you push it forward. He puts little treasures in the plastic container that he attaches there towards the top. I thought you might enjoy this little work of genius in a place far away from most toys and entertainment.

 

Thankful

We got a head start on Thanksgiving last Sunday, when many friends gathered at our home to celebrate. For the third year in a row, we had an honorary German, and this year we also had a couple Kenyans along with our Tanzanian Mavuno kids. While we tried to stick to mostly traditional Thanksgiving food, I still haven’t figured out the local poultry. I figured I would make four chickens, and since someone else was making chicken as well, it should have been enough. However, four foreign fowl do not equal large amounts of meat, and Dave and I had a good laugh at how “nicely” all the parts from the quartet fit into one small pan. Five years here, and I’m still clawing at the learning curve.

The kids had practiced a play for the big day.

That very morning they had been cramming lines into their heads, getting their war paint on,
and propping up cardboard trees.

The play was a tremendous hit, and all our non-Americans learned a little more
about why we celebrate this day.

Wednesday we headed out for Kigoma, on the shores of Lake Tanganika.

 After crossing a section of Lake Victoria on a ferry at 6:30 am, we headed down on mostly dirt road

and ARRIVED, after the closest call we have ever had with a bus. Evidently we weren’t the only ones wanting to get somewhere, as this driver most definitely was trying to break some kind of record. Thankfully there was a ditch to drive into instead of a cliff or the side of the road (or worse, a pedestrian). There were several moments of silence in the car as we contemplated how close we came to being creamed. And then big sighs of relief and “Thank you, Jesus.” We felt grateful to still have breath and life! And reminded again of how God protects us every time we drive!

We arrived at the Ramsey’s house that afternoon. Len and Cindy Ramsey are from Bozeman as well, and we have gotten to know them over the years here in Tanzania. They have a medical ministry for the villages on the edges of Lake Tanganika, where there is very little to no medical care whatsoever. Incredibly, someone several years back donated a helicopter to use for this endeavor, so Len got his license and flies in and out of these remote places.

The day after we arrived, he needed to take back a young girl who had been in Kigoma healing from an infection in her bone. She is only 16 and had been there for many weeks waiting to heal. Dave, Jake and I were able to go up with Len to take Leonia back to her home. As they pulled the helicopter out of the hangar, I asked her if she was nervous to go up in it. No, she said with a smile, she had already done it once! As we came over her village about half an hour later, people ran out from their homes and the school to welcome her back.

 She was BEAMING as she stepped out of the chopper, gave Len a great big hug, and ran to see her family.

After dropping her off, Len took us further out to some of the very remote villages that they visit.

They have done traditional birth attendant trainings in these villages, with great success, and the local ladies are able to call Len if they have a woman in trouble. Many women and babies are alive today because of that work.

It was incredible to see everything from the air.

 Most amazing to us was the vast forest in all directions, something we just don’t see up here near Lake Victoria. Many of the villages were unreachable by vehicle.

Watching the smoke rise over the trees from cooking fires and charcoal making reminded me of David Livingstone’s “smoke of 1000 villages” that he wanted to reach with the Gospel. What a tremendous ministry the Ramsey’s have, and what a privilege to see it first-hand!

This was Livingstone territory, and after we met up with our friends, the Howells, we took a little trip to see the place where Henry Morton Stanley came upon Livingstone with the famous, “Dr. Livingstone, I presume?” I’m not big on monuments, but it was just COOL to stand in that very place and think back to what was going on 140 years ago in that spot.

The museum is “being developed,” so it was just the right amount of pictures and information for ten kids to take in, in about 15 minutes. And Henry and Dave didn’t even notice the big pack of rowdy youngsters standing around them.

Aside from the memorial, most of our time was spent swimming,

jumping off large rocks (that's Hannah in black, mid-air),

snorkeling, and just hanging out. Lake Tanganika is the second deepest lake in the world, and its waters are crystal clear most of the time. The kids just stood in the shallows and caught little aquarium fish by the dozen, then let them go again. Jake managed to use one to pick up this fellow, which he later fried and ate.

Carter also found a clam, cooked it, and started eating it, but decided it wasn’t his favorite, even with a lot of salt.

The last night there, we were eating on the lookout point, watching the sun set behind the mountains of the Congo right across the lake, and we were treated to a great view of the Liemba, a boat we had been waiting to catch a glimpse of. It is the oldest passenger boat in the WORLD.

Isn’t it scarey that it is still running, and in a 3rd world country?! Really, though, it has been refurbished and has a very interesting history.  Read all about it here. According to Dr. Ramsey, it isn’t a boat that you really want to ride on if you don’t have to, and he has stories to prove it! It doesn’t ever dock, it just goes up and down the lake and the little fishing boats come out to it to take or pick up passengers. Even in the middle of the night. With no entrance/exits signs, and no protocol. And no one to notice if you happen to fall off in transit. Which is just one of the reasons we didn’t make a big effort to ride on it. But it was great to see it nonetheless.

So, home again now, with a big wedding tomorrow, a team coming from Bozeman on Monday, a couple more guests and then we’re off to Nairobi for Christmas and on to the States around the new year. We are looking at a busy and great next couple of weeks! And with fresh thoughts of thanksgiving in our hearts—for family, and friends, life, breath and health, and most of all, HOPE because Emmanuel is still with US!