Pictures - finally

Finally, I have a few pictures. The first is of our first day here. Upon arrival, Dara and Dade found the goats straight away. Later Dara was quite upset because one of the nationals was "cruel" to the goat. I think they pulled on it somehow and it was limping. Her love for all nature is still very strong!

Here is a picture of the bathroom situation - we're getting used to it. :)
And, lastly, here is Joel's beautifully colored ankle. I'm sure the colors will improve over the next few days, but here it is as of last night. You can still see how swollen it is around his toes. He's getting better each day - thank you for your prayers.

Well, I'm off to get ready for the day - hope you enjoy the pictures a bit - this next one is Dara and Mercy (Marcy) - this is the little girl that held Dara's hand most of the way up and back down the mountain. If we can get it to upload, the last pic will be the little town at the top of the mountain.

Ankle (continued)

Joel had xrays done for 350 shillings (about $5)! The 2 views they took showed no break! We are praising God for this. There is some mild concern that there may still be a fracture in his ankle that would only show up on a 3rd xray taken. The plan at present is...walk on it using the walking boot brought out yesterday (the doctor came early to bring Joel a boot and crutches) and using crutches if the pain is not bearable. Later this week if the pain is very bad, Joel will travel about 3 hours away to another city where a hospital is - to have more tests done.

He feels much better today than yesterday morning, but still hobbles around. His mood is holding but he tires easily. Thank you all for your prayers. Today we are learning about HIV/AIDS and general health tips for living in Africa - quite interesting.

Joel and I are enjoying the majority of the food. They serve tea here twice a day. The chai is made with milk and a bit of tea so I find that I enjoy straight black tea with sugar. It works. The kids struggle a bit unless there's a meat with meals. Today, for example, lunch consisted of very thick, chunky mashed potatoes, a zucchini blend, a very thick bean substance and a liquidy stew with tomatoes, onions and bits of beef (?). I put the stew stuff on my potatoes, skipped the beans, and enjoyed the zucchini. The kids ate 2 bites of potatoes and that was it. Joel ate everything. Dara's struggling a bit - thinking that she's starving - she still has no idea. But she'll get hungrier and will eat eventually.

The treat is a coke at the end of the meal (and I really don't even like cokes - but they're better than nothing!)

Here is a picture of the dorm we're staying in...maybe I'll get pictures to work afterall!

A Hike, An Ankle and Frustration

This is officially my first post from Africa. Jill has been the diligent one since we arrived. And now, there is so much on my mind, I don't know where to start.

Yesterday, we went for a hike up into the hills behind Scott Theological College, where we are staying. The first part, all four of us did together. Once we reached a primary school, Jill and Dade, along with another family turned back, while the rest of us went on. Dara made it all the way to the top of the mountain - she was such a tropper. A girl named Marcy (or Mercy) grabbed her hand as we walked. It was a very different culture and one that we may not see again while in Africa. Imagine 30-40 little barefooted kids running through the forest laughing and just enjoying life. We reached the top and there was this village/town up there - not at all what we expected. I promise I have pictures of all of this, but they will have to wait until we can get a little better signal to post.

We headed back down and stopped at the local watering hole (again, pics to come). That was about 15 minutes into our walk back down. I put Dara on my back and started walking, when I slipped and turned my ankle pretty good. I could feel the swelling start right away, but there is no other way down except to walk. I limped along until one of the ladies found a walking stick that helped a little. It took about another hour to make it back to Scott - I think my ankle went numb after the first 10 minutes, so I didn't feel any pain until I got back and sat down.

We're still not sure the diagnosis yet. Our leaders are pushing for an xray this afternoon. I guess they have something similar happen before and it ended up being a broken ankle. My guess is that we will go into Machakos this afternoon and get an xray just to be safe.

All that to say......frustration is beginning to rear up. I know this was just a freak accident and couldn't have been prevented, but when I let the enemy attack, I think about not being able to play with the kids, not being able to go on walks around the area, and then begin to let my mind wander to how in the world we would make it through the airport with me on crutches. I know many of you won't read this until after the x-ray, but please pray anyway. Pray that it isn't broken. Pray that it is only a deep sprain and that it will just require some down time to heal. We were not able to go to the church we had planned on this morning, but Jill and the kids still got to

This is Jill now...Joel's on his way to the local hospital to have an xray done. Tomorrow a doctor is coming from Kijabe and will bring a boot and crutches. Even if it's not broken, it is sure a nasty sprain. My prayer is that nothing is torn. Joel is very frustrated (as you may have guessed). Partly, he hates the attention and the humility that comes a long with all of this. I am so grateful that he'll have 2 weeks to let it heal before we do have to go through an airport with 9 big pieces of luggage and 6 carry-ons. God is good - all the time.

The kids and I went to a local 6-8 grade Sunday school class. They played games and had a "test" over what they have been learning. It was fun. I hope the kids realized that kids are still kids even they make look and talk different. We'll try to post later about Joel's ankle.

Pictures - that didn't happen

My only goal in this post is to upload pictures. I signed in as Joel, but this is really Jill. We are learning so much and the way an African views life is so different. It's a challenge to open my mind and not look at them with a look of, "really?!" I am so grateful that I am enjoying the challenge. Yesterday during chapel a man prayed that we would be allowed to participate in Christ's suffering. When was the last time (if ever)I prayed that? Isn't that what being a Christian is about? Taking up our cross and following Him? I don't think that's something I have embraced even though I have left my home and am here. Maybe that's when revival will come to America and Africa. When the Christian stands up and is willing to suffer for Christ and even prays for the privilege. (rather than pray that everything is fine) Does this make sense? I don't mean to be preachy, just sharing thoughts I have been having.

WEll, it looks like the pictures are not uploading at all - which makes me kind of sad. It's really a neat place with crows that are huge and have white vests, big avocado trees (I don't think I even knew avocados grew on trees) and so many other beautiful sites. I'd like to tell Addie that I've told Dara about your email and she says "hi". She doesn't really like the food at all, but Dade is doing okay. Thakfully there is a little duka (snack shop) that sells popcorn - it helps a lot. The internet is fastest in the morning when she is sleeping. When we get to Uganda, i'll be sure to let her email you so please be patient.

Africa Based Orientation

We are here in Machakas, Kenya for Africa Based Orientation. It'll be 3 weeks of learning how to learn a culture and other helpful tips on how to adjust to this new life before us. We are on a compound that houses a seminary. We are staying in a dorm that houses all of us. There are 3 floors and we are on the third (it'll be good exercise for us).

I think it's usually for men since the bathroom has urinals. There is one "water closet" for each floor. There are 3 urinals, 2 toilets, 4 showers and 2 "holes". The third floor restroom is designated for the women and the 2nd floor for the men. There has been a long period with very little rain so they are very serious about water conservation. I mean really serious about it. For example...we catch the water from our showers and use it to flush the toilets. We only flush the toilets when necessary. The saying they gave us to help us know when to flush was, "If it's yellow let it mellow. If it's brown flush it down." Okay, let's all say, "yewwwwwwww!!!!!" I really have to remember that water is a very very precious commodity and keep it in perspective. I'll try to send a picture one day (if it's still important once we leave here).

The kids have done great here. They are so dirty by the end of the day. I'm having to sit outside in the dark to get a good signal and my battery is about to die. I will try to send more pictures when we get the time. It's hard to get the time to check email only because it takes so long to get service up and going. We're alive and doing okay. Thanks for your prayers.