Settling In

Here's some snapshots of our house. I didn't get a picture of kids' room before they went to bed, but it's fairly spacious as well. Our living conditions are much more western than many of you have probably imagined.

Yes, that really is.... an actual corded phone?!? 

Don't mind our diapers drying on the backs of chairs. One of the perks of cloth diapering during rainy season.

A view out our front porch on a rainy day. You can see the edge of the playground on the right. Kids love being close to the playground, and momma loves being able to let Moriah play and still be able to see her from the kitchen :)

Big news here... the kids had their first night without waking up!  Those of you who know how much I like my sleep know I am surely praising God for that blessing.  Nick feels he is getting the swing of being in the hospital, and I can tell he is excited about the work he has. He spends free time listening to lectures on ultrasound and reading up on tuberculosis. Translation: he enjoys learning about caring for patients with different diseases and practices here. I will have him write about hospital life soon. We have a sweet woman, Anna, who comes to help at our house three mornings a week. Having house help is common for many missionaries, and it is standard here in Jammal. Daily life tasks take much more time here. Anna washes all our clothes, cleans our house, and will start helping in the kitchen. If you’ve ever done your laundry by hand, you will join me in gladly paying someone to do this hard job! And with all the rain and dirt/sand around here, floors tend to dirty quickly, so regular sweeping and cleaning is helpful. I told the missionary in charge of helping newcomers find house help that I will take as much help as is culturally appropriate, without appearing lazy :) The standard rate for help is just under $1/hr. Women are happy to have the work so house help is a blessing to everyone involved! Anna knows how to bake bread, as she usually works for a family who is in the States for their home assignment (furlough). This family has 4 children, so she loves being around kids and is hoping for some of her own. Moriah and Charlie have quickly warmed up to her. This morning, Moriah followed her around reading her a story. Anna speaks no English, so my Hausa is getting off to a quick start! 

I think I have also found a needed way for me to serve here. While I would love to get some time at the hospital in nursing, I see more pressing needs I can meet indirectly by helping long-termers with their littles. Some of our neighbors on the compound are a family with 4 kids. Both parents are doctors, and the mom has been staying at home almost full-time. Three of her kids are school-aged this year, and she would like to get more time in at the hospital.  More physician help is certainly needed as doctors are always swamped. We had a test play-date today, and it went wonderfully! I will probably be watching her almost 3-year-old son regularly in the mornings, along with his older sister occasionally after kindergarten is dismissed. The kindergartner is very outgoing, and Moriah thinks she’s pretty much awesome. I am excited about being able to contribute here in a way that doesn’t require as much of a learning curve. Nothing too profound to write today. Thanks for reading and for praying for us :)

We're in Jammal!

I'm up with jet lag while the internet is at it's fastest, so here's our first blog post in Jammal. We arrived in the capital city Monday evening and spent 36 hrs resting and grocery shopping before taking a 4-seater out to Jammal. Much to Moriah's delight, we were greeted here with fanfare. She proudly announced to our large welcoming crew, “I took a plane to Jammal. Now I’m going to go potty!” Up until we’ve arrived, the only two things she’s known about Africa are that we take a plane to get there, and that she will need to go potty in the toilet once we arrive because she won’t have any more diapers. For the record, I’m letting her (and myself) recover from jet lag before we hit this potty training thing. And while I’m on the topic… dealing with kiddos with jet lag is probably the toughest physical endeavor I’ve undertaken. Except for my first childbirth experience, and maybe biking up the Vail pass both ways. My brain is mush from trying to keep my kids and I alive while we’re adjusting to the time change and heat, so I’ll stick with a few highs and lows from our first week here.

High - our plane ride and arrival in Jammal!

Jammal from the air - it’s rainy reason and really green.

Low - being awoken by the pilot knocking on our door because we set our alarm wrong :( And then leaving a chocolate bar in the freezer because we were in such a hurry to get out. Also finding a “chocolate” nugget under the bed that rolled out of Moriah’s diaper while Nick was changing it in a jet-lagged fog.

High - new friends! Anyone surprised who is making the most of them?

Low - friends a few hundred feet away hearing our jet lagged children screaming in the middle of the night :/

High - being in a place where we think God has asked us to be for this season. A place not many are willing to go. Moriah gets to go to “work” today. The occupational therapist has asked for her help in doing some play therapy with a Nigerien toddler. I’m looking forward to seeing some faces of the precious people we came here to love. I’m hoping these faces make our jet lag struggle feel meaningful. That they’re a glimpse for me of hope for joy beyond our trials. Of hope in the joy of seeing Jesus make all things new, one person at a time.