I have to laugh at the amount of times that Aaron and I have made and re-made our schedules since moving to Dar es Salaam. Each time we convince each other that this new schedule will work because things are going to be normal here soon. This leads me to believe that we are actually kind of stupid. It takes us longer than most to figure some things out. It is also takes us longer than most to get discouraged, so that is at least the good side of being kind of stupid. It is also the reason why the file on my computer named "New New Schedule" has been revised 8 times.
This morning, I realized that today was actually one of those days where our "schedule" was right on track. This made me so excited and proud that I thought I should capture and treasure our day by taking photos of every waking hour. That didn't happen.
But here was my best attempt:
 |
| First and with no need of explanation. Coffee. Kennedy and Claire headed out to school and we sat in traffic for 15 minutes trying to get onto the main road. Thank you policeman for skipping us 17 times. As usual I brought my faithful ukelele to bring me both musical joy and my greater, dare I say one true joy, of torturing my husband. The girls and I took turns praying as Aaron drove, I needed extra prayer this morning for the joy in which I found inside my husband's ukelele nightmare. The girls were late because of our "help" getting out of our street today and ran to their classrooms. I still feel sad dropping them off in the morning. I miss those crazy kids during the day. |
 |
| Joseph made his usual morning chai. In a cruel twist of fate Aaron gets the last laugh of the morning. He took his revenge and this picture while I cleaned out my water bottle because just as I prepared to gulp some freshly purified water...a roach climbed out. |
 |
| Our wonderful guard, Baba Badro, had his 43rd birthday today. Things got weird as he alerted us that it indeed was not his birthday. I blew out his candle and our birthday party collapsed on itself. After a brief exchange between Aaron and Baba Badro the birthday party recommenced. It was, in fact, his birthday but he had forgotten. Awkward party turned fun and we gave him the rest of the day off. |
 |
| No matter how much our schedule changes, one thing is a non-negotiable…days begin with reading and studying God's Word together. Joseph and Aaron did their swahili time and discipleship together this morning. |
 |
| We headed back out for the day. I let the dogs out of their cages and got the gate because our guard was celebrating his newly remembered birthday. |
 |
| We dropped Joseph off at the bus stand to return to Morogoro for a week or two. We will miss him but we know that there are some very special children who are eagerly awaiting him at the orphanage! |
 |
| This "picture project" that I assigned myself turned out to pass the time quite nicely in traffic. I started noticing advertisements and bus signs that I had grown accustomed to, i.e. the Osama Bin Laden and the American flag unite bus. We sat in traffic for 1 1/2 hours. Elliot was a trooper, as usual, and only requested that we buy her some cashews from the street vendors. |
 |
| We arrived at Neema House for Women's Bible Study, singing and prayer time. I understood most everything today which was a blessing but I did harmonize throughout an entire song without knowing one word. Elliot "served" the church by sweeping which is her one excuse for playing in water. |
 |
| Aaron met with Baba Michael. We finished up our time early because the after-school schedule changed at our girl's school and they got out 1 1/2 hours earlier than usual on Wednesday. |
 |
| Elliot is having another mis-placed anger episode because her dress got wet. Somehow it was my fault and not her violent sweeping that had drenched her dress. She hasn't really figured out cause and effect yet. |
 |
| We had time to stop and get chicken. It shames me to admit that since our friends from the States came to visit us I have been carrying around their gift of chick-fil-a sauce…for such a time as this. This is also the point in the day where my headache (that never left after being sick for the last two days) got almost unbearable. Chick-fil-a sauce did help though. It really did. |
 |
| More traffic. Bought coconut water. Found marker near Elliot's carseat. Dreamed of Starbucks. |
 |
| Picked up our little ladies from school and went with Aaron to do some quick survey work in a potential new area of ministry. The girls shared frozen juice to help them, mainly Elliot, cope with more time in the car. |
 |
| Home sweet home. It isn't quite the white picket fence that I had imagined but we are beyond thankful for God providing us a wonderful home. |
 |
| Espresso was necessary and perhaps the reason I have energy enough to put these pictures up on the blog tonight. |
 |
| Sorry, but I had to put up a picture of our pack of dog pets who double as our welcoming committee. |
 |
| The girls did their chores of cleaning veggies and fruit. Claire wanted to make her dad his favorite drink, lemonade. |
 |
| Aaron sending emails and doing work (probably making another schedule) and getting his lemonade from Claire-bear. |
 |
Dinner and our daily turn around the table of sharing our good/bad things of the day. We all agreed that our bad thing of the day was Joseph leaving...with Elliot's addition of some more mis-placed anger. (I love that this is our last picture because the raw emotion that I caught on Aaron's face is perhaps more gratifying to me than torturing him with the ukelele.)
The rest of the night went just as planned. Claire got a giant goose-egg on the back of her bead by running into a door. Elliot fell off a bucket and busted her elbow. Kennedy got into trouble for slamming the door, previously mentioned as the reason for Claire's head injury.
Bible Story, Memory Verse, Kisses, Prayer and Giggles and…THEY ARE ASLEEP!
There you have it…this is what our "scheduled" day looked like today.
Some days I am so tired and emotionally drained that I can hardly walk to my bed. Today, probably because of the espresso, I am able to look back and laugh and also to reflect on what the Lord has taught me throughout the day. I am thankful for these times because it allows me to return back to moments which happen and then disappear so fast; or reflect on conversations that happen in a language that I am still trying hard to keep up with.
Tonight I am reflecting on the words spoken by my dear friend Mama Michael during Bible Study. We read through Philippians 4 and I was especially humbled when she quoted and followed it with some incredible insight.
Philippians 4:11-13 "Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me."
She said: "...not everyone knows what it is like to be hungry or how it feels to watch your children cry for food, not knowing how you will feed them. Not everyone has been brought to the same low and not everyone is entrusted with the same abundance and wealth; but the Bible calls us all to be content. We have no right to compare our trials, even our lows and highs, with others. Right now Mama Hudson (our teammate, Alisa Leek) is in America grieving over the health of her father. We grieve with her and pray for God to strengthen their family. Both of my parents have already died, but that does not mean that I don't share in her grief. Just because she still has parents and I don't does not mean that her pain is any less. When we compare other people's pain to our own we are only being selfish and not seeing things the way that God does. Everyone has seasons of grief, sadness, trials, victories, and abundance in the measure that God allows. It is not our job to know why. It is our job to be content in what our Heavenly Father sees fit to give and love those who have less and also to love and pray for those who have more."
What incredible wisdom. No matter where we live and what our days may look like I hope that we never miss opportunities to reflect on who God is and how HE alone strengthens us to face each low, each high and each day that lies somewhere in between… |
 |
| Photo Credit: Aaron Boon (while mommy wasn't watching) |
