i've things to say (no surprise) about our trip back, but suffice it to be said now (while we're still ragged with fatigue) that we've arrived safely in manitoba and are enjoying Canadian life. Judah was facinated that we could drink water straight from the tap this morning. :-)
Waiting to touch base with Josh (!) since he doesnt seem to be on Skype and i cant get through via phone... (where are you!?)
jocelyn
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Monday, June 8, 2009
waiting...
It's a drag, these late night departures. Because we spend the whole day basically just wasting time until we have to get into the car to drive to the airport.
Last night we were at Habesha again (the ethiopian restaurant that Josh loves) for a farewell for MAF friends who are moving up to Juba. Judah and i didnt eat anything because i didnt want to risk feeling dodgy the next day. Judah basically fell asleep at 7:30 anyway and slept through all the laughing and eating and shouting down the long table. Good times.
This morning, after a leisurely start, we went to the Animal Orphanage to look at the animals. It was basically just a zoo. Then we went to the hangar to do some last minute stuff and had a nice lunch at the East African Flying Club. It was a pretty posh place. Despite reservations of appearing colonial or..., how to say, demonstrating a character of entitlement, which is what such old-kenya places like that make me feel like, i said to Josh that it would be lovely to be a member at a club like that. Meet Josh at the club, for example, after a long day of flying. Take a dip in the pool, lounge on the loungers and drink spritzers. :-D
We went home by 1pm and have spent the afternoon trying to get a lot of horizontal time in preparation for a lot of sitting-up-in-uncomfortable-economy-class-seats time. Josh and Judah are still currently kipping while i sit on the computer. Last night at Habesha Josh made a casual inquiry as to how long it takes to drive to the airport and how early we should be there before the flight. It's a good thing we asked, because we're used to madagascar airport where there's usually only one flight leaving at any given time and the airport is so small and straightforward that there's no real reason to be there more than 1.5 hours ahead of time. The MAFers 'round the table assured us that it may take a while in traffic to get to the airport and it'll be hectic once we get there because there are at least 3 international flights leaving all at around the same time. Apparently sometimes it takes an hour just to get through the front doors where the baggages scans are! Jeepers! And, we learned that only ticket holders can get in the building... i'm a bit nervous about maneuvering our luggage (not much, thank goodness) and a past-his-bedtime judah through the airport to check in and through customs without Josh's reassuring and competant presence. ...but if we gotta do it, i'm sure we can do it fine. If Judah's still sleeping at 4:30, as it looks like he is, we'll most likely be able to have a chipper and excited boy until at least we pass customs.
I am attempting to claim the prayers on our behalf for a trip "far above what i could ask or imagine". At this point i am simply grateful for a healthy boy, a healthy body of my own, and the fact that Josh will at least be able to drive us to the airport. Everything else will be icing on the cake, and easily within God's ultimate capabilities. ;-)
Last night we were at Habesha again (the ethiopian restaurant that Josh loves) for a farewell for MAF friends who are moving up to Juba. Judah and i didnt eat anything because i didnt want to risk feeling dodgy the next day. Judah basically fell asleep at 7:30 anyway and slept through all the laughing and eating and shouting down the long table. Good times.
This morning, after a leisurely start, we went to the Animal Orphanage to look at the animals. It was basically just a zoo. Then we went to the hangar to do some last minute stuff and had a nice lunch at the East African Flying Club. It was a pretty posh place. Despite reservations of appearing colonial or..., how to say, demonstrating a character of entitlement, which is what such old-kenya places like that make me feel like, i said to Josh that it would be lovely to be a member at a club like that. Meet Josh at the club, for example, after a long day of flying. Take a dip in the pool, lounge on the loungers and drink spritzers. :-D
We went home by 1pm and have spent the afternoon trying to get a lot of horizontal time in preparation for a lot of sitting-up-in-uncomfortable-economy-class-seats time. Josh and Judah are still currently kipping while i sit on the computer. Last night at Habesha Josh made a casual inquiry as to how long it takes to drive to the airport and how early we should be there before the flight. It's a good thing we asked, because we're used to madagascar airport where there's usually only one flight leaving at any given time and the airport is so small and straightforward that there's no real reason to be there more than 1.5 hours ahead of time. The MAFers 'round the table assured us that it may take a while in traffic to get to the airport and it'll be hectic once we get there because there are at least 3 international flights leaving all at around the same time. Apparently sometimes it takes an hour just to get through the front doors where the baggages scans are! Jeepers! And, we learned that only ticket holders can get in the building... i'm a bit nervous about maneuvering our luggage (not much, thank goodness) and a past-his-bedtime judah through the airport to check in and through customs without Josh's reassuring and competant presence. ...but if we gotta do it, i'm sure we can do it fine. If Judah's still sleeping at 4:30, as it looks like he is, we'll most likely be able to have a chipper and excited boy until at least we pass customs.
I am attempting to claim the prayers on our behalf for a trip "far above what i could ask or imagine". At this point i am simply grateful for a healthy boy, a healthy body of my own, and the fact that Josh will at least be able to drive us to the airport. Everything else will be icing on the cake, and easily within God's ultimate capabilities. ;-)
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Blotches-Be-Gone
Today, the continuing saga of Judah's blotches has him blotch free for the day. Still no sign of recurring fever either. Praise God. I suspected perhaps that breakfast was to blame, since the spots turn up late mornings, but not today despite our close observation. Now i'm wondering if they are an every-other-day-blotch... We'll see tomorrow.
2 more sleeps until departure... At this point the prayers of the Saints have kicked in and i'm no longer as anxious of the flight, but more saddened at the thought of 2 months without Josh around. :-( Hopefully the time in Canada will go by so quickly that he'll be with us before we know it.
2 more sleeps until departure... At this point the prayers of the Saints have kicked in and i'm no longer as anxious of the flight, but more saddened at the thought of 2 months without Josh around. :-( Hopefully the time in Canada will go by so quickly that he'll be with us before we know it.
Friday, June 5, 2009
More blotches
I thought yesterday that our bout of strange pseudo illness was over since Judah's blotches which appeared first on Wednesday had disappeared by Thursday. Unfortunately this morning he's come up with more spots and they seem as bad as the first round. Fortunately his fever is not as bad... i've had a nurse friend come over to take a look at him, but considering that he's running about like a normal healthy 3 year old it's difficult to imagine that he's in any way terribly ill... He continues to have a very mild fever, but he's not sleepy for afternoon nap and he eats and drinks comme normal. So... what to do? It's difficult to make the decision to see a doctor because we have to pay a lot just to get looked at, which is a real drag especially now when our time in Kenya is just about over and we've spent a lot of money on other things. And the thought of maybe being able to get free Canadian health care in less than a week makes it that much more difficult to go here. argh.
Yesterday evening i chatted on the phone with a lady who works for SIM in Member Care. She and i talked a lot about my issues regarding re-entry. Although i reckon i know most of what we talked about in theory (ie. in my head), there is a lot that i recognize i have trouble putting into practice, or knowing in my heart. Ah well, regardless, it was helpful to talk it over with someone who understands the transitions that moving back to one's home country entail. We'll simply have to see how it goes this time around. Perhaps i am anxious for nothing...
Thank you to all those who are praying for our imminent journey and the transitions that await us apon arrival. Thank you to those who have written notes of encouragement these last few weeks. It is very helpful to know that we are loved and prayed for, since "the prayers of the righteous are powerful and effective". Please add Judah's body spots to your prayers, if you can. That his body wouldnt throw a fit en route and that the spots wouldnt continue to concern me at all.
Yesterday evening i chatted on the phone with a lady who works for SIM in Member Care. She and i talked a lot about my issues regarding re-entry. Although i reckon i know most of what we talked about in theory (ie. in my head), there is a lot that i recognize i have trouble putting into practice, or knowing in my heart. Ah well, regardless, it was helpful to talk it over with someone who understands the transitions that moving back to one's home country entail. We'll simply have to see how it goes this time around. Perhaps i am anxious for nothing...
Thank you to all those who are praying for our imminent journey and the transitions that await us apon arrival. Thank you to those who have written notes of encouragement these last few weeks. It is very helpful to know that we are loved and prayed for, since "the prayers of the righteous are powerful and effective". Please add Judah's body spots to your prayers, if you can. That his body wouldnt throw a fit en route and that the spots wouldnt continue to concern me at all.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
For the first time ever!
I just sent out our first ever Newsletter via email. That is, for the first time i sent our MAF ministry newsletter by email to a very few fortunate recipients (2). Should you also want to receive our newsletter electronically please send us an email or a comment on the blog with your email address.
Cheers!
jocelyn
Cheers!
jocelyn
"A More Excellent Way"
a while back i wrote of a ladies meeting where the hostess read a remixed version of the corinthians 13 "love chapter" as it pertains specifically to foreign workers/missionaries. I received a copy of this piece yesterday and will share it with you here. I may not be able to muster much more than a strict copying of the text, with no additional thoughts or comments from me because i am sick with fatigue. I can barely keep my head up because i slept so poorly last night: the dance club i've written about before, the one that has live music every friday night, the one that's just over the wall from our house, started playing music last night LOUDLY. Dance music. on a Wednesday! And they played it until well past midnight. ack! i swear to you that the music was as loud as if we had put on the stereo in our own house at top volume (with very large speakers) and then gone to bed. terrible. i could still hear the music clearly despite the windows all being closed and my earplugs jammed in my ears!
Besides this music deterring sleep, Judah was also feeling poorly last night with fevers and head/stomach aches. Alas. I'm a bit nervous about it, since i cant tell whether it has something to do with the hives or if it's unrelated and is merely the flu. I just hope that he's better by Monday when we depart, because i dont fancy carrying a sick child through airports and whatnotall.
Anyway, without further ado.
_____________________________________________________________
Edgar Stoesz in 'Beyond Good Intentions' (with gratitude to St. Paul)
We may speak the language of sacrifice and of service, but if we have no love in our hearts for those whom we seek to help, our efforts will have no more effect than a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal whose influence fades away with its clamour.
We may emphasise the urgency of development, comprehend all the urgent problems and needs of the world, and have such absolute faith and determination that we can imagine the masses living in prosperous communities at a respectable standard of living, but if we have no love for the people, it is all in vain.
We may distribute all the aid we possess. We may give our lives to save the needy masses, but if love is not our motive, the world will be none the better for our effort.
With love we will be very patient as we confront a foreign culture with change.
With love we will not feel boastfully righteous as though we have all the solutions to the world's needs.
With love we will never assert our superiority, never selfishly seek praise for sharing with others that with which we have been so abundantly blessed.
With love we will never inflate our ego at the expense of those we have come to serve.
With love we will always be slow to expose the failures and weaknesses of others.
With love we will not be resentful when our sevice is taken for granted.
With love our efforts will hit the mark.
Love never gives up. As for teaching, it will be superseded; as for agencies of development, they will cease. For our technology and our planning and our institutions are incomplete but when our actions are guided by love and justice, they then will be complete.
We are limited in our understanding, we see in a mirror dimly. We are baffled by problems and lasting solutions elude us. But we are learning bit by bit and we long for the day when love shall rule the world.
Thus faith that God has a plan for the world, hope that seeks the full life for all, and love that knows no boundaries - these three endure - but the greatest of these is love. Make love your goal.
Besides this music deterring sleep, Judah was also feeling poorly last night with fevers and head/stomach aches. Alas. I'm a bit nervous about it, since i cant tell whether it has something to do with the hives or if it's unrelated and is merely the flu. I just hope that he's better by Monday when we depart, because i dont fancy carrying a sick child through airports and whatnotall.
Anyway, without further ado.
_____________________________________________________________
Edgar Stoesz in 'Beyond Good Intentions' (with gratitude to St. Paul)
We may speak the language of sacrifice and of service, but if we have no love in our hearts for those whom we seek to help, our efforts will have no more effect than a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal whose influence fades away with its clamour.
We may emphasise the urgency of development, comprehend all the urgent problems and needs of the world, and have such absolute faith and determination that we can imagine the masses living in prosperous communities at a respectable standard of living, but if we have no love for the people, it is all in vain.
We may distribute all the aid we possess. We may give our lives to save the needy masses, but if love is not our motive, the world will be none the better for our effort.
With love we will be very patient as we confront a foreign culture with change.
With love we will not feel boastfully righteous as though we have all the solutions to the world's needs.
With love we will never assert our superiority, never selfishly seek praise for sharing with others that with which we have been so abundantly blessed.
With love we will never inflate our ego at the expense of those we have come to serve.
With love we will always be slow to expose the failures and weaknesses of others.
With love we will not be resentful when our sevice is taken for granted.
With love our efforts will hit the mark.
Love never gives up. As for teaching, it will be superseded; as for agencies of development, they will cease. For our technology and our planning and our institutions are incomplete but when our actions are guided by love and justice, they then will be complete.
We are limited in our understanding, we see in a mirror dimly. We are baffled by problems and lasting solutions elude us. But we are learning bit by bit and we long for the day when love shall rule the world.
Thus faith that God has a plan for the world, hope that seeks the full life for all, and love that knows no boundaries - these three endure - but the greatest of these is love. Make love your goal.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Morning Surprise
Judah came downstairs for breakfast this morning clad in his boxer briefs and huge red blotches all over his body. great. He looks like he feels fine, doesnt have a fever, says he's not itchy or sore, but the raised blotches look TErrible! This morning's activity will be to check and see if his buddies around the compound are similarly afflicted and then see if we can get him checked out by a nurse or doctor. What a bother right before we leave! I wouldnt be concerned about it, especially since he doesnt seem uncomfortable at all, but if we return to Canada with some sort of tropical malaise there's a good chance Canadian doctors will be unable to diagnose him.
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