The twins now have Biblical names in addition to their Kabiye names! I wanted to give you a quick update. Edith made a house call yesterday afternoon to check on the twins and found Esther blue and weak. After talking briefly with Germaine she found out that she had not eaten at all that day. So, Edith took Germaine and the babies back to the Chinese hospital to put Esther on oxygen. It was decided last night that the best place for the babies would be the Baptist Mission hospital in Tsiko which about a 5 hour drive from Kara. So, this morning, Bryan drove Germaine, Joseph and the babies to Tsiko. They arrived safely and are now under the care of well-trained Christian American doctors. Esther and Ezra are both in incubators and Esther has an IV too. The doctors say that they want to keep them until they show some good weight gain which will be at least 5 days. Bryan will return home tomorrow. Thank you for keeping these little treasures in your prayers.
Archive for August, 2007
It’s been a rough 10 days for these precious babies. They’ve fought off their first cases of malaria, vomiting, and dangerously low temps. In spite of all their struggles, they have been released to go home later today. Considering the hospital conditions and services here this is a welcome event.
Yesterday evening, Joseph came by the house to give us an update on the twins and Edith Friesen “happened” to be here too. Edith is a nurse, missionary and mother of five who has a BIG heart for helping people with medical concerns. (She has helped me many times when my kids have been sick.) Edith started to talk with Joseph and instantly wanted to be involved in helping in anyway that she could. This is an answered prayer for me! I have a desire to help, but feel woefully inadequate in the medical arena. Thank you for your willingness to serve, Edith!!
Emily Dunnagan, our new teacher, Graham and I went to visit them this morning. During our brief visit, we were able to witness their morning weigh-in. I thought it an interesting way to weigh babies, but they didn’t seem to mind.
On another note, I said my first public prayer in French for Germain, Joseph and the twins. (I threw in a little bit of English too.) I guess sweet little babies can cause one big baby to step out of her comfort zone!!!
Please continue to keep these little ones in your prayers.
The tiny ant world captured Isaac, Graham and Owen’s imagination during our Sunday village visit. Isn’t God’s creation grand (even on the small scale)?
Art, music, prose, and scripture all combined together to give a whole new meaning to the unique relationship between Mary and her son, Jesus.
At the AAMC in July, Rolando Diaz and Scott Sager worked together to impact their audience in a way that used all of the senses. The room was dark, music played softly from a CD and I watched a talented artist bring the suffering Christ, a young Mary and her babe in arms to life. It was unlike anything I’ve experienced before! As Ro painted on a large canvas, Scott commentated on and read scriptures from the Bible that highlighted Mary’s experience as mother to Jesus and later as his follower. I had never given much thought before to the internal struggles Mary must have gone through to accept her son, Jesus, as her Savior. As I sat in the dark room with all of my senses engaged the relationship between this mother and son came to life in full color.
My mediocre photography skills do not do this painting justice…for that I apologize. The finished product was breathtaking!!!!
This week has been a crazy one around our house! To start off…Bryan went to Lome (Togo’s capital - 5 hour drive away) to grocery shop and renew our Togo visas on Sunday. He returned Monday evening with lots of frozen chicken and peanut butter, but no visas. The visa officer wouldn’t give him a renewal siting the reason that it was too early. But, the obvious undercurrent was “give me a bribe”. So, Bryan will have to head back down to Lome in a month on the day they expire.
While he was gone it rained enough that play time outdoors was severely limited. This is not a good thing for three active young boys OR their mother. Instead of running, wrestling and playing soccer outside they creatively built a huge fort utilizing every pillow and cushion inside among other messy activities. The clean-up time following the mess-making resulted in another major lesson of giving and receiving God’s grace for me. Thank you God for loving us all!!!
I’ve spent every morning at the school getting my classroom and the teacher’s apartment ready. I’ve taken one of the boys each day to be my special helper. My classroom theme for the semester is outerspace. They have worked hard cutting out stars, drawing rockets and giving advice on where I should hang things. I’ve had fun thinking up ideas for wall decorations…”Reading is Out of this World!”, “Shoot for the Stars”, and “Welcome to Space Station 4″ have made the cut. I have also spent a lot of time rearranging the classroom and planning out the schedule. I am praying often as a plan for this year to be one of growth and learning for the students and myself. The toughest part for me will be being away from Owen while I teach. He will have his own school time with Ms. Becky 3 mornings a week, but he’ll be home hanging out with Dad or Abla the other two mornings. Graham will be in the classroom next door enjoying a different teacher from me this year, Miss Emily. We are all ready to get back to school this year!!!
Our day guard, Joseph, and his wife, Germaine welcomed tiny twins into the world on August 17th! The births were premature by about 2 months, but the babies seem to be doing well at this point. Bryan and I went to visit them in the hospital yesterday. It was an emotional experience for us due to the fact that the health care here is lacking in many ways. It’s hard not to dwell on thoughts like, “If they were in the States they’d be in incubators right now!” On the other hand, it was emotional because the twins were in such good health considering their early births that I can’t help but praise God for his provision! I am reminded of the truth that God sees all!
For those of you that have read my prayer page…this is the same family that I’ve been asking you to pray for awhile now. Joseph found out that he was HIV positive after his wife became pregnant. So, these twins will be their last children. Please continue to keep this sweet, young, Christian family in your prayers.
I am holding the little girl, Essojolo, and Germaine is holding the little boy, Essodeke, which mean “By God’s side” and “God only”, respectively.
Germaine, Ingrid, age 3 and Essodeke.
Essodeke he weighed 1.6 kg at birth.
I had a great birthday turning, you guessed it, 33 on the 18th! Bryan made me a delicious cheesecake with raspberry sauce! He did such a great job, Graham burst into spontaneous applause while eating it! It was hilarious. Bryan and the boys gave me the gifts of sleeping in, something from itunes, and lots of special treatment! I chose the season of Ugly Betty to download from itunes….I hope it’s good. My female teammates all gave me little gifts and sweet cards which I will treasure for many years. I also got a lot of birthday wishes from facebook friends and far away family. It was a good day. Thanks for making it special!
Bryan and I went hiking together on Monday to a nearby waterfall. It was an easy hike across fields growing with corn, manioc and beans. Because of recent rains, the grass and trees were very green and lush and the falls were full. It was an overcast day so it wasn’t too hot….it was perfect!!! Enjoy the pictures of our beautiful country!!!
My handsome hubby.
A termite mound.
The lower section of the Bafilo falls.
Here we are at the upper falls.
This is the view from the upper falls. Isn’t it gorgeous?
My seven year old, Graham, has always had food tastes a bit different from other kids his age. He has loved ultra spicy foods and unsweetened iced tea since he could eat solids. He’s also the only kid I know that can eat a meal then dessert and then more of the meal. For most people, once dessert is introduced dinner’s over. He also has no qualms about onions in his food or if his food touches. He’s a mother’s dream to cook for! Lately, Graham’s food interests have turned to trying out unique taste combinations. Here are the top three for you to try at home for yourself:
Banana dipped in ketchup
Hot dog dipped in nutella
Brownie dipped in Fiesta Ranch dip
Yummy!!!
As I washed the dishes last night, I listened to Martin Luther King, Jr.’s famous speech that he gave in Washington D.C. in 1963. I’ve heard snippets of it before, but it was good to listen to the whole thing! My initial reaction was one of disgust that the American government allowed segregation and injustices against black people. My heart was moved by the passion in King’s voice when he talks about his four little children and the opportunities he hopes for them. I was impressed by the way he wove Jesus’ teachings of non-violence and love into his speech while at the same time encouraging his audience to stand firm against racism.
As a nation we have made much progress in our laws to give all races equal standing. But, dare I say that our attitudes and actions in daily life are different? When Bryan and I were first married, we lived in Memphis and attended Holmes Road Church of Christ. Holmes Road was a unique congregation due to the fact that the number of white and black members were nearly equal. This group of believers has a rich history of living out Christ in daily life. However, outside of this small circle the racial tension in Memphis was palpable. I could share many stories of racism on both sides of the issue.
Racism isn’t just a southern United States thing though, is it? We don’t have to think back too far to find a few radical examples…Rwanda 1994, Germany 1945, Sierra Leon 1998. These are just top of my head examples, I realize there are many more throughout history. Aside from these mass murders, there are billions of daily acts against people due to their ethnicity. All continents have this problem, all countries, all people….even me, even you.
It’s a sin problem. We all face the temptation to think of ourselves better than someone else; to amplify what we view as a weakness in others into a reason to hate. It happens on all levels, doesn’t it? I agree with Jesus’ solution….”‘Love the Lord your God with all of your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” I need to be reminded again and again.
This is the unfortunate nickname my boys have given me.
It all started with dancing to the Black Eyed Peas song Hey Mama. The lyrics include “Hey Mama, this has got a beat to make you move, Mama, get on the floor and move your booty, Mama.” (Yes, we listen to a song with the word “booty” in it.) The other source of this nickname comes from the clapping game Big Booty. (There’s that word again!) So, I guess in their creative little boys’ minds…Big Mama is a good combo of the two.
A little known fact about our family is that we LOVE to dance! (It might be widely known, I really have no idea.) Well, not everyone loves it…we’ll leave Bryan out of it. After every movie we watch at home we dance to the credits. We even have impromptu dance parties, Beach Boys is a favorite. All three of the boys are daring gifted music movers.
So, this nickname that started out used in very specific dancing situations has become a common term for me. The other day I overheard Graham say, “Hey, let’s go ask Big Mama!”
Oh my, what have I done?
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