Happy Birthday Lindsey!

Many things about being in Kenya are great. One thing that is not: missing family and friends! Today I am missing Linds. She is my best friend and today is her birthday! I won't say how old she is, but it is definitely younger than me, so she is still in the clear.

I wanted to post a few pictures of us through the years. She is truly a gift from God to me. We met in 2005 while working on a production for the James River Womens Conference. Lindsey was the lead, while I wrote and produced it. It was the first of many productions we have done together!! I wish I had a picture, but I think we were just really busy that day!

We soon added Chrissy to the mix and started our weekly coffee dates that lasted for years! Our first big adventure was New Years 2006! Road trip to Kansas City! Logan was on call in his first year of Residency, so I skipped town and had a girls night!

We have been friends through so many stages and highlights in our lives. In May of 2008 we celebrated Linds's graduation from Evangel. That was also around the same time Chrissy got engaged to Caleb!

Fall of 2008 we flew to California for Chrissy's wedding. This was when Lindsey and Christopher started dating. We dragged those flowers he got her all over the country, and through several airports. They even survived my morning sickness and Lindsey's sympathy sickness!

It was not long before this "guy who sent her flowers" became "the guy she is going to marry". We schemed with Christopher and rejoiced with them the night he gave her the rock!

Lindsey has been there for me through thick and thin. And when I say "thick and thin", I mean she (the thin one) was there when I (the thick one) was about ready to burst and starting to have contractions!

Logan and I love hanging out with Christopher and her, and have enjoyed watching their relationship go from flirting to fiance and beyond. We watched as they held tiny little newborn Liam together, talking about how that could be them one day in the future. Linds, you don't have any news for me by the way?! Just kidding!

Here we are almost a year after their wedding too! It was beautiful, and an "Honor" to stand beside her as her "Matron!" SO many memories from picking out her dress, to all the showers, to trying to guess how big I would be two months after giving birth. The sales lady made me force myself into bridesmaid dresses even though I was waaaaaaay pregnant! There was even excitement up to seconds before walking down the isle. Right after taking this picture with Liam, we heard music, got up and Lindsey tripped over the cord to this fan and spilled water all over herself and her sister-in-law! That was Lindsey's only non-graceful moment ever!

Speaking of graceful, I could really use Lindsey's help here at Tenwek! I am putting together a little ballet performance with the MK girls and often think about how Lindsey would be doing a much better job than I am. I could go on and on, but then I would miss her even more than I already do! It have been a joy to be her friend. Logan and I look forward to spending time with all of our friends and family when we return this summer.

Happy Birthday, Linds!

It only took me 4 months...

I am not a reptile person. Or any kind of animal or critter person for that matter! Most families here at Tenwek have "pet" chameleons. I have seen plenty and watched kids and adults handle them with ease. They are just a bit too spikey and prickly for me though.

But, last week was a milestone in my journey here! I did in fact touch a chameleon. Maybe I was feeling brave. Or...OK...probably because it was a tiny baby. The Bemms' chameleon had 13 babies, and Liam and I decided to check them out!

Liam was as unsure as I was! But, I would give him just a few months, and he will probably be coming home with frogs in his pockets and a lizard on his arm! For now, we will stick with baby chameleons enjoyed from a short distance away!

Up and Down Video

This video is actually a good follow-up to our "Skills" blog. Liam has improved in his climbing skills just since last week! He also is saying the words more clearly now. Many times he will just leave the cushions on the couch now just to give himself a little bit of a challenge! This video was taken this morning. Nothing cuter than a kid in his little jammies!

The Midnight Rain

"Julie, you need to come to the kitchen."

I fumbled for my glasses, and untangled myself from the mosquito net. It was 2:30am. This couldn't be good. I followed Logan silently to the kitchen listening to the sound of rain outside.

"Please God, not bug infestation or snakes, that's all I ask." My imagination went a thousand directions in the few steps it took to get to our small kitchen. As we rounded the corner, I found out that it was not raining outside, but inside. Water was falling from the ceiling over our refrigerator and cabinets!

But who do you call at 2:30am in Kenya? This would be a dilemma even in the States! Logan started calling every maintenance and security number at the hospital. He talked to several men who promised to send someone. We both agreed, however, that we should keep calling until we actually see someone at our door. Meanwhile, I gathered every towel we own (about 5) and started mopping up the water that was now about an inch thick on the floor. I put two bowls under the main dripping spots.

A knock at the door. Thank goodness! The two men determined there is nothing they could do in our place, so we called our upstairs neighbor, the attorney for the hospital. He checked his place, but no water. We then called our other neighbor upstairs.

She awoke to a sea flowing through her place and her things floating around like little boats. Her water pipe had busted.


By this time, I felt like the guy trying to keep 10 plates spinning because I was dumping out full bowls and adding more bowls until we finally decided to pull the fridge away from the wall and just line the wall with bowls. At about 5:00am, we decided there was not much else to do, but go to bed.

Much of the next day was spent cleaning out our wet cabinets, mopping, and helping Patty upstairs by doing her laundry for her. The problem was fixed, and we actually did not have too much damage.

I am so thankful that Logan was on call that night, and that he got thirsty when he returned from a c-section! Otherwise, we would have just kept sleeping to the sound of the "rain", and who knows what the damage would have been in the morning!

Video Fun for Your Enjoyment!

Whenever Liam hears a song he likes, he immediately starts to groove. It doesn't matter if he is eating in his highchair, or playing around the house. I had turned up the tunes while I was cooking, and he started dancing with his spoon I had given him to "help Mommy" with. He was so cute I just had to stop what I was doing and try to capture it. Maybe we have a budding Beatles fan?



Once he had my attention, he of course stopped dancing and wanted milk. Here you can see his signing in action as he asks for milk.



Apparently the internet is doing well right now, so I thought I would take advantage of it and post a little Liam in action. Enjoy!

The Best Part of the Day

As I write this, it is 5:40pm on Friday night. It is amazing how the worst part of the day quickly becomes the best part of the day. The worst: waiting for Logan to get home! The best: When he does finally come home and Liam says, "DaDa!"

Liam and his Daddy are pals. He loves playing with Logan! Logan is a lot rougher with Liam, throwing him around and turning him upside down. Liam loves to go under Daddy's legs, and over his body if he is laying on the ground.

It is such a fun time of day for me too! I am usually pretty tired and out of tricks in my hat for Liam. I am fixing dinner, and glad to have the help. I know Logan loves it too! Sometimes they go outside and run around, climb stairs, or just explore.

Logan's shoulders are quickly replacing the backpack as Liam's favorite mode of transportation. What could be a better view of the world, and how much more comfort can a little boy feel than when riding on his big, tall Daddy's shoulders?

We will not see much of Logan as he is on call all weekend, but we sure are looking forward to having tonight together! Speaking of which, I better go check on our pizza sauce!

*So, actually Liam had to go to sleep before Logan even made it home tonight! Liam said "DaDa, DaDa" the whole time I was dressing him for bed! He missed his favorite time of the day! Oh well, it happens!

Have a great weekend!

Skills

Not quite nunchuck skills, or bowhunting skills yet, but Liam's skills and vocabulary are increasing so quickly these days! His favorite thing to do is to go "souside", but many times he must entertain himself inside while Mommy tries to get things done.

The other day he found a pitcher in "Liam's cabinet" in the kitchen. He tried and tried and worked and worked to put the lid on this pitcher. The thing was, he had the wrong lid. He worked for literally (I timed it) 23 minutes trying to put the wrong lid on this pitcher. I let him go that long because I was fascinated at his attention span, and his tenacity! He did not get frustrated, but rather kept going and trying it every way he could think of. I did eventually show him the correct lid. He quickly abandoned the green lid and tried the blue lid that matched the picter. He squealed "ooooohhhh." I thought he would be ready to move on to something else, but no. He worked on the correct lid for about 10 minutes! He took it off, put it back on, took it off, put in back on. He now recognizes the correct lid and loves to hide toys inside and cover them up with the lid and say "See? See?"

Speaking of Mama seeing things he does...

Not only has Liam learned to say "Up" and "Down", but he has also learned to do up and down.

I was in the kitchen the other day and I heard Liam's little voice, "Dowww. Dowww. Dowww." After about three times, it hit me. "He is saying "down!" I quickly stuck my head through the door and saw my 13 month old standing on our couch.

He had pulled the cushions off, climbed up and was ready to get "dowwww." I helped him down of course. But, we are now working on teaching him how to get down by himself, now that he can climb up. It really helps that he narrates what he is doing. As he climbs he says, "Upuh." When he is ready to come down, he says "Dowww." He has had a couple crashes, but nothing big and Mommy or Daddy are right there coaching him. He can play the Up-Down game for a long time!!

If I am not able to be right there with him, or need to get something done in the kitchen, sometimes I will dump his toys on the couch so he is sooo distracted by the explosion of fun, that he has no desire to climb at that moment. We will see how long that trick lasts, Mommy. It worked this particular day! He started his own little dance party to the William Tell Overture on his little musical light-up toy. Oh, he is precious!

Ashes and Beauty in Kenya

As you may or may not have heard: There was a huge volcanic eruption in Iceland. It is interesting how it has affected Tenwek. All, yes ALL, flights in and out of Europe were stopped. The situation is better explained on our friends' blog. Just thought it would be an interesting read for those of you interested in weather, and it's effects around the world.

The biggest impact Kenya has felt is its flower export industry, which is Kenya's biggest money-maker. While we were in Kericho recently, we had the opportunity to tour one of Kenya's largest and most famous flower company, James Finlay. We were able to see the beautiful roses from freshly picked to ready ship internationally.

Our friends and family in the US probably heard about the volcano way before we did. You have TV and we do not! Even though I do not have the many facts one can gather from CNN or the Weather Channel, we are feeling the repercussions even here in rural Kenya. Who knew!

Tenwek Fashion

One of the Kenyan doctors asked me recently, "Do they tell you what to wear or something? Because none of you (missionary women) are very stylish." She is from Nairobi, and perhaps a little more modern than others in this rural area.

To answer her question: Yes. We were asked to wear skirts or dresses below our knee. It is just a very conservative society in general and we do not want to create waves or draw any more attention to ourselves than necessary. Many times I think of Marisa Tomei's line in My Cousin Vinny, "oh yeah, you blend!" Aside from that, as it was explained to me, African men do not focus on the top half of women as American men tend to do, but rather the bottom half. We do not want to cause any temptation, or in any way be a distraction from what Jesus wants to do through us while we are here.

We tease each other about our lack of fashion, and I have also received questions from the States, so I thought I would talk about "fashion" here in rural Kenya.


If you are anywhere but Nairobi, you will always see women, and older girls, in skirts or dresses. The typical roles of the women are cooking, farming, planting, plucking/picking vegetables, chopping down and gathering firewood, carrying water, and washing clothes. You will see women doing all of these jobs in skirts, dresses, or what we would call a business suit, all while carrying their baby on their back or side!


It is so interesting to look around at what people are wearing. The most colorful are the Masai. Their signature color is red. Naturally, as a Arkansas Razorback fan I am in full support of this. For the most part, people here tend to dress like they have for generations. However, due to Western influence, many wear clothing that they have bought at local markets. These markets somehow get their clothing, typically used, from England or the United States, and, it would seem, from an old ladies closet.


It's also funny to look around and see familiar US brands on these Kenyans who have probably never traveled more than a couple hundred miles.

One of our friends here, Eric McLaughlin, saw an elderly Masai man in the hospital this week with full traditional Masai attire with a cape, rungu (traditional weapon), and the characteristic very long earlobes. The kicker was that he was also wearing a Michigan Wolverines sockcap! Eric was so excited because he did his Family Medicine residency at Michigan and had the same "M" embroidered on his white coat. How disappointing not to have his camera with him at the time!

The guys, on the other hand, have alot more freedom. Logan is expected, however, to dress nicely in the hospital. No scrubs, unless you're planning on being in the OR. Logan did run into one clothing obstacle while we have been here: his belt broke! Ok, Liam broke his belt while playing with it. So, we headed to the Dukas and stumbled upon a real find. He loves it!


I know we are supposed to dress a certain way while we're here. But sometimes I get so tired of wearing the same 5 dresses over and over! What I wouldn't give to just wear some skinny jeans and my favorite high-heeled boots! It's easy to think, "well people need to be responsible for their own thoughts, and we do come from a different culture, blah blah blah." Then I think of Romans 14, starting in verse 13. (In parenthesis are the Julie commentary)

13 Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way. 14 As one who is in the Lord Jesus, I am fully convinced that no food (or pants in this instance) is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean. 15 If your brother is distressed because of what you eat (or wear), you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating (or dressing) destroy your brother for whom Christ died. 16 Do not allow what you consider good to be spoken of as evil. 17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking (and clothing), but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, 18 because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men.

19 Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. 20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food (or fashion). All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat (or wear) anything that causes someone else to stumble. 21 It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else (wear pants) that will cause your brother to fall.

I just pray that I can get out of God's way and enable Him to show himself Mighty and Powerful here at Tenwek. He has called a great group of people to serve Him here at this hospital, both long term and short term.

Even if we aren't the trendiest bunch...

Pool Party!

 

Today was our weekly Play Date! It is always fun to hang out with the kids, but today was extra special. The Cropsey's, who have two little ones, have an inflatable baby pool on their porch. It is not uncommon for me to walk by and see little Elise with her swimsuit on, shouting "I simming!"

Today she gladly hosted a "simming pary" at her house! She greeted me at the door with one of Micah's swimsuits for Liam. (It was December when we packed, so I somehow was not even thinking of swimsuits!) Liam hesitantly climbed in the pool, not sure what this was, or what he was supposed to do. He grabbed a little airplane and started making motorboat sounds with his lips. I guess playing in the pool came naturally! Soon Maggie McLaughlin, who is almost 1, woke up from her nap and joined the party! She is shown in the picture above with Liam. Elise is not pictured, except for her little legs at the top of the picture.

Everyone had so much fun! The weather has been beautiful here lately, so it was a perfect morning for a swim. It's been fun watching all the kiddos grow together. Micah and Maggie are both cutting their first tooth. Liam has three teeth now, but no signs of a fourth yet. He has moved on from walking and now prefers to run everywhere! This unfortunately means he is falling on his face quite a bit. Currently he has several scrapes and bruises on his forehead and nose. Oh well, it makes him look like a tough guy I guess! I am getting used to him hurting himself, but of course it is never going to be easy! Luckily no one got hurt in the pool today - just pure fun!

A Village Wedding

Monday was our last day at the Tea Hotel, and our final day in Kericho. We had a great weekend. We've given you a day-by-day account so far, so we'll finish with our main reason for the trip to Kericho: the wedding!

Easter Monday is a national holiday in Kenya, so that is probably why the wedding was held on a Monday. It also worked out for us too because Logan had the day off!

We have learned that Kenyan weddings begin at the bride's home in the morning. She gets ready and of course chai is served. Then family and friends make a convoy of cars from her home to the groom's home. It resembles a funeral procession in the States. The cars are decorated with flowers, and some just stick a tree branch in the front bumper.

We opted not to join them that early so Liam could take a morning nap. Nancy picked us up from the Tea Hotel at about 10:30 and we headed to the main part of Kercicho to wait for the convoy to pass by.

As we waited, we went grocery shopping at Tuskeys, a larger chain market than I am used to at Tenwek. I bought everyone in our group a soda to drink while we waited. Alfred said, "I wish this drink shall never end." The drinks did end, but our wait for the convoy never did! After our shopping was finished, we went to a public park to let Liam roam free. He waved to everyone and we had fun watching the monkeys play in the trees.

A little before noon, Logan and I made a little bet about when the wedding would actually happen. I had never even been told what the goal start time was. Logan said Nancy told him about 1:30pm. Based on that, Logan guessed the vows would be said at 4:00. I confidently said 6:00pm. Logan busted out laughing and said it would be over, and we would be well on our way home to Tenwek by that time! We will see.


We moved on to an Arboretum which is right beside the Lipton tea fields! That was pretty cool to see. In this park was one tree for every kind of tree you will see in Kenya. Most of them I could not pronounce because posted was the scientific name, and then the Swahilli name. Neither of which helped me! However, there was some amazingly huge bamboo trees that caught my attention. Logan jumped into a game with some kids using a knotted plastic bag for a ball. Liam had fun playing with the kids too!

About 1:00pm Liam and I started getting hungry. I asked Nancy what we will do about lunch and she said they will feed us at the wedding. I said, "well when do you think that will be?" She gestured at the highway and said "they shall come." So, literally we were just waiting for a convoy to pass, and then join it! It does no good to even call someone because they always say they are "coming now."

Because it was getting late, Alfred's brother took us back into town to eat at the Sunshine Hotel, which had been recommended as a place that was safe for us to eat.

In the half hour that we ate our meal, we received word that the convoy was passing. We quickly got some chips (french fries) to go for Alfred and Nancy and headed back to the tree park where they were waiting.

Nancy and Alfred jumped in the car and we started driving to the wedding. Now, keep in mind anytime I would ask where the wedding is, whoever answered would always stretch their arm out toward the hills and say "it is up" or "it is away" or "it is far." The reality was that they did not know exactly. At one point in our drive, Alfred hopped out of the car and stood facing the mountain to find the way. Apparently he did, because we made it to the groom's home!

When we arrived at the groom's place, we could see a few tents and a mass of people gathered on the hill. As we exited the car, a crowd started to gather around us! We were in a small village, which I do not know the name. Nancy said many of the people have never seen a white person before. About 1000 people were already gathered and we were escorted right through the middle of them. Alfred and Raymond passed Liam back and forth, as they both wanted to be holding the white baby as we passed through the crowd of people.

We were taken to the uncle of the groom's house and served millet ugali and chicken. They gave us sodas to drink since there was no time to boil water properly for us. Liam mooed at their cows and barked at their cat. (we are working on the meow). We were then whisked away because "it has started, it has already begun!"

As we walked back up the hill we heard girls singing very loudly. As we got closer we saw the group of about 30 young girls all dressed in white dancing and walking in unison.

The groom was in the middle of the group, and they were escorting him in and singing praises about him and his land.

The groom wore a western style suit but had a shiny necklace, or lei, similar to tinsel we would decorate with at Christmas. His groomsmen followed behind him and were seated in a tent to await the coming of the bride. Nancy said it will be 5 minutes. I smiled and looked at my watch which said 4:08. She laughed and said "Kenyan time. It is but a mention." I rubbed it in Logan's face a little bit that we were already past his estimated time. He then requested to change his bet time to 5:15pm. Still sure of my upcoming victory, I generously allowed it.

To kill time, a few guys starting singing and playing guitars. The very old grandmother was even enjoying herself so much that she started dancing in the middle of the field! Everyone loved it and no one seemed to mind waiting for the arrival of the bride.

This free time also gave the crowd the opportunity to watch the white visitors. We were given VIP treatment and seated in chairs (most were seated on the ground) right next to the bridal tent. There were probably about 1500 people there by this time. They stood or sat on either side of a wide isle lined with roses. The two sides face in toward each other. Picture like a soccer game, or any field sport with crowds on both sides.


After waiting over an hour, I decided I must feed Liam and change his diaper. Nancy and I took Liam back to the car. Of course, while we were there, the singing started back up again and Nancy strained to see over the crowd. "She has come!" I then started seeing a pattern of just missing things this day!

We soon squeezed back through the crowd and were seated just in time to see the bride! She too was preceded by a group of girls from her family. As they escorted her in, they sang praises about her and her homeland that she is leaving. When they reached the middle of the crowd, they bent down to their knees in unison with chanting to "reveal" the bride.

She had a traditional western-style white dress with a train. Her face was covered by a veil, as were her hands covered with gloves. She was adorned with flowers and the same tinsel we saw on the men.

We could not understand the singers because they sang in their native tongue, but thankfully we had translators with us. The girls leading the songs apparently are very funny and tease the groom with their songs. They call for him to take 5 steps forward, ask him why he is not smiling, tell him to sit back down, ask him if he is sure he is not hiding any girlfriends, and other things to embarrass or tease him. The audience was laughing a lot!

The girls would call for the mother and father to come take pictures with the bride, then the elders, the sisters and brothers, etc. So these people would sort of "dance" forward and take a picture with the bride. Finally she took a seat in the tent, but not next to the groom until they are married. Now it was past 6:30pm, approaching dark, and the wedding has not even begun! The men in our group decided we should just leave now so our driver does not have to drive in these hills after dark. So we slipped up to the tent and handed the couple our present (a pitcher with matching glasses), took a picture, and congratulated them. The card we gave them was hilarious! It is more like a scroll with a plastic flower glued to the front. When I saw it, I couldn't NOT buy it!

We said our goodbyes and got into the car. Then the car was mobbed with people looking in every window. Faces were smashed against every glass part of the car as I buckled Liam into his car seat. I told Logan this is as close to being a celebrity as I will ever get! No wonder these stars goes crazy with all the paparazzi!

We got back to Tenwek safe a sound at about 9:00pm, but it felt like midnight. We were sad we were not able to see the actual wedding. As we were leaving, Logan was informed that he was slated to say something at the wedding. We had heard that this might happen, so Logan did prepare a little something from Ephesians, but unfortunately did not have time to share. Their loss!

This whole weekend was an experience of a lifetime. We could talk, or write, for hours about it! This small synopsis will have to do until we return. The newlyweds are good friends with Alfred's brother, Raymond. Raymond was essentially the treasurer and coordinator of the wedding. I know he was proud of the outcome, and excited to host the American family. Here we are at his work at James Finlay. Raymond is the shorter guy on the left.

We will never forget those three days we spent in the villages surrounding Kericho!

Now to cash in on that bet with Logan...