We are hardly making any progress. The 4 of us adults, Jon, Teresa, Steve and I worked all day long with the kids by our sides and it doesn’t look much like anything. Though the rollers are good, we have the world’s worst paintbrushes. It was dark by the time I finished cutting the bottom half of the church with the base coat. I could hardly see what I was doing but that is done. Vanessa and I tried to do the whole office area, but we can’t reach the top. All the edges of the walls are rough and it takes a ton of crack filler and a lot of sanding to make the walls smooth. It’s discouraging. I knew we were in trouble when Jon started singing, “Oh where is my hairbrush?” That is all the words he knows to the song…. So it soon changed to “Oh where is my sandpaper?” Teresa said she was grumpy but she was half laughing when she said it. I think we are just TIRED! It’s hard to keep the kids on task when the job is so tedious. The boys ended up carrying bricks and water for awhile.
I tried to think of an encouraging song. All I could come up with was:
Rejoice in the Lord
He makes no mistakes.
He knoweth the end of each path that I take,
For when I am tried and purified
I shall come forth as gold.
Yulie’s father came by last evening with a gift of plums for us. We were so very encouraged by that. He couldn’t speak English so Teresa thought that maybe he was selling them. She wasn’t getting anywhere on finding out the price J Miriam came to the rescue and told us they are a gift! How kind of him! I had wondered if Yulie would make it home with her little treasures the other day.I saw a small crowd of children surrounding her, Mattie and Maggie when they were headed home with their little purses filled with toys. The kids were examining the contents of Mattie and Maggie’s but I noted that Yulie had hers tight under her arm.Earlier in the week Bella had given her a small stuffed bluejay.You can’t do laundry down by the spring without a crew of “helpers”; Mattie, Maggie, Yulie, Metu, and Debora. Yulie had put her bluejay down against the water tank and was “scrubbing” a sock when a half dozen boys came cutting across the field on their way to the river. They spied the bird and stole it. I noticed and made them give it to me. You should have heard the torrent of angry Swahili words aimed at me when I gave it back to Yulie! Yulie took the bird and put it in the crook of her arm, sat on the stone wall and rocked it. Later I saw her talking to it, but before we were done laundry she had given it a bath. There is such a haunting look about her face. She never cracks a smile – except the time Izzy gave her the purse. I still wish to know more about her family.
Christina’s dress was finished yesterday. She was so excited! She loves to go down to the sewing school and watch the girls sew. Last night I was in the shower tent taking a shower in the dark and she was lounging in big laundry bucket in one of the other shower tents and I told her to hurry up because I was going to start reading the next chapter of Sunshine Country soon. She was shocked! “What? Read the story before supper?” I laughed. We had already had supper.I tried to convince her that she had had lemon pudding and carob drink, but I could not persuade her that she had eaten… Turns out we had fed everybody but her. I am not sure how that happened, but she obviously missed the call to supper when she was visiting the sewing school. The sad part is no one had even missed her.
I did get a little frustrated with a group of kids that wouldn’t go home. They were leaning on the freshly painted doors and I could not get them to go home. They were being utterly disrespectful to me… finally I chased them down the hill and an African man got after them and picked up a big stick. They went home.
Chris is doing fine and Bella seems to be getting better. Isabelle went all day without a fever. She did sleep part of the afternoon away.
Hello There to the lovely Steve and Angie Ford family!!
Posted by Bob and Joy on Monday, December 1, 2008 at 07:28 - Link
Hi There,
Have been enjoying some of the blog. Wowowhat details!!!
I think Isaac would like to be there for some of the adventures!
We miss you guys and are looking forward to seeing you in 2009. I appreciate your thoughts on "examining your lives" to see how one can slow it down a bit and have a bit more meaningful activities that really count.
Joy and I have been busy this Fall. Joy just finished her part time job with the Landscaper until next Spring (maybe!) Isaac has been very busy at school (sports!! Volleyball team, trying out for basketball, etc...) he is enjoying the school year very much.
My Dad is now in a Care home in Vernon and is doing quite well. There was a period of time where he could barely talk, but it is coming back quite well now. He likes the Care home and is tryting to get more exercise to build up this muscles. I don't know if he will ever return hom,e but he is in good spirits.
Say Hi to the girls and give them a hug from all of us.
