The circle of life

If my kids learn one thing by living in Mali, it is that there is truly a circle of life. They understand that mommy and daddy work at a hospital trying to save the lives of children and that sometimes we don't. They know several of our chronic patients by name. They also see babies everywhere. Women with babies, donkeys with babies, sheep and their babies. Baby chickens, puppies, kittens, etc. Babies everywhere.

The other week was such an example of the circle of life displayed in our home. Monday morning our night guard met me at the door to say that the cat had gotten one of our bunnies. Since we had only thought there were 4 but we had then found 5 I thought I could get away with this mishap and chose to let it go and not mention it to the boys. This would not last, though, because as the boys were studying french with their tutor on Tuesday, Dawson comes running into the house with a look of panic and fear on his face. "Mommy, I think Purr just ate Mittens." (Purr being our older cat, Mittens the new kitten). I went outside with him, assured Purr wouldn't do such a thing only to find Purr holding onto a headless white animal. I realized it was one of our new bunnies. Somehow that is better. At least he didn't eat his own kind. We found Mittens in the corner eating the ear of the bunny. At least Purr had shared. We tried to get Purr to drop the headless body but he refused. French was halted as we all ran around the yard with sticks trying to lure Purr away from the rabbit to which he made this growling/hissing noise to let us know he meant business. Finally, somehow, he let go of the bunny. We scooped it up and put it in a bag and threw it on the trash pile outside. And then French continued.

Thursday during french Cady, the cat we were keeping for friends while they were in the US and who happens to be the sister of Purr, started to go into labor (Purr is also the father. I don't expect great things from these kittens). Cady attached to me from the moment I got home that day and had a look of panic on her face, if a cat can express that. As I rubbed her belly I saw evidence that labor was imminent. Since I was on my bed at the time I quickly rushed her to a box I had prepared. She ran out. The boys somehow communicated the events to their teacher who then joined us in the house to help get Cady contained into the bathroom. We got her settled and then the boys returned outside to finish their french. One day there is interruption due to animal murder, the next because of new life.

I happened to be with Cady when she delivered the first two. What a neat experience. I missed three and four come out. She took care of the third and left the fourth. I saw him take his last breath. Then awhile later she had a fifth whom she didn't even clean or remove the amniotic sac from his head. I don't know if she was just puckered out or knew those two wouldn't make it, after all, their parents are brother and sister. :)

Overall, she did very well. Amazing how they instinctively know how to clean and take care of their babies. Really is a miracle. The three little ones are doing well. Their eyes are now open and they are starting to move around.

After a week like that I think I should burst forth in song with Simba from the Lion King, "It's the circle, the circle of life!!"

Field Forum 2012

We had our annual field forum in November. I forgot our camera but thankfully got some from others.

The kids all playing in the newly built pool. They didn't care that it was green and wasn't being filtered. They enjoyed it anyways!

One night all the kids sat at a table together. I couldn't believe how well mine did with this. Silas sat the longest through this meal than he did any other time. Guess he was trying to be big.

Probably my favorite part of FF: when the kids do their performance. They had talked about the fruit of the Spirit so each kid said their favorite fruit and then one spiritual fruit that they liked. (They were supposed to say why they liked it and what it meant but Kenan was the only one that went through with that part. I thought he was just rambling like normal but they told me afterwards that they were supposed to do that).

Silas singing "He's got the whole world in His hands" with his age group. Poor guy (or lucky guy whichever way you look at it) is the only boy in the group.

The last night there was a theme dress up party. Dress as a tv/movie character. The whole family was going to be Star Wars but we had some changes right at the end. So Star Wars and Spiderman. (Anna is Chewbacca in case you can't tell)

The two Luke Skywalkers and two Princess Leia for the night, along with their son holding a guitar and wearing swim floaties. We were right beside the pool at night so the floaties were for safety!

Our Mali team (that is currently in country) which includes members from all over the country.

Boys' journal

Each day at the end of school Aunt Anna has the boys write about their day. It is so funny to see who the boys really are through this. Dawson's is short and concise only mentioning the key points of the day. Kenan rambles on and on and Anna has to transcribe it all.

Yesterday she had the boys do a video journal. Again, it shows the boys as they really are. Dawson is professional and tries to do everything well and help Kenan along the way. Kenan, is well, Kenan and stays in his own world.

Enjoy!

Driving around town

I drive 5 kilometers to take the kids to school. 10 to go there are back. That's 6.2 miles total. You would think this would take, I don't know, 10 minutes or so. I wish. It's about a 15 minute drive one way. We leave the house at about 7:45 and I get to the hospital about 8:30 (as it often takes a few minutes at school with Silas before I can leave). 

Why does it take so long? Because these kind of trucks pull in front of us. Motos fly by. Kids dash out into the road. Donkeys, cows, sheep, goats, dogs, sometimes horses and even camels walk down the road or straight into your car. People selling tomatoes, lettuce, onions, or fish flood into the streets so the path is too small to pass. There is no logic in the traffic either. Rarely ever would a moto stop to allow you to get through. Instead they push their way through as well as the ten behind him so that you cannot move. I have videos of travel through town but they cannot load tonight. Maybe another day...

One nice thing about the travel is that kids don't have to be restrained. Since we only go 10-20 mph around town, we don't make them sit in car seats. And on special days, they can even sit and drive with us (this is more of a Brett thing than me). However the other day I had to take Silas to school and he hadn't been in awhile due to sickness and travel so I let him "drive" to school as special treat so he'd be happy to go. He looked so darn cute with my sunglasses on that I had to snap a picture.

More animals

We have gotten more animals. Sometimes I feel like I live in the zoo, yet I keep accepting more animals so I realize this is all my fault.

But who can resist this? 

Mittens hiding out in the Batcave on one of her first days with us. She is now an outdoor cat.

We came back from our Field Forum to find out that our rabbits had had babies and they had lived! There are five of them. Quite cute. Here is Brett holding four of them (when we thought there were only 4).

We look forward to giving the babies away to our workers and then others. Whether they eat them right away or keep them to have more bunnies it will hopefully be a blessing to them.

Sometimes I know we aren't in Kansas anymore...

Sometimes comments are made around me that just remind me how different our life is than if we lived in America. Here are some examples...

--We were visiting our dear friends who live a few hrs from us. They have just returned from a year in the States and were talking about finding a church. The wife said, "I don't like the church we are going to because there are no backs on the benches, there's no tree to sit under outside to watch the kids and there is a dog there that tries to bite my kids." I couldn't help but laugh as I totally agree that those are valid reasons to try another church! What we look for in a church here is quite different than the States.

--One day the boys were watching "Secret Agent Oso" and he was trying to learn to make his bed. The boys just laughed that he didn't know how to make his bed and Kenan commented that he was too old not to be able to do that to which Dawson replied, "Maybe his worker does it for him."

--Silas went up to Anna and said, "When are you going to be a real teacher?" She said she was but he insisted she wasn't so she asked why she wasn't a real teacher. He said, "You sleep. Real teachers don't sleep. Real teachers are brown. You're not brown. And your name is normal and not like teachers. Teachers' names are Tanti" (Aunt. They call female teachers "Tanti" and then their name and male teachers are "Tonton" which is uncle).  So since Anna is not brown, not a Tanti (well, she is as all the kids call her Aunt Anna but Silas doesn't know they are the same) and she in fact sleeps, I guess there is no hope for her to be a real teacher!

Teriya Bugu. Or should I say more pictures of us in a kayak than you probably want to see?

Ok, bear with me. I realize the last post was full of pictures and so is this one. Brett had a kayak sent out on the last container so we decided to head to Teriya Bugu, aka our favorite place in Mali outside of our home, and try it out.

Here are the first two ready to go. Can you see how big Dawson's smile is?

                       They made it across the river and hung out on the other side for awhile.

Meanwhile, the rest of us swam. And by swim I mean eat because that it what these two think swimming is all about. Eating. I'm not totally sure why Silas has his hand on his head like that but it really fits the two of them. They sat in the chair together because they decided they were kings. Each one wanted to be a king but that was the only chair for a king, so they shared it.

This is where we ate all our meals. A little table for our family and Anna. I thought it was quite cute.

So then it was Anna, Kenan and me out for a ride. We got about halfway and we were pretty sure we saw a crocodile swimming ahead of us. So we turned around. Kenan was not pleased and while we were still in the water yelled to Brett that we were too scared and no fun and he wanted to go with him. :)  (As for those wondering about the crocodile, I can't give you a sure answer. It really looked like it. Some people said they are in the river, some said no. Regardless, there hasn't been any attacks that anyone could ever think of.)

So the boys went out. They went across the river again and hung out on the island for at least an hr. They named it Crocodile Island to keep people away in the same way that Iceland is actually green and pretty.

Silas stayed back with the ladies. He loves his Aunt Anna.

That's how Kenan likes to ride.

Anna pretending to come out of the storage room of the pool because she thought the door was cool.

                                      The next few are taken by Anna. Simply beautiful, isn't it?

We were trying to get pictures of the peacocks and the sunset but they fly. And high. I didn't realize this. So here I am calling to them, or trying to make them fly, or something...

                   My boys. And yes, mom, they dressed themselves. I had nothing to do with it.

                                                                That's more like them

The next morning the peacocks came right up to our porch where we were eating breakfast. Kenan gave them Wheat Chex. Surprisingly, they liked them.

Silas ready to go on the kayak.

                                                        And we are off. The whole fam.

We spent several hours again at Crocodile Island. It was simply perfect. There was a barrier about 20 ft out from the island so it was though we had our own little swimming area. It was precious to watch the boys play and swim. They built forts in the sand, played with the millet stalks and mud, and just enjoyed each other. I rested on the kayak and looked up into the sky. I couldn't help but be overwhelmed with gratitude and thankfulness. I broke out in song. I kid you not the birds started singing with me. It was lovely.

The face of a champion.

We are already planning a trip to go back. The MacLeans love Teriya Bugu! The whole time I'm there, surrounded by the trees and animals, the words that come to mind are inexpressible joy. I can't help but be filled with joy at His creation and His grace for me when I am there! I love it!

Fall Party 2012

Bear with me as this post has a lot of pictures.

We had our annual fall party the other weekend which was, as always, a lot of fun. We started the weekend off with pumpkin carving. 

Note Silas' hands were clean. He refused to clean out his pumpkin so Anna had to do it.

 Kenan's pumpkin was, well, Kenan's. It was a ghost, I think, that had random eyes all around and a funny looking mouth. It didn't make much sense and was kind of all over the place. Like I said, it was Kenan's.

Dawson does a pretty good impression of his pumpkin, don't you think?

Silas with his. His was an angry face and I tell you what it looked just like him when he would make the face.  Of course, though, since I told him to make the angry face, he smiled. :)

                                                      Fishing for goldfish (the edible kind).

The Twizzler race- who can eat a twizzler on a string the fastest. I believe D won.

Bobbing for apples. And an nice surprise was that the apple guy was selling red apples before the party. Made it an even more special treat!

                                     I wish that apple tasted as good as it looks in the picture.

                                Brett manning his station of the marshmallows in pudding game.

                                                          Shooting bottles with a nerf gun.

                                                                   Cake Walk

                       Trying to pull out sticks without the water balloons falling and popping.

                                        Kenan and I competed in the marshmallow in pudding game.

                                                               Dawson and Abigail

Brett enjoyed the games for the older kids. He was undefeated at corn hole.

 Anna did the face painting. She did a great job. The girls kept going back for more. Not surprisingly,  my boys were superheroes...

They were given these little art projects that a team sent out. Kenan immediately sat down right where he was and got to work. Gotta love that boy.

It was a wonderful evening topped off with s'mores over the fire!