Ndu

We have been in Ndu for 2 days now and are feeling settled (somewhat).  Right now our whole team is living in a house that is usually used by visiting teachers to the seminary.  We have 2 beautiful women cooking for us: Ancella and Martha.  They have made the most amazing meals for us, although too much for our small group.  Today we ate beans and rice and I had to fight the urge not to eat until I burst – so good!  The house that our family will live in once the team leaves is just up the hill a ways.  Alyssa, Kaley and Ellie cleaned the floors and the kitchen yesterday so it’s starting to look better.  I had Drew rearrange the bedroom furniture but we are still waiting for the mattresses to arrive.  We were told maybe today but the day is almost over and they have not come yet.  There are a couple of baby goats that like to hang out outside our door of our home, they get a little crazy at times and it sounds like someone is trying to break in.  As I was walking away from our little yellow house towards the team house, I heard someone shout.  I didn’t think it could be for me but I looked to see what the shouting was for.  There were two men walking towards me with a refrigerator on their heads, this was for our home, so they were shouting for me.  I would have loved a picture of it but my camera battery had just died so it didn’t happen.  We have seen lots of interesting things carried on people’s heads and on motorcycles.  We did get a picture of a man on a motorcycle carrying another motorcycle.  It reminded me of some of the photos Tom Butz has “You know you’re a redneck when…” only we will call it “You know you’re in Africa when…”

This morning Alyssa, Kaley, Ellie and I walked to some of the local stores to get some supplies.  Ellie had her first marriage proposal.  I think it creeped her out a little, especially because he was a Muslim man much older than her.  He asked how old she was and said at 15 she should be getting married, since she is 14 he thought she should be preparing for that day.  Different world.

Drew started working on the main entry stairs into the teaching area of the seminary.  He brought   a few of his fellow workers home for lunch – nice men.  They have already done quite a bit of work for the first day.  The kids were cleaning off shelves and books in the library.  The seminary boasts one of the largest libraries in Northern Africa but it is very unorganized.  There is only one man running the whole library and it is very overwhelming.  So if you know a librarian who would like to come to Ndu to help Henry, he would love the help.  The dust that is everywhere is not good for the books either.  The   kids are so dirty   after cleaning books all day.  Tomorrow Alyssa and Kaley will be meeting with the woman in charge of the Child Care Center to see what their project will be.  Kaley is going to school to be a preschool teacher so this is right up her alley.

We are having so much fun, the time is flying by.  Last night we got the giggles so bad over stupid things – it feels like being at home.  It will be so hard when the team leaves.  It looks like I will have a part time cook once we are on our own in our little yellow house.  The people here are so nice though, I’m sure we will be well taken care of.  It’s still hard for me to grasp that my family still has 2 months to go in this amazing, but dirty, place.  We have had water so that is good.  I guess they can go weeks without enough water.  I’m still trying to figure out what my role is here.  My first priority is getting our home ready for us to live in. 

Pray for our team and the people we are working alongside.  Pray that we will be productive and that the seminary will be satisfied with the work that we do.  Pray for our family as we adjust after the team leaves (which is still one week away but I am already feeling melancholy over it).  We all feel so privileged and thankful to be here.  Thank you all for helping to make this possible and for your continued prayers.