Here's a glimpse of what day to day life has looked like lately. Tuesday night Jesse came home from a discouraging 8-3pm meeting bearing news that since Wednesday would be a public holiday (Labor Day) the hotel where the engineering team was staying would not have any staff on duty and we would need to serve them all meals. We scrambled to ask our kitchen helper if he could work on the holiday for a bonus and to decide whether we had enough to feed them and how we would work that in with the next day's schedule. We made a plan and then I headed out to Neema's mother's wake (see previous post to find out who that is). I rode most of the way in the film team's Land Cruiser, which was just overhauled last week. I was thankful for it, as the roads were barely roads-- they are living in a new neighborhood that doesn't have utilities or planned roads yet. After parking it was about a ten minute walk to the family home. You could tell which one it was because there was singing and drumming drifting out the windows and two tarps strung up outside with about twenty people sitting quietly on benches under each one. I greeted Neema's father and was led into the house and seated on the small front porch with other close family. I spent several hours sitting with Neema quietly talking, rubbing her back, holding her hand, listening to the church choir ladies singing and praying inside the home's living room (there were at least forty women there), and watching the cute baby who kept crawling out the door onto the porch and trying to eat the flipflops that the ladies inside had left at the door. Then home to take a quick shower since there is still cholera close by and areas like their home that don't have running water are susceptible, and I had shaken many hands. Next was getting supper on the table and putting the kids to bed, thankful the next day was a holiday and it didn't matter they were up late.
Yesterday Jesse headed to the funeral at nine. Isaac, the kitchen helper and I started lunch preparations and then he headed to the funeral as well. They started with a viewing at the morgue, then followed a procession of cars to the cemetary for a graveside service. I had a good time with the boys, then Jesse returned at noon, minutes before the engineers arrived for lunch. They were early, so things weren't ready and we sent them on to the hotel to unpack. While they were gone, Jesse was called down to the Discovery School to give the employer's speech to end their Labor Day celebration, which included games and a meal which we skipped out on due to the guests and the funeral. He left at 1:15 and didn't get home until after 3pm, but was able to give and receive wonderful encouragement during that time. One of the teacher's followed him home to thank him-- he is a new hire this year, and he told Jesse that before he got his Discovery School job, he was very poor and often didn't get enough to eat. Now he is well fed and is able to pay for his own university bill as well as help his two younger siblings with their school fees-- they are orphans. It was a sorely needed word of encouragement! Meanwhile, the engineers returned, ate, and left, planning to return at 8pm for a late supper with the rest of their team that was arriving on a different flight. Thankfully at that point we got a nap!!
So there is lots to be thankful for-- that we got a nap :), we haven't had any stomach bugs, the boys weights have just tabled, not dropped, Isaac was able to stay and help with the food... But please pray that we will recover from our various sicknesses and be able to face upcoming challenges well!!
