glimpse of the daily

I have often said that my life in Africa probably looks a lot like yours in America…apart from some very different kind of scenery.

In some ways life can be pretty routine. On the other hand, there is always the need to be prepared for the unexpected. A night’s sleep might be interrupted by the 2am whining and barking of our dogs after they have chased an animal (most recently it was a genet) up into a tree.  Just this week the morning homeschool plans were thrown out the window as our whole compound spent almost two hours figuring out how to get to and kill a very large black mamba snake which was hiding up in the under parts of our vehicle. Routine in our home schooling, but not necessarily scheduled. Routine in our weekly activities but with a visitor or teammate usually coming or going. My mornings are filled with school or some other educational experience. Doing my best, well usually my best, at juggling three grade levels of subjects. Thankfully the kids are on autopilot for some of this. Remember, I said my home schooling was routine but not scheduled! We have had a teenager in the house now for a little while and with that makes for some more challenging school. We are very thankful for some other teammates who are helping in areas where I am lacking. Christopher Verdick continues to help by teaching Caleb his Writing and Literature. We also have another missionary associate, Fiona Smith, who teaches him Pre-Algebra and Science.

Rainy season seems to be upon us and with that comes things like: dashing to close windows before the blowing rain hits and water is pouring into the house, sleeping better because of the cooler nights, and having to do a balancing act over stones in crossing our little river to get to our clinic. With the muddy roads, it also means being resolved to the fact that there may be longer stretches without leaving Karamoja.

For me these days, play time involves trying not to freak out when Jacob (8 years) really wants to climb back up that big tree all the way to the very top. He insists he’ll be fine as he reminds us that God has blessed him as a skilled climber. That is a fact none of us can doubt but which does not seem to lessen my fears. I’m relieved when he is back down coming into the house singing, “I’m alive and well, the spirit lives within me…”

Saturday is the day that several Karimojong boys come over to play soccer or baseball, have some lunch, race around the yard on bicycles with brakes usually not working. Often in the middle of it all we treat them to a 30-minute viewing of Looney Tunes. What a way to expose them to American culture. It’s Saturday, right?!