I’m All In

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On December 8, 2011

In Other

I’m pretty good at poker.

But that’s probably because I’ve never actually played with real money.  I doubt I’d be very good under those circumstances.

Because I am not a risk-taker.  I hate risks. 

And adoption?  Kind of risky.  But at least with my other three, I knew that as long as I persisted long enough, I would get my children.

This time, I have no idea.

I spent all day working on the adoption for that little guy.

It was a really rough day.  I wish I could vent about it, but it would not be very wise for me to do so here.  After all, this is a public blog. 

So let’s just say that after Meeting #1 with Person #1, I left the office in tears, broken-hearted and absolutely infuriated.  I immediately went up one more floor to try to meet with the Big Boss.  He was not in.  His secretary did not know when he would be in.  Tomorrow is a holiday, and next week he is going on vacation.  It’s December 8th, and I would not have another chance to talk to him until January.

I called Amy H. at Forever Angels, then I called our lawyer, and blubbered my way through those conversations.  We made a plan for January.

Since I was already downtown, I walked around, looking for some things I need for HOPAC’s Christmas Fun Day on Saturday.  I was looking for large sheets of plastic to make a Slip n’ Slide, and each shopkeeper kept directing me farther and farther down the street.  When I finally found it, bought it, and made it back to my car, another hour had past.

On a whim, I called the secretary again.  “He’s come back early!”  she told me.  “Come up now!”

So I ran back up the five flights of stairs.  And then I sat there outside his office and waited for two more hours while he was in another meeting.

We talked, I cried again, and he directed me to talk to yet another person, next week.  Someone who will be in the office.

Right before I left, he off-handedly mentioned that he wasn’t supposed to be in the office this afternoon.  He had been in a conference and been sent back early for another reason.

I was happy for that tiny reminder that God is in this.

And I need that, because this is riskier than any of my other adoptions.  I don’t know how this will end up.  So far, it doesn’t look good.  Yet I can’t seem to shake the conviction to keep going.  But I know already, based on my reaction to conversations today, that it will really, really hurt if we hit a dead end.

And I don’t like that. 

But I’m all in.

So here I go. 

Giving Thanks

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On December 3, 2011

In Other

Our mission team in Tanzania has a tradition to celebrate Thanksgiving together each year.  We are all from America, and we are as much family as we’re going to get out here.  This year, the Medinas hosted.  All 40 of us. 

Things that are the same as Thanksgiving in the States:

1.  Turkey

2.  Pumpkin pie

3.  Excessive and absurd amounts of food

4.  Lots of laughter and fun

5.  Very very grateful hearts

I think that’s where the similarities stop.

Things that are different from Thanksgiving in the States:

1.  Finding a turkey was a major undertaking.  Finding one that wouldn’t cost $1 per bite was even more of a challenge.  But we did it.

2.  The pumpkin pie, as well as absolutely everything else on the table, was completely from scratch.  Meaning, we cooked down pumpkins for the pies.  And dried out bread cubes for stuffing.  And peeled real potatoes and mashed them.  (Okay, I do know that this does occasionally happen in America as well.  Not trying to insult anyone.)  I did not do all the cooking.  It was a huge potluck, and my part was only baking the rolls and some pies.  We have amazing cooks on our mission team….you kind of have to become that way if you want to eat anything more than scrambled eggs in this country.

3.  Oh, I was wrong.  The cranberry sauce did come from a can.  Which someone had brought with them from the States. 

4.  The fourth Thursday of November is not a holiday in this country.  We all had to work, and thus we held our meal on the fourth Saturday of November.

5.  The power went out right before the guests arrived.  We had been trying to cool down the room by blasting the air conditioning in the living room before they came (which we rarely use), and so we had to turn on the generator to keep it going.  The generator did not like all the power we were using, so we had to choose between the air conditioner and the lights.  The lights went off. 

6.  Having 40 people in the house in 90 degree weather, even with the A/C, still caused a profuse amount of sweating.  Lots of people ate outside. 

7.  The marshmallows on top of the sweet potatoes were pink.  Pink is the primary color of all marshmallows in Tanzania.

8.  I used pineapples and bougainvillea as part of my centerpieces.

9.  There was no football, no parade, and nothing, nowhere was on sale. 

But it still felt like Thanksgiving.

We started at 1:00, but many people stayed until 9, snacking on leftovers and playing games for hours. 

There are many things I am thankful for, but this team is a major one.  We are all so far from our families, but they fill us up with love and affection.  My kids call them all “Aunt” and “Uncle.”  They are amazing people with amazing stories and are doing incredible things for God’s kingdom….reaching the very unreached….community development through health care, teaching English, building wells….training Tanzanians to be missionaries….equipping pastors. 

My first choice would be to be with my family on Thanksgiving.  But this is the next best thing. 

Oh, To Be Back In High School

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On December 2, 2011

In Other

My wonderful team of Student Council members (still need a picture of them!) did a fantastic job organizing Spirit Week last week. So proud of their hard work and loved how much “spirit” at HOPAC they encouraged! 

They were told “a girl” would give them a kiss and they had to guess which one….

….and it was their moms.  (The only “girls” who should be kissing them right now anyway!)

Tesfaye (Vice President) and Randra (Treasurer)….on 70’s day

Our Tinkerbell Sam.  And No, that’s not my husband wearing Josiah’s Buzz costume.  You just think it is. 

Kindergarten At Its Best

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On December 2, 2011

In Other

I don’t know if we’ll be in Tanzania another 12 years, but I know that if we are, Grace will graduate from HOPAC with a lot of the kids she is on the playground with now.

So I want to get to know these parents.  A couple of weeks ago was my first attempt.  I love the fact that I can invite these families to school for a birthday party for the kindergarten teacher, on a Saturday afternoon, and they will actually come. 

Such a great day.  When you’ve got families with as diverse backgrounds as those at HOPAC, you know you’re going to have great conversations. 

(That’s Grace’s classroom in the background.)

The kids brought their bikes and careened around the campus, and us moms got to know each other. 

Later that week, the kids got the surprise of their life.  This class loves to dance (and I love that their teacher encourages them to dance), and one of their favorite songs to dance to is by a Kenyan Christian rap star. 

So you can imagine their excitement when Bupe himself jumped into their dance party one day. 

I’d say those are some pretty lucky kindergarteners.

Fat and Sassy

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On November 28, 2011

In Other

There she is…eight months old….Isn’t she a beautiful sight?

William and Janet (click here for the story, if you’re new around here)

Stella, William, and Janet (on the right) with some members of their church.

I didn’t take these pictures; a friend of mine did.  Though I see William quite often, I rarely see Stella and Janet.  William tells me about her all the time; how she is sitting up and falling over, how she is getting fat (as you can see!). 

Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

Thanks for your prayers for not only my family, but for these people in my life.  For William and Stella, and now for Victor, Criscilla, and baby Christian. 

Life is hard here.  We are reminded of that every day.  Tonight Gil came in with 10 little packets of peanuts.  I gave him a strange look, considering that he does not like peanuts.  “I couldn’t help but buy them,” he said.  “It’s all the woman out there was selling.”  (I love that man!)

How much profit did she even make on 10 packets of peanuts?  Probably 15 cents total?  And yet Gil said she was so thrilled to sell them.  Thrilled with 15 cents? 

Life is hard. 

William and Stella’s baby is fat and sassy.  It’s wonderful and beautiful to behold.  But that doesn’t change the fact that she had three other babies stillborn.  My friend Emily, who ministers in a village, told me that she doesn’t know a single woman who has not lost a child under the age of 2. 

Life is hard.  But we praise God for Hope.  Hope in beautiful baby Janet.  Hope in that baby Christian is “critical but stable;” hope in knowing that God does answer prayer. 

But especially, Hope in knowing that this is not all there is. 

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