Posted in Family, News Article on Feb 7th, 2010 | Discuss This Post
Malachi making sure the snake is really dead
Malachi is always ready at a moments notice to go on a hunting expedition. You wouldn’t believe some of the creative “traps” that he has come up with. Just give the boy some string and tape and you will soon have a masterpiece. Honestly, we’ve never seen anybody so in love with tape (he even asks for it in packages!) He has come up with bird traps, lizard traps and snake traps. Never mind that he hasn’t caught much yet – he just keeps on trying. I frequently say that this a boys paradise – especially if that boy is like Malachi. He saw that Steve had a spear made by a guy in the village for snakes and as soon as he saw it he wanted his own. He gets excited every time he hears someone yell the word SNAKE. He comes running with some weapon to defeat the dreaded snake. Steve and I have tried to instill some sort of fear in him over the dangers of snakes, but so far we haven’t been very successful. The other night he was putting his bike away in the shed when he spotted a black cobra slithering on the side of the house. He was thrilled to start screaming for Steve and quickly grabbed his spear. Thankfully he stayed a safe distance back as Steve shot the snake – which is good because Steve says it was spitting venom at him. Oh, the joys of living in Africa. I guess it’s time to start preparing him for going back to the states where the only snakes he’ll see will probably be at the zoo and he won’t be allowed to spear them!
Tags: Africa, animals, boys
Posted in Family, News Article on Feb 7th, 2010 | Discuss This Post
Having a little beach dance party
We love going to the beach. We don’t have lots of places to go and have fun. If we stay at home on a “family day”, our kids still have to share Steve with the long line of people who will come to talk to him. So, a day at the beach is perfect for us. We try to go once a month with our friends, the Bryants. Our kids love the day to be together and we adults love the chance to catch up on what’s been happening with each other. They live in another village about an hour away and our lives seem so busy all the time that we rarely get a chance to talk.
Our kids love exploring the rocks, searching for shells and other creatures. They love swimming, playing football on the beach, and digging in the sand. We love to have a yummy lunch prepared by someone else (and cleaned up by someone else). We love long walks down the beach and beautiful sunsets on the beach. We have had wonderful, relaxing days every time – makes it easy to plan for the next getaway!
Tags: friends, vacations
Posted in Family, Ministry, News Article on Feb 6th, 2010 | Discuss This Post
Maimouna and Ronnie at the hospital
My dear friend, Maimouna, has a very sick little boy. Baby Ronnie is the little guy who was born in our car a few weeks after we arrived in country. You can guess that this big event speeded up the bonding process! We’ve treasured being a part of all his milestones since then. So, we were pretty concerned when we found out he’d been steadily growing sicker and sicker over the past week. He’d become completely lifeless, stopped eating, walking and talking. We and our co-workers paid to have him admitted to the hospital and began his treatment. After a week long stay filled with blood transfusions, IV’s and medicine – I’m still not sure we’ve figured out what’s wrong with him. He is still having trouble eating, he’s still lifeless and just not himself. Since his mom thinks he’s slowly on the mend, I told herthat we could wait a couple more days to go back to the hospital. But, if he continues to remain so tired and sick, I want to take him back in for more tests. Please pray for wisdom in this situation – it’s so often that parents wait until it’s too late to see doctors and I want to do whatever it takes to get Ronnie healthy. At the same time, I don’t want to overstep my bounds in our friendship.
On a side note: During a visit to see Ronnie and Maimouna at the hospital, I saw that every patient was outside. Some were lying in beds, some laying on the ground, some hooked to IV’s with flies everywhere. It was quite a sight – seriously, some people looking very close to death, wounds from fresh injuries and surgeries. ALL people who should have been in rooms and not outside during the hottest part of the day. I asked Maimouna why everyone was outside. She told me that the hospital told her that there were too many mosquitos in the rooms and everyone needed to stay outside while they sprayed with poisons. I know that I will never complain about medical care again!
Tags: friends, host family, relationships
Posted in Family, News Article on Feb 6th, 2010 | Discuss This Post
Our school here in Guinea
Here’s the entire HMS school with teachers and other staff! These aren’t the greatest photos, but believe me, I gave it a good effort with everyone. I think if I would made them keep sitting there until we got a really good one we would have been there all day, but at least you get to see our kids with their teachers and classmates.
I can’t believe that the school year is more than half over. This year seems to be going by so fast and I wanted to be sure to get a school photo before we head home this summer. I know it’s quite a small school! Not quite what we’re used to in the States, but we’re very thankful for this ministry for our boys. It’s been the best of both worlds for us. They are home for snack, lunch hour, and home for good an hour later – but they still get to go and experience being in a classroom with other kids their age. They have really enjoyed their teachers while we’ve been here and I’m so thankful for their determination to make school interesting for our boys. I love hearing their stories and experiences from throughout the day.
We are planning on the boys going back to school while we’re home in Michigan this fall. I’m a little concerned how they will do with such huge differences between the two schools, but we’re praying already for all the adjustments that they’ll face in a few months.
The boys in their English class
Tags: boys, friends, school
Posted in Family, Ministry, News Article on Feb 4th, 2010 | Discuss This Post
Micah teaching Soriba how to play the wii
Our house is usually buzzing with activity all day long. There is always someone stopping by for a visit, to look for work, to invite us to something or the frequent requests for things. For the most part, we have just accepted that our meals will always be interrupted (usually several times) and that things will take longer to accomplish as we stop and talk with guests. I will admit that there are times when I wish people would just leave us alone. There are times when the boys get tired of sharing their parents attention with the rest of the world. But, people here don’t really understand the concept of privacy since it’s totally foreign to their culture. People here are never alone! So, we’ve worked hard to not get irritated at the constant flow of people. We tried to teach our boys that this is the culture we live in now and we all have to adjust. Some days are better than others.
We have a teen from a nearby village that comes 3 evenings a week to water all the plants around our house and at the Guest house we oversee. Yes, this is something we or the boys could do ourselves. But, Soriba is learning responsibility and this job helps him earn money for school. He likes being here even if he’s not watering the plants. He spends time talking to Steve about things and enjoys playing sports with Micah. There are the occassional times when he lingers long enough after his job to get invited in for dinner – that’s always a bonus! The other night I was finishing up dinner and Micah was playing his Wii and he invited Soriba in to try it out. It was pretty funny watching Micah try and explain the concept of the game in his very limited french. Steve had to start translating the instructions and it was also pretty humorous to see Soriba trying to figure out these controllers. But, he had a blast and I’m sure it was the topic of conversation at his house that night!
Tags: village life
Posted in Ministry, News Article on Feb 4th, 2010 | Discuss This Post
Lessa and her new baby boy
I’ve said before that baby naming ceremonies are a welcome event over the funerals and sicknesses that plague the village. This past week a friend had a new baby boy. I visited the day after the birth and there he was bundled up in four layers of clothing – why they think he’ll be cold when it’s 95 degrees, I don’t know. Lessa looked wonderful for a mother who’d given birth at home just the night before. The baby naming ceremony is one week later and this was a huge event. Her husbands family is an important one in the village and this ceremony was the largest I have been to so far. It’s nice to see comprehension and understanding growing as I now know what to expect. I still don’t understand some of what’s going on, but that’s okay. I left after the ceremony was over to get back to the kids – before the rice and sauce was served. Which honestly, is quite fine with me since I’m not a huge fan. But, out of friendship, Lessa had a large bowl delivered here at home for me! Malachi and Steve appreciated the gesture much more than me.
Everyone watching as the baby's head is shaved
Tags: village life
Posted in Family, Ministry, News Article on Feb 4th, 2010 | Discuss This Post
Getting ready to sing Happy Birthday - he looks a little overwhelmed with all the attention
Mo is like another son for me. For our first year here, he played in our house with Ephraim just about every day. He learned the English words for “stop, more, please, mine, and share” very quickly during these play sessions with Ephraim. His home is a never ending flurry of chaos, screaming and people hitting on the kids. Our house was quiet (for the most part), had toys he’d never seen and had lots of snacks sent from the states – he was in heaven! His French is actually pretty good for a six year old and I at least had some talk to during those difficult days.
When we moved here to our mission center, it was hard to say goodbye to him. I feel responsible for him. I hate the thought of people abusing him and being mean to him. I see how “hard and tough” he is becoming because it’s the only way to survive here and it makes me ache for him. I wish I could do more for him, but I can’t swoop in and take him away. I have to pray for him, show him love when I can and encourage his family to show kindness. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: friends, host family, relationships
Posted in Family, Ministry, News Article on Feb 4th, 2010 | Discuss This Post
Pots used for cooking outside the house
I love to get out in the village without the kids and visit with friends. Not that I don’t want my boys to be out in the village, but it is infinitely easier to focus on my french without having to keep Ephraim from some major disaster! The other day I was visiting with my friend and she was sharing with me about how her bed was broken up in different pieces. She told me that she is trying to come up with some money to order a new bed to be made. I asked where she and her kids are sleeping in the meantime. Here, each wife has a room that she shares with her children and the husband has his own room as well. She took me in her bedroom to show me. I stood there totally shocked that she is sleeping on the mud floor with just a sheet as her bedding. Not only is she sleeping on the ground, but so are her three kids who share the space with her. In that moment, I thought about all the times I’ve complained of a bad nights sleep and how truly blessed I am. Seriously, there are a million things that happen every day that remind me how extravagant my life is compared to those around me. To have my own bed with a mattress – with a fan even! is a luxury that most here can’t imagine. I asked her how much the bed would be and it’s roughly a years salary for her working at our mission guest house. She said that she hasn’t been able to save up any money because her kids keep getting sick and she doesn’t have any extra money after paying for medicine. Culturally, the husband is obligated to help his wives with food, but for things needed by themselves or by their kids – it’s the wife’s responsibility. It’s crazy to think that she’s already been sleeping for months on the ground and she could be sleeping there for years to come while she tries to save for a bed. It’s a hard line to be a friend to someone and not want to take care of all their financial problems. I’m not doing her any favors to become just a money symbol to her, but at the same time I want her to know that I do care and help her in some way. It’s a constant battle – not just in this situation, but in most of our relationships here. It’s one that we need your prayers for every day – as we seek to show compassion and empathy without those around us becoming completely dependent on us.
Tags: Africa, friends, relationships
Posted in Family, News Article on Jan 19th, 2010 | Discuss This Post
Steve is gone most of this week working in another village to build a porch on our friends house. He was pretty excited about getting out there as he and his crew loaded up the work and trailer to start their trek out there. Can’t forget anything for the job – no Lowe’s or Home Depot to run out to. I wish I could say that I was as excited to be being left on my own. My boys know how to wear me out – actually, it’s a combination of a whole lot of things that wear me out, boys included in that. There are nights when I lay awake in bed for hours just thinking about things. It must be heredity because I know my mom does the same thing – or maybe it’s just a general “mom” thing that we do. Are my thoughts rambling as much as I think they are? This is exactly what I do at night – one thought leads to thinking about something else, to something else and before I know it – hours have gone by. There is a lot to think about these days…issues with the kids, issues in ministry, family stuff back home, our travels home this summer…lots of different things. My sister sent me an email yesterday telling me that her New Years resolution was to do away with worry – hmmm, sensing a family pattern???
Putting Ephraim to bed last night he said “I keep forgetting how to be nice. You have to tell me a hundred times! Tell me not to be rude.” I told him that God is always listening and he can ask God for help anytime he needs it. Isn’t it funny how you hear yourself telling your kids the exact things that you need to remember from time to time? With so much on our plate, so many things needing attention and so much drama to our lives – it’s a needed reminder that God has already told me “a hundred times” exactly what He wants me to do with all my cares and worries. Thank goodness for the conversations with kids that keep us on our toes!
Tags: boys, Family
Posted in Family, Ministry, News Article on Jan 19th, 2010 | Discuss This Post
We’ve eaten many times with our host family in town. Recently I wrote about the huge feast that they set out for us for New Years Eve. We’ve had them over several times as well, but usually I try to stick with food that is somewhat like what they are used to. But, Steve and I got to talking the other night about how it would be fun to expose them to something totally foreign – much like how they’ve spent the last year and a half exposing us to totally new ideas! So, we decided to have a bbq here this past weekend complete with those American bbq recipes. When we called to invite them over for supper we weren’t quite sure exactly how many we would be inviting! Their house is a rotating door of kids coming and going – it just depends on the week as to who might be living there (this is completely normal here). Maimouna called back to say that at least 12 would be coming – well, that told me that I needed to make A LOT of food! Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Africa, friends, host family, relationships
Steve and Casey Cretsinger Experiencing Tribal Missions in Guinea, W. Africa 
