Settling in

August 19, 2012

     The past few days have been exhausting.  Thursday we set out to do two things:  buy a plan for my blackberry and get the serums we need for the typhoid vaccinations.  It took us all day just to accomplish both of those things.  Traffic in downtown Conakry was awful; it took us almost three hours just to drive 10 miles.  Andres said it is because of the Ramadan celebrations.  This is the end of the Muslim 40 days of fasting.  As such everyone is preparing for the big “fete,” the holiday celebrating the end of the fasting.  The result:  traffic jams.  Thankfully our car came equipped with a dvd player in the back seat.  This (as well as the grace of God) are the only reasons our kids stayed sane (and Jen and I too) as we sat crammed in one car for over 5 hours, all 9 of us. 

     Friday was pretty much the same story.  This time we just needed to pick up the Galvez’ car and drive to Boke.  Unfortunately their car wasn’t ready as promised, even though the mechanic said it would be ready in two days time, and he had supposedly been working on it for 10 days.  Finally around 5:30 p.m. we were able to hit the road.  Again it took us about 5 hours instead of 3, most of it just trying to get out of Conakry.  I’m starting to get the impression I need to expect unexpected delays.  All that to say, we were happy to leave the city behind.  Conakry is not a big city, but it is packed and crowded, and horribly inefficient.  It seems like we were constantly driving in circles everywhere we went.  I was glad to have someone there to help us get around; I’m still not sure I could find my way anywhere downtown, even if my life depended on it. 

     And now, we are finally at our destination…home.  The house is amazing!  Our team did such an incredible job fixing it up and decking it out with everything we need.  Nathanael and Abi were so excited about their new rooms, fully loaded with water beds, a doll house for Abi, and brand new kinex/lego sets for Nathanael.  They are thrilled.  Jen and I also feel very spoiled as we will have way more space than we’ve ever had before.  The only thing small about this house is the kitchen—apparently Guineans do most of their cooking outside.  There are still a few quirks to work out, as is typical with any rental:  a few termites to exterminate, a few leaks to fix in the roof, a few minor adjustments here and there.  Also, there’s no a/c and no hot water.  But there is electricity, powered entirely by solar panels (hurray we’re going green!) and we do have running water between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.  For Africa this is really living it up.  Other than that, we have everything we need and are working hard to get settled in as quickly as we can.   We’re excited to be here and are so thankful for God’s provision in all of the details.

     “Thank you, Lord for your goodness.  Thank you for providing this home for us.  Thanks for its ideal location.  Thank you for providing all the household goods, even unto all the gifts to the kids.  May you protect our home, Lord.  Please cast out any evil that may lurk nearby.  Please surround this place with your angels.  Fill our home with your Holy Spirit.  May this be a peaceful, joyful, happy home.  Please make this a place of rest and refuge for us and our team.  And may you use this house to build your church and establish your kingdom.  Thank you God!  Amen.”

    

     August 20, 2012

     It’s official, our new fragrance of choice is “Deep Woods.”  I’m also slightly partial to “Active”, though for the kids we’ve chosen to go with “Sensitive Skin.”  While we haven’t received too many bug bites yet, the fear of malaria is strong, and the greatest deterrent is bug spray.  As a result we have been applying regularly, particularly in the evenings and at night.  Thankfully our house has screens on all the doors and windows.  Of course, the bugs seem to find their way in anyway, but it helps.

     One of the reasons for the strong malaria risk is that it’s rainy season.  We live in an absolutely gorgeous valley, lush with green trees and rolling hills.  The official climate is tropical and our surroundings remind me of the lookout on the way to El Valle.  Our house also is located about a mile away from the main road, connected by a series of dirt paths.  This is truly a trail runner’s paradise, also perfect for mountain biking.  I plan to do plenty of both.  The only downside is the huge puddles that get left after it rains, a mosquito’s paradise.  And since it’s rainy season the puddles don’t ever go away.

     The rain here is not hard like Panama’s, but more frequent and generally of longer duration.  So far it hasn’t been as humid as Panama either, which makes the heat a little more bearable.  It’s definitely warm, and we sure miss having our air conditioners.  Abi has also developed some heat rash around her neck and cheeks.  We’re hoping and praying it goes away and that her body adjusts quickly. 

     Today we met our helpers.  Fatime is a young gal who will be doing the cooking and cleaning for us while we’re in school.  Since both of us will be busy teaching, the team thought it would be a good idea for us to have her around.  Salu is our guard/guardener.  He is half brother to Jeremiah, Cees and Corinne’s second adopted son.  Andres and Diana thought it would be helpful to have him mostly to keep visitors away while we are working.  We’ve also decided the team would use our home during the day for their language trainings and study times.  This seems to be their primary need as a constant flow of visitors keeps them really busy and is a big distraction to them.  We’re happy our home can serve as a blessing to the team and hope it will be mightily used to build God’s kingdom. 

     Speaking of this, Andres and I were able to have an interesting conversation with the man helping us to get our driver’s licenses.  He is Muslim but seemed to be struggling with the concept of having multiple wives.  In his understanding, the more wives you have the harder it is to disciple your family to true “faith.”  This is one of the ways Islam propagates itself, and one of the ways a man can earn more grace.  Andres shared with him that our God gives us unlimited grace through faith in Jesus.  The man seemed open to Christianity but reluctant to take the plunge.  We closed by praying for him, which he was pleased to accept.  “I am very happy now,” he told us as we said goodbye. 

     As I reflect on this tonight, I am hoping and believing this is just a small taste of the opportunities God is going to open up for us while we’re here.  I felt like this encounter was just a reminder of the potential that lies all around us if we are only willing to speak up and walk through these doors.  “The harvest is plentiful…” 

     “Lord, thank you for today.  Thanks for our helpers.  May they be trustworthy and faithful.  May you grant us a healthy relationship with them and reveal yourself to them as they come in and our of our homes.  Thank you for the opportunity to speak to Yonoussou this evening.  Please work in his heart and reveal your truth to him.  Please heal Abi’s rash and continue to protect our family from all manner of sicknesses and problems.  Thank you that we have been kept healthy so far.  I praise you Lord for your goodness.  Amen!”