Garage Sale Remix

We had terrible weather at my first garage sale a few weeks ago, but I'm praying for great weather on June 10!! My parents' subdivision (Maple Hill) has their garage sale from 8-3 on Saturday and all of my stuff has migrated to their garage:

Meanwhile I've been busy catching up with the online financial management course that SIM requires for long- term applicants. It will require about 4 hours/week for the next 6 weeks, and then I will attend an orientation at SIM headquarters in Charlotte in July. Please pray that I can keep up with the coursework, as I continue to work 3 jobs.

Speaking of jobs, please pray for a new placement with Supplemental Healthcare ASAP as my current contract ends June 9. I'm disappointed to be leaving a job I love in home health and I'm a little anxious to be facing an unknown new position.
And immediately following the garage sale, I will be traveling to Philadelphia to see Tyler receive his Master's degree from Drexel. Please pray for safe travel! 

Sharing news of God’s provision

Some of you knew that my family was blessed with a prize of AA miles last year. I was very grateful to be able to use these miles for some of the return flights during my trip, which kept my overall costs low. We really saw this as God's provision. Well here is an account "straight from the horse's mouth"!

This was published in the AA magazine, American Way. Look for it on your next flight! 

You'll remember Deb, the OT I was assisting in Niger? Her mom found the article on her flight and asked Deb, "Do you know this girl?" 😊 And she sent it to me!

Small note: in the picture is Robert; you may recall from my earlier posts that he is a PT at Kijabe Hospital (not a doctor). 

Other updates: I've been busy reapplying with SIM as a long- term missionary so that I can return to Niger in 2018. The idea is to learn from Deb and develop skills as a therapy department manager in a developing country before replicating what Deb has done in Ethiopia. 

I'm enjoying my new job as a home health therapist (thank God for this job which I secured 2 days before my trip). Sometimes in the car I listen to French 101 lessons  (Niger is francophone). 

Meanwhile I am preparing my house for sale; my roommate has moved out (praise God that she found a nice apartment quickly), my windows will be replaced soon and there is a huge garage sale in my subdivision this weekend (May 19-20), at which I'll be selling as many household items as possible. I'll also be selling the greeting cards that I've been designing. Here are some examples:

Please keep me in your prayers as I wait for an acceptance letter from Niger!

Back home again

I'm finally back home in Chicago, brrrr!

Stormy is happy to see me.

I was comfy in my own bed and enjoyed making coffee this morning. I spent the rest of the day unpacking and looking at pictures. 

Harrod's in London (my layover)

I hope you can tell from this record that I have thoroughly enjoyed my time in Kenya and Niger. I already miss the warmth, the pool, the chipatis, the chai, the smiles, the scurrying of the lizards, the mangoes, the therapists, the prayer times, and my daily siestas, to name a few.

And I'm grateful to all of you that have joined me on the journey. 

Here is a lovely poem that I read while on the plane home, which captures many of my feelings about that great continent:

"Africa" by Kerry Lovering 

Africa, Africa! 

Delightful land, endearing earth

Over your age-old coasts are sunshine, clouds and gentle breezes

On the other side of the ocean are steep mountain ranges

Immense deserts, rapid rivers

And quiet plains. 

Your greatest beauty is your lovely people:

Fulani, Bariba, Somali, Amhara

And many other tribes

With names that sound like music.

Your people are gifted poets, legendary figures, 

Players of long flutes and round drums, skilful craftsmen

Incomparable are the brass utensils of Benin and silver ornaments of Ethiopia. 

Your enthusiasm and friendliness,

Love for children, bond with your land. 

Jesus has long known of your beauty

In his childhood years he came to your shores

Learning to walk on the sandy road of Egypt. 

Later he left. 

He has returned to you now, no longer a child, 

He is the Savior of the world. 

And because you welcomed and received Jesus

You have become far more beautiful and lovely, 

Manifesting the glorious beauty of the Son in you. 

I PLAYED WITH BABY ELEPHANTS TODAY

GUYS, I PLAYED WITH 24 BABY ELEPHANTS TODAY!
This is a real thing that happened. Look!!!

 This morning we visited the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, which currently cares for 28 orphaned elephants.



They require 2 bottles of formula every 3 hours "because it's quite hard to milk a wild elephant" said the head Keeper (sorry, not a Quidditch reference).

They came right up to us at the ropes and let us pet them 😍😍😍

The Keepers are chosen by the elephants themselves (talk about a job interview!). Within 5-9 years the babies will be reintroduced to a wild herd (it takes time to find a herd that will accept them).

They also have 2 black rhinos at the Trust but they are not as personable and they are free to come and go, so we didn't see them.

Then we went to the giraffe conservatory and I kissed a giraffe. No big deal. 

Except it was, so I did it like 6 times! Giraffe kisses are awesome!!!

feeding one of the babies

Kelly, my giraffe girlfriend ☺

It was a fabulous day! But anyway, rewind to yesterday, aka the factory tours. I had arrived at my friends' house around 3am so after letting me sleep in ☺ we went to Kazuri beads which employs over 300 artisans to make ceramic beads and pottery.

the painting/glazing room

wearing a new necklace...

Then we visited the Ocean Sole workshop, which repurposes old flipflops into toys, furniture, art, keychains, etc!

 carving rhinos

Kevin says, "Recycling is cool!"

But also, here are more elephants and giraffes to brighten your day:

I've got just over 25 hours left in Africa and I'd say that I've done everything that I set out to do. I can't wait to share the hundreds more pictures and the stories that go with them, when I see you in person.

 This is only the start of the journey! Thanks for joining me!

Sai Injema

After several blessedly uneventful flights and a couple of days without internet, I have arrived in Nairobi to stay with friends from WBC until my evening flight on Sunday. We have wonderful touristy things planned, plus I get to start telling all of my stories to sympathetic ears 😊
Here are some blessings I'd like to share from my days of travel:
❤ my friends saw me off from Galmi with a pancake breakfast
❤ I felt well enough after Tuesday's debacle to eat a pancake and 2 cinnamon buns before my flight on Weds

❤ in Niamey on Weds evening I went to a restaurant called La Cabane across from the guest house and ate the most delicious dinner, sitting under palm trees in a stuffed chair. Like a desert princess or something 😆 I don't speak French (yet) so I don't actually know what I ordered; it was a mixed plate which I figured was a good bet! If you know how much I love falafel, there was a type of falafel BUT BETTER. Sweet and savory at once. And little mini samosas and crispy cheesy crepes. And a side of hummus with soft pitas. (Sorry that I forgot my camera so there's no actual documentation of this oasis experience! Thank goodness for Google!)
❤ while waiting for my next flight in the Niamey airport, a gentleman from Namibia, David, sat next to me and we conversed in English and exchanged emails. Please pray for his business and his journey
❤ in the Ethiopia airport, I was seated for dinner with a gentleman from Rwanda named Kiro (pronounced kee-row) who has lived in Kenya for 8 years but currently lives in California. We conversed in English and I had wonderful lamb tibs. This time I do have a picture!

❤ after arriving at my destination in Nairobi around 3am, I was allowed to sleep in and lounge in my pajamas today until almost noon 😴

Thank God for all of these traveling mercies!
I find that I am missing certain things about Niger already, so I will say "Sai injema" or "see you later," because I refuse to think of it as goodbye! 

On the road again

I was under the weather yesterday, not how I wanted to spend my last full day at Galmi. Thankfully I am up and around today, in time to say my goodbyes before U start the long trip home. I will travel from here to Niamey, the capital of Niger; to Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia; to Nairobi, the capital of Kenya; to London, capital of England; to Charlotte, North Carolina; to Chicago. Please pray for the travels ahead!
I'm incredibly indebted to all of the new friends at Galmi who have made my stay here so wonderful. I'm going to be processing all of these experiences in the weeks and months ahead and praying for you, too!

Milk cans reborn

Fact: we drink powdered milk here.

Fact: powdered milk comes in cans.

Fact: therapists can make these cans do almost anything. 

Conclusion: Milk cans are très utile. So are therapists.

Remember the wooden chairs we made in therapy camp? Well here is another use we've found for our milk cans, what therapists like to call an incline board:

You can use it with one hand for stretching!!!

You can add weights inside it and push it for strengthening!!!

You can even push it with your foot!!! (plaster-filled tomato can used for counter balance not included...do not attempt while standing)

But wait, call now and we'll also throw in some genuine Galmi rocks! Place them inside the can, bend at the knees (not the hips), and lift! It's a complete workout!

In case you think I just work all the time, here's what I like to do on the weekend:
1. hang with friends

My loneliness therapy dog ☺

2. play board games
3. mooch off of people with DVD players and access to TV shows (have YOU seen season 4 of Sherlock?? I have!!!)
4. avoid cooking...which involves more mooching or lots of leftovers 😁
5. sleep in
6. lounge in my personal oasis:

it really belongs to everyone, and there's a public gate, but also my house's back door opens onto it so I just pretend it's mine

 poolside selfie with one of my pet lizards

their colors are gorgeous! I like to imagine what it would be like if he just turned into a dragon one day and let me ride him

7. go to church

8. catch up on my journaling

9. go to the local tailor. he has made me scrubs, Bible covers and other lovely things!

Today before church we also attended a biki, a traditional baby naming ceremony. This one was bittersweet because shortly after the wife discovered she was pregnant with their first child, her husband was killed in action with his troop. Their daughter is healthy and her name is Jemimah, which is the name of one of Job's daughters after his family and fortune have been restored to him (Job 42:14), and means "dove." Please pray for this widow in her grief and that she may be able to support herself and Jemimah.