Little Moments

So I've been finding it increasingly difficult to sum up what I'm doing here and how I'm feeling about it all.

There is so much "new" and then things that I've forgotten are new.

So in my effort to capture my time here, I've been journaling in moments and facts.

Here are a few little moments from my African home:

Have been able to eat an Ivoirian favorite, atteche (at-check-ay), a few times. You eat it with your hands. This has taught me:

                    1. My stomach is at war with atteche

              and 2. I don't like eating with my hands. at all!

Steph, my roommate, and I found a bunch of pictures, while cleaning out the campus library, from someones family vacation to Oregon in 1980. They are now covering our walls. I'm extremely thankful that she and I feel the same way about white walls... they need to be covered!

Finding spots on our sheets is becoming normal (this concerned me the first few nights), the mosquitoes apparently need midnight snacks. We now wear bug spray to bed.

I've had 3 hair cuts in the last week. 2 of them were meant to "fix" the first one. I'm too impulsive. Feel like Jo in Little Women when she chops her hair. Last hair cut was successful, but short!

The Nelsons, missionaries from up north, are here this week. I was struck at dinner last night as Wayne Nelson commented that the hardest part of missionary life is being apart from family. They've been here since 1986. I'm a wimp.

Washing clothes is an adventure. Accidentally put a pair of underwear in to be washed by Tenenah, a young Ivorian who works on campus. I think he was more embarrassed than I was. Now I have nightmares about laundry day.

In the mornings, I sit on the lower field and read. I can see out over the wall to the countryside. The mornings are covered in mist because it's the end of the wet season and the birds are all singing their heartsongs. I'm always struck by how beautiful it all sounds together and how God must smile at the sound. It hits me how we should be lifting our heartsongs to our Creator as well- in declaration and praise to the One who formed us in love.

Finding a lot out about how I'm made and spiritual gifts. I feel called more than ever to look into counseling teenage girls. There may be an opportunity to work with a group of girls here in Bouake who have been rescued out of prostitution and trafficking. They want to look into art therapy- and I'm thinking that theater would be really helpful in this. I'm praying that I'll be of some use.

So that's a bit of life here! I'm really enjoying the change and growth, as well as the embarrassing and funny moments. God is constant through it all. 

That's all for now.

Results of 3rd and FINAL haircut. Won't be touching it for a LONG time!