Filled by His Joy: Mary

Showing posts with label Mary. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Memaliza

Today I am getting on the plane and flying to Nairobi, Amsterdam, Detroit, and then TEXAS! Yesterday was my last day at Mbewau and my last full day in Africa. I don't feel like today I am actually leaving and going home but instead just traveling to another city over here and staying there for longer. Please pray with me for safe travels and everything to be on time and smooth.

We were blessed to have the Hallmark team come and spend the day at Mbewau and be blessed by the beautiful children. They received a big welcome ceremony along with mandazi and chai. The team split up amongst the playground, classrooms, and music to interact with the kids and participate with them.

I was able to go back to where Mary lives and say goodbye to her and the Kopo family. I brought my computer to show pictures from 2008, 2009, and since I have been here to Mary, Leena Kopo, Mary's husband, and about 10 other people who just kept trickling. It was so fun to have them sit in a huddle behind my computer and talk about who was in the picture and look at baby Mercy when she was learning how to walk and a picture of Lamech on Leena's back. The two women walked me back to the school which I'm sure was a funny sight. I was carrying baby Jane on my back in a kanga and Leena was carrying my big black backpack with a kanga around her head and as a skirt. When we passed people they told them I was their sister.

The Kopo kids : Mercy, Lamech, Anna, baby Jane ( Frances was playing a game) and the oldest is at a different school for older kids

All of us!

plus Mary!

How toilets are built.... this is going down across the street

I loved being able to joke around and interact with the staff there at Mbewau and talk about how far the school has come. At the end of the chapel program that was put on for our guests, Pastor Nzaro looked at me and asked, "Do you remember day 1? Because I do." I gave him a big hug with tears rolling down my face.

Then the Hallmark team went to play a volleyball game with Rama's team he has created as a ministry for the church to young men. The team called Mbewau Magic is undefeated and go around playing other volleyball teams in the area. And of course they beat the Hallmark team in all 3 games and the games weren't close competition! It was a hoot. I stood there watching and cheering while playing with Dorkas, Nzaro's daughter Esther, and holding Dorkas' brother.

Saying goodbye's were quite hard as this symbolized the end of my time here and the relationships I have made and only had grow closer through the years and even more so in the last few months. I am so thankful for all of the opportunities and experiences I have had. I hope to keep my blog going for a while longer, but from Africa I am signing out!

Tutuonana East Africa, nitarudi!

Monday, June 13, 2011

Bado

As my last few days here are quickly coming to an end, I have truly enjoyed my time I have spent with my friends here in Mombasa. I have been slowly coming back to civilization as Mombasa is much more like America than Arusha.

I spent a whole morning with my dear friend Mary at her house with the other mama’s and babies while all the kids were at school. They made chai so we could all drink and eat bread together because ...you always feed a guest... anytime and anyone. While the chai was being made I just walked around the village as though I was at home. I would pop in and out of houses (mud huts) and have little conversations with the families. I met another Kadzo and her children which was naturally followed by the joke that I am really the baby’s mom because my name is Kadzo also. Even though there were three different languages going on (English, Swahili, and Giriama) I felt right at home. I know enough Swahili that I can get by on my own and be able to carry on conversations which made my visit so much more meaningful. I was able to love on Mercy and her little sister, maybe the happiest baby ever, baby Jane. We had a small photo shoot with Mary and her husband because she asked me to come and bring my camera so we could take pictures. We also took pictures with the babies and with the other women. On our way back I stopped and tried my hand at hoeing a field of one of her friends...let's just say I need some practice. I can’t explain my connection or my deep compassion for her along with many of these dear friends of mine out here, but it is there and it is deep.

The village area Mary and Jackson and Mercy live. It is a common middle area whit huts surrounding it on all sides.

Mary, she is TINY! She is about 44 ...I think is what she said.

Sunday afternoon, Chris and I were able to drive out to Richard’s house and visit him and his family again. Baby Lisa was still afraid of us mzungus but she let me hold her for a while with out crying. But little Elijah I adore. I cannot express to you how much I love this little boy! As soon as I got there, little children were yelling “mzungu, mzungu!” and so I yelled “mtoto, mtoto!” (child) and as soon as Elijah heard my voice he runs out the door with the biggest smile on his face and into my arms. We sat on the couch talking and laughing and tickling and letting everyone know that he knew my name and where I was. I adore this family and feel so incredibly blessed to be able to call them my friends. Richard and Pauline have one of the best marriages I have seen on the African side. They have a beautiful family. So this is the conclusion we came to.... since I can’t take Elijah home with me, if my first born is a boy then he can come over and marry baby Lisa when they grow up and we can just be one big family, or we can trade kids.

Elijah, me, Lisa, Richard

You can't not love him

Then today was spent preparing Mbewau for our guests from Hallmark Church in Ft. Worth who will be out at school all day long. They brought sharp new embroidery polos for all of the staff which I handed out today so they would look their best tomorrow. I also spent some time trying to finish out the shoe fitting process which we are ALMOST done with, but not yet. I would like all of you sports people out there who use fields with lines on them to appreciate the wheelbarrow carts that roll the chalk lines on the dirt for you because today Rama, Chris, and Jackson spent a few hours bent over sprinkling the chalk lines by hand.

In my attempt to take a picture of the all of the children from my favorite family I was able to go out and see Mary again. Today she took me to her shamba which is a farm like area where she grows crops- a square area about 10 yards wide. On our way out there she told every one we saw that we were going to see her shamba. She was quite proud as we walked through the villages holding hands to show off her work. She grows corn in a small square area with sand like dirt which is a plot in a row of about 5 other shambas all growing corn. We walked around the entire perimeter and she showed it off to me telling me that corn was there and a big mango tree was here and so and so’s house is over there....then we we reached the area with her biggest corn she asked me to take a picture so I could show all of you how big her corn is. So she ran over and stood in the corn so it would measure against her. I am going back tomorrow to say goodbye and give her pictures of me and my family that she has asked for.

Mary and one side of her shamba

Us showing how tall the corn is. A girl took this picture that had never held a camera before and wasn't quite sure about the whole thing.

Pictures of baby Morris at 10 days old!!!

Lucy and baby Morris at 10 days on his coming out party

Lucy and her mom. This was his first day out of the hut

Lucy, Morris, and Lucy's husband's mom

Monday, March 28, 2011

MbeWOW!

Greetings from Mombasa! --(I could make postcards)

I hope everyone is doing well. My spring break has been going wonderfully so far. Although I feel like I have been here a week, today is only day 3.

Yesterday we attended church at Mbewau. I was once again happily greeted by Mary with wide and excited eyes and open arms. She held my hand and led me into church. She just cracks me up. I wish each one of you had the ability to come and experience this lifestyle, passion, and these people.

I had forgotten how intense the village church services were. When the pastor prays, everyone prays. And it is usually not quiet whispers, but praying out loud. Everyone, at the same time. Sharing their praises, thanksgivings, and burdens with their Father. Church was in Swahili but it was good none the less.

I saw the babies I have been watching grow up, if you will. My first year the babies, mostly girls, were all about 4-8 months old. Then the next year I cam back and they were all toddling around, exploring. Now I come and they are big girls! Baby Mercy is as charming as can be, and I think she knows it. Rosie is still shy, and the others are as cute as a button.

Baby Mercy and I in 2009

I had the humbling opportunity to visit the government run hospital yesterday. We went to go pray over one of the church families who has a 4 month old baby with a severe case of jaundice. If measures would have been taken at the hospital during birth, this baby would be fine. But because of the lack of attention and care by the hospital then and now, this sweet baby girl is slowly fading. Her liver is not functioning at all and she has lost weight. She is tiny. We also went to visit a man who is the father of the school's gardener who was beat up the night before. He had been attacked on the road by a machete, with three hacks taken to the head, and about a dozen small stabs by a sharp/skinny object to the abdomen. He had a fractured skull, bleeding, and swelling in his brain along with who knows what in his abdomen. His eyes were glazed over, he was unaware of what was going on, and he was fighting to take the bandages off his head. After being there for 12 hours, he had not been given any medication or much attention. He had been tied to the bed and was laying restlessly in soiled rags around his scalp. The doctors didn't care.

This entire experience I want to share with you, not because I want to scare you of Africa or health care, but because I want to open your eyes to how lucky we are and what goes on in many third world countries around the world. In the baby ward, each crib had two babies in it. The crib had no sides so the mamas could sit or lay on the beds with the babies. On the other side of the room was a row of... drawers. Imagine taking all of your drawers out of your dresser and lining them up in a row. Then place some fabric, maybe a small pillow, and a sick baby in each of them. This is what it looked like. There were flies everywhere, smell of bodily fluids overrunning the room, and sick, helpless babies. Instead of having individual IV bags for each child, there was a water bottle filled with the hydration fluid that had 5 tubes with a hose and needle going into 5 little babies. In the neonatal, I saw the TINIEST baby I have ever seen. I cannot even describe her to you. It broke my heart. In the ER, a baby had died that day that had simply been wrapped up and laid on a bed for who knows how long. A man had a serious foot injury which had been bandaged up. He had his foot on the floor as he was laying on a bed. We told him to lift his foot above his heart, when he did we realized there was a constant drip of blood from his foot onto the floor. I wish I could have recorded all that I saw and smell with my eyes and nose and replayed them for you, but I can't. Healthcare is a serious problem in developing countries. Government health care is usually reported as being better than it actually is because of misrepresentation.

The day then turned for the better again as I was able to reunite with our bus driver from the last two times I was here. Richard, his family, and I have become very close each of the times and they continued to call me about once a month while I was in the states. Richard has a 3 year old son, Elijah, and a 6 month old baby girl, Lisa. Elijah has one of the best smiles and pictures don't do it justice. I wish I could bring him home with me. We sat on the couch for 45 minutes as Elijah just sat as peacefully as could be with his head on my chest. Richard is such a blessing in my life and his joyful spirit brings such joy to my heart as well.

Richard, Me, Elijah, Lisa, Pauline, Lisa, Chris

Last night I had a treat! We had what I would call girls night, although there was a boy there...oh well. We watched Life As You Know It, ate popcorn and ice cream, had cokes, talked about life and boys and what God is doing, and I bought some cute African shoes. It was so great and so needed.

Today we went back to the school and cleaned out all of the classrooms because the kids are on break. Similar to our Christmas or Summer break, but lasts 1 month. We pulled down posters, swept with african brooms, peeled sticky tack off the walls, sweated like nobodies business, spoke and learned swahili, laughed, sanded desks and tables, sang, and enjoyed each others company. The conversations and way things are said here just crack me up. Today Chris was asking one of the guys in charge of the school if he ever sings to his wife (who was sitting across the lunch table). He said yes. Chris asked him to sing us all one of the songs. He said, "no, because you are not part of it." And as we were making our chai for breakfast, we were getting our tea bags from the bowls and one of the other men in charge was explaining to Chris that "African's love each other, one tea bag can last 10 men." He was very proud of their frugality and their ability to share.

Tonight I had the most American dinner I have had yet.... HEB mac & cheese, steak, potatoes, and a salad!!!! MAN, it was yummy--Thanks Lisa!

Before & After Pictures of Mbewau