Daybook: The First One from Africa

I wouldn't say I'm quite ready to start posting on a regular basis again JUST YET...but thought that I would pop in and say hello from Africa where we have survived our first week and a half or so.  =)

Outside my window:: A mango tree on one side of the house, and a banana tree on the other.  And the 'neighborhood playground' where all of the other MK's (missionary kids) living on our compound play.   After living in a 4th floor apartment in France, and only being able to get together with friends on occasion, my kids are ecstatic.

The tree in the foreground is our mango tree - I'm thinking that this may be the tree we adopt for our year-long tree study this year!

Listening to:: Chris Tomlin's And if Our God is For Us.   I don't know about you, but I have certain albums that I associate with certain pivotal, key times in my life.   This is the one that I often listened to in the car during our furlough in 2011, when we were working through the decision to leave Papua New Guinea and come to Cameroon.    And I find that now that we are here and living through the [not very fun] transition period, I need to be reminded of the things that the Lord spoke to me during that decision making process.   He is still for us.   He is still faithful.   We can still choose to trust and follow wherever He leads.

Giving Thanks::  That we are here, safely, with all our luggage.   That people have been helpful, friendly, and hospitable as we've gotten settled.  For familiar faces - friends from our time of language study in France.   For fans.   And real butter.   And hot water in the shower. (Yes, I still appreciate a hot shower, even though we are once again living in the tropics!)

Pondering::  "Expect nothing of yourself and everything of God."   Not sure who she was quoting, but someone shared it this morning in our orientation class in the context of a discussion on how to maintain one's spiritual health in this new and challenging cultural context.   I will admit that I am overwhelmed by all the new and different things we've encountered in this place, and while I am surviving, I have difficulty imagining how I will ever learn to find my place and thrive here.   And on my own, I can't.   But He has brought us this far, and I need to trust that He isn't going to drop us now.

Living the Educational Life:: We are on a [very temporary] hiatus right now...Michelle is attending the small MK elementary school here, and the two little ones are in daycare, for the 5 weeks we are doing our orientation class.  It is going OK, but I will admit that I am counting the days until we can get back into our homeschooling groove again, and realizing once again why homeschooling is such a great fit for our family.  (Hmm...sounds like a post all of its own!)  The bonus though...when I went to pick her up on the first day, her teacher's comment was "Boy, can she read - she even knows what all those words mean!"   Thank you, Charlotte Mason, for infusing our home with fantastic and challenging literature!

What I am Loving About Africa (so far):: The early mornings.  Cool(er), quiet, peaceful.  Amazing (and cheap) market produce.  The aforementioned playground.   The fact that my kids think that power outages are cool.

What I am Not Loving About Africa (so far):: The dirt.  Keeping the floor clean is a losing battle.

Finding Rhythm:: What's that??!!  HA!  Haven't gotten that far yet.  Ask me again in a couple months. ;-)

Praying:: For patience and wisdom and grace as we transition. That we would be open and receptive to new ideas in a new culture. For the strength to nurture well, even when I myself am feeling stretched and drained.

Planning the Week Ahead::  Continuing with our orientation course and getting ourselves settled and organized.  Learning how to take a taxi.  And probably visiting an African church for the first time this coming Sunday.

Capturing a Moment::

View from my front porch.