i choose to be thankful.

Funny how fast life seems to happen.  I have not looked at this blog in almost a year and so much has changed, again. The boy I was dating is now my husband, I am living further South, but still happy to be near the coast and near work, still working as a nurse and happy. We have 2 cats, Lucy and London, and as much as we don't want to be "those people" we do love our cats very much and enjoy our time at home with them.

I have often thought of logging back onto here and blogging away what life has brought my way, but never seem to find the time.  Not sure what is different about today, I still have a long list of to-do's and am trying to beat some kind of virus that I am sure I picked up at work and as my grammy would say I still am "feeling punk".... probably my sister Amy has some influence on me starting anew with my blog as she has started blogging and has encouraged me to do the same.

But I think it's all the thankfulness in the air... yesterday I heard a sermon and the pastor said something that really stuck with me. What good is thankfulness or gratitude if it is only kept to yourself in your heart? Other than giving your heart the feeling of fullness, you don't do any good, and you miss out on the opportunity to glorify the Lord.  So I am not going to miss out on this perfect opportunity to get back to blogging and let my thanks be known (even if I'm the only one who ever reads this... hey! it can serve as my record of thankfulness, maybe a new tradition... hmmm)

I am thankful for....

yogi tea, especially the one that's helping my throat feel better right now.

Christmas music, and that I come from a family who's been known to start listening to Christmas music in October and have the house fully decorated in time for my birthday... on November 16.

being 26, I think it has a nice ring to it. twenty-six. it's gonna be a good year.

My great-grandpa who was a cowboy and established Lyall Enterprises, our families orange-growing ranch. He was a stud and our entire family is continually blessed because of his hard work.

electricity and my refrigerator. Could you imagine life without it?!? My grandparents can, and they try to tell me what it was like growing up, that would be rough!

Honey-crisp apples. No explanation needed here.

My sweet kitties... Lucy and London. They make life fun.

My access to all of God's word... I am so blessed to know Jesus personally and learn about Him through His word.  I especially love our Bible from my parents they gave us as a wedding gift.

My parents... They're the best. In the whole world. Ever.

Kate Spade. Where would fashion be without her?

My 12-year old Honda - Henrietta.  I inherited her and we've lived a lot of life together. She does good work getting me from one place to another.

My functioning body.  It has its days and I've had my health issues, but man I am so thankful I can walk, feed myself, express myself and take care of myself.  Something that should never be taken for granted.

My job. I love being a nurse. I love Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas and I love my unit. I get to take care of people and work for an organization that cares for me and its patients. So blessed.

My husband. He challenges me to be a better person, loves me unlike anyone ever has before, is my helpmate and best friend. Crazy to think one year ago today we had only been dating a month.  I can't imagine my life without him.

My kitchen.  It's pink and so great. From my adorable kitchen-aid mixer, anthro knick-knacks, blender that does it all to my pans that cook everything to perfection.  My kitchen is my favorite room in our little apartment.

Flushable litter. Do I even need to explain? Has made life with kitties quite heavenly.

Walt Disney.  Thanks to you I have experienced countless (literally) of wonderful trips to Disneyland, most of which in the last 3 years contributed to me getting to know my husband. Thank you for expanding my imagination and teaching me to believe in happily-ever-afters.

My sisters. Both so different and also so similar. Always there to give perspective and their advice... I think the best part is that I know them so well that I completely know they have my best interest in mind and will be honest with me, but will love me no matter what. Fun growing up and becoming closer... they're two of my best friends.

Water. Clean, drinkable and not running out any time soon...  what a blessing.

My curly hair. I do love it. I don't know how much women pay for it, probably a lot based on how often I am asked that question. And no, I no longer waste my time trying to straighten it so I can look like everyone else. Just grateful I can be my own uncontrollable-fro-headed self.

Snuggly things.  My kitties, Chris' chest when I get to snuggle up next to him and lay on it, my uggs, my worn out blue knit shrug, my velvet blanket from Dorrie Cook, my kitties when they jump in my lap and purr (like Lucy in my left arm right now, causing me to type very slow), my 24 year old pillow. I LOVE them all and am so thankful I get to snuggle up with them.

Ilene. My iPhone. She's a gem.  The ultimate know-it-all and assistant to little 'ol me.

My bike. She's the shade of celery, has a basket, a bell and unlike my bike she replaced she changes gears, making it possible to ride uphill too! I still have yet to name her... hmmm...

Daisies. Nothing is quite so happy as a daisy, and they last forever in a vase too! Take your roses... I want a fist-full of daisies.

Toilets. I have been places where they do not exist, I am very thankful for toilets and plumbing.

Abraham Lincoln.  For having and implementing the great idea of Thanksgiving, a day for everyone living in the United States to stop and think of all that we have to be thankful for.  Good idea President Lincoln... we should have a thanksgiving each season of the year.

That makes a list of 26 things I am thankful for, one for each year I have been alive.  I think that's a good place to start.  Don't forget to stop before the craziness of the holiday season takes you captive and tell someone what you're thankful for in 2012.

Happy Thanksgiving!

need for change.

I am thinking I need to get back into blogging. Life has changed drastically and I am ready for an outlet. I have moved to Encinitas, CA, gotten a job a hospital that is 1/8 the size of my last hospital, started working towards my masters, moved into an apartment with 2 complete strangers that I found on craigslist and got myself a boyfriend! Oh, and did I mention I lost 15 pounds and was diagnosed with gluten intolerance?!? Yeah, that too! Needless to say it has been a crazy a life-changing 4 months and I have a feeling 2012 is going to keep up the pace!

Why not add another new component to my life and start blogging again?? :)

more to come soon...

meaningless.

The wisest man who ever lived said:

"Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher,

vanity of vanities! All is vanity.

What does man gain by all the toil

at which he toils under the sun?

A generation goes, and a generation

comes,

but the earth remains forever....

...All things are full of weariness;

a man cannot utter it;

the eye is not satisfied with seeing,

nor the ear filled with hearing.

What has been is what will be,

and what has been done is what will

be done,

and there is nothing new under the

sun."

So often I find myself praying for wisdom and guidance, things that are valuable and should be strived for for sure. But then I am once again led to Ecclesiastes 1:16-18 where Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived says: "I said in my heart, "I have acquired great wisdom, surpassing all who were over Jerusalem before me, and my heart has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge. And I applied my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is but a striving after wind. For in much wisdom is much vexation, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow."

Interesting thoughts from the wisest man who ever lived as I myself am asking for wisdom. Most recently I have been convicted while reading Forgotten God by Francis Chan. I have changed my prayer from asking for God's will, guidance and wisdom in my life to praying for the Spirit to make Himself alive in me and to work each and every day in my life and make Himself known. As a result I have had this overwhelming burden fill my heart for the country of Haiti and have been convicted of how selfish I am. This led me to the initial passage I shared from Ecclesiastes about "All is vanity" another word for vanity could be meaningless. When you look back at history and realize how short our time is here on earth all the small stuff really does become meaningless. The color of nail polish on my fingers & whether or not it's chipping, the brand of clothes that I am wearing, where I buy my coffee, and the phone I talk on, meaningless.

I want nothing more than to make the short span of my life here on earth count for the Lord, and in these past months as I have re-adjusted to life back in the states and have moved to LA to begin my career I have gotten lost in the rat race of life. I have forgotten the reward of helping others.

Proverbs 11:24 shares this: "One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want." I want to be a giver. It was a year ago this week that Haiti was hit with that horrible earthquake that took the lives of so many Haitians and left thousands of others homeless and without water. A nation that was already pathetic at best was now devastated beyond imagination. 12 short months ago all of our hearts were grabbed and everyone was on the brink of jumping into a plane to go help. Today Haiti is in the same condition and no one talks about the country anymore. How can a place with so much need that is just beyond our borders be so easily overlooked? How could I get so wrapped up in myself less than a year after returning from a life-changing trip around the world?

Unfortunately, our memory is short and we are all prone to worrying about today and miss out on life. A quote I love is this : "Any given moment can change your life, you just have to be there." Life is happening now. What have you been wanting to do out of the ordinary but have been putting off? What is the Lord laying on your heart or prompting you to do that you have been putting off? Have you asked Him lately?

I am excited to see what 2011 will bring, am thankful for the change in my prayer life and can't wait to see when I will be returning to Haiti! Let me know if you have heard of any ministries that are in need of a nurse!! :)

meet peanut.

the new man in my life. Earlier this week I was off work on a weekday with nothing in particular to do, so I decided I would drop by the local pet store (not a good idea when you're alone, bored and have $ in the bank). Before I could say Lady & the Tramp I had a white, green and yellow cockatiel sitting on my shoulder with the pet store owner telling me he had been abandoned and needed a good home to go to. I was sold. I am such a sucker and that pet salesman knew it when I walked in. Oh well, you only live once, right?? I was due for a good deed to society.

Now I am not so alone... or am I? I think that's the deceiving thing about animals, I was driving home tonight and was kinda bummed cause I knew I would be in bed before my roommate got home, then I remembered peanut and got so excited because I am not so alone. Now that I am home with Peanut I realize I am still very much alone, but now I am alone with a bird on my shoulder. Honestly, loneliness creates crazy animal lovers. I can't help but talk to the only other breathing being in the room, it just so happens that it's a bird. I guess this is sort of my confession of turning into the crazy animal lady... or maybe it's my justification. Oh well... call me crazy. He's cute, doesn't make lame comments and is always around when I want to hang out, I'll gladly take the brand of animal lover if it means I get a bit of company.

i live in LA.

Sometimes the realization of the craziness of me moving to a city like LA hits me and I have to laugh. I can never remember desiring to live in a big city, but here I am. My address is Los Angeles and I work in Beverly Hills, strange. The pace here is faster, the people keep to themselves and there's just about any type of cuisine on every corner.

Not only is there the steep learning curve of moving to a fast-paced city, then there's the fact that I am starting my career as a nurse.... a career I pursued because I care about people and want to use my life to help others, alongside of the fact that empathy oozes out of me. All factors I initially thought created a strong foundation for why I could be a great nurse. Now.... well now I am not so sure.

Any nurse will tell you it takes a solid year of nursing before you feel like you aren't going to accidentally kill someone at work. I realize I have been doing this for 3 months now, but I never thought I could be so stressed out from a job. Yesterday a middle-aged nurse pulled me out of a patients room to tell me if I continue caring about my patients so much I am going to burn out. He said I need to protect myself and not get so emotionally involved. Ugh! That's like saying, I know you were born with curly hair, but from today on you need to wake up and have straight hair. How can I possibly step in to my patients lives for 12 hours at a time, learn all about their history, meet their family, be their shoulder to cry on when they're emotionally exhausted, provide care for them when their bodies are shutting down and try to show them the Love of Jesus and NOT feel empathy?? But on the other hand, how do I try to love my patients at work and not bring my work home with me?? 3 of my last 4 shifts have made me cry at some point throughout the day, also not healthy.

Then I leave the stress of work & being in germ land behind to be hit in the face with traffic, self-absorbed people and a cold apartment. One year ago today I was home for the first time after 7 months of traveling with the hope of seeing the world for myself. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined myself to be where I am today. Isn't it strange to see the way our lives pan out??

In need of a refurb...

I have been inspired by my sister... this blog is in need of some serious updating, considering it hasn't kept up with the changes of my life it's time my blog caught up with me.

Today was awful. My manager told me that my vacation request to have Christmas off was rejected after she had told me she would give it to me and I could take it off... to add salt to the wound she told me in front of a co-worker who struggles to show kindness to others so that when my manager left and I was bummed my co-worker took advantage to make a few snarky comments to kick me while I was down.

After the blow of bad news the day progressively got worse and I continually fell behind in my charting at work. By 6pm I had a Dr. mad at me, I was almost in tears and had an hours worth of charting and no time to do it. I didn't leave work until 2020 tonight. I am so over it. Why am I a nurse?? My patients appreciate me, but I am an idiot. I can't keep up with any of the orders and have such a hard time keeping my patients straight. When will work ever come naturally?? Everyday is so stressful. Maybe I should've gone into working at a grocery store. Being a checker has always looked fun to me... interact with people, scan food items all day long. No worries, no deadlines, just keep the line moving and I hear they make decent money. Maybe I'll retire from healthcare and join the grocery industry. I'll get back to you when I make a decision...

Life's unexpected twists and turns.

I was thinking about it tonight and this blog has been a good release for me. I am trying to turn a new leaf and "blog" on a somewhat regular basis with the hope that the excessive amount of thoughts in my head will decrease if I just put them out here in the internet world, so here goes nothing...

This weekend I had a breakdown. I realized throughout the past 5 years, maybe longer, I have been so focused on my plans of being a nurse, caring for others, having a steady paycheck that would be more than enough for myself I have not at all even given thought to even needing God for my daily needs. Why would I? I was headed for a successful career caring for others and could take one of my two weeks of vacation and travel and show Jesus' love overseas. Sounds perfect, right? Well the major problem was I never asked the Lord...

I kind of have to chuckle at the fact that I have worked in a coffee shop for the last 3 years to pay for my gas and personal bills making less than $8 an hour thinking "just suck it up for now, soon it will all be over," well now I find myself with my bachelors of science in nursing and I am yet again working at a coffee shop (hey! at least I am making more than $8 an hour!) Does our God know how to humble us or what?? When I reached a point of not being able to find joy in my present circumstances last weekend I lost it. I went to my room and cried in my pillow for a long, long time. Why? I think I was grieving a lot of losses that have come throughout the past year... like saying goodbye to college life, moving away from my home for the last 5 years back to a city that I don't feel I have a place or a reputation, kinda like starting from zero all over again, grieving not only the loss of my best friend, but also the loss of my future life with that best friend... but I think the biggest heartbreaker for me was the true status of my heart was revealed. I can smile and fake it to everyone around me, but the Lord looks at my heart and He knows that I have been making my own plans that included making lots of money and being secure on my own two feet without him.

In that moment of weakness I looked at my headboard and saw the devotion book: "My utmost for his highest" by Oswald Chambers sitting, so I picked it up and flicked through the pages as I said a quick and fervant prayer asking the Lord to reveal his heart to me in that moment through the book, this is the devotion I turned to:

July 5 - DON'T PLAN WITHOUT GOD- Psalm 37:5 "Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass."

God seems to have a delightful way of upsetting the plans we have made when we have not taken Him into account. Suddenly we realize that we have been making our plans without Him-that we have not even considered Him to be a vital, living factor in the planning of our lives. The only thing that will keep us from even the possibility of worrying is to bring God in as the greatest factor in all of our planning.

What an amazing God we serve that even in the middle of my selfish, self-centered breakdown he gently guides us and reminds us that He is there waiting for me to come to Him and He will comfort and guide in the way I should go. So what if this isn't what I had planned?? What if life always went as planned?? How boring would that be!?! :)

On that note I want to also share a song that has been a BIG part of my life throughout the past week:

YOUR LOVE IS STRONG by Jon Foreman

Heavenly Father, you always amaze me
Let your kingdom come in my world and in my life
Give me the food I need to live through today
And forgive me as I forgive the people that wrong me
Lead me far from temptation
Deliver me from the evil one

I look out the window the birds are composing
Not a note is out of tune or out of place
I walk to the meadow and stare at the flowers
Better dressed than any girl on her wedding day

So why do I worry?
Why do I freak out?
God knows what I need
You know what I need

Your love is
Your love is
Your love is strong
Your love is
Your love is
Your love is strong
Your love is
Your love is
Your love is strong
Your love is
Your love is
Your love is strong

The kingdom of the heavens is now advancing
Invade my heart, invade this broken town
The kingdom of the Heavens is buried treasure
Would you sell yourself to buy the one you've found?

Two things you told me
That you are strong
And you love me
Yes, you love me

Our God in Heaven
Hallowed be thy name
Above all names
Your kingdom come
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven
Give us today our daily bread
Forgive us weary sinners
Keep us far away from our vices
And deliver us from these prisons

So now what?? I don't know... I am trying to daily trust Him to lead and am looking for the reasons why he has me working at Starbucks in Temecula and a makeup counter in Macy's. Who could be the person He is desiring me to reach? Maybe the Air Force is where I am supposed to be after all?? Maybe I am just supposed to sit tight and hold on for the wild ride to come?? I have no plans, and really no idea where I will end up, but that's all part of the fun, right? :)

Remembering the last weeks of my trip...

Over 2 weeks have passed since I have returned from my trip and I still haven’t put any memories from my last two weeks in writing and I think it is time before the memories slip away from my memory.

Ethiopia was a whirlwind…. After a very fun and memorable weekend in Paris I traveled all day on my 23rd birthday only to be wished happy birthday by the customs agent (to whom it told it was my birthday), the lady who filled out my visa paperwork in Ethiopia, my waitress and the lady at reception who was told by my waitress that it was my b-day. My waitress, at the hotel that I was staying at, even sang happy birthday to me and brought a candle and some flowers to my hotel room. Mind you I arrived in Addis around 8pm and took a couple of hours before getting to my hotel and having a late dinner all alone. What a different birthday!

Tuesday I left very early in the morning to catch my flight to Mekele to meet the team. I arrived in Mekele at 7:30 SO excited to see my dad and then waited for an hour out on the curb before he showed up claiming he heard my flight arrived at 9 AM. But I made use of the time and made friends with a couple of the security guards posted at the airport.

Tuesday I spent the day with dad visiting various government offices to work out the wheelchair details of the shipment that was arriving that week. I loved having so much time alone with my dad after so many months apart. The team was doing ministry at a village about 45 kilometers out of the city, so by the time we were done with the meetings and back to the hotel it wasn’t logical to meet up with them, so we waited at the hotel and I showed dad pics of the months of traveling that I had done since seeing him. SO fun!

That night I was reunited with Ashley…. Definitely a MAJOR highlight of the week. I loved being back together again in Ethiopia hearing all about her time in Romania and how she was slowly and completely falling in love with the girls with disabilities that she is working with. She was planning on coming home, but decided to go back to Romania through Christmas because she loves it so much. Her heart for others is unmatched with any person I have ever met. She is so selfless it’s humbling.

After dinner we went up to the top floor for evening devotions and I was surprised (well not too surprised cause the hotel people had discussed the details with dad right in front of me), but surprised nonetheless to find a cake that said “Happy Persday Katie” on it and ambasha, an Tigrayan specialty bread made for birthdays and celebrations that is DELICIOUS. Mom even sent a little gift over for me with dad and we had a party for me. It was so special… I couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate my 23rd birthday! ☺

Wednesday I was finally able to join the team out in a village for an eyeglass clinic day. I was in charge of shining a flashlight into peoples eyes to check for cataracts or glaucoma. I enjoyed meeting each and every person that came through the clinic on both Wednesday and Thursday. They each had a sheet with their name written on it, so I would say hello and then try to pronounce their name… this caused most of the Tigrayans to smile and laugh at me and broke the ice a little before I went shining my light in their eyes. Then I would thank them and direct them to the appropriate station. Many people were seen and helped and I especially enjoyed hanging out with the kids after each person was seen.

After our last day of ministry (Thursday) we had a little celebration ceremony with the nationals, translators and church members to celebrate the weeks success and share testimonies. It was so neat to hear how the Lord worked through our efforts there. One man got up in front and shared in Tigrayan for about a minute about his personal testimony, which of course none of the Americans could understand without a translator. Once he finished his little shpeel an American girl next to me (who will remain nameless ☺) replied, “what?” in an utterly confused tone. I got the giggles and knew that she and I would become great friends seeing as she was also from Temecula area… I have her number now and need to give her a call and meet up…. Hmmm…

That night dad and I stopped by a pizza place (that's right pizza in Ethiopia!) to visit with the government officials that we met with earlier in the week and they surprised dad with a typical Tigrayan (the Northern part of Ethiopia) outfit. I told him that he had to wear it when we got back with the team at the hotel. Upon arriving at the hotel we went into the mens restroom and I was going to help him put the clock on... before we knew it a young housekeeper from the hotel came into the mens restroom and started dressing dad and ordering him around!! It was one of the funniest things I have witnessed in a long time.... made my night.

Thursday night I shared with the team that the people I would be visiting in the Middle East could use whatever antibiotics the team could spare and dad shared that Ashley planned to return to Romania and that she was unprepared for the cold winter that was waiting for her return, so if anyone could spare some warm clothes to bring ‘em over to our room as well. Can I just say God is so good. Not only was I inundated with antibiotics, Ashley received so many different articles of clothing she couldn’t even pack it all!!! It was so awesome to see how team members were led to pack long underwear, wool socks, winter coats, and long sleeved shirts when they weren’t even needed for the trip in Ethiopia and yet Ashley’s prayers were answered and God provided for her to return to Romania without worry. I talked to her today and she was wearing my sweatpants and loving Romania more than ever. ☺ So cool.

Then Ashley informed me that there are no people in Romania who can cut her hair properly, so she asked me to cut it for her!!! Mind you she wanted 6 inches cut off and I have probably BRUSHED straight hair about 2x in my life!! After much debate and many promises that no matter how bad the hair turned out she would still talk to me I grabbed a child size pair of scissors, put her hair in a pony and chopped 6 inches off!! About an hour later and much discussion as to how I should go about styling the haircut (I would grab a piece of hair and ash would watch out of the corner of her eye and encourage me by saying: "yeah I think that's what they do in the salon!" She was so gracious and appreciative... even of my hack job! :)

Friday we left the hotel early to catch our flight back down to Addis… I couldn’t believe I was already leaving! The whole morning dad was telling me that he was praying our flight would be delayed so that I would miss my connecting flight to the Middle East and would have to stay with him for a couple more days, I am not gonna lie, at that point it didn’t sound like such a bad idea after being away from such familiar and warm people for so long. But of course, this was the first time that I can remember Ethiopian airlines was on time and we made it to Addis in no time and I was on my way to the Middle East and had no clue what the next week would bring….

Home Sweet Home

I am back and can't believe it.

It's strange waking up and not having any sort of an agenda, each day I have to consciously decide to put my t.p. in the toilet and brush my teeth with sink water and it takes me at least 10 minutes to sort through my clothes and another 10 minutes to make a decision on what to wear, but it's nice to be home. My first day home as I was walking with dad to a store I realized it was the first time in 5 months that I was in public and was completely relaxed, not having to worry about who was around me or what public transportation I might have to take to get home. It's nice.

I am kicking myself for not journaling about my last two weeks abroad as they have been jam-packed with amazingness each day and God has worked and made himself known in such creative ways through my last days away from home, in the next couple of blogs I will try to re-cap some of the highlights from Ethiopia and the Middle East.

Missed flights = birthday alone & disappointed dad but a wonderful 48 hours in Paris!

So I am sure most of you have heard by now... if not, I missed my flight to Frankfurt meaning I missed my flight from Germany to Ethiopia. Because Ethiopia isn't such a hot spot the next flight out isn't until Monday morning at 6:45 AM. When I first found out I was being delayed for 48 hours I was pretty upset, I had just gotten off of my all night flight from Benin to Paris and I spent an hour running all over the airport on minimal sleep to find out I had to find a place to stay for 48 hours. At first I thought I might just stay in the airport and save some mula... but I finally got my head straight, bought some wifi and got a hold of my mom who of course made everything better just with talking to her.

Long story short I made it to a nearby hotel on Saturday and slept the afternoon away to catch up on my lack of sleep from all of the excitement of leaving the ship. Last night I did a lot of housekeeping stuff on my emails and pictures and just took it easy and tried to adjust from being around people constantly to being all alone. It was strange eating a meal by myself surrounded by people who don't even speak the same language, but I got used to it.

Today I decided to make the most of my time in Paris and ventured out to the city. My hotel has a free shuttle service to the airport and from the airport I took the train to the Latin Quarter to explore Jardin du Luxumborg and Notre Dame. On the way some men boarded the train and entertained the train with their violins, it was so fun. Then they got off and just a couple of stops later a husband and wife boarded the train and he played his accordian and she sang, it was so interesting. This was just the first of odd run-ins with an eclectic assortment of people. I have seen more people with pigeons eating out of their hands and sitting on them today then I have in my whole life. As Amy has said, pigeons are like rats that fly, why you would want a living carrier of diseases to perch on you I will never know, but it was strange to witness nonetheless.

Paris is also home to a wide variety of entertainers... from mimes, footballers, artists, puppeteers and everything in between, I was definitely entertained all day. I think I could have sat on a bench and just people watched all day long.

The absolute best part of my day was how much God provided. Even the small things, like I really wanted McDonalds (don't judge me), and there happened to be on right next to the metro station where I was headed to right around dinner time. In the back of my mind I kinda wanted to find a unique but not expensive little souvenir to remember this whole random trip and to celebrate my birthday with and I found the coolest little boutique in the Montmarte section of Paris and got some earrings and a necklace.... just down to the last euro He had all the details worked out for me and the past two days have been such a breath of fresh air for me, which reminds me....

It has been amazing to breath CLEAN AIR!!!! :) Oh I have loved it! I feel like I can relate to someone who was a smoker and quit, all day I couldn't help but take the deepest breath just to savor the delicious clean air. And the weather was unbeatable, clear, crisp and cool. About an hour after I got to my room it started to rain, but all day long it was clear.

Also I met a Ghanian on the train home! How random is that??? But it made me acutely aware of how much I miss all of my Ghanian and Mercy Ships friends, but was a neat reminder to pray for them. I also had a random man approach me and tell me "Hakuna Matata! It means no worries, share it with your friends and family!" He then proceeded to make me a bracelet out of green, yellow and red string (the National colors for my 3 favorite African countries, Ethiopia, Benin and Ghana) while talking to me and didn't even charge me for it! It was like God's way of giving me a reminder of all my special experiences in Africa.

All that to say THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! for all of your prayers!!! They have been noticed and responded to with love and care that I have experienced in such a real way throughout my time alone over the past couple of days. My flight leaves at 0645 Monday morning (about 4 hours from now) and I will arrive in Addis around 7pm Monday night. I will spend the night in Addis alone for one more night and will meet up with the team (and my dad and Ashley!!!!!!) Tuesday midday. Then I will have 2 full days of ministry (wednesday and thursday) before we all head back to Addis on Friday and I venture onto the Middle East for one last week abroad. I can't believe that I will be home in less than 2 weeks! Crazy!

Please continue to pray for safety and mercies as I continue to travel. I just got word today that one of the girls that I am meeting up with in the Middle East may have pneumonia and I am going to try and pick up some medications for her in Addis. Please pray for her health and that I could be of help and get a hold of some drugs.

much love to you all back home! I will write more when I can!! :)

E-mail Update...

Dear Friends and Famille!

I can't believe Friday November 13th has arrived! In one hour I will say goodbye to the Africa Mercy and all of the friends that I have made over the past 3 months and make the 24 hour journey to Ethiopia to meet up with Dad, Ashley and Teki. It will be hard to say goodbye to everyone here, but I can't help but be excited to be reunited with my Ethiopian pals. Please be praying for safe travel and for travel mercies, especially that my flight from Benin to Paris would be on time because I only have a one hour lay over to catch my flight out of Paris to Frankfurt to then head to Addis with Ashley. Flights out of Benin are often late and I am a bit nervous that I will be stranded in Paris, but I also know I am in God's hands and he will take care of me.

This next week I will be working with dad in Northern Ethiopia helping out with eye clinics and sharing the gospel before heading to the Middle East next Friday for one final week of ministry there working with university students. Please also pray for strength as I have finally fought off that nasty virus that I have had for the past month... God is so good because I am feeling 100% for the first time in 4 weeks and just in time to leave. :) Thank you again for all of your prayers and encouragement. I will update again soon but wanted to keep you in the loop of my departure.

I look forward to seeing you all soon and am so thankful for each and every one of you as thanksgiving is fast approaching and I am reminded that I have so much to be thankful for.

Love to you all....

Katie

Things I don't want to forget...

This blog probably won't make much sense to you.... but there are so many random memories and experiences from my 3 month time in Benin I have to put them into words so that I don't forget about them, hope you enjoy my reminiscing...

White people are called "yovos" - when you're walking down the street kids will shout it or sing "Yovo, yovo bonsoir, ca va bien? merci!" meaning: "white person, white person, good evening, how are you? good. thank you!" So random.

On an almost daily basis ships the size of sky scrapers come in and out of the port, they're so big it's hard to imagine they can float out at sea, they're incredible! And I always heard of tug boats, but I had never actually seen them in action, it's pretty cool to see how they maneuver and pull the big boats in and out of the port. Last week a boat hit us.... my roommate was on the toilet at the time and screamed, it was funny. But apparently now we have a hole in the side of the ship that has to get fixed before the ship sails in December. We were also hit a couple weeks ago, but that was just a "kiss" and didn't do any damage.... talk about bumper boats, I am just glad I don't have to control one of these ships.... I can't even parallel park!

Ghanians speak Twi. Seeing as some of my good friends on board are Ghanian they thought it would be fun to teach me some basic Ghanian terms, it was all fun and games until I started talking about my vagina instead of saying "come here..." Needless to say it didn't take much for me to realize I had said something that I shouldn't have when the 3 Ghanians I was "talking" with couldn't stop laughing. I learned quickly the importance of pronunciation.... especially when it comes to "chea" and "shea" sounds. After saying "good naked!" to a room full of Germans instead of good night and after my Twi mishap I am starting to think linguistics is not my forte and maybe I should just stick to speaking English and working with translators. :)

One day Kelsey, a roommate of mine, and I were heading to the big market, Dankopta, when we saw 4 young, male Yovos walking in front of us intently studying their guide book and looking thoroughly confused so Kelsey approached them and said: "What are you yovos doing in Benin?" Little did we know that was the beginning of a 48 hour friendship, we spent the rest of the afternoon with the 4 guys who were recent graduates in demography from Canada and were visiting Benin for 4 days on holiday from their internship in Togo. They were really cool guys and appreciated our help in showing them around Cotonou and they even came to the ship the next night and received a first-class hospitality tour of the ship and we all went to a reggae concert together. So random, but so fun! I love the unique experiences you have when you travel.

Since coming to Mercy Ship the word Ghurka has become a part of my vocabulary. Wikipedia describes them as: "Gurkha, also spelled as Gorkha or Ghurka, are people from Nepal and northern India[1] who take their name from the eighth century Hindu warrior-saint Guru Gorakhnath....Gurkhas are best known for their history of bravery and strength in the Indian Army's Gorkha regiments and the British Army's Brigade of Gurkhas. The Gurkhas were designated by British officials as a "Martial Race". "Martial Race" was a designation created by officials of British India to describe "races" (peoples) that were thought to be naturally warlike and aggressive in battle, and to possess qualities of courage, loyalty, self sufficiency, physical strength, resilience, orderliness, the ability to work hard for long periods of time, fighting tenacity and military strategy. The British recruited heavily from these Martial Races for service in the British Indian Army." Our security is made up of a group of Ghurkas and they are some of the sweetest men I have ever encountered. I will miss them dearly and I always felt safe knowing they were guarding our gangway.

One of my favorite things about Western Africa that was so different from any other country I have ever been to is their unique fabrics. Their prints are so bright and colorful and I am pretty sure they have designs of just about anything under the sun. I personally saw fabric with vegetables, nintendo controllers, the elements for communion, UFO's and gas pumps. SO funny!

Towards the end of my trip I realized I hadn't had an authentic African meal experience with any of my friends from Africa.... so I asked my friends to take me and boy did I get an experience. The first time we went and got foofoo (a staple part of the Ghanian diet, kinda tastes like potatoes but a little more bland and it has the consistency of bread dough) and an assortment of fish (mind you it was the whole thing, skin, face, eyeballs, bones... basically just caught out of the ocean and cooked, a crab, same thing... the whole thing in the dish and a piece of cow skin cooked. Before we even begin eating our table was covered in flies, so the owner of the little road side shop came in with a container of kerosene and dips a rag in it and soaks our kerosene, this obviously was to keep the flies away!!! Well it worked, but I think I may have ingested some considering we used our hands to eat and I was touching the table. So I was waiting for someone to bring some kind of tool out to crack the crabs when Stephen, my Ghanian friend, informs me you just break of a crab leg and stick the entire thing in your mouth, crack it with your teeth and spit out the "non-meat" portion of the leg! I am proud to say I ate all of the cow skin, some foofoo and some of the crab legs. I couldn't bring myself to eat the fish.... but I enjoyed watching stephen devour the eyes and brain. hmmm... I am ready to order food and not have it stare at me while I eat it. :)

I did have a second African food experience... I had foofoo and goat meat, the kicker that time was the skin was still on the meat, hmmm, nice and chewy. I think the worst part was looking out the front door into the street and watching goats walk in the street as I was eating it. I didn't like that.

Baking for 400 was always a unique experience.... 52 eggs, 24 cups of brown sugar, we definitely got creative!

I will never forget going to the deaf school and spending time loving on those kids, or the kids from Mother Theresa's Sister's of charity orphanage. The night Bethany, Kaylee and I went with the Jesus film ministry team, the ward church services, the VVF ceremony celebrating the women being made whole or the countless trips to the hospitality center. MS is such an incredible ministry shining its light in so many different ways in Benin. From surgery to dental clinics Christ is being made known in a powerful way in Western Africa and I loved being a part of it!

God definitely blessed me while I was on board with a study by Beth Moore that started the week after I got onboard and ended the week I finished, so I was able to go through the entire study. It's called breaking free and it was all focused on filling your life with God's truth and trying to find the lies that the devil has planted in our hearts and minds. This study has been amazing and I have learned so so much through it... I would completely recommend it to anyone who has the chance.

Well, that was a little lengthy... but I do not want to forget all of those little details that tend to slip out of my memory as time passes. Hope you enjoyed the reminiscing. :)

Most recent update sent home...

Friends and Fam,



Chale! That’s greetings friend in Twi (pronounced Chree) a dialect that I am learning in bits and pieces from some of my Ghanaian friends on board. Well it has been quite a while since I have sent out a little update and I figured it’s time to sit down and try to put some of my experiences in writing. Funny how when you’re living somewhere long enough life falls into a routine and you start taking the daily activities for granted. For example, last night I was chatting with a friend online while sitting in the café and I couldn’t think how to spell the word nauseous (a word that frequently comes into all of our vocabulary I am sure) and couldn’t figure out the spelling, so living on a floating hospital I turned around to see if someone could throw this dog a bone and found myself surrounded by an physical therapist from the states, a missionary surgeon living in Cameroon originally from Ohio, a surgeon from Australia and another doctor from the UK. Needless to say, we figured out how to spell the word. One of my most favorite things that I have been able to witness first hand is the unity in Christ. It blows my mind that people from all over the world are led to this ministry, can serve anywhere from 2 weeks to years without an end in sight and come together to not only make a hospital function, but thrive to bring hope and healing to the lost and hurting in Western Africa. SO cool!

A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to spend the afternoon in the OR. For the first hour I was in with Dr. Glen Strauss, a long-term crewmember serving as an ophthalmologist. He has perfected the art of removing cataracts, a procedure that used to take at least 30 minutes he can now start and finish in 7! Ophthalmologists from around the world come on board to learn his technique of going into the eye and taking the cataract out!! I must confess I learned that I have no desire to work as an RN assisting with anything eyes, I was queasy for most of my time watching the various procedures on the eyes. There’s just something eerie about being awake and having scalpels cutting away and vacuums sucking at your eyes. Eeeek! But it was definitely something worth seeing! (even if it did cost me dinner)

After about an hour in with eye team I went into operating theater 1 and found myself staring at yet another eye… this one happened to be sitting on the surgeons’ tray with the eyelid, eyebrow and large tumor all still attached! Apparently this particular patient presented with a bulging right eye due to a tumor growing behind her eye and they had to remove her entire right eye. Over the next couple of hours I watched as the surgeons cut muscle away from the temporal area of the right side of her scalp and pulled the muscle down into her, now empty, eye socket to fill the void left from her eye being removed. It was one of the most fascinating surgeries I have ever seen and both of the attending surgeons were quick to answer any questions I had about the procedure and were both very kind.

Dr. Parker was the maxillofacial surgeon performing the surgery. He has served with Mercy Ships for 23 years and is recognized as one of the top, if not the #1, maxillofacial surgeon in the world!!! Surgeons from around the globe come to Mercy Ships to work with him and learn his techniques. When they were finished suturing up the eye I went to the tray with Dr. Parker and watched as he pulled apart and dissected the eye and the tumor and learned that he will have the tumor sent to the U.S. in a biohazard bag with a crew member that is departing back home! When biopsies are needed crewmembers carry the tissue back to the states and mail it to the lab that sends results back to the ship within a month! Pretty amazing to see what works to get the information they need to make the hospital function and thrive. As of October 16, 998 reconstructive surgeries have been performed on around 600 patients and an additional 261 general surgeries have been performed throughout the mission in Benin this year! Pretty amazing when you thing that each and every one of those peoples lives will be forever changed because every surgery here is such a drastic change for the patient and they can once again join society and not be looked upon as though they have been cursed.

For the next month surgeons, anesthetists, and nurses who specialize in gynecology and more specifically vesicovaginal fistulas have joined the crew onboard. Due to prolonged labors from a lack of healthcare availability these women have holes between their bladder and vagina and sometimes rectum and vagina and constantly leak urine and or feces. They are completely ostracized from society and often all family and friends leave them because they are always smelly and dirty and considered cursed. This is a condition that is rarely seen in the Western world because we have healthcare readily available and labor and delivery is not prolonged for 3-5 days as it can be here. These women have been brought on board and will have their fistulas closed up so they can return to the world whole and continue with a normal life. Before sending them back home Mercy Ships has a special ceremony where the women are given new African dresses to represent their new life and fresh beginning. I have adopted a VVF patient down on the ward and I am excited to get down there and spend time with her and be a part of loving on these women who have had to endure so much suffering and loneliness.

I am happy to report I have had the opportunity to extend my trip for another week… in just 3 short weeks my time with Mercy Ships will come to an end and I will head to Ethiopia to join my dad on an e3 campaign in the Northern part of the country. I was planning on heading home just in time for thanksgiving, but I have had an invitation to join a dear friend in the Middle East who is loving on the people there and teaching English as a second language to college students with the hopes of being light and salt in such a dark and hurting place. Seeing as Ethiopia is just a hop, skip and a jump away I couldn’t pass up the invitation to see their efforts first hand and I have extended my ticket another week. J I am so excited for this opportunity and pray that in my short time there I will be an encouragement to the believers who are living in such a different world where Christ is adamantly rejected and Christians are persecuted.

Please join me in praying for my last month abroad... that Christ would be glorified and evident through all of my efforts, for safe travel and good health to finish my time abroad strong! Thank you for all of the letters, e-mails and prayers!! love to you all...




grace & peace.

katie



*If you would like to financially support me in my journey to the Middle East send a check made out to GCU Alumni Association with my name in the memo line to:
Office of Spiritual Life
3300 W Camelback Rd
Phoenix, AZ -85017

You can transport anything with a Zimmy Jhan!

Bottles:


Furniture:




A refrigerator:



Baskets:


Children:




It doesn't take very long to notice the streets in Benin are unlike any other in the world. Not only are they filled with the normal traffic, merchants, pedestrians and everything else you can imagine... but "zimmy jhans" (pronounced Zimmy Johns) are everywhere. Zimmy's are basically motorcycles, but they are dirt cheap to get a ride on and you do not need a license to operate one... so you can imagine the craziness of the streets here. Mercy Ships strongly discourages anyone from using zimmys as they are very dangerous. One friend of mine put it this way.... Katie I want you to come back in peace, not pieces. :) I have only found myself forced to take a zimmy 2x since coming to Benin and am not going to make a habit of it... both times being because of time issues. But hey! I have to experience all of Benin, right?? One of the times there were 3 of us girls at the market and we hired 3 zimmys to bring us back and one of them ran out of gas en route to the ship, so chelsea had to jump off of one zimmy and ran to another that was sitting at the light with us and told him to follow us! Apparently he understood because he followed and we made it back safe and sound.

Other perils on the roads in Benin:

Ghanananana..... The self-proclaimed Promise Land

Day 2 of arriving on the ship I met an African, when I asked him where he was from he replied: "the promised land" to which I replied: "Israel?" I soon learned that Ghana is the self-proclaimed promise land of Western Africa. Over the next several weeks I was told many times that I needed to make it over to Ghana and witness firsthand the beauty of the promise land and at the end of september I had a chance to go! :)

I am standing in Togo waiting to be processed to enter the promised land, Ghana, behind me...



There were 13 of us who made the 11-hour car trek to Wli Waterfall in NorthEastern Ghana. It was SO refreshing to get out of Contonou into the mountains and fresh air. We left at 4 AM on Friday and were able to stop at a missionary hospital in Togo on the way that reminded me of the small hospital in Axum, Ethiopia that Ashley and I worked in back in 2007.... I have always heard that your sense of smell has the strongest link to memories and let me tell you when we walked into the pediatric ward I was taken back to that hospital in Axum from the smell of the unit, kind of interesting. But it was neat to meet the doctors working at the small hospital and see their passion to use their abilities to love the people of Togo and spread the gospel. Pretty amazing.
Street in Togo


Saturday we ventured out and hiked Wli waterfall, a feat that took us about 6 hours, but I have to confess it felt so good to sweat and be outside for an entire day... but it also reminded me how much work hiking can be! Took me back to my good 'ol Taurnhof days, with some tropical landscape and humidity to change it up a bit. :) We had a guide who used a machete to create a path for us in the brush and lead the way and at the end we got to swim in and under the waterfall!!! It was so awesome.



Sunday we found ourselves hiking yet again, this time to "the best caves in the world" at least that's what our tour guide said about them, I think I would have called them caverns before I called them caves, but it was a neat hike nonetheless, filled with ropes and LOTS of bats.

Bat attack!!! - This picture was taken right as a bat flew right at me in my face!!!! -


Funny come Monday I was so ready to be back "home" and it was the first time that I realized the ship really is starting to feel more and more like home.... a realization that was a little bittersweet because I am happy to say I feel like I have finally settled here, but at the same time it made me miss California and all the comfort that your real home brings even more.

Some more photos...

Our Fearless Guide to the waterfalls....


In the falls...

"Shake your body in worship to the Lord!"

Today I went to church in town with a small group of people from Mercy Ships and let me tell you it was an experience. This service only lasted 3 hours, in comparison to the usual 5-6 hours and was filled with more dancing than any high school dance I went to! :) Not really, but it was so fun seeing the men and women get out of their chairs and fill the aisles with dancing for the Lord.

Usually the drive to the service would take around 20 minutes, but today marked the end of Ramadan for the Muslims and there was a MASSIVE gathering of people at a mosque that happened to be on our way to church. Because so many had gathered with their mats there was no more room on the ground to spread out to pray so people had even started to fill the streets with their mats to pray, this made driving a little difficult as you can imagine, but hey! why not?? WTA.

Little girl in church....


The service was in French and a local dialect, so a man who came with us translated the service for us. At one point the pastor dedicated a newborn baby to the Lord and the whole family was invited up to dedicate the baby, before we knew it about 25 people danced up the aisles with the mom leading the procession dancing away with her baby in her arms. Apparently the whole family came to dedicate the family. :) At the end of the service we were ushered into a side room and given various soft drinks before we were thanked for coming and made our way home. Today was a good day.

The tooth extraction.

Today was a very fun day indeed. Because I was on weekend duty I was able to take today off and join the dental team out in town. Each day a group of dentists, dental assistants, and dental hygienists go into town to a building where they have set up a basic clinic where they are able to provide basic dental care....

I started this on Tuesday and am now going to finish on Sunday... So I went with the group and watched in awe as teeth were extracted and fillings were completed all day long. The clinic sees around 50 patients a day!! Mondays and Thursdays are the screening days when not as many people can be seen, but it's a well oiled machine of a clinic and I was very impressed. At one point I was helping suction a patient that had a lose tooth and the Australian Dental Therapist (kind of like a physicians assistant, but to a dentist, we don't have any in the states, yet) asked me if I wanted to pull the tooth!!! So I learned that you actually push down to pull a tooth and pulled my first tooth! Crazy, huh??

The long-term mercy ship dentist, Dag, and one of the Polish dental assistants Jojo:



The coolest part about the clinic is that every person that comes through is presented the gospel and on Tuesday 12 people made decisions to follow the Lord in the morning alone!! I wasn't able to get the complete number for the entire day, but it was a great day and an amazing experience with the dental team. The new believers will receive follow-up from pastors from the local churches here in Contonou and will be plugged in with the Nationals. I heard that one day last week only 12 people got saved the entire day.... the emphasis was on only, so it is a pretty incredible ministry that is being used to proclaim the gospel to the people in Benin and lives are being changed daily. It was a great day. :)

Speaking of the dentist.... oddly enough I had a dentist appointment on Wednesday with Dag the Mercy Ships Dentist to investigate the seriousness of my cracked tooth and GREAT news my tooth is fine!!!! :) I don't need to have a root canal, hallelujah!!! And I can even chew on that side of my mouth now!!! Thank you SO much for all of your prayers, looks like they worked. The tooth is still cracked, but it only causes pain when I chew on very hard things and hit it just right. Dag said if it was his tooth he would just leave it and if it does start causing constant pain I can have it worked on. I must say this was a huge relief after watching so many people have teeth extracted the day before, I had started imagining the worst... but God is good and I still have all of the teeth that I came to Africa with. :)

update sent home...

Bonjour Friends and Family!

Crazy to think that September is already here and school is back in full swing, especially since this is the first time in 22 years that I will not be going back to school. Hopefully the heat wave that comes with summer has passed and the chill that comes each fall is back in the air... at least that's what I imagine as I happily write this to you from the cool confines of the midships lounge on board the Africa Mercy. Outside it is hot, muggy and humid, but I have been told this is the coolest it gets in Benin. I never appreciated the fresh air that we have at home, in fact I probably complained about the smog more often than I was thankful, but oh what I would give to take in a lung full of fresh outdoor air. The next time you walk outside and you don't smell gasoline, an outhouse or any other foul odor say a little thank you to the Lord, for clean air really is a blessing.

Other than dank air, my time on the Africa Mercy thus far has really been an enjoyable and unique experience. I have finally settled into the coming and going of people on the ship and LOVE my department. I am quickly becoming good friends with the other girls, and my biggest problem is that we're constantly baking which also means we're constantly sampling (you can't serve something you haven't tried, right??) But that just motivates me to get off the ship to exercise, something that has become my outlet from the ebb and flow of daily life here. I have even had the courage to practice with Mercy Ships very own football (soccer) team!!! I have never played football before (unless freshmen year PE counts??) and I am not sure anything can compare to playing football with a group of Africans on a sand field. It has been a very fun experience and is something that I look forward to on a weekly basis. The team even has a coach who played for his national team and has given me a few pointers to the game. :)

Thank you to those of who that prayed for the little baby that I shared about in my last update. The 9 month old baby boy passed away several days after I sent that e-mail. Apparently he had been sick at birth and the father would not accept the baby as his child and refused to mark the baby's face with his tribal marks (something that families do here to show their acceptance of their children). Over the time that the family was at Africa Mercy receiving care from the nurses on the ward the fathers heart was touched by the love and compassion that was shown to his family. The father was so moved that he held his baby boy for the first time, and it was then that the baby passed away. The Lord used this little boys condition to bring his parents to Mercy Ships and as a result both of the parents heard the gospel and accepted Christ as their personal savior before leaving the ship and the father could accept his son in spite of his ailing physical condition. The father told one of the nurses: "Thank you so much. Now I know why you are here and now I know how Jesus loves." What an incredible testimony of the Holy Spirit and how he moves and works in our hearts and through our actions!

I have recently been challenged with the truth that we are Jesus' hands and feet to the world. What an incredible privilege it is to be the instruments that He uses to express his love to the people he brings into our lives!! And what a wide variety of instruments there are!! My time here has been much different than previous missions work that I have been involved in because I am behind the scenes as a hospitality hostess rather than on the front lines of sharing the gospel or helping the sick. This has been challenging at times, but a very valuable lesson to learn that each member of the body is just as important as the other, whether it's a nurse on the ward working with the sick, a deck hand painting the side of the ship or a cook in food services. Mercy Ships is a ministry that relies on a wide assortment of people possessing many different gifts and skills, but all are crucial to making the mission of bringing hope and healing to the lost possible.... and each of you have made it possible for me to come and be part of this mission as well!!

Thank you again for your love and encouragement.

grace & peace.

Sisters of Charity.

One week ago I was able to take the morning off of my hospitality duties and go with a group of women from Mercy Ships to the Sisters of Charity orphanage here in Contonou. Before going we were told that there are babies and mostly children 3 years and younger. There are a couple of kids who are older, like 6 and 7, who cannot be adopted because they are HIV+. I am not sure why those children cannot be adopted as 40% of the children are adopted by families in France and Italy and the other 60% are adopted into Beninoise families. But the kids there have been abandoned by their moms, some were found in the marketplace after being taken there with their mom and then being told to wait as their mom would go shopping and she would never return. One child was found tied to a tree with a sign around his neck saying: "HIV+". Upon hearing their stories I was excited to be able to go and spend a morning with the kids.

When we arrived the children were all in a courtyard area sitting on a mat waiting to receive a morning snack. Naturally some of the women from our group sat around the outskirts of the mat and within seconds had a child, if not 2 or 3 in their lap. I lingered in the back standing waiting for the snack time to be over, but after a few minutes I took a seat as well and before long a little boy made his way over to me. I couldn't help but notice an interesting smell coming from the little guy, but didn't really think twice as he eased his way on my legs with his crackers in hand. Suddenly I felt something warm and wet on my lap, at first I wasn't sure how to respond, after the initial shock of the situation wore off I lifted the boy from under his arms to reveal a very wet bum and a very wet lap. It was then that I realized there are too many orphans to address the difficulties of potty training on a 1-1 basis, so when you gotta go, you go. And diapers are out of the question because of the expense and the difficulty of washing that many cloth diapers. I tried setting the little boy on the ground next to me, but he was insistent on sitting on my lap. By the time I had accepted the fact that I was covered in urine I had 3 large wet spots all across my skirt from my attempts at sitting next to the boy instead of him in my lap... but in the end he won and I realized that skirts can be washed and this boy needed some loving.

After snack we (meaning the African ladies with us) sang songs and danced while walking in a circle with the children. At this time the sick children and some of the babies were brought out as well. I was able to hold a couple of babies, one that had a skin condition and I think some kind of infection, the other was VERY malnourished... but man oh man did those babies just love being held. The women from Mercy Ships also brought a parachute and everyone gathered around the parachute or ran underneath as it was lifted up and down. The kids LOVED the parachute! Then we helped the Sisters feed the children lunch before heading back to the ship.

I am so thankful for my experience at the orphanage and am so amazed at the Sisters who serve at the orphanage and have dedicated their lives to those who have no one to love them. The head Sister who runs the facility is from the South Pacific and from my brief encounter with her I was so blessed through her positive attitude and willingness and desire to serve the little children. She is most definitely a light in Contonou, Benin.

Little Benin Factoid: The country's national religion is Voodoo mixed with animism, but because of Christian missionaries that came Christianity is found in the cities, even in some of the countryside. But the Beninoise do not put their faith alone in Jesus for salvation. It is quite common to find a national who is a Catholic in the morning and practices Voodoo at night. Or they will go to the church to seek prayer for whatever problems they may have, but will wear their enchanted Voodoo necklaces to keep evil spirits away. Voodoo is so engrained in their culture and everything about their lives and they live in such fear of evil spirits it is common for the people to practice a variety of religions. At the football/soccer game I went to on Sunday there was a witch doctor walking up and down the front aisle, complete with his yellow, green and red paint along with his normal ritual clothing in support of Benin, yelling at the field. Please pray for the people of Benin to have their eyes open to the truth and for God to work through us to show the people here that He is Lord over all and has conquered death and they can live in confidence and not fear.

WTA.

Welcome to Africa. This is a abbreviation that we frequently say when the ways of the Western world are different from what is experienced on a day to day basis. For example, "I'll see you there at 5." Really means "we'll probably be meeting close to 6." This little phrase is frequently a part of our verbage on a day to day basis... just a little explanation in case it slips out from time to time in my blogs.

Well... with that said, man I am not good at blogging, but I have been thinking and intending to blog a lot lately and want to work on it...

I am going to start with yesterday. Yesterday I went to the World Cup Qualifying game between Mali and Benin, which needless to say, was quite the experience. We paid 5,000 CFA's (that is about $10 USD) for VIP seats which meant we had plastic white lawn chairs that were under an overhang providing shade instead of being on cement benches without shade. It was quite nice. I was almost mid-field in the front row. I was thankful for that front row because as 4pm (the start time for the game) drew closer people sat on the stairs up the aisles meaning that you can't get down from the upper seating, but by the end of the game there were even people sitting in front of us on the ground, I don't think the fire marshall would have approved, but thankfully Benin scored in the last 3 minutes of the game making it a tie game at 1-1.... we were a little concerned when the time was running out and Mali was ahead as the crowd was growing more agitated. It was at this point that my friend Megan turns to me and says: "you know, we are in the one place all of the guidebooks tell you not to go." But come now, who could pass up a world cup qualifying game?? It really was a unique and fun experience... especially when the Beninoise man (man from Benin) behind me starting slapping my back when we scored a goal. Funny to think that just a few months ago I didn't even know where Benin was in the world and yesterday I got chills as I heard a stadium filled with complete strangers sing a national anthem in a foreign language and I welled with pride and screamed with joy when we scored the tying goal. I think I may even buy a jersey. ;)