Forth and Back..when two worlds collide

Here I am, back in Yendi, after a trip back to Oregon for Christmas. I saw almost everyone I wanted to see...but not all, answered alot of questions and got refueled for another 7 months here. I ran into snow in Portland, and the worst traffic jam in 10 years. I had Christmas with all my children and their "significant others", and had some great food. We barbecued steaks and watched the Oregon ducks in the Rose Bowl. I thought I would freeze the first couple of days back, but got used to it quickly. But it was all like I had had a strange dream and woke back to the real life. Now it feels like I am in the real life and the visit home was a dream. Very weird. It doesn't register in my brain that the two worlds exist at the same time.
Did I feel culture shock when I went back? Not as much as I thought I would. I was prepared for the commercialism because it was Christmas time. I had thought that it would bother me, but it really didn't. I did see a segment on the morning news about gifts we could buy our pets... like a $600 cat bed, and thought about how stupidly rich some people must be. But I enjoyed the dinners out and the gifts I received at Christmas. I understand our materialism because I have lived it. So, I have no lectures for all of you, but I do know in my heart that WE are a wealthy people, and we are all materialistic. But I include myself in that.
I was also amazed at the interest in the school, the mission and the children here. I received so many things that they would not all fit in two suitcases. Americans are still a giving people. I was overwhelmingly welcomed and surrounded with people who said they had been praying for me. This was such an encouragement because when I am here and communication is slow or non-existent it can get alittle lonely.
So, I know that Americans, at least the ones I know, are still compassionate and care about children a world away. I think that we all just lose sight of what we are here for. God has been speaking to me about this. Even here in Ghana, in a Christian school, where poverty and needs are right in front of our face, we lose our "train of thought" and start worrying about all the drama and problems associated with our lives. Some of these may even be big problems, but God tells us He can move mountains. In the book, "The Sacred Romance" the authors talk about our stories and dramas as compared to His story in which we are players. Satan wants to pull us away from thinking about God's story and get us to focus on our story (such as how to buy that $600 cat bed or that $300 Ipod, the neighbor's dog, or how someone treated us at church). Telecast sings, "... to be a part of Your story, the story of love, and our great need for You." Once I was listening to my itunes and the screen saver was running. These words came just as the pictures of some of the kids came on the screen. This is what keeps me going...knowing I am part of a story which includes these kids, His love and our great need.
Sometimes when I was home I did debate coming back. It was hard to know I was leaving family again for 7 months this time. But one of the kid's faces would come to my mind and I knew that I was not finished here. There is so much still to teach.

When I returned, I was very lonely for my family. I felt alittle sad and again, wondered if I could stay 7 months. My first day back at school however brought it all back. The children really are beautiful. They ran to welcome us, the youngest ones fighting to hug us. To pick up one of those little ones and hold them tight, or to hear 8 year old Ruhia say, "Sometimes I just sit and wonder who God is and where He came from", or listen to my class get excited about multiplication.... and I am back. So here's to you; Zulaha, Ruhia, Kayaba, Kofi, Wumna, Fasa, Wumpini and all the others.... your faces brought me back!

Endless needs and beautiful faces

Sometimes I feel as if I am on a roller coaster of emotions here. I will feel an sense of despair at the overwhelming needs and then I will watch the children and feel an overwhelming sense of love and hope. I thought I might share some of the needs, hope and beautiful faces with all of you. Maybe you can understand alittle of what I mean. But the phrase "a picture paints a thousand words" is not really true. I can not capture the beauty or the need in pictures or in words. This is North-Eastern Christian Academy. We are a Christian school with 100 students in the heart of the northern region of Ghana. It is only 10% Christian here. Most students at the school are Muslim. They have names like Mohamed, Wumpini, Nabhan and some I can't pronounce or spell. Yet the Word of God is taught every day. Because I am a public school teacher of 15 years, I catch myself asking, "Can I say that?" Then I remember that I am in a Christian school and that is my mission here. So there is hope, that the Word of God is being heard. But there are endless needs. It is not easy to run a school in an area of such poverty. The school has to charge tuition, but most families in the area cannot pay. Water is scarce and the one tank we have runs out weekly. Children are sick, as health is poor and malaria is rampant. We tend to forget the poverty because our kids come in clean uniforms. But they may be eating very little at home and dress in almost rags when they are not in school. There is so much to teach and so little time. I am reevaluating what I need to do, and feel very pressed to make changes in the school and to get serious about teaching God's word in the next 7 months.

Nabhan and Wumpini

Nabhan is a very kind soul...just look at that face. Wumpini is all boy. This picture really does capture both. We have been reading Bible stories, lately about Jesus' birth. Wumpini asked, "but how was the baby borned". I knew from the context of the conversation he was asking how the baby "got there" if Joseph was not the father. Nabhan said, "God went poof (with his hands) and the baby started growing." One other day we were reviewing the pastor's morning devotion and discussing what Jesus' sacrificial death meant. Very hard to explain to 8 and 9 years olds, with a language barrier, and Muslim backgrounds. But suddenly Nabhan said, "Madame, He died so my sins could be forgiven?!!!" And the others chimed in, "For me?" "For me?". Wow. So, there is hope. Please pray that after I leave here, the next teacher will continue to "tell", and that they will remember the message and not just the white lady.

Happy

This is Happy. She comes from a Traditionalist or maybe no religion family. Her "brother" Andrews comes to the church and is in my class at school. We went to visit Andrews and his family one evening and I met Happy, although it was dark and I could not see her. They live in a house which is a row of rooms, but no electricity and no water. Happy is actually living with her father's other wife. Andrews is living with his father's sister (one in the same person). Happy goes to the Islamic school because it is free. Andrews is on scholarship at our school. The evening I was there the Auntie/other wife was telling us that Happy was flogged that day because she forgot her veil. Flogging actually leaves marks. My heart broke for her even though I could not see her. Now that I have gotten to know her, my heart breaks even more because she is a very beautiful, sweet girl. (This pic does not do her justice). She will start the new term in January, without a scholarship. We are just going on faith that God will provide.

Ruhia and Sharon

Ruhia and Sharon are best friends. Sharon is very smart and says she is coming to live with me in America and go to college. She is Christian and goes to N.E.C.A. on a scholarship. Ruhia is Muslim. My fear is that Ruhia will grow up and have an arranged marriage. Yes, that still happens here. It is still a very poor area and marriage is for survival, not for love. Ruhia is beautiful as is her older sister and her mother. I have heard that her older sister does all the work around the house and that she too is being raised to make a good wife. I have asked "what about love?". The answer is, "In this area, it is somewhat taboo." There is the despair of making a difference. I am hoping and praying that our school, even when I am gone, will somehow change the culture and teach that girls can go to university, earn their own money, and choose their husband.

Football boys

All boys here love football, or soccer as we would call it. During field day they organized a football game. They played skins and shirts, not what they call it here but the same idea, and many played barefooted. I asked my students one day what they would want if I could bring anything back from the U.S. with me. They want footballs, shoes, socks and uniforms. They recently received a basketball hoop and a basketball from the U.S. and are very excited about getting that set up and using it. I am trying to get a sports camp going for spring break in April-May, or in July. We want to use the Upward Basketball and Soccer curriculum and possible teach a Bible school along with it in the evenings. As with everything else, there is the cost of airline tickets for the teacher/coaches, the food during the week, the VBS and Upward materials and the uniforms. Here, another need, but a hope that it will transform lives, and a prayer request.

This is Babamu (Bah bah moo). He speaks no English, just nods yes whenever you talk to him. So we say, "Are you a monkey?" and he says yes.

Friends

Tintoni - I took this because I liked her

name. She is beautiful though. I told

her I had a daughter named Toni, but

she did not understand. She just said,

"My name is Tintoni, I am 3 years old,

I go to North-Eastern... " her rehearsed

speech for the Christmas program.

Haddie, our little

gangsta in the nursery,

wearing his "Chuck Taylor" shoes.

Isaac, who's father is a pastor to the villages.

Tabitha, Issac's sister, Waldine Mustapha

a neighbor girl and Cindy Mustapha.

Elton was giving me a flower everyday on the bus.

Yesterday he gave it to Beentu.Ah well,

I've had my heart broken before.

Two beautiful faces

Sisters.

Hope you enjoyed the pics and hope you get a feel for what is going on here. World
Vision founder Dr. Bob Pierce once wrote on the flyleaf of his Bible, “Let my heart be broken by the things that break the heart of God.” As I said at the beginning of this, my heart has been broken (by more than Elton's betrayal). When 2 year old Lettie had a 103 temperature for 2 days, when I met Happy, when I think about Ruhia in an arranged marriage, when I hear about children waiting to go to school, with Winifred (4) who is deaf and has no special education and knows no sign language, with children begging for coloring books, with Adamu who was a street child living with her mentally ill mother and still is not sure where her home is even though she has moved in with principal, and with kids who think that rice is a special treat and get chicken only on holidays. As I said, the needs are overwhelming. God is teaching me that I can not do it alone. I can not fix all these problems. But I can make a difference in a few kids lives and I can pray and leave the rest to God, who can do all things.

Visit to see Brenda

About 10 years ago I went to a Women of Faith conference in Billings, Montana. If you have been to one of these you know that they sponsor and support World Vision. So I decided to sponsor a child through World Vision and stopped by the table during a break. I said a short prayer asking God to direct me to the right child. As I browsed through the mounds of pictures, there was a mother staring out at me. She had children about the age of my children and she was looking directly at me. This was the one, a family, not just one child. On her lap was a little girl with small pigtails all over her head and standing beside her were three boys and another girl. I picked up the packet and wrote Akua when I returned home. Who would know that we would ever meet. But, if you know me, I seem to dream big, or believe in the "possible". So five years ago, my son Charlie and I went to Atebubu, Ghana is West Africa to meet the family. At that time, Charlie and Matthew were 16 and became friends even though they could not converse. And I knew that Akua and I were friends and sisters. Her eyes, the same eyes that looked out in the pictures, spoke a universal language of friendship. It was a wonderful visit. I fell in love with the girls especially, as girls always seem to open up and befriend faster. Adwoa was about 13 and Afua was a sweet little 4 or 5 year old, who cried when we left. I also fell in love with the Ghanaian people. Their friendliness, laughter and beauty captivated me. They want a better country. They believe and hope for a better world for themselves. And they believe in education. But they are very poor. So I decided that someday I would return to help them in some way. I had in mind a few weeks or even a month or two. God had in mind a year. So here I am.

Last weekend I made the trek back to see Akua. The vehicle broke down and I was stuck in a small town hotel with a 7 year old friend. World Vision came to the rescue and got myself, my principal and his 7 year old daughter safely to Atebubu. We traveled the "back roads" to the village and there they were. The village people gather for a celebration and all the leaders and ourselves were introduced. Then they asked me if I could pick out the family from the crowd. I walked directly to Akua, with little Brenda on her back. Akua had gotten remarried soon after we left and a couple of years ago had a baby girl and named her after me! When I approached Akua, she reached out and hugged me, which is very uncommon here in Ghana. So you see here the picture of that moment, that thankfully someone captured. Afua was also there, and two of the boys. Afua has grown up! She is no longer a little 5 year old, but a big 10 year old. Matthew was in Accra, and Adwoa was in Atebubu with her new baby girl, whom I met the next day. And of course, like a grandma, I thought Brenda was the cutest little girl I has ever seen. She was sick the days I visited, probably Malaria, and I am sure she did not understand who I was, but I hope to see her when she is more cheerful.

It hit me as I sat there that I am in the middle of Africa and God has permitted me to see my sister and friend again. The people were amazed that I came. No other sponsor has ever visited that village, and to visit twice was a great compliment to them. But I can only thank God that He provided the means. And again, I looked into Akua's eyes and knew she wanted so badly to communicate our friendship... but Akua, I understand without words.

The next day, I traveled down very rutty, muddy roads for 50 kilometers, which took over 3 hours, to visit another boy, who is sponsored by a friend of mine. Again we were entertained by dancing and singing by the school children and the community members. Kofi was overwhelmed. I am sure that most of these children have never seen a white person, much less had one visit them. He was very quiet, but towards the end of the visit was smiling at me, and just like Akua, trying to communicate gratitude. Here is these remote villages, it is subsistence farming only. They are hours away from any town and almost no means of transportation. They eat what they grow. They may sell just enough to purchase a little clothing and necessities. As I said we traveled across very rough, muddy roads in a 4 wheel drive vehicle to reach Kofi. The only contact most of them have with the outside word is when the market comes to town. But there are schools here. And as one of the World Vision staff said, "Anywhere Coke can go, the gospel can go." So World Vision is also here, spreading God's love and the gospel.
World Vision does wonders here and around the world. Many live miles away from families as they work in remote areas. The road we traveled is the only way in or out of the town where some of the staff work. They may or may not go home for the weekend to see their children. But they love the children they help. They know them by name and they work very hard to meet the needs in numerous ways. Here in Ghana, they build schools and clinics; they educate adults in health, business and agriculture; they immunizes children; help with small businesses and farming ventures; build boreholes and much more. I asked what would happen if this area experienced a drought since they are subsistence farmers and they said, "We feed them." So, rest assured, if you support World Vision, they are working wonders and they are an oasis of efficiency in this area.

Happiness

Pics: Village children, Kyaba, Israel

God has been speaking to me alot recently about happiness. I wonder why I am not unhappy here. I do miss home and family and friends. Once in awhile the loneliness hits. But for the most part I am very happy. This morning (Sunday), I read this quote: "Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace and gratitude" by Denis Waitley. Luci Swindoll says, "Decide to accept the path God has given you with courage, grace and humor". Even before I came to Africa I had people tell me they could not do what I do, that is work with students with special needs. I remember thinking then, "You haven't tried it!". I assumed everyone would love it if they just gave it a try. Today, as I sat in church and watched the people dancing I thought, "''Father, I wish they could be with me where I am so that they could see Your glory'" (John 17:24) Last Friday Kyaba fell asleep on my lap on the bus ride home. I wanted to capture the experience and share it with all of you. It was one of those moments of pure happiness. He is a very big, tough 4 year old, sleeping like an angel.

Other things here certainly are humorous. The student that asked me if white women flatulated. The same student, after we had read several stories or seen pictures of animals, at which I would say, "We used to have one of those" (due to the many pets we have had), saw a picture of a gorilla in a phonics book said, "Madam, do you have one?". Israel with the plastic lips or Israel trying to march to class like the other students. Sherifa, my 'special student' was trying to tell me that her behavior was due to her illness (a seizure disorder). I said that seizures do not cause bad behavior and explained that I have had many, many students with the same illness she has. She responded, "God will bless you, Madam". I'm not sure what she was thinking, but I wanted to respond, "I certainly hope so"(It was a rough day for us both). Almost daily there is humor, maybe even hourly!

As I look back at my life, the things that make me smile are not the big days. It is not when I purchased a car or a house. I remember funny things my kids said, them swimming in the backyard as kids or going out to Taco Treat when they were teenagers. I remember trips with my students on the transit or bowling with them. There are times when you are just living and your soul seems to say, "This is happiness remember it". I have felt that many times here.

I have also watched the people here. I won't say that they are always ecstatic, but they are as happy or happier than many of us Americans. The children I believe are happier than our children. Which really makes me think about what we do to pursue happiness and how we fight, struggle and work to get it. And I wonder sometimes if I have missed the happiness God has for me at the same time I am trying to earn or buy it somewhere else. I saw a sign once that said, "When my ship comes in I will probably be at the airport" I wonder if our blessings aren't right there waiting for us and we are "at the airport" trying to find it.

I told you about the school we saw in Tamale, which I am learning is about what an average school in this area looks like. Here are a couple of pictures of that school.

Our school, NECA (North-Eastern Christian Academy) is a dream of a home missionary here, Emmanuel Mustapha (Muss). He envisioned a school in which students receive an education equivalent to one in America. In the next few years we will expand to have a Senior High and a boarding school.

We had our first Open House last week. It was attended by most parents and we received some positive feedback. One man told me that we are putting Yendi on the map. It is the best school in the area. He said that he could see that children are involved and learning. He believes education is the key to bettering the whole area. He said that these children will not grow up and start tribal wars. They will not think, "I do not like you, I will kill you, or I will burn your house down". These children will use words to solve their problems. It was interesting because the pastor had given a short lesson at the beginning of the open house, which this man was not there for. He told the story of the good Samaritan and stressed that we are all neighbors and should all love each other, no matter the race, tribe or religion. As I have said before, most of our students are from Muslim families, so I pray that we are teaching peace also.

Muss' dream in becoming a reality and I am so thankful to be a part of it. Parents from 60 or 100 kilometers are waiting for the boarding school to open so that they can send their children because they want them to have a quality education. I can not wait to come back in a few years and see a much larger school and a boarding house. And the dream continues. Muss would like to build another school in Bimbilla, about 60 miles south of here. And Rebecca, my roommate, would like to start a mobile school that will go to several surrounding villages and teach children and adults, leaving assignments there for a head adult to oversee. You see, parents here know that education is the key to getting out of poverty and changing lives, but many do not have access to quality education. Many can not even afford public school because they can not purchase books or uniforms. And the public schools are very poor and over crowded. So NECA is changing the lives of almost 100 students.

This past month, I made cupcakes (from scratch) for a girl in my room. I believe it was the first birthday cake she had ever had. We had the cupcakes, sang Happy Birthday and played UNO. When we wrote in our journals that day, "If I could do anything I wanted on my birthday..." All they wanted was cake, and for their mothers to buy rice and bake a chicken. That would be their dream birthday. So this year, each of them will have a cake or cupcakes for their birthdays (I don't know about the chicken and rice).

Other signs that kids are excited. We can hardly keep them out of the library. They want to look at books! My students often spend their recess time in the room practicing reading. Today I was alittle late in writing the daily schedule on the board, so one of the students wrote it for me, but wrote in an extra reading time. I have started an after school program for 6 students and have to turn kids away that want to come in.

How to express the need?

Andrews Dancing in church

I can not begin to express the needs here. I do not understand how some of us can have so much and some can have so little. We had a newspaper reporter ask us some questions about the needs in Ghana, especially in education (He will come back and talk to us some day and wants to write an article). Wow, how do you start. Our school has one small classroom for each grade. We have whiteboards at the front and markers. We have textbooks, but not always enough to go around. So we write the assignment on the board and the students copy it. All students have at least one pencil and we have colored pencils and crayons. We have notebook paper and a library that is pretty good. We have a computer lab, in which 3 or 4 computers work at this time, but they are working on that. And we have toilets and sinks. The children are provided two meals a day. Not what American children would enjoy, but good food for this area. But the supplies I have, including games, flashcards, and art supplies fit in one student desk. That is it. I have two pairs of scissors for 7 students. Yesterday I spent 47 cedis ($35) to purchase scissors, paint, brushes, erasers and pencils for the students to buy with their "good behavior"cards. I also purchased a few more textbooks. But other teachers can not do this as they make around 100 cedis a month (an apple is 1 cedi). But, we are an extremely well supplied school for the area. Last Saturday, while shopping in Tamale, we came across a primary school. It was a long wooden shack, with corrals for classrooms. Each classroom had a very old chalkboard, several benches and papers strew across the floor. For toilets they had a hole in a cement slab with a corrugated tin wall around it. For #2 there was a board with three holes under which were 3 chamber pots. I told Rebecca that I thought it was an abandoned old school, but she pointed out the date on one of the chalkboards... October 3, 2009. Compared to this our school is luxurious.

There is also great needs among the students. Our principal told me that a couple of my students have no supervision at home. I am not talking about latch key kids whose parents come home at 5 or 6:00. Their parents (a mom, or aunt, or grandma) come home very late, around 10:00 or later. So they are left to fend for themselves. Some run around town, some hunt wild game in the bush. The meals at school are the only meals they get. He also mentioned that the students like rice so much better than boiled yams because it is a treat. At home they only get it on special holidays. Imagine rice being a treat! Chicken is also a treat. With apples costing 1 cedi (70 cents) and the average income being around $1 a day, you can imagine that apples, oranges and such are also a rare treat. I taught my students how to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on Friday. I thought some of them were going to eat the paper they were served on.

One student Andrews lives with his aunt and grandmother and is one that roams the streets and the bush. But he is at church every Sunday with his older brother (not his aunt or grandmother). He has attended school very sporadically until this year, because no one saw to it that he went. He was left to himself and showed up occasionally. He now attends everyday and is so eager it breaks my heart. He begs to read to me. He is a very poor reader, so I asked him if he would like to stay after school a couple of days and get help. He was ecstatic. He was telling everyone. I can not describe the look on his face. I pray, and hope that you will pray with me, that I can teach him to read well this year, and that he can continue with schooling. He says he wants to be a doctor. He is a scholarship kid, but his sponsor can not pay. He is going to school now, but we are looking for a sponsor for him and for several others.

We were without water for a couple of days, but the pastor brought us some large containers and we were able to sponge bathe. We lose electricity often, so our overhead fans don't work and it gets hot fast (air conditioners should be coming this week). We have to cook in a hot kitchen (our house is about 90 or more in the afternoon) and we have no microwave and no food that is easy to cook. But we have food, beds, electricity and water. My children are well educated and have every opportunity available to them. I can not express how little I feel that I am sacrificing, and how little I feel like I am to be admired. And this is not just false modesty. I know that I will return home and eat like a king. I will go to restaurants and movies and get paid an ungodly amount of money. These people will continue on for the rest of their lives in a daily battle, struggling for the basic necessities of life. The children will learn in conditions we would consider unlivable. But they will continue to smile and they will continue to praise God with dancing, clapping and true rejoicing. Today in church we sang, "These are the days of Jehovah" and they rejoiced. A little boy crawled up in my lap, completely uninvited and fell asleep. He slept there through the whole service. The invitation hymn was "Because He Lives" ...

But greater still the calm assurance:This child can face uncertain days because He Lives!

What a promise that was in a place like this!

Still surviving

Children Praying

Neighbor girls

Hassan and

Nabhan

Dorcas'baby

My house

I think I have finally gotten to where I can post a blog and add pictures. Everything in Ghana is very slow. When we in America realize we need something, we can go get it.. more of less. We can go to an internet cafe, or email from work if we dont have email at home. Here it is very different. The nearest internet cafe with wireless or broadband is an hour away. Dial up. as I have discovered does not upload pics. We have waited for airconditioning for weeks, not because we didn't have the money (thanks to some generous folks that helped) but because we ordered it from Accra, and the guy that was bringing it had a funeral in the family.. a week long ordeal. Many of the things we take for granted are just not available. There are 9 doctors in the Northern Region, which is about 1/5 the size of Ghana. There are no dentist is this town and I dont know if there are any in the "city". We have had trouble finding such things as flour, peanut butter, bleach, fresh milk, and may foods. But the people here take it all in stride and seem to get along.

School has been great. I only have 7 students so far. Their names are Sharon, Sherifa, Ruhia (the girls), and Nabhan, Hassan, Wumpini, and Andrews (the boys). Sherifa is a student with severe learning disabilities and some behavior problems, but nothing I haven't seen before! They are pretty good. It is funny how like America children they are. Ruhia and Sharon are bossy and in every bodies business, Hussan is the class clown (and is funny), Andrews is a star student but gets caught up in the other boys typical boy behavior... they can be naughty, but they are cute. We are working on not tattling, teasing and keeping our hands to our selves. Sound familiar? Many, more than half, of the students in the school are Muslim. It is a good school so the parents are willing to have their students learn about the Bible. We teach Moral and Religious education, which is part of the Ghana standards and includes what Muslims believe, but because it is a Christian school, we teach the Bible and teach about Jesus. They say the pledge to the Christian flag, the Bible and to Ghana every morning and recite the Lord's Prayer. Every Monday we have a devotion, usually led by the pastor of the Baptist church. The school has children from nursery to 7th grade. The little ones are adorable! Education wise, they are very behind here. But the goal of this school is to provide an education that is equivalent to that in the states, so that any student who graduates from this school (it will eventually go through high school) will be able to go to a university in the states or in Europe.

The work of the church is also growing. A team from Oklahoma is currently here working. They just returned from the Bimbilla area where they started 11 new churches. A young pastor from here will be going to that area to start a large central church in Bimbilla and to help the 11 village churches by training leaders. Tomorow morning they will be baptizing a multitude of people who have been waiting for baptizing here.

My roomate and I have both had Malaria, so we have had the Ghanaian baptism. She was very sick for about 3 days. The "doctor", a medical assistant, came to the house a few times and eventually had to bring an IV for fluids. It was quite interesting watching him and a nurse set up an IV using a clothes rack as a hook. I had a much milder case, but it is still miserable. Like the flu. It is something that happens here and everyone gets it. And you can get it over and over. They have medicine that fights it rather quickly and I think that the malaria medicine that we are taking helps to fight it too.

God has been showing me how to depend on Him and how to be grateful for all that He gives. We do not have Walmart, McDonalds are even a grocery store in town. We eat rice, (chicken if we are really ambitious), oatmeal, peanut butter, bread, soymilk (chocolate is great), Raman noodles, tuna fish, spaghetti, eggs... you get the picture. No frozen foods, no microwave, no beef, lunchmeat and cheese is VERY expensive... although Laughing Cow cheese is cheap..go figure. Anyway, we still live in luxury compared to almost everyone we see. But I have been very very thankful for a jar of peanut butter, for banana bread and an oven to cook it in, for breakfast bars and now for internet. And since I am not at home with my family, I now have to trust that God can handle it without me...that's a tough one.

I am going to try to add some pics and hope I dont run out of units and internet.