Adventure

Too Fat

2014-01-27T13:07:00.000+00:00

Ah culture differences. Gotta love them:-)!

I wrote most of this post the week we arrived in Botswana but never finished it. I finally decided to finish and post it now. Note: this was before I was showing my pregnancy at all.

It was great to arrive in Botswana on Tuesday. Kagi's mom and brothers and uncle were all waiting for us at the airport, along with another lady (we'll call her Auntie) who I met on my last trip here. We were greeted with hugs and smiles, and ushered out to the waiting cars.

Arriving at the car, Auntie grabbed my hand and said with enthusiasm, "You're too fat!" Not knowing what she meant, I smiled -- it must be an English mis-speak. I don't think I'm too fat, and certainly am much trimmer than she is. Sensing my confusion, she repeated her statement enthusiastically, "You're too fat!"

Kagi saw the exchange and laughed. "She's complimenting you, Laura!"

"I... I know, thank you," I stammered.

Apparently I gained a few pounds during my first year of marriage, and this lady was genuinely happy for me. Honestly, it was sweet and funny, and I wasn't offended. Maybe at another point in my life I would have been, but not this time.

The other factor is that the word too is used differently. It's used instead of very or more. People often talk about your house being "too big," meaning it's nice and spacious. They don't mean it's ostentatious.

I love the way this points out cultural differences. My Canadian friend has shared similar stories. It's funny to compare our often less than gracious reactions. Genuinely, comments like this are meant as compliments. I plan to take them as such.

Growing Pains

2014-01-24T14:53:00.000+00:00

As I think about the time I will spend at immigration tomorrow, checking to see if my residency permit has gone through, I am reminded of the frustrating aspects of living in Botswana. I have spent six days at immigration so far -- arriving before 6am to make sure I am early enough in the queue to be served before lunchtime. The immigration computer system is appalling -- on a good day, they usually can input one person's paperwork every 30 minutes. This is just one example of a bureaucratic battle we have been fighting since coming here.

I just read the 2014 Gates Annual Letter, which is Bill and Melinda Gates' update on the state of international development. It reminded me of what an incredible country I live in, in spite of these frustrations. 50 years ago, Botswana was one of the poorest countries in the world. Now, things have changed dramatically. Here are quotes from the annual letter which directly address Botswana:

"Here is a quick list of former major recipients that have grown so much that they receive hardly any aid today: Botswana, Morocco, Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Costa Rica, Peru, Thailand, Mauritius, Singapore, and Malaysia."

...

"In 1960, almost all of the global economy was in the West. Per capita income in the United States was about $15,000 a year. (That’s income per person, so $60,000 a year for a family of four.) Across Asia, Africa, and Latin America, incomes per person were far lower. Brazil: $1,982. China: $928. Botswana: $383. And so on."

...

"Since 1960, China’s real income per person has gone up eightfold. India’s has quadrupled, Brazil’s has almost quintupled, and the small country of Botswana, with shrewd management of its mineral resources, has seen a thirty-fold increase. There is a class of nations in the middle that barely existed 50 years ago, and it includes more than half of the world’s population."

...

"Of course, these regional averages obscure big differences among countries. In Ethiopia, income is only $800 a year per person. In Botswana it’s nearly $12,000."

Kagi's grandmother, who is about the same age as my grandmother, didn't finish primary education. She was never taught to read (I'll have to tell you her amazing story of how she can read now someday). She gave birth to six children, and only three of them are still living. She is lovely -- quick-witted, very intelligent, and a strong leader in her community. Even though she doesn't speak English and I still don't speak Setswana she is one of my favorite people to be around here in Bots. The Botswana she was born in, with its expectations and opportunities, was nothing like the one we live in today.

In contrast, Kagi's mom is a qualified nurse and midwife, and he is a pharmacist. The same government with which I have so often been frustrated was organized and disciplined enough to pay to make that a possibility. Healthcare is freely available to all citizens. Public education is free, and most (if not all) children go to school. Those with the ability and drive go to university, and the most apt among them are sent abroad for professional degrees (usually medical or engineering-related).

As a result of this and other factors, there are stories like this:

In contrast to the previously abysmal child mortality rate, my mother-in-law told me about a baby born in her hospital at around 24 weeks gestation who is now healthy and home with her family. This outcome may not be as common as it would be in the States, but that is pretty great any time it happens, and I doubt it is very possible without the services and equipment found in a hospital.

Botswana still has one of the highest AIDS rates in the world (according to Wikipedia it's about 23.4%). Kagi has been working in the dedicated HIV/AIDS units of the hospital for the last two months. In Botswana, because antiretroviral drugs are free, there is no reason someone with HIV can't live a virtually normal life -- including average life expectancy, the ability to have HIV negative children, and pretty much normal health. The goal is for the next generation to be HIV-free, and they are serious and making progress toward that goal.

Thinking back to the completely undeveloped Botswana of 1960, this is really amazing.

I am very proud of Botswana. In my frustration about bad systems and inefficiencies, I forget that these are growing pains. What an amazing opportunity and privilege it will be if God allows us to be a part of the continued growth and development of this beautiful country.

Kagi with two of his best friends from childhood. Victor is on his way to the UK for his medical residency, and Lesh is a police officer.

Life in Botswana

2014-01-02T20:08:00.000+00:00

My Grammy requested that I blog about life in Botswana. That question is a difficult one to answer by itself so it was helpful that more questions followed. I figured it was a good opportunity to answer her questions and see if anyone has more questions. So, post in the comments or shoot me an email if you have any other questions or suggestions for blog topics.

When are you going to do a blog about what your life is like there? We are all so curious.
Now!

Do you have a church?
Although we have yet to officially join a church, we have been regularly attending one in Gaborone called His People. It is affiliated with the Every Nation family of churches and is led by a South African pastor and his team. Many people from Kagi's former church also attend His People following its closure last year.

Do you have friends to hang out with?
We are so blessed to have several friends we regularly hang out with and more friends we are getting to know. Having friends around makes a world of difference and it is as we've gotten to know people that Botswana has begun to feel more and more like home.

How is KG’s work going?
I believe KG is going to blog about his work on his new blog soon, so I won't say too much (and when his blog is live I will post a link here). He is doing well and learning a lot. It is a different kind of training than he would have received in the UK had he done his pre-registration year there. Here, he is learning from practice. He is also doing quite a bit of learning about HIV-AIDS medicines as that is still a huge focus of the medical profession in Botswana. He continually has stories of both tragedy and triumph of people with the disease. We both marvel and thank God that these days HIV does not have to shorten someone's life, they can have children without passing the disease to them, and so on. Botswana provides free medication to those who have the disease and it is really a wonderful thing for those who take advantage of it.

What is your home like?
I guess pictures are in order here! We live in a two bedroom house which is in a compound of three houses and we share part of one wall with our neighbors. It is a simple layout but very nice, and we really like it. So far, we don't have much furniture, but are thankful to be borrowing some camping equipment from friends and family to fill the gaps. I really look forward to getting couches, and hope that we might find some within the next month or so.

Yes, what do you eat?
Let's see... we eat many of the same meals I would make at home. I find food to be very expensive, probably because I like buying things that are normal or cheap in the States but are more expensive here. Most of my thinking about food has to do with thinking through what I can make that we like and can also afford. I also have decided to make lots of things and use replacements for others. For example, I regularly bake bread (even though you can find nice bread cheap), make homemade salsa as much as possible, made my own applesauce, and use yoghurt to replace many things in recipes (it is my sour cream, cream, mayonnaise, and etc).

What do you do with your days?
This has changed throughout my time in Botswana. Now that we have internet access, I have been spending time on a web design job I am doing for a local company. I hope this might grow into something I can do as a business and am VERY thankful for a fantastic first customer and fun first project. I also spend substantial time cooking and cleaning, as it seems everything takes a little more effort than it would at home. The other thing I have been doing over the last several weeks has been spending a total of six days at immigration trying to get my residency application through. I am now waiting for the result, and we pray it will go through on the first try. The computer system the immigration officers are using is horrendous and broke down for a month or so, so everyone who needed to apply was pushed back. My days at immigration began by arriving between 5:30 and 6 at the office to put my name on a list, and then trying to make sure that I was helped in the proper order. Needless to say, not my favorite way to spend my time. Otherwise, I spend time with our puppy Bella who I hope will be well behaved before she is enormous, which will happen soon.

Are there malls, where do you shop?
Yes, there are several nice malls in Gaborone. One of them is close to our house, but as Gabs isn't huge, we have pretty easy access to 3 we particularly like. I have been learning which stores are best to buy which things. Generally, you can find most things here, it is more a matter of being able to pay the price for them. I really miss the easy access we have in America to nice things for low prices. Here the quality isn't quite as good and prices are relatively high, especially in proportion to the income people have. I am learning a lot about how to shop wisely. The nice thing is that South Africa, which has a much bigger economy, is very close. I haven't been yet, but would like to take a trip there soon to buy some necessities. Many people do this and for things like maternity clothes, which I still haven't found here, it is necessary. It is also nice that the Botswanan pula is 25% stronger than the South African rand, so hopefully I'll have a little advantage with that as well.

What was your Christmas like?
Our Christmas was nice, but certainly different than at home! For starters, we are at the height of summer here, so the morning was pretty warm. KG and I spent time at home and exchanged gifts. We then took our remaining cinnamon rolls and went to see his family in Thamaga, the village where they live about 30 minutes from our house. Then we came home and I grabbed the apple pie and corn custard, taking them with us to our friends' house. Once there the rain came and we had a feast which reminded me of home. We had a very nice afternoon and evening with the Jones family and their relatives. The evening ended with a board game which KG played while I called and watched my family open presents in Spokane.

Do they celebrate New Year’s?
Yes, kind of, as far as I know! I think people set of fire works and have parties, much like home. We didn't really have anything going on so we ended up going to bed early. I think the combination of the early morning lifestyle of Botswana and pregnancy had me ready for bed around 10, so I didn't mind. Next year, though, I think we will have a party. Hopefully by then we'll have furniture! :-)

How is your pregnancy going?
I am so thankful that it is going well. The first trimester was not much fun for me, but since I hit the 13 week mark things have been fine. I am 20 weeks today, which is very exciting! Half-way there. I have been feeling good and have for the last week or so been feeling the baby move quite a bit. It is very exciting, and I think both KG and I are getting more and more excited about meeting this little one soon.

Settling in Botswana

2013-11-11T08:45:00.001+00:00

There are many stories to tell from our first month and a half in Botswana. An overall brief update follows:

After a summer in England waiting on the government of Botswana to let us know if it was OK to stay in the UK they let us know that they were not going to grant the approval near the end of August. Thankfully, KG had planned for that contingency, and we quickly moved forward with plans to ship all of our belongings (including our car which we bought early in the summer) with a group of others.

We arrived in Gaborone at the end of September hoping to ease our way into the hot summer, but had no such luck. The first few days were 35 degrees C (95 degrees F), which was a pretty rough shock to our systems (especially without AC).

Since then, we have been working hard to get settled. Finally, last week, we were able to move into the house we are renting (which is air conditioned!!) nearer to Gaborone and received our shipment. Today, KG started work.

I'll start sharing some of the stories from the last several weeks and new ones that come up as I have internet access. We still have a way to go for our house to be totally settled, and one of my top priorities is a great internet connection, but that will happen in Botswana time - meaning most likely not be fast.

Adventure in the Dales

2013-04-05T16:50:00.001+01:00

Kagi and I had a really exciting week last week. There are lots of stories to be told, and although it is no longer lent so I probably won't be blogging daily, I'll try to tell them.

First, I'll tell about the climax of our week. In the autumn, +Kara and Forrest blessed us with a gift of a night at a bed and breakfast where they spent a night while in England. Kagi and I were looking forward to using it for months, but obviously needed to wait until I got back to use it. It worked perfectly to take a few days in the Dales during the university's Easter break.

Kagi also arranged with Jako and Anneke and their family to visit and coincide with our trip so we could get a day out together. They stayed with us on Sunday evening and then Monday morning we headed out, planning to meet them at Bolton Abby.

We rode our bikes down to the train station about a mile from home and took the train to Ilkley, a beautiful town on the edge of the Dales. From there, we rode our bikes to Bolton Abby.

Our cycle route from Ilkley to Bolton Abby. It's about 7 miles, and thankfully mostly down hill.

On some of the Abby ruins, next to the main part and looking at the main house. I believe all of this belongs to the Duchess of Devonshire. We had a picnick here. It was nice but it was unbelievably cold.

Kagi skipping rocks near the Abby.

After our lunch, Kagi and I headed off on our bikes toward the bed and breakfast. Here is the route we took:

It was about 20 miles to our destination.

I loved this -- a solitary ewe with her lamb in the Dales.

When we came upon this Kagi and I did a little exploring. It's a very old ruined building.

One view of the inside.

We think this was a defensive tower from some of the signs we saw around.

I thought the flower boxes in the walls were interesting. Between them and the fire places you can imagine what this might have been like.

We continued cycling, and at one point were held up by the traffic:

Finally, exhausted but very happy, we arrived at the Tudor House. The owner served us tea with brownies and a dessert bar, and we decided to spend the evening in. We really enjoyed being there!

Our room.

Fresh flowers on the window sill.

In the morning, we had an absolutely wonderful breakfast made from local produce which included everything you could imagine. We enjoyed our time eating and then relaxed again before heading on our way.

The B&B owner recommended the scenic route back to civilization. It was beautiful...

And then we came upon a little problem since we had bikes.

But the only option was to keep going at that point!

I know... looking cool!

Eventually, we made it back to the main route. We rode along this canal for 10-15 miles before getting on a train toward home.

It was a really nice trip, and it was also nice to get home and rest up:-)!

Good Friday, and etc

2013-03-30T23:42:00.000+00:00

I forgot to post again yesterday. Kagi and I went out in the early afternoon, and didn't return home until midnight-ish and went straight to bed. We had a great day with friends.

One of the most significant moments of the day for me was meditating on this song:

We look forward to another big day tomorrow with lots of Easter festivities and friends visiting. We're going out of town on Monday so Tuesday will probably be my earliest opportunity to blog again, but we shall see!

Maundy Thursday

2013-03-28T22:41:00.001+00:00

Today is such a special one of remembrance in the Christian calendar. We remember the day that Jesus celebrated Passover with the disciples, taught them to remember the gift of His life given for all of us and the new covenant God was offering through Him, and physically taking the role of a servant by washing their feet. We remember Jesus' prayers for the disciples and all believers recorded in John 17. And we think about what led up to Good Friday when Jesus, though all powerful and innocent, died in my place.

I am excited for the coming weekend. I love having the opportunity to think about what He did, imagining I was there, grieving and rejoicing in the weighty but triumphant meaning of it all. I look forward to the dramatic conclusion to the story, when Jesus physically and spiritually conqueres death on Sunday morning.

What a Day!

2013-03-27T23:01:00.000+00:00

Today has been very busy, and very good. This is my first moment which hasn't been very relational and/or active since waking this morning. It's 10pm and I'm tired but happy and thankful for good food, great friends, and a good-crazy kind of day.

This morning Kagi and I woke up, had our breakfast, and prepared for a day in the city. We walked the 2.5 miles to the Discovery Centre (where Global Cafe is headquartered and Kagi used to live) through freezing wind and stinging snowfall. There, I helped Kagi with his weekly cleaning job. Because both of us were working quickly, we finished in about an hour and booked it down to the City Centre.

In the heart of Bradford, we met with our friend Ben who has been a very good friend to me since I first came here. He was even there the day Kagi and I met. Now Ben lives in Finland, and I am so glad we took the rare opportunity to hang out during his visit to Bradford this week. It was especially fun to hear how God has been answering prayers that we have been praying since meeting almost three years ago, and to share stories with someone whose journey of faith makes Kagi and my last few years look relatively simple. We are so encouraged by Ben and I am reminded what a blessing he has been to me. Although we have never seen him all that often it does seem that Bradford is missing something without him here.

After that meeting, we went back to the Discovery Centre for an amazing Spanish lunch prepared by our friend Juanma's parents. It was so fun to meet his family and to spend time with international students and other team members. In our multi/inter-cultural lives, Global Cafe provides a community which feels more like home to both of us... sometimes even more than we feel at home in our countries of origin. For me, it is a reminder of my beloved International Friendship Club in Maryland.

Following lunch, Shell, the leader of Global Cafe, took me with her on her trip to Costco! I blogged about strangely missing Costco way back in this post. Finding out there is one near Bradford was very exciting news for me, and I was not disappointed on my trip there today. It was really nice to hang out with Shell, first of all. She shares my love for Jesus and for cultures, and is someone I have really enjoyed getting to know over the past few years. Today I found out that her husband who is also from Southern Africa is a "meatetarian," like mine. She has offered to help me find ways to feed Kagi without going broke, which (especially after recently instituting a new budget) I am very excited about!

Costco was also much more similar to the Costco in the States than I was expecting. They have most of the same items and kept the prices about the same as they would be in USD but just made them in GBP, which makes everything about 1.6 times more expensive. Compared to importing these items myself or paying the supermarket price for these American staples which are considered luxury items here, the prices were great. I bought things like Kirkland almonds, a big tub of crunchy peanut butter, a big tub of salsa, and Costco bagels. They also have the big bags of Crasins and affordable vanilla which was a thrilling discovery even though I decided to hold off until I have a little more in the budget another time. It was laid-out and looked just like it does in the States.

As we were leaving the store at about 4, I glanced at my iPhone to see a message my dad sent me about the staff meeting I was prepared to join at 5pm via Skype. I had told Shell about it and planned to be home in plenty of time for it. However, while reading my dad's email I realized that I forgot that the daylight savings time changes earlier in the States than in England. We are only 7 hours ahead instead of the usual 8. While kicking myself for being late, I realized that, not only had I not realized the time change, I also had mis-calculated. 8am is 8 hours before 4pm, not 5pm. I was both sorry and embarrassed about this clumsy mistake. I sent an email as we headed home.

To keep this story from going on forever, I'll just say that Kagi and I ultimately got home at about 5:30 after traffic and a few other delays. We unexpectedly had a few of the guys from church come home with us, which was a lovely surprise. I figured out that I had totally missed my call and set to hanging out with them, preparing dinner, and having some great conversations.

There is more, but I guess for today I'll leave it at that!

Harry

2013-03-26T20:17:00.001+00:00

Today, Kagi and I had the privilege of dog-sitting Harry, a very cute jackadoodle who belongs to one of our friends. We have both enjoyed having him around.

Just look at this little guy!

:-)

Starbucks Scandal

2013-03-25T23:18:00.000+00:00

I'm not sure if the Starbucks Tax Scandal has made the news in the States, but it is a big deal here in the UK. It won't surprise many of you that Starbucks comes up in my conversations fairly frequently (since I love coffee and like Starbucks a lot). So, for the last six months, every time it comes up I have heard a little more about the scandal. I actually don't know tons about it, but apparently Starbucks took advantage of a tax loophole and has not been paying income tax in the UK. There have been protests and boycotts. It's big news.

What my siblings and I call the "Green Circle of Pleasure," just the sight of which gets the serotonin flowing!

My immediate question the first time I heard this was, "So wait, did they do something illegal?" to which the answer was, "No."

Americans think very differently about taxes than Brits do.

This difference is something I am convinced is deeply true, and this is just one small example. American companies' first obligation is to their stakeholders, particularly their customers, employees, and shareholders. They are, obviously, bound to obey the law, but I don't think many Americans would consider it immoral to not pay taxes which are not required by law.

In England, though, this is a very different thing. In the UK, taxes are used for things which people highly value, like the National Health Service (NHS) and benefits meant to create equal opportunities. There is an expectation that the State can and should care for its citizens and a high value for government programs.

We (typically) feel so differently about this in the States. I realize that I come from a conservative background in America, and I also realize that I live in a particularly liberal part of the UK. But even with this acknowledgement, I think that there are longstanding cultural value differences stemming back to the founding of our various nations.

In a monarchy, there is an expectation for the king or queen to take care of his/her people. My theory is that this translates much more easily into a state with large and strong social services, because whether or not it works perfectly the people have a value system which allows for this. And because the system is relatively consistent with the values of the population people feel comfortable making it work. Paying taxes is a huge part of making the system work. Starbucks, therefore, seems to have committed a moral wrong in the perspective of the British value system.

However, we Americans have a very high value for individual achievement and we tend to distrust large structures, especially the government or those mandated by the government. I think this goes back to the American Revolution, the outcry against "taxation without representation," and the entire political system that developed out of that. We tend to think more about keeping it in check than in making sure it gets its dues. If there is a tax loophole, we all want to know about it so we all can take advantage of it. I think this is why tax accounting is such a huge business. We figure that it is the government's responsibility to close up the loopholes (we probably would consider if immoral if they don't). I have every expectation that the companies I invest in are not paying taxes that they don't need to. I would be very unhappy if they were.

I find it interesting that a company like Starbucks, which has a reputation of taking the high moral ground on issues like health insurance for part-time employees and etc, has ended up in this scandal. I think that it is a very interesting matter of cultural value mis-match. I am guessing that they never saw the public outcry coming.

For me personally, it is another reminder of the difficulties of cross-cultural living. There are phenomenal opportunities to have our values and expectations challenged. Maybe what I've always thought isn't actually right after all. Or maybe what I thought was an absolute is actually more a matter of opinion. Or maybe my culture is right on this thing or that, and I need to remain committed to it even when it's not popular in another context.

It's kind of nice to know that massive companies commit cross-cultural faux pas too. Somehow, it makes mine feel a little more understandable.

Welcome Home...

2013-03-24T00:27:00.000+00:00

This is how we found our house when we arrived home from Manchester:

On the road

2013-03-22T22:49:00.002+00:00

Kagi and I travelled to Manchester today for me to see my friend Ffion, who is a dentist in training, and to visit Jaco and Aneke, Kagi's pastor from Bots, who now live here too. We are now at their house.

I can't type much but hope to share about our adventures in Manchester (and winter wonderland Bradford) when we get home!!!

Outing

2013-03-21T22:47:00.001+00:00

What do you think these strange statues are (they may be hard to see)?

It was SO incredibly cold today... But we got ice cream anyway! I thought it was funny that I wore gloves and Kagi wore a hat while eating it!

Charity Shop

2013-03-20T22:56:00.003+00:00

Today I spent most of the afternoon in a "charity shop" which one of the other young ladies from my home group manages. It was a nice afternoon in the fairly small, one-room shop.

I think this must be what Goodwill stores were like originally, but I'm not sure. Thrift stores in the States are very different than charity shops in the UK. This one is owned by a network of local churches who give out the proceeds from the shop as well as additional funds they steward to local charities. They provide a service to the low-income residents of the neighboring community by offering low cost clothing and household items.

The shop has one part-time manager and is otherwise run by volunteers. Most of them are ladies who volunteer once or several times a week.

This is definitely a part of the British culture. There are small charity shops all over. I find it interesting.

Lovely Walk

2013-03-19T20:53:00.000+00:00

Today I took a walk in the late afternoon through some of my favorite places in this area. Here are some pictures from my journey.

I began my walk in the "Heaton Allotments" which are little individual gardens which I believe people rent and use. It is a beautiful area with paths and hedges on the top of "Heaton Woods" which are beautiful -- more to come.

I thought this fallen tree was really interesting looking.

The view from the top of Heaton woods. You can see several nearby towns.

Apparently this part of England is known for these special stone fences which were painstakingly built. Here, you can see only part of it is left standing.

Walking back through the Allotments.

Then I walked down through Lister Park. There are so many beautiful parts of it!

I think this best captures the mood of the day:-).

Quiet Snowfall

2013-03-19T00:02:00.000+00:00

Today, Kagi and I woke up to snowfall, which was especially surprising because a few days ago I was thinking about putting my heaviest coat away and moving toward my lighter waterproof jacket for spring.

The day ended up being a pretty quiet one with day-to-day kinds of things -- laundry, work, cleaning, cooking. Probably the most exciting thing for me was making a curry for dinner. I loosely followed this recipe, and both Kagi and I really enjoyed the result.

We have been pretty busy this past week.We had an evening activity every night except Tuesday, including two sets of dinner guests and leading Global Cafe. We have loved having friends over and really enjoyed the week. Today was one of those days which seemed to have its pace set by the clouds and snow. We mostly stayed in, did work and chilled out. It was good to be quiet after a lot of hustle and bustle.

I think it's good to have days like this every once in a while (although I'm hoping for bright springtime to come soon)!

Oops...

2013-03-17T15:45:00.002+00:00

I woke up this morning and I realized with some shock that I forgot to blog yesterday!

It was a really nice Saturday. In the morning, the we had a church ladies breakfast which five of us came to, which was very nice. I love times of sharing with women -- there is so much to learn. We had a nice time reading the Bible, sharing, and praying.

I came home and hung out with Kagi for a while. Then we had some great Skype conversations with good friends -- I especially loved speaking with Bumo and Hle who live in Toronto.

After the Skype conversations, though, I realized that it was later than I had planned to start preparing for our dinner guests, Tim and Bethan. We were just having spaghetti but especially after my Friday baking catastrophe I was uncharacteristically nervous to prepare the meal.

Ultimately, we had a great meal and a great time with these amazing friends. They are such a tremendous blessing to us, and we have a lot to learn from both of them.

We headed to bed pretty shortly after they left. Today has been a pretty perfect Sunday so far -- church for us is in the afternoon (soon, actually), so we slept in and then had a nice relaxing morning talking to each other. This afternoon I cleaned the kitchen and made bread:-).

Happy Sunday!

St. Patrick & A Baking Incident

2013-03-16T00:26:00.002+00:00

I had the honor of leading Global Cafe tonight. We celebrated St. Patrick's Day with green cookies and Jeopardy. It was very fun.

In spent most of the day preparing for the evening. I found a Jeopardy template for PowerPoint and did the research. Earlier in the week I had decided to use the Veggie Tales rendition of the story of St. Patrick, which is both cute and gets the point across nicely. I recommend it (http://youtu.be/fg5ejLGEnZk). Oval it went well, and it was fun to learn about a man living the message of reconciliation by taking the message of salvation back to a land and people who had enslaved him for much of his life.

I made Grammy's sugar cookies earlier in the day. I kept feeling like I did something wrong and so when the cookies came out of the oven I tasted one. It was not pleasant and I immediately knew what was wrong. The answer is in the name of the cookies-- sugar. I totally had forgotten it.

I think I realized a new low in my baking!

My Trip

2013-03-14T22:46:00.002+00:00

I must have been weighed down as I considered what to write about earlier and decided my walk up the hill would be a worth-while blog. I actually wrote most of another blog but decided it needed too much work to iron out before publishing tonight. So we're back to the original idea...

Since Kagi and I don't have a car we do our main grocery shopping online and have it delivered. We did our big shop last week. Today I needed to get a few things we've run low on, particularly because I'm leading Global Cafe's St. Patrick's Day celebration tomorrow night.

While at the store there was an attempted robbery. It actually was kind of funny, a guy walked in and filled a big bag full of groceries. The man behind the counter had his eye on him via the security cameras, and while I was at the counter the guy walked out. The grocer ran after him and brought the overflowing bag back in. Overall, and interesting thing to watch. It kind of seemed like it happens all the time.

So I walked down the hill (it's only a 1.33 mile round-trip which makes the fact that I decided to document my struggle rather comical) and visited the local grocery shop. I got what I needed and then knelt on the store floor to pack it all into the backpack which I had (thankfully) thought ahead enough to bring with me. Then I began my journey back up hill:

It was a nice day and I enjoyed a (very) slight diversion through the side of the park. I liked seeing pigeons, ducks, geese, and possibly a swan all in one glance in the pond!

About at this point I was feeling the burn. My house can almost be seen on the left just past the white building. The hill's slope is pretty painful at this point... and it's clear that it's going to get worse.

The hill is worse and sadly you can't see the house anymore. But it really is getting closer.

So here's what all of the fuss is about. This is the backpack I was using. Doesn't look that bad, does it?

I felt a little better about my internal moaning when I saw all of this again -- now in my kitchen. This counted as my weight-lifting for the day! (Note: each of those bags of flour is 1.5 kg).

Life without a car is certainly different!

Hurdles

2013-03-13T18:09:00.001+00:00

I always thought running hurdles would be more fun, interesting, and exciting than just running straight through a race. Similarly, I think I'd enjoy a warrior dash much more than a straight-forward long run. One of the things I struggle with the most while running is the mental battle to stay interested and engaged when my objective is just to keep going, one step after another.

I guess that is true for much of how I live my life. I like having shorter-term objectives to keep me focused and interested while working toward the prize. I like hurdles.

That's probably one of the reasons I like living internationally. There are lots of interesting things that happen, lots of surprises and diversions. Life is very rarely boring. It can be both challenging and rewarding.

Some days, it feels like you are flying through life, leaping over barriers as they come. Other days, you're reminded that there are far more opportunities to fall on your face or break your leg.

Either way, it's an adventure.

Flowers and Sunshine

2013-03-12T22:27:00.000+00:00

Today has been a really nice day. To start with, I have THREE bouquets of beautiful flowers in my kitchen. Daffodils from church on Mother's Day, amazing brightly-colored roses from Bethan as a "welcome home" gift, and red roses from Kagi when I arrived last Tuesday. The sun is shining brightly, and after yesterday's frigid temperature today has been warm.

Kagi and I are having a friend from church over for dinner. I've been working on the meal, laundry, and cleaning the house (finally) for most of the day. I also got to exercise (a little) and went to the nearby tennis club to inquire about a part-time job. I've actually been really busy, and I'm not done with everything yet.

I have two thoughts for today. First, it is good to work. This has been on my mind a lot lately, but today was a great reminder. Sometimes working feels fun and sometimes it doesn't, but the rewards are always worth it. Mentally, emotionally, and even spiritually, it is good.

Second, I have continued to think about what I realized during last night's church prayer meeting. I was struck while we sang the song Bless the Lord how often I rejoice or despair in my circumstances -- hoping in God for good things to happen in my life rather than in rejoicing in Him. In fact, I even rejoice in His creation more frequently than I do in Him. I love people -- both specific people and people in general. I also deeply enjoy other elements of creation. I rejoice in animals and scenery and flowers and sunshine. I thank God for them, which is good, but there is so much more to it.

I think it's right to enjoy creation. Really, I think it's good and suitable. People are amazing. The rest of creation is amazing. I could never make any of it, it's so far beyond my creativity and ability to even understand. But it pales in comparison to the Creator. It's nothing in comparison to Him. He's more beautiful, intimate, majestic, complex, and the list goes on. The creation should make me more interested in the Creator. It can be delightful and wonderful, but it cannot replace my hunger for the One who made it all. It should never be the primary source of my joy. He should.

The beautiful thing is that the more I can keep that straight, the more joy I know, the more courage I can demonstrate, and with all the more accuracy I can live my life. I can glorify Him all the more, which is the best use of my life. It's exciting!

Encouragement

2013-03-11T23:07:00.002+00:00

Yesterday a man who I met during my first trip to Bradford came up to me at church. He is a very gentle man who spent a little time with the team I was with in 2010. I was one of three women who ended up spending time praying for him one day -- that God would break into his situation and free him from oppression which was weighing him down. Particularly, he had been unable to play musical instruments, something which had been a great joy all his life. It seemed difficulty in his spirit prohibited him from expressing himself through his musical gift.

He told Kagi and me that he still remembers me because of that time of prayer. God began working toward restoration in his life at that time. He has been able to play music since and spoke of great intimacy in his walk with God. He thanked me for being a part of it.

To be honest, my memory of that day is vague. I was not the leader in that situation and I am very aware that whatever part I played was very small as God brought healing in his life.

What a blessing, though, to hear that from him. How wonderful to know that over two years ago God began healing which still growing and going deeper in him, which I got to be a witness to. What a beautiful thing that in the family of God we can have moments of joyful remembrance and praise for what He has done in our midst!

Friends

2013-03-09T22:17:00.002+00:00

Last night Kagi and I went to Global Cafe, a ministry we have been involved with for years. It was so fun to be back in that environment and catch up with friends. A whole group of us stayed around after the cafe telling stories and laughing. Today, we had a "team day" where we spent time together preparing for the coming season.

After our meeting many of us went to a nice curry house.

Other thank Kagi (who took the picture), this was our lunch crew.

I'm thankful for the opportunity to be with friends and for lots of laughter!

This evening, I was in the kitchen when Kagi asked me if I was expecting a guest. I wasn't, but it was a wonderful surprise to see Bethan! She gave me the beautiful roses pictured below and we got to catch up a little. Kagi and I are really looking forward to an evening with the Greens tomorrow night.

Beautiful roses from Bethan:-).

Jesse

2013-03-09T01:33:00.000+00:00

Today is my baby brother, +Jesse Fritz's twenty-second birthday. I guess he isn't a baby any more.

But I remember when he was. I have vivid memories of the day he was born, in fact. I was almost six at the time and remember how my friends loved him. It drove me crazy how when they came over they figured it was their turn to "hold the baby" since I could hold him anytime. It didn't seem fair to me... he was my baby, not theirs:-).

I remember when Jesse was three and we had a Pumba and Timone birthday party for him. My mom made a cool Lion King cake. He remained three in my mind for a long time. He was so funny, playing outside in the snow in shorts and galoshes. He was the topic of conversation for my dad at work every day -- I guess he was funny from the start. Boy was he cute!

Halloween

Christmas Morning

I have a few specific memories of him in elementary school, going through hard things. I remember trying to take care of him. I remember being protective of him as he grew up. It seemed to me that being a boy was more dangerous than being a girl. Especially when you are a boy like Jesse who knows no fear.

When I came home from college one time, Jesse took me to ride bikes in the greenbelt near our house. I thought I could do anything and was a pretty brave person. Let's just say I was terrified the whole time as he went through the dirt path with ramps and jumps everywhere. At that point, I was more scared for me than I was for him. He seemed to really know what he was doing. And how did he get so cool? I wouldn't have been eligible to talk to guys that cool in high school!

I remember when I was living and working in Maryland and +Jennifer Fritz was staying with me for the summer. We woke up early one day and drove down to Dullis Airport to see Jesse and his friend as they were traveling home from six months in West Africa. They told us stories and we drank coffee. Jesse was 18 and I was so proud of him. Truth is, I've always been proud of him.

I was able to go with my parents to Jesse's graduation from Army boot camp the following spring. He earned an extremely prestigious award and was clearly loved by the other soldiers and the drill sergeants alike (although they tried hard not to show it!). It was so special to hang out with him for a few days and see how life had been for him. I wished I could shield him from how hard life in the army can be, but there was no way. Jesse doesn't take the easy road, and the reality is he doesn't need his big sister's protection.

Saying bye.

Pops, Jesse, and me.

There are lots of other memories, like the times Jesse took me on dates when I was lonely, when he was the life of the party at my wedding, came to my rescue during my recent visa troubles, or when he was my primary partner to inspire the family to clean out our parents' basement. Or when Jesse and I were "sniper running" through a crowd right after the New Year was rung in when our paths quite literally collided and we almost took a few other people down as we fell.

New Years

So here's to the best brother I could have ever asked for on his birthday!

Goofing around at my wedding.

I love you!

Our Kitchen

2013-03-08T18:03:00.000+00:00

I spent most of the day today in the kitchen, cleaning and getting it back to being the way I like it (things tend to move when you're gone:-)). Then, much of the afternoon was spent grocery shopping. Since we don't have a car, I have found that it is much easier and more cost-effective to have our groceries delivered in the UK. I'm not the best online grocery shopper, though, so it takes me a long time to think through what I need and find a way to compare prices. This is easier for me in a store.

For dinner, I found that we had almost everything needed for Shepherd's Pie, which is one of Kagi's favorites. I have made a few modified versions of the one shown on this video and we have really liked it. http://allrecipes.com/video/577/irish-shepherds-pie/detail.aspx.

Our house still isn't totally presentable. I still need to finish cleaning up our living room, which has a few odds and ends and my suit cases and our second bedroom which is also Kagi's study and the room with all of our closet space. But we're getting there, slowly but surely.

Note as I post -- I wrote this last night and thought I published it! While getting to work on today's post I just found it, so here you go.