Day 169 – April 30th

IT IS FINISHED! AND I HAVE ROOM TO SPARE!
I am truly shocked that I have a little room to spare (coming home with 2 checked bags, carry-on, and personal item). My third bag will come home packed in my luggage, not full of stuff. :-)
And I was able to fit things well, keeping weight in mind. I can lift even the heaviest bag (which will come in handy in DC, where I have to go through customs). That will be a super fun layover...about 2 ½ hours to land, get all my bags, go through customs, recheck my bags, and get to my next flight. I don’t forsee much downtime.... But at least I know that I can manage it all, since it is less than I came with. Good times.
Sad day...said more goodbyes today. It was my last time seeing Julie, who helps us here at the Conrod house. We parted with a hug. :-)
And Julie’s daughter, who came with her today, is going to keep Squirrley-poo-poo for a pet. So we all said our goodbyes to him, too.
So. Beach in 2 days. Home in nine days. It feels real now, as I look around my empty room with my bags off to one side, as it thunders and the rain comes down outside. So strange, the feeling I had when I arrived is back, the feeling as if your life in one place is dying, or at least going to sleep, and simultaneously your life is getting ready to wake up in another place completely different.
Only now, after all this time, where this has been home, and has become familiar, it doesn’t seem so different, after all. I mean, how life is lived is, in many ways, VASTLY different. But the people, as people everywhere, are the same. We all have hopes, desires, potential. We all have the capacity to grow and change, love and hurt. We all have need for Jesus, and His transforming power can work a miracle in any of us, if we are willing. And the results, in any culture, can be positively inspirational. What great things God can do.
I am thankful to have been on this journey, where I have seen that transformation first-hand, and actively in my own life, too. He is so able, and faithful, and if I had it to do again, I would follow wherever He leads, yes, even to Africa, away from everyone I love at home. For now I find my heart enlarged. I love people here, too. Cameroon has become home, too. I guess, in God’s love, more is definitely better. :-)

Day 168 - April 29th

Well, I started the day with a scrumptious Conrod brunch of hashbrowns, cheesy eggs, and baconnnnn. Eat your heart out Cracker Barrel (and Denny's, IHOP, etc).
Otherwise, I finished making jewelry with Nandry, packed our beading stuff we are taking to the beach, and sorted more of my stuff. I am DONE with that, FINALLY!
Now the fun part! Trying to pack it all in such a way where I only have to minimally repack when we leave the beach! I think I have everything separated out for the beach and the States, other than what I am still using. Good times.....

Also, from today, your TIA (This is Africa) moment. Today, school ending felt final. We tore up all their old papers and threw them into the trash pit, which we then torched. It was quite the inferno.

I'm excited to have some RNR with the Conrods at Limbe Beach this week, and then to head home! 4 days til the beach, and 10 until I land in JAX! This ride is speeding up, it feels like! Woohoo!

Day 167 - April 28th

What a great Saturday! We did max out at 91 degrees Fahrenheit today, but we had an occasional slight breeze which kept it from being completely stifling. The heat got most of my clothes dry, and it waited to rain until after we had already taken everything down.
I did some jewelry making with Nandry, and packed our craft bin, which was quite a feat to get as much in there as I managed to do!
I also went through more of my stuff and organized/threw out more.
I need to finish packing. Like. Tomorrow. I just hate it so much, and how final it makes everything feel! Laurel is the packing queen - they will leave later in May for 6 months back in the States, and they have packed so much already, even some for the States!
I will have to recruit Nandry to keep me company again, and just try not to get sucked into beading with her. :-)
Well, here pretty soon, things are going to start happening really fast! I will update during the later part of next week and beyond as I am able!
And I'll be Stateside in 11 days! Believe it! (I am finally starting to.)
Also, update on my thumb (that I drilled a week ago)- it seems to be healing pretty well! :-)

Day 166 - April 27th

WE ARE FINISHED!
This morning was the end of school for the Conrods for the 2011-2012 school year! And the kids are soooo happy about it! The afternoon was pretty chill... Nandry did some jewelry making, and worked on my beads which are actually sawed down porcupine quills! I saw some jewelry with them in Bamenda, and had asked what they were, and when I learned how easy it was to make my own beads, I just bought a handful of quills and decided to do it myself! The day I drilled my finger I also sawed the quills into long bead-lengths without incident. So today I sanded them down, and made holes in some of them. The inside of the quills is about the consistency of styrofoam, so that step is super easy!
Otherwise, I tried to still take it easy, as I'm still not feeling 100%. And tomorrow I have to get some serious packing done!!!
Beach in just a few days, and I'll be in the States in only 12 days! Crazy but true!

Day 165 – April 26th

Our final Thursday of school is over! Everyone has worked ahead, and all before lunch, too, so all we have for our last Friday is Spelling Review, and History for Boaz and Nandry. Boaz has finished his State Report on Tennessee, all thirty pages of it! I think I am excited about that as he is!
I agree with what Boaz was saying to me this evening, that it doesn’t feel like tomorrow is the last day of school. He said he felt like we’d still have school after the weekend. It will be fun for us to be done, and able to go to the beach and play! We are all very excited about that coming up.
Prayers are appreciated – I’m not feeling so great today. I got some time to rest, but I am still not feeling so great still.
Excited that I will be home in less than two weeks! :-)

Day 164 - April 25th

Wacky Wednesday!
Not really, more like "Tie up loose ends Wednesday!"
We got a lot accomplished in school, and things are tapering off! Hoping to make slime with the kids tomorrow, if we have enough glue.
The end is in sight for Boaz's State Report, and he is THRILLED about that! We just have one final spelling test for Asher, and Nandry is almost finished, too. And the end is in sight with History, too. Just two more days of school!

My thumb is lots better today, I'm happy to report! I am almost back to complete usage, and I'm only experiencing a tiny bit of numbness.

I also had a medical debrief for coming home with our lovely Doctor Reda before she heads back to the States tomorrow. She was super helpful and knowledgeable - a Godsend. (She and Jenn make a GREAT team!)

The afternoon was a frenzy of loose ends and the beginnings of goodbyes. :-(
I had a final debriefing wrap-up with Barry, my Field Director, and chatted with he and his wife, Desma.

Then, remember the coffee I picked back in the fall, that Heidi later dried? Well I finally roasted it with her today in a popcorn maker over the stove! Once you roast it to the desired darkness, then you take a handful at a time and roll it around in your hands to break off the skins, which you can then just blow off of the beans. It was a cool learning experience, and a chance to have a last little visit with Jenn, Heidi, Reda, and Annabella. I'm gonna miss them!

Finally, I went back to the Abbotts' house to grind my coffee (and deliver theirs which we had also roasted). And I got a chance to talk more with Desma for a little bit and say goodbye. I know things will be busy in the morning, and she will have lots to do as she closes up their house, so I am glad we had a few minutes tonight for that.

The Abbotts, Jenn, Heidi, Annabella, and Reda start for Y-de in the morning. I could possibly see them in a brief passing on the road next week, but it is unlikely, so it looks like tomorrow is goodbye to my team, other than the Conrods! It isn't real yet, but I know it will be as they drive off in the morning.

So I guess this is the beginning of the end of my time - no denying it anymore. I'm so sad! Yet I am excited to be back in Jacksonville, too - which I will be exactly two weeks from today!

So I am torn. Oh, the in between, the starting over. My old friend, transition. Can't say I have missed you! Yet I know that here is where God is leading me, and here I will go. There are things to learn here, things which will grow me closer to Him. So, where He leads, there I will go.

Day 163 – April 24th

Tuesday! We had a good school day – the end is definitely in sight for all the kiddos. We are in tying loose ends mode. Asher’s pretty much done, Nandry has her final Language Arts Test tomorrow and is writing a story, and Boaz is soon to also finish Language Arts and his State Report on Tennessee. We are working hard in History to finish South East Asia, and we are enjoying some experiments with magnetism! We had our last lesson in art today – sad to see that end. I allowed the kids to choose from our different art materials, and they had fun coming up with what they wanted to create. Nandry and I worked on our jewelry, for which I drilled holes in shells, and sawed porcupine quills so I can make them into beads with a needle (the inside is as soft as Styrofoam). So far, so good, they just need to be sanded and threaded.
However, while I drilled holes in the shells, I started feeling more confident, and, alas, the drill bit just happened to SNAP while I was working on a shell, and the remaining bit slammed into my right thumb. All I remember is pain and, well, you could imagine, but I’ll spare the squeamish folks the details. Needless to say, if I am able to type now, my finger will be okay, though it does hurt quite a bit. I’m not good with blood, but once I was able to be comfortable and not see my hand, I started feeling better. We have a nurse on our team, Jenn, and the doctor of our team, Reda, is here for a couple of weeks right now, too, so I was in good, adept hands, besides the care of the Conrods. They were there assisting, too.
Adventures in Africa! I’m just glad I am okay and that I am able to do most things still, though I find I need help with some surprising things. I use my right hand more than I thought! :-) And I still have packing to work on.
Prayers are definitely appreciated as I wrap up my time here – this is not the first close call I have had over the last week. A few days ago, our hot water kettle’s handle just broke while I was carrying hot water over for a shower. Thankfully, it was not boiling hot, but it was pretty painful. Felt like a bad sunburn that night, but it is totally fine now.
So prayers are appreciated! Three more days of school! And only 15 days until I am back in the U.S. of A. It is still not real.

Day 162 - April 23rd

The final Monday is over! We did it, yay!!!!!!!
We had a hard-working, productive school day, and even did a science experiment where we saw how many paper clips we could hang from a magnet. Then we layered tape to see how many less the magnet would then hold. Our most paperclips hung was 19 with no tape. When we got to 60 pieces of tape, it could only hold like 2. It was cool, and the kids worked patiently at it.
Later this afternoon, I had a good meeting with Barry and Desma, and stayed to dinner with their family. Good stuff. :-) We are working on all that I have coming down the pike...prayers appreciated as I sort all of that out, and I'll share more as soon as I can. :-)
16 days until I am on American soil! CRAZY.
And four more days of school. We can do it!

Day 161 – April 22nd

Great and busy Sunday! Went to Mayos for Baka Likano. Our visitors from the Cameroon Baptist Convention (World Team and other mission organizations partner with them) were with us. We have had women from the Women’s Union visiting with the Mayos women, and then, while church was going on, one of the area pastors, one of the area chairmen, and some others also stopped at Mayos. This was not arranged prior, but it was cool for the Baka to see that their own countrymen (and women) are pulling for them, and want to equip them to reach their people with the story of Jesus. I am SO GLAD that the Cameroonian Christians share that vision of equipping the Baka believers. They know their language and culture best. We want to be like Jesus, who came and lived in his culture and related to people within the culture. He criticized things which were wrong in his culture, and used things everyone would understand to teach all that he taught. He made disciples who were to do all of those things, too. And, with the sacrifice of his life, he began to transform his culture.

Today, we send missionaries so that all will hear. The best ones realize their role in the process, and pour themselves into evangelism, yes, but also into making disciples, which brings about life change. Once there are believers to be sent out, the missionary’s job here is done. Awesome!

Speaking of sending out local believers, I forgot to mention that we sent out two of our Baka men yesterday on an evangelistic outreach of a nearby region. They will be gone for some days, reaching out to some other Baka communities. Please be in prayer for Timothy and Nestor!

Back to today, I had a pleasant afternoon, and also worked more on packing. Suitcases are scattered about my room now, at various levels of being filled. I’ve gone through everything except some bookcases. Getting there!!!

Dinner was sooooo gooooood. I’ve talked about Laurel’s pizza before. I decided I should call it pizzahhhhhh. Yum.

After dinner, I borrowed Nathan’s binoculars and slipped outside after dinner. After my eyes adjusted, WOW! Soooo many stars! I couldn’t possibly count them. So beautiful. So glad the rain clouds from earlier cleared out so I could see that.

And just now, I went to use my flashlight. My awesome 4 sevens mini I that has been soooooooo awesome. And the top snapped off. CRAZY – glad it lasted most of my time. It was my low reading light, too!

Well, that’s today! Tomorrow is our last Monday of school, and I get to hang out with the Abbotts after school, talk about the future, and share dinner with them. Pray for our last week of school and those conversations. God is good!

Day 160 - April 21st

18 days and still doesn't feel real. Today was sort and pack and clean yucky suitcases day. I made some good headway before the rain! Note: You can spray vinegar on a surface to kill and inhibit the growth of mold. True story. My room smells the testament of it - thanks to my bags. At least the fumes are harmless. Reading GREAT books by Elisabeth Elliot. I think I would recommend any book I have ever read by her. I have yet to read one that doesn't reach me in some way, teach me something, and challenge me as I grow closer to God. Good stuff. Well, we have one week left of school! Our math curriculum is finished already, and we are just finishing up and tying up loose ends. And we will be beach bound for some R and R in about a week and a half! I can't wait - it will be such fun to play with the kids! We already have talked of sandcastle design ideas! And to see the beach again.... :-)

Day 159 - April 20th

Today I witnessed something cool. We received some ladies from the Cameroon Baptist Convention who will be staying with us out in Bakaland for the weekend, learning more about what our team does and how they can best serve the Baka. It was really cool hearing things from their perspective, as the Cameroonian church begins to move towards being "missionaries" as well. One of the ladies talked about how they heard stories from their families about when the missionaries first came to their people. It is so, so cool to me that they are now at the point where that first outreach is reproducing from Cameroonian to Cameroonian. That is why my team does what they do - to equip the Baka to reach out to their own people. They can do that so much better than we can. We are just here to get that work started.

Day 158 - April 19th

Well folks, I will be home in twenty days. And I cannot comprehend that as being true. Home (in the States) seems an entirely other world. And yet, things there have gone on (as life does), and I am about to plunge head-first into it. Again, can't fathom that.
But I plunge on in the packing, albeit somewhat mechanically. At least packing will be SO much easier than when I left to come here.

Today was a pretty good day! Most of our school was done at a decent time, and Nandry and Boaz worked pretty much independently on a large part of their history! I am trying to get them to be more and more independent, especially as we bring things to a close, and today felt like definite progress in that direction! Baby steps... They are growing up! :-)

Fun thing from today:
Our pet, Squirrley-poo, is still alive and well, and FAT. And we moved his cage out onto the veranda (porch) this week, where the pet bunny lives, and Buttercup the dog hangs out a lot. He is adjusting well; in fact, this morning I greeted him running around the outside edge of the veranda (he used the old cat door hole). And later, he was hanging on the screen door to the inside, and I traced my finger along it near him. He started following my finger, even when I drew circles. It cracked me up. :-)

Day 157 – April 18th

I am really starting to realize how close to the end of school we are. I have started putting books away that we have finished using, and I keep seeing things and thinking, “Oh, we are done with that!”
Such a good feeling. :-) It is encouraging the kids to keep working hard, too, which is GREAT. :-)
I was really excited when Boaz did the beginnings of algebra today! And both he and Nandry are doing lots of fractions! I keep being reminded of Level E – G in Kumon – which is nice after so long. I am reminded how much I love doing math when I get excited about the kids’ math lessons each morning. Asher will even do some dividing tomorrow!
With school being busy, I have not done as much packing as I would like. But I prayed about my anxiety today, and was encouraged by some daily devotional readings that it will all get done in the right timing.
That is about it for today! Countdown is at 7 school days, and 21 days until I am back in the States!

Day 156 - April 17th

Tuesday!
School was good - the kiddos are all in the countdown mode, which makes them work better (of which I am glad, because in some schools I have been in, knowing the end is near makes them not work at ALL).
Nandry started a retelling story based on the Emperors New Clothes, only it is set in the jungle in a kingdom of monkeys. It is shaping up nicely - stay tuned!
Asher finished writing a pattern story for kids telling about the numbers 1 to 10 with pictures. I told him he should read it to Annabella (Jenn's one year old).
Today was also art! We painted with watercolors, and applied plastic wrap to the wet paintings to make a design. They turned out pretty cool! The kids have been good sports with our adventures in abstract art these last few weeks. So next week (our final week!) I think we will do something they can envision and draw....we are leaning toward doing wax resist lizards. Should be a hit all around, and easy to clean up! Stay tuned!

Day 155 - April 16th

Well, especially for a Monday, today was a GREAT day! ALL our school stuff was done by 3, and most of it was done by 2:30! I was so pleased with my hard-working kiddos!
We are all feeling this 2 week timeline now, and I am trying to get my head around that I need to work at packing as much as I can as soon as I can, so I am not stressing and not getting enough sleep closer to our traveling. Old habits, you know.
Other than that, I got art planned for tomorrow, and little things ironed out in the school planning for this last two weeks, later on this afternoon.
Good, productive day.

Day 154 - April 15th

Sunday fun-day at Bertoua! We attended Bertoua Baptist Church. (Which the drive took us about 30 mins on an almost completely paved road - only 5km remain to be paved! Before it took nearly an hour! Ah, progress!)
We enjoyed great singing and worshipping with them, and after church we visited the pastor's house for a little while, and they shared some yummy cake and fanta with us. :-)
Then we did some quick shopping - I manned the kids in the car while Nathan and Laurel went to buy things nearby. The system seemed pretty efficient!
Then we went to a restaurant and had a late lunch that was sooooo yummy, with pizza, hummus, french fries - a totally unhealthy but tasty meal! (Well hummus is healthy, and the pizza was thin crust and veggie covered. :-))
I was exhausted when we got home, why I have no idea, and I crashed for like two hours before dinner!
Good day!

Day 153 - April 14th

Ah, Saturday. Restful and productive. Love it.
Not much to report, good conversations were had, and planning for the future.
That pretty much sums up the day!
Tomorrow, we are going to church in Bertoua - should be cool! Only my second time ever in Cameroonian church... :-)
Until next time!

Day 152 - April 13th

TGIF! It was a great day, but the weekend is now upon us!
The kiddos worked hard and we were pretty much all done with the basics by lunch (our Friday goal). Nandry and Boaz played a funny trick on me, acting like they weren't working on their map, then running when they heard the lunch bell. BUT, they had finished everything, and worked pretty much independently the whole time! So that was an awesome surprise! :-)

Today, Reda Anderton, who, with her family, were some of the first living out here in Bakaland, came out to stay. She helped me with some medical questions (she's a doctor) via email when I was first Cameroon-bound. So it was nice to finally meet her in person!

We did a science experiment with magnets later on, where two of them wound each other up on their strings, hanging from the table. It was pretty cool!

Then we had music - we talked about Beethoven, then learned about the Star-Spangled Banner! I actually taught using the same story about the Star-Spangled Banner when subbing for my friend earlier this school year! :-)
Then, after prepping for next week for a bit during our afternoon rain, I went and worked on some crafty stuff - more jewelry making with the shells and glitter and wire and beads.

And after dinner, we watched Home Alone with Macaulay Culkin - the kids loved it, and I loved it all the more now that I am an adult and understood little things I missed as a kid. Really a great movie. :-)
Happy Weekend!

Day 151 - April 12th

The kids worked really hard today, and we were done with all of our school before 3pm (history, too)! Just in time for the rain, which was light and refreshing, and not crazy, at least. I'm feeling under the weather, so I rested most of the afternoon and evening. Prayers are appreciated for good health, this close to coming home! I am thankful that I have only had one really bad cold/sinus/chest congestion thing, and have otherwise had really good health, thank God, sometimes in spite of sickness around me. Pray I don't pass this on even if I don't have full blown symptoms (and hope not to).

Day 150 - April 11th

Wacky Wednesday! We worked hard, in spite of the most interesting distractions, though those lively and lovely critters can suck away your time. Boaz caught a worm/catterpillar thing, stuck it in a container, and it had spun a web/cocoon-looking thing when we next examined it. So we left him in there...we'll see if it was indeed the beginnings of a cocoon.
Later in the afternoon, Nandry and I started making jewelry with beads, wire, and shells. Boaz and one of the Abbott kids helped for a while, but Nandry and I kept on until dinner. We were having fun with glitter and things. Some of my shells look like mermaid tails. :-)
Tonight, Laurel cooked our Easter dinner. (She was ill on the actual day, bummer, but doing better!) It. was. AMAZING.
She did a honey ham that smelled like pumpkin pie, and tasted sooo good. Her gravy was unlike any I've ever had, and I told her I HAVE to have a recipe! Mashed potatoes, homemade and non-dairy but still good, corn, and homemade butter croissants rounded out our stellar meal. And THEN - she made cheesecake! I took my chances on the dairy, drizzled some mango on top, and savored a taste of delight. YUM.
Going on the list of things I will miss - Laurel's cooking!

On that subject, we should have a countdown. After all, the blog says 180 days (really 177 if you read the fine print), and you may also notice that we are at 150. So only 30 more days here at the blog, and only 28 days until I am on Florida soil.
Still not real. Crazy.
And only 2 more full weeks of school - we are all starting to feel that!

Day 149 - April 10th

It was critter day! The boys caught some butterflies which we later examined with great interest under the microscope. Some baby rats were brought for the snake, which had already eaten, but they were almost cute in their helpless state!
I went to get a book off the shelf in the school, and a wasp's nest fell off (with no adult, thankfully). It burst open when it fell, and Boaz promptly examined the contents. There was a larva, and one that looked to be an adult but was dead, and he opened another of the pods, and a new adult flew out and away, much to my relief. He should go into taxidermy or something...
Speaking of that, sadly, Delta the chameleon died today. :-(

Day 148 - April 9th

Monday Monday Monday! (We have 2 more left!)
School went relatively well!
The Discipleship camp had its last day, and the groups shared Bible stories, questions about them, and new songs themed for each of them - it was a great time of learning and sharing! I was again impressed by the unity and community between the folks of the different villages. And then it was over, and they were sent off - home, where they can put all of their new knowledge to work, sharing the story of Jesus. Prayers are appreciated for them, that God would seal the encouragement in their hearts.

Day 147 - Easter Sunday - April 8th

He is Risen Indeed!
We spent our morning at church at Mayos with many of the Baka who live there, nearby, and those who are here for the Discipleship Camp. It was good for us to worship God together. :-)

Later in the afternoon, I went on a walk with the Abbotts, and as we passed by Koo (Ko-oh) we saw some of the people from the Discipleship Camp working on their original song related to the Bible story they are learning. It sounded like they were making progress!
When we walked back by they had disbursed, which we later found out was so that we didn't hear them and spoil their surprise when sharing tomorrow. :-) It was cute. I'm glad they are enjoying it, and getting lots out of this experience.

Otherwise, I can scarcely believe that I will be on a plane headed back to the States one month from today. Prayers are appreciated - there is much ground yet to cover, both here, and preparing for home. I am starting to get excited!

Day 146 - April 7th

I love Saturdays here. Today the discipleship weekend continued, and I have enjoyed hearing about it from my different team members who are facilitating different aspects of it. The coolest thing is hearing about the people hanging out from all of the different communities - singing and talking together in the downtimes.
Tomorrow we will all go to Mayos and have church together, similar to Christmas, but with all who are here from the camp, too! I am looking forward to it.

Otherwise, it was a good balanced day. Some chill time, some school prep time. Some sun, some rain. :-)

And a lovely dinner with the Abbotts, complete with yummy banana shakes for dessert. YUM!

Day 145 – April 6th

Friday is here! (And the best Friday - the reason I am here) :-)

We finished school before lunch. :-) All involved were pleased.
After lunch, I went and had a wonderful chat with Desma, and we prayed about lots of good stuff. She is awesome, and a true God-send…we are cut of the same cloth. So much of her life she has shared with me can be gleaned from where I am right now. And I will be meeting with her and her husband, our Field Director, Barry, in a few days just to talk about future possibilities. I do not know for sure what is next, and it depends on soooooo many factors. If Haiti comes together, then GREAT! But I am eagerly seeking God to discern what is next for sure. Conversations are in progress, and I’ll share more as I can. Prayers are APPRECIATED so so much in this season.

Right now, we are hosting a discipleship weekend for many of our Baka friends from all over the area. Some have traveled a significant distance (over an hour drive, not sure how they got here, whether by moto or walking). There is a GREAT turnout! We were in school, but I heard them singing before starting their teaching, which was lovely to hear in the morning time. I heard some about the teaching, too, from our team. There were sessions where they learned about nutrition and some local foods they can grow to have more nutrition, and tomorrow they will learn more about the value of protein. With Barry, they got a picture (from a coloring book, completely random) and had to tell a story about it, embellishing at will. They will learn some bible stories over the next few days, and learn how to tell them in the Likano (storytelling) style. Then they will be able to go home and tell stories without having to have a saber player (we have some of these around which have all of the stories which are in the Baka Likano style and their language). These folks will be able to teach others the stories, and so share the gospel. Cool stuff.

A little sad – today we lost the baby bunnies. :-( They didn’t make it, even with the attentions of Laurel, the kids, and I. All was done that could be done. :-(

Day 144 – April 5th

Today was a long work day – but mostly by choice, because I was working hard to plan out the rest of the year for history and other things, to pace us out a little better. I now understand the value of a curriculum person at a school if they want everyone in the same place in a curriculum!
But I feel good about the plan – I think it can be carried out with all of us getting done each day at a good hour of the afternoon, so the kids can go play, and I can get us ready for the following day. We make plans, but the Lord directs our steps. I will trust His leading with the kids – I am trying hard to seek Him in school matters, and use our class time to point the kids towards Him through our doings in the day. It doesn’t cease to amaze me how hard that can be in any situation, which is a blessing since it points us to Him, and reminds us how much we need Him.
This evening, I got to do something new for me! Two of the rabbits from the rabbit project have a habit of getting out. The Baka are always able to bring them back to the cages, though. Recently, on one of their rabbit searches, they found that the female had babies! They had to wait and leave her for some time, to let the babies get bigger. (Rabbits are completely helpless when born, and if they are handled, the mother often will eat them. This has already happened with this mother.) So, since then, all the rabbits were brought back. Only two babies are still alive, but the mother is not caring well for them. So they are in an improvised nesting box in the Conrod house. They haven’t eaten a whole lot, but I got the chance to feed them tonight, and they ate pretty well. They are a little bigger (now) than newborn kittens! They each easily fit in my palm, and I fed them with an eye dropper. It was a cool experience. :-)

Day 143 - April 4th

Today was a pretty good Wednesday! We all worked hard at school, and I had a really good chat with Desma Abbott (as they got back today from Njibot). The kids were so happy to have the Abbott kiddos home so they could all play - today they were pirates with newly carved wooden swords! :-)

Day 142 - April 3rd

Today was a really good, but also long, day. School went really smoothly and well, with hard work by all! Nandry, who was sick, even came up and worked for a while.
Later in the afternoon, when (conveniently) the heavens opened, we dyed Easter eggs. We used several cool techniques, new and old. I tried tiedying which was more like splatter painting (couple of drops of food coloring on freshly vinegared eggs, then shake them around, let set for 30sec, repeat with 2 other colors, set with water and let dry). We also tried marblizing, where you dye the egg one color, then briefly dip in a second color which has oil in it. It worked best with a lighter first color.
We also did wax-resist with crayons, rubber bands to block dye, and stickers as well, to act as stencils.
Laurel also designed one making a stencil with craft paint, which you then wash off after dyeing the egg.
They all look awesome!
And I hope so, with how long we worked on them :-)
But we had a fun afternoon, rain or not. :-)
Because it kept raining, more on than off, and still keeps sprinkling periodically. Hello rainy season, nice to meet you. Please don't soak my bed. K? Thanks.

:-)

Day 141 - April 2nd

Hello Monday! Only three more of you where we do school - CRAZY!!!!!!
That's right, folks, counting this week, we have four more weeks of school. I can scarcely believe it! We are beginning to finish some of our workbooks, and get near the end of textbooks. And we are all starting to get restless. You remember those days in school, right? :-)
Anyway, after school Nandry made me some lovely earrings! :-)
And I had some quality reading time and a little nap. Welcomed and needed.
I'm glad for our sometimes slow afternoons. :-)

Day 140 – April 1st

The highlight of today, other than it being a nice, slow day where I was able to do things at my own pace, was doing craftsy things with Nandry. I was sewing the finishing touches of Asher’s box, and Nandry was making earrings.
Then, after threatening to for several hours, the heavens opened and it began to rain. It stopped briefly just in time for us to go over to dinner, then started again, HARD. Like some hail even. My shutters had to be closed to keep the rain from coming in, and my bed got a little wet. Oops. And there were some new drips, too. THAT, Nathan said, was our first “real” rain of the rainy season. The kids all went out to play in it (under umbrellas this time) and then it tapered off.
Before I called it a night, I was holding the squirrel for Nandry, so she could brush her teeth, and Squirrley-poo-poo pooed on me, then went to my other shoulder and peed on me, too! I was grossed out (obviously) so I went to go wash up and change. Eww.