One Year

Posted on August 16, 2013 by David

Today marks one year since Jonah’s amputation.  We are thrilled how well he has adapted and doesn’t even think about it.  Sometimes I (DeAnna) feel so silly that I look at his hand thinking maybe his finger really is there, but the reality hits again.

Last year, making the decision to amputate was torturous and waiting in the outpatient waiting room was torturous.  When we were called back to see him in recovery, his hand was wrapped in a way that there was no hiding what had just happened and that stung deep.

I’m so thankful that the bone infection was caught early.  I’m so thankful that we were in the USA when the lesions grew on his badly damaged finger and we had modern medicine available to us.  I’m so thankful he had wonderful hand therapists to help build his confidence that he can do and be whatever he wants.  I was overwhelmed with joy when he went across monkey bars; that was his therapy goal.

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Perspective

Posted on August 14, 2013 by David

I know I (DeAnna) have many times when it’s easy to throw a pity party.  I can set the table very well for throwing a pity party.  It’s always great to have guests at the pity party, but the party can still go on regardless of attendance.

I think Facebook is a mixed bag of emotions.  I want to stay connected.  I want to see pictures of people and places.  I want to know what’s going on in family and friends lives.  There are other things on Facebook, like reminders of what we don’t have.  We don’t have family at birthday parties or holiday gatherings.  We no longer own a home.  When I focus on the things we don’t have, it’s easy for me to justify my pity party.

While walking with a friend who lives in a different region of Cameroon, she mentioned how wonderful Yaounde is to her because she can get vegetables here.

While entertaining the auditor who is in town for three weeks performing the annual organization audit, she was telling of her eleven week experience in Congo.  She shared how there weren’t any stores for her to shop at.  She didn’t have meat during that time due to high prices.  She had seven weeks without electricity.  It’s all about perspective.

We are blessed that we have much produce available to us.  We are blessed that we live in a city where there are some restaurants we could go to.  Although we rarely go out to eat, there are options.  We are blessed that we have electricity, water and internet most of the time.  We are blessed that there are stores where we can purchase many products, including imported items.  We are blessed that a few times a year a sea freight shipment arrives with items from the USA.  We are blessed that David’s phone has international calling on it and we can call loved ones in the USA.  We are blessed that we are only a 20 minute drive from the airport.  We are blessed in thousands of other ways; you get the idea.

Perspective!

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Shipment

Posted on August 12, 2013 by David

As many of you know, we wait anywhere from three months to six months on average to receive a shipment from North Carolina.  The most recent shipment has items on it from December.  It’s easy to grumble when you are eagerly awaiting Christmas presents from Christmas 2012 and it’s now August 2013.

I saw a picture via some site on Facebook, showing a sea freighter spilling many containers into the water.  Plus back in July there were two freighters that collided in the sea.

Although it’s hard to wait, I’m just thankful when a shipment actually arrives in port.

Sea FreighterThe shipment arrived to us Saturday!!!!  David was in charge of this end of the shipment, so he and I worked together helping others find their packages, boxes, etc…

We eagerly waited to be able to take our boxes home and open them.  WOW!!! You were so generous to us, showering the items we had mentioned in the newsletter on us.  Thank you!

IMG_1852This picture is everyone’s things that just were offloaded from the truck.

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Ah Ha

Posted on August 10, 2013 by David

Have you ever had an “ah ha” moment when you were convicted that you acted or said something where you were a jerk in that situation?  Recently, I (DeAnna) was asked to do something that I didn’t want to do.  Instead of being joyful or considering the blessing, I automatically went into complaining.  Part of it stems from doing something similar in the past and ending up being burned.  That’s no excuse, but I felt like it was and instead of being open, I closed off and mumbled.

It hit me once the day was upon me, I was being a jerk about the whole situation.

Forgive me Lord for being a jerk to some of your children who you delight in.  You delight in all of us!  Help me to see others and new situations through your eyes.

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First Day

Posted on August 8, 2013 by David

I try to commemorate the first day back to school.  My Mom did this with a picture of Denise and I on the porch holding our backpacks.  I wanted to keep that going with our boys.  Last year, I didn’t do it – they both were being homeschooled at the start of school, plus our lives were upside-down and inside-out.

This morning the boys started back to school.  This is the Joint Learning Session that kicks off the school year.  The kids who are homeschooled join into the classroom with the kids who regularly attend the school.  For three weeks they get to learn together and enjoy much extra-curricular activities.

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Hospitality

Posted on August 7, 2013 by David

I (DeAnna) think for the most part I’ve always been hospitable, however, after arriving in Cameroon it’s been taken to a whole new level.

I remember communicating with another family before leaving the USA in 2008 and I was told to have enough place settings for a minimum of 10.  I thought that was in case of breakage and had no idea it was to prepare me for hosting many.

I enjoyed planning parties, gatherings, etc… while living in the USA, but I have to admit there were few times when we had pop-in visitors or pop-in dinner guests, I usually had several days to plan my menu, shop and prepare.  Our first term here, I learned quickly to make more than just four servings of whatever we were eating so if someone popped in we could have them pull up a chair.  I learned quickly that our place setting for 12 sometimes isn’t enough.  I learned that we didn’t have enough silverware (we don’t have real silver, I just grew up calling it silverware) for people to eat their meal with one fork or spoon and get a new one for dessert – I just tell people to lick their utensil and put it on their napkin in anticipation of dessert.

Once David became a Director within our organization our once a week dinner guests became more.  There are people who come in from different countries who come here for meetings with David, training classes where he’s involved, etc… and they also need meals.  On average we host someone or family or group twice a week and have gotten to know many people over the years.  Sometimes I get tired and have a strike against hosting for a set time period to recharge.

I’m encouraged that the boys ask when are we going to have ___ over for a meal?  Or why doesn’t ____ join us for dinner right now?

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To Wii or not to Wii

Posted on August 5, 2013 by David

We’ve had our Wii since 2008.  The boys have enjoyed it and we enjoy that we can take it anywhere with us since it’s small, light and travels easily.  When we hooked it up to the TV in our apartment in France, two things happened.  (1) the power surge was absorbed by the power supply and fried it, so we ordered a 220v new power supply for it and were thankful the Wii didn’t get fried (2) we had an education in different regions of televisions and electronics so the games showed up in different shades of red since the Wii region was different from the television.

We travel with our Wii and brought it with us to Cameroon.  First we played it on our 7″ portable DVD player until we purchased a very old television set from a family who left, but the screen on that set died and we purchased a flat television from another family in May 2012 when they left.  The boys have enjoyed playing our Wii and Joshua wanted to share the joy with some of our neighbors.

I (DeAnna) had reservations about inviting in different neighborhood friends to play Wii because one being that I don’t have that vocabulary to explain virtual gaming.  After Joshua’s persistent requests, I finally agreed that he could invite in Geovanni.  Geovanni is our guard’s son and he comes to our weekly movie time.  He’s a very sweet, respectful nine year old boy.

Although it did cause some frustration and I still couldn’t help when Joshua wanted me to explain Wii things to help with the gaming, Geovanni seemed to have fun.

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Boil Order

Posted on August 2, 2013 by David

While we lived in Independence, Missouri, there was a day where we didn’t have water for several hours because a water main broke.  Once the water was back on, we were notified to boil our water for 24 hours because contaminants could be in the water.  Here the only water that comes out of our taps is contaminated water and that’s why we filter our water for cooking, drinking and brushing teeth.

About once every couple of months the water is extra yucky and we recently had one of those extra yucky days.  The electricity was out, so it was harder to see the extra yuckiness until I was filling the bath tub.  Once I (DeAnna) looked at the water, I decided I would shower instead, at least then I don’t see the brown water.

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Staycation

Posted on July 31, 2013 by David

The week of July 8-12 our family enjoyed a staycation.  We needed the down time to just be together and the time for David and I to talk.  It was a relaxing and enjoyable week.  I was so proud of David when he received calls that he didn’t run into work, but told the person that he was out of the office for the week and it’ll have to wait until Monday.

During the week we did a few things around Yaoundé and went out to eat a couple of times.

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Struck a Chord

Posted on July 29, 2013 by David

We follow many different blogs and find laughter, encouragement and sometimes a kick in the pants.  In one week there were two blogs that struck a chord deep within me.  So often when I’m (DeAnna) asked questions about our life here, it’s hard for me to articulate what I want to share.

When someone shares with me that I’m brave, I cringe.  That’s the last thing I feel.  I feel helplessly, desperately, breathlessly, clingingly DEPENDENT.  This is a hard thing for a control freak like me to feel.  The muscles in my body are clenched tight and became that way through the tension of living in a foreign culture, speaking a foreign language, learning the lay of a foreign land, the constant worry of illnesses or accidents, feeling like every moment I’m on the brink of an emergency and not being able to operate confidently.

I liked the description that one blogger wrote about living overseas.  She wrote that living overseas is a form of fasting.  Fasting from the comforts of a would-be heaven on earth where there are dishwashers, clothes dryers, constant electricity, fast internet, clean water, water that stays on, fully-stocked grocery stores, Boy Scouts and activities for the boys to take part in.

So why in the world would I fast in this way and live in a constant heightened state of awareness?  I want God’s Word to be available to every language, tribe and tongue so much that I will risk scary diseases, fast from my beloved family, friends and worldly comforts and raise our children as TCK’s (Third Culture Kids).

Parts of this blog were taken from A Life Overseas: A Missions Conversation

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