notes from Africa, chapter 7

I had the oppurtunity to see the Narnia yesterday. Near the end of the flick Lucy asks Tumnus Where Aslan is going as the great Lion leaves the after war party. Tumnus explains that he comes and goes according to his own good judgement, and then drops my favirote line in the movie: "you know, he's not a tame lion." and Lucy replies interogitively, "but he's good..?" I love that.
I've never read the Chronicles of Narnia, and for those that have I am sure the books tell it much better. For those that know nothing of the story the Lion is the symbol for Christ/God. The line from Tumnus sums it up for me...God is not predictable or safe. He is good, he is just, and the rest is an adventure. To follow Christ is opening the proverbial can of worms, it throws all the rules out the window. The romance of it is: following Christ down every little crevace and fischer he leads you down. Have faith that he is good, and when he calls, inspires, or instills passions in you... follow.
As most of you know this was my first Christmas away from home, and I was worried about it. For the first month of this trip I anticpated Christmas with a good amount of angst. I kept thinking about where I would be because I was gaurding it, I wanted to protect the day from spending it alone or anywhere that wasn't "Christmas enough". I was deathgripping or whiteknuckling the day, even though I am obviously not in control of the days. I then recieved some good advice from a my friend Laurel via email. She told me to embrace how entirely difficult it was. Excellent advice. I thought about it for a few days, then I just let it go. I loosed my grip. My view pulled a 180 and I was no longer protecting something I couldn't control anyway, but rather looking for the part that made me feel shitty. Doing this allowed me to grow. Instead of Christmas just being that much more crapping because I was not with my family it matured me. It matuer me in how I deal with the things I love when I cannot have them how I want them. When I embraced what was entirely difficult I actaully saw what it was that made it difficult, in other words learned what it was I realy love about Christmas, I grew. I was able to write an e mail to my family for them to read during Christmas, and as I wrote the letter I felt like I was actualy with my family (in some weird way). This was the first of many occurences where God met me with the things I needed to go through my Christmas in Africa. I acutally spent my Christmas down in the Mara. Timm, the Russells, and myself made a good meal and opened a few presents we had picked up for each other along the way. Tari Russell gave Timm and I a few things from her storage, which included a new pair of white, ridged crew socks. Yup...I some how still managed to get socks for Christmas. It was in these miniscule things, cooking a meal, taking some pictuers, getting socks, pioneering egg nog out of milk, eggs, and whip cream powder, that God met me. Christmas still mattered, it still felt real, even though I was in hot Afica where no one cares a bit about Christmas.

In other news...
We came to Nairobi a little early there was a bit of an emergency with the Russells family back in the states and Tari flew back. Tari and one her daughters will fly back here in a few days and we will go back down to the Mara. We are just kind of bumming around Nairobi for these extra days. We are buying cement, steel, conduit, and the like so we will be able to pour another slab of concrete when we get back to the Mara.
Timm's dad and little sister come to Africa tommorow night. That should be cool. We will spend a week with them and then come back to Nairobi and begin teaching. Yup. Timm and I are now teachers at a high school in Kibera slums. Timm is teaching English and geography, I will be teaching Theology and Biology, and we will be team teaching an ethics course. We are looking foward to our stint as teachers. The students will be ages 17-22, but at a high school level. I am stoked to teach Theology and a little intimadated to teach biology...I hope I can teach anatomy.
Oh, and as far as New Year's goes, if anyone is wondering, Timm and I reminest a bit about past New year's times and fell asleep around 11:00pm...exciting, I know. Don't worry its not the first time I have slept through the New year.

I am feeling good. Timm is currently healthy. Thank you for those prayers. The language training is going well. I still need to be more disciplined. I am not excited to have a class full of students that can all speak a language I can't really understand. I am now beggining to write at a good clip. I want to write essays, and document more of what is happening here. I want to tell the stories of some of the people and places I have seen here. Please pray that God would grant me the ability to write with lucidity and accuracy.

The only other thing I have to say is, if any of you are not aware, Walt Witman is waiting for you somewhere along the journey. I recommend catching up with him at some point.

see ya later.

Mgrain: I suppose I could repeat myself a great deal in explaining my Christmas to you, but I think I will just bank of you having read the previous paragraphs and wish you a belated merry Christmas. Hope the new year is full of peace for you, katie, the dogs, and the plants.

Aunt Sharon: I think it is hysterical that you guys replaced me with a pictures on Christmas Eve. I must say I am looking foward to seeing the family photos in which "I" appear. As far as health goes Timm is feeling much better, and I am still very healthy. Thanks so much for the prayers. I hope that things are well with you in the classroom and at home. Please tell uncle George hello for me. I hope that my contribution to the ongoing "swivel chair conversation" was helpful. Take care.

Taher: Welcome to the blog my friend. It is great to hear from you. I hope michigan/work/inventing new things is going well for you. Please keep yourself up-to-date on the blog. Don't worry I will defenitly be around this Spring for some serious disc golf, provided my discs are still in working order... oh, and I will work on getting a pet for you.

Big Nelle Dawg: Hey! great to hear from you. Dr. Mario...sweet. Glad to hear it. I am rooting for you (no offense maxwell). Hey, doesn't mike live in Texas...maybe he's home for Christmas. Well, I hope that you are doing well and what not. I am well here in Africa I am glad that you made it onto the blog. I was recently thinking about when you sent me that Christmas package in Colorado my sophmore year. You sent me a card, a Christmas ornament, and, among other things, a double disc Christmas album. I still have/still listen to those cd's. Thanks. It is one of the best Christmas packages I have ever gotten. I hope all is well with you in Michigan with family stuff, and dating dan, and the whole ball of wax. Take care. oh, and if I haven't told you lately, you are halarious.

Kaetti: Whoah! So good to hear from you. I wasn't sure if any of y'all remembered that I had the blog goin. Climben' Spud again huh. Glad to hear it. Hope you don't get lost this time/have to wait with the dog at the summit. How is that ole husky doin anyway? So, did your parents move to Durango yet? I hope all is well with you and your family. Please tell Joel that I would love to dance to the Amilee sound track with him right now. keep it real, talk to you soon.

Dina: Thank you for the prayers, they are much needed and valued. You know I almost wrote a section on the christmas e mail for you, but I figured you would not be there seeing as you have not been thier on Chrsitmas Eve the past few years. Nonetheless, I wish you a merry belated Christmas/a fricken sweet new year. I want you to know that your plastic case carring my camera is still going strong. I hope all is well in the marketing sector, and you are still enjoying some of Grandma's best flavors, e.g. Hummus, Shahhhlameshe, etc. Later.

Deja: Well, the meals have been varied and interesting. Some have had a very high risk of...I don't know fatality. Others have been pleasent. I have been staying pretty culturally aware and eating Africa food. I have been eating Ugali, which is like mush type stuff made of cornmeal and ...you know I have no clue. Also, I have been eating beef (what kind i'm not sure) stew, rice, chapatti (amazing bread stuff), and a buttload of avocados. Avocados here are about 15cents and are about twice or three times the size of the avocodos back home. There was a stint for about ten days where I had avocado with bread/rice every meal. The african cuizine is interesting and most of the time sketchy, but I like it. Make sure to take some pictures of this cake that you and alissa are baking. I am curious to see it in all its cake glory. later.

Kristy: Yes, I laughed at the pictures. They were a wonderful Christmas surprise. I also laughed at the fact that you included both standard Christmas photos (one w/ sharon one w/ bob). Thank you. I look foward to re-living the experience with you as well. talk to you soon.