Two

On Sabbath we lost one of our quadruplets to pneumonia. I was still in Zanzibar, so I heard the news when I returned Sunday night. It was sad to hear, but my biggest concern was comforting Davona. I hadn't had the chance to get attached to Quinn. He was only about 6 weeks old and spent his 4 weeks at CoL at Davona's home because he was too little to be around the big kids and all their germs.

But today we lost another. I was in the office early this morning talking to my dad and a close friend on Skype. I often wake up early to try to Skype with the people I love. Davona rushed through the office around 7am and into the baby home, barely acknowledging me. A few minutes later she came back in and asked me to take 3 babies to the hospital. I drove the babies and their nannies to the nearest clinic. It was still so early I was surprised it was open. Molly looked oh-so-sick. We waited on a bench for I'm not sure what, but then Molly's eyes rolled back and we demanded that the nurse take her and look at her. Everything was happening in Swahili. I realized that Molly had malaria and was probably entering the fatal comatose stage. I was right. Maybe half an hour after we arrived (or possibly less), we were given the news that she had died. I didn't know how to react, but before I could think of what to do or say, I started to cry. Molly's nanny was bawling next to me. I actually don't know the word for the type of crying...not weeping, not hysterics...just pain. The other two babies are still at the hospital on IV drips for severe dehydration due to diarrhea. I am sure they will be fine. They don't have malaria and they didn't look nearly as sick as Molly looked, even yesterday.

I took the nannies back to CoL, leaving the babies at the hospital with our nurse. Then I brought back another volunteer who agreed to stay with our nurse and the babies. The nurse and I put Molly in the car and I drove, alone and zoned out, back to the baby home. I carried Molly into Davona's office and sat there, holding her. I tried to close her eyes. She seemed more peaceful that way. She wasn't cold yet. She didn't smell like anything other than spit-up and normal baby smells. I held her until Davona came into the office. Something about Davona's arrival snapped me back into awareness and I realized I need to check on the other malaria babies and make sure they were keeping their medicine down. The head nanny assured me they were.

Molly was buried this morning in the corner of our property. I didn't attend the burial. It was too much for me. She was abandoned so we had no one to inform of her death. She turned 2 months old yesterday. She came to us naked and still sticky from birth, weighing only 4.3 lbs. Since then she had grown into a beautiful, healthy-sized little baby, thanks to Davona's loving care (Like Quinn, Molly stayed at Davona's house until recently). It is so sad to lose a healthy baby to malaria. We are all upset and frustrated and the home seems blanketed in a somber mood, though we have to put on a face for the other children. They have no idea what happened.

Today I started tutoring Davona's daughters in Algebra 1. It was nice to have something to focus on other than Molly's death.

Please pray for the baby home and pray for Davona. I am handling this all ok, but naturally she is very sad.

Dar es Salaam

Without my computer it's been hard to keep my blog up-to-date. I apologize.

Right now I am in Dar es Salaam, the biggest city in Tanzania. I think about 4 million people live here.

I arrived Sabbath evening from Arusha and spent that night, Sunday, and most of Monday with a group from European Bible School in Norway. A lifelong friend, Katrina Cooksley, was in the group. It was SO nice to see someone from home! We had a great time catching up and sharing travel experiences.

The group left on Monday, but an hour or so later 2 of my roommates from CoL showed up. The three of us spent last night here in Dar (at the good ol' YMCA) and this morning they took the early ferry (7:15am) to Zanzibar. Unfortunately, I couldn't accompany them (though I was supposed to) because the immigration office STILL hasn't released my resident permit. It is approved and paid for, but they keep wasting my time. I've been waiting for it for more than 3 weeks now. I applied in November. The latest word is that I should get it by noon today. Then I'll be able to catch a later (and more decrepid) ferry to Zanzibar to meet up with my friends.

The three of us are spending Christmas in Zanzibar on the beach. How odd it will be applying sunscreen knowing that my family is bundling up and playing in the snow!

In advance, I wish you all a very MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Thank you for your prayers and words of encouragement, especially regarding my computer.

Hints for Christmas ;)

http://allrecipes.com/HowTo/Mailing-Cookies/Detail.aspx

Bad News

My roommate accidentally dropped my laptop, and it's completely ruined. I'll have to get a new one when I return to the U.S. next summer.
It's been a stressful last few days because of that. I have no communication with my friends and family now.
I can no longer log onto Skype, so don't call me.
I would love to receive letters, though!
I may or may not be able to log onto my blog for a while.
I will be able to check e-mail occasionally.
Please, please keep me in your prayers. I am discouraged right now. Also keep my laptop in your prayers. I really need a miracle at least to save my data. Saving the rest of the laptop would be nice, too!

Wasps

I've always been uncomfortable around bees and wasps, probably because I'd never been stung before the other day.
Since the sting I've discovered that my fear of flying things with stingers has escalated to a state of being petrified.
Smaller wasps I can control myself around, though I do freak out a little more now.
However, we have these huge wasps. They're almost the size of dragonflies. They're black and big and they love flying around offices and kitchens (the places I most often spend my time). I've never actually seen one outside.
I have been afraid of these since I saw the first one in my kitchen. I would just calmly leave the room/building if one showed up. Now, however, I absolutely cannot stand to be anywhere near them. I completely freak out and start shaking and whimpering. I look so silly, I'm sure, but I can't control myself! I am absolutely and completely petrified of these things.
I've never been afraid of anything in this manner.

Davona thinks it's funny.

Kiddies at Pool

Davona, Rakal, Hella, and I took the two Marias and Martin to the pool today. Loads of fun!

Both Marias with me (1 is standing, 2 is sitting)

Maria1 and me

Maria2

Sabbath Was Made for Man

I'm tired so this is going to be a short post. I had to tell my story, though, of how God works in wonderful ways.

I usually ride to church with Max and Davona Church, but they didn't go this week. I really wanted to go anyhow, so I decided to bravely ride the bus as far as I could and walk the rest of the way.

I tried to take Salima with me, but she was so scared I had to turn back. I decided to take Rachel with me instead. She would go to the end of the earth with me.

The dala-dala driver and attendant both assured me that they would take me all the way up the hill to the University of Arusha (the Adventist university). From there I would only have to walk half a mile to church. Well either they lied or they don't know English, because they dropped me off at the bottom of the hill and kept right on going. I stood there with my baby in my arms for a second, then decided to walk. A dala-dala might come along (I knew even as I thought this that it wasn't likely). As I started up the road I saw a sign for the university. It read: "University of Arusha: 6.3 kilometers." That's almost four miles! Uphill! On a dirt road! And I was carrying a child and a large (though not heavy) bag!

I started walking anyway.

After just a couple minutes, a dala-dala-looking van passed. I tried to flag it down, but it just flashed its lights at me and kept going. I'm still trying to figure out what it means when they flash their lights here. Sometimes they do it before they stop, sometimes they do it if they're not going to stop. Sometimes they do it to say hello. I just can't figure it out.

A 4-door sedan passed next. I ignored it. Then I saw a RAV4-like car coming up the road. For some reason, I flagged it down. And he stopped! As he pulled up next to me I realized it was a gentleman, maybe in his late twenties. I'm sure that what was going through my head is exactly what is going through your head: "Oh my...I'm hitchhiking in Africa, by myself (well, with a baby), and I'm being picked up by a single man. I am so stupid." But! Let me reassure you. Hitchhiking in Africa is not like hitchhiking in America. Yes, there is always the possibility of getting robbed (the most valuable thing in my purse was a bottle of hand sanitizer). But in East Africa it is common for people to hitchhike, and very rare for it to go awry. People just don't hurt hitchhikers here. Plus, the locals have a certain respect for white people. We bring money to their economy. Why would they endanger that by hurting one of us?

So, I asked him if he could take me to the university. He said yes, and I hopped in. The very first thing he asked me was, "Are you going to church?" I was taken aback. "Yes," I responded, and then he told me he was an Adventist! An Adventist! He told me he was also going to the university to pick someone up and bring them back to town. I thought that was nice of him, but then he told me he was a taxi driver. "Oh no," I groaned to myself, "Now he is going to expect me to pay him!" (though this did make me more comfortable regarding my safety). "How much are you going to charge me?" I asked, half joking and half scared. He looked at me and said, "Oh no. Nothing. Today is the Sabbath. I do not work on Sabbath, so you cannot pay me. Today I am just helping you."

What a blessing! God led me to flag down that specific car, where I found a taxi driver who was also an Adventist and who dropped me off at the door of the church and didn't charge me a penny! We even found out we had a couple friends in common! (Driver: "Do you know Max Church?" Katie: "Are you kidding me? I work for his wife!")

God is good.



Disclaimer: Please don't think I am behaving in an unsafe way. I am, in fact, very safe here in Tanzania.

Ouch

Until about 15 minutes ago, I'd never been stung by a bee.
Well...
Our water has been off for 2 days. I got desperate and tried to climb onto the water tank to see if the water was being routed to our apartment or not (it works downstairs....). By the way, our water tank is on top of the roof. There was a bee on the ladder so I batted it away with a stick. Gently.
But that bee/wasp/ugly-black-flying-thing-with-a-stinger came back with a vengeance.
I screamed and hopped around like a typical girl, but he got me. On my arm. Ouch!
It hurt a lot!
Over the next minute or two this warm sensation coursed through my arm (intermittent with shots of pain). I tried to mix baking soda with water, but alas, we had no water. I finally found a teaspoon of water in the bottom of our otherwise empty tea kettle and mixed up a little baking soda paste.
It doesn't hurt anymore.
The nannies asked if I took out the stinger. Um...no... :S It didn't look like there was one.
Anyway, I've officially had my first bee sting. Hope I did everything right.

Katie + Rachel + Market = Fun Times

Today I decided to take Rachel into the market with me! The market is about a mile away (on Thursdays and Sundays) but it's easy to catch a dala-dala there for 150 shillings (about 12 cents).

It was my day off so my roommates and I sat at a local lodge and drank soda and played cards (we wanted to swim in the pool but the manager decided today that he wanted to charge us). I left the "party" early and headed back to Cradle of Love. I donned my African dress, which was a gift to myself for my 2-month anniversary of being in Africa. The locals loved seeing a mzungu in a traditional dress! I got many compliments and one ADRA worker told me I just needed to draw all over my body with a black marker and then I would truly be an "African lady!"

Before I begin, let me clarify...Rachel isn't really a baby...she's 2 years old. We as the volunteers just tend to call them all babies.

I must admit, Rachel is probably my favorite baby. I chose to take her to the market because 1) she's my favorite (and I'm her favorite), and 2) she's the least likely to cry. Since these kids rarely leave the compound, going to the market is a big deal. In fact, I don't think a volunteer has ever taken a child to the market. Sometimes they will take them to the pool or to church, but to the bustling market? I'm brave. :)

Rachel was her usual quiet self. Maybe stoic is a better word. I'm slowly getting her to talk a little. She's perfectly capable (I've heard it!) but she is moody and stubborn and just won't talk most of the time. My latest accomplishment: about half the time she says "up" when she wants me to pick her up instead of just crying. Yay!

I even got a couple smiles out of her during our hour-long adventure. Mostly she just clung to me and looked around, quietly taking in her surroundings. The dala-dala unnerved her at first (it would unnerve anyone! I'm a little surprised she didn't cry), but I kept my hand on her at all times and she was okay.

I loved it! A good number of the locals at the market commented on the mzungu with the African baby. Some of them asked me in Swahili, "How is your baby?" instead of asking me, "How are you?" One lady was even kind enough to teach me how to respond in Swahili!

This is Rachel's typical expression. But as you see in the picture at the top, she does smile!

Havilah Fun Day

Lyte pauses from playing in the pool to snap a picture with me. What a sweet girl!

Dorcas blows up a balloon. The kids loved them!

All the Havilah kids playing in the little bit of water we put into Davona's pool.

I'm not sure who the kid on my right is, but he and Dorcas and I had fun shooting this picture.

On Sunday, Nov. 16, we invited the 20 kids and 4 staff from Havilah Village down for a fun day in the sun. Havilah Village is an orphanage just a handful of kilometers up the road. It is located near the University of Arusha, the Adventist University here in Tanzania. Havilah Village is run by Global Vessels and takes kids as young as 3. Currently their oldest children are 9, but they keep kids until they are 18. Two student missionaries from Andrews University are serving there. I get to socialize with them on Sabbath after church sometimes.

I was in charge of games, so I organized Simon Says, Duck Duck Goose, a water balloon toss, and tossing a bean bag through holes in a board. We split the kids into groups and rotated through the games. We stopped for a yummy lunch of beans, rice, cooked kale, caramel popcorn and cake (the cake made by me!), as well as some slightly stale but much-appreciated chips donated by a local grocery store. At the end all the kids got a prize toy.

It was a great day with wonderful weather!

Mango Allergy

Just thought I'd post a couple pics of the babies. One is Rahma, whose smile brightens my days. This girl is ADORABLE. She giggles so much! She's the baby who will laugh when someone else is being tickled! I love her and often carry her around or hold her while I'm doing office work. I just can't get enough of her...except maybe when she's occasionally cranky. :) The other picture is of Grace and Jackson. I haven't quite figured out Grace yet. Sometimes she cries and I'm not sure why. Jackson is just a normal little baby...cute like all our babies at Cradle of Love!

I titled this post "Mango Allergy" because, well, I've had a run-in with mangoes. I love mango! Back home I've often reacted to the skin of the mango, but I wasn't sure if it was actually the fruit or the pesticides on it, since it was only the outside. Unfortunately I made an unwise decision here and assumed it was pesticides and that I wouldn't react to Tanzanian mango. Boy, was I wrong! I've had the worst mango reaction I've ever had! My lips and chin broke out into a very itchy rash the next day. Over the next week the rash moved across my chin to my jawline and onto my eyelids! Then on Sabbath it migrated to my forearms, my hands, and my feet! Not fun!

The good news is that I have researched mango allergies and discovered that it IS only the skin I'm allergic to. My allergy is caused by the sap from the tree, which gets onto the skin. The sap has an oil in it that is similar to poison oak. I've always been very allergic to poison oak!

My roommates have graciously offered to peel mangoes for me from now on. If they're not around, I do have a good supply of latex gloves. :)

The rash on my face is almost gone (it's been just over a week). My hands and feet are still definitely broken out. I'm expecting that to fade away by the end of the week.

In other news, 2 new volunteers from Norway arrived yesterday. They're fun and friendly and I'm excited about spending the next few months with them.

Babies Come, Babies Go

We've had some changes at the home lately!
Last week two families each brought us a preemie baby. Both are less than a month old. Amina (girl) and Lowasa (boy) are tiny, cute, precious bundles!
The very next day, someone found an abandoned baby by the side of a path. They took it to the hospital, and the hospital immediately sent the little girl to us. She still had birthing fluid on her little body. As Davona put it, she was "new, new, new!"
The nannies named the little girl Happiness. She weighed only 4 lbs. 5 oz with clothes on. What a tiny baby! She is doing well here.
Just yesterday, Ally and Zainabu, adorable little twins, transferred to another orphanage, where they will stay until they finish high school. I am sad to see them go, but I know it's for the best. I'm just grateful their mother let them go. She has been rather difficult.
Then in the afternoon we had the privilege of receiving ANOTHER baby! Little Joshua is 9 months old. His mother tried to get rid of him when he was first born, but a nun convinced her not to kill him. A friend has been taking care of him since he was only a month old. The mother is sick with HIV and is deciding what to do about his future. For now, he is here with us! He's a real cutie!
I don't have pictures yet, but Davona posted some on www.cradleoflove.com.
Also, I learned how to do one local hairstyle! I styled Rahma's hair. There is a picture of me with her on the CoL website.
Pray that funds flow in! I still need more money, and the baby home needs much more. We appreciate your prayers SO much! I know God has a plan, and it is comforting to me to know you are lifting us up to Him.

Election Day

This morning my apartment mates and I woke up around 5:30 and caught a dala-dala into town. The U.S. Embassy was hosting an election party at the AICC in Arusha. We arrived at about 10 after 7am, just in time to hear speeches from both McCain and Obama. Coca-Cola provided free beverages (a big deal here) so we stuffed 10 bottles in our purses on our way out! We stayed until about 8:30, then got bored of watching everything on TV and left. After walking around Arusha all morning getting vegetables and discovering new shops, we headed back.

Laura was scheduled to work this afternoon, so Emma and I walked down to Arumeru Lodge and splashed around in the pool. I finally used the underwater feature on my camera! It was a blast!

Shortly after we got back to CoL (Cradle of Love), the skies filled with dark clouds and it started to get stormy. Good thing we swam when we did!

Notice the size of that beetle in the smallest picture. I hope you can see by comparison to my foot that the bug is BIG! I hope I never run into one of those again.

Tomorrow Ally and Zainabu, 22-month-old twins, are moving to a long-term care facility. I'm sad to see them go, but I'm glad that their mother is letting them be transferred to a place where they can grow up happily and healthfully.

My Back

I recently received word from my dermatologist that I had to have a bump removed from my back as soon as possible. After much searching, I found a good doctor about an hour and a half away by bus. He removed the bump for me at no cost (what a blessing)!

Here is my scar as it looked on 10/24/08.

It's a bit sore....

Their local anesthetic isn't the best, so I had the privilege of being quite aware of some of the cutting and the stitches.

I'm thankful that everything went smoothly, though! God is good!

Afro!

I really couldn't resist these pictures. :)

I Still Need Money

Thank you again to those of you who so generously gave money so I could come to Africa. A few of you still continue to give, and I am incredibly grateful!

I do still need to raise more money. I still need about $1500. A portion of that I will leave here at Cradle of Love when I return to the United States.

I know that most of you who are reading this blog have already given. In that case, could you please pass the word along to friends and family? Any donation helps! Ask your church family. Post a notice in the bulletin. I can send brochures or other information. Just ask! Also feel free to check out the website: www.cradleoflove.com.

If you decide to donate directly to Cradle of Love through the website, please let me know so I can include it in what I am "leaving behind" as a donation. Keep in mind that donations directly to the baby home do not help me with my expenses.

As always, keep praying!

Thank you and God bless!

Quick Update

I just wanted to let everyone know that I'm all better! Not sick anymore! Yay!

Thank you SO much for all your prayers. God is answering my prayers and taking care of me in ways that I wouldn't expect. He goes beyond all my expectations.

Sick :(

Unfortunately I had an unpleasant experience this weekend. On Sabbath night I woke suddenly very ill. I stayed sick all day Sunday. I won't go into detail, but it wasn't pleasant. I think I may have some sort of parasite. Not fun! This morning (Monday) I started antibiotics. Hopefully that'll knock whatever it is out of my system! I am thankful, though, that unlike Sunday, today I had the energy to move around, take a short walk, and even play with the babies a bit! I was bedridden all day Sunday, without even enough energy to sit up. Now, just a day later, I am feeling much better! Thank you for all your prayers!

I have also learned to be thankful for my strong stomach. I've never been one to throw up when I'm ill, which sometimes means that I have to suffer through nausea longer than others. When I realized that some people who get parasites throw up so much they can't keep down water or medicine, I decided that I'm very thankful I never throw up!

Despite my not-so-happy weekend, I am in great spirits. I'm just thankful for medicine, energy, water, and people who care. God bless!

Just Another Day

The other volunteers were gone today, and Davona went to church with her family. I was assigned to be a nanny from 7am to 1pm so I didn't get to go to church. My job as a nanny consisted of feeding, bathing, changing, putting down for naps, etc. for 6 babies. I was replacing a nanny who is on holiday for the month. I have the afternoon/evening shift tomorrow.

After my shift I rode the dala-dala into Tengeru. I just needed to get away, get some exercise and get some sunshine. It really helped! I talked to a few locals, as I always do when I go into town, and tried to learn more Swahili.

Here is a picture of Rachel, one of the shy babies who loves me:

Bahati Is Healthy!

Yesterday afternoon Davona, Batilda (the nurse), and I performed an HIV rapid test on Bahati. It consists of drawing a small amount of blood and mixing it with some solution. A piece of paper reveals a pink line if the blood has HIV, and no line if it doesn't. We waited anxiously for the 15 minutes that it takes to complete the test, staring at the little strip of paper, praying we wouldn't see a pink line. And there is no pink line! Bahati's original diagnosis was wrong, as the doctor suspected. He doesn't have HIV!

Please keep praying that Clinton and Helena will also test negative for HIV.

A Ray of Hope

I mentioned earlier that 3 of our babies tested positive for HIV. I was wrong; four of our babies tested positive. One baby, Rahma, is definitely positive and has started antiretroviral medications (ARVs). She will take them for life. The others recently had a blood test to determine if they need ARVs.

The other volunteers and I drove into Usa River today to find out the results from the last blood test. The doctor, an Italian man, gave us some good news. He said that the antibody count for three of our babies is actually very low. Often a baby whose mother is HIV+ has antibodies in its blood for about a year after birth, even if they don't have the virus. Since the count is so low, the doctor thinks that those 3 babies don't actually have the virus! One child, Bahati, is getting tested again a week from today. If the results are negative, then he is perfectly healthy and HIV-free! If the results are positive, then we have to wait another 4-6 months and test him again. The other 2 babies are only about 6 months old. We have to wait until they are a year old to do more testing.

I'm so excited, and so hopeful! Please pray for these precious babies.

Flood

Today I had the privilege of driving all the volunteers (there are 6 of us) into town to pay a visit to the immigration office. An immigration official stopped by the other day and told us that our visas aren't good enough and we have to get work permit/class C visas. Which means we all have to pay another $120. I left 4 of the girls in town and came back with Emma. I was a few steps ahead of her as we walked into the apartment, but I stopped short just as I got inside. Our whole apartment was covered with TWO INCHES of standing water!

Before we left, the tub was on because some clothes were soaking. Then the water suddenly cut off (as it does often), and we thought we turned off the faucet, but apparently hadn't turned it all the way off. While we were gone the water came back on and flooded all our bedrooms, our bathrooms, and our hallway. All my books are ruined, and some of my stationery is a little disformed. The only book that survived completely damage-free was my Bible (what a blessing!!). Luckily that was all the damage I suffered. Emma's computer may be ruined. We're still waiting to see if it will turn on. My other roommates seem to have not lost much, if anything. I'm thankful for that!

The water took 2 hours to clean up. I wish we had a pump. Instead, Emma and the gardener, David, mopped it all up with mops and bed sheets and towels. I had to go to a meeting and could not help.

The meeting I had to go to was Cradle of Love's 1st administrative council meeting. Davona, the director, and I are the 2 administrators. Our council also consists of Zahara, the staff coordinator, and Batilda, the nurse. We had a great meeting (there were a lot of issues to discuss!). I really like being part of the administration. I feel respected and valued, and like I can make a difference. I've also started to become a sort of mediator between the director and the other volunteers. There is nothing bad to mediate; I just help make sure that scheduling is communicated, etc.

I'm glad the water is cleaned up, but I'm still lamenting the loss of my books (most of which were brand new).

I'm also relieved, though, that the administrative council seems like a group that will work together very well.

Lions and Zebras and Elephants, oh my!

Today we went on a safari to the Ngorongoro Crater! We had to leave Usa River at about 6am so we could make it to the crater by mid-morning.

Before we looked at the animals in the bottom of the crater, we stopped at a Masaai village and took a tour. They even danced for us! This is me with one of the Masaai men outside his hut made out of dung!




Here I am holding elephant bones with a water buffalo skull at my feet.

We saw all kinds of animals in the crater: elephants, water buffalo, wildebeast, hippos, lions!, zebras, warthogs, dik-diks, many birds, a hyena, and rhinos!

In the picture above, you can see that the safari vehicles are following two lions as they walk down the road. How exciting! We also had the rare opportunity to see a lioness hunt and kill a zebra.

1st Birthday Party

The other day we threw a birthday party for 4 of the babies' 1st birthday!
Another volunteer and I made the cake and icing completely from scratch. We were so proud of ourselves! We even had to sift the flour and mix the powdered milk.
After giving every child a small piece, we just let the toddlers have at the cake. They made such a mess, but they were so excited the whole time! We even had fun cleaning up. :)

Suppertime Photoshoot

I love this picture of Noreen and me. Isn't she beautiful? Her little smile is so cute!

Maria just looked so cute in this little hat! I made her stop eating so I could snap a picture! She loved the attention.

Yasini loves kissing! I told him to "busu" Salima, thinking he would kiss her cheek, but no! He went straight for the lips!

Another Roommate

My newest apartment mate arrived this evening. We now have 7 of us living here, which is full! All the rooms have 2 beds except mine, since I'm the long-termer. Four of my apartment mates came together and are here until around Thanksgiving. The newest one is here until December. The other one is a Tanzanian who was only here for a week and a half, and will leave on Wednesday.

I really enjoy living with these ladies. We are all here to help these babies, and we act as an encouragement to each other.

Neema was so excited to hold baby Rebecca!

Solo Market Trip & the Game Lodge

It's a quarter to one in the morning and I can't sleep, so I'm blogging! :)

I went to the Tengeru market for fresh produce. I had to ride the dala-dala, which is a mini bus. I would describe it as a mini-van sized automobile with about 16 seats but at least 20 passengers! People just cram into these things. It costs $200 TSH, which is about 15 or 20 cents. The dala-dalas are the easiest place to get pickpocketed, because you're crammed into a tight space with a bunch of people. I was very careful in placing my money inside my clothing and did not have anything stolen.

The locals are very helpful. People constantly pointed me in the right direction, especially if I asked, and sometimes even if I didn't! Everyone I came in contact with was eager to help me learn Swahili, and I enjoyed practicing. I think my progress isn't very fast, but two separate people complimented me on learning it so quickly, so maybe I'm not doing half bad!

I like the market very much. The locals sit on blankets with their produce in little piles (they sell by the pile). As I walked by each person would call out, "Mzungu! Karibu! Njoo!" which means, "White person! Welcome! Come see what I have! Come!" After buying my produce for the week, I purchased a few meters of a pretty fabric. I'm going to have it made into a dress. I can't wait!

On Sabbath Davona and I took 4 of the toddlers to the nearby game reserve. The kids hadn't been in a car since at least before they came to Cradle of Love, and they were terrified! It was so sad, and so hard to explain to them that they would be just fine! I sat in the back and had all 4 clinging to me, tears rolling down their cheeks. Once we got to the game reserve (it's only a 5 or 7 minute drive), the kids happily watched monkeys, porcupines (they are HUGE!), tortoises, a hawk, crested cranes, a crocodile, zebras (we got within 10 ft. of them!), a beautiful stork, an ibis, peacocks, and two different species of wildebeast-looking things (they weren't wildebeasts, but I don't know what they were). I really enjoyed the game reserve, and I know the kids did, too! Salima and Neema kept saying, "Zebra!"

A Sad Day

Today I had my first glimpse of the sorrow that is connected with the babies at Cradle of Love. Davona and I drove into Usa River to review the results of 3 babies' HIV tests. All 3 tested positive. I asked Davona what this meant for the children, and this is what I learned:
-Even with medication, they will probably not live to see age 15
-There is little to no chance of their adoption with a positive test result. Most Tanzanians don't want HIV positive babies, and the few foreigners who would accept them regardless cannot get around all the red tape required to get the children into the U.S.
We drove back to Cradle of Love in silence, after Davona called one baby's prospective adoptive mother (an American) and told her the sad news. The woman burst into tears.
These babies have their future decided for them. It's not fair, and it's so painful to watch.

On a brighter note, the kids at Cradle of Love are happy. For now, they do not know what HIV is or if they have it. Today was the first time I had a sad thought since arriving. Downstairs in the baby home it is all joy. The children are well-adjusted and happy, and they know that they are loved.

A Sick Day

Unfortunately I contracted a very sore throat yesterday afternoon which worsened throughout the evening. I had a rough time sleeping last night, and woke up feeling a bit sickly. I went downstairs to feed the babies breakfast but came back upstairs to rest for most of the morning, expecting to return to feed them lunch at noon. Instead I slept until 2pm! I likely would have slept longer, except that one of my roommates woke me up to ask if I needed any soup made, concerned that she had not seen me all day. She is a very sweet Tanzanian lady (in her late twenties I suspect) who is here for a couple weeks on vacation from work.

I rested all day, venturing from my room once to make myself some soup. I read and slept and ate throat lozenges by the dozen. I finished my book, Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen, just now and realized that my sore throat is nearly gone! My achiness is also much improved. I am feeling so much better, and excited to return to my precious babies tomorrow!

Thank you to all of you for your prayers!

First Round of Pictures

This first picture is Agatha, with Neema in the background. Her teeth look like little rabbit teeth--it's so cute!

The second picture is Hope, who is just a constant bundle of joy! She absolutely loves it when I lay on my back and lift her in the air above me, airplane style.

It's Raining!

I woke up this morning to rain. It's drizzling much like it does in Oregon, and it's pretty cool (maybe in the 50s?). I feel very much at home, and I'm happy!

Links to Pictures

I can't upload any of my own pictures yet, but here are some neat links that might interest you:

A pic of what the people/scenery look like:

http://developmentalidealism.org/img/africa/4f.jpg



Pics of the kind of monkeys we have in our backyard--the ones that came in my apartment!

http://www.enkosiniecoexperience.com/images/Vervet%20Monkey%20Sanctuary/vervet4-small.jpg

http://www.hickerphoto.com/data/media/40/vervet-monkey-pictures_572.jpg

Children in Africa

First, I must comment on the fact that I just had to shoo 2 monkeys out of my apartment! They climbed up the stairs and walked right in! I glanced up from what I was reading and saw them, but it took me a second to process that there were monkeys in my apartment!

All the children here seem to want attention. Not in a bratty or needy way, just in an innocent, simple way. It's so endearing. As we drive along the road (the one paved road in Usa River), children stare and wave. Reciprocating a wave or a smile just makes their little faces light up! Yesterday when we arrived at church we plopped down on the grass and this little girl, maybe about 3, came over and pressed herself right up against my side. She didn't move the whole service, or say anything. She just wanted to be as close to me as possible! When her mom took her away at the end of church, the poor girl screamed and cried. The children here at the orphanage are similar. Each of the babies/toddlers has its own personality, naturally, but many of them just want to be held. One girl sat on my lap for nearly an hour today. If I put her down she would cry, and if I walked away she would just bawl (even if it was just to help another child who had fallen, or take rocks out of a kid's mouth...the kids are constantly sticking rocks in their mouths. I don't get it). She had to be the center of my attention every second. If I picked up another child, she would cry. I happen to know that this girl was abandoned by her mother, and it was so sad to see her so clingy.

It is nice to know that I'm making a difference simply by loving these children. I have plenty of love to give!

Market!

I love the market! Max and Davona took me there today. For approximately $3 USD, I bought a small watermelon, 3 lg. tomatoes, green beans, nearly a dozen small oranges, 4 small peppers, a kilo (about 2.2 lb) of brown beans, about 8 small potatoes, half a dozen good-sized carrots, and 4 small onions. Fresh food is cheap! The first thing I bought was tomatoes. Max asked how much a pile of 3 was, and the lady responded $200 TSH, which is 15 cents! I was taken aback, and very excited that I'll be able to eat inexpensively! Packaged goods really rack up the bill, though.

I'm very excited about cooking from scratch! I have all those veggies, rice, and flour, plus a bunch of spices my mom sent over with me. This will be an adventure!

I Have Arrived!

I am finally here in Tanzania! I had a wonderful trip with even a few surprising blessings! Due to an overnight layover, I was supposed to sleep alone in a hotel room in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Naturally I was nervous about this, especially since I don't know the language and have no way of contacting anyone should I need assistance. Well, the plane I was on from Washington, D.C. to Addis Ababa stops in Rome to refuel (it is a looooong flight!). When we landed in Rome, I noticed that a young man about 5 seats away looked an awful lot like a student at Walla Walla University. I approached him and he recognized me. How amazing to coincidentally have a flight with another WWU student! And he informed me that 2 more WWU students were sitting farther forward in the plane! The 3 were headed to Ethiopia as student missionaries, and invited me to spend the night with them instead of alone. I am so glad they did! I felt much safer, and much happier with companionship.

I have been at Cradle of Love for almost 24 hours. I like it very much! The babies are absolutely adorable, and the staff are very friendly and welcoming. We even have monkeys in our yard! I saw 2 of them just now as I walked back to the orphanage from the director's home.

I went to church this morning (it's Sabbath for me, since I'm 10 hours ahead of the West Coast) and had the pleasure of meeting some other foreigners. I have heard that there are 2 student missionaries from Andrews University working in the area. I would very much like to meet them soon!

Tomorrow Max & Davona Church (Max=ADRA Tanzania Director; Davona=Cradle of Love Director) are going to take me to Usa River (walking distance) to the market so I can buy fresh vegetables. Yesterday I bought bread, peanut butter, and eggs at the local shop, which is really just a hut with a few necessities.

How to Contact Me!

Ways to contact me:
-Post comments on this blog (I believe you have to have an account to do this)
-E-mail me! kathryn.currier@wallawalla.edu
-Write me letters! I absolutely love receiving letters, though I admit that I am not the best at returning the correspondence promptly (though I do enjoy writing!). Maybe this year I'll focus on being more consistent and prompt in returning letters! I must warn, though, not to send packages. I will be charged to receive them, and they often will be rifled through. Large envelopes should be ok, and of course a letter will get to me just fine! I sent myself a test letter nearly a month ago, and it has not arrived yet, so expect long delays in delivery!
Katie Currier
c/o Cradle of Love Baby Home
P.O. Box 360
Usa River, Tanzania AFRICA
-Call me! How? you ask. Let me explain! I purchased an internet phone number for only $7/month (thanks to my dad for paying for this!!). My phone number is
(503) 616-4582
This is a Beaverton, Oregon, number, so it is local to Portland residents. If you call me on this number, you pay no extra charge than you would to call anyone else in Beaverton, Oregon. The number rings to my laptop. If I have internet and am not working, I can answer the call and talk to you! Otherwise, you can leave me a voicemail that I can retrieve later.

All my love!

Only a Week Left . . . .

I have received approximately $2700 in donations. How amazing that is! I am truly blessed to have so many loving friends and family pitching in to help with my mission trip. Honestly in all my life I have never been so sure of a decision as I am of my choice to spend this year in Africa. I know that God will use me and mold me this coming year more than ever. I am absolutely thrilled to leave a week from today! In fact, exactly a week from this moment I will be in Washington, D.C., I believe, waiting to fly to Ethiopia!

I still need approximately $2500 more. This is how it breaks down: $400 for insurance, $1200 for food and necessities while I am gone, and $900 to reimburse me for what I've spent on supplies & vaccines. I have raised enough to get myself over to Africa, but I need money for food while I'm gone! I would also like to be reimbursed for what I've personally spent, because that money should be going on my school bill when I return.

Donations can be sent to the student missions office throughout the year to help support me. Remember not to write my name on any checks (rather on a post-it note attached), and to include your name and address with the donation. Send financial support to:

Walla Walla University
Office of Student Missions
204 S. College Ave.
College Place, WA 99324

Keep me in your prayers, as well as my two friends who leave for Tanzania the day after I do, Neil and Justin. They'll be working in a hospital near Kigoma. Also, please pray for the families of a few missionaries who were tragically killed in an accident in Chad.

Visa and a plane ticket!

My visa arrived in the mail yesterday! One more thing I can check off my to-do list!
Also, I finally found the perfect plane ticket. It's just under $2000 (a good deal!). I'm flying with my friends Neil and Justin for most of the trip. They will be working in Kigoma, Tanzania. Neil's blog is www.neilandafrica.blogspot.com, for those of you who might know him. My flight layovers seem fairly convenient and I leave PDX in the early evening and return also in the early evening. This means more people will be willing to say goodbye to me and greet me when I return! I'm thankful I don't arrive at midnight or some other crazy hour. Five p.m. sounds very nice to me!
Again, thank you for your prayers and financial support! I still need to raise two to three thousand dollars!

Counting Down the Days!

As of this morning, I have raised $1455. That's almost enough to pay for my plane ticket! I'm going to dip into my savings to pay for the airfare. I have also used my summer wages to pay for supplies, my visa, my passport, and immunizations. I didn't realize how expensive a year of travel would be! I'm praying that more money comes in. I have to support myself financially while I'm abroad, as well as pay for insurance through the General Conference. Those two things will come to close to $2000 (in addition to the $2000 airfare). Please pray for my travel plans!

Speaking of the General Conference, my call was passed on Wednesday!!! After months of waiting and frantically sending e-mails to dozens of people I've never met, I am finally approved to go as a student missionary sponsored by the Adventist church! YES! This is truly an answer to prayer...and a much-anticipated and much-worked-for accomplishment!

Thank you to everyone for your support! I truly appreciate every dollar you've given, every prayer you've sent up, and the thoughtful cards and letters I've received. I'm very, VERY excited to be in Africa at Cradle of Love Baby Home! (www.cradleoflove.com)

Funds Are Trickling In

As of last Wednesday, I've received about $750. Only a few thousand to go! I'm very excited about leaving in just 7 weeks! If I can buy my ticket within the next week or so, I can probably get it for $2200, which is a thousand or two less than I thought I would have to pay! That is very good news. Beyond that I have to pay for my medical insurance and my living expenses (which together should total between $2000 and $3000, depending on whether or not my call is passed through the GC). Speaking of my call, Davona, orphanage director, filled out more paperwork regarding my call last week. As far as I know, only the division and the GC need to approve that paperwork and I'm set!
I'm also in the process of getting my visa.
Thank you for your prayers and your financial support!

Call Passed by Tanzania Union

Hello and welcome to my blog!

I am SO excited to go to Africa! On Monday, June 23, my call was passed by the Tanzania Union. Just a few more steps and I'll be cleared to go! I'm sending out letters for fundraising, so if you haven't gotten one yet, please e-mail me your address at kathryn.currier@wallawalla.edu and I will make sure you get one!

Thank you for your continued prayers and support as I prepare to embark on this journey!