We said goodbye to our friends at iThemba Lethu on Monday and boarded the jumbo jet that would take us home.
It was a long series of flights and more than 30 nearly sleepless hours of travel. Along the way, we were regaled by a chorus of crying children in the row behind us, and the airline managed to lose ALL THREE pieces of our luggage, IN DIFFERENT PLACES. Now any old airline can lose luggage, but let’s take a moment to recognize South African Air and United for their unique ability to carefully distribute a single group of bags, checked in together, to locations around the world. Bravo!
(As an aside, if you’ve never flown internationally, it’s actually quite nice. You get actual food–meals, not three smashed pretzels and a watered-down ginger ale that ensures an awkward visit to the lavatory–and your own personal entertainment device that allows you to watch any of dozens of movies, or the entire first season of Prison Break, for no extra charge.)
It’s wonderful to be home.
Our house, which sometimes feels small, felt palatial. We have so much.
Our bed is so comfortable. Kelly put flannel sheets on it right before we left, and I have never been so thankful for a horizontal place to sleep.
We are incredibly grateful for our friends and family here. We missed them. And they made us cookies.
And it’s Christmas season, for real. There’s just a smidge of snow on the ground, and the forecast promises more. We went out last night to fight the jetlag and hunt for a Christmas tree, and we had success on both fronts. The McPherson clan flies in on Sunday to join us for a week of Christmas festivities.
Thank you, again, for all of your prayers and support on our trip. We’re really looking forward to celebrating the holidays and sharing stories with everyone. Merry Christmas!
Today was our last day of Holiday Club for iThemba Lethu. Parts of it were sweet, parts of it were bittersweet and some were downright sad. There was a boy Nhlaka, who took to Jonathan right away while we were at our first camp (leadership camp this past weekend), they bonded over electronics and it was really wonderful to see the way he and many other boys watched for Jonathan’s appearance in a room or in the morning. Sunday as we were dropping off the children at the school, he was sad because he loved spending time with us and we were going away. He was consoled by the fact that we would see him again on Tuesday and oh the joy at seeing us again when Holiday Club started. The Holiday Club was one of our specific duties, run sort of like a day camp, for the iThemba Lethu students. We had songs, a Bible story, a testimony, scripture memory, craft and games each day and each day, we would see Nhlaka (Gadget Boy-his favorite television show is Inspector Gadget and he was calling Jonathan Inspector Gadget). Starting Tuesday, Nhlaka had a “diamond” cross necklace he was wearing and he was trying to give it to Jonathan so we wouldn’t forget him. Feeling badly for taking something of such value from someone in elementary school, Jonathan always thanked him, but declined the offer. Today, he was so sad that we were leaving, he was in tears most of the morning. He kept offering the necklace and eventually Jonathan decided on a trade of a bracelet for the necklace so they would each have something to remember each other. We’ll be praying for you, Gadget Boy and we certainly won’t forget you.
In other update-ish news about our trip:
Travel from the US to South Africa went well. A real highlight for Kelly was having the immigration official say, “Is this you? Your face looks so fat!” (Just stamp my stinking passport, please) to which I replied “Thanks, I think, that must mean I look thin now.” -Note to readers-my passport photo was taken in JUNE as in six months ago, I’m certain I’m the same size.
Our host family is fantastic! They are a couple in their thirties who have two daughters who are seven and three. They have been very welcoming to us and so kind. We’ve seen quite a few performances of dances, music and listened to stories about things they’ve done each day. It’s been great.
The work of iThemba Lethu continues after we depart and the ministry here is incredible. The children in the transition home (orphanage) are well loved, cared for and love each other like brothers and sisters. There are about 12 children all age three and under and they are happy and cheerful and area always waving when we arrive each day. The school program is helping to restore a sense of respect and dignity to the children. They often talk about respect and how they should respect others and others should respect them. They are like children anywhere-love to perform skits and be on stage and love to talk about their families and school and what they want to be when they grow up. Some of them want to be archeologists or teachers or scientists; every student with whom I spoke wanted to have a good family when they grow up and help make their community safe. We are so thankful to be a small part of this ministry this week. More when we get home. It might take us a bit to process everything.
Sorry for the lack of photos, those will come when we return home….
Hello! We have arrived in South Africa and things are a whirlwind–we’ve already finished working with the kids at the leadership camp and today we spent some time with the little ones at iThemba Lethu. We’ve got lots of stories to tell you but just a few minutes, so for now, please peruse our friends’ blogs for updates:
As Jonathan mentioned in an earlier post, we signed up for life insurance. I know, it’s big, scary and too grown up for us. We agree. Regardless, we were (rightly) advised that our insurance premiums would be higher if we waited until after we traveled this month so we signed up for some life insurance, thought about how much might be required if one of us perishes and I cried a little because I don’t want to be a widow.
This morning we had Judy the travel nurse come to our house to give us the requisite exam. She asked if we had gone sky diving, scuba diving, mountain climbing and various other activities we haven’t done (yet!). She also asked about our general health, weighed us and measured Jonathan’s belly and hips! (I found that part hilarious!) The most interesting part was that we had to provide fluid samples. Have you ever peed in a cup in your own bathroom? It’s totally weird. Weirdest yet was having a cup of my own “fluid” sitting on my kitchen table, telling me the its temperature, just sitting there completely uncovered. Once Judy had poured the sample into the vials she’d be sending in, she gave me back the cup and the leftovers so I could dispose of it. What? So strange. I will hand it to Judy though, she didn’t spill a drop. Way to go!
And now I’m at work. To celebrate the fact that I wasn’t super crabby after having been up for two hours without food, I splurged on a bacon, cheese and egg sandwich in the cafeteria. It’s going to be a good day.
For some families, the day after Thanksgiving is a day to get the best deals of the year by waiting in line outside stores in the pre-dawn hours, a day to begin the Christmas shopping season in earnest.
And for other families, the day after Thanksgiving is a day to lie around in a Post-Turkey Coma, watch football, and eat pumpkin pie for breakfast (admit it, you’ve done it at least once).
But our family tradition is going downtown to help crowd the streets of the city for the lighting of the city’s Christmas tree and the Macy’s star. It’s sure to be wet and cold-hello, it’s late November in Seattle-but nobody cares.
We all stand in the street (packed a bit like sardines), and there’s a ceremony with local music stars singing Christmas songs and choirs singing carols, and of course there’s a countdown to the lighting of the tree and fireworks to go with the star. And afterward, we go to Pacific Place, a huge mall that celebrates the occasion by making it snow indoors with tiny soap bubbles.
Here are a couple of photos of the occasion from last year.
Downtown crowds. Click on the photo to make it larger and look at everyones’ faces. Look at those smiles! Does anyone look grumpy? No! It’s Christmas time!
Kelly and I at Pacific Place after the snowfall. This was taken exactly one year ago today!
One of the most unexpected parts of marriage (for me, at any rate) is that it insists, in no uncertain language, that it is Time to Grow Up. It’s so much easier to make immature decisions when you’re single: not because your wedding band dispenses a magic responsibility potion into your bloodstream (though I will admit that this is a good idea) but because your decisions visably affect someone else now.
The latest example of this phenomenon, for us, came when we had a meeting with a financial services company on the subject of Life Insurance.
First of all: let’s call it what it is. It is not actually life insurance. It is death insurance. What do you call the kind of insurance you get to protect against floods? Do you call it “Not Having a Flood Insurance?” Or maybe “Dry Insurance?” No, you don’t. That would be silly.
Second: if you have never bought life insurance before, you should know that it will make you think about questions that are very uncomfortable. For instance:
How long do you think you’ll live?
What would you do if your spouse died?
What would need to be taken care of? The house? Children? Funeral expenses?
How much money is your life worth?
How do you even start answering questions like these? It’s mind-boggling, and it feels nonsensical, like trying to figure out how many cotton balls it would take to replace your hammer. No amount of money could ever replace a person, especially not the one person in the world that you love more than anyone else. But somehow, you have to come up with a number, and hope that it’s the right one, and hope even more that no one will ever have to collect it.
Tomorrow we are hosting Thanksgiving at our house for the first time. While I am grateful for many things this year, it’s sometimes good to remember that I can be thankful just to be alive, and to be married to someone who is also alive. If there’s one thing that reminds you that life is priceless, it’s trying to put a price on life.
And, on a cheerier note, our Thansgiving promises to be pretty delightful–we have purchased a television antenna so that there can be football, and Ron (Kelly’s father) and I are barbecuing the turkey, and there will be a frozen fruit cocktail appetizer courtesy of the Fields family (A Tradition), and Kelly is fantastic at making the house welcoming, and it’s going to be great all around.
We’re leaving next week, on Wednesday, December 3rd, and we’ll be gone for nearly two weeks in South Africa. It seems distant (it always has), but it’s next week, and the last few days have been a small snow-flurry of packing (POP QUIZ: can you fit more t-shirts by rolling or stacking?), praying, preparing, last-minute meetings, forms, and the rest.
Please keep praying for us as we enter the last week before our trip!
We’re headed to Camp Casey for a weekend trip with some friends. I’m very excited, because we love spending time with our friends and also Camp Casey is beautiful. Here are a few photos of the place from the last time I was there:
I love the big, open spaces and I’m a sucker for a seashore. See you Sunday, tall buildings and traffic. We’ve got plans.
My first taste of Christmas this year was actually in October.
October.
There is a group of men that meets at our house every Tuesday. One of them works for Walgreens, the popular drugstore. He was a little stressed because the shipment of Christmas decor had arrived and needed to be put up. I don’t remember what he said after that because all I could think about was how it wasn’t even November yet and how I’m really, really not ready for two entire months of Christmas.
I love the season, but two months of Christmas is, for me, like eating a huge helping of dessert for dinner, and then having dessert after my dessert dinner. It’s just too much.
When I was a kid, the Christmas season (now renamed “the holiday season” to avoid offending delicate sensitivities) existed only for a few weeks, beginning the day after Thanksgiving. I loved the music and the lights and of course I loved presents. But every year since I’ve enjoyed it less. It’s part attitude, I know, but I get stressed about finding the perfect gift for everyone on my list, and making the list in the first place. And then there’s travel plans and family expectations and holiday parties and everything gets so crammed and rushed. ”Peace on earth,” my foot-it often feels like the least peaceful time of year.
And that’s why, when I saw this video last night, I found it very refreshing.
It has a trendy name (”Advent Conspiracy?”) and a flashy video but it’s a pretty simple idea. I will recap for those of you who cannot watch the film:
Take that money you didn’t spend on gifts and give it to someone who needs it more than you do. (You could buy someone a goat!)
I know it’s a little awkward to be the one pulling back from Christmas. But someone’s got to do it, or it’s going to keep getting crazier. And I firmly believe that the season will be more meaningful when it’s surrounded in less stuff.
Kelly and I will be participating in the Advent Conspiracy this year. Will you?
I woke up in the wee hours of this morning to a very disturbing noise. I will try to sound it out for you:
barap-bum-Barm-bumumapupa!
(pause)
barap-bum-Barm-bumumapupa!
It took me a few seconds to realize that the noise was what had woken me up, and I laid perfectly motionless while it continued. Was it a leftover from a dream? No, it was definitely a real noise.
barap-bum-Barm-bumumapupa!
It was loud, and it sounded like it was coming from the kitchen because of the way it echoed. It sounded as though someone had broken into the house, turned the automatic icemaker on, and left the freezer open, causing batch after batch of ice to cascade onto the floor.
barap-bum-Barm-bumumapupa!
Whatever it was, it wasn’t going away and I realized I was going to have to get up and investigate. My heart started racing with anticipation.
What if there was something wrong with the house? What if it was an intruder, or an animal, or a fire? Some part of my brain (labeled “survival” and shrunken from years of disuse) picked up the adrenaline and caused me to take mental inventory of the weapons available in the immediate area. None. Shoot. Can I walk out of this bedroom unarmed? Is that safe?
barap-bum-Barm-bumumapupa!
I was very still for a moment. I wanted that noise to stop all by itself. But it didn’t. I considered waking up Kelly so we could investigate together. No, I thought, it is my job to investigate things that go bump in the night. And keep going bump. Even after they should have stopped. I stirred for the first time and lifted my head to get out of bed.
And the noise stopped.
It was then, my heart still pumping dutifully, that I realized what had happened. The breath from my very own left nostril had sent little ripples through the flannel fabric on my pillowcase, causing a series of thumping noises that echoed in my left ear using much the same acoustic principle that allows you to “hear the ocean” by holding up a seashell to your ear. These had, in turn, been misinterpreted by my sleep-heavy brain as coming from the other side of the house.
I have rarely been so grateful to go back to sleep. And, in the last moments before I drifted off, I resolved to get a baseball bat, or something.
Jonathan and Kelly are two all-American kids living it up in Redmond, WA-a suburb of Seattle. In our spare time, we enjoy photography, cooking, general hijinx and having adventures. If you’re ever in the area, let us know. I’m sure we can find a way to meet up with you!
