Taking Ownership

Wednesday we met Janet, John, and Olivia in town to continue our pursuit of a world record in errand running. These two high school students needed passport photos for their school IDs and we needed about a van full of school supplies. 216 little blue notebooks, 18 rulers, 2 dictionaries, 18 reams of copy paper, 108 rolls of toilet paper, 2 boxes of markers, 2 dictionaries, 2 special textbooks, 12 reading books, and 32 brooms. We got the shoes exchanged for the right size and bought the indoor propane stove. Each child must bring their own cup and plate to school; high school students bring spoons, so it was back to the plastics store for the third time this week.

Kristen was excited about the stove with an oven and wanted to teach the older girls how to make a cake. Sounds easy, but finding a pan to bake it in was a challenge. We settled on a sauce pan that was about the right circumference, then headed to the “American Market” and tried to decipher the names of the ingredients. We somehow succeeded with a tiny bottle of vanilla, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda (baking soda), and oil. She used the flour at home and the raw sugar and fresh eggs, and then popped it in the oven, and 45 minutes later it looked perfect. Janet was astounded, because to bake a cake in the village, sand is heated up and poured in a hole in the ground, then a pan of batter in placed in the hole and left for about 4 hours for it to bake. While that was baking, I made eggs in a basket for the older girls to try. Finishing the cake, the girls cut up some vegetables to sauté, and fried some bacon, all on the outdoor charcoal cookers. Boiled water cooked the macaroni noodles quickly and every member of the Chayah family had pasta for the very first time. We aren’t sure if they actually liked it or not. They are too polite to be honest I think.

I spent a good part of the afternoon typing some legal documents that need to be turned in so that our sweet mommy Janet doesn’t get arrested for operating a home without registering it. People in the area know all about the new home and every day we are receiving guests with requests to help other children. A lady came today who had dropped off a letter yesterday about 7 children that she keeps. Three are hers, and the other four belonged to her brother who has passed away. So, registration is a must and apparently every office you visit requires just a bit of cash to keep things rolling.

Speaking of rolling…I ran into Paul the carpenter today. Do you know he was far from his shop strolling down the street in the visitor’s part of town? I asked him to please get the benches and Janet’s bed to us tomorrow by noon as we are leaving. He smiled and nodded and apologized and told me he had been under a lot of pressure. You know, there must be a real translation issue at work here, because I’m not at all sure he feels pressure to any degree. Oh Paul, I love you in a “Jesus way,” but having trouble with loving you in the “people way.” We’ll see how tomorrow goes.

It’s time to hand over the real ownership of the house to the residents at Chayah. Today, as the older girls learned some baking, the middle girls learned to repair the screen door. The two oldest boys climbed a 12 foot ladder made of tree trunks to measure 17” on either side of the center of the porch roof and hammer a nail with a wire hanging from it for the Chayah sign that’s just about done being painted. They are children, but learning to take some responsibility for their home and learning to maintain it and care about its condition. Tiny Shakira has even taken to wall murals, both inside and out, and though it is such a sign of childhood, writing on the walls, her artistic bent will need to be steered towards paper.

The three of us left here, did a skit and told a fun story tonight. These Muzungus will stop at nothing to hear these beauties belly laugh.

Tomorrow is the last of our business and will be filled with the dentist, stitching more names on sweaters, and sharing our last cake together. I can’t imagine what leaving will look like. Olivia and I talked today about just how good God is to have planted something that will bring us back again and again. I believe we might actually be trying to ward off the pain of separation that is sure to accompany tomorrow’s goodbyes. But it’s time for the Muzungus to leave this family to establish itself, routine, school, and serving one another and their neighbors. No doubt we’ve been a distraction, well intentioned and God ordained, but it’s time for them to have some ownership of their new life. I believe the next time we see them, they will have changed in appearance…sickness treated, a balanced diet, and some education. It will be a sign they have tasted new life, new hope and a future that looks bright. God has done something amazing and we are so grateful to have seen its beginning.