Merry Christmas a little late and happy new year!
I am happy to be able to report that finally on my second trip to Africa I have seen a giraffe:) Actually, I saw an entire family of giraffes and hundreds of zebras and baboons, impalas, hippos, warthogs, birds...It was amazing! I went on a visit to Akagera National Park [Wildlife Conservation Society link and see also park website] on Monday. Definitely worth a day spent in the car. God's beauty is so awesome the more I see of it. His mind is really beyond our understanding which nobody would doubt once they have seen a real live zebra. Who comes up with something like that?
Well, I wish I had more happy news to report but things are not all easy. My friend Selassie has been expelled from the school because of a lot of things on his part. I support the leaders decision but it is still hard. At least, it will not be the last we see of him. My friends and I will not let him go just like that because we need to show him that God does not let him go simply because he is no longer in DTS. One good thing in this is that we took Selassie with us to Akagera. He had a really good day. It is rare that he gets to take a break from life and just enjoy himself.
As for me, I find that there are so many things I want to be doing all the time that I am running short on sleep. Yesterday I had the chance to help out at a Christmas party for a group of orphans. These kids have had very hard lives and are still being majorly exploited. The way the government is set up here you can really make money by taking in orphans especially if you use the money on youreslf that was intended to buy them food. It is a messy situation but thanks to an awesome ministry called SoZo stepping in it is beginning to be brought to light and things are changing. Yesterday was fantastic. The kids each received a box of presents and a new outfit. One little girl that I was watching for the day got a baby doll and she could not stop laughing and bouncing it up and down. It is better than sleep.
I would ask you to be praying for my teeth though! I knew before I left that I needed my wisdom teeth out but I, not very wisely, didn't do anything about it. They have been hurting me a bit so I pray that it can wait until I get back.
I wish I had more time to tell you all the things that are going on but my session [at the Internet cafe] is almost up. I will write again when I can.
Bye! Johanna
5 comments:
In the interest of full disclosure, Johanna did not just 'blow off' getting her wisdom teeth taken care of. She is no longer on her family's health/dental insurance plan and as a result the out-of-pocket expenses also played a major factor in waiting to deal with the wisdom teeth!
Oh my goodness Johanna! I am so excited to hear of your joy in seeing God's imagination running wild throughout Africa! My favorite line in all of this is "it is better than sleep." My dear your attitude amazes me and you just inspire me!
Hi Johanna! This is your cousin, Hilaree. I think about you often, even though we haven't been in touch for a long time. We are so excited for the amazing path you're on! The Lord is good, ALL THE TIME! Hug some children for us and have as many adventures as possible...I have lifted you up in prayer, my cousin in life and my sister in Christ... with love from Hilaree, Jeremy, Aquila, and Solomon
Johanna,
Such a blessing to hear your stories. It brought tears to my eyes to hear about the orphans. Keep doing the work of the Lord. And healing in your teeth in Jesus name!
Johanna,
I have always thought giraffes were one of God's greatest challenges for us - we may never understand why he made them the way he did, but that does not stop us from enjoying them and being fascinated by them. One of my favorite animal pictures is of a mother giraffe leaning way, way down to kiss her baby.
On another topic, I saw a story in one of my sister-in-law's quilting magazines, Quilter's World, about an orphanage in Kigali. A quilter from Utah had spent a month there teaching quilting (fabric selection, design, color theory, sewing, sewing machine repair and maintenance, etc. so that the young adults there could start a business making and selling quilts. It was fascinating and, of course made me think of you.
Hope your friend is doing OK - sometimes it takes a really hard lesson to make us take stock of our lives and make a change for the better.
Love and prayers to you,
Connie Johannah
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