So Close!

Next Tuesday I leave to spend 17 days in Brazil! I'm going to Lar Feliz Orphanage with a group from my church, and I'm stoked to hang out with some kiddos. The kids I nanny here in Calgary left for their holidays on Friday, so by the time I get to the orphanage, my kid-o-meter will be way too low!

Hooray!

Sam and I are taking a trip to The Enchanted Forest on Monday! I'm SO excited!

Am I excited about anything else? Well, you will just have to wait and see.

Last Night on the Phone

I talked to Sam on the phone twice last night.

Conversation #1:
Me: Hi Sam.
Sam: Whoa, either you just got done crying, or you're sick.
Me: I'm sick.


Conversation #2, about an hour after #1:
Me: Hi Sam.
Sam: Whoa, either you just woke up, or you just got done crying, or you're sick.
Me: I'm sick.

So, I guess I sound pretty awful. Also, Sam probably didn't actually use the word "whoa" in both conversations. I think that's something I say a lot, but I don't think Sam says it all that much. But hey, it gets the point across.

Red Letters By Tom Davis

One of the advantages of being sick is being able to get some quality reading time in. Seriously. I've read 2 books in 3 days. (Of course, that is not including the 20 or so children's books I've also read in that time.)

Anyways. Let me tell you a bit about one of the two. I just started and finished the book pictured on the left, Red Letters by Tom Davis. It was good. When I say I just started and finished it, I mean this: I went to my room after supper tonight, opened the book, and read it cover to cover in one sitting (minus a brief pause to take a phone call from Sam).

Turns out the book was not only about taking what Jesus says seriously, it was particularly about taking Jesus seriously in regards to the AIDS pandemic in Africa. That in our globalized generation, everyone is our neighbor and should be treated as such. That is, with love and compassion. Dude. That's a lot of neighbors.

The book was good though. A bit redundant in relation to other things I've read recently on the AIDS front, and consequently a bit simplistic for me, but good nonetheless. So far it's the only book I've read that really explores the African AIDS pandemic from a Christian perspective. If you know of any others, I'm interested in hearing about them.

Finally, here are some red letters from the Good Book...

"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what's coming to you in this kingdom. It's been ready for you since the world's foundation. And here's why: I was hungry and you fed me, I was thirsty and you gave me a drink, I was homeless and you gave me a room, I was shivering and you gave me clothes, I was sick and you stopped to visit, I was in prison and you came to me.' Then those sheep are going to say, 'Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?' Then the King will say, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.'" -Matthew 25:34-40, The Message

Today

Sick, that is what I am.
My neck looks like a football player's neck.
Giant swollen neck, ouch.
But I'm gonna go to sleep now.
And be all better when I wake up,
OK?

Happy Anniversary to ME (and Jen and Colin)

It was one year ago today that I vomited for the first time in over 10 years. Oh, memories.

For the complainers out there...

I have this friend who compulsively lets me know when that has been too long since I have updated. It doesn't matter if it has been a day or a month, it is always too long for this girl. Ironically, she only updates her own blog when I hack into her account and do it for her.

Anyways.

I just got done having a whole week off! It was quite something. I went all the way to the other side of the city and stayed at Sam's house.

We helped Nan (her grandma) run a week of VBS, and that was a good time. It really aided me in my ability to cope with the camp deprivation I am experiencing this summer. I miss camp. There, I said it.

Also, we had Sam's 3-year-old cousin Annie for the weekend. That was also a good time, although we were VERY tired by the time Annie's parents got home.

The BEST part was when we taught Annie to say "ridonculous" about things that are silly. The other best part was when Nan and Pa (Sam's grandparents) said it, except that they kept on saying "riduckulous." It was... well, ridonculous.

Stay tuned... the kids have some INCREDIBLE new toys that will certainly require reviews sometime this week.

(P.S. is it ridonculous or ridunculous? I can't quite figure it out, and have never effectively incorporated the word into my vocabulary due to my confusion on this matter of pronunciation.)

Last Summer

There was a week at camp last summer when everyone started puking, even me! (Apparently there has already been a week like that this summer, but, alas, I am not there.) I puked early in the morning (the anniversary of which is actually coming up in about a week).

Since there had been so much sickness going around, and since Sam and I were doing much of the cleaning of puke and taking care of the sick-os, we decided that it would be a great to clean our cabin from top to bottom before the next week of camp. We went all out, bleaching everything, washing all the clothes and sheets, and spraying disinfectant like it wasn't no thang. We cleaned from 8pm until about 1:30am and, let me tell you, that cabin was clean.

At 4:30am the next morning, Sam started puking. But man was our cabin ever clean for those 3 hours.

Been Too Long

I FINALLY got to talk to Gen Sofie Knaus on the phone last night for the first time since... she got married and became Gen Sofie Knaus!

As usual, our conversation was a grand combination of made-up Spanish, ridiculous stories of people we know showing up in random places (MARCUS HODGES interviewed on NPR?!), and the usual discussion of what's going on in life and why Teach For America is AMAZING.

Point is, it's just silly that I don't talk to this girl more often. Because we are both awesome, and awesome people really need to spend more time talking to each other if you ask me.

A World Without Bea

I want to share the email I got from Glorya last night.

Dear family and friends,

An unimaginable tragedy struck my life and the heart of the Future Island School community this weekend. On Saturday, July 5th, our beloved Beatrice Addae died due to complications with her fourth pregnancy.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Future Island School (FIS), I will briefly mention here that it is a remarkable oasis of compassion situated in Offinso, Ghana, West Africa. Beatrice and her husband, Kwabena Amponsah Ababio, established FIS in October 2003 with just six students in a single rented room of a private residence. Their vision was education for all, regardless of socio-economic background, which is a major hindrance to obtaining education in Ghana. Since then the school has grown to a population that fluctuates between 350 and 400 students. FIS purchased five acres of land in 2005 and has begun construction of a two-story, 16-classroom school that will accommodate 850 students when completed. This year FIS relocated to its new school and occupies all 8 ground-floor classrooms in addition to the ground-floor storage room and two temporary classrooms. These developments reflect the unwavering commitment Bea and Ababio have for FIS, its students, and the greater Offinso-Namong community as, when I first met Bea and Ababio in summer 2004, the future of the school was unstable and a permanent school house to secure that future was only a dream. Bea was quite simply the heart of Future Island School.

In addition to teaching and keeping track of finances, Bea cooked, checked-in with parents and teachers, and knew all of the students by name. I was fortunate enough to spend two weeks in Offinso in June 2008. Bea gave me a tour of the new school. Because her pregnancy prevented her from frequenting the school, the children were eager to see her and they ran to her, calling out "Madame Bea" in excitement. We stopped by the Nursery 1 classroom, and Bea asked the students, "Are you learning hard?" Not all of the students had properly heard her question, so some answered "No!" while others shouted "Yes!" Bea and I laughed at the confusion. Bea, then, asked more slowly, "Are - you - learn - ing - hard?" In a chorus, the students shouted "Yes!" With a nod of approval she scanned the room, looking the children in the eyes, and said, "Good."

Bea was a teacher, mentor, friend, administrator, mother, and wife. Despite all of her responsibilities and the many individuals who vied for her attention, she made time for and poured her love into everyone.

She also loved apples, Malta Guinness, and fried rice. She loved television and films, especially "The Princess Diaries". She had never left the country or been on a plane, but she hoped to someday. Bea's birthday is July 11th. To my knowledge, she would have been 33.

Bea has been close to death before. She nearly died giving birth to her second born, and she suffered from chronic lower back pains after giving birth to her third-born. But Bea always bore her physical suffering without complaints, carrying on with school business, household work, and even farming. She seemed invincible.

She left behind a husband, Kwabena, and their three children: Nana, 7, Maamekwaah, 5, and Dwamena, who is not even three. I spoke with Kwabena on the phone on Sunday, and he told me that Nana has been informed of his mother's death. Nana has been crying ever since. Maamekwaah and Dwamena both think that Bea is still at the hospital delivering.

I don't know what else to say, except that I am heartbroken. I wanted to share these thoughts with you because many of you have heard me talk about Bea, Ababio, and Future Island, and have even supported them through prayers, words of encouragement, and finance. Bea, Ababio, the extended Future Island community, and I have been moved beyond words by your generosity. Your giving helped Bea to realize her dream, which was to give the gift of education.

Right now my thoughts are with the children, Ababio and Future Island School. Bea's body is being held at the mortuary of St. Patrick's Hospital in Offinso. Bea's home community of Namong (about 10 min. by car from Offinso) will meet on Friday to decide on funeral arrangements. If you would like to make a donation to the family and Future Island School in Bea's memory, please make checks payable to: Future Island Sponsorship Project. Please mail checks to:

Barbara Wuthrich

#9 3870 Joyce Ave

Powell River BC. V8A 2Z1

CANADA

Love,

Glorya

www.futureislandschool.org

Bea was such a remarkable woman, and an inspiration to me, especially as far as educational justice is concerned. The brief time I spent with her impacted me greatly. Please keep Future Island in your thoughts and prayers, as well as Bea's husband Ababio, her three children, and Glorya and Hene, all of whom this loss will be particularly hard for.

28 Stories of AIDS in Africa by Stephanie Nolen

This book is SO GOOD. I read it maybe a month ago, then loaned it to Sam. I can't wait until she's done so I can read it again!

The book consists of exactly what the title says it does. Stephanie Nolen (who is also one of my favorite journalists) does an incredible job of presenting the personal side of the African pandemic, at the same time giving the reader a ton of information about what AIDS is, how it is affecting different parts of the continent, and what could be done to make things better.

So go read this book... then let's go to Malawi!

Vocab

Instead of "yesterday", Duncan (5) says "lasterday."

Instead of "I'm not", Madeline (4) says "I amn't."

I try not to laugh, and I rarely correct them. That way they won't know their errors, and will therefore continue saying those words in that way. Like they do with hostable (hospital) and pasketti (spaghetti). I think it's hilarious and freakin' cute.

Oh, Canada

Oh man, I'm still laughing about Calgary's Canada Day fireworks. It was so terrible that I loved it! I mean seriously... I could have bought most (all?) of those fireworks at the Reservation in Nooksack and lit them off myself. There were Roman Candles... at a firework show!

Hahaha... the whole ordeal was pretty entertaining. Not entertaining enough to stay for the whole show, but entertaining nonetheless.

Thanks, Sam, for showing me what Canada Day is all about. We'll light off some similar ones when we go to America, OK?

Hahahaha...