There are things that I miss and things that I don’t, however things are so different here from what I left behind! Getting to KCI dec. 21st, 2 hours past the original arrival time, I walked out to see my mom, dad, al, alli and parker. I first hugged my mom, who started to cry. I told her that it was fine and she need not cry… then I turned to Parker. When I left he was about shoulder height, now he’s about two inches shy of my height! I almost cried because of him! It was seeing him and my two other brothers that made me really realize that I had been gone for 6 months!

There are little ways in which I have seen myself change and then there are the big things too. The crazy thing is that it took me coming back home to realize that I have changed so much!

I think I’ll finish this off with a conversation that Lilitha (7 year old at Oceans) and I had before I left:
Lilitha: “Does Santa Claus come to your house?”
Me: “Yes, of course he does! He goes to everyone’s house!”
Lilitha: “Well, he doesn’t come to our house.”

brooke.

Today, I woke up sick with a queasy stomach. I don’t know why, but somehow it makes sense.

The first week I got her my stomach was a little uneasy, but that was called being nervous. This one is different. It reminds me of an event that occurred 10years ago.

My family moved from
Lincoln, NE to
Kansas. When we left I didn’t cry or anything. I thought I was fine but now I think that I was just stunned. When we got there I started having sharp pains in my stomach. Each night I would double over and scream with pain… man it hurt! I had strange sleeping patterns and didn’t eat a whole lot thinking that food was what put me in this pain. My mom finally took me to ER for appendicitis. After a long wait and enduring the torturous act of having my blood drawn a verdict was given… I had home sickness! All that pain for nothing!

Now I’m nowhere near doubling over but I still don’t feel well. I think that with separation my body reacts not with normal emotion but by making myself lethargic. It’s weird but makes sense to me.

Today we had the Christmas party with the Seaview kids. They seemed to really enjoy it! I took pictures and had a lot of mother and infant picture requests! Very cute!

Tomorrow is Christmas clothes shopping with the girls. We’re going to be leaving at 8:45! Yippy! …uhhh! I just want to feel well!

brooke.

No matter how I, or Daniel, look at it, we’ve come to the conclusion that this is a bittersweet kind of transition. There are things that I won’t miss; like being asked in 20 different ways and time what I’m doing or where I’m going, trying to break down my thoughts into smaller words, and some other stuff; but there are other things that I will definitely miss, like having the kids live next door. It’s weird to think that I will have to start converting time zones to find the best time to call, writing letters about the new things in my life, or even having to wait to send a present till a group comes out here or till I get back again!

 Think about those times when you stand in the front lawn and wave your departing family members good-bye as they close their visit. I really don’t like those moments. I stand their and wave good-bye and the thing that gets me the most isn’t that they are leaving, but that they are on a new journey. You see once their car goes over the top of the hill that’s the end of the story from my side. I turn back to the house, walk into the front door, and go back to the mundane custom of clean-up. However those family members are going to a new place from the one they had just left. I left my house and turn back into that same house. They pack up and drive away from the house they just left and journey back to their home. Sure going to your house might not sound exciting, but it’s the in between part… they get to journey and I get to stay stagnant – yippy!

I’m excited for my 17 hour plane ride and over a day long total journey! Call me crazy but I’m excited! I’m going back home changed and with new possibilities on my brain! However for all the kids at the house, I feel like they are the one standing in the front lawn. That really makes it bittersweet and makes me feel kind of bad that I can’t take them with me and introduce them to all these awesome opportunities! Man it’s tough… uhh!!!     

brooke.

As of today all of the older girls can officially ride a bike along with Uni… way to go girls! I’m so proud of them!!!!   

brooke.

No, we do not have a visa; however we’re not sure that we won’t be getting one! We visited the US Consulate a grand total of 3 times! Try 1: we only got into the first phase of the building; we were a little unprepared! The application hadn’t been filled out, no picture to attach and the R 800 had yet to be deposited! Plus the next day was Thanksgiving so they recognize that which means they were closed on the last day of the week we could go. Equaling an extra 3 days in
Cape Town. Try 2: We got past phase one and two- that means we actually got to talk to some Americans! At part three we had a hold up. During the interview they decided they needed more financial evidence and cause to return to SA. Bummer. Try 3: We sat for 3 hours with an email from a doctor, which looked like something Daniel had typed up on word, only to have a 5 minute interview where we were told, yet again, that they needed ‘real’ evidence! So now we’re going to fax that evidence to the Consulate and see what happens! Other than that I had a really good time!

 We went to the market where I spent 2 hours with one merchant out of the hundreds that were there! It all started with a mask. I picked up this mask and then he popped up to debate…. Let the barging begin! “I usually sell this for R100, but for you, I will give it to you for R80!” o what flattery! “How much would you be willing to pay for it?” “R 50,” was my reply.We talked about how much it cost him to buy these products, their great quality, the cost of living, all the things that would make anyone feel like crap for not paying the full R100… I guess I’m not an anyone. I told him how I got my money, how I’m currently unemployed, what I’ve been doing for the last 6 months, etc. I guess I’m not much of a sympathizer when it comes to money that I’m going to be spending. After 30 minutes of back and forth he went behind the table and got out a plastic bag to put it in. He told me that he was amazed that I was so tough about this and how he hopes to find a wife like that. He then started talking about how Christmas was coming up and then handed me the bag with the mask inside and said,” take this as an early Christmas present.”“How much is this present going to cost me?”

“Don’t you know what a present is? It’s for free!” (Kind of like the free gift of salvation from Jesus huh?!!) Then we talked about Christianity, life, relationships, future plans, and the whole caboodle! It was fun and I even got some Christmas present in the process!

The house we stayed in was the guy haven! Haha, just kidding! The house is owned by a 30 yr old guy and rented out by 3 other guys! They’re all Christians, really helpful and just all around nice guys! One of them even took me to go surfing! He just randomly asked during our conversation if I’d like to go with him so we borrowed an extra board, wetsuit and headed out. Now I wish I could say that I was a natural and caught some amazing surf. That I’m now surfing for Roxy or something like that. However, when we got to the beach, we discovered that instead of the wind blowing inland it was sweeping across the coast. This makes in great for kite boarding, but not for surfing… jeez!

Matthew 5:23-24 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the alter and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the alter. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.” (Basically if you have a problem or something against your family, friend, neighbor, go to them and work things out before you go to God and ask His forgiveness. You have to fix things in your heart before things can be good between you and God!)

“We don’t have to be friends with everyone, but we do have to love everyone. Bitterness cannot walk alongside love.” – Bradley Hathaway  

brooke.

I woke up to the sound of my name being screamed at me through the window… thank you Khanysia! So I got up and went in the house to say hello for the first time since I got back late last night. I went into the older girls room and found our 2 year old Phila asleep on the bed. I sat beside her and whispered her name… she popped up and said “hey!” She rolled out of the bed and came to lay on me and that’s when it all started.

She was unusually hot and needed her pants changed. I took her to Sister who said it was usual for her to be hot after sleeping, Sister didn’t feel her though. We got the pants changed and then Phila led me back to the big girls room where she laid on the floor. I sat down and told me to lay on me and she came over. She was still pretty hot and that worried me. She stood up and didn’t seem to have her balance. I had her sit back down on my lap. You know when you want to vomit but it’s caught in your throat/your trying to hold it back… that’s the reflex I was watching her go through.

I took her to the tile floor and led her to Sister asking her what to do. Then Sister and Xholelwa started saying “yo!” which isn’t a good thing to hear. Phila was about to faint on the floor! We scooped her up and started stripping her down. She was burning up! It was like touching cement after it had been in the noon day sun! We tried to give her water but she wouldn’t take it. Then we laid her on the couch under the ceiling fan. We called Ronnie and Sybil who were out shopping and were our only way to get Phila to a doctor. Next we put Phila in a cool bath to try and cool her down. It worked, but she heated back up after a few minutes of being out of the tub. To say the least… I was panicing! Phila is only 2 and a half, stunted in her growth and she has HIV/AID so yeah I was a little worried!

I hate it when kids get sick like that and you don’t know what to do for them! I feel helpless and responsable all at once. I have to stick by their side and try to do anythign that I can. I remember once, a few years ago, my youngest brother got really sick and he was having trouble breathing. His breathing pattern was a quick inhale and then an exhale would follow in what seemed to be minutes! I was so worried that during the night he would stop breathing that I slept on the floor by his bed that night to make sure that if that were to happen I could spring into action and get my parents downstairs! Phila brought back that memory for me. That would time she kept looking at me with her downcast eyes and when she was lying down she would shrug her shoulders, raise her eyebrows and do hand gestures with me.

I was afraid that she would need to be hospitalized or worse. My thinking might have been a bit extreme, but that’s the spot I was put in. We got her to her regular docotor and he thinks that is a bladder infection; to me it seems like her symptoms were a bit extreme to be a bladder infect, but then again I’ve never had one so I would have no clue. Beyond all that the day was fine.

Then girls had their end of the year performance, which they did awesome in, and awards ceremony. It was pretty fun getting to be the rowdy bunch in the front row! And Unnako truned 11 today! Yeah for the birthday girl!

brooke. 

I just saw Children of Men and have to say it was pretty good; don’t know that I’d buy it but it was good. Question: why is it that in movies the UK is often the only nation that survies mass destruction?

Want some nice reading? go to 2 Chronicles 18 &19:1-3. After you do that try standing up for what you believe in and try honesty on for size!

Have a marvelous day!

brooke.

On the first night of being here Auntie Mandy, the teacher, laid down the law, and I was a little bit shocked. A lot of them dealt with tv shows that weren’t acceptable and the fact that bedtime is ruled by a strong dictatorship; very powerful, very touching! And honestly, its been upheld which is extra surprising!   

This morning Ronnie and Sybil left for
Cape Town to try and start setting things up at their new place out there. Daniel, Phumlani and I will be going out to
Cape Town on Tuesday for some visa business! I’m pretty excited because it’s another new place that I get to explore, plus it’s like a little vacation! Of course we’re not really sure where we’re going to stay though. Basically the options are hopefully finding some friends of a friend to stay with or we can stay at a convent. Yes I said a convent… kind of a funny option huh?!! However the option of free or R55 ( about $7.50) per night is kind of a drastic scale in a way since Daniel and I will be paying for everything there! But I’m psyched! Yahoo!

Today was an interesting day. Being a Saturday we thought we’d take the kids to a children’s fair thing that was going on today next door to the township. We get there, you have to pay to get in. You have to pay to jump on the jumping castle. You have to pay to breath the air! Not joking! All that I could think was that we could go to McDonalds and play in the play place without even buying anything! I know, I’ve done it! So Daniel and I decided to go to the movie theater and thought a movie for the 10 of us would be nice. We got there and found out that all the movies had just started and we’d have to wait 2 hours! So then we decided to watch some movies at home and buy some snacks to go along with it. So it wasn’t a complete bust.  

brooke.

I have to admit that being awake from 3 to now (8:40) is a little odd. It gives you too much time to think… for a girl that’s not the best thing in the world! Lets take for instance the subject of going home:

I’ll be getting home December 21^st, Dec means snow, snow means Christmas, Christmas means Swedish meatballs Christmas eve and lamb for dinner, lamb means there will be mint sauce, mint makes think of mint ice cream, ice cream makes me think of Cold Stone Creamery, Cold Stone makes me think of all the people I’ve gone there with, which then brings to mind a boy… yeah.

“continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel.” – Colossians 1:23

brooke.