Writers’ Block – Updates from an Empty Head

Is writers’ block still a thing?  I hope so, because I have it.  I have a lot of ideas for great blogs, and more interesting things happen each day, but when I sit down to write, I get something that is similar to an elementary school essay.  A bad one.

So, here is a random collection of updates and thoughts, and if they are terribly put together on this page, just ignore that and forgive, if you can.  If you were one of my teachers, then I owe you an apology.

The season, I think, has officially switched over back to hot and wet.  It’s very sticky and humid, temperatures in the mid-90’s every day.  Right now our power leaves something to be desired, but it’s been worse, so we’re managing just fine.  We recently had our first big storm.  Did you know the DR Congo is home to the most lightening strikes in the world?  They are amazing.  Perhaps sometime we will attempt to get pictures.

Matthew is keeping very busy.  An MAF family is in the process of moving and between setting up their new house and closing up the old one, along with other needs that have arisen (our water pump having some serious issues, despite it being only three months old, didn’t help) has kept him busy.  Many of you saw that he fell through a roof.  He’s doing well and won’t suffer any long-term injuries.  His arms are scratched, but he really did land, with both feet, on a rafter.  Cat or ninja?

The kids are growing by the minute.  Amelia is a full time walker, practically running.  She’s quick, too.  And she has a great sense of humor.  She recently began saying “tickle-tickle-tickle” to get, you know, tickled.  She has just begun to repeat words and learn them.  I imagine she will be talking very soon, mostly out of necessity to keep up with her brother.  Levi is doing well.  He loves to draw and read.  He will sound out letters and he can write some words, like his name and “hi.”  He will draw pictures of things, some normal, some very Congolese.  He loves to draw generator welders and taxi buses.

I keep busy with day-to-day life.  I am planning a post (that, apparently, takes skill to write well) to update you with much of that: our house help and what all goes on at our little castle.  Managing the needs and strong wills of a three and one-year-old often fills my day enough, but we have implemented early bed times and that keeps my sanity quite well, mostly.

Walt and Irma, our guineas (birds, not pigs), have settled in now.  They don’t run and hide when one of us goes outside.  As of last check there was a clutch of nine eggs in her hidden nest.  Guineas are known for being terrible mothers.  They hide their nest, then forget where it is, and are thought to be negligent.  Walk through a deep puddle and drown her babies?  That’s what the books say.  Since these are not Western, domesticated guineas, but rather descendants of the real-deal, we have hope that Irma will be better than that, but we’re not counting our chicks before they hatch.  No pun here, but rather, we are going to give half the eggs to a friend for his chicken to set and hatch.  Then, hopefully, we’ll get some baby pentat (French for guineas).  However, here we have a cultural problem.  The Congolese believe, probably with good reason, that giving feed to your guineas will cause the male to lose interest in mating, thus all of the eggs are unfertilized.  However, the Western farming thought is that giving them food will simply increase egg production, not affecting fertility at all.  So, I guess we’ll learn, won’t we?

In other news, we are still wrestling with uncertainty about our future here in Kinshasa.  Tomorrow is our six month anniversary, which means we’re half way through our first contract.  It is a big deal to us to seek the Lord’s will in our lives and to sort out all other influences.  Not to say that outside influences aren’t to be considered as part of God’s leading, but knowing the difference between desires and God’s will is hard.  Knowing what we’re to be doing is hard.  We have a plethora of considerations for staying and for leaving.  We are not willing to discuss details in public at this time, but please do continue praying for us as we seek wisdom and discernment.  And, oh my goodness, can you imagine how crazy we are going for the simple fact that in six months we have no idea what our lives will look like?  What continent will be our home?  CRAAAAAAZY, I tell ya!

I think the CRAZY is manifesting as writers’ block.  So, now we’ve come full circle.