Hello Folks,
I am writing this update under duress. I say this because Alex just grabbed me and said, "Here, write. 'Everyone' wants you to update the Blog." I said, "Everyone? What does that mean?" She said, "You know, people".
So... because I want to honor Alex and "Everyone", I will give an update...
About 2 months ago several of the kids and I came back to the States after being separated from Janice, Alex, Payton, Keturah, and Hudson for almost 2 months. What a great reunion!
About 6 weeks ago we moved into a great 5 bedroom home that was essentially given to us for our entire stay while we are here in the States. The home came fully furnished with a pantry full of food plus everything else we needed. Thanks to our Brothers and Sisters at Hope Church and Maple Park Lutheran Brethren Church for blessing us with their unconditional giving.
About 4 weeks ago Janice gave birth to our 11th child. We named him Samuel Owen Flude. Both Janice and Samuel are doing great. Receiving new kids never gets old. All the kids are enjoying their new brother.
Life is good. We are enjoying our time here but there isn't a day that goes by that Janice and I don't think about all of our friends in Chad and our home there. It is a strange thing to feel as though we've got part of our hearts here and part in Chad.
We are all looking forward to the holidays. It will be great to spend more time with family and friends and celebrate the Birth of the Savior.
Until next time....
About 6 weeks ago we moved into a nice 5 bedroom home that was essentially given to us to use for the year we'll be in the States. The house came fully furnished with a pantry full of food
Friday, October 22, 2010
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Tuesday, 3 August 2010
Hello!
Never a dull moment around the ol' Flude house. So far today we've continued our efforts to get everything packed or put away in anticipation of our mini-move over to the Welcome Center and our Home Assignment a few days later. The girls have been doing a fantastic job keeping us from starving. Tonight we are having Mexican!
I was informed a few minutes ago that Tawnee threw up. She's been complaining of a headache since last night and has felt a bit nauseous but otherwise has been ok. Doesn't appear to be anything serious at this point but, true to our form, it is hard to keep everybody healthy every single day.
Rain has let up a bit in the last day or two but I've noticed that the humidity has started to creep higher again and that normally means rain is on the horizon.
Janice and the kids are camping all this week in eastern Washington. Those of us here are happy for them but also jealous as the spot where they are is a family favorite.
Hope you all have a great day.
sf
Never a dull moment around the ol' Flude house. So far today we've continued our efforts to get everything packed or put away in anticipation of our mini-move over to the Welcome Center and our Home Assignment a few days later. The girls have been doing a fantastic job keeping us from starving. Tonight we are having Mexican!
I was informed a few minutes ago that Tawnee threw up. She's been complaining of a headache since last night and has felt a bit nauseous but otherwise has been ok. Doesn't appear to be anything serious at this point but, true to our form, it is hard to keep everybody healthy every single day.
Rain has let up a bit in the last day or two but I've noticed that the humidity has started to creep higher again and that normally means rain is on the horizon.
Janice and the kids are camping all this week in eastern Washington. Those of us here are happy for them but also jealous as the spot where they are is a family favorite.
Hope you all have a great day.
sf
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Wednesday, 28 July 2010
Hey!
Today is Tawnee's 6th Birthday. So, we all went to town and had lunch at a real sit-down restaurant. While were were in NDJ we went to the post office. There was a box of stuff waiting for us! (Thanks Marcia!) We opened the box at the post office. Inside were all kinds of goodies. But, the best was already backed pizza crust, pizza sauce, and pepperoni! Wow. We had a great pizza dinner. Afterwards we sang Tawnee "Happy Birthday" and watched a movie. Fun times.
Weather's been rainy and cold. High today was only the high 80's.
Tomorrow, we plan on just hanging out here, doing nothing in particular.
Hope you all have a great day.
sf
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Today is Tawnee's 6th Birthday. So, we all went to town and had lunch at a real sit-down restaurant. While were were in NDJ we went to the post office. There was a box of stuff waiting for us! (Thanks Marcia!) We opened the box at the post office. Inside were all kinds of goodies. But, the best was already backed pizza crust, pizza sauce, and pepperoni! Wow. We had a great pizza dinner. Afterwards we sang Tawnee "Happy Birthday" and watched a movie. Fun times.
Weather's been rainy and cold. High today was only the high 80's.
Tomorrow, we plan on just hanging out here, doing nothing in particular.
Hope you all have a great day.
sf
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Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Tuesday, 27 July 2010
Hey there,
Last night the kids and I were talking about what we're gonna do "when we see momma". I told Tawnee, "You are gonna be crying cuz you missed her so much." She looked at me, rolled her eyes, and said, "Dad, they're gonna be tears of joy!"
Like, duh, Dad!
The kids report only 18 days left to go. This is getting to be like a Christmas countdown only less expensive! So far the only cost, besides a bit of food during our layover in Paris, will be a trip to Dick's Drive-In on the way home from SEATAC. (We all figured a good dose of grease and fat right off the bat would be an apt way to celebrate our arrival.)
See you later.
sf
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Last night the kids and I were talking about what we're gonna do "when we see momma". I told Tawnee, "You are gonna be crying cuz you missed her so much." She looked at me, rolled her eyes, and said, "Dad, they're gonna be tears of joy!"
Like, duh, Dad!
The kids report only 18 days left to go. This is getting to be like a Christmas countdown only less expensive! So far the only cost, besides a bit of food during our layover in Paris, will be a trip to Dick's Drive-In on the way home from SEATAC. (We all figured a good dose of grease and fat right off the bat would be an apt way to celebrate our arrival.)
See you later.
sf
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Monday, July 26, 2010
Monday, 26 July 2010
It is a funny thing when, despite the fact that my wife and some of my kids are 1/2 a world away, I get reports from "helpful" individuals that it would be good if I blogged every now and then so that they can know what's going on. Well, isn't that the reason I sent Janice home? OK, not the reason at all, actually. So, without further adieu here's my latest installment of "What's going on in Chad, Africa".
Absolutely nothing.
Thanks for checking in.
Bye
Oh, not funny, eh? Well, what have we been doing? Lots of stuff, much of it in preparation for leaving on the 15th of August. Here, let me just give you a list of the things....
- A good friend came for 2 months and did many, many projects around the Welcome Center. He even managed to have enough time to build a very nice BBQ. It's gotta be the nicest BBQ in N'Djamena. Thanks Marty!
- Completing various other mini-projects so that when the Holzners get here Marcos isn't running around frazzled trying to get stuff done instead of taking care of his family and making sure the guests at the Welcome Center have what they need.
- Trying to decide what we want to pack back to the States and what we want to stay here. I find myself asking "Do I really need that when I go back? Do I really want to bring it back here when we return in 2011?"
- Since we will be moving to the Welcome Center before we leave for about 1 week we have also been trying to decide how much stuff we will really need to take with us for that 1 week stay. After all, it'll just have to be put back in the house when we leave. (The Holzners will be staying in our house for the year so this necessitates our move.)
- I've also been spending a fair amount of time working with Janice on the things we will need for our stay in the States. Things like car insurance, cell phones, doctor's visits, dentist appointments, etc., etc., etc. Oh yeah, and we'll have 3 new drivers in our family as the oldest 3 will all be spending large chunks of time behind the wheel learning how to drive. This activity, alone, will keep Janice and I busy.
- The kids and I have also been comparing notes on the bizarre dreams we've all been having. For some reason, almost from the moment Janice and the kids left, we all started to have very strange dreams. Not sure what that is all about although we have had a few good chuckles as we've talked about them amongst ourselves.
- We have also been trying to find ways to occupy our time. The current game of choice is Acey-Ducey. Earlier it was Uno. There's also been a few games of Risk and a game of Settlers thrown in for good measure.
I am sure there's much I've left out. One thing we have noticed is that since Payton isn't with us there seems to be more food in the house for the rest of the family. Didn't really realize he ate as much as he does. I'm thankful that at this time Grandma has the responsibility of feeding him. My advice: buy lots of mac and cheese.
Until next time.
sf
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Absolutely nothing.
Thanks for checking in.
Bye
Oh, not funny, eh? Well, what have we been doing? Lots of stuff, much of it in preparation for leaving on the 15th of August. Here, let me just give you a list of the things....
- A good friend came for 2 months and did many, many projects around the Welcome Center. He even managed to have enough time to build a very nice BBQ. It's gotta be the nicest BBQ in N'Djamena. Thanks Marty!
- Completing various other mini-projects so that when the Holzners get here Marcos isn't running around frazzled trying to get stuff done instead of taking care of his family and making sure the guests at the Welcome Center have what they need.
- Trying to decide what we want to pack back to the States and what we want to stay here. I find myself asking "Do I really need that when I go back? Do I really want to bring it back here when we return in 2011?"
- Since we will be moving to the Welcome Center before we leave for about 1 week we have also been trying to decide how much stuff we will really need to take with us for that 1 week stay. After all, it'll just have to be put back in the house when we leave. (The Holzners will be staying in our house for the year so this necessitates our move.)
- I've also been spending a fair amount of time working with Janice on the things we will need for our stay in the States. Things like car insurance, cell phones, doctor's visits, dentist appointments, etc., etc., etc. Oh yeah, and we'll have 3 new drivers in our family as the oldest 3 will all be spending large chunks of time behind the wheel learning how to drive. This activity, alone, will keep Janice and I busy.
- The kids and I have also been comparing notes on the bizarre dreams we've all been having. For some reason, almost from the moment Janice and the kids left, we all started to have very strange dreams. Not sure what that is all about although we have had a few good chuckles as we've talked about them amongst ourselves.
- We have also been trying to find ways to occupy our time. The current game of choice is Acey-Ducey. Earlier it was Uno. There's also been a few games of Risk and a game of Settlers thrown in for good measure.
I am sure there's much I've left out. One thing we have noticed is that since Payton isn't with us there seems to be more food in the house for the rest of the family. Didn't really realize he ate as much as he does. I'm thankful that at this time Grandma has the responsibility of feeding him. My advice: buy lots of mac and cheese.
Until next time.
sf
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Friday, June 18, 2010
Friday, 17 June 2010
Wow! 2 blogs in a row. Enjoy it while you can. Ha!
This morning when I went outside it was in the mid 80's. Very comfortable. Was 79 in the house. Was able to spend a few minutes chatting with Alex on Facebook. I'm so glad we have the ability to do things like that. Can't imagine what it was like for missionaries only a few short years ago.
We're just under 2 months until we fly out of here. Janice has been gone for 3 weeks. Last night both Tawnee and Esther cried in bed for mommy. Breaks my heart.
Hope you all have a great day.
sf
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This morning when I went outside it was in the mid 80's. Very comfortable. Was 79 in the house. Was able to spend a few minutes chatting with Alex on Facebook. I'm so glad we have the ability to do things like that. Can't imagine what it was like for missionaries only a few short years ago.
We're just under 2 months until we fly out of here. Janice has been gone for 3 weeks. Last night both Tawnee and Esther cried in bed for mommy. Breaks my heart.
Hope you all have a great day.
sf
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Thursday, June 17, 2010
Thursday, 17 June 2010
Hey there....
At the risk of stating the obvious: I miss my wife and kids. Yes, it does help to have some of my kids with me (6/10ths of them to be exact). However, that is a poor reward when I think about all I am missing out on with the rest of the family. And, that doesn't even begin to say how I feel about Mrs. Flude. Not easy to put into words something that I feel deep down within my being; something that I can't quite get a fix on yet I know it is there because I am constantly being reminded just how lonely I am. I am sure Janice and the kids in the States feel the same way however it is a little difficult to feel too badly for them as they eat Red Robin hamburgers, Spartas pizza, and Ivars (just to name a few). Plus, they are enjoying Janice's mom's cooking. Oh well... only 2 months to go.
Hope you all have a great week.
Psalm 37:25
sf
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At the risk of stating the obvious: I miss my wife and kids. Yes, it does help to have some of my kids with me (6/10ths of them to be exact). However, that is a poor reward when I think about all I am missing out on with the rest of the family. And, that doesn't even begin to say how I feel about Mrs. Flude. Not easy to put into words something that I feel deep down within my being; something that I can't quite get a fix on yet I know it is there because I am constantly being reminded just how lonely I am. I am sure Janice and the kids in the States feel the same way however it is a little difficult to feel too badly for them as they eat Red Robin hamburgers, Spartas pizza, and Ivars (just to name a few). Plus, they are enjoying Janice's mom's cooking. Oh well... only 2 months to go.
Hope you all have a great week.
Psalm 37:25
sf
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Thursday, June 10, 2010
Thursday, 6 June 2010
Hello there!
Been a while since my last post. Been busy.
On Face Book Alex asked me to post something here because it has been a while and, as she stated, "so we can know if the house has burned down" (or something like that).
Well, I can report that the house has not burned down. Yet. Nor have any children died, starved to death, or been otherwise harmed in any way (save for the fact that Janice isn't here). Sure, there's been a fair amount of tears shed and "'Daddy, where's Mommy?" But, otherwise, we are holding our own.
Libby's dad, Marty, arrived a few days before Janice and the kids left. He's been a huge help. We've completed several projects around the W.C. and still have plenty of time (he goes home in the middle of July) to complete many more.
In a development that might be a surprise to many, those of us still in Chad (me, Gracey, Emma, Liddy, Ethan, Tawnee, and Esther) confirmed yesterday that we will be heading to the States on 15 August 2010. Thus will begin our family's Home Assigment. We plan on locating in the Lynnwood area so as to be close to family. Of course we are all excited to be going Stateside as we will now get to be there when the baby is born.
Hope you all have a great day.
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Been a while since my last post. Been busy.
On Face Book Alex asked me to post something here because it has been a while and, as she stated, "so we can know if the house has burned down" (or something like that).
Well, I can report that the house has not burned down. Yet. Nor have any children died, starved to death, or been otherwise harmed in any way (save for the fact that Janice isn't here). Sure, there's been a fair amount of tears shed and "'Daddy, where's Mommy?" But, otherwise, we are holding our own.
Libby's dad, Marty, arrived a few days before Janice and the kids left. He's been a huge help. We've completed several projects around the W.C. and still have plenty of time (he goes home in the middle of July) to complete many more.
In a development that might be a surprise to many, those of us still in Chad (me, Gracey, Emma, Liddy, Ethan, Tawnee, and Esther) confirmed yesterday that we will be heading to the States on 15 August 2010. Thus will begin our family's Home Assigment. We plan on locating in the Lynnwood area so as to be close to family. Of course we are all excited to be going Stateside as we will now get to be there when the baby is born.
Hope you all have a great day.
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Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Wednesday, 26 May 2010
Wazzzzup?
Things are going well here. Or, should I say, they are going about as well as can be expected when the glue to the family is gone. It's been quite a bit different but we've been managing to stay ahead of each crisis. So, that's good.
Last Friday a family friend arrived. Well, actually, he's more than that. He's a friend and He's Libby's dad. If you remember, Libby is the young lady who's been staying with us for the past 11 months or so.
Marty (that's his name) will be here for 2 months. Can you believe it? He actually took a leave of absence from his job to come. Worked tons of overtime to earn the extra money he'd need to come here plus bank enough for his family while he's away. What an awesome husband, father, and friend.
It is great to have him here. Not only is he enjoying Libby, he's also enjoying all of the work I've got him doing. Pretty neat deal if you ask me.
Talked with Janice via instant messaging this AM. She's doing good. She reports that Payton has not stopped eating since his arrival. All the kids here (those who remember anyway) are jealous. Someday they'll be able do the same.
Hope you all have a great day.
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Things are going well here. Or, should I say, they are going about as well as can be expected when the glue to the family is gone. It's been quite a bit different but we've been managing to stay ahead of each crisis. So, that's good.
Last Friday a family friend arrived. Well, actually, he's more than that. He's a friend and He's Libby's dad. If you remember, Libby is the young lady who's been staying with us for the past 11 months or so.
Marty (that's his name) will be here for 2 months. Can you believe it? He actually took a leave of absence from his job to come. Worked tons of overtime to earn the extra money he'd need to come here plus bank enough for his family while he's away. What an awesome husband, father, and friend.
It is great to have him here. Not only is he enjoying Libby, he's also enjoying all of the work I've got him doing. Pretty neat deal if you ask me.
Talked with Janice via instant messaging this AM. She's doing good. She reports that Payton has not stopped eating since his arrival. All the kids here (those who remember anyway) are jealous. Someday they'll be able do the same.
Hope you all have a great day.
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Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Tuesdday, 25 May 2010
Hello there!
Just rec'd word that Janice and the kids made it safely to her mom and dad's place in Lynnwood, WA.
Thanks for all your prayers for them during their travels. All told, the trip took about 30 hours from beginning to end.
Janice reports that H. was absolutely terrific and so were Payton and Keturah.
Hope you all have a great day.
sf
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Just rec'd word that Janice and the kids made it safely to her mom and dad's place in Lynnwood, WA.
Thanks for all your prayers for them during their travels. All told, the trip took about 30 hours from beginning to end.
Janice reports that H. was absolutely terrific and so were Payton and Keturah.
Hope you all have a great day.
sf
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Monday, May 24, 2010
Sunday, 23 May 2010
Hello people,
Today was an interesting day. Not really in any sort of interesting way but rather interesting because it was definitely not a normal Sunday. Sure, it started out normal enough with breakfast and church and then lunch. But, we all ended the evening by travelling to the airport to put Janice on a plane to the States.
She's been in the air now for about 2 hours. She arrives in Seattle at about 8:30 PM tomorrow. Long flight... about 28 hours all told with connecting flights, lay overs, and what not. I'm sure she's gonna be one tired puppy.
We are praying for her and can't wait to see her.
Hope you all have a great day.
sf
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Today was an interesting day. Not really in any sort of interesting way but rather interesting because it was definitely not a normal Sunday. Sure, it started out normal enough with breakfast and church and then lunch. But, we all ended the evening by travelling to the airport to put Janice on a plane to the States.
She's been in the air now for about 2 hours. She arrives in Seattle at about 8:30 PM tomorrow. Long flight... about 28 hours all told with connecting flights, lay overs, and what not. I'm sure she's gonna be one tired puppy.
We are praying for her and can't wait to see her.
Hope you all have a great day.
sf
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Thursday, May 20, 2010
Thursday, 20 May 2010
Hello everyone,
I trust this post finds you all safe and doing well. We are fine here except maybe feeling the affects of a fast paced couple of days as we prepare Janice and the kids for their trip to the States. Those that are going are excited. Except, of course, Janice. I would characterize her mood as focused: focused on completing the many tasks prior to her departure and focused on squeezing every last bit of "relationship" she can with our neighbors and our children.
Last night we were able to have dinner with some friends from MAF. We had a very good time and the food wasn't bad either.
It will definitely be a challenge while Janice is away. I rely on her more than I can put into words. She is such an anchor of calm for the family. But, I know He is faithful therefore I despair not.
Hope you all have a great day.
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I trust this post finds you all safe and doing well. We are fine here except maybe feeling the affects of a fast paced couple of days as we prepare Janice and the kids for their trip to the States. Those that are going are excited. Except, of course, Janice. I would characterize her mood as focused: focused on completing the many tasks prior to her departure and focused on squeezing every last bit of "relationship" she can with our neighbors and our children.
Last night we were able to have dinner with some friends from MAF. We had a very good time and the food wasn't bad either.
It will definitely be a challenge while Janice is away. I rely on her more than I can put into words. She is such an anchor of calm for the family. But, I know He is faithful therefore I despair not.
Hope you all have a great day.
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Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Tuesday, 18 May 2010
Hello everyone,
Trust that this post finds you all doing well.
We are fine here. Just chugging along, minding our own business.
Probably the biggest thing we got going right now is that Janice, Payton, Hudson, and Keturah will be boarding a plane for the US this Sunday night. They are going so Janice can give birth to child number 11 in September (or there about).
The kids get to go along to help Janice while leaving a few behind to help me. Hudson, of course, gets to go because he just can't live with Payton!
Hope you all are having a great week.
sf
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Trust that this post finds you all doing well.
We are fine here. Just chugging along, minding our own business.
Probably the biggest thing we got going right now is that Janice, Payton, Hudson, and Keturah will be boarding a plane for the US this Sunday night. They are going so Janice can give birth to child number 11 in September (or there about).
The kids get to go along to help Janice while leaving a few behind to help me. Hudson, of course, gets to go because he just can't live with Payton!
Hope you all are having a great week.
sf
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Saturday, May 15, 2010
Saturday, 15 May 2010
Hello there!
Was a relatively quiet day today. I got some work done in the morning while Janice and a couple of the girls went to a friends house for "just a couple of hours". Well, the couple of hours turned into 3 or 4 hours. Thankfully, they made it home in time for Janice to lay down and atttempt to take a little snooze. I say attempt because it was pretty hard to sleep with all the kids coming in and out of our room. (I should know as I preceded her in an attempt to catch some shut-eye.)
Today wasn't quite as hot as the last few although the humidity had to be near 100%. Just sitting still didn't feel so bad but if you got up and moved, it wasn't pleasant.
Things will be busy next week at the Welcome Center as a family is coming in on Monday and Libby's dad arrives on Friday. That'll be a late night for the Flude family as his plane will arrive about 9 PM or so and by the time we all get to bed it'll be after midnight I'm sure. No complaints though since it'll be good to see Marty.
Hope you all have a great day.
sf
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Was a relatively quiet day today. I got some work done in the morning while Janice and a couple of the girls went to a friends house for "just a couple of hours". Well, the couple of hours turned into 3 or 4 hours. Thankfully, they made it home in time for Janice to lay down and atttempt to take a little snooze. I say attempt because it was pretty hard to sleep with all the kids coming in and out of our room. (I should know as I preceded her in an attempt to catch some shut-eye.)
Today wasn't quite as hot as the last few although the humidity had to be near 100%. Just sitting still didn't feel so bad but if you got up and moved, it wasn't pleasant.
Things will be busy next week at the Welcome Center as a family is coming in on Monday and Libby's dad arrives on Friday. That'll be a late night for the Flude family as his plane will arrive about 9 PM or so and by the time we all get to bed it'll be after midnight I'm sure. No complaints though since it'll be good to see Marty.
Hope you all have a great day.
sf
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Friday, May 14, 2010
Friday, 14 May 2010
Hello Everyone,
Been far too long b/t blog posts. Sorry 'bout that. With all the things we're doing unfortunately posting to this blog sometimes gets pushed to the bottom of the pile. It's never too far from my consciousness it's just that while not too far away it is far enough away that it gets neglected.
Today will be another busy day...
Janice and I are going to the doctor at 7:30 AM. After that we will take some of the girls to a school at which they help every Friday. Then, Janice and I will have our normal date/shop day in town. Hopefully we'll be able to pick the girls up and be home by noon. After hanging out at home we'll head off to the Marines "barracks" tonight to catch a movie with other Americans. Should be a fun day.
The kids are getting pretty excited since Libby's dad arrives in one week. He'll be leaving, of course, next Thursday and arriving here late at night on Friday the 21st. He'll be staying for 2 months during which time he's gonna help me with some projects around here. But, never fear, we'll make sure there's plenty of R&R for both he and Libby. It should be a good time for them to reconnect after not seeing each other for so long.
Thanks for the prayers. Everyone is reasonably healthy and things at the Welcome Center are going well.
Until next time.
sf
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Been far too long b/t blog posts. Sorry 'bout that. With all the things we're doing unfortunately posting to this blog sometimes gets pushed to the bottom of the pile. It's never too far from my consciousness it's just that while not too far away it is far enough away that it gets neglected.
Today will be another busy day...
Janice and I are going to the doctor at 7:30 AM. After that we will take some of the girls to a school at which they help every Friday. Then, Janice and I will have our normal date/shop day in town. Hopefully we'll be able to pick the girls up and be home by noon. After hanging out at home we'll head off to the Marines "barracks" tonight to catch a movie with other Americans. Should be a fun day.
The kids are getting pretty excited since Libby's dad arrives in one week. He'll be leaving, of course, next Thursday and arriving here late at night on Friday the 21st. He'll be staying for 2 months during which time he's gonna help me with some projects around here. But, never fear, we'll make sure there's plenty of R&R for both he and Libby. It should be a good time for them to reconnect after not seeing each other for so long.
Thanks for the prayers. Everyone is reasonably healthy and things at the Welcome Center are going well.
Until next time.
sf
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Friday, April 16, 2010
Friday, 16 April 2010
Hello all...
The lack of postings to this blog aren't because I've lacked for anything to say. Nope. The lack of posting is because I've been busy. The Welcome Center has been operating almost at capacity for the past 2 months or so capped off by a group of over 100 people last weekend for a church conference. At this time there are only 2 guests so things have eased a bit which is good.
Things are going smoothly. There's been much work done on the electrical system here and specifically with the lighting and wiring. Yesterday, we had 4 new high intensity lights installed in our concesssion, with more coming today, that should really light up the whole area within the walls at night. We plan on doing the same thing at the W.C. concession just as soon as the trenching for the cable is completed.
Hot season got off to kind of a slow start but it has really kicked in these last few days. the lasat couple of days it was over 110 in the shade on our front porch. I think the same thing will happen today. Humidity has been a factor too. And, to top it off, yesterday the generator failed to start. After several hours of diagnosing the problem (exactly) the mechanic determined we have a bad alternator. We were able to get the generator running by 6 PM but it will have to be fixed properly today. The electrician will be here later to do just that... I hope.
Janice and I are going to town today. This is something we try to do every Friday. In the States, we "dated" by going to Costco and grabbing a bite to eat afterwards. Here, we go to town, hit many stores, the post office, the bank, and then eat some lunch. Normally leave around 9 AM and get home by 2 PM or so. Sometimes we take a few kiddos with us. Today, we're flying solo, so to speak. So, it'll be fun to spend some alone time with Janice.
Gotta run.
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The lack of postings to this blog aren't because I've lacked for anything to say. Nope. The lack of posting is because I've been busy. The Welcome Center has been operating almost at capacity for the past 2 months or so capped off by a group of over 100 people last weekend for a church conference. At this time there are only 2 guests so things have eased a bit which is good.
Things are going smoothly. There's been much work done on the electrical system here and specifically with the lighting and wiring. Yesterday, we had 4 new high intensity lights installed in our concesssion, with more coming today, that should really light up the whole area within the walls at night. We plan on doing the same thing at the W.C. concession just as soon as the trenching for the cable is completed.
Hot season got off to kind of a slow start but it has really kicked in these last few days. the lasat couple of days it was over 110 in the shade on our front porch. I think the same thing will happen today. Humidity has been a factor too. And, to top it off, yesterday the generator failed to start. After several hours of diagnosing the problem (exactly) the mechanic determined we have a bad alternator. We were able to get the generator running by 6 PM but it will have to be fixed properly today. The electrician will be here later to do just that... I hope.
Janice and I are going to town today. This is something we try to do every Friday. In the States, we "dated" by going to Costco and grabbing a bite to eat afterwards. Here, we go to town, hit many stores, the post office, the bank, and then eat some lunch. Normally leave around 9 AM and get home by 2 PM or so. Sometimes we take a few kiddos with us. Today, we're flying solo, so to speak. So, it'll be fun to spend some alone time with Janice.
Gotta run.
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Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Tuesday, 30 March 2010
Hello there.
Hope your week is off to a good start. Things are going well here. Had a busy weekend. One of our employee's wife gave birth. Janice and I spent some time at the hospital. In fact, Janice was allowed to do something quite special. She writes,
"Got to name one of our guard's brand new son. I named him Caleb. He asked me to name him(he wanted an american name for him) and I said, do you want a normal or bibical name and he said bibical...He has told me and Steve that he wanted me/us to name him a few days before and when I was thinking about it Caleb came to my mind and then when he asked again Caleb came again so Caleb it was! Cute little sucker too."
Very cool.
See you later.
sf
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Hope your week is off to a good start. Things are going well here. Had a busy weekend. One of our employee's wife gave birth. Janice and I spent some time at the hospital. In fact, Janice was allowed to do something quite special. She writes,
"Got to name one of our guard's brand new son. I named him Caleb. He asked me to name him(he wanted an american name for him) and I said, do you want a normal or bibical name and he said bibical...He has told me and Steve that he wanted me/us to name him a few days before and when I was thinking about it Caleb came to my mind and then when he asked again Caleb came again so Caleb it was! Cute little sucker too."
Very cool.
See you later.
sf
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Thursday, March 25, 2010
Thursday, 25 March 2010
Hope this post finds you and your family doing well no matter where you are.
We are fine. Just been taking things day by day and proving that in Chad, there is no such thing as your normal, every day, run-of-the-mill day. And, today was no exception to that.
Morning for the family started at about 7 AM. I slept in the living room with most of the children as Liddy got to spend the night with Janice. Lucky her! Was able to eat the 4 eggs Janice made me (thanks, Honey!) and almost immediately upon finishing them I had 2 people who wanted to see me. One was the electrician. The other was a guest. After a few minutes with each of them I was able to get into the office, check email, and get the solar power going. At about 9:30 AM Janice, Liddy, and I left for town to do some shopping and pick up Gracey and Libby who had spent the last 5 days helping another mission with their kids during their annual retreat.
There's a bunch of dignitaries in town so the main streets downtown were blocked off which forced us, and everyone else, to detour on mostly dirt roads. A typical trip to town takes about 20 minutes. This trip took closer to 45. We eventually made it to where the girls were. We picked them up and then went shopping. We stopped at the cash machine, the post office (where we picked up 3 boxes), and 2 different grocery stores, and finally ended at the vegetable stand. We arrived home at about 1 PM. After unpacking our stuff, and going through the boxes, I started to make some lunch for me and a couple of the kids. (Lunch today was Cream of Wheat.... Thanks Marcia!) I was just about to add the Cream of Wheat to the boiling water when the electrician comes to the door to inform me that he had broken our water pipe to the Welcome Center. (It's a long story!) So I drop what I'm doing and go outside to see what the problem is. Sure enough, the pipe was broken clean in two. So, I called the plumber and proceeded to make a temporary fix with an old inner tube. I then went back inside to prepare my lunch again. Just as I'm ready to mix in the Cream of Wheat again, the plumber shows up. So, I stop the cooking and go outside with him. I show him the pipe and tell him that I'd prefer he fix it today. He says he can (which I doubt since Chadians say they can fix anything) and then I tell him "OK, I'm gonna go eat my lunch now. If you need me I'll be in my house." So, I go back inside and actually do complete making my lunch. As an added bonus I was able to eat it without interruption. After eating I went back outside and bounced b/t the plumber and the electrician.
As I type this I can report that the electrician is done with his work and the plumber is done with his work and everything works! We have power and we have water.
It has been a good day but I'm tired, have a headache, and haven't been able to spend as much time with Janice and the kids as I had wanted. Ah, there's always the rest of the evening and tomorrow. Thankfully, they are all very understanding.
Here's hoping you have a "normal" day.
Until next time.
sf
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We are fine. Just been taking things day by day and proving that in Chad, there is no such thing as your normal, every day, run-of-the-mill day. And, today was no exception to that.
Morning for the family started at about 7 AM. I slept in the living room with most of the children as Liddy got to spend the night with Janice. Lucky her! Was able to eat the 4 eggs Janice made me (thanks, Honey!) and almost immediately upon finishing them I had 2 people who wanted to see me. One was the electrician. The other was a guest. After a few minutes with each of them I was able to get into the office, check email, and get the solar power going. At about 9:30 AM Janice, Liddy, and I left for town to do some shopping and pick up Gracey and Libby who had spent the last 5 days helping another mission with their kids during their annual retreat.
There's a bunch of dignitaries in town so the main streets downtown were blocked off which forced us, and everyone else, to detour on mostly dirt roads. A typical trip to town takes about 20 minutes. This trip took closer to 45. We eventually made it to where the girls were. We picked them up and then went shopping. We stopped at the cash machine, the post office (where we picked up 3 boxes), and 2 different grocery stores, and finally ended at the vegetable stand. We arrived home at about 1 PM. After unpacking our stuff, and going through the boxes, I started to make some lunch for me and a couple of the kids. (Lunch today was Cream of Wheat.... Thanks Marcia!) I was just about to add the Cream of Wheat to the boiling water when the electrician comes to the door to inform me that he had broken our water pipe to the Welcome Center. (It's a long story!) So I drop what I'm doing and go outside to see what the problem is. Sure enough, the pipe was broken clean in two. So, I called the plumber and proceeded to make a temporary fix with an old inner tube. I then went back inside to prepare my lunch again. Just as I'm ready to mix in the Cream of Wheat again, the plumber shows up. So, I stop the cooking and go outside with him. I show him the pipe and tell him that I'd prefer he fix it today. He says he can (which I doubt since Chadians say they can fix anything) and then I tell him "OK, I'm gonna go eat my lunch now. If you need me I'll be in my house." So, I go back inside and actually do complete making my lunch. As an added bonus I was able to eat it without interruption. After eating I went back outside and bounced b/t the plumber and the electrician.
As I type this I can report that the electrician is done with his work and the plumber is done with his work and everything works! We have power and we have water.
It has been a good day but I'm tired, have a headache, and haven't been able to spend as much time with Janice and the kids as I had wanted. Ah, there's always the rest of the evening and tomorrow. Thankfully, they are all very understanding.
Here's hoping you have a "normal" day.
Until next time.
sf
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Saturday, March 20, 2010
Saturday, 20 March 2010
Crazy day today. Started out by taking Ethan to the dentist. The poor kid has the worst luck with fillings I think I've ever seen. Every one he's every gotten has fallen out. This one was no different. We are lucky to have found a reasonably knowledgeable dentist who doesn't cost us an arm and a leg.
Got home and almost immediately had to deal with various guys here to install and/or fix things. First it was the A/C installer. Then, it was the mechanic who brought several people to fix various things that are broken. Then, an electrician showed up to help the mechanic with our welder/generator. I normally don't find things like that stressful but when all of the discussion takes place in French it makes my head hurt mostly because I don't know the vocabulary.
By the time the day was over not one of the things they came to fix was fixed. In fact, their efforts only resulted in the mission paying more to purchase parts - a motor for the air compressor, a ignition control unit for the welder plus a starter, a custom made stand for a free-standing gas tank for the back-up generator, some hose, and a bunch of fuses for the power inverters/converters.
Unfortunately, the mechanic wasn't even able to get to our car which has developed a nasty habit of pulling to the right as well as having a steering wheel that shakes whenever we hit about 70 KM/Hr. He told me he won't be able to get to it until next week and that he'll need the car for a day or two. Yikes.
On top of everything there's Janice who's not been feeling great: pretty fatigued and has been battling a stomach problem for about 5 or 6 weeks.
None of these things are "bad" per se. They are just opportunities for us to remember that one of our main reasons for being here is to learn how to surrender ourselves (all of ourselves) to Him.
Hope you all have a great weekend.
sf
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Got home and almost immediately had to deal with various guys here to install and/or fix things. First it was the A/C installer. Then, it was the mechanic who brought several people to fix various things that are broken. Then, an electrician showed up to help the mechanic with our welder/generator. I normally don't find things like that stressful but when all of the discussion takes place in French it makes my head hurt mostly because I don't know the vocabulary.
By the time the day was over not one of the things they came to fix was fixed. In fact, their efforts only resulted in the mission paying more to purchase parts - a motor for the air compressor, a ignition control unit for the welder plus a starter, a custom made stand for a free-standing gas tank for the back-up generator, some hose, and a bunch of fuses for the power inverters/converters.
Unfortunately, the mechanic wasn't even able to get to our car which has developed a nasty habit of pulling to the right as well as having a steering wheel that shakes whenever we hit about 70 KM/Hr. He told me he won't be able to get to it until next week and that he'll need the car for a day or two. Yikes.
On top of everything there's Janice who's not been feeling great: pretty fatigued and has been battling a stomach problem for about 5 or 6 weeks.
None of these things are "bad" per se. They are just opportunities for us to remember that one of our main reasons for being here is to learn how to surrender ourselves (all of ourselves) to Him.
Hope you all have a great weekend.
sf
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Monday, March 15, 2010
Monday, 15 March 2010
Bonjour!
Hope you had a great weekend. Ours was rather relaxing if you consider helping friends move as "relaxing". Payton and Gracey helped us on Friday. The twins on Saturday. Good times.
Today the official high (as measured in the shade on our front porch) was 109.8 degrees. That's the hottest so far this year. At that temperature the sand is too hot to stand on without shoes and the air, even when there's a breeze, feels hot.
Janice went to see a friend today. One she's not seen in several months. When she arrived she noticed this woman's little boy (not more than 1 year old) looked like he was dying. When Janice said, "He's gonna die", the woman responded, "Yes, I know". Turns out that he's not eaten much of anything for at least a month and has generally been in failing health.
So, Janice said, "Let's go. I'll take you to the hospital." To which the woman says something like, "No, sit and have some tea." There were other women there who were laughing. Janice heard one of them say something to the effect that "Hey, she just got here and now she's saying 'Let's go'!"
After a few minutes Janice finally persuaded the woman to go with her. They spent the next several hours at the hospital during which time the doctors told the woman that the little fella was really quite sick and that he needed to stay the night AND that she needed to stay with him too. She responded by saying, "No, I've got to get home to make food and care for my other kids." It took Janice and the doctor several minutes to convince her that she had to stay and that the life of her little boy was more important than dinner.
The general lack of respect for life, the view that life is cheap here is so appalling. This woman, who's a Muslim, basically had the attitude of, "It's Allah's will. If he dies, he dies." So sad. Their religion offers no hope, no comfort. There's really nothing personal about their god and that's a shame. They are in many ways so close and yet so far from the Truth.
Here's wishing you all a great week!!!
sf
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Hope you had a great weekend. Ours was rather relaxing if you consider helping friends move as "relaxing". Payton and Gracey helped us on Friday. The twins on Saturday. Good times.
Today the official high (as measured in the shade on our front porch) was 109.8 degrees. That's the hottest so far this year. At that temperature the sand is too hot to stand on without shoes and the air, even when there's a breeze, feels hot.
Janice went to see a friend today. One she's not seen in several months. When she arrived she noticed this woman's little boy (not more than 1 year old) looked like he was dying. When Janice said, "He's gonna die", the woman responded, "Yes, I know". Turns out that he's not eaten much of anything for at least a month and has generally been in failing health.
So, Janice said, "Let's go. I'll take you to the hospital." To which the woman says something like, "No, sit and have some tea." There were other women there who were laughing. Janice heard one of them say something to the effect that "Hey, she just got here and now she's saying 'Let's go'!"
After a few minutes Janice finally persuaded the woman to go with her. They spent the next several hours at the hospital during which time the doctors told the woman that the little fella was really quite sick and that he needed to stay the night AND that she needed to stay with him too. She responded by saying, "No, I've got to get home to make food and care for my other kids." It took Janice and the doctor several minutes to convince her that she had to stay and that the life of her little boy was more important than dinner.
The general lack of respect for life, the view that life is cheap here is so appalling. This woman, who's a Muslim, basically had the attitude of, "It's Allah's will. If he dies, he dies." So sad. Their religion offers no hope, no comfort. There's really nothing personal about their god and that's a shame. They are in many ways so close and yet so far from the Truth.
Here's wishing you all a great week!!!
sf
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Thursday, March 11, 2010
Thursday, 11 March 2010
Hello Everyone,
Hope you are having a great day.
Heat's been picking up the last few days. Getting steadily warmer. Lows at night are in the 80's.
Yesterday's bizarre news: While out with Payton and Ethan I received a phone call from Janice. She said that one of our workers, who was hired to dig a trench for a new power line we're installing, was taking a break from work to wash his clothes. You see, most Chadians was their clothes in big round tubs and he'd taken the time to grab two of ours, fill them with water, grab some soap and started to wash. All this in plain view of our front door.
Janice called to tell me what was going on. After a few seconds of discussion, she decided to go outside and tell him to stop. She did so and when I got home I asked what he said. He said, "Oh!".
Only in Chad will a worker think it is ok to stop working to wash his clothes. The funny thing is that if he had just asked to wash them after he got done with work we would have said, "sure". It's just a little bit of water and some soap. Heavy sigh.
See you later.
sf
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Hope you are having a great day.
Heat's been picking up the last few days. Getting steadily warmer. Lows at night are in the 80's.
Yesterday's bizarre news: While out with Payton and Ethan I received a phone call from Janice. She said that one of our workers, who was hired to dig a trench for a new power line we're installing, was taking a break from work to wash his clothes. You see, most Chadians was their clothes in big round tubs and he'd taken the time to grab two of ours, fill them with water, grab some soap and started to wash. All this in plain view of our front door.
Janice called to tell me what was going on. After a few seconds of discussion, she decided to go outside and tell him to stop. She did so and when I got home I asked what he said. He said, "Oh!".
Only in Chad will a worker think it is ok to stop working to wash his clothes. The funny thing is that if he had just asked to wash them after he got done with work we would have said, "sure". It's just a little bit of water and some soap. Heavy sigh.
See you later.
sf
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Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Tuesday, 9 March 2010
Good Tuesday Everyone...
Please excuse the several days that have gone by since my last post. I came down with a particularly nasty case of Malaria last week and am just now able to post this after catching back up - to an extent - with work.
The latter part of last week is nothing more than a fever riddled blur. But, yesterday was one to remember. We went to one of the local hotels for a day of swimming and fun. We went with another family and were able to convince the receptionist to give us a price break. (Note: By 'price break' I mean she was able to reduce the cost of the swimming from more than $100 to less than $100 for all of us - there were 18 altogether.)
We arrived by 10 AM and left just before 5 PM. One of the great things about this pool is that there is quite a large shallow end that is shallow enough to allow the little kids - Esther, Tawnee, and Ethan - to be able to touch the bottom. They loved it!
H. is fearless. If you're not careful, he'll just jump into the pool. Turn your head for just a fraction of a second and in he goes! He did it a time or two. Going under didn't seem to bother him too much as he generally want to stay in the water when he did.
For lunch we were able to order from the pool-side menu. No kid ever complains of a lunch consisting of French Fries and sandwiches. We lugged in our own water so we were able to stay away from the $4 bottles of soda. How many of those bad boys do you think Payton could've managed to force down during the day? The over-under was 8.
Hope you have a great week.
sf
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Please excuse the several days that have gone by since my last post. I came down with a particularly nasty case of Malaria last week and am just now able to post this after catching back up - to an extent - with work.
The latter part of last week is nothing more than a fever riddled blur. But, yesterday was one to remember. We went to one of the local hotels for a day of swimming and fun. We went with another family and were able to convince the receptionist to give us a price break. (Note: By 'price break' I mean she was able to reduce the cost of the swimming from more than $100 to less than $100 for all of us - there were 18 altogether.)
We arrived by 10 AM and left just before 5 PM. One of the great things about this pool is that there is quite a large shallow end that is shallow enough to allow the little kids - Esther, Tawnee, and Ethan - to be able to touch the bottom. They loved it!
H. is fearless. If you're not careful, he'll just jump into the pool. Turn your head for just a fraction of a second and in he goes! He did it a time or two. Going under didn't seem to bother him too much as he generally want to stay in the water when he did.
For lunch we were able to order from the pool-side menu. No kid ever complains of a lunch consisting of French Fries and sandwiches. We lugged in our own water so we were able to stay away from the $4 bottles of soda. How many of those bad boys do you think Payton could've managed to force down during the day? The over-under was 8.
Hope you have a great week.
sf
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Friday, February 26, 2010
Friday, 26 February 2010
Hey there. How are you?
We are fine. Have a few who are under the weather, me included, with little things like upset stomachs, fatigue, etc. So, we've just been laying low and not doing too much.
We just finished with a group of 16 people who were having their yearly retreat. They work for one of the missions in Chad. Nice folks. Even paid to have the generator operational during the first 3 days of this week. My kids were thrilled.
2 days ago was the twins birthday. In what has become sort of a Flude family tradition, one of the twins got sick and threw up 3 times. I think she's the second or third kid to do that on their birthday. Anyway, to honor the event we sang her "Happy Barfday" to the tune of "Happy Birthday". Keturah had a great attitude about it and we all had a good laugh.
Today there are several electricians here. We've got a number of electrical related problems (nothing major) and they're working to get all our lights and A/C units working.
Fridays are normally the day that Janice and I go to town on our weekly date. We go shopping, have lunch, hit the post office (which is a surprisingly important part of the routine) and generally just hang out together. Today, however, is a Muslim holiday so nothing's open. We will go tomorrow, though, and enjoy some time away from the excitement of the family.
Hope you all have a great Friday and a fabulous weekend.
sf
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We are fine. Have a few who are under the weather, me included, with little things like upset stomachs, fatigue, etc. So, we've just been laying low and not doing too much.
We just finished with a group of 16 people who were having their yearly retreat. They work for one of the missions in Chad. Nice folks. Even paid to have the generator operational during the first 3 days of this week. My kids were thrilled.
2 days ago was the twins birthday. In what has become sort of a Flude family tradition, one of the twins got sick and threw up 3 times. I think she's the second or third kid to do that on their birthday. Anyway, to honor the event we sang her "Happy Barfday" to the tune of "Happy Birthday". Keturah had a great attitude about it and we all had a good laugh.
Today there are several electricians here. We've got a number of electrical related problems (nothing major) and they're working to get all our lights and A/C units working.
Fridays are normally the day that Janice and I go to town on our weekly date. We go shopping, have lunch, hit the post office (which is a surprisingly important part of the routine) and generally just hang out together. Today, however, is a Muslim holiday so nothing's open. We will go tomorrow, though, and enjoy some time away from the excitement of the family.
Hope you all have a great Friday and a fabulous weekend.
sf
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Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Wednesday, 24 February 2010
Well, today is the twins' birthday. Happy Birthday Emma and Keturah. You guys are terrific and mom and I love you so very much. Thanks for making our lives fun and interesting. Our family wouldn't be the same without you.
In celebration of their birthday, Janice and I took them out to dinner last night. We had a great time. At one point, I must've sat and just listened to the conversation for a good 10 minutes or more. No lack of chit chat by the 3 women at the table, that's for sure. My heart was swelled with pride as I listened to the new teenagers converse with their mother. It was so much fun.
Later in the evening, Janice made some sort of rude comment about me. You know, the kind of sweeping generalization that NEVER is true. (OK, it wasn't rude and she was probably right.) Anyways... after she got done insulting me (Ha!) I said, "I think I've got a bum rap". After a few seconds, Emma pipes in with, "Dad, you've got the weirdest insults!". Janice and I both started laughing. And, I said, "Emma, I said bum rap not bum wrap". Emma thought I was insulting Janice by making some sort of reference to a diaper. Janice then explained to her what "bum rap" means. Too funny.
Hope you all have a great day.
sf
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In celebration of their birthday, Janice and I took them out to dinner last night. We had a great time. At one point, I must've sat and just listened to the conversation for a good 10 minutes or more. No lack of chit chat by the 3 women at the table, that's for sure. My heart was swelled with pride as I listened to the new teenagers converse with their mother. It was so much fun.
Later in the evening, Janice made some sort of rude comment about me. You know, the kind of sweeping generalization that NEVER is true. (OK, it wasn't rude and she was probably right.) Anyways... after she got done insulting me (Ha!) I said, "I think I've got a bum rap". After a few seconds, Emma pipes in with, "Dad, you've got the weirdest insults!". Janice and I both started laughing. And, I said, "Emma, I said bum rap not bum wrap". Emma thought I was insulting Janice by making some sort of reference to a diaper. Janice then explained to her what "bum rap" means. Too funny.
Hope you all have a great day.
sf
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Sunday, February 21, 2010
Sunday, 21 February 2010
One of the neat things about living in Chad is that several of the local hotels let non-guests use their pools. Most charge a fee and most, if you close your eyes, actually look and feel a little bit like outdoor pools at a U.S. hotel. There is one hotel, however, that does not charge a fee. It is about 1 hour out of town, along the river. Yesterday (saturday) we took a little family trip to this hotel and had a great time. Before we went, we decided to go to something called "Elephant Rock". It is located by a rock quarry about 1 hour away from the hotel. Now, as you've probably guessed, it is called Elephant Rock because it looks like an elephant. I was a little bit skeptical. But, I can confirm that it does, indeed, look like an elephant. Pretty cool. We spent about 90 minutes crawling in, over, and around this very big rock. We discovered that the rock is home to quite a few bats and one of our group (we went with 2 other families) even found a monkey skull. Cool.
This rock is literally out in the middle of nowhere yet by the time we left, I think there were 20 or 30 Chadians (mostly kids) "helping" us by guarding our cars. They also talked to the kids a bit and laughed at us whenever we did something that they thought was funny. (I'm usually not quite sure why they laugh at me since I don't think I'm doing anything funny, yet they do. It's sorta the same thing when my kids laugh at me, too.)
So, to get to the rock we needed to travel the last few miles on dirt roads. Well, actually they were more sandy road than dirt road. At first, the going wasn't so bad but eventually two of us needed to put our cars in 4WD. No problem. After we finished with the sight seeing tour and had made it back to the paved road we stopped so I could get our Land Cruiser into 2WD. (We drive a 10 year old LC and anyone who has ever driven one of these older models knows that getting it back into 2WD can be difficult and frustrating.)
Now, picutre this.... The paved road started right at a village. So, we stop a few yards after getting onto the pavement. As I try to muscle/finesse the car into 2WD we are slowly gathering a crowd of Chadian men. After about 3 or 4 minutes one of our friends backs his car up along side ours and asks what's the problem. So, I tell him that I can't get it into 2WD. About that same time one Chadian reaches into my car and begins to tell me what I'm doing wrong and that if I'd pay him 2,000 Francs and move over, he'd have our car in 2WD in no time.
You really need to get a good mental picture here.... Imagine a Beduin-looking man with his white (I mean, dirty white) turbin and "dress", dirty face and hands, and the blackest teeth I think I've ever seen sticking his head in my window telling me that he can get the car into 2WD. Now, if your like me you're thinking, "The only thing this guy drives is a camel. Why in the world would I let a guy who doesn't drive a car get into mine? to drive it? to "fix" it?"
So, after repeatedly telling him "No thank you" he slams my door (yes, he'd opened the door by now) and storms off. I then continued with my efforts which proved ever so futile. Eventually, my friend in the other car asks if he could give it a try. I said, "Sure, go ahead." So, now he gets into my car and as I'm standing next to my car the group of Chadians comes back. Of course, they're lead by my good friend the Chadian Mechanic.
Well, Greg (my buddy) can't get it into 2WD either. Mr. Goodwrench says, "Hey, scoot over, I can get this car into 2WD." Greg says, "Don't ask me, it isn't my car. Ask him (and he points at me)". This goes on for a few minutes. I am, of course, telling my new best friend, "No". Finally, Greg says, "What do you think, Steve? Should we let him try?" Before I can get any words out one of my kids says, "Only if Greg stays in the car!" (Found out later that Gracey, who was sitting right behind me, was already visualizing how she was going to choke Mechanic Man if he tried to speed off with the car!)
I finally relented, Greg moved over, and the guy gets into my car. He shuts the door, revs the motor, and then proceeds to make the car "convulse" (that's the only way I can describe it) by performing a combination of simultaneously putting the car in reverse, popping the clutch, and forcing the car from 4WD to 2WD. This he did 3 or 4 times.
OK, so I'm thinking, "We're doomed." Greg's thinking, "He's gonna ruin the gear box." And, my kids are thinking, "This guy's gonna steal our car or kills us or both!"
At the end of the 4th time the car turned off. I thought he'd killed the car. Turned out that Greg reached over and turned the key because he'd was afraid the car was gonna be ruined.
Then, Greg and Mechanic Man start to argue a bit more. During this, he restarts the car and points to the dashboard and says, "See, the 4WD light is no longer on. The car's in 2WD!". You know what.... he was right! He had fixed it. Unbelieveable.
His next words were, "Give me my 2,000 Francs!" I gladly paid the man.
This story is humorous, true. But, it's also illustrative of how the Lord takes care of us. He doesn't lack for anything and He can, when He so desires, even produce an uneducated, simple man who can get a 10 year old Land Cruise into 2WD. Janice and I have a friend in Fergus Falls (Don Raun) who told us on many occasions that when he and his family were living here whenever they got into problems the Lord always (always without fail) provided something or someone who fixed or helped solve the problem. The Bible tells us that He knows how many hairs we have on our head and that not one bird falls to the ground with Him knowing about it. With a Lord like that, I shouldn't be surprised when helpful people "magically" appear out of thin air who can help us.
The lesson also is this: I needn't be so "afraid" to accept help from strangers. Just because I've never seen them before doesn't mean they can't help.
Hope you've enjoyed this little glimpse into a typical day in good ol' Chad!
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This rock is literally out in the middle of nowhere yet by the time we left, I think there were 20 or 30 Chadians (mostly kids) "helping" us by guarding our cars. They also talked to the kids a bit and laughed at us whenever we did something that they thought was funny. (I'm usually not quite sure why they laugh at me since I don't think I'm doing anything funny, yet they do. It's sorta the same thing when my kids laugh at me, too.)
So, to get to the rock we needed to travel the last few miles on dirt roads. Well, actually they were more sandy road than dirt road. At first, the going wasn't so bad but eventually two of us needed to put our cars in 4WD. No problem. After we finished with the sight seeing tour and had made it back to the paved road we stopped so I could get our Land Cruiser into 2WD. (We drive a 10 year old LC and anyone who has ever driven one of these older models knows that getting it back into 2WD can be difficult and frustrating.)
Now, picutre this.... The paved road started right at a village. So, we stop a few yards after getting onto the pavement. As I try to muscle/finesse the car into 2WD we are slowly gathering a crowd of Chadian men. After about 3 or 4 minutes one of our friends backs his car up along side ours and asks what's the problem. So, I tell him that I can't get it into 2WD. About that same time one Chadian reaches into my car and begins to tell me what I'm doing wrong and that if I'd pay him 2,000 Francs and move over, he'd have our car in 2WD in no time.
You really need to get a good mental picture here.... Imagine a Beduin-looking man with his white (I mean, dirty white) turbin and "dress", dirty face and hands, and the blackest teeth I think I've ever seen sticking his head in my window telling me that he can get the car into 2WD. Now, if your like me you're thinking, "The only thing this guy drives is a camel. Why in the world would I let a guy who doesn't drive a car get into mine? to drive it? to "fix" it?"
So, after repeatedly telling him "No thank you" he slams my door (yes, he'd opened the door by now) and storms off. I then continued with my efforts which proved ever so futile. Eventually, my friend in the other car asks if he could give it a try. I said, "Sure, go ahead." So, now he gets into my car and as I'm standing next to my car the group of Chadians comes back. Of course, they're lead by my good friend the Chadian Mechanic.
Well, Greg (my buddy) can't get it into 2WD either. Mr. Goodwrench says, "Hey, scoot over, I can get this car into 2WD." Greg says, "Don't ask me, it isn't my car. Ask him (and he points at me)". This goes on for a few minutes. I am, of course, telling my new best friend, "No". Finally, Greg says, "What do you think, Steve? Should we let him try?" Before I can get any words out one of my kids says, "Only if Greg stays in the car!" (Found out later that Gracey, who was sitting right behind me, was already visualizing how she was going to choke Mechanic Man if he tried to speed off with the car!)
I finally relented, Greg moved over, and the guy gets into my car. He shuts the door, revs the motor, and then proceeds to make the car "convulse" (that's the only way I can describe it) by performing a combination of simultaneously putting the car in reverse, popping the clutch, and forcing the car from 4WD to 2WD. This he did 3 or 4 times.
OK, so I'm thinking, "We're doomed." Greg's thinking, "He's gonna ruin the gear box." And, my kids are thinking, "This guy's gonna steal our car or kills us or both!"
At the end of the 4th time the car turned off. I thought he'd killed the car. Turned out that Greg reached over and turned the key because he'd was afraid the car was gonna be ruined.
Then, Greg and Mechanic Man start to argue a bit more. During this, he restarts the car and points to the dashboard and says, "See, the 4WD light is no longer on. The car's in 2WD!". You know what.... he was right! He had fixed it. Unbelieveable.
His next words were, "Give me my 2,000 Francs!" I gladly paid the man.
This story is humorous, true. But, it's also illustrative of how the Lord takes care of us. He doesn't lack for anything and He can, when He so desires, even produce an uneducated, simple man who can get a 10 year old Land Cruise into 2WD. Janice and I have a friend in Fergus Falls (Don Raun) who told us on many occasions that when he and his family were living here whenever they got into problems the Lord always (always without fail) provided something or someone who fixed or helped solve the problem. The Bible tells us that He knows how many hairs we have on our head and that not one bird falls to the ground with Him knowing about it. With a Lord like that, I shouldn't be surprised when helpful people "magically" appear out of thin air who can help us.
The lesson also is this: I needn't be so "afraid" to accept help from strangers. Just because I've never seen them before doesn't mean they can't help.
Hope you've enjoyed this little glimpse into a typical day in good ol' Chad!
Hotmail: Free, trusted and rich email service. Get it now.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Wednesday, 17 February 2010
Hello Everybody!
The weather is really starting to heat up. Monday it was a little over 100 degrees. Yesterday it was just over 101. Before long it'll be 120 or so in the sun. Makes for some incredibly beautiful nights as you can see so many stars. Amazing.
Kids all have been working overtime on their homework. Emma and Keturah are especially motivated since they have decided that when we go back to the States for our home assignment in August of 2011 they don't want to do have any schoolwork to do. So, they are in the midst of cramming 3 years of homework into this school year and next. I think they are both on target to finish their work which is great. I've only heard a few complaints about their work and most of those are focused on "those boring books you are making us read, Dad". (Yeah, they are the same boring books I had to read when I was their age.)
Janice and I are going to a "ladies only" birthday "party" today for a friend of Janice's. Ordinarily I wouldn't go but this woman is apparently dragging her husband along (lucky guy) and since he's gonna be their it is apparently my responsibility to commiserate with him. Maybe we can find a place away from the women where we won't hear the inevitable discussion about birthing children and pregnancy. (Going to a "ladies only" party falls right next to going to a baby shower on my list of least favorite things to do - BTW, I've never gone to a baby shower!!!).
Hope you all have a great day.
sf
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The weather is really starting to heat up. Monday it was a little over 100 degrees. Yesterday it was just over 101. Before long it'll be 120 or so in the sun. Makes for some incredibly beautiful nights as you can see so many stars. Amazing.
Kids all have been working overtime on their homework. Emma and Keturah are especially motivated since they have decided that when we go back to the States for our home assignment in August of 2011 they don't want to do have any schoolwork to do. So, they are in the midst of cramming 3 years of homework into this school year and next. I think they are both on target to finish their work which is great. I've only heard a few complaints about their work and most of those are focused on "those boring books you are making us read, Dad". (Yeah, they are the same boring books I had to read when I was their age.)
Janice and I are going to a "ladies only" birthday "party" today for a friend of Janice's. Ordinarily I wouldn't go but this woman is apparently dragging her husband along (lucky guy) and since he's gonna be their it is apparently my responsibility to commiserate with him. Maybe we can find a place away from the women where we won't hear the inevitable discussion about birthing children and pregnancy. (Going to a "ladies only" party falls right next to going to a baby shower on my list of least favorite things to do - BTW, I've never gone to a baby shower!!!).
Hope you all have a great day.
sf
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Monday, February 15, 2010
Monday, 15 February 2010
Well, another typcial Monday here in the land of perpetual sun.
Lots of activity. Let's see... There are a few guys digging a 75 meter long trench from the generator to the Welcome Center. It's one meter deep and is for new electrical cable for all of the A/C units that have been installed. The original cable isn't big enough. There is also Gaston, our carpenter, working away on Welcome Center furniture. He's back after having been gone for 3 days because of some sickness. Then, there is my wife who is cleaning our room. She tried to take a nap but said, "I decided that with the 3 or 4 flies that were dive-bombing me I wasn't gonna get any sleep. So, I might as well clean the room." OK! The girls are busy cooking and cleaning. And, then there's the 2 oldest boys. Both of them are playing: Ethan with his toys. Patyon is reading. Emma and I (and Gracey for a time, too) spent about 2.5 hours earlier today working on the generator. No, it wasn't mechanical. We just changed the oil, cleaned the batteries, and then cleaned the generator.
We have a group of 18 people coming on Saturday for a 5 day conference. Should be fun. It is always great to see the conference room filled with folks.
Hope you all have a great week.
Until next time.
sf
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Lots of activity. Let's see... There are a few guys digging a 75 meter long trench from the generator to the Welcome Center. It's one meter deep and is for new electrical cable for all of the A/C units that have been installed. The original cable isn't big enough. There is also Gaston, our carpenter, working away on Welcome Center furniture. He's back after having been gone for 3 days because of some sickness. Then, there is my wife who is cleaning our room. She tried to take a nap but said, "I decided that with the 3 or 4 flies that were dive-bombing me I wasn't gonna get any sleep. So, I might as well clean the room." OK! The girls are busy cooking and cleaning. And, then there's the 2 oldest boys. Both of them are playing: Ethan with his toys. Patyon is reading. Emma and I (and Gracey for a time, too) spent about 2.5 hours earlier today working on the generator. No, it wasn't mechanical. We just changed the oil, cleaned the batteries, and then cleaned the generator.
We have a group of 18 people coming on Saturday for a 5 day conference. Should be fun. It is always great to see the conference room filled with folks.
Hope you all have a great week.
Until next time.
sf
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Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Tuesday, 9 February 2010
Hi Everyone!
It's been a while since I last blogged and since Alex has been dropping me "subtle" hints like, "Dad, blog already" via Facebook I thought I'd spare her all t he anxiety and take her advice and post something.
Well, everything here is ok. Welcome Center is very busy as we're pretty consistently over 60% occupied and things are rolling along just fine.
Most everybody has been healthy save for a few of the girls who've suffered from sinus infections.
We entertained a team of 16 people from the States who went to Cameroon for about 10 days. It was great to help them "come and go" so to speak. Good times.
Well, that's it for now.
sf
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It's been a while since I last blogged and since Alex has been dropping me "subtle" hints like, "Dad, blog already" via Facebook I thought I'd spare her all t he anxiety and take her advice and post something.
Well, everything here is ok. Welcome Center is very busy as we're pretty consistently over 60% occupied and things are rolling along just fine.
Most everybody has been healthy save for a few of the girls who've suffered from sinus infections.
We entertained a team of 16 people from the States who went to Cameroon for about 10 days. It was great to help them "come and go" so to speak. Good times.
Well, that's it for now.
sf
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Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Tuesday, 19 January 2010
Been far too long since our last post. That's mostly my fault as we have been very busy with living and haven't had the time (or energy) to do much of anything "extra".
For the last several weeks life has been 'normal'. Well, as normal as it can be here in Chad. Weather's been great. Lows in the upper 60's. High's in the upper 90's. Nice breeze at night. Quite comfortable, really.
We received an unexpected visitor with a short term mission team last week. Seems Alex stowed away with them and surprised us. What a blessing! Now our home feels complete and normal. She leaves in 3 days. I'm already starting to feel sad.
Everyone's pretty much healthy. No complaints.
More tomorrow. Maybe.
sf
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For the last several weeks life has been 'normal'. Well, as normal as it can be here in Chad. Weather's been great. Lows in the upper 60's. High's in the upper 90's. Nice breeze at night. Quite comfortable, really.
We received an unexpected visitor with a short term mission team last week. Seems Alex stowed away with them and surprised us. What a blessing! Now our home feels complete and normal. She leaves in 3 days. I'm already starting to feel sad.
Everyone's pretty much healthy. No complaints.
More tomorrow. Maybe.
sf
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Friday, January 8, 2010
Get together for Janice, Liddy & Hudson before they went back
These last two posts (this one and the one about their health care visit) are really for Steven and all the Flude children that had to stay behind while Janice, Hudson, Liddy, and Alex were here.
I should have posted these sooner you guys, I don't know why I didn't think about it. But here are some familiar faces that you all know, and that your Mom & Liddy got to see when they were here.
All the Derouin fellas plus Mitchell!
Rachael & Jesse Silva with Kristen.
Auntie Suzie and Molly
Janice & Liddy, with Brittany (Hudson) & Jordan D.
Emily & Jessi Persons with Hudson.
Uncle Kevin & Molly, also Papa Ray.
Uncle Donny, Gramma, Rebekah, Auntie April & Molly.
Papa Ray & Gramma Judy.
cousin Joshua & Jesse
Culley, Caleb & Mitchell
Libby - just for you, here's Lucy!! (Janice, hold your tongue!)
Uncle Grady feeding us all!
Veronica & Auntie April and Lisa McCadam
Mr. & Mrs. D with Pat
Amanda, Alex, Hudson & Janice.
Andy & Mrs. Toles
Fludies, hope you all enjoy,
We love you all,
Auntie Lisa
I should have posted these sooner you guys, I don't know why I didn't think about it. But here are some familiar faces that you all know, and that your Mom & Liddy got to see when they were here.
All the Derouin fellas plus Mitchell!
Rachael & Jesse Silva with Kristen.
Auntie Suzie and Molly
Janice & Liddy, with Brittany (Hudson) & Jordan D.
Emily & Jessi Persons with Hudson.
Uncle Kevin & Molly, also Papa Ray.
Uncle Donny, Gramma, Rebekah, Auntie April & Molly.
Papa Ray & Gramma Judy.
cousin Joshua & Jesse
Culley, Caleb & Mitchell
Libby - just for you, here's Lucy!! (Janice, hold your tongue!)
Uncle Grady feeding us all!
Veronica & Auntie April and Lisa McCadam
Mr. & Mrs. D with Pat
Amanda, Alex, Hudson & Janice.
Andy & Mrs. Toles
Fludies, hope you all enjoy,
We love you all,
Auntie Lisa
Trip to States for Health Care
I don't think I ever posted any pictures from the visit to Washington that Janice and Liddy made for health reasons, along with Hudson, and also Alex who came to stay. That trip took place at the end of May and into the first part of June. They were here for about 3 weeks, and it was filled with a surprise for Janice's Mom, who didn't know they were coming, as you will see in one of the pictures, and lots and lots of Dr. visits and trips to hospitals and clinics. So as these pictures are "old" know, we still love to see the faces of those we love.
Hudson, learning how to walk.
Alex, trying to aclimate to our weather, and freezing!
Here she is, making herself at home!
Hudson, with cousin Mitchell! I will have to sadly say,
Janice with her two brothers, Ray and Donny.
Gramma Judy with Hudson.
Alex and Amanda.
Hudson meeting Amanda & Elaina (and not seeming to have
Hudson & Elaina
Liddy & Hudson, he's not too sure of all of us!
SURPRISE!!!
Yes, here's Alex, you can see she has made herself at home!.JPG)
Posted by L.C.
Hudson, learning how to walk.
Liddy at Children's, passing the time while she gets tested,
and tested, and tested! What a trouper she was!
Alex, trying to aclimate to our weather, and freezing!
Here she is, making herself at home!
Hudson, with cousin Mitchell! I will have to sadly say,
Hudson would cry every time I tried to hold him and didn't
get used to me the whole time they were here.
Janice with her two brothers, Ray and Donny.
Gramma Judy with Hudson.
Alex and Amanda.
Hudson meeting Amanda & Elaina (and not seeming to have
any problem with them!)
Hudson & Elaina
Liddy & Hudson, he's not too sure of all of us!
SURPRISE!!!
Yes, here's Alex, you can see she has made herself at home!
(I will have to give her the benefit though, not all of that is
hers, just lots of it!!)
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Posted by L.C.
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