Skip to main content

The (hot) dead of winter...

It feels like we're in the dead of winter - the depressing lull in early February that comes in New England when the days are too short, the wind too cold, the snow shabby, trees stick-figures against the grey sky, and snow days have lost their appeal. Except we're sweating and parched.

The earth is dead - no rain for months now. The heat is intense. The dry dusty gusty winds from the Sahara in the morning are intriguing but not refreshing.

And the lack of green certainly affects us. Just like it does in the winter in New England. Where is the new life, where is the miracle of new leaves and lush grass?

In the mango tree, as we watch baby mangoes grow against all odds, without rainful (but with plenty of sunshine!)...

In the avocado tree still producing...

In the boreholes that never dry up...

We just have to look for the miracles of life a little harder as we guzzle precious water and apply chapstick, as we bathe over buckets so we can reuse the water to wash clothes, and as the darkness closes in at sunset (albeit hours later than it would in New England February!).

Praise God for seasons, even seasons we enjoy less! Every season has its purpose - a season of waiting, a season of rejoicing, a season of sorrow, a season of action...

(Ecclesiastes 3)

Comments

Andrea said…
I love this, Abby. What I great way to put this season into perspective.

Popular posts from this blog

Uganda unit study - foods

Every tribe in Uganda has different food preferences, but they tend to revolve around these basics.  Boarding school students (i.e. the vast majority of secondary school students) generally eat posho and beans daily except for a Sunday portion of meat.  Imagine eating the same food for every meal! "Food" is the starch while everything else is the "soup" that goes with the food.  Generally a large quantity of the starch is portioned out with a smaller quantity of the soup. "Foods" include: White sweet potato (peeled and boiled) Cassava/manioc (as chips) Irish potatoes (peeled and boiled) White maize ( posho  - as a loaf of sticky "bread") Millet ( atapa or kalo - as a loaf of sticky "bread") Matoke /green plantain (best when steamed in banana leaves) Rice The "soup" includes a wide variety of ingredients in these categories: Greens Beans Cabbage Peanuts - ground into flour or paste depending on the tribe M...

Family of Three!

We are in Liberia - the electricity goes in and out because the generator is having trouble keeping up these days! So hopefully it will stay on long enough to post and the internet connection will allow me this luxury! We were united with precious Gracie on Thanksgiving day - I will write more about this later. But, oh! is Gracie a joy! She is so beautiful, so joyfilled, and a bit mischievious. Her physical limitations do not permit her to accomplish much mischief, but we can tell that she is trying to push some limits already. If we were not in love with her already, she is irresitable and such a treasure and blessing from God. In our two days together, she has not cried once. She spends most of her days smiling, she loves to snuggle (good match for us!), and has the most contagious laugh! Life takes more effort for her - her cerebral palsy is moderate and every activity is a challenge and is clearly tiring for her. Meal times (which she loves) take a long time and much patience and d...

Uganda unit study - facts

Uganda facts Kampala is the capital of Uganda. The Ugandan shilling is the currency used here (currently 3800 UGX to 1 USD). The official languages include English and Swahili, but people also speak Luganda and various other languages (like Acholi). The life expectancy in Uganda is 50.4 years. Uganda is a landlocked country bordered by Kenya in the east, Sudan in the north, Democratic Republic of the Congo in the west, Rwanda in the southwest and Tanzania in the south. Uganda’s total land area is 241,559 sq km. About 37,000 sq km of this area is occupied by open water while the rest is land. The southern part of the country includes a substantial portion of Lake Victoria, which it shares with Kenya and Tanzania. Uganda is located on the East African plateau, averaging about 1,100 meters (3,609 ft) above sea level. The plateau generally slopes downwards towards Sudan explaining the northerly tendency of most river flows in the country. Although generally equatorial, the clim...