Yes, that is a spatula shaped burn on my leg.

The number one question we are asked by friends and family at home is what do you eat. This is a funny question to us because really we eat very boring foods and often the same thing again and again. It’s not as exotic as you are thinking, I promise. That said, we have eaten some strange things or at least tried them, but they aren’t on our everyday diet.

So, here I am with our list of weird things we have eaten and our list of ordinary things that we eat and maybe a little insight as to how everyday cooking goes down.

First, my kitchen is outside. We literally live in three rooms and none of them are food designated areas. We do have a great hut that we use for our school area and dining area. So eating is done off the ground. I do not have my children eating in the dirt, promise.

We have a small two burner gas stove top, like you use when you are camping. It is really handy for quick heat ups like boiling water, etc. But we mostly rely on our coal pots. They are metal containers with a clay inside that we put charcoal into and cook over an open fire. Our life has best been described as an extended camping trip. I think this especially applies to cooking time. I like to bake, so we devised a way to use a big pot that we bought here to bake certain items. First, let me say these giant aluminum pots are melted down engine blocks….got that mental picture? I fill the coal pot and light it, then when it is good and hot, I put the item to be baked into the giant pot and put some of the hot coals on the inverted lid. It kind of has a dutch oven effect. Now, there is no temperature control so a timer isn’t really reliable. I have to work off smell here and pray that the smell isn’t of burning food!

We bake chicken or fry chicken, we can even make pizza and breads. We can sometimes get potatoes and we love to bake those or fry them up. We can’t get vegetables very often except for the local potato leaf or cassava leaf. These have to be cooked, they aren’t like salads. They aren’t bad but you can only eat them so many times a week. I try to buy a large amount of carrots and green beans when we go to Freetown and I steam them and freeze them for use throughout the month. So, with limited ingredients, we have become quite creative!

A few days per week we eat local dishes. They are not bad, just repetitive. Every dish contains onion, tomato paste, local hot peppers, oil and some leaf or vegetable all served over rice. Our favorites include blackeyed bench (blackeyed peas cooked with all the above ingredients). We also love groundnut soup (peanuts ground super fine with above ingredients added) and we like punky stew (pumpkin with…you get the picture, right?). We like these but only so much!

We eat 2 meals per day because, well, can you imagine firing up a coal pot everytime you want a snack? We have oatmeal 5 mornings a week and Saturday and Sunday we live it up with pancakes and the big treat of bacon and eggs. I am hungry on this Monday morning just thinking about it! We eat whatever fruit is in season around lunchtime for a snack then have an earlier dinner. Yes, we have all thinned out, but we aren’t hungry as much during the day either because we are just so busy. I am starting to question the validity of the five meals a day being best. Africa: the ultimate diet!

We can’t get bread here very easily. So we may have it a few times per month. We also longingly remember milk, a commodity completely unavailable here. So pop open that red or blue top for us tonight. We plan to drink it by the gallons when our feet hit the ground! Cheese is expensive here, we enjoy each bite. Cereal isn’t something we get very often because at $10.00 a box…who could buy cereal? Crazy, right?

I really love good food. It is something I think about and dream about. It has been kind of fun coming up with new recipes that require minimum ingredients and also interesting to use ingredients I never really found or used in the states. Curry is a fun new favorite as well as eggplant in everything, lentils in a lot of things and the use of frozen peas as a good filler. That said, if you have any ideas leave a recipe! We would love to add to our repertoire!

Now, weird things we have eaten…

We have purchased and butchered ourselves a couple of goats now. I really like goat meat. But I have a new appreciation for the phrase “tough old goat”, it’s not a compliment, at all! Goat, isn’t that strange but I’m easing you into this.

We have also purchased and butchered in our backyard a couple of pigs. Our favorite experience in this is when our Christian friend Mohamed and our Muslim friend Moses killed and gutted one on an old door in the backyard. Think about it, you will see the irony there.

We had a really nice pepper soup with porcupine one night. We purchased a giant porcupine like you see at the zoo and ate it. Not too bad but a little chewy. And I was a bit freaked out when someone cut off it’s tail to let the baby use it as a rattle. Too far, too far.

We have had several Freetown Bo’s for dinner and this is our favorite bushmeat by far. However, sad, cause they are cute little tiny dear.

We did it. We have eaten monkey. Sorry. It was good…real good. Then someone handed me a piece of meat and I put it’s little cooked hand in my mouth and now I have sworn off monkey eating. Those little faces and hands are too much! But, it was good.

Pumba, was also delicious. For those who do not understand my Disney reference, a little warthog is a good thing.

Giant snail. This I am not sure I would recommend, but you should try everything once, right?

Number one, hands down, strange thing we have eaten…termites. A little like nutty popcorn, we like them. But you have to get over the fact that there is a bug in your mouth.

We still have a few things on our “to try” list but we are working our way through! I think giant rat and snake are still to be consumed. Not sure those are going to be for me! The kids are total troopers and try everything. We’ve been totally surprised by what we have liked and they can say they have eaten these cool things! They, as I have said before, are pretty much the coolest.

So, to all those grandparents, aunts and uncles who are concerned about our food intake, as you can see we are surviving just fine. Our diets are different but we are pretty good about taking our vitamins to make up for any lost nutrition. And overall, I would say we have gained a lot in the way of cutting out processed or nonessentials in our diets. That said, feel free to send chocolate. I could really go for a reeses!!

Things I've learned in Africa

Tonight as I was sitting on my back stoop washing a tub of shoes, I realized there are so many things that I have learned here that were never even on my radar before. That crap about everything I needed to know I learned in (fill in the blank), not true and has not applied to my life.

So without further intro, except this, I give you the things I have learned!!

1.       I have learned to use a washboard. Not heehaw with spoons style but with my feet in a river bent at the waste scrubbing my dirty drawers. This is a life skill I never thought would come in handy, but my whites have never been brighter and no stains!

2.       Talking loudly and making large hand gestures does not convey your point when the person you are speaking to does not speak your tongue. This is a common misconception in the US where I have spent many a conversation with a non English speaking friend talking v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y and loudly over and over while flailing my arms about like a crazy person just trying to say I like your outfit. Then, I am confused as to why I am not understood. Now, I am the one being yelled at over and over and watching these crazy people try to tell me things in Mende. Turns out I understand them no better whatever their volume may be or the gesture.

3.       My kids are awesome. Not funny, but they really are!

4.       I don’t need a hair dryer. I am 9 months clean and it is refreshing! Ok, I miss it sometimes but I have survived!

5.       Not everything tastes like chicken. Somethings have a taste all their own…..but that is another blog!

6.       Snakes are more afraid of you than you are of them. Lies, lies, lies. I have disputed this for years. They are evil, um, remember a little guy named SATAN? They are looking to eat me.

7.       How to cook with charcoal. I can literally cook anything on my coal pot now. Just try me. Take that Martha Stewart!

8.       I love high fructose corn syrup. Go ahead. All those health conscience friends that I have,  judge me. I hate my body, I will die, so unhealthy, blah, blah blah. It tastes real good, real good.

9.       Flip flops can double as dressy foot wear. I love a good pair of high heels. It’s a fact. But flip flops are my footwear of choice here and I can rock them in shorts or a dress like it’s nobody’s business.

10.   I don’t visit enough with my neighbors. I knew my neighbors but we only saw each other for 3 minutes total each week. Otherwise, we all went to our separate corners and tried to stay out of each other’s way. Here, we are constantly greeted by our neighbors just because they love us. Now, this has a down side, but only because I am a crazy closed off American.

11.   I don’t know how to wring things out. This is something I thought I mastered when I was like 10. Turns out I am a total idiot. Every time I try to wring out anything here it ends in someone grabbing from my hands, saying don’t you know how to wring, then doing it themselves. I have quit and just hand it over automatically.

12.   A country road is not a country road is not a country road. I have ridden on more southeastern country roads in my lifetime than I can even count. They were nothing. These dirt roads have been around since the Pharoah had a little kingdom. It’s insane.

13.   A large tub is a very useful household tool. I have 4 but I wouldn’t object if I had 2 more. They are awesome. What do I use it for, you ask. Good question! Well…..dishwashing, laundry, shoe washing tub, bean soaking, baby bath, water fetching, storage for fruits and veggies, upside down-chopping surface, rain collector, drum, the list goes on and on.

14.   The name Muhamed is not just a Muslim name. Do you know how many Muhameds there are within a 2 mile radius of my house? Crazy big number. But a number of them claim to be Christian. Confused?

15.   Africa is not dry. The humidity is like 900%. If it is possible to have more than 100%. Even in the dry season, it is so humid!

16.   There are 1001 medical uses for brake oil. Can’t begin to tell you how many times people have encouraged me or others to rub brake oil on it. While I can’t confirm that this is the miracle drug that some people believe it to be, I myself have adopted a similar attitude toward apple vinegar cider. It is good stuff! Drink it, rub it on something, spray it in the air from your mouth like a fountain, it will probably cure some ailment you have.

17.   Every piece of trash has a repurpose. I have never considered myself a wasteful person. Then I moved here. Everything I throw away is taken from my trash bin and repurposed. I had a broken water pitcher I tossed, it was taken and reused today. Old coke cans were melted down for cooking pots, all plastic has an ultimate purpose, and no clothing item is beyond repair.

18.   Women’s underwear, it’s not just for the ladies.

19.   A hair saloon is not a place to go for a hairdo and a bar brawl with ruffians and hooligans, it’s just a misspelled salon. This was heartbreaking to the children and I.

20.   God will not give us more than we can handle…..this is a bold face lie. I call bull crap! I can’t even put a number to the days that have ended with me in the fetal position saying I can’t do this!! He has put me where it is way not something I can do or handle. Can’t even find a biblical bases for that nasty rumor that we can handle it. I do see that if I can’t he will and he gets the glory. So I am happy to step aside when the frogs out number the humans in our compound making us relive the Egyptian plagues or when it hasn’t rained in, oh, 6 months and let him do his thing, cause I can’t handle it!

 

This isn’t even the tip of the iceberg! I have learned so many lessons and life skills while here. It really is awesome. There are still things to learn though, I’ll keep you posted!

There's a snake in my boot! (or kitchen)

Interesting night here. Michael took one of our girls out to the bathroom last night around 8:30. That’s not that interesting, but remember the toilet is outside.  It’s not long until I hear, go inside, and my husband shouting our guards names. (one of whom was not on duty and lives a mile away, not sure what that was about) Anyway, I get all kiddies safely indoors and go out to see Mike with a cutlass and a crazed look in his eye. There is a cobra in my kitchen! Ugh. Snakes bring out the neighborhood in a big way here in Bauya so everyone came to investigate. Ironically, the guard Michael called for is terrified of snakes and kept a safe distance from the kitchen saying just let me get someone.

So, Michael puts on rain boots, another man, T-boy, shows up in flip flops and refuses boots. Then in walks our neighbor Pa Cowen. He is so tough. He’s the African John Wayne if you ask me. Awesome. He is armed with an old cutlass and nothing else. He moves everyone out of the way and stomps into the kitchen. The man is 5 feet tall on a good day, he is at least 65 and he weighs in at a whopping 95 pounds, and like me, 0% body fat. (Ok, I just snorted laughing at that) He goes in guns a blazing and begins to throw pots and pans, cooking oil cans and vegetables out the door looking everywhere for the snake that could kill us all. No fear!! During this all the other men are looking around warily with flashlights wondering if the snake is coming to sneak up on them since it is clearly terrified of Pa Cowen. And for comic relief, I send Anita, a friend, up behind Mike to pinch his leg and watched him jump a mile! (good times)

After 15 minutes of looking and many theories we all decided Michael was crazy or this snake has some serious spidey skills, because he is not in my kitchen. Of course, I still made Michael stand guard for me when I needed to shower and he had to escort every woman in the house for their nighttime potty break.  Because, hey, he’s got the boots!

Turns out white people can’t kill snakes. There are a series of phrases that are spoken to us here in SL that make us cringe.  One, because we grew up in such a pc culture that mention of differences in races is way taboo in our minds and two, because there is no arguing with it. What can you say? “Mommy Rachel, you can’t understand. It is our culture.” Well, I understand perfectly, thank you very much. But because I may or may not understand doesn’t mean what you are doing is right! Also, anything starting in “We the black people…” This is going to end in “you the whites….” and a slew of generalizations. Very frustrating! I have no cred with that.

Evangelism has been on my mind lately. I’m not good at it. No, that’s not fair. I don’t do it would be more accurate. I am lazy. I am afraid I won’t be liked or use excuses like “that isn’t my spiritual gift,” etc. I’m so full of crap!! If we build an orphanage but don’t let these kids know about Jesus, how have we really helped? If we spend all of our time working to teach people here basic sanitation or provide a hospital to prolong their life but they don’t hear the word of God, what was the point? No matter where I live I have one “mission from God” and that is to show people who he is, actions, deeds, words. If you don’t get this, you don’t know Jesus! Sorry to be frank, but somebody has to tell you!

The thought of going to another country to evangelize seems so much easier than in the states. I know. I thought this way. But I don’t run into crazy jihadists who want to talk theology and debate daily like I envisioned. Instead, I run into apathetic people who believe they are “saved” thanks to where they go to church and saying they have faith. Hmmm, sounds a bit familiar. I have also had the opportunity to spend time with Americans who believe in doing good but don’t do it for the sake of Christ. Hey, I appreciate philanthropic work. It does good. But without Jesus, it loses its purpose. These people have shared their stories and they usually involve people in the states claiming to love Jesus but behaving like the world. And now they want nothing to do with him. Or they really love Jesus, but they don’t feel their role is to tell people about Christ. A preacher will come along and handle that. Gandhi once said about Christianity, “I like their Jesus, but I don’t care for their Christians.” (hope I didn’t butcher that quote) Who would?

Bringing it back around, promise. I came here feeling like I wanted to do good and that was enough. I am learning that we the whites are missing the mark greatly. (we the whites refer to Americans, not trying to be exclusive, see my pc is showing!) I can’t argue with cultural lifestyles that are thousands of years old, I can’t change everyone’s mind set, but I better be doing my dang best to show them Jesus and how he rolls.

I have to be accountable in the end for what I did with my time here and I may find myself in line with someone I should have told about Jesus. Break: yes, living your witness is a way to show your faith and an obvious. But it is way too often used as a crutch to not tell people. Face it; you want everyone to like you just like I do. (hehe) And what is crazy, I spent a few hours with a girl Sunday and made myself share my faith. I had to say in my head, ok here we go. She had no great conversion (she was American by the way) she may not even have been listening. But she called me this weekJ And I left her and 1, thanked Jesus and fell in love all over again. And 2, felt a burden for the lost that I have been missing. Are you missing it? I can’t save anyone; I can just let people know where to find it.

If you aren’t actively trying to bring people into relationship with Jesus in the US, don’t plan a mission trip where you know you will tell people. If you are “called” to live where you are then you are “called” to tell people about Jesus where you are. Location isn’t going to change that.  1 Peter 2:9  “But you are God’s chosen and special people. You are a group of royal priests and a holy nation. God has brought you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Now you must tell all the wonderful things he has done.”  Tell me my job is not to tell people about Jesus. Think you can’t argue with it’s our culture, try it’s what Jesus said!

So, we are still on snake watch or we are having therapy for Mike, not sure which. And we are trying our hand at evangelism. Because no matter our time spent here, we want to walk away knowing we will be joined by an adopted family one day.

It is hot!

Whew! It’s been nuts over the past few months! I’m exhausted just trying to collect my thoughts about the events.

Bauya is good and hot. I have refrained from any complaints on heat, dry, wet or sweat, because I moved to Africa. What did I expect? But March in SL has made a bit of a whiner of me! I am hot, it is dry, and my shirt and pants are soaked constantly because of sweat! There it’s out there. West Africa is hot. You are welcome for the education on the climate 8 degrees above the equator. Now you know!

The Ropiecki’s are well, in spite of the heat. Mike is seeing more and more progress at the site. It is so exciting to see all those blocks lined up waiting to become a house for kids. I know without a doubt God has amazing big things planned through this. I think in the next few generations we will see huge changes in this country thanks to the love and care that will be given to a group of orphans and the surrounding community through this little plot of land in the middle of nowhere. I love waiting for the exciting unknown almost as much as I like knowing everything!

I got a visit from my father! I have missed my family desperately, so seeing his face lifted my spirits and was just good old fashioned fun! His sweet fiancé was brave enough to trek across the big blue ocean and join the adventure. I was a bit worried. One, I didn’t know if the heat would be too much. Two, it can be a bit chaotic and crazy here and lastly, it is a far cry from how I lived in the states. But I haven’t seen him have more fun or be so at ease in such a long time. We had an incredible visit. He held village children’s hands, experienced the market, carried a few bricks, tickled his grandchildren, and even endured a two mile hike to Mowotto, the birthplace of his two newest grandkids. I was so happy to share my life here with them. I’m good now; I can go a bit longer!

 

Our house is a hotbed of action from dawn until dusk. People are in and out all day long with different things. Maybe they need help, maybe they need to talk about a problem or maybe they just want to greet me. I never know who will be outside my gate! One of the people who come to our compound often to work is a man named Joe. We love Uncle Joe. He is a funny man who loves practical jokes and playing with my kids. He is an incredibly talented carpenter who has built several wonderful and functional pieces of furniture for Casa de la Ropiecki. (When you have three rooms every piece of furniture becomes prime storage space and precious) Joe fought in the war as a civilian that assisted villages in escaping before the incoming rebels would take over an area. He is tough as nails but stops to play with Ella and Hawa every day and sends them around with frogs to spring on unsuspecting parents or guards. He is awesome!

Joe is a Muslim man that we have been praying for, for some time. We have desperately wanted him to start a walk with Christ, but sometimes that can be a bit tricky here. However, we have seen several Christian men pour time and love into his life and have slowly watched his curiosity grow. All of the time spent with Joe has paid off and came to a head when my dad came.  All it took was his go getting attitude and the next thing I know I am translating what a walk with Christ looks like to Joe and hearing him say, “I believe you when you say Jesus is the way to God.” It was incredible!! So, it is with great joy I make the announcement of a new brother and an awesome addition to a big family.

We are here to build an orphanage, an orphanage that is currently seeing children become part of their forever families. We are watching them light up, grow and change as they are joined to a family that loves them unconditionally and sees them as their children no matter their DNA. The parents are so happy because they now have the children that their hearts have been seeking and the children glow because they realize they are loved and not going through life on their own. God held them for this family.

I have 1 adopted daughter and 2 that I want desperately to make my legally adopted children. I have 5 children total and I struggle to remember which are biological and which are adopted. I often tell children who ask why some of my children are black and some are white that sometimes God puts babies in our bellies and sometimes he plants them in our hearts. It is true. None of our children have been planned by us, but God knew our holes and filled them with our hearts desire regardless if we were aware of them or not. What I have seen is my heart filled with more love, patience and contentment and my children become their radiant self that God created them to be. I believe completely that adoption is God’s heart. Just as Joe is now my brother in Christ thanks to adoption, I also know that I have brothers and sisters all over the world loving the same daddy I do. It breaks my heart to think of the adoring way I look at my girls and know that God is looking down on me with the same glimmer and love in his eyes. I am Jesus’s sister and adored the same. He can’t remember who his birth son is and who he has adopted! I am loved.

I am exhausted most days and can’t imagine adding more children to our gaggle at this point but I can see people everywhere I look who need their forever father whether they realize it or not. He is working with all his might to get papers in hand and bring them home to watch them grow and become a member of our kooky crazy family! I understand his want and urgency (maybe just a glimpse). My only hope is to be broken to bring them to him.

So, adoption is God’s heartbeat. It is what he loves. I mean that in both a spiritual way and a literal way. Crack your Bible and give James a scan if you think I’m crazy. If you don’t feel the need to run out and adopt a child, find an organization that will allow you to support the orphan (TRS is a good starting place) Find a couple that need to raise funds to bring home their precious ones. Do something!! It isn’t a calling for the select few, it is a command from God! (please read James so you don’t think I’m crazy)

On a different note, we finally have our Just Dance working. I AM SO HAPPY! I love dancing! It has been so fun. Some of our African friends have joined us in a few night time dance parties. Pretty much the most I have laughed in…..ever. Everyone gives it their best and it is great to see them start to learn the steps but in the meantime, it is hilarious. We had a girl tell us that she really wished she could dance like us because white people have all the best dance moves……..really?

 

So much to be thankful for!

 

 

Enough said, right? Our lives are so full. We have friends and family in the United States that we think about daily and love so much. We know that they are faithfully praying for us, providing for so many needs both financially and emotionally and laughing with us through this incredible journey we are on.  We have new family and friends here in Sierra Leone that love us, support us, and make fun of us when we can’t live up to African standards and generally make us feel like this is home. We are blessed beyond belief.

We spent Thanksgiving as a family. Of course, we were the only ones here celebrating, but we made a point to spend it in much the same way we would if we were home. (You know, for the kids, yeah right) If you saw my face book post, I am still bragging about my miraculous T-day feast. I cooked all day and pulled off a perfect imitation of festive goodness. Roasted Chicken (no turkeys around, boo), broccoli and cheese, beans, fried apples, stuffing, mashed potatoes, carrots and even some fudgy brownies were on the menu. The amazing portion, it was all on a large coal pot, called a wonder stove and a little on a gas cook top that you use like when we are camping. We decorated the house. Set out our best plates (which are also our everyday plates, well, they are the only plates in the house) which were beautiful, Heather Butler. We did good work! We gorged ourselves on yummy food and Skyped with our families and spent time making crafts with the girls. All in all, it was a good day.

Now, I would be lying if I said I had no mental breakdowns during the day. I love the holidays. I love being with our family. I love seeing aunts and uncles. I love cooking together and playing together. This year we missed decorating the tree at my dad’s. I missed attempting to defeat my father in law at a highly competitive, full of trash talk game of ping pong. (Don’t worry Don, I haven’t forgotten I owe you) We had conversations about what our families were doing at home and what we would be doing if we were there.

But then, we had conversations about how we love being at home. And we referred to Sierra Leone as home. We laughed and hung up our homemade decorations. (Only one tree this year, it’s crazy) We had visitors stop in just to wish us happy Thanksgiving because they had heard it was that holiday for us. We truly had a wonderful day. The happy and sad were there, but what holiday doesn’t have that?

Our blessings are so many. Our home is secure and perfect for our needs. Our friends are just what God knows we need. Our bellies are full and we are relatively healthy. We are watched over in ways we can’t know and allowed the trials that grow our faith. We are stretched and molded we are provided for and completely taken care of. How could we not be thankful?

We are most thankful for our little family. We constantly look at each other and wonder how on earth our children are turning out so well. I know, you now all feel obligated to tell us how awesome Michael and I are, but we go to bed with each other every night, we know better. There is nothing good in us to raise such amazing girls. We knew we would grow and change here and we would see changes in our kids, but frankly, we weren’t sure which way those changes would go! Never have we seen our kids blossom and grow than over the past couple of months.

A couple of months ago, our morning was flipped upside down. A desperate father, grandmother and village chief showed up at our front gate. We often get visits from people asking for help, so it didn’t seem that unusual at first. There was a terrible cholera outbreak here in Sierra Leone this year. Many people died and we were on high alert for some time. A young woman in a neighboring village had died three days prior due to this outbreak, leaving behind her husband, 2 year old daughter and 3 week old baby. The family brought the children to our gate hoping we could get them in touch with the right people who could help care for the children. Through conversation we discovered the baby hadn’t eaten since her mother’s death 3 days earlier and the 2 year old was suffering from malnourishment as well. Children here with orange hair are a common occurrence, I’m afraid, but it is one of the first signs of being underfed. We decided to take the children in for a few days until a social worker could come to do an intake.

I am going to pause this story to explain some things. We Americans often have these preconceived ideas of what love looks like and what a parent will do if they love their kids. I know, I have had these same thoughts. First, the average income here, around $1.25 a day. This is average. Meaning the population that brings in nothing most days is huge. This is a country of haves and have-nots. Not everyone has a little. Countless people bring home no money for weeks. They eat what they grow or trap or hunt. This is how they survive. The nearest “town” to us is a one hour drive and we are the only people in town with a car. The town has no factories, maybe 10 businesses, no industry. There are no jobs. NONE! So, those thoughts that you may have went to about what that father should have done, stop it. This man farms. He makes something called gari, which is incredibly hard work and occasionally he can sell some, when other people in his village find a way to get money. The man had no access to formula he had no access to better foods. He was doing all that he could do to provide for his family all while grieving bitterly over the loss of his wife. His love and compassion for his children astounds and amazes me. This father’s care for these two girls is stronger than I can understand. This is Sierra Leone. Strong, fiercely loyal, caring, compassionate, loving people, who work tirelessly to provide for and care for the basic needs of themselves and their families. My bare bones American budget, please, I don’t know poverty. It can’t be described until you look through the eyes of a hungry father at his hungry children.

Back to the story, through a turn of events, the children’s few days with us has turned into the last 2 months. Which, another rabbit to chase, if you will, if you aren’t sponsoring a child, shame on you. There are so many kids who need so much. Not new Christmas gifts or movie day, but food enough for at least one meal. Find an organization and sponsor a child, NOW, go!! I have a favorite, check out therainingseason.org. I love those kids and the way the founders and staff care for them. Back again, during this time God has made one thing blaringly obvious. These two girls are Ropiecki children, through and through. We love them. We need them. We have no doubts. This is crazy, right? We live in three rooms. NOT three bedrooms, three rooms. Our toilet is outside, our kitchen is outdoors we don’t own a tv!! Do you know how little it takes to take care for a baby? I have no baby seat, high chari, bumbo, swing, pacifier, diaper wipe warmer, crib or mobile. But she is happy and healthy. Ever potty trained a baby that has grown up in the bush and doesn’t speak English? She takes dumps in our yard on a regular basis. Sometimes the front steps and she spends a lot of time naked running around yelling Mende at us. But honestly, how many times have my kids behaved similarly? (Holly Lanius, if you read this, remember the incident with Ella in your front yard?) We are so excited to have them here. It is such an adventure and joy. When the two year old started calling Michael “daddy”, I thought I would never get him off of cloud nine. And when I pick up the now almost 3 month old and she gives me the big grin with those cute dimple flashes my heart is full. Aubrey, Anna and Ella have once again proved themselves the perfect children, when they came to us and said you aren’t really going to send them to an orphanage are you? They love us and we love them. They argue and bug each other, they giggle at night instead of sleeping and they all love each other.

So, it is with so much giddiness that we introduce Hawa and Maggie. They are amazing beautiful girls that we didn’t plan but God once again knew we needed. We have a long road ahead because adoption isn’t an easy thing here and there is a different route we will have to take, but we are confident this is our path. We can’t wait for you to meet them!

 

 

 

A rotten day

I usually try to keep my posts upbeat and positive. I don’t really know why. Maybe it’s because I don’t want my family to freak out over all that goes on here. Or maybe I don’t want to freak myself out by putting into words all that I experience. But this isn’t going to be a blog that leaves you happy or that makes you think wow, they are adjusting well. This is a blog about death, sin and sadness. It’s about poverty and hurt, pain that most of us will never know. It’s a picture of what I see so often, but don’t put into words. It is Sierra Leone.

3 weeks ago, I met for the first time a 13 year old girl on the front porch of her mud hut. This child had a younger sister about 8 and they were being cared for by their 18 year old brother because they had lost both of their parents several years ago. A child raising children…..

This, however, was not what brought me to their front porch. I went to the village to administer first aid to a few of the villagers. Nothing complex….boils, cuts and infected scrapes, simple infections and colds. And then I saw her. She was sitting on the porch maybe weighing in at 65 or 70 pounds. She was pale and obviously in pain. Michael had seen her the day before and wanted me to take a look. I stepped onto the porch and had to turn my head. I am not a person with a weak stomach. I have squeezed maggots out of a man’s arm…..I’m unflappable. But the smell coming from this small girl wasn’t anything I have encountered before. Then I moved the cloth from her stomach. Green bile was seeping from a gaping hole in her belly button. I was at a loss. Michael and I both were stunned. I patched her up and we began forming a plan for what we thought the girl needed. It took time (most things here do) but we drove her to the local clinic to see the Community Health Official……where she was promptly turned away and told there was no treatment. Michael drove to Moyamba, one hour away. They refused to take her in the hospital. After a few hours, he was finally informed there was an ambulance that could take her to Freetown for free treatment. Wahoo!! We were so happy and excited.

We got a call the next day from her brother that she was in Bo (a city 6 or so hours from Freetown, in the opposite direction from Bauya) and they needed money for a blood transfusion. Our kids have been dealing with a skin issue, nothing major, but we decided to have it looked at and went to Bo to help. Only to get there and find out the doctor who does the surgeries left the country because he was nervous about election time. There are 88 doctors in this country. That day there was at least one less. Never have I wanted 88 doctors like we did that day. This little girl was then put on a bus and shipped to Freetown to be turned away, yet again at another hospital. Another bus took them north to a hospital that promised results. All of this took place while she continued to ooze bile, her intestines were basically hanging out and she was so thin…..there aren’t words to describe this.

We got word that the little girl died. The hospital kept putting the surgery off because they wanted more money. MORE MONEY! What is the price of this little girl’s life? Somewhere around $100. She will not return to her small sister who cried and wailed when her sister was taken from her. Yet one more person has left this tiny girl’s life. This brother buried another family member, he put her to rest several hours north in an unmarked grave. The numbers have faces! The children are alone and dying. Who stands for them?

We decided a few months ago to hire full time security at our compound. We now have a day guard and night guard on duty 24/7. I know you are imagining guys walking around with clubs looking tough. Trust me they are tough, but we love them!

It is hot in Sierra Leone. Check a map, 8 degrees above the equator, makes for a hot sticky place. Seeing that electricity is not an option, you can bet that air conditioning is also not on the list of things we have. Instead, outside has become an extension of our home. It is where our classroom is. It is the kitchen we hang out in. It is the playroom where my kids romp around and play. Consequently, we spend a lot of time with our guards. They have become like family. They greet us at shift time. They check to see how we are. We’ve met their families. They play soccer with my kids. I take them food when we have leftovers. They call me Mommy Rachel (yes, this freaked me out at first. I would have been like 12 to have some of these be my children) But the name has grown on me and we truly love them.

At 7:15 this morning, a text came over Michael’s phone. I picked it up, still groggy to read a message from Patrick our guard. While he was on duty this morning, his 9 month old son died. This boy was at my gate last night. His mother came to me for medicine. I gave what I had not realizing the boy was so sick. He was smiling and giggling, although I could tell he wasn’t feeling well. This morning the smiling stopped. My heart hurts. This baby’s life just started….

I know the kind words that you are thinking, I know you want to lift us up. But frankly, it’s not about us. Looking at this young mother crying and putting her baby in a hole where dirt is tossed on his face….how do we lift that mother up?

In this area, most firstborns are not buried. Why, you ask? Because it is so common for children to die that they just go to the dust bin. This is not a culture that doesn’t love and care for their kids, but a culture who would be crushed under the weight of their loss. A world where grieving is a full time job if you let it be. A community that sees heartbreak as a way of life. Oh Jesus, be the light here.

I read a quote recently, that I will butcher, but it said something like poverty isn’t being without things it’s being without options. It’s true. There were no options for the little girl being sent from hospital to hospital looking for someone, anyone, to help. That mother had nowhere to go. After seeing the local doctor and getting the meds there was nowhere for a second opinion. There is no, I will pick up an extra shift to earn money for a really good doctor. No, I don’t like what that doctor said, I will go somewhere else. I didn’t understand poor until I saw people dying from it.

This post has a few purposes. One, I just need to vent. I won’t lie, I miss first world problems. Starbucks only serves caramel apple spices a few times a year. Target only has the shoes I want in a 7 ½. I have wanted several times to pack my bags, live in comfort and AC near my friends and family and chalk this up to a strange little time that I learned from. I am confident these pictures could fade if I can just get far enough away. But that is not where I am. And I want to get it off my chest!

It is also an honest picture of what we see. You need to know. This “adventure” we are on is ugly. It’s hard. It’s so full of sad some days I feel swallowed by it. I have been spared some of this tragedy only because I was born a few thousand miles west. A small ocean is all that has separated me from this hurt and loss. How have I lived so blind?

Now, that’s all said. Do know that we have also experienced joy and happiness like you can’t imagine. We have seen love displayed in incredible ways and God has displayed his majesty in ways I can’t describe. “Momma’s in a dark place” tonight, but I know tomorrow will bring the sunrise and a project that will hopefully save some of these lives from a similar fate of the children whose stories I shared. You know that story about the starfish littering the beach and the guy is picking them up one by one and throwing them back in the sea but there are like a million more all around. Someone says hey dude, you’ll never make a difference here and Mr. throw the starfish back says, “ I just made a difference to that one” as he throws another in. Have you heard it? Our beach is so full right now it can be hard to see the difference. But it’s there, I know.

Pray for these children. Pray for these parents. Pray for the leaders and the doctors. Pray for a divine difference.

 

Broom vs. medicine and medievil mayhem

I’m sorry for the silence. I can’t even try to explain how insane our lives have been the past few weeks. You wouldn’t believe me if I tried!

We have had some extreme joys and some extreme heartbreak. We pressed those in sickness and in health vows. We also had the privilege of sharing the country we love with people we love from good ‘ol TN. Between all of that, the rain and a few days of copious amounts of bathroom usage, we officially move to Bauya. (No it wasn’t cholera)

It is like no other place I have ever been. We were prepared by everyone to feel a bit isolated and lonely here in SL. Bauya did not get the notice! We have the cool kid’s house and everyone comes to hang out! EVERYONE!!

So many people have asked “what is a typical day for you?” Ha…..ha, ha, ha. Typical? Well, let’s see. Some mornings we are awoken by the town crier. (No joke, that’s his job. Hence the medieval title reference) Of course, he makes his announcements in Mende and we are pretty limited there. So it is our hope that he doesn’t warn us of some horrific impending doom. We then lay in bed, in the semi-dark, wondering if we can put off heading out to the toilet just 5 more minutes because once we are spotted it’s all over!

Eventually, the urge overcomes. I get fully clothed and head out to the outhouse. Now, we do have the deluxe model of outhouses, so don’t spend too much time lamenting our plight. It is complete with toilet and septic tank. No running water, but the jug we keep in there keeps everything……not bad.

When I open the back door to exit the house and make my way to the backyard, I often encounter various types of game that have been trapped that morning and can be mine for dinner that night. Freetown Bo (a tiny cute deer, very sad to see, very tasty to eat!), ground pig (a giant rat, complete with tail), and monkey (really no explanation needed) are a few that we have had waiting for our approval. I have been perfecting my, “Oh it’s just a regular old dead animal on my back porch” face. If you have spent more than 5 minutes with me you can understand how difficult this is for me. Said meat is then skinned and butchered and displayed on a banana leaf in my backyard for me. Ahhhh, dinner is underway!

Then, somehow, I have been confused for a doctor. It was a dream until I realized how much chemistry was involved and then my major was promptly changed to a degree that would require no lab time! I treat wounds, hand out dewormer and some general antibiotics when necessary. While all this happens, Michael is checking on the worksite, dealing with the carpenter (all of our things are in the floor of our house, 6 mos. of suitcase living is causing me to twitch), hearing people’s cases for why they should be employed and trying desperately to down that ever precious cup of coffee.

Now, it is 9 AM and I still haven’t used the bathroom!

Impromptu visits from the chief and other officials are quite common and this requires a costume change and cold cokes. We do have a freezer! Woot, Woot! We occasionally run our generator in the evening and it cools it down nicely. There are some beautiful women who have been helping with cooking and various other domestic chores that I try to accomplish between all the visitors each day. So we collectively try to catch up on laundry and cook a meal while the kids play with all the children that frequent our yard. (Don’t tell them, but school starts for our girls this week so their days of play are numbered.)

I am explaining things to them like the gas stove, why I wash my hands so much and how it is better to use a can opener than the giant knife for the tomato paste. All while they laugh and tease me for my inability to wring clothes, wash rice and sweep. Apparently, I’ve had a lot wrong for a long time!

At some point, Michael finds his way home and we eat while 50 of our friends watch. Our girls have made a theme song and phrase to our adventures. The first, “I always feel like, somebody’s watching me!” The other is Aubrey waving and under her breath to Anna saying, “Smile and wave boys, smile and wave!”

We often walk up to Chieftown at night. That’s the classy section of town. All the men engage in a game of football (soccer), while the kids play and ladies talk. Then back home, where, inevitably, there is another crowd. Eventually, our neighbor comes over and tells everyone to go home. Prayer time and falling into bed are all we can manage at that point! Whew, that day is done!

We love the village and the people. (Not to be confused with the village people. Although my hips can’t help but shake at some YMCA) We even love our little home. And it feels just like that, home. Our lives will change, the new will wear off and we will find our routine, but until then we are enjoying the chaos!

We will continue to choose meat, hold babies, doctor wounds and love on the people we meet there. Eventually, we will learn Mende, starting with learning to pronounce broom and not actually asking for medication.

Much love from Bauya!!