So Sweet

Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus.

These were the words I sang today, trying to push my mind off the heat and distractions of the dance group next door. I determined that I would think about the words – really think of them like I never had before.

Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, just to take Him at His Word.

I realized that all around me was the testimony of these words. Not in my life, because my life is riddled with times I haven’t trusted Him. My life is easy compared to these around me – these our African friends.

Just to rest upon His promise, Just to know ‘thus saith the Lord.’

These are people that put me to shame, because of the great trust that they have in our God. Some of these are the only believers in their family and workplace. Every day they face shame and ridicule, because they dare to believe the Bible. Some of these don’t know where their next meal will be coming from – or whether they will have a place to live in the next few days. Some of these are looking for jobs, trying to increase in their jobs, or just make enough to save a little. Some of these are fearful of sickness – afraid their babies will get sick, because they won’t be able to afford a doctor.

Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him; how I’ve proved Him o’er and o’er.

And yet these are the ones who give so much of themselves, to us and to others around them. These are the ones who stand and give testimony, weeping the whole time, of how God has transformed their lives and how they will ever be grateful for those who preached the Word to them.

These are the ones that go around, daily living their lives in full trust of Him. Put me to shame, indeed.

Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus; oh, for grace to trust Him more.

Musings on This Fine Day

My brother and sis-in-law came up north to visit us for a few days. And thus, a trip that was much anticipated is now over. It had been a long six months since I had seen them, and oh, I was so surprised to see how much 'Baby' Lukey was talking. In complete sentences. Getting his point across quite well. It's hard to believe that 'baby' is going to be three very soon. :(

But with the passing of that long awaited visit, comes the building anticipation for the next big thing on our agenda - a quick trip back to the States. With time ticking down, we've a lot to do - last visits to make, handing off various responsibilities, getting our house secured and lining up our security guard (just had to mention that in case any one is reading this blog, planning to break in while we are gone... :) THERE WILL BE SOMEONE HERE!), getting everything ready so the dogs will be taken care of (yes, they will be here too), and of course, making our lists of things to do and buy while we are Stateside. I placed an order today for my favorite hair and makeup supplies, which are all running quite low, so that they will all be ready and waiting when I arrive.

And therein comes such an interesting point, because with yet another international trip looming ahead of me, I am again totally undecided on what to wear on the airplane. This decision haunts me every time I travel. It is such a delicate, hard decision and there are many facets to the issue to be considered.

My position here in this country continues precariously. I've been given yet another temporary waiver, which allows me to be here until December. I must say, I don't hold out much hope for staying much past that, but miracles do happen, I suppose. We are just taking it one day at a time, trying to make a Plan B and a Plan C just in case things don't work out. Best case scenario would be for my application to be accepted. Second best would be if I can get one more temporary, allowing me to stay until mid-February, and then we have a good plan from there. Worst case would be if I get removed from the country at the beginning of December - that would really throw a monkey wrench in our plans! It is just so frustrating when you do absolutely everything they tell you to do, and the very reason they refuse your application is for something they told you to do in the first place.

Spring is here, which means that the heat is back. The trees are blooming, even though they only lost their leaves a couple weeks ago. (And, since we haven't had any rain in about six months, the trees that do have a few little blooms usually don't have any leaves at all! Talk about strange-looking.) The dust storms continue, and we fight the ongoing battle of keeping the floors non-gritty.

Recent culinary adventures have included Bubble Tea and Bacon and Banana Crepes. Yeah, exciting, huh? With the return of the heat, I'm remembering why we don't like turning on our oven most of the year. But we now have a blender, a fact which opens up all sorts of possibilities for smoothies and dressings and other amazing things before rendered too hard when done by hand.

And that, basically, is my life right now in a nutshell. Or in a sliver. Which indicates that it is not nearly the whole, but probably all that you really care to know about, if you made it this far. :)

I am so comforted today thinking of this truth:

"He who cares for all the works of His hand, cares with infinite tenderness for the children of His love, and thinks nothing which concerns them too small or too trivial to notice."
Susannah Spurgeon

There is nothing in particular that concerns me today, but a myriad of everyday problems and worries. Yet, how wonderful to know that even these things are of concern to my Heavenly Father, simply because He loves me so! I am so glad that I don't have a God that is boxed in by limitations, that is hindered in helping me because He is concerned with someone else.

He is capable of handling my small matters as well as my large ones. What a comfort!

The Power of a Promise

I just realized I never linked up with last month's Grace & Honor article. Here it is...
______________

“But he promised,” she whispered. “I know he’s going to come.”

There are few things as sweet as a little girl’s trust in her loving father. When she has a daddy who has cared for her and is extra careful to always tell the truth and always keep his promises, in her mind, there is nothing her daddy cannot do. She doesn’t understand that even fathers have limitations. He might make a promise, and circumstances out of his control would prevent him from keeping that promise, no matter how he tried. That is the limitation of being only human.

Continue reading... HERE...

the life of a dog

When the first rays of the sun warm the eastern sky, I start to roam. After all, I've been shut out of the house away from my humans all night long. Apparently they want me to guard the yard or something. I just don't understand why I'm outside with Firestorm while Queenie gets to sleep inside on a nice blanket. So when those first rays of the sun begin to light the yard, I start terrorizing the puppy.

He's a long, lanky Doberman - only 11 months and already taller than I am! We are both hungry (it's been so long since supper), so to remind our humans that it is time for breakfast, we start wrestling and making a lot of noise. This usually pays off, because Queenie will come bounding out of the door pretty soon, rested up from her lovely night indoors and ready to play. In fact, things will get so wild in the yard (and maybe I help it along just a little bit) that I usually get let into the house, just so 'the dogs' will be quiet and those who are still sleeping (it's only 6 AM after all) can continue in slumber.

This is the part I love. As soon as the door is opened and my name is called (somewhat brusquely, by someone who is still in their pajamas), I go flying down the hallway, skidding to a stop right in front of my favorite door - Rachel's bedroom. Ah, yes. A couple appropriate scratches and I may or may not be let in to sleep under her bed. If not, I'll just curl up right against her door so that she can't leave without me noticing. Plus, if I've had a busy night barking at every sound and wrestling with Firestorm, well... I'm exhausted.

Rachel is so nice to me. She usually gives me a taste of her breakfast and lets me sleep by her bed while she checks her email and gets ready for the day. Then in the mid-morning comes a most important date in my schedule - morning naps in the sun with my buddies. The three of us dogs line up - sometimes in front of the gate, sometimes on the grass - and snore away in the sun. Sun-bathing is almost a lost art in these busy days of the modern dog.

We generally spend our early afternoon begging to come in the house. Depending on whether Rachel is at home or in town, she might take pity on us and allow us in. We love coming in to take our afternoon naps on the living room rug.

Suppertime is a definite highlight of the day. Queenie always gets fed separately. This I can't understand. I know Rachel keeps telling me it is because Queenie gets special medicine, but I just don't think it's fair that she gets fed first and usually gets a small helping of leftovers to go with her pills. Just because she's the oldest dog doesn't mean she should get the best! I knew Rachel first, after all. (This is a very sore subject with me, so please don't bring it up unless you plan on hashing it out fully.)

Sometimes, if Rachel is feeling brave (and has someone else's help) we get to go on walks around the neighborhood. The humans say that this really helps us obey and keeps our energy in check, but I HATE walks. I really despise them. Maybe partly because they make me wear this ridiculous backpack.

After another lovely wrestle around the yard, stirring up all sorts of dust clouds, we usually get let into the house to be with the family for the evening. If we are good and don't get into any trouble, we might even get to stay in the house until Rachel goes to bed. Usually, though, Firestorm (he's such a little boy dog) starts being naughty and then we all get kicked out.

I'm not a big fan of night time. I like to bark at a lot of things, just because I don't know what they are or how they might hurt me. It helps having the puppy around, though... he likes to bark at things too, so we make a good team. A couple times, we've even had men come up to the gate and act like they were going to come in. A few ferocious barks, and we were able to scare them off. We make a good team, that puppy and I.

The best part about night time is the digging. I always like finding new holes to dig and new plants to uproot and eat in the middle of the night. This is my reminder to Rachel that I don't really like being separated from her for so long.

And that, is the life of a dog.

Sewing Adventures

A bit of a creating bug coupled with some things we needed, and it's been one adventure after another around here! Let's start with the easy... a skirt!

This used to be a vintage dress, but the top was funky and I never wore it. Also, it was just a tad too short, which is why I originally added the lace on the bottom, but it just wasn't a comfortable length and draped strangely. Since it was high-waisted, I just cut it at the waist, added a t-shirt band from an old t-shirt (that used to be red, then faded in the sun to the exact color I needed... how strange is that?) and this is now the most comfortable skirt that I own. The fabric is vintage, a beautiful well-loved cotton blend that doesn't wrinkle, breathes well, and makes for a very nice grab-and-go skirt.

Next up was a dust ruffle for my bed. My bed looked lonely and strange without a bottom layer, so I began looking around for one to buy. Finally found a store here that sold what I wanted, but only in twin and double size, not queen. It can't be too hard to make my own, I thought! And it wasn't.

(Now that I actually have this picture up here, I realize you can't really see the print of the fabric. Oh well... click to enlarge, but I think you get the idea :)

I've had this old green-flowered sheet for ages. It's a favorite one that I picked up from a thrift store - vintage, I think, as it has no tags. I've used it for many things - a curtain, a tablecloth, a couch cover, and even as a sheet, since that was its original purpose. Now it has new life as a dust ruffle. :) I cut the twin-sized sheet into three long sections and sewed them end to end, salvaging the folded over 'top' for another project. Then, I was going to ruffle it up and attach to a middle piece, but when I took my bed apart to measure, I realized I could just pin it to the box springs. So that's what I did. :) Minimal sewing, it works just as well, and it will be easier to take apart and use the material for something else. As with most things, I'm sure this is just a temporary solution and it won't be long before I change my mind again. 

Last of all, for this blog post at least, was something much more difficult. In fact, this was something that pushed my skills and our poor little sewing machine to the max! That something was a window screen - two window screens in fact, and more in the queue for when I have time. 

Those of you who have been to Africa or other countries who do their windows similarly know how the windows can be a bit challenging. Of course, we have bars on all the windows for safety reasons. Also, the windows don't generally slide up and down. Rather, they open out and all the hardware for latching, locking, and propping the windows is between the window and the bars. This makes installing screens rather difficult, because the screen needs to be removable so you can still access the window. 

There are lots of solutions, but the 'easiest' solution is having someone custom make the screens for you. Generally these are a wooden frame you can pull out of the window with real screen material tacked on... and since window sizes vary so much (no standardized windows... everything is custom made) and lumber is so expensive (not a lot of trees around here, if you haven't noticed!) this gets rather costly. 

After spending two summers here, we know well the choice that has to be made - either you keep your window shut to the cool night breezes or you open the window and endure the mosquitoes. And while mosquitoes can be endured, I suppose, I don't really want to risk getting malaria. Other bugs don't really bother me, but I have a healthy fear of mosquitoes. :) I'll be honest, though - a lot of nights last summer, it was so hot that I just didn't care and opened my window! 

So my brother had the idea of making our own screens. This way we could keep the cost down, get it done in a timely manner, and be able to open at least our bedroom windows this summer without letting in the bugs. We looked at several options, and decided on what would be a) the cheapest and b) the easiest. 

Basically, we went with a tent window. Four outer strips of canvas sewn into a frame with a zipper all the way around, then screen in the middle. We were having problems finding screen, in fact, the only 'screen' we found had holes so large that the only thing it would keep out was anything larger than a fly. Not mosquito-proof, in other words. So we went with awning material, believe it or not! Once everything was sewn up, with little snaps at the top to roll and stow the screen, we screwed it to the wall with four grommets, stretching as much as we could. Then a layer of contact cement all the way around ensures there are no little holes where a stray mosquito might find his way through.

A little campy, no? But it's really not that bad. During the day, I snap up the screen, and with the curtains, the only thing you can see of it is the canvas strip at the bottom, which strangely enough, matched my wall paint. Everything gets zipped up at night, but then you can't see it anyway. Now I can have my window open all night long, and never have to worry about a mosquito!

So there you have it! In all, one window screen takes about 3 hours for me to do alone (not quite 3 hours if Sam is here to help me measure, trim, etc), and costs about 17 US dollars. Not too bad! And with the cost that low and the way it is now glued in, we would probably just leave this in the house should we lease another place to live. We could easily make new screens for our new house, which will probably have different sized windows anyway. :)

The Dogs

I can't begin to tell you how amusing these three are. They each have their own little personality quirks... I just love them. :) And, they take their job of guarding us pretty seriously, so they are worth what it costs to feed them. They have sort of adopted me as their mother, and their favorite place to be is in my bedroom, scattered and snoring around my bed (they would probably be IN my bed if I let them). Where once I had one shadow, I now have three. :)

Winter's End

These are busy days, as we bid goodbye to our delightful winter and buckle in for another long summer. It's already hot, folks. Today I got a little sunburn on my cheeks, just walking around the market and visiting my ladies. It's time to start taking two showers a day, I think. :)

In preparation for the summer, my brother came up with the brilliant idea of sewing some screens to fit in our windows. We have a bit of a unique window situation, as all the windows here have hardware (locks and latches and stands) directly on the window, and you must first reach through the bars to access the window. Putting a screen in over this means you can't open, lock, or adjust your window, so the screens must be removeable, or at least easily moved and put back, without compromising and leaving even an inch of open space. You can be assured that if there is an inch open, the mosquitoes will find that inch, at least if it is me they are trying to get to on the other side of the window. So he thought, "What if we made our screens like on a tent? They can be a 'frame' of canvas which we will tack up to the wall, then a light mesh screen which zips all the way around." Brilliant idea, no?

And wouldn't you know but it worked! Well, we bought the supplies, measured for my window, sewed everything up, and all that is left to do is to tack it up and glue around the edges, sealing all the gaps. I can't wait... it will be so nice to have a screen in the window this year, even if it is a little 'campy' looking. And all this for about $17 a window and a couple hours of sewing. Not too shabby.

All our guests are gone, or at least, by tomorrow morning they will be. It will just be back to the four of us, the four Hammetts with their three dogs. What a motley crew they are. It's odd being back to just us. I find myself having to pare down when I am cooking, but I usually still end up with way too much food. We're back to laundry once a week, having more than enough towels, and bathrooms staying cleaner longer (with those three aforementioned dogs, we still have to sweep at least once a day). But it's sad to have the house so quiet, to have no extras to play games with in the evenings, to have no movie-watching buddies. :(

And it is definitely sad to have this lovely winter come to an end. I'm really not quite ready for summer yet, so I wouldn't complain if it fluctuated some over the coming days to give us a few more cool ones.

Let not your heart be troubled:

ye believe in God, believe also in me.

In my Father's house are many mansions:

if it were not so, I would have told you.

I go to prepare a place for you.

And if I go and prepare a place for you,

I will come again, 

and receive you unto myself;

that where I am, there ye may be also.

And whither I go ye know, 

and the way ye know.

Living in Dust

The dust is taking over this house, this country.

Everywhere we go, it is dirty, dry, and dusty. Everywhere you turn, there are little miniature dust storms and dust funnels - some large, some small, all... dusty. We leave our house for two days and come back to a layer of dust on everything that makes it seems like we have been away for months. You wipe down the kitchen cupboards and come back two hours later to find everything covered in a layer of, you guessed it, DUST!

The dogs chase each other around the yard, and we hurry to close windows because soon our whole yard is engulfed in a cloud of dust. Our car is perpetually dirty from driving on the parched roads, and every night I scrub the dirt out from under my fingernails. I'm not doing strenuous labor in the dirt, mind you, just every day living, and yet the dirt gets into everything.

I look at pictures from January and I marvel at just how green and alive everything is, though at the time, we compared it to other green places we know and mourned its brownness. Now everything truly is brown. The only green that exists is in trees with deep roots to water sources or lawns that are being watered by people.

I don't think I have ever in my life gone so long without seeing precipitation. Living in Pennsylvania there is always some sort of precipitation falling - snow, rain... rarely do they go more than a couple weeks without something. I was in Thailand during the rainy season, and in Africa always during rainy season or in a rainy part of the country. But now, I am here in the desert. The days are steadily warming more and more, indicating that summer is once again just around the corner. But the rains? They won't come until October, although we may get an odd shower in September.

"There shall be showers of blessing." Isn't that what the song says? "Precious reviving again. Over the hills and the valleys, sound of abundance of rain!"