Curtis and I both have dull headaches today. We remarked on it just now and I thought that it might be from straining our eyes working on a jigsaw puzzle this fine cool Saturday. Then the landlady knocked on the door and asked if we were the ones responsible for the gasoline odor. It didn’t even occur to me that the noxious odor wafting up into the apartment might be responsible for our headaches. Life here is not short on strange odors. There is a rice processing facility just next to our building and there is some kind of heat involved. Just about every evening as we come home from work there’s a huge steaming pile of half-processed rice near the building. That stuff is a pungent mixture of thick coffee and burning rubber. People don’t make much trash here but what they do have to get rid of generally gets burned. Weeds are often piled up and burned, setting off various sweet smoky odors depending on what weeds are heaped on the pile. Another day, three more funky smells. It’s a real tour de force for the olfactory nerve.
It’s not something to complain about, (the present petrol odor exempted). It just is. But it’s good to give the nose a reprieve when possible. Today I baked a loaf of bread. The smell is rich and rewarding. It’s almost as good as the odor just now creeping in through the window; the Indian family down the hall is cooking up something spicy and tasty. If only I could strike up a friendship with them… Last night we visited the new home of one of our staff members. Tony has just moved out of his folks’ place to prepare the nest as he readies for marriage. He lives in a neighborhood full of old Belgian mansions in various states of disrepair that have been claimed and subdivided by local landlords. After a dinner of fried plantain and smoked fish we watched the Netherlands beat Côte D’Ivoire by a score of 2 to 1 in Germany. I’ve always got to root for the underdog if I don’t come into it with a favorite. I was pulling for the Ivoire Elephants, and so was all of Africa. I couldn’t help but thinking of my friends there and how they have been suffering through civil war for years now.
As we arrived home, walked up the stairs, and turned into our dark hallway there was an odd whirring noise and a headlight coming toward us. It turned out to be the Indian family’s little girl on a battery powered toy motorcycle. It occurred to me that this cute little girl is so young yet she’s among the elite few in town with wheels.
There are few things from America that I miss very often. I miss people far more than things. I’d cut out most soda long before I left the USA and here it is often unavoidable. But truthfully, I do miss root beer. Yesterday I was in one of our little grocery stores and I spotted one lonely can of A&W Root Beer! I could hardly contain myself. As far as I know there isn’t any other country besides the USA that makes or drinks root beer. The Aussies have some drinks in the genre but they’re not the same. My British friends think it tastes like toothpaste or medicine. (We use mint and cherry to flavor cough medicine and apparently they use something like root beer.) I asked the shopkeeper how he got the root beer and he said that it came through Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. Dubai has been the major trading post for Africa and the Middle East for a long time and they say you can buy just about anything you want there. Still, root beer?! Back at the office I was savoring every sip and I noticed that it was canned in Southern California! It is a small world and it’s getting smaller every day.
The gasoline odor has faded as I’ve written this entry. Hopefully someone will light up a fire nearby before my nose gets bored.
Brian ~ I think the Lord has given you a gift for sharing your experiences in writing. Thank you for continuing to live life with us via the internet! This morning I am up and in my routine of preparing the bookmarks for the Bible so that scripture readers at Mid-City will find their place easily….the music books are ready and waiting at the church….Stef and Tiana are leading…..it’s a holiday, so we are short a piano player for the first time since you left! ….yet I’m certain the entire worship will be awesome because it’s not for us ~ it’s for Him! Today is another sending day ~ Stephen, Shannon and Heidi….bittersweet. We miss you! And yet, we continue to be blessed and in awe of the work the Lord is doing here. Next week is Davey and Gwen’s wedding. Tiana and Eric’s was awesome. And we continue with several more in the next few months. Isn’t it amazing how God is so vital and present for each of us…wherever we are?
Thanks be to God.
I agree with Pastor Kathy (from whence I derived my own name here!) that your writing is transporting. I feel very much “at home” with you as if I’m visiting with you at your desk at Ryan, but we’re looking out the window into your new world.
It was All Saints day today for us along with Father’s Day. As we chanted the hymns and Scriptures I thought about all the people who’ve worked and suffered for the Kingdom, who gave of themselves without measure to the cause of Christ. They are a powerful part of that “great cloud of witnesses” that cheer us on and remind us of God’s faithfulness, love, and mercy. How I pray that you feel that so abundantly in your work there, Brian.
How grateful I am that the blessing of root beer came your way. Whoever thinks that God is not interested in the small details of comfort and mercy had best think again!
Thank you for faithfully and vividly sharing your journey with those of us engaged back here in your “homeland.” Our daughter Cadence’s wedding is in less than three weeks now, and we look forward to a gathering of 11 (her immediate family and Eric’s) to celebrate their commitment to one another. Our Bryan is flying in from Maui on July 4 (our 37th wedding anniversary!) and will fly to Reno with us on the 6th and return for a few days with us after the wedding.
May God continue to give you health and peace and furnish you with all you need to serve Him faithfully there. We miss you!
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One more update from Mid-City ….. we did have a piano player yesterday after all! Eric Dorris is one of our faithful guitar players these days ~ and he learned of our need and recruited his sister who was visiting. She did an amazing job….and once again, we are reminded of His faithfulness.
We still miss you! It would be amazing to have you with us leading again ~ even for a day. So….tell us about worship experiences where you are now…when you get a chance! Peace to you.
Reading your description of baking bread and enjoying the smell, I was reminded of your ability to enjoy the simple, wholesome things in your life. That is a quality I admire.