Africa hot....is stinkin' hot!

Now I recognize, that this venue is not intended to be a place to fuss, gripe or complain.  And I have no doubt that when you come to my blog you expect to hear all of the fabulous things that God is doing in Africa.  But for today, I am going to do a little fussing, because today…..well actually for the last few days….and from what I understand, the rest of the month or so…..it is hot!  Not just hot, but Africa hot….no air conditioning or ice cubes in your drink kind of hot!

To quote the late, great Robin Williams in Good Morning Vietnam (with language altered just a bit), "My name's Roosevelt E. Roosevelt." Roosevelt, what town are you stationed in?. "I'm stationed in Poontang." Well, thank you, Roosevelt. What's the weather like out there? "It's hot. Dang hot! Real hot! Hottest thing is my shorts. I could cook things in it. A little crotch pot cooking." Well, can you tell me what it feels like. "Fool, it's hot! I told you again! Were you born on the sun? It's dang hot! I say - It's so dang hot, I saw little guys, their orange robes burst into flames. It's that hot! Do you know what I'm talking about." What do you think it's going to be like tonight? "It's gonna be hot and wet! That's nice, but it ain't no good if you're in the jungle." Thank you, Roosevelt. Here's a song coming your way right now. "Nowhere To Run To" by Martha and the Vandellas

Like I said….hot!

On Wednesdays, our Lifesong family gets together for brinner….for those of you that don’t know what I am talking about, it is breakfast for dinner.  Love!  This is a great time for us all to gather around the table and chat…chat about the day, the farm, the school….whatever!  Today, my roommate Sheila decided to make cinnamon rolls to take to brinner….delish!  And not just one kind, but decided to try two different kinds!  In order to make the cinnamon rolls, she had to gauge the temperature of the milk prior to using it in the dough….so, she went and got the thermostat from the farm.  Did I tell you I live on a strawberry farm?  That is a story for another day…..anyway, she got back from the farmhouse with the temperature gauge and that is when it hit us.  89 degrees inside the house…..99 degrees outside of the house….without air conditioning!  I knew it was hot….but somehow when you put a number to it, it is almost unbearable! 

To make matters worse, I have been sick….with strep.  Something about me and Zambia….I came home last year with strep.  So, here is the part where I move beyond the fussing and become extremely thankful.  I am thankful that God provided antibiotics “just in case” before I left the states.  I was able to start these right away and am already on the mend.  I am thankful for the provision of other missionaries, already on the ground when I arrived, that have quickly become family and have checked on me over the last couple of days.  I am also thankful for fans…don’t laugh…I have been at home during the hottest parts of the day since being sick and have had 3 blowing on me.  I have one at the school that I use when I am there (which also helps to mask the smell of hot children).  This temperature would be rather intolerable without them. 

So, I guess this blog today is about what God IS doing in Africa….providing….providing pharmaceuticals, friends and family and fans (tried to make it an alliteration….ha!).  Throughout the process of getting to Africa and even once here, I am constantly reminded that our God can always be found even in the smallest details.