Summer is here, with the longest day of the year. Nightfall comes late, creating a dilemma for conscientious parents; should you let your kids stay up well past their bedtime in order to chase fireflies? After all, the days are long and they get up early. No one likes a grumpy child the next day. But we let Amani, Abby and Sophia stay up past sunset into the dusk to chase the lightning bugs that are twinkling all around the Welcoming Place compound. Their friends join them and there is laughter and cries of joy as the children run to places where a tiny light blinks in mid-air for a second and disappears. In the cool of the evening the adults relax in 10,000 Villages chairs (made of bamboo wood and fashioned like a hammock on a frame) and enjoy a time of non-study. (inset photo: Renate, Amani, Nathan, Sophia, Abby)
Week 2 is now past. For the children there was more of the same; mornings with a short devotional time (singing and sharing and praying), then either a special speaker, crafts or an MCC video. In the afternoon there were the field trips; going to a large central market, or to a pretzel making factory or to the Lancaster Cultural Heritage Center or a 10,000 Villages tour. Learning about MCC or Mennonites/Amish and even the history of all the above is part and parcel of their education. But when the afternoon is done, they are happy to be finished. In fact, Wanda and I see less of them than when we were back home in St. Catharines. "Do you know where the girls are?" "No," is not as worrisome here. They are playing with their new friends either around or inside the buildings or they have found an open computer and are playing games on the internet (yes, we do monitor that).
And our daughters have made new friends. There is Nathan and Renate, children of our friends Marcellin and Esther who are going to be CR's in Zimbabwe. There's Annika and Faye, children of our friends Larry and Gayle who are going to be CR's in Bangladesh. There are other children coming and going as well. We got to meet Holly and her children Jacob, Nicholas and Suzanna coming back from Ethiopia. Suzanna quickly fit in with our girls (there are alot of girls running around here!). There is plenty to keep the children busy but there are times when Sophia or Abby or Amani will pause and think of what they left . . . and there have been a few tears.
As for Wanda and I? It feels like we sit all week long. Eating, sitting and sleeping. But good stuff happening in the sessions. How to fill out forms, who to talk to in the Akron offices for various and sundry problems, how to get around in the new financial programs for MCC countries. But the bulk of the week was with Jan Schmidt who walked us through how to deal with conflict in relationships. Jan, a professional consultant on conflict resolution in business and church, shares leadership in a consulting business in Winnipeg. Sessions were intense, focused, interactive (role-playing) and creative. We were exhausted every afternoon but we learned alot. Then on Friday Bob Herr and Judy Zimmerman came in to introduce us to the new MCC Country Planning System. They are walking us through the vision, the mission and the manuals that talk about it all. They aren't done with us yet. We'll see them next Monday and Tuesday.
Wanda and I got fresh insight on the MCC Ethiopia position this week thanks to Holly coming in. As we ate meals together, she gave us valuable insight into the program, the people and the position of Country Representative. John and Holly did great work over the past 4 1/2 years, we'll have big shoes to fill.
We've got Skype up and running! Thanks to a little help from a friend, we can now call and see Mom & Dad over the internet, even from Ethiopia (depending, of course, on the quality of the internet connection where we will be)! It was a most accidental connection. I was in bed with the computer on to download some photos from my camera and suddenly the Skype program popped up. The wireless service is weak on the MCC campus so I never expected my computer to connect, we use landlines for a stable connection. But there was Mr. Anderson and my Dad trying to connect, sounding like an old scratchy intercom connection. I quickly took the computer over to the Meeting Place and plugged in a landline connection. After a few glitches and false starts last night we talked for about 30 minutes. I think this will be fun.
So we are ready for the weekend. Saturday will be catch-up day for Wanda and I. Filling out yet more forms, making up another To-Do list for next week, going out to buy a few needed items yet, play some Frisbee golf with the girls. Sunday we plan to go to church at Akron Mennonite, then a picnic lunch with friends JW and Deb Sprunger. We found a great pizza place and plan to take our friends out to supper there. We've also got an invitation to go to an MCC house for strawberries and ice cream. Ah, these are the days . . .
Then comes next week. More sitting, eating and sleeping . . . and preparing mentally for next weekend when we will be packing to fly to our new home in Addis Ababa . . .
Week 2 is now past. For the children there was more of the same; mornings with a short devotional time (singing and sharing and praying), then either a special speaker, crafts or an MCC video. In the afternoon there were the field trips; going to a large central market, or to a pretzel making factory or to the Lancaster Cultural Heritage Center or a 10,000 Villages tour. Learning about MCC or Mennonites/Amish and even the history of all the above is part and parcel of their education. But when the afternoon is done, they are happy to be finished. In fact, Wanda and I see less of them than when we were back home in St. Catharines. "Do you know where the girls are?" "No," is not as worrisome here. They are playing with their new friends either around or inside the buildings or they have found an open computer and are playing games on the internet (yes, we do monitor that).
And our daughters have made new friends. There is Nathan and Renate, children of our friends Marcellin and Esther who are going to be CR's in Zimbabwe. There's Annika and Faye, children of our friends Larry and Gayle who are going to be CR's in Bangladesh. There are other children coming and going as well. We got to meet Holly and her children Jacob, Nicholas and Suzanna coming back from Ethiopia. Suzanna quickly fit in with our girls (there are alot of girls running around here!). There is plenty to keep the children busy but there are times when Sophia or Abby or Amani will pause and think of what they left . . . and there have been a few tears.
As for Wanda and I? It feels like we sit all week long. Eating, sitting and sleeping. But good stuff happening in the sessions. How to fill out forms, who to talk to in the Akron offices for various and sundry problems, how to get around in the new financial programs for MCC countries. But the bulk of the week was with Jan Schmidt who walked us through how to deal with conflict in relationships. Jan, a professional consultant on conflict resolution in business and church, shares leadership in a consulting business in Winnipeg. Sessions were intense, focused, interactive (role-playing) and creative. We were exhausted every afternoon but we learned alot. Then on Friday Bob Herr and Judy Zimmerman came in to introduce us to the new MCC Country Planning System. They are walking us through the vision, the mission and the manuals that talk about it all. They aren't done with us yet. We'll see them next Monday and Tuesday.
Wanda and I got fresh insight on the MCC Ethiopia position this week thanks to Holly coming in. As we ate meals together, she gave us valuable insight into the program, the people and the position of Country Representative. John and Holly did great work over the past 4 1/2 years, we'll have big shoes to fill.
We've got Skype up and running! Thanks to a little help from a friend, we can now call and see Mom & Dad over the internet, even from Ethiopia (depending, of course, on the quality of the internet connection where we will be)! It was a most accidental connection. I was in bed with the computer on to download some photos from my camera and suddenly the Skype program popped up. The wireless service is weak on the MCC campus so I never expected my computer to connect, we use landlines for a stable connection. But there was Mr. Anderson and my Dad trying to connect, sounding like an old scratchy intercom connection. I quickly took the computer over to the Meeting Place and plugged in a landline connection. After a few glitches and false starts last night we talked for about 30 minutes. I think this will be fun.
So we are ready for the weekend. Saturday will be catch-up day for Wanda and I. Filling out yet more forms, making up another To-Do list for next week, going out to buy a few needed items yet, play some Frisbee golf with the girls. Sunday we plan to go to church at Akron Mennonite, then a picnic lunch with friends JW and Deb Sprunger. We found a great pizza place and plan to take our friends out to supper there. We've also got an invitation to go to an MCC house for strawberries and ice cream. Ah, these are the days . . .
Then comes next week. More sitting, eating and sleeping . . . and preparing mentally for next weekend when we will be packing to fly to our new home in Addis Ababa . . .
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