The Traditional Thanksgiving List

My list of 100 things I am thankful for. 

It's tradition. You should make one too, it's good for the spirit.

1. Running, who'da thought I'd enjoy it so much

2. The rain 

3. My friend Kimberly

4. Garden friends

5. Old university roommates

6. Good books

7. My brother, Christopher Reaves

8. My mom and her bravery

9. My dad and all his animals

10. Deli and her gift at helping me do my taxes

11. The Sierras

12. My Wawona family (even if I don't live with them anymore)

13. My Tchadian family, not a day goes by that I don't think about them

14. The ability to communicate with people in English, Spanish, French and a little bit of Kiswahili

15. Fires in the fireplace (even here in Tanzania)

16. Familiar fruit

17. Skype (sonyareaves is my skype name!)

18. Language dictionaries

19. My dog Tangawizi (yup, I got a dog and he's a beaut!)

20. Travel

21. The things I had to learn last summer

22. My summer camp families (Kulaqua, Alamisco, FLAG Camp, and Wawona)

23. Deep conversations

24. Friends who can be honest with me 

25. New friends in foreign countries

26. Student Missionaries

27. Zucchini bread

28. and it's recipe giver, Melissa/my birthday twin

29. Not knowing the future, despite what I may say I'm glad I don't know. It keeps me on my toes

30. My past, it's rough at times but it's also beautiful

31. Southern Adventist University, my alma mater  

32. God, who is filling all the voids in my life

33. People who are my family even if they aren't related by blood

34. Wild animals

35. Fresh fruit (not grocery store fresh, garden or farm fresh)

36. Beans and how they are in very country 

37. Adventures

38. Starting something bigger than myself

39. Prayers from people I don't know

40. My coworkers in this endeavor who are working hard back in the States

41. Candles

42. Toilets with running water

43. Electricity

44. Good books for when the electricity goes out

45. Cookies

46. Cookie dough

47. The mountains I can see from my neighborhood

48. Nail polish

49. Stories from my friends

50. Clean water to drink

51. Mosquito nets and how they make me feel lovely and old fashioned 

52. Really soft blankets

53. My old Bible and how I know where everything is and can find it when I need it

54. Nice smelling shampoo and conditioner

55. Visitors

56. Brand new crayons

57. PACKAGES!!!

58. MAIL!!!!!

59. Surprise conversations with friends on Skype

60. Star Lakes

61. Camping out

62. Sweet flowers that smell really good all night long

63. Steps to Christ

64. Stars

65. Orion and Pleidies, which I can see both here at my house, AMEN!

66. Photographs

67. Childhood memories

68. Baseball

69. Anti Itch Cream--Mosquitoes in Tanzania are vicious! 

70. Nice smelling lotion

71. Sweaters

72. Fall clothing

73. Marzipan (If you don't know what it is your life is missing something, go to world market and look for some)  

74. Photographs of my parents when they were young and in love.

75. Post-it-notes

75. Bible promises

78. Wireless internet and modems

79. Romantic sunrises

80. Sweet sunsets

81. Snow

82. Trees, especially really big ones

83. Christmas music

84. Laughing

85. Home made pop-tarts

86. My Grandpa and his deep faith in God

87. Flowers of all sorts of colors

88. Journals and re reading them and laughing at the silly things I thought were such a big deal at the time and seeing how God has lead in the past

89. Popcorn

90. Ugali porridge, it's kinda like cream of wheat

91. The classic oldness of Camp Wawona

92. Little kids yelling my name as I pass their house

93. Ice Cream (and yes I'm a vegan and yes I like to eat ice cream . . . )

94. Having a personal taylor to make my inventions

95. My friends, all of you

96. Knowing that some people read my blog, like Mom Weis :)

97. My growing kids from Honduras

98. Playing dress up with Andrea

99. Falling asleep

100. Waking up 

Thank you Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving has always been just a regular holiday until I found myself for the first time away from home, America and everything familiar. It was when I was living in Honduras that I found such a deep beauty in the holiday. I realized what the beauty of the holiday was and that the people I was surrounded with could love me like family. Thanksgiving soon became one of the most important holidays of the year (right next to the 4th of July).

Thanksgiving is more than a few days off from work or school, more than cooking lots of food and more than dumb American football. It's a day where we all pause, and evaluate life, we look at what God has given us, what He has blessed us with. This morning I read in Ephesians a perfect text for tomorrow:

"Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think . . . be glory"

Ephesians 3:20,21

Tomorrow I am going to visit with my new friends, some who aren't even from America but Germany and Canada. I am going to sit with them and eat, but most importantly I am going to look back on the year and see all that God has done for me, things that were exceedingly abundantly above anything I could have asked for all year.

I hope you do the same.

May God give you the eyes to see, the ears to hear and the love to see all that He has done for you this year.

The moo cow moo.

My grandma used to sing a song about getting milk from a cow. I loved hearing her sing it, "again Grandma!" I would say, then I'd try and join in.

The moo cow moo brings milk to me

I don't drink coffee and I don't drink tea

For milk is better for a girl like me

This last week I milked a cow.

I.Milked.A.Cow.

Cool.

A mixture of thoughts

I love the smell of rain. I love how it makes things cold. I love how it fills the well with water. I love how it makes things green.

I keep forgetting it’s fall where you are. I’m enjoying the spring and warm sunshine while you are getting snow. I love snow (I also love most things, it’s in my DNA to love things). I hope you are taking time to walk among the falling leaves, bundle up, wear a scarf, drink hot chocolate, sit by a fire, because fall is the time of year to slow down and be with people. I love fall.

I love to bake. You can ask any friend who has lived near me in the last few years and they will verify those facts. Although flour is a bit expensive here I still buy it ($1 for 2lbs). I’ve already made some sugar cookies and cinnamon buns, which my buns are getting better and better each time. The tricky part with baking here is to I light the top of the oven or the bottom. We use kerosene and you can’t light both, so I’ve chosen the bottom. Any tips on that would be welcome.

I do not love to go to Arusha. I went awhile back to get prices for our Holiday sponsor information and while I was there I interacted with so many people. Arusha truly is a city of many people, I talked with Christians, Muslims and Hindi. Quite the wide variety.

Nuts, there went the power. I’m pre-writing this on word so when I go to where there is internet I can copy and paste; however now I am not so sure I will go anywhere. It might be a nice quite evening at home with a good book and chi. Aww, it’s not to bad. I had wanted to call some of you to talk and to search a few things online but that can always wait.

The Voice of a Child

[ Masi child going into his hut, Tanzania

by Sonya Reaves, 13/11/11.]

Teach me how to love

I am a child in need of strength and hope.

Love me for who I am, only don’t leave me that way.

I am rude and loud and think of myself

I stand up front and say what I want

It’s almost to late to fix what you started.

Love me and correct me with strength

Teach me when and where to talk

How to know my place.

Show me what it is like to put others first

Love me with the love from your deep heart.

Allow me to fall, but not stay down

Do what you must to teach me how to love

Love me with confidence.

Gabriel

Gabriel, much like his Biblical namesake, is a guardian, a messenger and a friend. I first met him the night I arrived but I remember him best my first Friday night. I had only been at home for two days and was still very new to life here. Mary was at work and I was left to open the Sabbath alone. I remember opening the door to the porch off of my room and hearing beautiful acapella singing and sitting down on the porch to enjoy it. Then Gabriel came to guard the house, he turned on the porch light and sat down next to me. We discussed the beautiful music, where it was coming from and the local fruit trees. Thus began our friendship.

Gabriel was the first person to sit down with me and teach me Kiswahili, mainly because he doesn’t speak much English, but we get along well with the words I’ve learned in Kiswahili. We patched together sentences in Kiswahili and English, using my dictionary and charades. It is Gabriel’s son, Onesmo who has also joined in the force to help me learn Kiswahili, patiently repeating himself until the connection is made.

Mama Onesmo, Gabriel’s wife is just as kind. She came over within the first week I was here and brought me some eggs as a sign of hospitality. One day as I was walking back from the University, which is further up the mountain, I heard a faint “Sonya, Soooneya”. It was little Onesmo with his mom. He had seen me and called out so we could walk home together, sharing with me his little cookie/buscuits. It was on the way back that they showed me the “short cut” through their yard. Now whenever I am going further up towards the University, church or Havilah (the neighbor orphanage) I just pass through their courtyard and shout out a, “Hodi” smile really big and add, “short cut”. To which every time Mama Onesmo responds with a kind, “Karabu” and Onesmo comes out to give me a high-five and a sweet, “Jambo”.

Gabriel protects our house, relays messages from people who are working with us on the well, and he has chats with me in Kiswahili/English. I’m very glad he is part of our staff, I feel safe with him near and know that he is a valuable addition to our team.

When you come to visit and drive in after the sun has set, be sure to shout out a, “Jambo Gabriel!”, if you do, you will for sure get a warm, “Karabu!”

Poof and it's poofy.

We didn't have electricity most of the second half of this week, I liked it except for the not being able to contact people I was going to call. However I embraced the quite darkness.

Woke up this morning with this:

Not sure what it was. I took some Benadryl and ended up sleeping all day from it. It's better now, tonight.

I'm going to Sanya Juu tomorrow. I don't care if we actually see animals, I'm just excited to go to Sanya Juu. What a cool name.

28 beautiful stories

Have you ever wanted to visit, thought of visiting, want to volunteer, know someone who has visited, lived, volunteered on the continent of Africa? Have you ever watched a movie about Africa, seen animals from the Serengeti, or animals that were from Africa? Do you know what simba, rafiki, asante sana or karabu means in English? If you answered yes to any of these questions you need to read 28 Stories of AIDS in Africa.

There are 28 stories from different people and their connection to AIDS, whether they are HIV positive, all their children have died and they are taking care of their 14 grandchildren, they do research for AIDS, they are advocates or they are living with AIDS. I learned so much about this disease that is raping the continent of her people. I learned so much about the different mindsets people in the first and third world have about the disease and ways that people are working to open the eyes of the world to how they can help. The stories are easy to read and captivating beyond anything I thought was possible. Stephanie Nolen does a wonderful job at explaining the disease and how it has managed to kill generations, leaving children homeless and parentless.

The stories clued me into the cultures present in Africa and helped me understand better how to live and function among Africans. They not only touched my heart but they grabbed me and took a hold of they way I see people around me.

I can’t recommend this book enough. If you don’t think you have time to read the whole thing then take it in sections. I wish I could recommend just a few of the stories but they are all so good and eye opening that in order to fully understand the situations you must read them all. Read them slowly and understand the pain of these people, the burden that they are carrying, the dreams they have and the lives they live. Let God speak to you through them and let them change you.

When you are done, let’s talk about them. I’ll be waiting.

Month number 1

I figure I need to write about living here for one month now. To be honest I can’t believe it has only been one-month/4 weeks/720 hours, it seems like I have been here forever. Maybe it is because this life isn’t so new, and the people in it feel like people I was missing in my life up until now. I’ve laughed with Mary so many times in the weeks I have been here. She is patiently teaching me how to cook like a Tanzanian mama and we are sharing thoughts, not the loose ones that are floating around, although I do share those too, but we are sharing deeper ones. We are two women living in a house sharing the responsibilities of simple living yet we are growing and sharing. It is amazing. I honestly never thought I would connect this well with someone who is not from my country.

This location; I feel as if I have always known these dirt paths, I’ve always known that turning left at the “Doors” would take me to Ngordoto Lodge or Maxi’s shop would sell me toilet paper for 5oo Tsh. I have a healthy fear of things but I’m not afraid to meet new people, I am making friends of all ages and genders (although it seems a few of the men would like to get married and that makes me weary). I have friends that work in beauty parlors, making topography maps, and work in gardens.

I know we will be getting children soon. I’ve had longer than most pregnant women to prepare myself for children but I still think it will be quite the awakening when I have little feet around the house. I’ve been swimming in the silence of the house for a long time, I just hope I don’t get to use to it. I must remember this is just the calm before the storm. The kids, I have been here long enough to wonder what the little face will look like or what their life will have dealt them. What their personality will be like and what kind of joys they will bring.

I’ve meet expatriates from all over the world, Germany, Canada, America, Congo, and England. I’ve connected with Student Missionaries from different organizations and I am excited to develop those relationships and offer what I can to them.

One month and so much has happened. Who am I that God would give me such a life? He is more wonderful than I could ever express, He is filling in the gaps in my life. He is teaching me, guiding me and loving me when I need it most. I can see the works of His hands here and I am frightened and excited to see what mighty and powerful things will happen at the home.

Skills

Kellie (volunteer from nearby orphanage) did my makeup the other night. It was great, including a lovely unibrow. I don't think I'm ever going to be the same again.

Ps. I gave her one too.

Outfitters

I went to Arusha last Friday.

I discovered something that I had no idea I would find, ever in my lifetime. I found the Tanzanian REI, the Rock Creek of Arusha, the haven of all things outfitters. I found the market that sells American outdoor apparel. It was all there; North Face, Black Diamond, Keen, Choco, Teva, Marmot, Alpinist, H/H and many other brands. Can you believe it? And the price, oh, let me tell you about the price, I asked about a pair of Choco’s almost just like mine only they were a single strap and they cost around 80,000 Tsh, a mear 43 Usd, and even that could possibly be talked down. The backpacks that I saw were only 50,000 Tsh, 27 Usd, and like I said they might even be talked down.

The isles were lined with all kinds of brand name hiking shoes and sandals, warm fleeces, backpacks, warm hats and wonderful dreams of adventure. The backpacks were hanging on their hooks waiting for a voyage of discovery on the Mountain of Meru or the peak of Kilimanjaro. The dreams of adventure are born in places like that, and it’s my very own Tanzanian REI, Rock Creek of Arusha and haven of all things outfitters.

Come for a visit and we can get you outfitted for the wilds of my backyard.

Which by the way, this is a picture of what I saw in my ‘backyard’ yesterday. I only walked about 30 min to see it too.

Saturday.

In moving here and taking the job of starting, from scratch, this home for children I have found the need to understand more deeply why I believe what I believe and why I follow the rules I follow. Are they rules simply because or are they based on the Bible?

The first of many things I am evaluating is the Sabbath. What do I believe and why? Do I rest on the seventh day because I am a Seventh Day Adventist? Because it’s what I have always done or do I do it because it is what God has asked of me?

This last Sabbath I took some time to search out the one true place for answers, the Bible, the word of God. In my reading I found several answers to what I should do on the seventh day of the week. I decided to read from Exodus, the book that explains God’s commands for us, the Ten Commandments.

“Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days a week are set apart for your daily duties and regular work, but the seventh day is a day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any kind of work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you. For in six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; then he rested on the seventh day. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy” Exodus 20:8-11

So that’s the basic rule, but I kept reading to see what else was said if anything, and this is what I found:

“Work for six days, and rest on the seventh. This will give your ox and your donkey a chance to rest. It will also allow the people of your household, including your slaves and visitors to be refreshed.” Exodus 23:12

Nice, the reason is not just because God rested but He knew I would need a rest from all the normal daily work, and let me tell you here there is lots.

There were still more. This must be something important to God if he is still talking about it several chapters later.

“The Lord then gave these further instructions to Moses: ‘Tell the people of Israel to keep my Sabbath day, for the Sabbath day is a sign of the covenant between me and you forever. It helps you to remember that I am the Lord, who makes you holy.’”

How wonderful, a weekly reminder to me that I am a chosen daughter of God!

“’Yes, keep the Sabbath day, for it is holy. Anyone who desecrates it must die; anyone who works on that day will be cut off from the community. Work six days only, but the seventh day must be a day of total rest. I repeat: Because the Lord considers it a holy day, anyone who works on the Sabbath must be put to death. The people of Israel must keep the Sabbath day forever. It is a permanent sign of my covenant with them. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, but he rested on the seventh day and was refreshed.’” Exodus 31:12-17

Wowzers, God wanted to make sure Saturday was kept apart from the rest of the days, therefore he repeated it and used methods to make sure the Israelites also understood the importance of it.

Yet, He’s not done. There are still two more passages to read.

“Six days are set aside for work, but on the Sabbath day you must rest, even during the seasons of plowing and harvest.” Exodus 34:21

“Each week, work for six days only. The seventh day is a day of total rest, a holy day that belongs to the Lord. Anyone who works on that day will die.” Exodus 35:2

So I take from these that I need to say something to those who work for me. I had been afraid to talk with Gabriel about him coming and working on the yard on Sabbath, but now I know I must. I also need to talk with Mary about doing the dishes, cleaning the house and other things. It’s not for me it is for my God. He asks me to make sure my entire household is honoring the day, the time set aside to spend with Him.

I am going to have to work a bit harder to make sure all the dishes are done and the house clean on Fridays and that there is food prepared ahead of time so that no extra work is needed. For those of you not familiar with life here, EVERYTHING is work, from making the rice, to washing the dishes, to taking the cattle out to graze, even cleaning up a simple mess takes extra work. It all takes time and lots of energy. But with a little bit of planning ahead of time that can be taken care of.

I want to take the Sabbath and allow it to be a beautiful day, fill it with worship, community and rest. It isn’t a day to be dreaded but a day to look forward to; we are given a command to rest, to remember the covenant with our Creator. I rejoice in this news and I rejoice in a God who asks to spend a day with me, a mere servant.