The Lund Life

I recently went to pick up a prescription at the pharmacy. As I sat down next to an older man, I looked at my watch hoping I would make it in and out quickly. He looked over at me and said,

“You’re different”.  (Crickets chirping)

Uuuhhm, thanks for noticing?

“How so?” I asked.

He then informed me that usually when someone comes into a waiting situation they pick a seat away from anyone else who is already waiting. Thus, American etiquette. I apologized and we laughed. After finding out he was a retired maintenance worker for a Boy Scout camp and that I was a stay at home mom/used to be 911 dispatcher, my prescription was ready and I was on my way.

I realized as I headed to my vehicle that I was indeed Africanized in another way. African’s don’t know what a comfort zone is. Plain and simple, they have no bubbles or lines to cross. They don’t always know what is appropriate in our standards, not that they are the only ones to go on. I had many children, as well as grown men and women, poke at my children’s cheeks and chest – things that might not ever come to my mind when meeting a child for the first time. But totally acceptable to them, either way.

One thing that I have found extremely difficult, which is one thing that I thought I loved to do or that was something that I should strive for, is having people in my house. Sure, I love to have people come visit, I love to have my friends stay overnight, I love to have a house that is open in case someone comes and needs its services. I have been told that I am very good at providing a relaxing and well met environment for people that do stay, but still I do not like the actual having someone else in my space. We had a house worker who did laundry, cleaned, and watched the kids and helped cook meals. I was uncomfortable every single second she was in my house. And I am realizing that I am that way in my home too.

This seems to be a new revelation to me, since I have wanted and yearned for company. Since I have dreamed about having the resources to house people not of my immediate family. I need to have time alone at night by myself. I need to know that things that I can’t afford to replace are not going to be broken. I don’t know.

This is going to be a struggle for me as we head back to Uganda, as almost everyone has one or two women that work in the home helping with laundry, cooking, and childcare. Almost everyone has someone working outside in the garden or just around the grounds taking care of things so you can concentrate on your missions work. If you feel the need, please help me in praying for my heart to be changed and for someone to come along that I can really except into my family as another member, whom I feel comfortable with. And don’t feel like you can’t ever come over to my house here (or there); just let me know you’re coming first!

Arley and I took a trip this weekend. It had many firsts including, first time away from our kids, and in away I mean half way across the United States (but I survived). It was the first time Arley and I flew together, alone! minus all the rest of the people on the airplane. It was the first time either of us had been to Alabama before (I have never seen so many outdoor McDonald’s play places in my life).

We flew down on Friday evening and spent Saturday morning driving to a board meeting for African Children’s Mission, passing Talladega Speedway and a Bass Bro Shop store on the way. We had a good meeting, getting to meet/visit, eat Chinese, and get some business done in the midst. We also got some time to talk with Wayne and Mary about when they first started missions and some of the next steps we need to take.

During the business meeting, we were voted in as full time missions with African Children’s Mission. We were giving a range of funds to shoot for to be supported on the field. We need to meet a budget of $1,500.00 a month and we need to have about half of our building and vehicle fund met before heading over and the rest pledged. We think we will need between $30,000 and $40,000 for the whole thing. We are praying for someone to come along, that is invested in ACM as much, if not more so, than us who is willing to meet most or all of our building cost so that if we ever have to leave the field, then the donor would still be happy with the building being with ACM.

We are starting to get some business cards and prayer cards drawn up, although we want to wait for a picture including the new baby maybe for the prayer card, and my next step of action is to get a updated and revised prayer letter list compiled. To do this, I am going to start from scratch mostly, so if you would be so kind as to email me with your name, address, email, and phone I will gladly add you to this new list.

We stayed in what they call on the ranch “The Green House” well, because it is green. It had a large room with kitchen/dining/living areas with a pantry.

 It had a 3/4 bathroom and a bedroom with an adjoining office space which we used as the boys’ bedroom. There were a four person table/chairs, a love seat, a day bed, and twin beds for the boys and a queen bed for us. We had our share of mosquito nets for our beds. We had a highchair and a crib made for Eden while we were there.

 We also had a shelf made for Solomon’s school books. The kitchen boasted a propane stove and fridge. The fridge had to have a new bottle every 14 days or so and we would use what was left in it for the stove which worked well. The shelves were open and below the counter, which posed a problem as Eden learned to crawl and reach all of the glasses, dishes, and serving ware. We were welcomed by a host of geckos when we got there which stayed for the entire three months depleting the bug population by night and peaking at us from the curtains by day.

 I tried to resist, but my overwhelming urge to change furniture started the day we came. It started with a quick switch of the day bed and the love seat. Then it turned into the bed moving twice and the table and love seat were switched later in our stay (It gave me something to take my mind off of leaving the last day because I worked at switching it all back)!

Our pantry consisted of, at any given time, Irish potatoes (close to reds), cabbage, onions, tomatoes, green peppers, pineapple, bananas, eggs, spaghetti noodles, beans, ground nuts (peanuts), oats, rice, white flour, and maize flour. We ate lots of fried beans and posho (beats the pants off of rice and beans with no nutritional value), spaghetti and fried cabbage and eggs and potatoes. When someone would go to town, they would bring us back some frozen chicken breasts and we would make popcorn chicken and French fries.

We had a girl names Salima to help with cooking, cleaning, laundry, and starting the fire for warm water at bath time. She did these things every day.

 Eventually, Eden liked to help with the laundry. The first week, three men came and dug a trash pit, which turned out to be a 6 foot hole in the ground through lava rock! Africans can be very hard workers.

Our roof was consisted of a thin metal. It is a great upgrade from the grass roof, but there was one drawback. When it rained, it poured! And when it poured, the noise on the roof was absolutely deafening! It was so loud, Abraham had to wear the noise reducing headphones we had brought along at the last minute (thank you God!) and the rest of us had to either go outside or cover our ears. We have already started thinking of ways to lessen the sound when we go back and build our house.

I hesitate. I am indecisive. I want to make the best choice, even when it is as menial as what color to choose. I have so many thoughts about what to blog, but I don’t write a single one. I don’t know how it is going to be perceived and I want it to be perceived just right. I have never been much for impressing people very much, so that is not the reason for hesitating. I do want to be able to accurately describe for a reader what I am saying. One thing that I feel that I need to improve on all the time. My words. Although I am getting pretty good at NO! Just ask my kids. I don’t want to impress but I want to make an impression if that makes sense. I want to be truthful and real but I never want to whine or rant about anything. It is really hard for me to write words. That is one reason I wanted to challenge myself with a blog. But lately, I have not been allowing myself to be challenged. I hesitate. The truth is, I have a blog that I finished over a month ago, but I still have not posted it. Because I am not sure if it envelopes the fullness of my experience, and I thought of something else that I wanted to add but still have not. So that is my challenge this week. Finish that post and send it off into blog-blog land or la-la land as I like to think of it sometimes…. anyway. And then get onto my next blog. Wish me luck.

Just to let you know, Arley got the 3/4 time position at Park Rapids! And we have a van lined up for the begining of September. God is so good.