What I'm Loving..What I'm Missing

Loving....
ice-especially crushed..Sonic style
fast food-Sam's cheap hotdogs
salads-with feta cheese and baby spinach

wait....I'm just talking about foods....

and loving...
hugging friends and family
drinking tap water
the smell of clean laundry
constant electricity
showers...long, hot, clean showers


Missing....
friends who are like family
the sunrises
suya
Yahtzee

More to come with photos tomorow.....
goodnight....or goodmorning

Stateside

43 hours of travel,
4 delayed flights,
1 missed flight,
$7 of internet service,
$24 of McDonalds fries and cokes,
3 sets of currencies,
4 very tired girls...

we have arrived.

Chicago and Holding

Began the journey 36 hours ago....we made it to the airport through heavy rains, rough roads, and crazy traffic. Waited there for many hours for our flight to take off. Hung out in Germany for while. And now we are....

Stuck in Chicago.

Missed our connecting flights due to immigration and custom lines.

Stand by flight got delayed. We are praying we'll be able to get home by tonight.

So close...and yet so far.

We will only be in the States for a few weeks for R&R.

(photo: Lauren at Assop Falls)

12 Hours

We took off early in the morning and headed east with a basket of peanut butter and jelly, meat pies, pringles, cookies, drinks, swimsuits and a camera. The ride was beautiful as we watched the sun rise, passed dry river beds, and waved at children in villages we passed. We were heading to a place I had desperately longed to visit for a long time.

We were welcomed to Yankari National Park by spider monkeys and baboons. During the safari we saw warthogs, waterbuck, bushbuck, and so much more. The most exciting part of the journey was when we were in the middle of a large herd of elephants. They were majestic! We heard them warn us to not come too close and saw the little babies. They were larger than I thought they would be. I could have watched them for hours.

But then I would have missed the Wikki warm springs. After a lunch of pb&j, we walked down the 100+ stairs to the water. It was so clear and bath water warm. Naomi learned to swim and we all enjoyed it immensely.....and the next time we go, I'm ignoring the barbed wire and jumping off the tree limb! We ended the day there by sitting outside enjoying the beautiful view.

As we were heading back, we realized that we had done it all in 12 hours. Next time though, we are staying for a few days!

Tomorrow

written 06 June
Tomorrow we leave home and 23 hours later we will arrive home. Home is now on two different continents.

I am apprehensive. I don’t like change and I don’t like to say goodbye. Probably not good issues to have when you live across the world from so many friends and family. As we have been packing to head to the states for a few weeks, I have tried to come up with the words that would describe our life here. That hasn’t been as easy as it was even nine months ago. It was then that culture shock was thick, we were totally exhausted and overwhelmed and probably a bit depressed. Then I would have described our life here with words such as : no electricity, rice, bananas, stress, crying children, homesickness, rice, bananas, loneliness, tears, diarrhea, lack of sleep, bribes, no water, exhaustion, rice, bananas,…..

So glad we didn’t give up and go home ! Although some of the words would be the same in today’s description such as no electricity and rice, I would add so much more : joy, fruit (on many trees and in many hearts!), relationships, contentment, laughter, fun, home,.……

When we were preparing to come, I remember someone once asking me, "How could you do this to your girls ? "I can now confidently reply, "How could we not do this for our girls ?" It sure isn’t the reason we came to Nigeria, but the blessings of growing up here abound. Things that often seemed ike hardships have become the source of friction to polish us. What I thought I would dislike about Nigeria have become the things that have caused me to call it home.

I will be glad to get to the states...but I know that I will be ready to retun home in a few weeks.

Seven Things I Love About Early Morning Runs

1. The darkness and silence helps create my very favorite time of the day. It is often the only silence in my day…and I cherish it enough to lose an extra an hour of sleep.

2. There is so much less traffic is on the road and on the track in the early hours…and I prefer to run in solitude. If I had my druthers, I’d never see a single person ; however, I am learning to enjoy greeting the same people on the road each morning….kind of like a silent accountability group.

3. I can plan my day, organize my thoughts, and prepare my heart for the circumstances that will undoubtedly arise. If I miss a morning run, my entire day seems a bit out of kilter.

4. It is cooler….much cooler in the mornings.

5. Listening to my Ipod makes me VERY VERY happy ! To watch the sun rise to the voice of Josh Groban starts my day with a smile on my face…geek, I am.

6. I can still get home in time to spend a few minutes watching each of our girls sleep before I must wake them for the day.

7. Even if I do nothing else all day, I’ve accomplished one thing before 6 AM.

A Night to Remember

Have you EVER seen a better looking group of kids...I mean young adults? me neither

As I watched these kids enjoy dressing up, figure out "date" etiquette and laugh all night, I couldn't help but wonder what they will be like during graduation in a few more years. They are a tight knit group. They are a joy. I will only have them two more times...and then they will be finished with middle school forever. Hummmm...MAYBE if they all fail English, I could keep them a while longer....or maybe I'll just bribe them with jolly ranchers to come visit me every now and then!

No Goodbyes

Where has the time gone? This month has been the busiest one ever! We continue to miss Jon, but happy that he is resting well in Tennessee.

We are on the merry-go-round of “end of the year” places to be and people to see. We are saying goodbye to our superintendent, school counselor, and two of our principals with numerous dinners, parties, dedications, etc. The 8th grade banquet created an opportunity for the students to dress up and enjoy reflecting on their time together before moving up to high school. Concerts for all ages have provided entertainment a few nights this past week. Last night was a sports’ banquet and tonight will begin the week of countdown for the seniors with baccalaureate. Along with exams this week, we have three award programs, closing chapel, graduation and many, many goodbyes. As busy as it all sounds, we will be sad when this year is over. And especially sad to see so many leave for furlough, transfer or graduation. I am sure tears will flow.

Over the last year, we’ve said goodbye too many times, and now it is time to say it again to many who are leaving Hillcrest and Nigeria. Saying goodbye doesn’t get easier with practice. Perhaps the more experience you have at it, the harder it becomes because you know how much it will hurt. The deeper the love, the stronger the pain. However, even with the hurts of saying goodbye, I can say, “I’d do it all over again!” I never want to forsake the joys of love because I was too scared of the goodbye. Instead of “goodbye”-it will be “until next time”…..no goodbyes.

May 06 I LOVE MY BIRTHDAY

But I despise the hype. After losing one of my brothers at a much too early age, each year I am so thankful when my birthday comes around…another year with those I love dearly. But I don’t like the (often artificial) hype of birthdays. The older I get, the more private I become. My sweet girls, their friends and my students helped make the day very special. Homemade hummus, many hugs, beautiful handmade cards, a meal of milkshakes and fries, some cakes, and my favorite movie-the perfect gifts! Then, they saved the best for last-we went away for a day of MUCH needed relaxation, out of Jos. As I watched my children play, talk, and just enjoy the day without phones, school work, or other obligations I realized just how blessed I am. Jon was safely in the states recovering. I am so thankful he didn’t have to have surgery and that he was ok. We have three girls who are as different as points on a triangle, each experiencing different things in life. Sitting out on a rock, I prayed for each of them…prayed that the trials they are each facing today will become tomorrow’s testimony. Prayed that they will learn that life isn’t about how many years you live, but how you live those years.

A Letter to My Class

I lost it. Just flat out lost it with one of my classes on Friday. They have such passion for life….and passion for each other….and passion for talking to each other about their passion for life…IN MY CLASS! I was so upset. Not at them,…but at what they have done to me. (Don’t take that wrong…just keep reading.) See, I thought this would be easy: come to Nigeria, teach for two years, do what I was called to do, and go back home. I even counted the cost of going without certain conveniences. No big deal---lose a bit of weight, learn to go without a daily shower, who really needs electricity? All was going as planned. Until….until I fell in love. Forgot to factor that in…didn’t even occur to me that it would happen at all. No forewarning. And I like things planned…

So…Class of 2011-
I will not apologize. I am not sorry. I admit it. I love you all. I don’t know why and I don’t understand how it happened. But I look forward to watching you continue to grow—as a class and individually. Sometimes I catch a glimpse of what I think you’ll be like in a few years and it makes me smile. I will miss you more than you’ll know next year when you are in high school. There…I admitted it! Now, about class: I am glad you are passionate about life. I am glad you are passionate about each other….just simmer your passion down IN MY CLASS!

Love,
Mrs. Parker