Fellings of home

Finally, after 4 months traveling and moving here in the States, we got a home to stay for the next few months. We are in Minneapolis MN in a rental unit that needed some work. So we did the job and with that the rent had a break for us. What a wonderful place!!
The feeling of going "home" is just great! Don't have to go through our bags to get my clothes or the feeling that nothing in the place belongs to us is over for a while.
Jess has been "hunting" on Craigs List for some furniture and some Garage Sales still going here. Good Will is one of our best places to shop too...
A supported family gave us an offering for the baby and/or a couch. We have a couch!! After two and a half years of marriage we have a couch. Craigs list scores again!! Brand new IKEA Ektorp for last than a half price!! Now we can cuttle!!!

This last Sunday we had a baby shower that a couple put together for us here in Minnesota. (Thank you so much Heather and Jeff!!!) We got so many baby clothes and presents for the baby. It was fun!! I never have been is a baby shower, so I didn't know you have to show the presents and say ahhhhhhhhhh for everything, but when the bags of clothes came in, some guys told me that I didn't have to show everyone, just few ones... The best part is to feel loved by close friends!! People that care and love!!

Next week we start working at the Church and my soccer season is going very well.

Blessings

Photos:
Diamond Head, Honolulu and some beach glass from 5 tables beach, North Shore, Oahu. Our baby shower

Wrapping up Time with Family...

Eddy's already made the trip back to Minnesota and I'll soon follow him this next week... Our time here in Hawaii has been wonderful! We decided to make it a little longer than before, as with the arrival of our son in October, we may not get back here so soon or often. Our days have been spent with my (Jess') family, visiting old friends and taking in as much as we (I) can of "home". We were blessed to have a few weeks with close friends who flew out from FL for a family vacation (photos in older post) and gave us an excellent excuse to be tourists and venture around the isles a bit!

Eddy is back in Eden Prairie, as he starts his soccer coaching job on Monday. We both will start working at the church within the next few weeks, creating a manual for short-term trips and helping out wherever possible.

I'm 31 weeks pregnant and feeling great! Eddy and I are both surprised at just how much a tummy can grow to accommodate a little fella, but are blessed that this has been a relatively pleasant, healthy journey thus far. And while we are excited about getting things ready for our little bundle-o-joy, we know that our future isn't necessarily so easy to prepare for... Africa remains on our hearts and in our "plans". But, as many a wise parent has told us, all plans are off when dealing with your own child! So, we are waiting until baby Soboll arrives before making any definitive decisions about timing and moving.

Photos: Random summer shots... Eddy catching a "wave" on the OR coast... Eddy and Mom on the Big Island watching lava from Kilauea run down the slope into the Pacific (note reddish/orange stuff in between their heads)... Eddy and Dad at the Pacific Aviation Museum near Pearl Harbor... Eddy running on the North Shore- 14 miles!!... Eddy and Mom, the fearsome Stand Up Paddlers (SUP), surveying the ocean... Eddy and I on the north shore... The tummy progression (from month 1 to month 7, minus month 5...oops!)

In Hawaii

Just some pictures of Hawaii and Jes's tummy... (or our tummy :))

A quick one

Just to say that we are doing great!! Jes's tummy is growing and 29 weeks are here. She is in great shape and not complaining on anything, which is great... The baby
I got a job at a school in Minneapolis as soccer coach for high school girl. The job is going to be 6 weeks long and starts on Aug 17th, with that I'll be going back to the main land on Aug 13th.

The carpet finally came, the home is ready and we are excited to start getting the stuff that we need for the house and baby's room specially.

Here in Hawaii we are so blessed seeing at the big Island lava coming down the mountains, snorkeling and swimming with dolphins. Right now a family from Miami is with us and we are having a bless with them.

We are spending lots of time with Jes's parents and it is great to see grandma wondering about the baby and the mother to be.


Photos: Our baby (no name yet) at 24 weeks old. Two more months and we will be a family!!

No Internet, No house, No carpet... God is good!!!

It has been almost a month without publishing anything... We are lacking of time or what??
Well, since we arrived from Africa, we still using the same clothes from our bags and we still on the "traveling" mode. We have no "home" to live and our clothes are the same one that we brought from Africa... With that note, internet is just another thing that we don't have at the moment.
We went to Salem OR and saw some good friend and our beloved Church. It was so good to be there and connect again with people that love us and support our job in Africa. What a good time with our pastor and the Church family... we ready miss you guys!!
On the way back we stopped in Wyoming for few days to visit our "second" family. A short stop but very refreshing and encouraging seeing Gods work there too. I wish i could live in WY, but it would be another challenge for Jess.
Now we are back in Minneapolis. We were staying in someones house and now in the Pastor's home. The house that we are going to stay in needed some painting and a new carpet install. This week I spent time painting the house when Jess was the runner for more paint, food and materials. Long days and after 10 gallons of paint, the place just need the carpet and the bathrooms painted. The carpet guys came this morning to install the new one and on the way out, after they started laying the pads, I saw that the carpet that was brought was the wrong color... OOOPS! Jess ordered and it was wrote on the bill the wrong color... I told them to stop and ran to the Home Depot... The manager changed the order but now we have to wait... It was to be installed in 72 hours, now only God knows when!!!
We are a little tired of jumping bed to bed and roll our suit case for almost two months now.

Jess is getting more and more pretty with the baby showing more. We went to the doctor this last week and seems like that she has a gestational diabetes... with that say, that baby is little bigger than it should be. The good news is that the baby is healthy and dont have any signs of abnomarlities. Praise God!!! She is going to do a 3 hour sugar test this week to see the reality, she is not to excited about it because we "love" suggar and now that we are in the country that we can eat.... we have to be more careful!

Tomorrow Im running a 10K race and the Marathon training has begun... Oct 4th, here we come.

As soon as we find our card reader, we place some pics.... our stuff is everywhere...

Blessings

In Salem OR - 21 weeks

It is so good to be in Salem again!! The Base, friends and where the calling came to us the first time.
We had an opportunity to come and bring some equipment to the program that we use to run here from Minnesota. Such a blessing with the financial help and the Van that the Church in Minnesota is lending us. God is faithful!!!
We just came to know that our both insurances are going to work together for the prenatal and deliver of our baby. We were worrying about the cost and how much we would have to pocket out on the cost... again, He is taking care of us!
Jess is looking prettier and prettier every day, she still pretty small and you have to really look to see if is a baby there, and the baby is kicking and moving all the time.
We are having a ful days here of visits and meetings with people that support us and work at the same agency. It is so good to see freind and be loved by them. Fun to hear their histories and that their lifes are moving too and the Lord is taking care of each one.

We will be going to WY on the 15th for few days and back to MN on the 20th.

Sorry for no pictures, I have to post some later

Blessings!!!

Stateside!

Whilst we officially arrived home over a week ago, the actual adjustment to the arrival is just now starting to take place... We are both overwhelmed by the sheer beauty of this place- the trees, the grass, the rich blue sky... We can't help but make "oooo" and "ahhh" sounds on a regular basis. We've been overly blessed to have a comfortable place to stay and the use of a vehicle- a fabulous mini-van (which Eddy and I think is the handiest invention- tons of space, removable seats, standing room... what a concept!). Our friends and church have welcomed us back with open arms and we've been bustling about sharing meals and stories together.

We decided it might be a good idea to take a few days, just Eddy and me, to sort of debrief a bit, get away and "breathe". I (Jess) decided a trip "up North", as they say here in MN, would be just the thing. And that would have been the case had I checked the weather forcast... doh! Duluth, MN, the port city on Lake Superior, and the coastline up to Canada, CAN be absolutely beautiful; but can also be absolutely horrible! (Curious? Listen to Gordon Lightfoot's "The Edmund Fitzgerald") So, completely unaware of the gail of 40 mph winds and 30F temps that awaited us "up north", we ventured out in our handy mini-van, packed to the gills with firewood, camping equipment and food. We'd even spent a few hours carefully planning out our geocaching goals -- Grab a cache in Canada!! (never heard of it? You're missing out! www.geocaching.com)We should've guessed there'd be problems as we started out way too late, driving out of the cities around 1pm- guess Africa is still in our blood... We scored our first "find" an hour or so outside the cities, a relatively easy park and grab with a short venture into the woods. The next one followed suit, easy hike to a quick find. We were on a roll! Until... we were back on the highway and I glanced down towards Eddy's legs and saw... a TICK!!! Ugh! And then another! And another! And another!!! (FYI- it's wood tick season in MN...) We honestly should've stopped then. From that point on we were itching and scratching and shaking and just plain PARANOID. But we kept on trucking- all the way up to the frigid Superior. We managed to find a few more cahces, but our hopes of a quiet get-away, with campfire time and walks along the placid lake shore were dashed. We took a few pictures, tried to take in the icey beauty, jumped back in the van and raced back to sunny Minneapolis.
Otherwise, we are well! I'm around 20 weeks along and officially started looking more pregnant a few days ago- and we've even been feeling the little guy move! My mom arrives tomorrow to visit for a few days and Eddy will be running a half-marathon on May 31st. (He's training for the Twin Cities Marathon in October.) We're hoping to take a trip out to WY to visit some friends in the beginning of June and then back to MN to help lead a Church outreach up North.
It's definitely a bit surreal being back and we're still trying to figure out which end is up, as they say. But each day gets a little easier. Making sense of living the last year in the Land-of-Sand and adjusting temporarily to life back in the U.S. has and will have its challenges-- maintaining vision while seeking out refreshing and "plugging" back in to our social networks. We trust God will triumphantly lead us through this next chapter of our lives, as he always has!
Photos: A couple of dust shots- the usual view of the Nile, followed by the view during our 5 day Habuub... Eddy in the stairwell- it was swept a few hours before... geocaching in MN- Eddy's the dark glob in the background... Our first cache in Duluth- freezing!... Eating Tobies famous caramel rolls and caching- does it get any better?... Eddy pointing out into the frigid surf, where some college guys were boogie-boarding... fools!!!... Eddy finds a cache in Duluth- debriefing at its best!

Fatima or Ahmed?

Today we had our final visit with our friendly Dr. Samir to see one last $30 glimpse of our little bundle of joy... and... We our happy to announce that we are having a BOY!!!!! It's apparently very apparent! More importantly, everything looks completely normal and he is developing well; even putting me/him a week farther along than we thought.

And the weather... always making sure we experience the full scope of possibilities here in the land-o-sand! The temps soared this past week, hitting a high of 125.4F one day, followed by several days above 120F. Then in fine desert form, the sand storms, or Habuub, have hit in full force. It's been pretty much constant habuub-ing for the past 4 days. We've tried to keep up with the cleaning while packing up, to no use. Even now, visibility is down to 1/8 mile and we're wiping our eyes and coughing INSIDE the house. We just hope it lets up eventually so we can do a final cleaning before heading out of here on Thursday morning (2am).

Nile Valley Academy is also closing up shop after this next week. We will only be there 2 more days, finishing up grading, cleaning and preparing things for the summer. We've been busy this past week with awards ceremonies, higlighting those students with exceptional skills in athletics and who played on teams. Eddy and I both realized what a pleasure it has been to work with these students and how much we're going to miss them. Most of the students are begging Coach Eddy to stay on another year... as always, he's won their hearts!

I'm not sure if we'll have time to write before leaving here on Thursday... We'll be flying out of here via London and landing in Minneapolis on Friday. While the heat, sand storms and stress of school have us anticipating our break, we do wonder how we will handle and adapt to this next chapter of our lives. Living here has been amazing and tough, adjusting to language, cultural and religious diferences has been at times overwhelming, aside from the daily life struggles that everyone experiences no matter where one lives. We are relying on God to continue to lead us and speak to us, refreshing our vision and passions while continuing to use us wherever we hang our hats. We plan on maintaining our blog throughout our time in the states... We have so appreciated your prayers and encouragements... Thank You!!!

Photos: At Dr. Samir's, getting an ultrasound... Our little baby boy, measuring in at 17 weeks 4 days- and look closely- there's the proof that he's a boy! The Habuub... during and the aftemath- and which continues to rage outside- ugh! The awards ceremony held at the school... Evidence that it got above 125F- ridiculous.

The Energizer Mutt

Meet Toffee; pronounced like "toe-fee", not "tah-fee". He's your basic, friendly neighborhood "watch-dog". He lives on the ground floor of our good friends Mike and Suzanne's flat. A nice Khawaja family owns him; they've lived here about 10 years and are heading back to England in June. Over the months and years we've gotten to know Toffee quite well. He's a bit of a street mutt, always on the prowl, looking for another fight and returning with another wound. Over time he's become quite attached to us, loping (or limping) over when we stop by, rubbing his scabby, crusty infected eyes on our clothes and occasionally, following us wherever we go.

For example, in December, when a few of us ran the "First Inaugural Khartoum International The Four Bridges Fun-Run to Save Darfur Half Marathon", he ran the first 6 miles with us. That's right, that pathetically malnourished, half alive pup trotted half way across the city with us. Needless to say, you can bet we got quite a few more stares for not only being Khawajas jogging in the city, but having a mangey mutt galloping along side us.

And more recently, he yet again, donned his loyal cloak and accompanied Suzanne and I on an outting to our local Suuq (big, open market). Let me preface this by pointing out that DOGS DON'T GO TO THE SUUQ. It's like an unspoken rule. Even the multitude of strays stay out- as if they have an instinctive sense and know they're just not allowed. So, there we are, two fair-skinned, light haired Khawajas non-chalantly walking into the Suuq accompanied by Toffee the Wonder Pup. The amounts of stares, calls, frowns, comments, questions and followers that four-legged accompaniment brought on was unimaginable. We tried frantically, desperately, yet overtly, to send him home- the stern "go home Toffee", both in english and arabic, had no impact. It was no use.

We stopped in a pharmacy; good ol' faithful Toffee stopped in too. The owner was NOT amused. We tried to explain that this truly in fact was not our dog; he wasn't buying it. We stepped into a street vendors clothing booth; Toffee browsed with us, IN the booth. It was awkward, uncomfortable and emabarresing. Finally, desperate and exaserbated with our furry friend, we resorted to sneaking into a rickshaw (a 3-wheeled, semi-enclosed form of transport with a 2-stroke engine), thinking that going anywhere in a motorized vehicle would comfuse him and he would eventually, hopefully, wander home. Of course there was a small traffic jam, as the Suuq is located in the middle of the local bus station. So we waited, unmoving in our roasting little rickshaw, slyly peering out the sides, watching Toffee's response to our mysterious disappearance.

I felt bad at first. Poor guy; just trying to help, guarding the khawajas on a day at the Suuq. But people were STILL staring at us in the rickshaw, and at him as he turned circles scanning the multitude of people for us. Finally, looking totally perplexed and confused (and very pathetic), he slowly turned around and trotted off into the crowds towards home. Suzanne and I, still not gaining any distance in our rickshaw get-away mobile, thanked the driver for the 5-minutes stuck in traffic and hesitatingly crept out of our hiding place. Glancing over our shoulders, and avoiding the numerous stares and comments, we high-tailed it to a different section of the market, praying Toffee hadn't caught on to our antics and was still heading home. And apparently the charade worked, as the rest of our shopping trip was most uneventful...

What's Left: We're down to just 2 more weeks here... School is winding down and we're in the process of finishing up classes and closing down. The weather has remained hot, never dipping below 110F (it's 11am and 113F), but thankfully, we've had fewer power cuts in the last 5 days... making things much more tolerable! These next few weeks will be spent cleaning and packing; all our belongings being stored in a friend's shipping container.

Photos: Toffee, rubbing his infected eyes on Eddy's shorts... Eddy and Timo, a family friend who will be moving to the north to contiue the family business... A small going away party for Mike and Suz and us thrown by our organizatin friends... The view outside our flat window... and Toffee, always on the look-out...

Gracious Uncertainty

Before we meet for school everyday some of the staff gather for devotions, each taking weekly turns throughout the year to lead these 15-minute re-focusing times. It's our turn these next 2 weeks and I had spent some time trying to plan what I was going to say. I was thinking to share some cool life experience with a neat truthful tie-in, when last night, at 8:30 pm our power was cut. My plans changed a bit... It wasn't that the power cut deleted my little talk or that there was no more power to finish composing it. Rather, it was how things continued to transpire that inspired me to change the topic.

It was close 105F outside when the power cut and reaching 100F inside. With no fans running and no swamp coolers cooling, it would likely become much hotter. We immediately called some friends who happen to live in an area with lots of prominent businesses and business owners and therefore, have virtually no power-cuts. We threw ourselves at their mercy and begged to stay the night with them. They gladly welcomed us and Eddy and I slept in their living room, swamp coolers whirring about us.

Now this all sounds nice and good, we handled the situation well. But what I neglected to report was our rather awful attitudes throughout this time. We were discouraged, frustrated, angry, hot, irritable, grouchy, catty to each other... and the list goes on. And as the night progressed and I had time to reflect, I realized how much we wrongly assume about life and living, especially here in the Land-o-Sand. Certainty. We, especially as westerners, take so much for granted, assuming so many things are assured, trusted, reliable and dependable. Things like electricity, health care, national security, food, shelter, clothing, governmental assistance, our "rights" as citizens, freedom, etc. When in reality, and Biblically speaking, almost nothing is certain! God promises us that- as it says in scripture... who knows what tomorrow will bring? The only thing truly certain, in things, events, life, is God himself, all else being certainly uncertain!

As the saying goes (sort of)... Life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we respond to what happens. So in light of this promised and experienced uncertainty, we fall on the grace and mercy of God and ask him to work in us a response that is glorifying to him and encouraging to others. 'Cause we can bank on all sorts and lots more of uncertainty in this place!

Visa Update: We have successfully renewed our visas for another year- thank God Eddy is Brazilian! It cost us a pretty penny, but almost guarentees us re-entry next year. We are now in the process of getting our exit/re-entry permits (we literally cannot leave the country without them... they usually cost around $900... nice.)

Pregnancy Update: I'm working on my 15th week, and all seems to be progressing just fine. We'll go in for another ultrasound before we leave.

School Update: Only 11 more days of school... whew! We're in the process of closing things down, returning library books, cleaning the nurses area, etc. Eddy is trying to figure out what to do with the kids when it's 117F outside; or more simply put, how to keep kids from dying during PE.

Photos: Pool time again! We jumped at the chance of chaperoning a pool party for a multitude of middle schoolers... anything for a swim! Neat tricks? Eddy still can't move his next freely! I've had a strong hanckering for cantalope- and we found these Galia melons, a close cousin.. delicious! We went with some friends to explore a park/zoo in the city- sort of, or rather, very depressing... (that's a giant replica of what they serve coffee in).

Peak Heat, Pools & Pregnancy

In case you were wondering, it's still hot. We're guessing the "coolness" of winter/spring is long gone and are settling into the sweltering heat of summer. We're also expecting our friendly Habuubs (sand storms) to start as well... good ol' Land-o-Sand! What we would give for a little Oregon rain here!?

As the temperature rises, the one thing we all desperately crave is WATER- any form really. Drinking water- we keep a 3 gallon cooler/jug filled 'round the clock, with added frozen bowls of water to attempt to keep us cool; we'll go through it everyday. Showers- we praise God that our little flat has an electric pump that sends up water, allowing us to rinse off the sand and dirt... and while the water isn't cold (or even cool), we're not complaining! Pools- there are a few clubs in the city that have decent swimming pools and similarly decently steep membership fees that don't fit the budget. However, a few of them do allow guests daily entrance for about $10. While this seems a bit pricey for a day at the pool, we consider it a gift from God when it is 118F in the shade.

This past weekend was Coptic Easter and we had a couple days off from school. So we grabbed some food, towels and friends and headed to the German club for the day. This club tends to draw a more local crowd. As we got ourselves situated we couldn't help but glance around at the other patrons. To our left, a European in a tiny string bikini. And to our right, a woman in a burka (the long head/ body covering gown; only exposing eyes). That... that my friends, you don't see everyday. Needless to say, despite the scantily clad khawaja, it took us awhile to feel comfortable enough to get in the water!

And finally, why not a pregnancy shot?? Just this week I've had people commenting that I'm looking more pregnant... I've started my 14th week. Now you can be the judge...!

Photos: Easter party at our friend's house- us, Mike & Suz and our German friends, Christian and Silke... Our weekly organization meetings... At the German Club- relaxing- the cabanas really add soemthing!! My preggo pics- 5 weeks, 10 weeks, 14 weeks...

Spring in the Land of Sand

Really, it's all just variations of summer. We've started to see the thermometer creep up over the last few weeks; well, perhaps "soar" or "sky-rocket" are more accurate! We've been steadily over 110F all week, with a high a few days ago of 118F. And with the warmer temps always come frequent electricity cuts, stretching our tolerance and patience. But praise God, the power usually resumes before the day is over and/or the food spoils... and His grace is always sufficient!

I'm (Jess) finishing up my 1st trimester, and aside from some occasional dizziness, am feeling much better! The heat has made things a bit more uncomfortable, but we try our best to stay hydrated and take frequent rests (me especially!)... Eddy hasn't been as fortunate and came down with a digestive bug a few days ago. We stopped counting trips to the bathroom yesterday, losing track during the wee-hours of the morning. We since have started him on a course of antibiotics and he seems to be on the mend. I forced him to stay home today, believing a day without teaching PE in the blazing hot N. African sun might save him from severe dehydration and complicating his condition.

Occasionally, with the routine of life, we tend to forget the realities of where we live... a developing nation, fresh from civil war, with serious health problems and risks. We were painfully reminded of those realities today. A dear local couple we know lost their first child, a 6 month old, due to blood poisoning, ultimately leading to kidney failure. A dedicated, like-minded inter-tribal pair who have struggled to be accepted by their in-laws; Recently married after years of waiting; Proud and loving parents to an adorable baby boy... Our hearts and prayers go out to them as we trust God to bring comfort during this incredibly difficult time.

Out with Cops III

I have to tell this one:
And it did happened again. Got pulled over going to the gym class this time. I was quite in the hurry and had two hard classes right before.. so wasn't too happy at the moment. When I saw the cop, my mind just said " no way, all that we need now!!" The cop almost jumped in front of the car for I stop. I opened the window and he asked for my license... again, I gave my expired, laminated Brazilian license... he looked at it and asked where is my new license, this time in broken english... I just looked at him and told him " this is good, I don't need a new one!" and he told me again "where is the new one?".. I got a little more "on fire" and told him "I don't need a new one, this is good!". So he looked at me and look at the license, gave the the license and told me to go.
Third time in 10 days, not a fine, praise God!!!

Yesterday we went to the doctor again and look at the baby. Jess was a little nervous about somethings and we went just to make sure that everything was fine. After few hour we did another ultrasound and the baby is fine. Has a little over 2 Inches (5.06cm) and is moving a lot. No marks behind the neck and seems to be perfect. The doctor told us that seems to be a boy but still to soon too confirm. We could see the vertebrae and the ribs.. The hands and feet are there and the baby can really move. Seems like he is laying with a pillow, so cool! Tears again and a great relief! 12 weeks today, almost second trimester.

This weeks has been hot, today 110F.. poor Jess, so hot inside the little ferrari without AC but, it is such a blessing don't have to catch the bus.
We are in the new visa process, if everything would go fine, we should have it by few days.
I'm running again, on May 31st I'll be running a half marathon in Minneapolis and I want to run a full marathon in October before the baby comes. Exciting and exhausting...
Jess put a little party for me last Friday. We had some close friends coming and so much fun to have few different nations getting together to eat some meat like we do in Brazil.

Blessings!!!

Photos: Our Little Soboll, already practicing soccer kicks! Eddy at work- grilling on our roof top hosch(patio/veranda/balcony area)- we all agreed it was the best tasting meat we've ever had in the Land of Sand...