Summer!

This is just a quick post to say that we.... LOVE SUMMER HERE! At least "here", in the states, where we can walk out our front door dressed in any manner of clothing... Where we have a park located not even a 1/8 of a mile away...

Where there are soccer fields, baseball diamonds, water fountains, playgrounds, restrooms... and families and kids playing together in this incredibly green and gorgeous place! And Ben loves it too...

Otherwise we are working on our newsletter, planning the rest of our time here with meetings and church visits and somehow preparing for our quickly approaching return to the Sand Box... although that date is still uncertain- most likely Aug/Sept. And, of course, we're trying our best to keep up with the World Cup... Go Brazil!!

Back in Minnesota and waiting for visas...

After a 6 days trip to Turkey and over 30 hours of traveling, we are back in Minnesota. Turkey was great!!! What a great place to go and visit. So much of history and so much to see around. We stayed in Istanbul only(the Golden Horn) but, from there we could go around and the old city walls. Palace,Market, Blue Mosque, Sofia Church(Mosque, Museum), Black Sea, Bosphorus Straight and so much more.

I was sick for too days with a horrible bug in my guts, so it wasn't fun at all!! After I went to the hospital and got a IV the rain started to come. So we had few less days than we planned.

Now in MN, we are just re adjusting to time (we just did that 2 months ago). Ben

is doing great, wakes up around 3:30am and he

is ready to go. We are trying to keep him in bed but he know that noise calls our attention. And sleep with a "Dah dah dah" next room is not fun.

He is almost 8 months and we just counted how many flights he has been on.WOW, 21 flight he too on this short life of his. What a trooper!!!.

Now, we are waiting for Jess' visa approval for

we go back to the Land of Sand. Because she will be work

ing with the NGO, the visa has to be under them and not Eddy Ice Cream. As soon as

it is approved, we have a month to go back. Got our tickets, we will have just to adjust the date, close the house here in MN and pack again. (Sometimes we get a little tired of packing and un-packing... but it is part of life!).

We are excited about what God is going to do in the new city that we are moving too in Africa. It is where the majority of the tribe is located and coordinated well buildings and dams for people that have no water is just amazing. With that the opportunity to start some health programs and be more influential in the Community. Our commitment with this NGO is 2 years.

Blessings to you all and thank you for all of your prayers!

Back from the East

Here are a few pics from our time out east... Eddy's passport was finally issued and then his visas were miraculously approved- literally within a few days. Some friends had gone out before us and were unexpectedly asked to leave the area, as they apparently did not have the right permits. This actually allowed us some extra time to acquire the right permits and get Eddy's visa... And finally, we, along with a khawaja friend and our Vancouver duo, made our way out to the Red Sea.

Ben on the plane... trying to "fit-in" a bit...

I'm hoping to write more later, when I've had time to really ponder all that has happened, all that God has done. It was a great time and we consider it a huge success. Ben was an absolute champ, coming with us in some of the most severe heat and humidity we've experienced! What a blessing to us!

We'll be leaving the sand-box here in a couple days, traveling through Turkey for some random sight-seeing and arriving in MN around the 8th. We thank you all for your prayers and support- we have had an incredible and miraculous time these past few months and are eager to see how God will continue to lead us into his perfect will, back here in the fall.

Visiting some ruins of the old port, formerly one of the largest slave-trade ports in Africa... Ben has eaten and napped in some interesting places!

We had our morning tea, jabana (coffee, locally made with roasted ginger) and zalabia (doughnut balls) down the street from our hotel... this was our friendly tea lady.

On the road outside of town- different nomadic tribes...

Drinking jabana one night with a local friend, a teacher from the public school overheard us and asked us to come teach an English class... Heng-zi is a French teacher in Canada and did a great job! The flash cards they used are made out of glue and sand/dirt... use what you have!

The local jabana spot... you remove your shoes, sit on large woven mats and sip scalding, spicy-sweet coffee... We were the only women patrons... it didn't take long for crowds to gather...

Ben was quite the attraction... or at least the stroller was! We were stopped constantly and when we did take a moment to look at things, large crowds gathered and gazed at Ben. We think they thought he was sick and that the stroller was some sort of gurney...?

I came out of one stall and had no trouble finding Eddy and Ben...

Passport Fun!

Coming to Africa, we knew that Eddy would need to renew his soon-to-be expired Brazilian passport. We made the decision to wait until here, our thinking being that the embassy here would be more adept and perhaps faster on issuing a new one than an embassy in the states... as there are only about 45 Brazilians in this country. Well, unfortunately, we were very wrong. The passport system has changed and the new system isn't working correctly. Surprise! After multiple calls, visits and "sit-ins", of sorts, there is "nothing more we can do". What?! Correct us if we are wrong, but isn't that one of the whole points of having an embassy in a foreign country?

So, Eddy's business visa process is on hold, as the government here will not re-issue his visa in an expiring passport. Eddy's passport apparently "cannot be renewed"- as the system, in place since the beginning of April, is not functioning. Eddy cannot travel anywhere in or out of the country until said passport is renewed. Hmmmm... quite the predicament!

Our "plans", held extremely loosely at this point, were to go out East for some planning this next week, after some friends from Canada arrive. It looks like I, Jess, will be going without Eddy and Benjamin. We were also "planning" on flying out of the sand box on June 2nd. And ultimately, I will have to leave the country as my visa has changed and I must leave by June 10. Leaving Eddy and Benjamin here? Hmmmm... interesting...

As I write this, Eddy is participating in another "sit-in" at the Embassy, having done a bit more research on the role of Embassies and emergency procedures for passports. It "seems" like he's making an impact as the ambassador said he "never wants to see him again". Issue him a passport, Mr. Ambassador, and you won't!

Please Pray!

Photos: Benjamin!... And buddy, Hudson... Dad and Ben taking our new wheels for a spin (seat belt laws don't really exist here)... At the pool with wonderful Khawaja friends...

Welcome Joy!

We had the opportunity a few nights ago to visit some local friends who had recently had a little baby girl. (She is just 3 days old here in these photos- just a tiny little one!) We were eager to meet her and congratulate the parents, friends with a similar passion working hard to plow up this hard desert ground.

Her name is Joy and we made sure she got some time with the other babies in our life. They all welcomed her and we shared some time holding this precious little gift.

A few days after this visit, little Joy came down with a high fever and stopped eating. Here in the land of sand, it is estimated that the infant mortality rate is 1:4. This is one of the highest mortality rates in the world. With extreme temperatures, poor medical facilities and the presence of many deadly diseases, newborns and infants are up against some incredibly powerful adversaries. Ensuring their health is of the utmost importance these first few weeks and months of life.

But even then, with all the good intentions and careful monitoring, sometimes the basic health care just isn't available. This is an incredibly frustrating and grave reality that as westerners we can't even fully comprehend. Even with our supposedly "flawed" health care system, you and I can walk into any hospital in any city and receive some of the best medical treatment in the world... pretty much no matter what. Here, even the simplest care is just not available. We were reminded of this painful reality last year when this amazing couple lost their first-born son, after only a few precious months of life.

With this painful history, the parents, Aboud and Nani, did their best to find a decent clinic where Joy was examined and admitted to receive IV fluids and antibiotics. Eddy and I stopped by several times to ensure she was being properly treated, but she ended up being "discharged" the next day. This was a bit premature in our opinions, and showing some concern, found a doctor friend who volunteered to make a house call for them. Long story short, Joy seems to have rounded the corner and is doing much better. The fever has gone and she is eating and sleeping well. We praise God for his provision and protection in this circumstance and continue to pray that Joy grows and develops well!

Visa News: We got a call a few days ago from our visa guy, Mohammed, who said that our visas were almost ready... still no word yet, but it looks promising!

NGO Update: For those of you who haven't heard, I, Jess, have accepted an offer to work with an NGO here. They have projects started in our focus area, with our focus people and are looking for someone to manage these and other development projects. I have tentatively accepted the offer and am now waiting for the government approval and eventual change in visa-- oh joy! As soon as our business visas are approved, I then do a final "exit visa", to terminate it. Then re-apply under the new NGO visa... ahhhh... the visa saga never ends! We'll let you know more details about the NGO as things develop!

Photos: Visiting Joy and her family... Babies!... Eddy and Mike, a good friend, and kids!... Ben and Aboud, Joy's father... Ben and Eddy playing...

Bambinos, Baby!

Bambinos is the name of our favorite little local ice cream "parlor"; I use the term loosely, as this small business has only one small refrigerated display of their frozen delights, offering about a dozen, but no-less mouth watering, flavors- chocolate, chocolate chip, mango and coconut to name a few of our favorites. Now, granted, this could never compete with my rich ice cream history, coming from a long family line of ice-cream-lovers and having worked faithfully in my youth as Baskin-n-Robbins ice-cream server/aficionado for over 5 years. But in lieu of the 31 Flavors (which BTW, most B-n-R's have well over that many for the tasting on any given day), this little gem in our sand box will more than suffice!

And today was no exception! We finished our exercise routine, made ourselves presentable(*), plopped Ben in the stroller ( we call it "the rickshaw") and journeyed out into our neighborhood, enjoying the pleasantness of the mild evening. Bambinos is about a 10 minute walk from our flat and we like to take the back "roads" to avoid the busy main streets full of cars, trucks, buses and rickshaws.

Soon we arrived at our destination and within minutes were savoring the sweet goodness of ice-cold sweet creaminess... We both got cones, 3 small scoops each (equaling the size of a regular scoop, for about $1.20) and sat down out front of the little shop to take in the night life of the area.

But there was more for us to enjoy than just ice cream on this trip to Bambinos.

Within seconds a young woman approached us, gazing at Benjamin and attempting to grab his attention. A few moments later, another woman joined her, both now snapping and smiling and giggling. A few more seconds passed and a third lady came on the scene, mobile phone in hand, trying to get a snap shot of our little bundle of joy. Literally, within 3 minutes of sitting down, the stroller was pushed away from us and toward this small crowd of women, all cooing and clucking at our little Benjamin, who, I might add, has never been one to shy away from attention! The ladies took turns holding and kissing him (thankfully just

on the cheek, feet and hands!) and took countless photos on their mobile phones-- of Ben, of them holding Ben, of us holding Ben, of us holding Ben with them (you get the point!)...

I'd never seen anything like it. We had come here countless times in the past, sat in the exact same spot and never had so much as a glance in our direction. But now, with the addition of our sweet Benjamin, we've met a group of college students who live in a dormitory (of sorts) just down the street from us, and those are just the few that actually stopped to talk to us while admiring our son!

It's amazing to see the influence someone so small, so quiet, so simple can have on people. Ben doesn't say a word (and even if he did, it most likely wouldn't be in Arabic!); He doesn't offer some form of service and doesn't share a similar culture or history. He's just a baby. But he is our baby, a foreigner baby, living and growing here in their community. And his precious little presence speaks volumes to them.

And this speaks volumes to us. Sometimes, or probably most of the time, it's not so much what we say, or even what we do that impacts people. It's just our presence, our little family, here in this place and living among these people, that can have an eternal impact.

Photos: All we had was our mobile phone- so here's how it started... and how it grew! (*)This was one time I really didn't want any sort of documentation of what I had chosen to wear that day... ugh.. note to self: Always leave the flat wearing clothes/head coverings you wouldn't mind being photographed in...!

An evening on the Banks of the Nile...

It has been wonderful getting back together with good friends here... especially one family from Germany and another from the states. They both have kids and being together is very encouraging. Our latest outing was to an island that rests where the two Nile rivers (the White and the Blue) merge, in the center of K-Town. For years the only way to reach the island was by ferry boat, but recently a bridge was built to span the short distance, making our planned adventure very accessible!

The plan was dinner by the Nile- and it was truly lovely! It started out hotter than anticipated- I guess the sun doesn't really lose it's heat after 4pm... or 5pm.. or...! But soon enough the breezes grew cooler and we laid back in the sand while supping on homemade hamburgers and potato and pasta salads. The "beach" was teaming with locals picnicking and playing soccer in the dark Nile sand. It was a relaxing time of enjoying the outdoors, the rare beauty of this place and friends.

We've officially been here for over 2 weeks and the jet-lag has, or at least should have, passed. We are however, still struggling a bit during the late night hours, tossing and turning in the wee hours of the morn, making our true-mornings quite unpleasant! But, all in all, we are doing well and handling the transition back to African life in stride. Ben is a champ and is winning the hearts of the people here with one look- honestly though, who can refuse those cheeks?! The women in the market adore him, calling us over, hugging him and kissing his feet, hands and once, even the mouth! Our usual quick trip took at least triple the amount of time... Which we loved! How the once sour looks have melted into huge smiles!

We continue to meet with former colleagues and make new contacts, bringing new opportunities. Our timing seems to be good, as some doors have opened that weren't open before. As soon as things become more concrete, we'll let you in on the plans!

Visas: We started the renewal process on April 1st and 6 days later our previous ones expired. Our visa-helper-guy, Mohammed, seems to think there shouldn't be a problem... so now it's just back to the waiting game.

Photos: Our arrival and spot in the sand... Ben resting in our stroller (note soccer players praying in the background)... Ben's supper time... Khawajas (foreigners) and locals sharing some sand... The water is only about waist deep during the dry season... The Cheeks- they just don't stop!!!... Our current modes of transport- 1st pic: the bus (Muhata)... 2nd pic: Rickshaw (pronounced Ruckshaw here)...

On the way to the Sand Box

We have arrived! As did all of our luggage-- always a bonus! However, the trip getting here didn't start out as we had anticipated... a bit surprising, but it ended up being all for the better- God is good in working things out that way!

When we arrived at the Minneapolis airport, with our 7 pieces of not-so-small check-in luggage and 3 not-so small carry-on items (not including Ben, who technically could be considered just that!), we expected nothing but the usual- fairly normal check-in, pay a few luggage fees, wander through the security check point, take off some stuff, put some stuff back on, grab a snack on the way to the gate and sit back, relax and play some sudoku before boarding. Well, much to our chagrin, it didn't go as planned. We were actually fortunate to discover that our original flight to Phili had been delayed, as check-in seemed to be taking much longer than usual. Eddy and Ben's e-tickets were located , processed and baggage tags printed, but mine (Jess's) seemed to be more difficult to locate. So difficult in fact that they couldn't find it all. As it turned out, our travel agent (one of the few times we have ever used one) had never issued my ticket. Not so good when you are trying to fly somewhere!

Frantically we began the process of locating our agent, who we had only contacted through email- great. Using our good friend Kevin's smart phone and calling our other good friend Jeff, to use his blackberry, we made a search for the agency and started calling numbers. By this time 2 hours had passed and we were losing flights right and left... The ridiculously helpful check-in agents weren't looking too hopeful for us getting out of there that day- swell. After a few short, but nerve racking minutes we found someone at the agency to help us, who immediately issued my ticket, and assured me that had never happened before, and why hadn't I called earlier? I stated, as calmly as I could, that had I known the ticket I purchased wasn't going to be issued, I'd have called right away--How foolish of me to assume it would be! Ugh.

To make a long story shorter, the fabulous agents at the counter worked their magic and found us a completely new route, on a completely different carrier to get us reconnected with our itinerary in Frankfurt. So, we hauled our ridiculous amounts of junk over to United and re-started the check-in process. Not all our stuff made the cut; our beloved little generator was refused passage due to the potentially dangerous fumes wafting up from its box. But everything else got on, and not a cent was paid on luggage fees!

To top it off, someone along the way bumped us up to economy plus- more leg room in the cattle car! And when we got on our connecting flight to K-town, we discovered the plane was a chartered private liner- only business class! Three course meals, champagne, chocolates, magazines, lazy-boy style seats, a bassinet and toys for Baby Ben... a dream! So much so, that when the plane arrived in the Sand Box, and the seat belt lights chimed off, not a person on the plane moved- no usual shoving and pushing or tapping toes as the door opens. Really who wants to rush off that plane into the desert? Nope, we all basked in the final comforts of the west...

Ok- that's it for now- we are doing well, adjusting and acclimatizing. It's a slower process, but we're all taking it in stride. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers... More to come!

Photos: Our fabulous little fam... What made the packing list, you ask? The obligatory inflatable ducky bath!... Ben LOVES it... Ben and the duck in our little flat in K-town, oh- and our propane tank which needed filling- great for the child play area, eh?