Leaving Yei for Wadupe again! Ena is feeling much better I think, although she is completely full of sugar. It has been raining nonstop and I am not looking forward to the journey in the rain but that is ok! Please be praying for the next two weeks. It breaks my heart to think of leaving these kids but I am so very grateful for this experience. God has been showing me so much of Himself and sometimes I find myself overwhelmed with His goodness. We are still figuring out ways to provide the girls with some money for school. Please pray for this as well because giving is very tricky, and we want to do it the right way. Education and healthcare are the two most basic needs here, so pray that the school building process will go smoothly. You all are in my thoughts and prayers so very often!
Abby
Friday, July 9, 2010
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Ena goes to Disneyland
This is a story, a very good one too, about the coolest nine year old in the world and her adventures with the three crazy khawajas (white people). I would let her tell it, but since she doesn't speak your language I will have to do my best to translate.
Once upon a time, there was a girl who lived in a village in Sudan. Her name was Ena, and she had the attitude of Rudy from the Cosby show and the dancing skills of Britney Spears. Except she was like a million times better. She walked around the village like she owned everyone in it, she schooled all the other kids at jump rope (which they made from the long African grass), and she could add and subtract like a machine, even though her family could only afford to send her to school for a limited time.
But one day, Ena started coughing. She did not feel like schooling all the other kids at jump rope or showing the three crazy khawajas her expert dancing skills. She didn't even want to go to school. The three crazy khawajas noticed this, and asked her grandfather (Ena did not have a father) if they could take her to Yei with them to a clinic. Her grandfather said yes, and Ena went to change into her best skirt. Because going to Yei, even if you are sick, is like going to Disneyland.
But first they had to walk 3 miles to the main road to catch a ride. And once they caught a ride, they had to drive for a long time. When they finally got to Yei, Ena was hot and tired and felt worse. So the three crazy khawajas took her to a place with huts that had cold floors and a toilet that you did not have to squat over. They showed her a big box that had cold things called ice, which she liked a lot. Afterward they took her to a clinic and got some medicine for her cough. Then they showed her water that came from a pipe in the ceiling and she danced and danced around in the water until she was completely soaked. When they tried to get her to wear a skirt for dinner, she was not happy, and pulled her shirt down low enough to cover the skirt. Obviously the khawajas don't know anything. But they gave her brown sweet stuff (chocolate) that made her smile very big. At night she slept on a bed that was high above the ground, and would not let the three crazy khawajas turn off the ball of fire above her head, even though it was dark outside.
In the morning, after taking more of her medicine, she felt much better and taught the three crazy khawajas how to dance. Then she found the thing that music came out of (ipod), and she danced some more. When the khawajas gave her Fanta (orange soda) she drank it in little sips to savor the flavor. When they were at the market, some men said something to her in kakwa that made her very angry. So she picked up a big stick of wood and would have beaten the crap out of them if the khawajas hadn't stopped her, even though they secretly wanted her to do it.
Unfortunately I can not finish the rest of this story because Ena keeps trying to steal the computer so she can look at pictures. We are currently waiting for Billy and Allie to get back from the market with food. She is impatient and hungry and keeps trying to eat my vitamins, even though they aren't chewable. She almost ate from the tub of butter before I stopped her. I've decided I love Ena like Billy loves the monkey. She could do anything wrong and I would still love her. Well, Billy lets the monkey pee on him sometimes, I don't know if I would be cool with that. We got stuck in Yei an extra day because Billy has a lot of writing to catch up on. All I can say is that there are too many stories to tell, and I wish I could tell them all. But I am in love with the children of Wadupe and with Africa and I am having a marvelously spoiled time. I miss you all so incredibly much and wish you could be experiencing these things with me.
Once upon a time, there was a girl who lived in a village in Sudan. Her name was Ena, and she had the attitude of Rudy from the Cosby show and the dancing skills of Britney Spears. Except she was like a million times better. She walked around the village like she owned everyone in it, she schooled all the other kids at jump rope (which they made from the long African grass), and she could add and subtract like a machine, even though her family could only afford to send her to school for a limited time.
But one day, Ena started coughing. She did not feel like schooling all the other kids at jump rope or showing the three crazy khawajas her expert dancing skills. She didn't even want to go to school. The three crazy khawajas noticed this, and asked her grandfather (Ena did not have a father) if they could take her to Yei with them to a clinic. Her grandfather said yes, and Ena went to change into her best skirt. Because going to Yei, even if you are sick, is like going to Disneyland.
But first they had to walk 3 miles to the main road to catch a ride. And once they caught a ride, they had to drive for a long time. When they finally got to Yei, Ena was hot and tired and felt worse. So the three crazy khawajas took her to a place with huts that had cold floors and a toilet that you did not have to squat over. They showed her a big box that had cold things called ice, which she liked a lot. Afterward they took her to a clinic and got some medicine for her cough. Then they showed her water that came from a pipe in the ceiling and she danced and danced around in the water until she was completely soaked. When they tried to get her to wear a skirt for dinner, she was not happy, and pulled her shirt down low enough to cover the skirt. Obviously the khawajas don't know anything. But they gave her brown sweet stuff (chocolate) that made her smile very big. At night she slept on a bed that was high above the ground, and would not let the three crazy khawajas turn off the ball of fire above her head, even though it was dark outside.
In the morning, after taking more of her medicine, she felt much better and taught the three crazy khawajas how to dance. Then she found the thing that music came out of (ipod), and she danced some more. When the khawajas gave her Fanta (orange soda) she drank it in little sips to savor the flavor. When they were at the market, some men said something to her in kakwa that made her very angry. So she picked up a big stick of wood and would have beaten the crap out of them if the khawajas hadn't stopped her, even though they secretly wanted her to do it.
Unfortunately I can not finish the rest of this story because Ena keeps trying to steal the computer so she can look at pictures. We are currently waiting for Billy and Allie to get back from the market with food. She is impatient and hungry and keeps trying to eat my vitamins, even though they aren't chewable. She almost ate from the tub of butter before I stopped her. I've decided I love Ena like Billy loves the monkey. She could do anything wrong and I would still love her. Well, Billy lets the monkey pee on him sometimes, I don't know if I would be cool with that. We got stuck in Yei an extra day because Billy has a lot of writing to catch up on. All I can say is that there are too many stories to tell, and I wish I could tell them all. But I am in love with the children of Wadupe and with Africa and I am having a marvelously spoiled time. I miss you all so incredibly much and wish you could be experiencing these things with me.
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