sensation in my stomach. I was in bed for a bit, then decided maybe I
should go to the bathroom. It sort of felt like I had to throw up so I
grabbed a bucket and went back to bed. But laying down was actually
worse than standing or sitting up, so I kind of sat on the edge of my
bed and really felt like something was going to come up. I went to the
bathroom thinking I had to throw up, and then decided it was coming out
the other end.
Needless to say, I was up for a while and I didn't take meds right away
because I was feeling nauseous as well as the diarrhea. Eventually the
nausea went away and I popped some meds and a little after 8 I was back
in bed (after telling the girls I wasn't going in today).
I was awoken at 10 by the sight of Mama Ngezela and the sound of her
speaking to me in (I think) Swahili (could have been French too, I was
kind of out of it). Her arms were out at her side in posture and tone
that said "hey, what's up?" Since I have no clue how to say I was sick
(I was feeling pretty good now) and I didn't want to try and act it out
for fear she would get the wrong idea (that happened once in Switzerland
with Uehli's mother in law, but that's a story in and of itself) so I
just said "minachoka" (I'm tired). It was the first thing that came
into my head and worked effectively to make her go away - sort of. She
came back with breakfast and hot water, tea, and coffee. It was pretty
nice. I ate a bit and an hour later was still feeling pretty good, so I
ate some more and have felt pretty good since 11:30 or so.
I might have tried to go into the hospital this afternoon, except we are
under what we like to call Presidential Power right now. It actually
has nothing to do with political dealings or increased security or
anything like that. All that means is President Kabila is in town so
the power is on all day with very few interruptions to show that
everything is running smoothly. That's Presidential Power, and I like
it, so I can do all my computing and research at Maji Matulivu (the
guest house). Kabila is in town again about the rebel situation.
Nkunda has been around for 3 years on and off and Kabila made one of his
platforms for the elections late last year that he would bring peace to
the country, and I think he's about had enough. Nkunda was supposedly
talking peace and negotiations, but the government is hunting them
down. Kabila has now given the army orders of disarming Nkunda by force
after Nkunda wanted to talk and Kabila said disarm first. Nkunda
refused sighting safety reasons so Kabila gave the order today. It is
not clear when the Congolese army will begin its offensive, but it
should be soon
(http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=322254&area=/breaking_news/breaking_news__africa/)
1 comment:
Hey Josh... Not sure if you'll read back on your Blog comments, but I just wanted to drop a line to show we haven't forgotten you. Life is hectic as usual around fall here- though believe it or not, almost ALL the work is done (says me who doesn't have to sit on the tractor, sow or plow ;) ) The reason- super good weather, no potatoes (we gave up this crop as of last year- too much work for too little income, even in good years), early seasons for most plants (our apples were harvested and pressed BEFORE the end of September- and since we had so much reserve Cider from last year, we sent the rest of the harvest to the cooperative to be pressed. Since June 2006 we no longer work for MRM (health and sanity reasons = job burnout early in 2006), and we feel the pinch but our Father is good in providing what we need, at least so far. Ueli has had a steady request for preaching- is booked basically until the end of the year (the pastor in Andelfingen died suddenly this summer). He is preparing for a wedding of one of our former MRM workers this weekend. I have been busy trying out marketing ideas for our cold pressed oil (sunflower and canola) and am in the second batch production phase of home-made cider vinegar to sell alongside the oils. One day I'll get smart enough to create my own website so people can see our products (haha). I've also been experimenting with homegrown herbal remedies (teas, bathwaters, and even cough syrups). It's nothing for the public at large though, and is only tested on family and relatives. Neem is supposed to be quite good in medicinal value- for its anticeptic properties. Lavender, Thyme, Rosemary also are good for various purposes besides seasoning foods (but I don't know how well they would grow in your climate). Sounds like you have a lot of work with your current cultures already.
Johanna is in the 4th class- in her 3rd year of piano, she is doing well in both. Jesse is in the 2nd class and having some trouble with German (so the teacher says), but otherwise managing the rest of the subjects. Forget the fact that he is quite fluent in English. He is in his first year of piano. He's a typical boy, loves playing outside and getting into mud where ever he can find it or go off bike riding with his buddies. Jo is still convinced she wants to work with wild animals- so we have a year membership with the Zoo and can visit any time. They're healthy thank the Lord. Ueli has moved ahead with the building on our house now- the back part has been opened and the roof removed and raised, new beams placed and needs the tiles put on now and hopefully some roof-windows will be allowed. Then the walls need to be put in again (hopefully before we go to the States at Christmas) so we can create the downstairs guest bathroom,stairwell and Johanna's room. She is using the guest room at the moment to sleep in. The architecture (quite old 4-500 years) is rather brilliant using wood pegs to hold the fachwerk beams in place. It is almost blasphemy to resort to modern methods, but we need to get the work done and don't have the time or knowhow to do it 'the old fashioned way'. Okay- well that's where we're at. And, by the way- what is this 'story' about miscommunication and Ueli's mom? Do tell!!! :) Puiti Gott! (a Swiss saying- God watch over you) We'll be thinking of you in our prayers,
Sandi, Ueli and the kids
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