It has been our pleasure, over the past few months, to become friends with a local woman named Judith and her family. Judith lives in a house without running water or electricity. No inside toilet. There isn't even a door on the house, just a sheet of metal covering the opening. Yet she doesn't ask for anything and always has a smile on her face and a great attitude. That makes her stand out. In this culture, unlike ours, people are very dependent on each other. Here, if you have something I need and I ask for it, you are obligated to give it to me. That makes it very hard for people to save any money. Someone always needs something. The only way to really better your circumstance is through "concrete" investments, like buildings. People will start adding on to their houses, even if they can't finish the addition, because they know if they don't use the money themselves someone else will need it. Partially built structures are everywhere. It looks like a war zone, as if the buildings have all been bombed and are in ruin. In fact, the glass is not half empty, but half full. The structures are on their way up, not down. Still, it is very different from the way I, as an American, learned to manage my resources.

To really bless someone here you cannot just give them money and think that will help. As soon as their neighbors get wind of it it will be gone. To make a difference you have to follow their rules. As I thought about Judith and what we might do for her I kept thinking...she likes to cook--to learn to make "Western: food--but she doesn't have an oven. I began to research cost effective ways to build an oven and eventually found the earthen oven. It is made from clay, sand, water and brick, all items that Judith would have, and with just a few days work could be built for next to nothing. So I started praying about it. Should we try to build her an oven? Would it be a blessing or not?

The answer: build it.

Keep reading to see how we did it...

This week we found a very tiny, very young hedgehog in our yard. It's eyes are still closed and it has no teeth. I'm guessing it's less than a week old. The boys begged to keep it, and since we couldn't find its mother, Dan and I agreed. We've spent quite a bit of time researching how to care for it. At this stage it needs milk, but it's lactose intolerant so the best choice is sheep or goat milk or maybe soy milk. The closest thing we could find was soy powder which we have been mixing with water. We also learned that you have to rub its tummy after every feeding (which we do with a small syringe) to stimulate its digestive system. It doesn't work on its own yet and the greatest danger at this stage is what's called "bloat". It's insides literally blow up. We're doing our best, but I honestly don't hold out much hope for the little guy. He's so small. Too bad though. We've all grown quite attached to him in just a few days, and him to us. He nuzzles into our hands and cries when we put him down. Really hope he makes it. Oh...and his name...Presley:)

Recently our family, with the aid of our guard/guide, hiked the mountain that we admire every day. It is situated just behind our house, literally within walking distance. We took along several PBT friends and between all of us we had quite a group...an 8 year old, a 10 year old, 2 in their 20's, 2 in their 30's, 1 in his 40's and 1 in her 50's. Of course, we all over-packed. We carried lots of water, food for lunch on the mountain, first-aid supplies, cameras, etc. I'm sure we looked ridiculous to the locals.
It was amazing to see the way the people live on the mountain - the stepped farms, the mud huts, people walking barefoot down the trails carrying heavy loads on their heads. These are some of the toughest people I've ever encountered, and the kindest. Nearly all of them stopped to greet us along the way. One man warned us that the trail ahead was muddy, worried that we would slip and fall. Children and old women were passing us left and right as we struggled to climb the steep trails. This is their home. They walk these trails every day, multiple times. They carry the food that they grow down the mountain to sell it to anyone in town who's interested. We even passed by the little village where the men who come to our gate live and saw one of them outside relaxing. He recognized us, smiled and waved. 
I thought we were seasoned hikers, but this was a very difficult hike. The trails were often little more than a trench dug out by water running down the mountain. The foliage was very dense. The trails were incredibly steep. These people don't waste time taking the easy route; they go via the most direct one which is usually straight up. I was exhausted by the time we made it to the waterfall and stopped to eat. But after some food and a rest we were all ready to make our way home. I was so proud of our children. They didn't slow us down a bit. In fact, if anyone slowed us down...it was me

For the past several weeks my class has been all about Africa--studying its famous missionaries, learning its geography, reading great literature set here, etc. To bring it all together I decided to assign a "Tribe Project." Each child was to choose a tribe from my list, research that tribe, make a presentation board including at least one picture and one hand-made prop, and identify one food item that was routinely eaten by their tribe to contribute to a special dinner (which I had to approve) that we would share with their families. While they were researching they were also writing a three paragraph creative writing piece that had to have someone from their tribe as a main character and had to be set where their tribe originally lived. It was to include details that they had discovered in their research and they had to type it themselves (they recently learned to touch type). They had two weeks to complete their projects and stories. At the end of the two weeks we invited several guests to our house to hear our tribal presentations, to read our stories, enjoy a meal and to play "Are You Smarter Than a 3rd, 4th, 5th, or 6th Grader?" The kids challenged the adults to see who could identify more countries on the continent of Africa. Guess who won?

Mason interviews a Maasai Warrior - Continue...

I am seriously considering doing away with our TV when we return home. Looks like we're better off without it.

The first week we were here the boys wanted to watch a lot of TV, or I should say movies. There isn't TV reception here, but quite a collection of older movies. So, to ease the transition, I let them. Our second week I noticed that they were playing outside a lot more, even though it was sweltering hot, and they were enjoying each other's company. Then they started reading more. Lots more. Now, almost everywhere we go they have a book in tow. They read in the car. They read when we're waiting for food at a restaurant (which usually takes an hour.) They read every night in bed. And...they're still playing outside with other children. They seem to have forgotten the TV. It reminds me of our time living in the RV.

While we were on the road, with limited TV access, they did the same thing. They could entertain themselves with anything--sticks, dirt, whatever. They had to. We only brought 2 bins of toys, and one of those stayed underneath the RV while we traveled. They played together outside a lot (because there wasn't much space inside), read all the time, and got along beautifully. So, I'm considering eliminating the television from our lives. It's just a crutch--a time filler. Based on what I've seen, I think the boys are actually happier and more well-rounded without that distraction. How about you? Do you feel like the TV is taking over? Have you ever tried fasting TV for a month? Have any of you given it up entirely? Are you happier without it or missing it? Just wondered...