I am glad that we took a brief hiatus from sending regular email while we were at Scott Theological College last month going through AIM’s Africa-Based Orientation. It alleviated much stress, since the power frequently went off and was often off for a whole day at a time. Of course, without power, there is no internet (unless you hook up through the cell lines, which we weren’t doing yet). When the power was on, the only time for internet was at meals, and when one is also trying to entertain and feed a two-year old, multi-tasking did not work well!
In those brief moments when power was on and Zoe was sufficiently under control, usually the wireless was on. But even then, it wasn’t always hooked up to the internet… So, along with what was on the menu, we always approached the intener with the attitude, “well, let’s see what it will be today…” and kept the expectations in check.
Such little things really do help in several ways: by severing our connection to the “outside” world, we were able to visit more with the folks right around us, and we learned just a little more of thinking in terms of days or even weeks, rather than minutes and hours…and being okay with that. “It’s not wrong…it’s just different.”
Zoe loved feeding the local goats. The female, the white goat, gave birth while we were there to a cute little clone of its brown daddy.
Spooky and Phantom 