Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Meet Paddington Workman


Hi!
I am Paddington Workman. I am 8 1/2 weeks old and I love my mommy!


She picked me out of a line up when I was born to a stray that was being fostered in a rescue group in Houston. They are a really great group...they cared for my mama till my brothers and sisters and I were ok on our own and then they found her a forever home so she won't get "knocked up" any more...whatever that is.




(see that's me up at the top...my mommy says she picked me cause I look like my cat brother -Picasso- He's adopted too, but he is 2 years old now and is really smart and kinda jealous that came along. More on him later.)

So my forever mom, waited 8 long weeks, I had to grow so the doctor could make me neutral. I don't know what he did, but I went in and he made me take a nap and when I woke up I just didn't feel all there any more if you know what I mean. But that is ok, from what I understand if you are not neutral you get in trouble all the time (I think that is what happened to my birth mom!)

So, I now am learning all the tricks in my household. When I get up from a nap if I don't go outside I'd better go potty on the crinkly blue thing in the corner, or mom grabs me and takes me over to it. Then I think she wants to play so I jump up and down and lick her and she just walks away. I am so confused.

My house is at the top of this enormous building. My mommy carries me down the stairs cause they are too big for me to go down. Then we go for a long walk. It is lots of fun and I have met some new friends along the path. When I go potty in the grass my mom gives me a treat! Can you believe it! Natural body function that I can't help, I do it and mom gives me treat! What a life!! At the end of our long walk, I climb all the stairs to the house...I was scared at first but now I just climb right up them like a big boy. I am sooo tired when I get to the top.

I have to stay in my crate when mommy leaves for work, but then my nanny comes over...she is so pretty and so sweet. She smells like a german shepherd, but she doesn't look like one (I think maybe her kid does though). She loves me so much..she made me a tag that has my name on it and mommy's phone number in case I get lost. and yesterday she brought me a new bag of treats! She takes me for long walks and plays with me till naptime and then I got back in my crate. I don't really mind, but I cry for a while to make them feel bad.

My cat brother - Picasso - he doesn't have to go in a crate and sometimes he comes and laughs at me while I am sleeping, but he mostly sleeps all day too...he is kinda lazy!

He didn't like it when I first got there...he just growled all the time and said bad words...but I didn't care I had new toys to play with. Mommy says I am a bit ADD when it comes to toys....I am not! I just love my squishy bone..I like to chew it and carry it and walk with it (*spies rattle ball)...OOOOOO rattle ball...I LOVE my rattle ball, (*drops squishy bone) how do I play with both...oh decisions decisions....look at my rattle ball I love my rattle ball, I like to chew it and carry it and walk with it (*spies squeaky toy) - OOOOOOOOOO squeaky tooy!!!!” But I digress my apologies.

So the other day I was just playing with my toys like a good boy and that ol' cat was watching me from the couch. Sometimes I think he thinks I am a rat. I am NOT a rat, I am a rat TERRIER two totally different things. Anyway, I decided I wanted a drink of water so I went to the kitchen to get one (mama keeps a bowl just for me there...cept sometimes I share with Picasso cause he is bigger and says so). I guess that Picasso was mad cause I was ignoring him, so he jumped off the couch onto the counter (he is not supposed to be up there but he is disobedient all the time!) ...then he jumped down on bar stool....then under bar stool....the carefully stalks around the corner...sees me..waits for right second and POP!! slaps me! Then the coward takes off! I was not going to let him get away with it so I tried to chase him, but he just got on top of the couch again.

I was mad so I went over to see mom and she did not yell at him at all! She was laughing! I was so hurt...I just went and got my squishy bone and shook it hard!

After my long walk at night mom makes me play with all of my toys. I am so tired I just lay down and she makes me chase the rattle ball or squeaks my toy bone so I wake up again. Finally I just can't take it any more so I crawl in her lap and lay my head down and fall asleep. When I wake up I am soft and warm in my crate...but I don't mind..I just roll over and go back to sleep.

So that is me....welcome to my world! I am sure I'll update more...I am hilarious and have some GREAT stories. Ta ta for now....

Now where is that rattle ball....oh...squishy bone! yes!





Monday, February 25, 2008

Continued prayer

Dear Loved Ones,

It is hard to believe we are into the last week of February.

Thank you for praying for Devin this week. The medication seemed to not bother his system and he has seemed to have a little more energy this week. He has another day on the meds and then we see the doctor next month again. We thank the Lord for what he did this week.

for more of this update go to http://mtuwakazi.blogspot.com/

Next...news of my new puppy! :)
AW

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

The Results are In!!

Dear Loved Ones,

Not many people rejoice over a positive blood test but today we did. We heard from the doctor in Johannesburg where the microbiologist was successful in finding something in Devin’s bloodwork that has defied all other tests. In fact, they found 3 types of bacterial infections.
Q-fever, mycroplasma and rickettsia. There is no indication of how long these have been at work in Devin, but we know that he has been sick off and on for at least three years. There is a treatment prescribed that has been successful in other patients.

Devin will begin tomorrow on a course of two antibiotics along with three other medications. These should work on the bacteria and make him feel pretty miserable. We will see the doctor again in a month and he will tell us what to do from there. From what we are reading, treatment can be anywhere from three months to two years, with most people being treated for eight months. Pray with us that Devin’s body will respond to this treatment. We would, of course, like to see the minimal timing on this, but we will trust the Lord for His direction.

Thank you for praying with us. We had a good week and Sunday 90 people were present to hear a message on God’s love. Please continue to pray with us that Spencer will be saved. He is drawn to the message of Christ and has already brought a friend to church with him.

Reaching the Unreached,


Steve, Pam, Amanda, Derek and Devin

Friday, February 08, 2008

Jambo!

This is the ultimate tourist song of Kenya....You just can't help but dance along! :) The last words mean "in Kenya there is no Problems". I wish that were true right now! Continue to pray for peace in my country if you would!




Friday, February 01, 2008

You know you are from Africa when....

You know you're from Africa when...
...it doesn't seem right to pay the asking price on anything in a store. If you can't barter for it, it's not worth having.
...you're appalled that American grocery stores only sell one or two different types of bananas.
...your parents yell at you for forgetting to use silverware in public.
...you're going to visit your Grandparents and take you passport ~ just in case you have to evacuate.
...you find all the non-white people on campus so you can be a minority again.
...you can lead a 20 minute conversation starting with "walleponaua!!" and keep it going by replying "ehh" in numerous different tone-levels for the next half an hour! (...and have the other person exactly understand what you are saying!!)
….someone asks you for directions or where something is and you point with your chin or your pursed lips
...you fear for you life while riding in a Matatu....anywhere!
...you call everyone older then you uncle or aunt.
...you'd rather be barefoot and you know that the bloody gooey mess they call beef jerky in the States would never pass for true biltong.
...every toothpaste is colgate.
...every soap is surf.
...every soft drink is coca cola or fanta.
...you have uncles and aunts who are younger than you.
...black outs are nothing new to you.
...no running water for a day is just another ordinary thing
...40 degrees is cold.
...You can do your monthly shopping on the pavement.
...four cars are driving parallel to each other on a one-lane road.
...The smell of freshly rained on mud paths/tarmac is comforting.
...being an hour late equals being "on time"
...you get car sick cuz the roads just can't have enough potholes!
... you pass by someone’s house and you know what they gonna have for dinner cuz u can pretty much see and/or smell what's cooking
...you can bribe a cop and get away with it!
...you have an over whelming urge to wash all your salad in milton (baby bottle bleach, supposedly kills cholera) and add a bit of charcoal to your milk just to get the taste your used to.
...You know that the police aren’t always the safest place to go when you're in trouble.
...Cramming 7 passengers in a 4 passenger taxi is really not a big deal.
...you know never to question what you're eating (even if it does taste good), cuz sometimes you just don't want to know.
...you invite people for a get together at 7 and they all come at 9.
...football is played with some sort of ROUND ball and WITHOUT hands.
...everyone in your country plays soccer.
...you cram 24 people into a 14 passenger matatu and have never felt closer to your African friends.
...you make friends with the local shepherd and know the goats by name.
...carry purell like it's your life supply.
...you spent countless hours shining your shoes when u know very well that by the time you get to the taxi stop, they'll be covered in unbelievable dirt!
...you keep converting the value of things in your home currency when u see the dollar value.
...a plane flies by and you just cant help but look up!
... you have another name in your home language.
... you hate American corn, because it's never hard enough.
... you've drunk real chai, not this coffeeshop stuff. (AMEN!)
...you remember being so confused about how you could pay for something with a visa.
...you know you are from Africa when you have put Vaseline in your hair to be like your African friends..and your Mom has to take it out with OMO and Kerosene!
...you expect people to tell you they're fine before you ask them
...you used to shower under the rain.
...someone is riding their bike down the road with corrugated iron strapped width wise across the back of the bike and its taking up more than half of the road.
...you miss rain on a corrugated iron roof; it's so loud you have to shout to be heard.
...you've been proposed to while walking down the street (if you're a girl, that is, lol)
...you know what true hospitality and generosity is...when those who have almost nothing still welcome you in with open arms and are willing to share everything they have with you - even though they barely know you!
...someone asks you how much your sister costs.
...your brother tries to sell you to his college roommate for 36 cows or goats...
...You unwrap all your gifts carefully, so that you can reuse the wrapper.
...You call a person you've never met before uncle or aunt.
...more than 90% of the music CD's and cassettes in your home are illegal copies.
...you have almost always carry overweight baggage when traveling by plane.
...Nobody in your family informs you that they are coming over for a visit.
...You only make telephone calls at a cheaper rate at night
...You never have less than 20 people to meet you at the airport or see you off even if it is a local flight.
...someone offers seven cows for your infant sisters future hand in marriage.
...you learn the native words for "white person" everywhere you go, because you hear it shouted everywhere you go.
...something that would normally take half an hour in the Western world takes a few days or weeks...and if it didn't it just wouldn't be fun.
...you find it completely natural to have burglar-bars outside your windows
...you know the DSTV channels by heart
...you known not to question the contents of your food when it tastes good
...you bought your cellphone through your car window
...chicken is a luxury
...you wonder why there aren't any herds of cows and goats walking down the street in North America
...you can smell the rain before it comes
...you can look up at the sky and see every star clearly
...the sunset is something to look forward to
...you miss the the sound of rain on your tin roof at night, the after-rain smell, and the spectacular lightning shows.
...the only thing you throw away is avocado stones, and even then you wonder if you should save them and plant a tree
...every white thing you own has permanently turned a curious shade of orange
...everywhere you walk children run up to you shouting, 'how are you! how are you, how are you?' mzungu! mzungu!
...You spend as little time as possible in the toilet, and can hold your breath for amazing lengths of time.
...you always drink your drink straight away in front of the shop, and give them the bottle back.
...you spray 'Doom' in your tent before going to bed.
...when Americans tell you that the "chai" you're drinking isn't real because it's not Indian, and they think it's tea with milk. it's milk with tea.
…you’re NOT in Africa and you miss everything everybody else mentioned so much it hurts.
...you dream about Africa - a lot.
....you think of giving up trying to convince people of what it’s really like - even though they really do try, they often just don’t understand.
... you expect to be able to buy roast corn, fried meat or fish, boiled yams or cassava etc whilst you are traveling on public transport.
...having mud-orange feet is normal.
...instead of being greeted with "good morning", you're greeted with "Are you awake?"
...the rain back "home" feels cold.
...you go away on holiday and come back, and the people ask you: "Are you back?"
...you get the songs from the celltel and pepsi baridi adverts stuck in your head
...you learn quickly that pedestrians DO NOT have the right-of-way
...you'd rather be barefoot
...you realize that after leaving Africa you can never have another piece of fruit that will ever taste as good as it does there
...you can buy anything you like at traffic lights, from fruit to hangers to kitchen knifes.
...your 'guard dogs' were the most lovable pets ever
...you prefer music that's slightly out of tune
...b.o. is a comforting smell (LOL!!)
...you reuse plastic throwaways
...$2 is too much for a t-shirt
...the smell of an old, smoky diesel engine makes you smile and long for 'home'
...pop comes in bottles
...you aren't surprised when you have to stop the car to let three giraffes finish crossing the highway in front of you
...you buy your milk in a triangular cardboard container from a hut on the side of the road
...you know the profound and tangible silence of dawn on the Masai Mara
...you know that an umbrella is useless during the rainy season and simply accept the fact that you'll be wet for 3 months... and really don't mind either.
...you've seen a sky so blue you could cry, with thick, perfect white clouds you can almost taste
...people bump into the car in front, check out the damage, hand over some money (maybe!) and then drive off!
...you think nothing of driving down a road that has potholes bigger than anything!
...you get culture shock in a grocery store, when you see the shelves completely stocked with 15 different kinds of whatever!
...you're an expert at packing bags and people into cars . . . and making everything fit!!!
...When there's no electricity, you're in bed by dark and up at sunrise.
...When you go to the pictures to see a movie...and the place is like something out of the 1950s...and not only do they put the film on especially for the 4 of you because there's no-one else there but it's a dvd ....and a pirated one at that...
...you buy a movie on the street, get home and watch it, and realize that you can hear the person chomping on their popcorn in the theatre...only the best :)
...you're sure your going to die 9 times in a 5 minute minibus trip
...You remember the smell of the first rain signaling the end of the dry season
...you hand in your glass bottle of fizzy soft drink back to the shop keeper for recycling just to get your deposit back

...tears well up in your eyes as you read this list, either wishing that you were back in Africa or glad that you are still there...