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Showing posts from 2011

Welcome back old friend

It’s been awhile since my body hurt so bad. Achy all over, metal taste in my mouth, pounding head ach, light sensitivity, stomach acid burps, and no energy. I knew it would only be a matter of time until my old friend, Malaria, came for a visit. I had suspected I might have had it a few times over the last few weeks but never went to get tested. Until this morning, last night I went to be with a fever and terrible body aches and woke up the same. I knew it was time to go in. So old friend, it’s you and me again, at battle. Just know I will win, I will survive and have energy again. Boo-yah.

A Christmas Gift

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A gift for you, from God. I realized this month what a beautiful gift we have been given. I’m not talking about the obvious one, salvation. I’m talking about a gift we all often forget about. The gift of YOU, of ME. “ God knows your full potential, and He is guiding you towards that best version of yourself all the time .” “ Your uniqueness is God-designed ” “ God wants you to be a ‘new creation’. But ‘new’ doesn’t mean completely different; instead, it is like an old piece of furniture that gets restored to its intended beauty. ” “ God never grows two people the same way. God is a hand-crafter, not a mass-producer ” * Did you read those things?! God gave you the gift of you being you. He hand-made you, gave you your uniqueness. “ We are God’s masterpiece, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. ” Ephesians 2:10 This Christmas remember what He gave you. Revel in the beauty of who you are, in the different things that make you, you. Look at

Christmas Eve Prayer

I will sleep here in my Tanzanian bed on Christmas Eve with a prayer on my heart. I pray that things will continue to move forward, that our home will soon be able to fill a place in a child’s life, that our paperwork will be completed, donors hearts opened and then finally our beds will be full. That baby Jeremiah will be held in my arms and countless others will fill my heart. This Christmas I ask for the gift of a Tanzanian family. Please, Lord Jesus. Amen.

SNOW

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It snowed yesterday. Perhaps I should clarify. It snowed here yesterday. Perhaps I should clarify again. It snowed here in Tanzania, yesterday. We had a crazy rain storm. I was still at church. The rain came from everywhere, it was sooo loud. It got nice and cool. Then when the rain stopped, we headed to Mr Owawa's house for lunch. That's when I saw the snow. No, not that snow, that's in my house. Snow on top of Mount Meru. It was magical, beautiful and a gift from God. That's snow if you look close.

Mosquito's Log

Mosquito’s log Bite date 12.14.2011 The troops in America have failed. They were not able to successfully complete an itch mission on battlefield Sonya. There have been countless attacks on her arms and legs in more than one state, with no itch to mark. The southern mosquitoes in Alabama, Texas and Florida were unable to render her angry and itchy. When the Honduras division was put on the mission they too failed miserably. They were able to render her comrades from Germany into scabby, itchy messes. They were even able to distract and bother her fellow countrymen/women but nothing on battlefield Sonya. When the mosquitoes in the mountains of California were alerted of the operative being on the move they assured all that they would be able to make her a bite worth keeping. While other battlefields have been taken out in less than 2 min flat, even when the big and small battlefields have been decked out in outdoor ammo filled with the deadly deet, she has survived. The Tchadian company

Tangawizi

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Without further delay I introduce to you: Tangawizi His full name is Stoney Tangawizi. He was named in honor of my favorite soda here in Tanzania, ginger beer. (he’s also the colour of Tangawizi) So yummy. You have to be careful when you drink it because if you inhale, as you are about to sip you burn your throat. But it fizzes nicely on its way down. Anyway, enough about the drink let me tell you about the dog. Tangawizi is a funny little dog. He likes to talk a lot, or perhaps I should say grumble. He’ll be laying in his bed and make all sorts of noise when he rolls over, moaning and groaning as if he were an old man and had to walk miles to church in the cold. He’s a very playful puppy, as all puppies tend to be. He enjoys chasing the rainbows on the floor and wall that my prism makes in my window. He likes to talk/grumble when I’m holding him on my lap as if he were telling me he would much rather be chewing on my hand or face. He understands when I tell him no and he us

Karibu Tena

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Ahh, the house is quite once again. These last week and a half has been full of visiting, eating, sharing stories, cultural learning, laughter, sharing of everything and pre Christmas joy. On December 1, our household grew to 6. Mary’s two children (Waren 3, Caren 5), her sister (Beatrice 19) and her cousin (Penda 20) came for a visit. It changed the dynamics of everything! Having two little kids around the house was a gentle foreshadowing of what is to come. Having the two other girls was a lot of fun for me to work on my cooking skills (they are good teachers) and language skills, not to mention just trying to talk to or work with the two little ones. It was a good visit in that it helped me realize all that I need to be working on for when our children come home next year. For example what kind of house rules need to be set up, when bed time is, what to eat to be healthy, how to keep the culture yet maintain health and proper discipline. Like I said, it was good f

The Keeper.

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I am now the keeper of the seal. I wield the stamp of authority. I’ve got the power.

Merry Two Months

I find myself listening to my Christmas music play list all the time. I’m trying to remind myself that it’s actually Christmas time, that Thanksgiving has come and gone and that I have been here for two full months. Things are changing these days. We’ve got Mary’s two kids along with two of her teenage sisters here for some time. School is out for a while so it’s a family vacation. The house isn’t as quite anymore, in fact it’s not at all quite J I’m not so worried; I knew the noise would be here soon enough. And with me having my official residence visa all sorts of great things should be happening soon. I’m blessed to have people (Sm’s from Southern, friends of friends) passing through the area and I get to visit with them. This will help keep the Christmas spirit alive. I was going to try and go somewhere for the holidays but in wanting to save money for my good buddies wedding in April ( Liz Randall , from my Tchad adventures) I decided to make the most of it from here

The Traditional Thanksgiving List

My list of 100 things I am thankful for.  It's tradition. You should make one too, it's good for the spirit. 1. Running, who'da thought I'd enjoy it so much 2. The rain  3. My friend Kimberly 4. Garden friends 5. Old university roommates 6. Good books 7. My brother, Christopher Reaves 8. My mom and her bravery 9. My dad and all his animals 10. Deli and her gift at helping me do my taxes 11. The Sierras 12. My Wawona family (even if I don't live with them anymore) 13. My Tchadian family, not a day goes by that I don't think about them 14. The ability to communicate with people in English, Spanish, French and a little bit of Kiswahili 15. Fires in the fireplace (even here in Tanzania) 16. Familiar fruit 17. Skype (sonyareaves is my skype name!) 18. Language dictionaries 19. My dog Tangawizi (yup, I got a dog and he's a beaut!) 20. Travel 21. The things I had to learn last summer 22. My summer camp families (Kulaqua, Alamisco, FLAG Camp, and Wawona)

Thank you Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving has always been just a regular holiday until I found myself for the first time away from home, America and everything familiar. It was when I was living in Honduras that I found such a deep beauty in the holiday. I realized what the beauty of the holiday was and that the people I was surrounded with could love me like family. Thanksgiving soon became one of the most important holidays of the year (right next to the 4th of July). Thanksgiving is more than a few days off from work or school, more than cooking lots of food and more than dumb American football. It's a day where we all pause, and evaluate life, we look at what God has given us, what He has blessed us with. This morning I read in Ephesians a perfect text for tomorrow: "Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think . . . be glory" Ephesians 3:20,21 Tomorrow I am going to visit with my new friends, some who aren't even from America but Germany and Canada. I am

The moo cow moo.

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My grandma used to sing a song about getting milk from a cow. I loved hearing her sing it, "again Grandma!" I would say, then I'd try and join in. The moo cow moo brings milk to me I don't drink coffee and I don't drink tea For milk is better for a girl like me This last week I milked a cow. I.Milked.A.Cow. Cool.

A mixture of thoughts

I love the smell of rain. I love how it makes things cold. I love how it fills the well with water. I love how it makes things green. I keep forgetting it’s fall where you are. I’m enjoying the spring and warm sunshine while you are getting snow. I love snow (I also love most things, it’s in my DNA to love things). I hope you are taking time to walk among the falling leaves, bundle up, wear a scarf, drink hot chocolate, sit by a fire, because fall is the time of year to slow down and be with people. I love fall. I love to bake. You can ask any friend who has lived near me in the last few years and they will verify those facts. Although flour is a bit expensive here I still buy it ($1 for 2lbs). I’ve already made some sugar cookies and cinnamon buns, which my buns are getting better and better each time. The tricky part with baking here is to I light the top of the oven or the bottom. We use kerosene and you can’t light both, so I’ve chosen the bottom. Any tips on that woul

The Voice of a Child

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[ Masi child going into his hut, Tanzania by Sonya Reaves, 13/11/11.] Teach me how to love I am a child in need of strength and hope. Love me for who I am, only don’t leave me that way. I am rude and loud and think of myself I stand up front and say what I want It’s almost to late to fix what you started. Love me and correct me with strength Teach me when and where to talk How to know my place. Show me what it is like to put others first Love me with the love from your deep heart. Allow me to fall, but not stay down Do what you must to teach me how to love Love me with confidence.

Gabriel

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Gabriel, much like his Biblical namesake, is a guardian, a messenger and a friend. I first met him the night I arrived but I remember him best my first Friday night. I had only been at home for two days and was still very new to life here. Mary was at work and I was left to open the Sabbath alone. I remember opening the door to the porch off of my room and hearing beautiful acapella singing and sitting down on the porch to enjoy it. Then Gabriel came to guard the house, he turned on the porch light and sat down next to me. We discussed the beautiful music, where it was coming from and the local fruit trees. Thus began our friendship. Gabriel was the first person to sit down with me and teach me Kiswahili, mainly because he doesn’t speak much English, but we get along well with the words I’ve learned in Kiswahili. We patched together sentences in Kiswahili and English, using my dictionary and charades. It is Gabriel’s son, Onesmo who has also joined in the force to help me learn Kiswa

Poof and it's poofy.

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We didn't have electricity most of the second half of this week, I liked it except for the not being able to contact people I was going to call. However I embraced the quite darkness. Woke up this morning with this: Not sure what it was. I took some Benadryl and ended up sleeping all day from it. It's better now, tonight. I'm going to Sanya Juu tomorrow. I don't care if we actually see animals, I'm just excited to go to Sanya Juu. What a cool name.

28 beautiful stories

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Have you ever wanted to visit, thought of visiting, want to volunteer, know someone who has visited, lived, volunteered on the continent of Africa? Have you ever watched a movie about Africa, seen animals from the Serengeti, or animals that were from Africa? Do you know what simba, rafiki, asante sana or karabu means in English? If you answered yes to any of these questions you need to read 28 Stories of AIDS in Africa . There are 28 stories from different people and their connection to AIDS, whether they are HIV positive, all their children have died and they are taking care of their 14 grandchildren, they do research for AIDS, they are advocates or they are living with AIDS. I learned so much about this disease that is raping the continent of her people. I learned so much about the different mindsets people in the first and third world have about the disease and ways that people are working to open the eyes of the world to how they can help. The stories are easy to r

Month number 1

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I figure I need to write about living here for one month now. To be honest I can’t believe it has only been one-month/4 weeks/720 hours, it seems like I have been here forever. Maybe it is because this life isn’t so new, and the people in it feel like people I was missing in my life up until now. I’ve laughed with Mary so many times in the weeks I have been here. She is patiently teaching me how to cook like a Tanzanian mama and we are sharing thoughts, not the loose ones that are floating around, although I do share those too, but we are sharing deeper ones. We are two women living in a house sharing the responsibilities of simple living yet we are growing and sharing. It is amazing. I honestly never thought I would connect this well with someone who is not from my country. This location; I feel as if I have always known these dirt paths, I’ve always known that turning left at the “Doors” would take me to Ngordoto Lodge or Maxi’s shop would sell me toilet paper for 5oo

Skills

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Kellie (volunteer from nearby orphanage) did my makeup the other night. It was great, including a lovely unibrow. I don't think I'm ever going to be the same again. Ps. I gave her one too.

Outfitters

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I went to Arusha last Friday. I discovered something that I had no idea I would find, ever in my lifetime. I found the Tanzanian REI, the Rock Creek of Arusha, the haven of all things outfitters. I found the market that sells American outdoor apparel. It was all there; North Face, Black Diamond, Keen, Choco, Teva, Marmot, Alpinist, H/H and many other brands. Can you believe it? And the price, oh, let me tell you about the price, I asked about a pair of Choco’s almost just like mine only they were a single strap and they cost around 80,000 Tsh, a mear 43 Usd, and even that could possibly be talked down. The backpacks that I saw were only 50,000 Tsh, 27 Usd, and like I said they might even be talked down. The isles were lined with all kinds of brand name hiking shoes and sandals, warm fleeces, backpacks, warm hats and wonderful dreams of adventure. The backpacks were hanging on their hooks waiting for a voyage of discovery on the Mountain of Meru or the peak of Kilimanjaro.

Saturday.

In moving here and taking the job of starting, from scratch, this home for children I have found the need to understand more deeply why I believe what I believe and why I follow the rules I follow. Are they rules simply because or are they based on the Bible? The first of many things I am evaluating is the Sabbath. What do I believe and why? Do I rest on the seventh day because I am a Seventh Day Adventist? Because it’s what I have always done or do I do it because it is what God has asked of me? This last Sabbath I took some time to search out the one true place for answers, the Bible, the word of God. In my reading I found several answers to what I should do on the seventh day of the week. I decided to read from Exodus, the book that explains God’s commands for us, the Ten Commandments. “Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days a week are set apart for your daily duties and regular work, but the seventh day is a day of rest dedicated to the Lord

Maji

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The well where we get water from The life of an African is hard. We were spoiled in Tcad with having our own personal well at home –good for showering, drinking and everything in between. Here it is work. We need water to flush, wash—face, teeth, body, clothes, dishes, floor, hands, hair –everything! Where do we get it? We draw it from outside, from the well with a bucket. To drink we must “import” from a nearby drinking well. When I first arrived it was raining everyday, now I haven’t seen rain in a week or so and our well shows it. We haven’t been able to easily get more than two full 5 gal buckets out of the well in a day. (If we do it’s slow going and very cloudy) The water that’s down there is dirty. It’s not very clear and just now Mary called me out there to look in the well and I didn’t like what I saw, ants! Lots of them, small clusters of them floating together, individual ones swimming around, doing who knows what, ekk. This is a hard life. I already on

I went to the beauty parlor.

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I made friends with the ladies at the beauty parlor in Usa Town. They liked my hair and were more than willing to fix my hair and pencil in my eyebrows. Wasn't that nice of them?

Mary

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Mary is 25 and has two beautiful children, Caren and Waren, whom they call Sharon. She currently works at the Ngordoto lodge a supervising waitress. She speaks English and Kiswahili, she is wanting to learn French and perhaps even Spanish. Mary came to us via the Ngordoto Lodge Hotel where Shannin, Paul Pickle and Ron (of Florida Baptist Children's Home) met her while they were in Usa River, Tanzania to secure property to start the home for children back in May 2011. In a short time of knowing her they saw in her a beautiful character and a kindness, and she was endeared to them which lead them to ask her to move into their newly purchased house and help Sonya adapt to the culture and language, with the hopes that once the home is filled with children she would become the first house mother. Mary is a kindred spirit in the few weeks that Sonya has been there they have had wonderful conversations together, discovering Mary's passion for God, the importance of

God is Good

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I signed on to work for Small Steps for Compassion officially right before I came here in October. But my heart was in it before that, I was just afraid to acknowledge it. All this last school year I had known I was to come here to Tanzania but I was afraid to leave all that I knew and the exciting, safe job I had.   You can ask most anyone who lived near me or talked to me, I was uncertain as to where I was being called, much like our friend Jonah. I looked around for signs that God was leading me to stay and continue working at Camp Wawona, after all city kids needed to see God in the nature and in the mountains, right? I tried to ignore the fact that I had wanted an opportunity to start and work for an orphanage for years (most of my college career), that all my college work and studies had lead me to this job. Instead I was stuck in a bad wash cycle; I just kept spinning and spinning and spinning. I would try and convince God of the other plans and that I could passi

Dear Sonya of two-thousand-and-one

Dear Sonya of two-thousand and one, You have just entered a new phase of fun. The years will pass and crash but you’ll have a blast One day you’ll wake up and realize all the days have past In those days you will feel, Pain, joy, anger but in that you will be real. The pain will come but not move in, He’ll only come once in a wile, never to set up shop and win Anger, he’ll be there too, At people, yourself and God, but it will always just pass through. The heart will grow the most; Hold on to God, your safety post. In the times you don’t know what to do, In growing and changing, God will send you a working crew. They will teach you, correct you, love you -for you, Joke with you, laugh with you, and help when you are blue. These people will be what make the years worth the fight. Love them and trust them but don’t hold on to tight; For in the years that you grow You will move, and change for months in a row. I will tell you one more thin