Saturday, February 28, 2009

What I'm reading

The Translator, a Tribesman's Memoir of Darfur
Daoud Hari

If you haven't picked up this book yet, and you can stomach the sometimes blunt passages of war and suffering, it's time to find The Translator at your local library. Beautifully written, with a flowing style that mixes tales of joy and heartache in the same breath, much like the life the author lived. The Translator tells the tale of a Sudanese Zaghawa tribesman, who through a series of events (which seemed unfortunate at the time) managed to get some amount of education as a child, even learning English. His experiences as a child and his love of English literature (reading Bronte, Dickens and Alan Paton as a young village teenager!) caused him to travel throughout much of Northern Africa and gave him a broader view of the world than many of his fellow tribesmen, so that he gained some understanding of all sides in the War of Darfur. On returning home in the midst of destruction, he took the dangerous job as a translator for UN inspectors and media reporters. The book covers many of the familiar places of my teenage years in Chad, and is written in a way that brings the Chadian and Sudanese people more alive than I even felt it when living there. This is not only an inside look at the strife in Sudan, but an even deeper look into the culture and lives of the people themselves.



On N'Djamena:
Though it is the capital of Chad, N'Djamena, a city of about three quarters of a million souls, is located exactly on the country's border with Cameroon, as if it were waiting for the right moment to cross the river and escape its own poverty. The heat wakes you up in N'Djamena. The children outside your door also wake you. I had taken a small room in a low, mud-walled building of eight families, so I can tesitfy to this. Men and boys on camels, riding along the dirt streets to market, shouting from camel to camel, wake you up too -- though it is not unpleasant to hear this as you wake, for the French and Arabic of N'Djamena blend together very musically. Little scrappy motorcycles also wake you up and you can smell their smoke. The old diesel engines of yellow Peugeot taxicabs begin their daily prowl down the mud streets, and their rumble and smoke also come into your room... French fighter jets from their base by the airport fly low and fast over the city on a usual morning. This is a courtesy in case you are still lazy and need to wake up.

On interviews with refugees:
Often, then, the stories came pouring out, and often they were set before us slowly and quietly like tea. These slow stories were told with understatement that made my eyes and voice fill as I translated; for when people seem to have no emotion remaining for such stories, your own heart must supply it.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Annie

Captured a rare moment with her ears up!

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Tuesday, February 24, 2009

It's a girl!

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Sunday, February 22, 2009

What we're reading

With Jordan's new ability to be read books to with few or no pictures, we've recently gone through the Narnia series, Laura Ingalls Wilder books, The Hobbit, and now we're into Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm. He's enjoying this one as much as the others, despite (to my surprise) the old and languid writing style which I'd forgotten it was written in!

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Throw a Few Things on the Ground

I had the unique opportunity to have a small part in the making of a full length movie, recently. Not just a movie, though, but a French African movie from Togo. A friend, Peter Buck, runs a growing video production company that's branching out from commercials and weddings to create some really unique local documentaries and, most recently, this feature length movie written and acted by Togolese Christians. In January this movie made it to the finals in the prestigious San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival. I helped by translating the French into English subtitles. If you're interested in the movie please click here which links to Peter's website where you can read more about it and see production pictures. You can also purchase and download the movie from various Christian movie sites, including Behemoth.com. If you want to subsidize the cost of distributing the film in Togo email me or Peter.


Saturday, February 14, 2009

Hard boiled eggs.

Jordan has recently acquired a new favorite breakfast -- hard boiled eggs! The novelty of how they're eaten adds to their attractiveness.
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Monday, February 9, 2009

Mending fences

The weather has been GREAT recently, with highs in the 60's all weekend and projected throughout this week making it feel like Spring! We took full advantage of it, working outside on our fenceline and getting nearly all the fence holes patched in preparation for the horses in the [real] Spring.

The crew (minus me and the kids)


Nothing got in our way


The boys, "fishing" in the creek using Annie's leash


This rail only fit if it was weaved in and out of the posts (note the foreground post and the one behind me are on one side of the rail, the middle post wanted to go on the other side of the rail).
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Saturday, February 7, 2009

The recession's effect

I've been asked a number of times by the predominantly non-American readership of this blog whether we've been affected by the recession occurring here in the U.S. as well as around the globe. So I decided to take a few minutes today to think about what effect this time has had in my life.

Most of the recession's effect on us has actually been positive. The dramatically lower cost of housing enabled us to purchase a home we love in the location we had hoped for. Praying "thank you, Lord, for a roof over our heads" has been much more heart-felt these days, when neighbors are having to move out due to foreclosure. I have a solid job in a growing company that appears well placed to weather an economic downturn. I've been able to hire great talent at a time when my company is growing, because I have the luxury of being able to pick out the best of the best from a long list of resumes. The simple blessing of being able to offer someone else a job is something I now value more deeply. I see many resumes from people currently without a job, and I know they're wondering how soon they can find a new one in this economy. I wish I could hire them all! Likewise I've found a new appreciation for being able to support missionaries and neighbors financially in a time when many missionary and charity supporters are needing to cut back, or where the value of the U.S. dollar isn't going as far in their countries of residence.

We've also felt some of the negative effects. High fuel prices, difficulty getting approved for credit, an inability to sell our home (so far!). But even in these clouds I've found many silver linings. Great carpool buddies, more empathy for people going through hard times and unable to get credit, patience and trust in God to work all things for good.

So while I hope for the sake of all who are needy that we get through this recession quickly, I'm thankful for my own sake that we've traveled through it, that I could learn some small lessons because of it. Lessons in humility, in caring for our neighbors, and in appreciating the little things we have.

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Large screen TV

We've all been enjoying this gift (from our new very best friends...) of a video projector! Right now it's in our bedroom and the picture fills an entire wall. It makes it tough to sleep when large as life planes are flying over our heads! Some day when we have more furniture it may finally make it's way down to the "theatre" in the basement.

Or maybe not -- it's very nice having a theatre in our bedroom.

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Sunday, February 1, 2009

Leaf in ice

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