10 Stinky feet

We arrived in Addis after 11 hours on a road which involves dust, jarring bumps, twists and turns, avoiding cattle, dogs, vehicles doing ridiculously daring things and most importantly pedestrians.  We saw several accidents as usual and heard of a tragic one afterwards.  Yet the 11 hours in our enclosed landcruiser, did not prepare me for the smells that would hit us in the confines of our 2 adjoined guesthouse rooms.

That is because, at the end of the day, 10 small feet took of 5 pairs of shoes.  These shoes are actually quite remarkable as they withstand the heat and the dirt and the activity of life in Gesses.   Our youngest daughter is newly potty trained but of course accidents still happen from time to time and shoes are a natural place to gather the remnants.  Sand and dirt and urine are pressed into sandals.

Our second youngest daughter has the habit of running in and out of her shoes and so her feet and her shoes generally look and smell the same.

Our middle child told us just before we got into the car at 6:30am that her shoes were not clean as the tortoises pooed in them.  They looked and smelled acceptable at the time and there was no time to clean them.

Our son manages to be covered in dirt from his toes to his knee caps and beyond.  I am never sure quite how he manages it but then I grew up with grass stains.  He spends time with tortoises and puppies and goats, climbing trees and running through the bush. 

Our eldest loves animals unceasingly and so the smells coming from her shoes can best be described as a barn smell minus sweet hay.  The smell of goats and puppies and sunbaked manure are clearly identifiable.

Yet in all the activity, I failed to spend an hour today scrubbing my children's sandals and shoes.  That might have something to do with the fact that there is presently no running water. 

Tomorrow is field day where our downcountry children get to spend an entire day with other downcountry kids and a whole lot of city kids.   As long as they don't take off their shoes, maybe no one will notice.   And maybe a small part of me fears that if the shoes are scrubbed for tomorrow's events, they will no longer be the familiar and comfortable shoes that these 10 feet are used to.

And I love how these 10 little feet explore the world around them with all their hearts, unaware of what is outwardly "acceptable" to others.

My husband's feet though are well kept in socked feet and tough boots but his boots tell his story.

Extra protein anyone?

My son Joel cut up a bowl of green beans for me this afternoon and I cooked up a large pot of green bean soup with potatoes, carrots and onions along with summer savory and parsley. I love green bean soup with ham (which of course we don't have) buy I substituted it with the second last handful of real bacon bits (thanks to my dear mother). As the bacon bits were leaving my hand, I noticed there were many black bits. Oh no! Ants had gotten into the bag and now they were simmering nicely and hiding themselves among the spices.
I wondered whether to break it to the kids or not. Well they came into the kitchen and noticed the remaining handful of bacon bits crawling with ants. Joel said, oh ants are just extra protein! Some of them taste peppery and some taste minty. The last time I ate an ant though it bit my tongue. Kalia didn't even flinch but ate a couple of bacon pieces from the plate. 
So I scooped out the obvious ones floating on the top and we enjoyed our bean soup with extra protein. At least there was no danger of them biting as they were well simmered!

Key Misa

The weekend preceding Gumuz Christmas on Jan 7th was the traditional Gumuz holiday called Key Misa. We weren't even aware it existed last year. Externally it sounds like Thanksgiving and is celebrated by all believers. But their animist beliefs come out strongly. The leaders make sacrifices to Misa (God) by pouring keya (fermented millet drink) on the ground and killing a goat and putting it into the bush. They also give clothing and other gifts. They make these sacrifices so that Misa will bless the land next year and give them another harvest. (There may be other aspects to this holiday that we are not aware of but this is what we learned this year.)
We questioned the believers about this holiday and asked them if and how they celebrated it. Interestingly, it seems the Christians have caught on quickly to the aspects of the holiday that are wrong and the aspects that are good. 
They said, "It is a time when we thank God for our harvest. We don't waste our food or drink though because we know that God does not need these things." They said that the dogs just go and eat the goat in the bush, not God. Families may kill a goat or a chicken to celebrate and then eat the meat. Some of the believers use this day to tell others about who God really is. It is also a time of much visiting. It was good to visit and share what the Lord truly desires: our whole heart!
Pray for the believers: that they would be wise and discerning, that they would take hold of opportunities to share who God really is and about His son Jesus and that they would exude joy (among their people who fear much).

Oral Bible Team Photos

A new year's Eve gift by Kalia Kruse

After an hour of school, my dad invited us on a field trip to the big white tent. We didn't know what we would find but we knew it would be exciting. As we got near to the tent, we heard whining. I thought it was a wild cat. I was so amazed to see that my Gumuz dog Cindy had her puppies! I almost started to cry because I was so happy! 
 There are two boys and three girls. Cindy is only one year old so she is a very young mom. Pinky is spotted and very pink, Superman is spotted and chubby, and Natalie is cute and quiet. She is brown. Ryan is white and he's skinny and doesn't drink a lot of milk. Spotty is spotted and Sonia and Nadia call him Potty. It looks like hard work for Cindy to be a mom.
We can't keep the puppies but we get to watch them for 6 weeks. Cindy trusts us so much that she lets us hold the puppies whenever we want. 
She had them in the big white tent in the middle of our yard. I think it is a safe place for her to be and much quieter than our house. 

Cooking with our Sun Oven by Joel Kruse

Today my mom baked bread in the sun oven. She put the dough in 2 oatmeal tin cans and 2 loaf pans and then put in the oven. It is very bright because of the reflectors and it is very hot. It got 300 degrees in the oven this afternoon.  
 After one hour, the bread rose and baked. We needed a hot pad to get out the bread because it was so hot. We ate it for lunch. It was yummy. 
Mom also cooked beans in the solar oven. We thought it would 4 hours but it only took 2 hours. We are going to have them for supper.  
 Kalia and I are going to bake more stuff tomorrow because it is sunny everyday. The best time to cook or bake is between 10 am and 4 pm because that is when it is the hottest.