Double Digit Best Birthday Ever by Joel Kruse

On Wednesday, July 23rd, I had the best birthday ever. I turned 10 and I woke up really early. My dad was up and he took me behind our house and gave me my birthday present. It was a live chicken. My favorite color is orange and this hen had orange eyes and orange feathers. 

 We had pancakes with butterscotch pudding for breakfast so I named her Butterscotch. I spent the morning fixing the old coop which is off the ground on bamboo stilts so that predators can't get her. My sister and I made a bamboo ladder so she can climb up into her house.

Our garden is not growing all that well since a herd of cows came through and ate all our corn but our okra is doing great! It is my favourite vegetable and so my mom and I picked large handfuls of okra so she could make okra stew with rice for lunch. My sisters all made me things and my grandparents gave me a baseball, glove and badminton racket. We don't have any stores near us so gifts are pretty special and unexpected.

 I really wanted to have an angel food cake for my birthday but my mom tried making it from scratch once and it didn't work well. It also needs a lot of eggs (which are hard to get) so I didn't think I was going to have that kind of cake. My mom kept it a surprise but she asked some visitors from Canada to bring a cake mix a month ago and so I got an angel food cake with blue whipping cream for my cake. It was awesome! We also had tortillas for supper and another missionary family joined us. We played some games and got treat bags with candy from America.

 Two teams racing to collect 2 L water bottles from all over our large yard.  We had to follow clues.

 Shooting at 2 L water bottles with slingshots.

 My mom didn't think it was going to be the best birthday ever because I couldn't invite my friends over but I think it was special because there were so many surprises. I think when you can't get stuff easily, it is even more special when you do get something special. I am 10 now and even though I don't look different, I feel a little older. It was a great birthday.  By Joel

From mom - We are so proud to call you our son. You received a card on your birthday that said you are Jovial/Joyful/Joker, Optimistic, Enthusiastic/Energetic, Likeable/Loving. 
It's true (though your sisters may not always agree).  You are growing up without all the privileges that so many boys your age have and yet you are thankful, creative and serve those around you cheerfully.  You are a blessing to our home. Happy Birthday Joel! We love you.

A Mouse in My Shoe by Nadia Kruse

My mom always tells us to check our shoes and rubber boots before we put them on. Especially if we leave them on our porch outside. That is because something bad might crawl in like a scorpion or a fuzzy caterpillar. But a few days ago, I forgot. I forgot to check my shoes. I wiggled my toes inside and then I screamed. I jumped back and out came a cute little fuzzy tailed mouse. We got to keep it in a box for the morning and then let it go in the forest. My mom said that it was a good reminder to always check my shoes. Next time I will remember.

A Cemented-In Snake

I try not to live in fear of the dangerous things and situations found here in the Gumuz mountains, so I let the children run and play freely with some restricted areas. For example: The mango tree is off limits after two dangerous snake appearances. One can falsely assume that ones' house is a secure place but I have been reminded many times that this is not so. It is better to put my trust in the Lord that saves rather than a house that appears safe.

Last week, a snake was found in our back porch, but a few weeks ago, our colleague, Cherie called down to our house hoping that Joel might help her with a snake in her house. Hmmm, well my 9 year old son is very adept at shooting with his bow but I wasn't quite ready to have him attempt killing a snake on his own. So we called our guard and asked him to join us in the house. The snake slithered from behind the bookshelf towards the couch and it was quite clear who the hunters were - the male members in the house. The rest of us shrunk back in fear.

Shockingly it found a hole in the wall and slithered into a metal tubing that holds the plywood walls in place. There was no way we could reach this snake and no way that Cherie would want to share her house with it. So our guard came up with a solution (for the snakes usually appear when my husband is away). Our guard and Joel mixed some cement and began stuffing the pipe with cement. Within 1/2 hour it was hardened and we hope the pipe does not lead anywhere into the house. Hopefully the snake met its death inside. Nightmares are fairly common after a snake event but thankfully none of them are ongoing.

Mushroom Collecting Girls

For Gumuz in Gesses, it is mushroom collecting season as there is little else to make into soup or sauce these days. Most people have finished off their beans from last season and are waiting for the okra and pumpkins to ripen. In the meantime they send out their little girls to collect mushrooms. 

I must admit I was not aware of the numerous kinds of edible mushrooms that were available in this area. Mushrooms ranging from head size to pea size with varying colors. Though we have tried a few, I must admit I prefer knowing whether the mushroom is mostly safe or entirely safe to eat. But Gumuz know their mushrooms well and fill up basketfuls while browsing through the forest.

You can imagine how surprised Rolf was one day when a mushroom collecting girl appeared at our door with a wrench in her hand. 

"Is this yours?" she asked. 

Indeed it was. She had found it 2 km away where it had fallen out of the tool kit when riding his motorcycle. 

Then a few days later, another group of mushroom collecting girls appeared at our door. "We found your tortoise. It is over there." They pointed deep into the forest past our house. 

The children raced to find the spot with them and sure enough, there was Joel's tortoise that had escaped its cage several days earlier.

We are still waiting to see whether Kalia's escaped tortoise (second time now) will be found by these highly observant mushroom collecting girls. In the meantime, mushroom soup for everyone!

A Bizarre Medical Case

I was not aware that bones that heal improperly could cause no pain. I was not aware that a bone sticking out of skin will not necessarily bring infection or pain. I was not aware that a child could walk and even run on a broken leg. But a few days ago, I learned something new.

An 8 year old boy was brought to my door. A relative of one of the women that I know here. He had walked back with her from a village about 10km away. I was completely shocked at the sight of the front shin bone sticking out of his leg. You could see the marrow in the bone! The boy sat stoically showing no sign of discomfort.

I asked some obvious questions. "When did this happen?" 

Four years ago. 

"FOUR YEARS AGO? Why did you wait so long to seek help?" 

His father is dead and his relatives had no money. They took him to a clinic and they gave him some medicine to drink. 

"Is it painful?" 

No. 

"Can he walk on it?" 

Oh, he can run on it. 

I was shocked to say the least.

But the child has grown a lot in four years and there is obvious internal damage. His growth plates are growing improperly and his bones are growing improperly. I have no idea how it looks inside but externally it looks bad. The leg is stunted and thick and the child is bent over when he walks or runs. Yet he is managing, but for how long?

There is a hospital in Addis that does professional surgeries for free for children under the age of 16. And so since this apparently not an emergency, a consultation appointment will take place in September and hopefully surgery will follow immediately or in the coming months. It sounds like there is a long waiting list but my hope is to see this boy running in a year's time healed from surgery. My hope is that this boy and this family might know the Lord through all that will come.

A Marriage Song

Last Sunday, we held the first official marriage training for approximately 40 believers. 12 Christian couples, some Christian women with unbelieving husbands and some whose husbands didn't come at all, several men without their wives and a group of singles who hope to be married in the years to come. Another SIM missionary couple experienced in marriage training in Ethiopia led the sesson after church. Four hours of interactive biblical marriage teaching for 1st generation believers. We hope that it will be the stepping stone for many more teaching times.

Imagine having no godly couple to set an example for you. Imagine having little concept of what love looks like. Imagine never sharing with your spouse what you actually need from him or her. There was laughter, questions, songs, nods of understanding and hope. Hope that marriage could be something beautiful.

Marriage songs abound in Gumuz culture. In fact they are second only to songs sung against enemies. But believers are singing a new marriage song. A song that shares what biblical marriage is all about. Last year, we wrote a song from Colossians 3:18 and Ephesians 5:28 and it emphasized the very teaching that was being given. To me, it is a marriage song. A song that should be sung daily in the homes of believers because marriages are constantly under attack.

You women live well in the sight of God.
Accept your husbands.

You men, love your wives
Do not live in bitterness.

You men love your wives as you love yourself.
Do not live in bitterness.
Love your wives.

The words are pretty basic but if you ask Gumuz men what the number one problem is in their marriage, it is that their wives don't accept them/their words. If you ask Gumuz women, what the number one problem is in their marriage it is that their husbands don't love them. The women work from sunrise to sunset with little or no help from their husbands. They don't share their money and they don't tell them things.

Accepting...respecting....loving....helping....they seem so basic but they are so hard...in every culture. Yet here there is an added challenge. Women don't readily accept their husbands because they are not protected by them. If the marriage goes badly, she is sent home. If she can't bear children, she is sent home. If someone accuses her of being an evil spirit (which has just happened recently), she is taken home. Every woman needs to know they are loved and protected.

So another song was sung from 1 John 4:7-8 Love is from God.

Let us love each other. Love comes from God.
People who love are children of God.
Love comes from God.
People who love are children of God.
Love comes from God.
People who do not love, do not know God.

And so as the first group of believing couples among all these villages around us, these couples have the opportunity not only to have a godly marriage and family but to show all those around them that they love. They love because their are children of God. This love is lasting. This love is selfless. This love fights off fear and bitterness and pain. Let us love because love comes from God.