Jordan & Corbin's Adventure in Africa

2010-08-13T16:57:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of our stay in Zambia. They aren't in order either......:(
During our stay in Zambia, we went to a game park in Botswana & saw various animals. Some of them are listed below. We saw this elephant swim across the water with a buddy.

Crocodiles were not an uncommon sight!

Uncle Steve with his namesake! :)

Skyscrapers!!!

David Livingstone's monument.... how neat to tread the ground and see the sights that he saw!

This is the compound. Scenes like this were right next to scenes like the picture of the skyscraper.

Here is the resort that we stayed at one night on our way to Uncle Steves.

Corbin & I at Kalombo falls. Uncle Dan is behind us.

Another picture of the resort....

Victoria Falls in the dry season...not quite what I expected.

Another picture of the resort on Lake Tanganika. Beautiful would hardly describe it!

Corbin and I zipped from Zambia to Zimbabwe! What a ride after getting after the nervousness of signing our life away as one African described the paperwork!

This is what choir in Zambia dressed like.

We had a great time with our 5 cousins and our Aunt and Uncle!

2010-08-13T16:43:00.000-07:00

2010-08-09T16:03:00.000-07:00

Before I start with the pictures, I have to apoligize that they are in random order. I will try to group them, but they won't be in the order that we did each activity.

Corbin & I really enjoyed a beautiful waterfall that in Tanzania, that we had a lunch at.

This bride sure looks happy! As a cultural note, the bride in past years couldn't smile on her wedding day, or she would get told that she was proud for the rest of her life. They are beginning to pull away from that tradition, so this bride showed her happiness! :)

Uncle Ted is building bee hives as a way to bless the Africans with another food source, along with raising pigs, fish, gardens, and fruit trees.

Here was an orphanage in Sumbawanga, Tanzania that we visited. See all the blue mosquito nets?

Here is Uncle Ted with his helper, Yuda, working on the bee hives & showing them off to us!

Another thing that Uncle Ted does, is pull teeth. That was quite the experiance....

I never imagined that I would get the experiance of delivering an African goat, but the Lord sure blessed me with the oportunity. I was walking home from women's group with Aunt Terese, Danae, and 2 or 3 native women. Alongside the road, was a goat in labor, so I walked over and delivered the kid! The Africans were quite surprised and called me a "nurse". I sure wish it was that easy to get a nurse's degree! :)

All the kids would swarm around us & as soon as a camera was out, would pose for the picture!

Here are some of the wonderful missionaries that we met....

Teaching kindergarteners a Bible story......

An adorable little boy that was born during our stay in TZ.

Learning to take care of twins! :) Actually, they are from the orphanage, and not related. They were fun to take care of!!

Another picture of one of the weddings we went to. As another tribal custom note, girls are taught to look down and not look an elder in the eye. At marrying age, they are just beginning to be allowed to look up more, but it is hard to break the habit.....

One of the 8 choirs that danced and sang at the double wedding.

God's handiwork!!

The Maid of Honor & Groom's Man completely take care of the bride and groom during the day.

Walking down to the village square to do "girl's group."

Spaghetti dump!

Zach in the "boy's car" doing a thumb's up. See the "girl's car" on his thumb?

Pig dump in which we ate the ears, nose, tongue, eyes, and brains!

A pigeon that Corbin shot with his buddies.

Teaching English sure taught Corbin and I how much slang is in our language & how you have to pick words carefully. Take for instance, "you did pretty well." If they know that 'pretty' means beautiful and 'well' means good, it could be translated "you did beautiful good." We enjoyed teaching, though!

A church/picnic with all the missionaies in the area!
Such cute kids!
It was not uncommon to see a baby strapped to the back of his mom or sister, while they were doing their work.

These pictures were taken from our stay in the bush of Tanzania.

2009-12-08T12:48:00.000-08:00

Hello all - this is Corbin.

As you heard we arrived safe and sound Thur. evening. The wedding was wonderful!!
We are still experiencing some jet-lag as Jord and I slept 11 1/2 hours 2 nights ago! The flights and airports all went smoothly up until Seattle. There we had about a 2 hour lay-over. Because we had purchased the Seattle/SLC ticket towards the end of our trip, we had to claim our luggage, then recheck it. We also had to go through customs as we were re-entering the states. So, we were planning on being busy, but, we weren't expecting .............. the following delay.........
First I will give you a little history on the subject. I didn't know if it was legal to bring a snake skin into the country so I packed mine in between clothes so that it would hopefully not be found..........
Well, when I was in the baggage claim section of the Seattle airport, I was not feeling good about the whole thing of trying to sneak the skin in. Then a security officer came by and specifically asked if we had any feathers or skins. I told him that I had some bird feathers and a snake skin and he jotted it down on a piece of paper. When we got to the customs section, because we had the skin and feathers, the officer sent us to an agriculture section, where we would talk with the officers who knew about the agriculture laws of re-entry. They sent all our luggage through an exray machine and then I found the snake skin and feathers for them. A fish and wildlife officer was called. As more questions were asked and items of concern were brought up, the more things we told them we had. We didn't know all the things that they would be concerned about. Like dirt on the bottom of a shoe could bring in microscopic amneotoads (sp)!!
They told us we were not in trouble because we were being honest. I think it was when we pulled out a wooden object that we think had live wood-boring bugs in it was when they had to go through all of our luggage. In our large luggage pieces they dug through everything, EVERYTHING. At one point I told them that they could take it all so that we could be sure to get on our next flight. They said that we couldn't just drop it off but had to stay. Well, it took an hour and 45 min. for all the phone calls to be made, our luggage to be searched, multiple officers to come check it, and for me to sign papers. At that time we were about 30 min. from when the flight took off and 10 min. from boarding time! As you can imagine we were flying!!! Our luggage went on a conveyer belt, to be picked up again upstairs. We were running up and down the escalaters. We had to rent a cart in order to transport all of the luggage but the machine only took 1 and 5 dollar bills. So off to the Delta counter I ran with my 10 dollar bill to get change. They couldn't give me change, but told me where I could buy some mints in order to get some change. I bought the mints and using the change rented a cart. We ran over to the elevator and not knowing which level we needed to go to I picked the ticketing button thinking that that sounded right. And it was!! Praise the LORD!!!!! When we got to the counter to check in our luggage, the lady at the desk said, "let me punch this in real quick before the computer dies!!!" I was nervous. I anxiously watched as she pulled out the first two and then the second two baggage stickers. PHEW!!! Thank you LORD!!! Next we ran down the escalator to the subway station. When we arrived at the bottom I saw our train there with the doors open. And as any of you know that have been on one before, they don't wait long. I could have got on but Jord was a little behind me so I stuck my arm in front of the door so that it wouldn't close. It began to close anyway, so I pulled my arm out and that train left without two very important people. =-) The next one was due to arrive in 4 min. I checked the sign and it said that the train would stop at the "S" gates and that was where we were going, but........ when the train arrived at 2 and 1/2 min. we jumped on and looking at the sign inside the subway it listed all the gates, but the "S" gates!! I jumped off and checked the other sign then jumped back on as the sign outside still had "S" gates on it. As the train rolled along, we prayed that it would stop at the right gate and that we would get on the flight. The first stop was the B gate and the next was S!!! Praise the LORD. We had to take another flight of escalators, then when we arrived at the top, we were in the "S" section. We quickly found the right "S" gate and I saw 2 people standing there and figured that they were boarding. But, when we went up there, the fellow that would be checking our boarding pass, informed us that we still had time. In about 5 min. we boarded. Praise the LORD!!! We were on!!! We had been praying a lot that we would get on and GOD answered our prayers.....with a YES!! The LORD had answered all our prayers for safety and health throughout the return trip and we had a joyful reunion with our family that night at the Salt Lake City Airport.

Thank you for all of your prayers and support. I am looking forward to seeing you all again.

We are home and well!

2009-12-06T06:24:00.000-08:00

Hello friends and family!

Sorry this is so short, but I wanted you to know that we survived the 43 hours of travel and are in SLC safe and sound!! We are experiencing jet lag, but were able to be a part of the rehersal and wedding, which was great.
Thank you all for your support and prayers!

2009-11-21T22:10:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone! This is Jordan.

We taught the pastors on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Word got out on what we were teaching, so we also taught a group of schoolteachers on Wednesday and a group on Thursday!!

We have another 2 teaching assignments next week, besides again teaching the Pastors Monday, Wednesday, and Friday!!

I am still teaching school to Bradyn each morning. That is going really well and has been lots of fun.

Please pray for her, as she is suffering from a fevor and neck pain.

Every afternoon, we play games with the girls. I don't know how many times I have played the card game Rat a Tat Cat. We are now making up our own rules. Whenever I sit down to play, I have 1 or 2 girls asking to brush and plait (braid) my hair! I don't mind as it is very relaxing for me to have my hair played with.

The orphanages are still a mix of joy and sadness for me. It is so nice to know that I am touching a life, even if it seems as if a few minutes wouldn't do much to help them. The kids are so adorable and ... well, I would take them all if I could. It is so hard though to see and know that most of them will never have the joy of having a family. Also, several of the babies each week are hot to the touch.

One girl is blind in one eye. At least one child is hydrocephalic (sp), several of the babies usually have a fever. One little child came to the orphanage so malnurished that he was just skin and bones. When we went back the next time, we were told by some people that he had died and by some other people that he was in the hospital, so we aren't quite sure what happened to him. Most of the kids come to the orphanage malnurished. I was holding one boy and he couldn't stand at all. I was thinking by his size that he was about 5-6 months old and by his strength that he was 2 months old. He opened his mouth and I saw at least one tooth. So, he could have been 5-6 months like I guessed, but even if he was only that old, his strength sure didn't match his age. Most of the kids follow this description....they just seem really small or weak compared to what they should be at their age.

I can't believe how fast time is going!! Uncle Steve has been taking us out to see a new part of the city each day. It is amazing how different it is here then in the bush!!

One of the differences here is that there are compounds- really poor, dirty, stinky places- alongside the middle class Africans. The middle class here is probably equal to the low class Americans, but still very rich compared to the poor.

Another difference is that here, like where the Allens and other missionaries live, the houses are surrounded by brick walls and electric fence. There are big tall gates that block the driveway and have to be opened from the inside. Then inside the houses there are big iron gates that can be pad-locked.

There is boxed milk here. Cheese that is cut in slices and packaged.
This is just a start, but I have to go eat dinner and I wanted to get this posted! :)

In the heart of Africa!

2009-11-18T11:09:00.000-08:00

Hello to all. I know that it has been awhile. During their travels, there was little communication and then my computer crashed. Yesterday, I was able to talk on the phone with Jordan and Corbin for and hour! It was great. I started to get a glimpse into all that they have experienced. God has provided more diverse cultural experiences and opportunities with many different missionaries then we could have ever hoped for!

A recent note from Corbin......

Today Jordan and I taught WTTB twice!! Once to some school teachers, we had only an hour so did just a shortened version of Jesus' life. We Then did the class with the pastors, they are now to number 28. We will teach them again on Friday, next Mon., Wed., and Sat. Tomorrow we will teach another group of teachers at about 10:30 am. I enjoy teaching the pastors the most. This is something new to them, as one pastor put it, (but not in his exact words) kids in Sunday-school do hand motions now we are laughing because we are doing it to! The pastors realy get into it. They treat us with alot of respect even though it is different here for some as young as we are to be teaching someone their age

They have both said that no amount of movies, books or stories could ever bring to reality what it is like to be there. Jordan did say that she may not have much patience upon hearing complaints from people in our blessed country as she has now seen what a "hard life" really can be.

When they first arrived in Africa......

2009-11-14T07:14:00.000-08:00

Zambia!!

2009-11-12T10:20:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone!! ...... this is Jordan

Greetings from Zambia!!! After saying goodbye to about 35 new "family" members, we got in the car with the Moyers and had a fun ride with them from Mumba, Tanzania, to Kabwe, Zambia. Okay, so the "fun ride" is a little exagerated, but we did have a great time getting to know the Moyers and other missionaries!!! We stayed at a lakeside resort with them for a full day which was so fun. We learned how to snorkel and went canoeing/kayaking!! Beautiful scenery and a very pleasant place. There were people fishing at night using nets and old fishing boats, which reminded me of what the boats must of been like in Bible times. Corbin and I were getting ready for bed when a car drove past the window and honked it's horn. I looked over at Corbin and exclaimed, "A car!!! It went right past our window!!!!" It is very different being here in the city, to see Mzungus (white people), cars, signs in English, to walk into a store is amazing.....and just a little shocking. Reverse culture shock is surprisingly more obvious to me, then culture shock was.

It is so exciting to be with our Aunt, Uncle, and 5 cousins. We are having a excellent time with them. We have 5 requirements while here. 1. Teach Pastors 2. be Aunt Stephanie's teaching assistants 3. set up a chicken coop 4. love on the kids 5. visit the orphanage.

Teaching pastors is going to start this Monday. This is my second day of teaching Braydon and Julia their school. Corbin is working on the chicken coop and as I talk, he is explaining his drawing to a carpenter. Loving on the kids......well.......that is just really easy to do!!!! We visited the orphanage for the first time yesterday. It was our second orphanage that we have gone to.

This one is a lot bigger then the one we went to in Mumba. It is a mix between joy and sadness when we go there. It is so fun to pick up the kids and know that we made a part of their day, but to put them back in their cribs and hear them scream, is so heartbreaking. The workers try to hold and love, but there are so many, it really makes it impossible to give them the time they need...everything is done on a time schedule. We will be going there every Thursday.

Kwa heri -for now! (Good bye for now)

Here is the update as to where they may be in Africa..........

2009-11-07T10:57:00.000-08:00

Hello Mom,

We are in Mumba right now with the Bentons, Caroways, Brook, Shermans, Rabenolds, Kesslers, and Moyers. There is a field meeting going on, that is why everyone is located in Mumba. We will be leaving Mumba with the Moyers on Sunday. Being here in Africa, you have to be totally flexible. I hope this helps. I have no clue where we are going yet after we leave with the Moyers. Aunt Tina and Uncle Dan made some plans last night, but Uncle Dan had some new ideas this morning, so, now I don't know what we are doing.

Thank you so much for your prayers.
Love and miss you too!!
Jordan

A note sent to Steve Allen (where they are staying once in Zambia) from Dan Moyer who is driving them from Tanzania to Zambia.

Our plans right now are to reach Kabwe tuesday night, you can pick
them wednsday.
More later, m in a meeting :)
Dan

It is hard to figure out where they are???......

2009-11-05T11:06:00.000-08:00

Hello Mom,

I am so sorry to hear about the computer. (our computer died) I sure hope that it can be fixed easily. It is looking like we will be leaving this Saturday so don't expect an email until the following Saturday. If I can write before then, I will, but I am not sure how long the travel is....sounds like it will be at least 3 days.....then we might be staying with the Moyers for a couple days until Uncle Steve can make it over to pick us up. The Moyers live about 3 hours away from them. We will be traveling with Uncle Dan and Aunt Tina and Natalie, their daughter; plus two married missionary ladies, plus a young man named Scott. I hope everything is going well for you there. Things are going well here. I was really saddened to think that I would have to be leaving the Bentons and other missionaries here, but I am beginning to look forward to a crammed ride with the Moyers!! If you think that we have ever ridden crammed or gone over rough roads, think again!!!! We will stay at least one day at a beautiful place on a lake. I will have to give you more details on it once I see it. We are planning on being able to take a 45 minute boat ride for free!!!

I love you guys and miss you.

I will try and get you an email right before we leave, but if not, please don't worry about us at all. We are in good hands, both with the people we are around and then of course, God's hands.

I am getting excited to wrap my arms around you all!!!

Only one month and we will be in Salt Lake!!

Blessings,
Jordan

Please pray for travels....we are on our way to Zambia!

2009-11-03T18:58:00.000-08:00

Hello

We will enter Zambia either the 6th or 7th of November with the Moyers. We will transfer over to the Allens on the 10th.
Zach is doing well. He is not in much pain and Uncle Ted will pull the pins out in a couple of weeks. He is starting to put a little weight on his leg. It will be 2 weeks since he broke it tomorrow.
I am going to a wedding tomorrow. We went to one already and I really enjoyed it. The Bentons don't seem to enjoy them as much so they aren't going and Jordan is staying with them. Uncle Ted and Aunt Kim Rabonold are taking me. It is in a different tribe so there will probably be some different customs in the wedding and they said it probably won't be as plush as the last one. I want to experience as much about Africa as I can before I leave.
We fixed Zach's pellet gun today. Praise God!! It was a big project.

I can't wait to see you all and the other family at the wedding! I am glad that something else will be going on when Jordan and I first get back as it may give us time for everything to sink in and to become more readjusted. I may have to work on being content with America life after living here.
Wow, Salt Lake has got snow! Sorry about the cold. I am loving the heat although it can be quite warm sometimes.
I have taken lots of pictures and videos so far. Please let friends and family know as many requested them!
It is getting so close to the time that we leave the Bentons. I am already getting sad. At least we will go from here to the Allens which may help with the sadness as I can't wait to see them. Then from there to the wedding back home where friends and family will be. Then Christmas! It is like our vacation goes on and on! I look at this trip as God's story!
Love you all
It is 12;15 a.m. so I had better get to bed

Corbin

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Understanding reverse culture shock

2009-11-01T14:14:00.000-08:00

Information from a young missionary that Jordan stayed with when Zach broke his leg.

Reverse culture shock, re-entry shock.
Is a syndrome, symptom very common to anyone that has spent time overseas.
Your kids have been in a different culture for enough time to struggle when they get back.
They have had a different diet, different people, different ideas, different social statuses, etc. surrounding them.

One area that you can help is to be willing to listen. They will want to share for hours but you will want to listen for minutes because it will be overwhelming information. Most people they meet will only give them 5 min to tell of months of adventure. This is very frustrating. They will feel people don’t care about what happened to them here and what they learned. They will struggle with seeing the wealth of the US in contrast to here and will constantly be saying things to compare it. They may start to be judgmental about the US’s mindset of so much when they saw people with so little here. They will miss much of this life and struggle at how to adapt back there, even though it is home. They will go through a cycle of excitement and then depression and then struggle at how to keep part of their experience alive while still adapting back to the US and living there. Some go to one extreme or the other, where they either embrace the US and try to leave Africa behind or vice versa. These are all normal feelings.

That’s the most important part, it’s normal to struggle. They will need their family to listen and to try and ask questions. They will need time to sit and remember their time here and maybe make a video or album. It may hit a few weeks down the road or it may happen a bit sooner.

There is a lot more to explain but that is the basis. Hope that helps.

The hand of God -- from Terese Benton

2009-10-30T06:31:00.000-07:00

Hello,

We finally made it back to Mumba where our girls and teen guests were wonderfully taken care of during our safari and time in Nairobi for Zach's surgery of his broken leg. The Sherman Family, Brook Seekins, and Mike and Lynn Caraway all graciously and without hesitation, told us to go and take care of Zach and that the kids would be fine here. Praise the Lord for the missionary co-workers God has placed us with! You'll hear about other great families as your read on.

From beginning to end, we saw God's Hand in Zach's accident. Zach regretted over and over again jumping off the top of the car (in the dark) but we are thankful that he wasn't hurt worse and that he was so courageous through it all. Sometimes, boys will be boys:) I enjoy writing down praises and prayer requests in my journal and after talking with Mike about 14 ways we saw God's Hand, he asked me to share them with othres. Here they are:

1) Everyone was in the best place possible to help

As much as we missionaries travel, it was a blessing that both Mike Caraway and Steve Sherman were in Mumba with us. A few years ago Mike attended a medical course for people living "where there is no doctor". He was a tremendous help in treating Zach the first night. The Rabenold family had traveled to Kenya where they were visiting their daughter at Rift Valley Academy. While in Kenya, the Rabenolds were staying with one of the best orthopedic surgeons in Africa, Dr. Tim Mead. Mike Caraway was able to talk to Dr. Mead on the phone and Dr. Mead told him that it was important we set the leg right away and explained how to do it. Our Mike, Zach's dad, does not do well with blood and limbs that are pointing the wrong direction, especially with his own kids. So we were thankful that Mike Caraway and Steve Sherman were there and willing to do it. Steve's wife Barb, who has worked as a nurse, was also a great help and comfort. After letting some pain meds kick in, we laid Zach on several mattresses with his leg hanging. Mike and I held Zach's hands and encouraged him while Mike C. and Steve pulled on Zach's foot for about 10 minutes. Steve said he felt like he was pulling about twenty to thirty pounds of pressure. It got very painful for Zach but he was very strong and did great! Finally, we heard a click and the leg looked aligned.

2) The leg set and stabilized

There were several complications that could have occured during and after setting the leg but everything went well. Mike Caraway even had a splint that worked perfectly to stabilize the leg and the Shermans had a pair of crutches. The splint was especially helpful during the 7 hour drive the next day over the bumpy dirt roads as we headed for Mbeya, the nearest "big" town. The crutches were also a blessing over the next few days as we went in and out of airplanes, airports, and taxis. Even now, Zach is using the crutches and will be for the next two months.

3) Pain medication

Lynn Caraway had some pain medication on hand that worked well with Zach. The first night we tried some other medication that didn't work well so Zach had a rough night. Mike and he were awake all night so at 6:30 a.m. we tried the medicine Lynn had and by 7:00 a.m. the pain had dulled and both Zach and Mike slept for about an hour and a half. Now the amazing part. Lynn handed us several pills, not knowing where we were going or how long all this would take. As it turns out, it took two days of car rides and plane rides and we gave Zach the very last pill 4 hours before his surgery! God is Good!

4) Passports

Whenever we travel to Mumba, Mike will usually just leave our passports at home locked up. Just before hopping in the car to go to Mumba, Mike felt prompted to grab the passports and put them in the car. Without the passports we could not have gone to Kenya. If we had needed to drive back to Kapenta to get our passports before going on to Mbeya, we would have missed our flight, the only flight from Mbeya that week.

5) Cash

The bag that contained our passports also contained some U.S. dollars that guests that were staying with us had brought out. We were able to use this cash to buy plane tickets and get Kenya Shillings to use in Kenya. Without the cash I'm sure we could have figured out something but it would have been complicated and time consuming. As it was, the timing of everything was perfect. Don't worry, we have already transferred in funds to replace the money we used :-)

6) The doctor is not in

After Mike and Zach got a little sleep the next morning, the three of us packed a few belongings and began the 7-hour journey by car to Mbeya where there is a hospital with a doctor from Switzerland named Dr. Andy. We knew that Dr. Andy would be able to take x-rays and give us good counsel and/or treatment. About 1/4 of the way there we found out that Dr. Andy was on vacation and couldn't be reached for two weeks. We were at a loss for what to do and began praying and making phone calls. What at first was discouraging turned out to be a blessing...

7) "The" doctor is in

Some of the calls we made were to our friends and co-workers, the Rabenolds, who as previously mentioned were in Kenya and staying at Dr. Mead's. Dr. Mead is a leading orthopedic surgeon at the CURE International Children's Hospital in Kijabe, Kenya. He has been a missionary doctor for about 10 years and started the work there. The previous night we had sent pictures of Zach's leg to Ted Rabenold. I asked Ted if the doctor had seen them and he said he had not. About a 1/2 hour later Ted called back and said that the doctor had looked at the pictures and believed that it was a dislocated fracture and Zach would need surgery. He said he would help us and recommended we go there.

8) Hold that plane

It was a very difficult decision for us as we headed toward Mbeya. Do we drive for another full day after Mbeya and hope for good treatment in Dar es Salaam, not really knowing what we would find there? Or do we spend the extra money and fly to Nairobi, Kenya where we know we'll get the best treatment? Do just Zach and Mike go or do all of us go? Do we stop in Mbeya to at least get an x-ray? How do we get to Nairobi if we decide to go there? As we are discussing all these questions, Ted called back and said that he found out from Mission Aviation Fellowship that there is a flight from Mbeya to Dar that day, Monday, and that it is the only flight each week. We called the airline, Gazelle Safaris, and found out that the plane was scheduled to leave at 3:00 p.m., exactly the time when we should arrive in Mbeya. They said they would hold the flight for a 1/2 hour.

9) Terese gets to go

The price Gazelle Safaris quoted us for the flight was quite high so we reluctantly decided that just Mike and Zach would go. This was very hard on me and also on Mike as we knew we would be faced with many difficult decisions and challenges over the next few days. Mike called the airline back and asked if they would give us a discount of $300. They said they didn't think it was possible. About an hour from Mbeya, a representative of the airline called back and said that she had talked to her bosses and they agreed to the discount. Praise the Lord! We took this as a sign that Terese should go and we were all relieved.

10) What do we do with our car?

As we were driving to the airport and knowing that all three of us would be getting on the flight, we needed to make arrangements for our car. We couldn't leave it at the airport (it's quite undeveloped and the runway is a grass field) and our co-workers in Mbeya are home on furlough. Then Mike remembered that Jeriko, the head of our vocational school in Kapenta, was in Mbeya buying a milling machine for Ted. Ted had taught Jeriko how to drive about two years ago. Mike called Jeriko who just happened to be at the bus stand trying to buy a bus ticket. He said that all the buses were full and he couldn't get a ticket. Mike told him to forget the bus and get to the airport right away, he could drive our car back! Perfect!! What a blessing for both of us.

When we got to the airport Jeriko was there waiting. We handed him the keys, loaded our bags on the plane, and boarded with about 15 minutes to spare.

11) Room at the Inn

When we arrived in Dar, we took a taxi to the guest house we usually stay in close to the airport, not knowing if they had room. Upon arrival they said they had one room left because the air conditioner was broke and nobody wanted to stay in it. We took it and praise the Lord they had a fan for us and it made it bearable. We were all so exhausted anyway that we slept like babies.

12) As if it was planned

We arrived in Dar too late to make arrangements for a flight the next day to Nairobi. So, the next morning we figured we would just get to the airport as early as possible and try to get a flight. At 6:45 a.m. Mike peaked out the window and saw Josef, a driver for the guest house, leaning on a van. Mike asked if it would be possible to get a ride to the airport sometime that morning. He said he was leaving in 5 minutes to give another guest a ride and that he could delay 5 more minutes if we could make it. Zach and I jumped out of bed and we threw all of our stuff in bags, loaded them in the van, and off we went. On the way to the airport we were able to book a flight for all three of us at 10:20 a.m. on a Kenya Airways flight. They quoted us $330 per person and said we could pay at the airport. When we went to pay they only charged us $284/person. After paying, we had just enough time to grab a bite to eat and freshen up before going through check-in.

13) Dr. Mead and his wife Jana

I had mentioned Dr. Timothy Mead. He, his wife Jana, and their daughter Abby are the heros of this amazing story. They graciously allowed us to stay in their house with them and the Rabenold family (Abby gave up her room). Amazingly, they had been preparing for three guest speakers from America to stay with them but just before our arrival they found out that plans had changed and the speakers would be staying elsewhere. So, they had a room with three beds all made up and ready for us. Only God can do that! This not only saved us money but we were made to feel at home and comforted by the fact that the doctor that did the surgery was in the same house. Wow! Dr. Mead is such a humble man who did for us what so few people on the continent could do - perform surgery on our son. Especially in the proper way. Zach's fibia was broken in two places, about 3/4 of an inch apart, and his tibia was cracked and completely shifted off of the growth plate. It was a bad situation that could have gotten worse, depending on who did the surgery. Dr. Mead said that often doctors do not fix the growth plate properly and you can end up with one leg shorter than the other. We know Zach still has some growing to do and still needs our prayers but God gave him the best chance possible by placing him in the care of Dr. Mead. By the way, the Mead's have a young man named Michael from Sudan living with them. Michael is in a wheelchair as a result of a disease that attacked his spine. Zach and Michael became friends and spent hours playing Wii and cribbage.

14) No need to run to the hardware store

Dr. Mead had the proper plates and screws and pins he needed to perform the surgery. He said that was a miracle in itself and that he didn't have to improvise to make them work. Zach now has one plate with five screws on his fibia and two pins in his tibia, holding his growth plate in place. The pins will have to come out 4 weeks after his surgery and Ted was able to get all the information from Dr. Mead on how to do this so we can do it here. Please be in prayer for this. They are sticking out of his skin but we haven't seen them yet because of his cast. After they come out, Dr. Mead gave us a boot for Zach to use for another month. This boot is so nice. It's an air cast that you can blow air into to support the leg. Dr. Mead said we could keep it after Zach uses it, since our co-worker, Mark Guilzon, is starting a medical clinic in Kapenta. What a gift.

15) Think of others as more important than yourself

Ok, so there's actually 15. The Bible tells us to think of others as more important than ourselves. The Rabenolds lived that in front of us. They gave of themselves to see to it we arrived safely and got the treatment Zach needed. They spent time with us and helped out time and again. Ted was planning on going to a beekeeping seminar in Dar es Salaam and canceled his plans so that they could give us a ride home and get Zach home as soon as possible. These dear co-workers packed us all in their car for the four day trip home. It was an adventure in itself, but a fun one with our good friends. They had been given a new puppy at RVA, so we even had a cute little German Shepherd in the car with us. By the way, Savannah, the Rabenold's daughter, fell while playing and got a small fracture in her wrist the same day Zach broke his leg. They are both in casts.

Thanks for your prayers and love. Zach thanks you also. May God have all the glory and all the praise! -Terese for the Bentons

Yea!! An update!! Mom is happy!!

2009-10-29T05:45:00.000-07:00

It is so great to hear from them, it has been 5 days with no contact which was wearing on my heart. It made me think about how just a short time ago when you would
stand at the dock and wave good-by to your dear ones knowing that it would be months or years before you heard anything from them and there was the great possibility that you may never hear from them again at all. So, I thank God that I only waited five days. Corbin wrote the following. In Him, Shannon

For those of you who have not heard, Jordan and Corbin's return date was moved from November 17th to December 2nd! They just can't get enough! Another change is that we will not pick them up in Seattle. They will fly into Seattle and two hours later catch a flight for Salt Lake City. The rest of us will drive to Salt Lake and pick them up the night of the 3rd at 9:45 pm. This is so that we may attend my brother's wedding on December the 5th. Pray that Jordan and Corbin will be able to stand upright :-) Shannon

Hello

We got back to the Bentons yesterday. It is good to be back. There is so much to write.
I really enjoy Uncle Ted. He is so adventuresome, comes up with great new ideas, and is willing to follow God wherever He leads. Jordan and I went up to their place today to watch him pull teeth. It looks like you would need some guts to do this work, but what I think is amazing is that when Uncle Ted moved here he told God that he would do anything God showed him to do as long as God provided the materials. And in a year, Uncle Ted had the equipment and was pulling teeth! Wow. I hope that I have that much willingness to do whatever God asks. Uncle Mike and Uncle Ted are talking about starting an orchard. Uncle Ted wants to sell bee suits and bee hives. I wish that I could live here and help them. Don't worry, Mom, I am coming back. I am so glad how it worked out that we will fly right on to Salt Lake. I am glad that we won't miss the wedding! Are all of you going to the wedding? Why isn't Uncle Steve going? Is great Grandma Beglinger and Anger going to be there? What about any Allens? I sure hope so.
Miss Brook told Jordan and I about reverse-culture shock when we go back to America. It can be even worse than culture shock when you come to Africa. I didn't know that it existed. We probably won't get it as bad because we are here on a short term mission trip and it will be a good transition for us when we go to Lusaka. I hope that you understand and are not concerned. I don't know what it will be like for me as I didn't have any culture shock coming here and we are close with our family and have a close circle of friends in America.

I realized something today and talked to the Bentons about it. That is that in America the Christians have so much focus on Bible studies and conferences. We seem to think that they will make us more "godly", but even they are a self focus. There is some ministry and outward focus but not even close to the amount of 'me' focus. There are those verses about having godly character and studying to show thyself approved, but there is also those about serving others. Here, so much is focused on others. I don't have it all figured out and maybe never will. But these are some of my thoughts right now.

The time is going so fast! I am not looking forward to leaving the Bentons but can't wait to see the Allens. We will spend about 3 days with the Moyers. The Allens are picking us up on the 10th. Aunt Terese Says that I will enjoy Mrs. Moyer. She is a real fire-ball.

I don't know if you heard, Savy broke her arm the same day that Zack broke his leg! Savy is the Rabanold's youngest girl. Is was a minor break.
Here in the valley, it is hotter than up top at the Sherman's. It got up to about 100 degrees today! It is 85 right now inside at 10:30 P.M.! I still like the heat more than the cold!! What temperature is it up there?
I love you all lots

Corbin

I think that you learned the most important thing when you saw the focus on service. Isn't that what Christ's life was all about ..... dying for others!!!!
In His matchless love,
Mom

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Jordan sent a note.........

2009-10-21T07:57:00.000-07:00

Hard and sad facts of this culture are:
Witchcraft is still a big thing here. The witch doctor's will pay lots of money
for people that have disabilities or that are different in some way. At
one time it was mentally challenged people, then bald people, now in
some places albino people. In Dar, there are a lot of beggars. Many kids,
elderly people and disabled just wander around the streets.
Some things that bring me despair are:
There seem to be quite a few men and boys who start on the right path but
without a solid foundation go to the dark side. I could be wrong about this and
will ask further from those who know. Also, there are kids who are hidden away if they have something wrong with them. One story is of a missionary who was chasing a chicken which ran under a really big basket. When the missionary reached under to grab the chicken, he grabbed onto the leg of a 7 year old child. The neighbor's didn't even know the child existed.(It sounds like America is taking on some of
Africa's more appalling traits..... are we stepping backward instead of forward into God's goodness)
Hope and Joy:
There are several people who are truly trustworthy,
who have good relationships with their spouses and who are desiring to
learn. They want to be your friend, because they value the friendship
and are not hoping to gain anything materially by it.

Being here has both given me a burden and a wonderful vacation. I used
to think that missionaries spent all their time travelling and preaching.
They do, but also get much time to spend with the locals. Much of the MK's (missionary kids) ministry is playing with the local kids. Being here has given
me a desire to be here for either a couple years or life...I am really not quite sure what God has in store for me. Being here in Mumba, because of Zach's accident,we haven't done much ministry, except for playing Volleyball almost
every night with some of the African guys here. Some would call that ministry, some not....maybe. I add that because I know for myself, that I had a high expectations of what missionaries are "supposed" to be doing. But, in being here, I have
learned that even just being here, is ministering to them. This, for now, is
what God had in store for part of our visit and I thank Him for all the
amazing missionaries that we have been able to meet.

In Him,
Jordan

Zach to travel home

2009-10-20T14:00:00.000-07:00

Zach is doing well and Dr. Mead gave us the go-ahead to travel so this morning we began our long journey back by car with the Rabenolds. We crossed the Kenya-Tanzania border this afternoon and made it to Moshi, Tanzania, in the shadows of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Please pray for our safe travels and for Zach's comfort. We will have a long day of driving tomorrow as we try to reach Iringa. Then Wednesday on to Mbeya where we'll do some shopping for supplies and then travel 6 hours Thurday to be reunited with our other children and guests (Jordan and Corbin) in Mumba where our other missionaries have been taking care of them.

Zach will be in a cast for 4 weeks and then we will cut it off and Ted Rabenold will help me pull the two pins out that are holding Zach's tibia together. Then he will wear a special cast/boot for 4 more weeks at which time we'll have an x-ray taken and sent to Dr. Mead to determine how he is healing..

We are thankful to everyone that helped us get Zach treated. We saw God's hand in many ways during this trial. Terese wrote down 14 ways that we saw God's hand along the way and we'd love to share them with you if you are interested, just let us know.

God is Good,
Mike for the Bentons

To all our followers,

Jordan and Corbin will not be coming home November 17th as planned. The plans are for them to return December 3rd. Their transfer from the Bentons to the Allens was backed up and they would still like to have as much time with their Uncle as possible. This will allow them a month with him and his family. They will be entering Zambia either the 6th or 7th. They will be traveling with Dan Moyer who will be in the Bentons area for a wedding and then traveling back to his home which is about two hours from Steve's home. It will be a blessing to the Allens who were going to have to travel 12 hours to pick up Jordan and Corbin. That is the plans for now, but we are learing quickly that in Africa........... you just wait and see!

Surgery

2009-10-14T08:27:00.000-07:00

Praise the Lord! Zach is out of surgery and Dr. Mead said it well. Both the tibia and fibula were broke above the ankle. They put a plate on the fibula (small bone) because it was broken in several pieces and put two pins in the tibia. He is resting and will stay in the hospital for another day or two. We are very grateful to Dr. Mead and the whole staff at the CURE hospital. The Rabenolds have also been a great help and source of comfort. God is Good! Always!! -Mike for the Bentons

A bad break.........

2009-10-13T07:29:00.000-07:00

Please be in prayer for our son Zach. While in Mumba visiting our other missionaries, Zach jumped off our car and severely dislocated and probably broke his left leg above the ankle. After consulting on the phone with a few doctors it was determined that we needed to set the leg. A surgeon in Kenya explained to Mike Caraway how to do it and Mike Caraway and Steve Sherman set it. It was a painful process but Zach did great! We have a splint on the leg now and in the morning we will make the six drive to Mbeya to get an extra and determine what the next step should be. Pray for wisdom for us and the doctors and for comfort for Zach, especially during the long, bumpy road trip tomorrow. In Christ, Mike for the Bentons

Hello Mom,

I am sure you heard that Zach has broke and dislocated his ankle. They are on their way to Mbeya-a 6 hour drive- to get an x-ray done and see what should be done. The "they" is Aunt Terese, Uncle Mike, and Zach. Us kids are going to be staying at the Shermans house. Brook also lives here. ( I mentioned her about a week ago. She was passing through the Rukwa valley and stayed at the Bentons for 2 days.) We are well taken care of and enjoying our time greatly....the only damper, knowing that Zach is hurt. He is on some strong pain-relievers, which is a good thing, as the roads are not in good condition at all. Please be praying for him. I don't know how long we will be staying here in Mumba. I am and will be able to use Brook's computer at times, so will try to keep you updated.

Also, Savvy broke her arm or wrist the same day Zach did. She is where she can get medical help, but please be praying for her as well.

Love you,
Jordan

Hello Family

How are you all? How is the cough? I am doing better. I haven't coughed up food now for quite a few days now. I still cough if I do much running which is a bummer because then I can't play some games. But at least I can play volleyball and be the goal keeper in soccer.
We have been at the Shermans in Mumba since Saturday. I don't know what, if anything, that you have heard from Jordan so I will try to give you a rundown on our time here. We arrived here Saturday evening. Jordan and Danae have been staying at Brook's place. She is a single missionary lady that lives right next to the Shermans. Jordan has breakfast over there, us kids have lunch together, and then dinner is shared as a group. The "group" is the Shermans, the Caraways, Josh and Steph, a young missionary couple that have been here since about June and will be here for a few more months, Brook, us and the Bentons. Sunday we went to their church, it is bigger then the Benton's church. We have played volleyball the last 2 days now. It is fun!! There has been a soccer game each evening that we have been here.
Sunday night, Trevor, Zach, Leah, Stephani, and I went outside to play a game. We started playing a game in which Zach had to hide. We then had to go find him. He jumped off of the Benton's vehicle to surprise and tag us. He hit the ground wrong and hurt his ankle. Leah and I helped him to the porch, where we saw that his foot was crooked. Leah got the parents and Uncle Mike carried him inside. The parents did a lot of reading, phone calls, and studying on the Internet and decided that it was indeed dislocated. They studied on how to relocate it. It had been a couple of hours now and Zack was very uncomfortable. Luckily they had some pain medication that helped. I saw him start to shake and I wasn't sure if it was from the pain or from fear of having his ankle relocated. It reminded me of when my arm was broken.
He was being very brave though. When they relocated it, us kids went to Brook's house but Danae stayed to help. She had been by his side the whole time that we had been waiting. They got it relocated in about 5 minutes and it didn't hurt much more then when he was just sitting there. It was a relief for him once they got it put in. He only got an hour of sleep that night. For this type of dislocation, it normally breaks and dislocates. The next morning, Aunt Terese, Uncle Mike and Zach drove to Mbeya then took a plane to Dar. The next morning, they took a flight to Nairobi, Kenya -the capital. Zach has been doing good. We haven't got any more updates, and we aren't sure how long they will be there. I have been enjoying my time here.

Love and miss you all,
Corbin

A little more travel...........

2009-10-11T15:07:00.000-07:00

Hello Mom,
We are leaving for Mumba today to visit some missionary families. We are planning to be gone until Wednesday, but once you live here, you know that you can never set an exact date, so it may be earlier or later. I don't know if we will have internet access while there, but Aunt Terese or I will write when we get back home.

Love you lots,
Jordan

Now, don't they look happy!!

2009-10-09T15:19:00.000-07:00

Teaching English.....

2009-10-09T15:18:00.001-07:00

Wish we could see what he is teaching them!

living as they live.........

2009-10-09T15:18:00.000-07:00

Leah is teaching........

2009-10-09T15:17:00.000-07:00

A new game.

2009-10-08T17:51:00.000-07:00

Hello Family

We play duna-duna with Kevi and Kendi some times. It is that game where you bounce a soccer ball on your knee, foot, head, ect. My record of bounces is ten. I did that yesterday. I shot a green pigion about a week ago. Zach taught me how to process it and Aunt Terese cooked it. I dried out the feet and a wing. Dani and I skinned the cobra and salted the skin. The cobra was about 3 feet long.
The Bentons are all funny. Not just Uncle Mike!
I have to go for read time now.
Love you all

Corbin

2009-10-07T03:42:00.001-07:00

Dear Friends and Family,

I am really blessed by reading the comments that have been posted. Asante sana!! (Thank you very much.) Asante sana for your prayers as well!! We are doing really well and are excited for the time that we will be able to see you again and also to show you pictures........we are getting lots of them!!!

Chacula (food) is now ready, so I must go.
Thank you again,
Jordan

Snakes, games, church..............

2009-10-06T07:06:00.000-07:00

Everything is different here and I see that it may be hard to really explain what it is like to friends and family when we get home. Us boys killed a cobra! (Do you like how he just threw that little sentence in there...)

I love it here! The warm weather is way better than cold!

Love you all lots!

Corbin

On Saturday, we went to the church building to celebrate Tasgraco. Tasgraco is a celebration, if I have fully figured it out, of the singers and dancers. It was fun to watch the different personalities of the dancers. Then when they had finished their performance, we ate there at the church.....no silverware of any sort, unless you call our fingers silverware!! :-) It consisted of white rice, brown rice, and chicken organs. Also, there was braided intestines, but I don't think that I got any of those!! The servers loaded the plates heaping full- and if you left any, it was considered as being rude. So, I consider that I have already had one Thanksgiving dinner this year!!! I will admit, I left a few bites, but I was very full! Danae, Leah, Zach, Corbin and I were asked to sit up at the table with the speakers, Aunt Terese, Uncle Mike and Brooke because we were white. It was uncomfortable being singled out because we are white. It made me think about many that are singled out for reasons of scorn and prejudice. Christ says that to put others first is the essence of His love.

Another thing that is different, is that at church there are no backs on the pews and the men sit on one side, the ladies on the other. They pile as many on the pews as is possible. You learn really fast to not have any personal space. Sweat drips down the legs, flies land on you, smells sometimes get strong but the preaching is really good. Leah interpreted the first Sunday, Brooke, a young missionary, did this past Sunday. I will tell you what the sermons were about when I see you.

Love you,
Jordan

I was able to play with the kids yesterday. We played Nage, which is a game played with Koosh balls and an empty glass Pepsi bottle. It is a game that gets you very dusty.
The rules are that you split into two teams and then each team takes a turn at trying to fill the Pepsi bottle with dirt and then emptying it before the other team hits them with the ball. When they empty the bottle, the dirt goes flying!! It is a lot of fun to play with them even though I can't understand all that they are saying. If they are talking to me, I can usually follow what they are saying, with the help of hand and body motions.

I need to get off, but I love and miss you!!

Love you,
Jordan

A little bit of news.............

2009-10-02T07:27:00.000-07:00

Corbin really doesn't feel bad and it's not holding him back physically. He helps me and Mike all the morning and then runs off to the river with Zach and his buddies in the afternoon. Ledi's boys are immunized so he's not worried about Corbin being with them. Danae and I were on a walk this afternoon and we saw all the boys out hunting and they came home with a green pigeon.
Terese

contentment and peace

2009-10-02T07:24:00.000-07:00

If the goal is to glorify God, let Him decide what glorifies Him. (eph 2:10)

I just had to share that again, it gives contentment and rest to evey aspect of life.

Shannon

Yea! A note from Corbin..........

2009-09-30T10:33:00.000-07:00

Hello Mom, Dad, Kay, Cal, and Jen

How are you all doing? How is the cough? I didn't wake up last night with a cough, which was great! And this morning my throat wasn't as dry. :)

The first night we arrived here at the Bentons, Uncle Mike found a scorpion in the house!! It was about an inch and a half long and see-through white with some black in it's middle!
Zach has taken me to the catfish pond a few times. We haven't got any fish, but did kill and eat 5 crabs the first day we went there!! The weather is quite warm, but I like it. It makes swimming in freezing cold water not so bad.
I am the water boy and so try to keep the filters full of tap water. It is hard to keep them full as we go through a lot of water each day!!
There are three boys, Kendy, Kevvy, and Danny who are Zack and my pals. Kendy and Kevvy are Leddy's (their cook) boys. Danny is 12, Kendy 10, and Kevvy 8. Danny is the nicest kid. He knows a little bit of English and teaches me some Swahili.

Love You All
I hope to write again soon.
Corbin

Standing on the rock that is higher than I

2009-09-30T07:51:00.001-07:00

As we go through this sickness issue, I wrote my cousin Steve, who Jordan and Corbin will be staying with in a month, to give me some words. The following was my note to him which is then followed by his reply.

Steve, I need your teaching/preaching words as I go through dealing with why.... and what I should have done different. I do trust God and I know that that statement doesn't fit with the question why, It is more a heaviness that stops the fountain inside because I am grieving for my children. They planned for so long, all their funding went into this and they wanted to serve and bless and give ........ my mind swirls and I want to get it on the rock that is higher then me, please walk me through that. I know that you walked there many times your first year and I just need a little ministering.......... thanks.

Hey Shannon, my heart is breaking for you all. I can’t imagine how disappointed/confused/discouraged/frustrated/sad you must be feeling. You have put so much work and time and money and effort into this trip and to feel like it is being wasted by sickness must be really hard. I am afraid preaching and teaching won’t really be the best. I wish I could just give you a hug and pray with you and just cry together. But, you did ask for some words from scripture and our experience and so I want to honor you with that.

We have had some discouraging days recently with sickness as well, flu and cold and lingering cough and stuff has made us low. So, I can feel just a little bit of your trauma. Our first year here was very hard, like this. Humbling and hard and discouraging and painful and confusing in many ways. Obviously, we know that trials are to be considered joy because they test our faith and stretch us much like someone who is training for a marathon. You can do tomorrow what you can’t do today because you are bit by bit stretched by testing of your body. I think perseverance which is the result in that classic James passage happens only when our body is stretched by trials. Perseverance which enables us to run marathons with lots of training is also the thing which enables to do for God what he wants us to do. Perseverance is the key to putting us into a position to serve God faithfully, skillfully and joyfully. So, we turn to God and we find joy because we know that God is in control and won’t waste experiences. He is executing his plan. He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion. And so that is the only thing I can offer you now, in that we came to Africa to change Africa, but God used our time in Africa to change us, to break us, to humble us and to give us perseverance to do tomorrow what we wouldn’t have been able to do otherwise. Perhaps, that is more important to God’s plan, worth all the money and the time and the effort, for your children. I used to always teach during mission trips to not have many expectations because God’s plan is not yours, and he may use sickness, flat tires, difficult scary moments and lots of other things to teach you what you would not be able to learn otherwise… He is the author and perfector of our salvation. He is the story writer. For some difficult painful reason this is the story he is choosing to write for your kids. You didn’t do anything wrong. It is not your fault. I believe that their more Africa in their future, and perhaps he is giving them a taste of how difficult it is here. Perhaps he is growing them as they have to rely only on God and not have you and Chad. Perhaps he is using this time to humble them. I don’t know. I wish I did. His story is only a quarter way through. But I do know that God has used the suffering of last year to help me this year and I am sure what we are going through now will affect next year. If the goal is to glorify God, let Him decide what glorifies Him. (eph 2:10) The suffering may be more valuable to Him than your children playing with orphans and ministering to Africans. And the best thing you can do it surrender your expectations and your disappointment into the glorious, loving hands of their father and yours. It is not easy but so crucial to growing in the faith which builds your perseverance. . This mission trip to Africa is not all about them. He has some things to teach your family as well and he will not waste his experiences…

We are with you in spirit, truth, love, joy and pain…

Please keep us updated…

Steve

There is a saying that you will be no better next year from this minus the good books you read and the rich charactered people that you are around......... I thank God that my children are going to come home greater people for having the opportunity to be around these godly saints.

Thanks for following,
Shannon

Update

2009-09-30T07:46:00.000-07:00

Hi Shannon,

Jordan and Corbin will be going on antibiotics so that they will not be giving whooping cough to the people around them - mostly the Tanzanian children that play at our house every day and your relatives in Zambia. We have been limiting their exposure to Tanzanians because many Tanzanians haven't had the chance to be immunized and the chances of them taking it home to a baby are good, and it's very dangerous for little ones. We are not in a panic but are concerned about the village because a lot of people have typhoid and malaria dormant in their bodies so their immune systems are already weak.

Jordan started coughing a few days ago but it isn't as bad as Corbin's yet but seems to be getting worse. We thought Corbin was getting better but then he woke up last night gasping, retching, and coughing. Mike got up a couple of times to make sure he was ok. He's a good sport and doesn't complain or make a big deal of it, though.

On a brighter side, Jordan has been sewing some things that are helping me soo much and Corbin is such a helpful young man, always asking what he can do. They are such a blessing.

Terese

A note from Uncle Mike

2009-09-30T07:45:00.001-07:00

Hi Chad and Shannon,

I just want you guys to know that your kids are great and we are really enjoying them. Jordan did some sewing for Terese today and Terese was thrilled. I am mostly around Zach and Corbin and I am very happy with how helpful Corbin is and his great attitude. His spirits are always up and he never complains, even with a cough. He seems to love it here and works hard at learning the language. Today I had Corbin and Zach put some hinge springs on one of our doors. They did a good job and Corbin stayed at it until it was finished, asking permission to come late for lunch so he could finish.

Your kids are a blessing to us.

Love,
Mike

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A note from Aunt Terese......

2009-09-30T07:19:00.000-07:00

Your kids are wonderful Shannon. Please don't worry about Corbin. I do think he is getting better. He does cough up some in the morning but I think it's good to get it out. We have been trying warm water with lemon and honey. The lemons are from the garden and the honey is from Ted's hives here so it's good. I think it's helping. i don't want to put him on antibiotics for a cough. There's no fever and I think he will be better off to fight it. We were laughing so hard because in the evening we were all sitting around talking about health food and Corbin was telling us about all the great healthy things he likes and then went into a coughing spell and Mike said, "I see how that's working for you," We all laughed so hard. They love the rice and beans here - I knew they would. I'm so glad to be having it again. The kids are all bonding well - lots of talking and laughter. My kids really have been going through a lot with emotions about Erin being gone but I think your kids are a Godsend for them. Thanks for sharing such precious people with us. Battery is yelling at me. Much love, Terese

Yea! A little news from abroad!!

2009-09-28T10:18:00.000-07:00

Jordan's sent the following news....

On the morning of the 25th, Savy came over to visit for awhile. Savy and I kept Danae and Leah company as they worked at getting their rooms put back together after being gone for 3 months. We had a delicious lunch of rice, beans and greens. Later in the evening we headed up to the Rabenold's house to have a long walk.

On the 26th, we celebrated Savy's birthday. We girls, swam in the afternoon in the Rabenold's pool. The cold water feels so good after being hot all day. It is sometimes 100 in the shade! For dinner, all of us youth, including the boys, ate at the table. The interesting part was that the food was just dumped on the tablecloth and we ate with our fingers! No shortage of fun and laughter! Savy's suckling pig broke it's leg, so she had it baked whole. It was great! When we were almost done eating, we began to dare each other to eat the brains, ears and eyes! (She didn't say who ate what!) Also, we enjoyed listening to Uncle Ted tell us his hunting stories.

It is time to head out swimming, so I will tell you all about Sunday later.

Love to all,
Jordan

Safe in Mbeya

2009-09-24T14:34:00.000-07:00

Jordan's email

We had our first experience with the African children, they are very sweet. They love to feel our skin and some of the girls braided our hair, well, at least those of us that have hair to braid, no boys got their hair braided! One girl named Betai let me carry her around and a couple of the girls attached themselves to me even though I couldn't communicate with them very much verbally. I guess there is much more that we say with our actions than with our words.

Savy, the missionary youth that lives next to the Bentons is a very sweet girl. Danae, Leah, Savy and I went swimming in Savy's pool which was a lot of fun. It was so refreshing, even though the water was freezing.

Hope to send more details later, but the Internet time is extremely limited. Love to all and thanks for following! :-)

No pictures, they are living in the bush.....

2009-09-23T22:19:00.001-07:00

Well, Jordan now knows how difficult computers can be when in Africa. They are
downright temper-mental or maybe it is the connection that is temper-mental. Whatever
the case, no pictures for now. We hope to be able to get some when they get to Zambia in
about a month. I do think that when we see them again, they may be a shade darker... :-)
Jordan may try to post from the valley but most likely I will post after we talk on the phone.
Either way, please keep checking back and do leave a comment for them to enjoy when
they get to a place that they are able to connect.
In Him,
Mom Ruseler

The last day in Mbeya

2009-09-22T18:15:00.000-07:00

Wow, breakfast was great. Bananas and pineapple that can't be explained!!! I will never be able to fully enjoy an American banana again. Our tummies are still doing fine, thank God. Another shopping day but this time we were not able to carry our own money, it is not safe. We also could not take the camera to town. It was interesting to see the booth that had shoes for sale. The shoe laces where tied together and they were just hanging from the ceiling. They were also displayed by being nailed through the soul into the wall..... hummm, I wonder if they leaked? I, Jordan, found that a woman was very interested in my hair when she started to feel it.... all the little kids just stare giving us the biggest smiles. There is an odd smell, not bad, but different. I believe it is the little fish that seem to be abundant. They are about the size of sardines and dried. The Bentons use these to make their dog food. I am not sure what everyone else uses them for, probably to eat. Again, it is very, very dirty. The ground is covered with wet cardboard that we had to walk on sometimes, yuk. This is the second largest city in Tanzania so, again, there are masses of people. It was a sight to see them scramble to get on the city buses. In the morning we leave Mbeya, going through Mbozi and Tunduma. In between Tunduma and Sumawanga we will take a road to the Rukwa Valley. You could try to follow us on google.

A note from Jordan

2009-09-22T10:09:00.000-07:00

Today, the 21st, we went shopping in Iringa for baskets. They sure do a beautiful job! Right next to the basket building was a coop full of chickens. My, you could smell them when the wind blew. There seems to be no thought as to the organization of placement of houses, shops, animals.......After shopping, we went to where the Massai tribe sells their articles. On the way there, we passed a huge stuffed garbage can. Things are not kept clean here at all! There is garbage everywhere, even in the more desolate places. If you pass by a house, there will be garbage thrown out by the road. If you think America has a littering problem, think again! The Massai have lots of jewelery and some daggers to sell. They are a very colorful people. Some of the Massai still make the big holes in their ears and then hang several earrings from each ear. Maybe that is where Ameria's new ornaments got their start?? While in Mbeya, we are staying in the same compound that the Bentons lived in when they first moved here! It is great to be able to see all that we have heard so much about. We will be leaving for the Rukwa Valley, our last destination with the Bentons, tomorrow!! Again, thanks for following......

The road trip starts........

2009-09-21T18:03:00.000-07:00

A call to Jordan this morning, for her it is evening, gave me some details into their day. Starting out at 12:30 pm their time, they headed to Iringa. On the way they went to a game park and got to see impala, elephants, giraffe, zebra with babies, eland, wildebeest, cape buffalo, baboon and a brand new baboon baby. The drive was very bumpy and there was much road construction. It is very sad to see the mentally and physically handicapped wandering around since there is no care facilities for them. I did ask the average speed of travel and for your schooling today, the answer was 100-120 kilometers. They use their blinkers to signal to others as to when passing is safe, so, blinkers are being used often. There were wild fires all over, in the mountains, valleys and right by the road. There were also some burning next to homes, no managed fire burns going on there, just natures timing. All for now.......

A day of shopping in the capitol of Tanzania

2009-09-19T14:26:00.000-07:00

I was able to talk with Corbin today for 30 minutes before the phone quit. This was his account of their day in Dar es Salaam. Buses are stuffed full to overflowing as you can see people hanging out the door. Cars take priority on the roads and people only cross when cars happen to stop from being backed up. Again, he mentioned how crazy the traffic is with no regulations there is a go-for-it attitude which both Jordan and Corbin think is fun. Twice, they have been driving along only to see someone coming head on in their lane..... someone just moves over... we hope! He said that no amount of movies, reading or stories can give you the true reality of what it is like to be there.... so, pack your bags! He mentioned that he likes it there and when I asked why, he shared.... the warmth, the feeling of safety, not for your items, but for children. There are children running around and there is no issue of them being kidnapped. He also mentioned that there is no loud music coming from cars and that it is nice to shop without music in the background. The modesty is a nice change as the African ladies all wear skirts and while most ladies here (in the US) are immodest, most of the ladies there (in Africa) are dressed nicely. I am sure that this can make shopping much more enjoyable for a guy. They see about 20 white people a day and those, are dressed American style. It was fun to souvenir shop which they did at a place called (I forgot). There was a huge tent, like a circus tent and all these little booths under it. There was almost everything you could think of and all at great prices. Most of the Africans could speak English but you could only understand it to different degrees depending on their pronunciation. It was great to watch and listen to the Bentons barter for them in Swahili, which they did for every item. Afterward, they went to an Indian restaurant, there are many Indians there. It was as nice as Olive Garden and they could watch them fry the flat bread. Then they order a topping such as chicken or lamb with a sauce, which was hot, hot, hot. They don't use a teaspoon or tablespoon of spices, it is more like cupfuls! Corbin's favorite was the shrimp and shrimp sauce.... new news to me :-) They are right by the ocean and have enjoyed seeing it each day. There are gigantic ships and dugout canoes, the contrast is everywhere. Again, it was a joy to hear his voice. They will be leaving in the morning to start their journey to the Bentons and we really aren't sure when we will be hearing from them again. Keep them in your prayers. Thanks for following!

a couple of more things......

2009-09-18T18:24:00.001-07:00

Corbin mentioned that it is dirty. There was no obvious garbage containment to be see, the garbage was just laying around. He also said that any water they saw was filthy! When driving around, there is always someone trying to sell you something. They have to be careful not to make eye contact or that would cause the seller to try harder to make a sale. And, the children that are around, are begging. It is hard to see so many disabled too, they are thinking that with lack of money that they have no where to go. So, they are seeing some realities along with the adventure of another culture. Yes, Corbin is tall over there! He is also somewhat famous, as the following story will tell. When Zack and Corbin where at the ocean, a Chinese man asked them where they were from. When they said America, the man got very excited, gave a thumbs up and got his friend. Then the men asked if they could take their picture with Zack and Corbin. So, they were the highlight of someones day :-)

A day of wonder........

2009-09-18T15:54:00.000-07:00

Hello, this is Mom Ruseler, I just got off a 45 minute phone conversation with Jordan and Corbin. I will try to share their eventful day as I heard it from them. First, Jordan and Mrs. Benton went bulk shopping. Corbin and Zack had to stay in the car so that nothing would get stolen while the girls did the shopping. Jordan said that it was like multiple firework stands, and someone was always attending to you. They would point at what they were interested in and then barter over the price. Later, they went swimming in the Indian Ocean which was warm and pleasant. There were not many sea shells but there were small crabs that Corbin and Zack hunted down with sand balls. So, Corbin has had his first African hunting adventure. Zack was able to be successful at catching two crabs. Small as they were, they got their picture taken and were released. They swam for about 5 hours. They both mentioned the traffic more than once. They were awed by the freedom to do as you please and go as fast as you would like. Corbin said that it was like a packed freeway without the divider where you would see a u-turn at any time. Motorcycles would crowd together with four in the space of a car and someone even decided to go on the wrong side of the road because he didn't want to wait any longer. Jordan mentioned that even though everything was so very different, it already felt normal......... hummm. They have enjoyed all the food, especially the fish! They have not had any tummy problems, praise the Lord! And they slept very little on the flights over. Jordan said that it seems as if Corbin has hardly slept at all and is more awake than any of them.... ready to go. It was 11 pm their time when we were talking at which time Corbin and Zack were playing cribbage as each of them had half their bodies out from under their mosquito nets with the board between the bunk beds. Ah, the fun of having no schedule..... Corbin mentioned the monkey that was just hanging around town and Jordan mentioned the goats (of course) that were tied up in fields. It was a joy to hear their voices and their awe and excitement in all that was going on around them. They look forward to a day of souvenir shopping tomorrow and then starting their travels to the valley. More when I hear. Thanks for following.

Our accomodations in Dar es Salaam

2009-09-18T13:21:00.000-07:00

The 5 of us are staying close!

A note from Corbin

2009-09-18T09:07:00.001-07:00

I have really been enjoying looking at all the new plants around here and trying to spot new birds. They have crows here but their heads and necks are grey instead of black. At one point I turned to look at a bird and saw with dissappointment that they looked like regular sparrows. You can hear Guinia hens and chickens all day. I didn't expect that there would be so many Palm trees. I saw a Banana tree, whose leaves are 6 feet long and a foot wide. Also, spotted a Papayia tree.

Love, Corbin

Our 1st day!

2009-09-17T12:02:00.000-07:00

The flight was wonderful. Had quite a bit of turbulence on the second flight, but it was actually quite nice.
I will try to explain what it is like here, but I know that if you want the full picture you will have to come for a visit!! The smell was the first thing that I noticed when walking off the plane. It is very intense, but not necessarily a bad smell. The traffic is amazing. No speed limits, everyone just goes the pace that he can. Motorcycles riding on the yellow lines. Buses and cars getting as close as they possibly can to each other without touching. People walking amongst the cars when they are traveling at a snail's pace. When traffic is going fast, people are seen as just roadblocks and the people are the ones who have to stay out of the way. Lots of Muslims...heard the Muslim call to prayer during dinner. We are staying at Soma Biblia (read the bible) and it is very clean. Everything feels slightly grimy. Whether that is from the slight humidity or whether they can't get everything washed clean, I am not sure. Big black ants and microscopic ants climbing on the table and floor. We had a delicious dinner of steamed broccoli and cauliflower. Fish with curry sauce on it......YUM!!! I could have eaten all the fish!!! Baked potatoes with butter on it. Avocados are very different tasting compared to ours. The Watermelon is very different looking compared to ours. It wasn't quite ripe, so I will have to see if it looks more like ours when it is fully ripe. African ice cream bars are the best!!! I think that they are better then American Ice cream bars!! Luggage piled high in our room. We have two rooms set aside for us. Aunt Terese and Uncle Mike are going to sleep in one room. All the luggage and the kids are going to sleep in the other room. I know that this barely scrapes all that we have seen and heard today, but I will try to fill you in more tomorrow.
We are enjoying the warmth!! We are heading to White Sands tomorrow. (Indian Ocean)
Then we are going souvenir shopping the next day. Sunday we are picking up a piece of
luggage that got left in London and then moving out towards the Rukwa valley. Jordan

2009-09-15T10:13:00.000-07:00

Tonight Corbin and I are going to get on the plane headed for London at 10 p.m. We are doing well and still excited at how close it is getting to be leaving.

I thought that you might enjoy seeing some pictures of our day at the zoo yesterday.

Antelope on the alert!

Monkey posing for the camera.

Penguins were the main attraction this year.

Can you spot the frog?

Golden Pheasant.

A smiling Tapir! :-)

This Orangatan was completely hidden beneath this blanket. When we got closer we could see that the blanket was moving. In answer to our questions of if an Orangatan was actually hiding, beneath the blanket, this fellow happily obliged to show his face.

Corbin and Kayla actually got the squirrels to eat chips out of their hands. This one, put his little paw on Corbin's hand when he took the chip.

2009-08-28T18:42:00.000-07:00

Habari za mchana! (Good afternoon!)

Sept. 1, 09
Mom, Corbin, and I have been doing a lot shopping recently. It is amazing how much we need to get still! There is a part of me that wonders how we will ever find everything that we are supposed to take!! This has given me more appreciation for what the missionarys must go through....knowing that they will be gone for awhile and knowing that they won't be able to find all these "conveniences" over in the other country.

Sept 4, 09
We are almost done with the major packing. We have 6 big containers that we will take with us, plus 4 smaller carryons. The big containers have to be under 50 lbs when they are fully loaded, which may seem like a lot will fit in there, but when you get your clothes, shoes, snacks, and books, the weight adds up very quickly!!

I thought that the knowledge that I would be leaving soon had fully sunk in. But now as it is getting closer, I will think to myself, "in two weeks we will be in Dar Es Salem shopping,"
and I still am surprised that it is coming up this fast!

Kwa heri!! (Good bye)

2009-08-15T20:40:00.000-07:00

Hujambo!

Corbin and I had our Yellow Fever vaccine. The shot is a live virus meaning that we could have got flu-like symptoms afterwords. Our family prayed a lot that God would protect us from any bad side effects, which He did. We didn't get sick at all!!

Another thing that God blessed us with was when we called to get our Malaria medication. When Mom called up a pharmacy, they informed her that it was about $450 each!!! We did not want to spend that much!! So, we researched further and found some medicine that was cheaper, but could cause hallucinations. That was another thing that we really didn't want to have! So, Mom was able to talk with one of our friends who works at a Pharmacy and he found some medication that was $11 each!! What a blessing that we were able to find that. The side effect with it, is that we will be more susceptible to sunburn, so I am sure you know what we will be toting along with us!! :-)

Mom and I went shopping for 2 full days to find some modest, yet lightweight shirts and skirts for our trip. My, is it difficult to find clothes that match that description nowadays!! We found some shirts, but couldn't find one skirt. Finally on the 2nd day, we were driving past Ross dress for less and thought that we may as well stop in there and see if there were any skirts. We found 10 different skirts that were modest and lightweight!! Praise the Lord for caring for us and bringing us to the right place.

So, that is the news for right now....Tutanana (see you later, in this case, talk to you later :-)

2009-07-21T10:16:00.000-07:00

Hello Friends and Family!

We are excited to announce that Corbin and I are headed for Africa in 59 days!! God has confirmed that this is something that He would like for us to do at this time, so we are excited to follow.

Corbin and I have been learning some Swahili to hopefully be able to "talk" to the Africans, but we will probably be using an interpertor for most of the talking. :-) From now on, I will try to remember to use some Swahili words in this blog for you.

Please feel free to leave comments on here for us. We will try to write often, but while in Tanzania, internet access is difficult is get, so it might be pretty sporadic. Hopefully, in Zambia it will be a lot better.

Kwa heri. (Goodbye.)