Watch the Walk

1. You're back! How long are you here for? 4 months. I'll head back to Clove Island the week after Easter. 2. So, you're not here to stay? Nope. Still heading back to Africa. 3. What's your 5 year (10 year/20 year) plan? Great question! Ask God. Honestly, I'm where I'm at and working hard there, but holding plans loosely in anticipation that they could easily change due to a variety of factors. 4. What's your favorite thing about being back in the US? My people! Catching up with friends and hearing about what's going on with them in person is so wonderful. Otherwise, I like breakfast sausage, espresso, tall evergreens, frosty mornings, driving "fast" on curvy roads, and a whole host of other things that where I live in Africa doesn't offer. 5. What do you miss about Africa? My people! I keep getting messages and voicemails from my friends on Clove Island. "Abby! When are you coming back?" I also miss not having...

I've been back in the US for 2.5 weeks now, so a lot of my questions have been answered, but it's always interesting catching up on things that have changed while I've been away. And I recently realized that a lot of the questions could just as easily be asked by someone who's just finished serving time in prison. Awkward. Sorry y'all, I'm not an ex-con, I'm just back in North America after living in Africa for awhile is all. So without further ado, here are some of the questions I've been asking: 1.  Is this gas price high or low? On Clove Island, the price of gas is federally regulated, so it's always around $1.30/liter. Fluctuating prices isn't really a thing there. 2. How did the shop know my name in order to call it when my order was ready? Ok, ok, they read my credit card, I guess. Hmm. Not sure how I feel about that. 3. How does "tap to pay" work? How do I know if my card works that way? Do I want to use that option? This questio...

How I feel about office "efficiency" here Equipment: two outdated computers, probably with multiple resident viruses. Personnel: one secretary, two men to run the office and tell the secretary how to do her job. Missing: the boss who has the authority to do things. Decorations: a couple of bookshelves stacked high with folders full of documents and extraneous papers, a coating of dust, a picture of the president, multiple printers and photocopiers, of which maybe one works partially. All photocopies must be done in another office on another floor of the building.  It's that time of year when my service visa has to be renewed, and yet again I shake my head over the inefficiency of the government offices. After walking in and announcing that I needed a letter to take to immigration to request a new visa, it took most of an hour for them to do the following: 1) locate in the computer a similar letter which they could adjust with my details; 2) change the details, which in...

What are you thankful for today? I can make a pretty long list of things for which I am thankful, but at the end of the day I'm most thankful for the nature of character of Him whom I worship. He is perfectly faithful. He's not capricious. Who He is will always be reflected in how He acts. And that's not something to be taken for granted. Here on the island I'm often told by friends not to trust others. "They'll steal from you."  "They'll betray your trust."  "You think that they're trustworthy, but they're not. Give them an opportunity and they'll turn on you." I constantly have friends talk about how they can't trust their boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, wife, or essentially anyone other than their own mother. They don't trust anyone to be faithful to their promises. And the government acts the same way. They say nice things, but turn and do the opposite. Money is quietly channeled into personal pockets and pri...

It's pretty here. (photo cred: S. Parker) I live on a tropical island. There are palm trees, fresh fruit, delicious fish, sandy beaches, and delightful music. But not everyone wants to stay there. Is it just the dream of every island dweller, some sort of island fever that you're born with? Is it the dream of every person stuck in a country where corruption rules and many go for months without being paid their promised salary? Or is it the need of a person in a health crisis who knows that they'll find no solutions on their island? So my islander friends and neighbors take boats to another island. The government authorities of the other island try to prevent it, but try enough times and you'll make it. But the problem is, a person without papers isn't free to move around the island easily. They constantly live in fear of being discovered. Some places the immigration police search houses for illegals. Other places they simply walk the streets checking every person th...

"Snow?" you say questioningly, perhaps with one eyebrow raised. "That doesn't seem likely on a tropical island."  Well yes. But let's say there's no snow, but you're still not going anywhere. It was a Monday morning. I woke up thinking it was an ordinary start to an ordinary week, but then my phone starting going off with multiple messages: unrest in town, school's been cancelled. Time to keep an ear to the ground on what's going on. Then I heard gunshots. Hmm, definitely not an ordinary Monday. We don't normally hear gunshots here. Although I'd heard rumors of families with guns hidden away, weapons aren't a common sight on this island. Even the bank security guards are lucky to have a night stick. Normally they just sit slouched in a chair, looking bored. Occasionally unrest will involve rock throwing, but still... guns are an entirely different escalation. As a team, we were planning on getting together throughout the week to f...

Flower necklaces!  How's your cringe face? You might need to warm it up a little. Cringe. Cringe a little harder. Okay, let's go! Picture this: you're a young-ish girl in a grand gathering of women, all dressed up, singing songs, reading from the respected book, dancing, giving you flower necklaces and other gifts. It's your day. Nope, not your birthday. But it's all for you, celebrating you. Why? ... you got your first period. Menstrual cycle. Aunt Flo visited. Monthly. Whatever you want to call it. They're all there to celebrate that you're now a woman.