Coffee?

It's one of those evenings where I just really wish I could hop in the car and go to the movies with my friends tonight. Instead, I'll try to finish one of my text books. Probably not a bad idea.

Shortly, I'll be able to do movies and coffee with friends. I like the thought.

I made bobotie for lunch today. It's a traditional South African dish. Had it for dinner, too. Shared some with Lucy, who helps me with my laundry. She thinks the food I make is strange sometimes... :) That's OK. She would never tell me to my face. But she gets that "Um, I'm supposed to eat this?" look on her face.

Like the look I may have had on my face yesterday when a dear friend gave me coffee. I watched her put three tablespoons of sugar in a cup, but I didn't realize she's making me coffee. Then followed a really small spoon of instant coffee, and hot water. I was trying my utmost best to focus on our very intense and very interesting conversation whilst sipping very politely on the sugary coffee mix. In the end, I simply had to politely put down the cup and tell her I cannot finish it today. I really tried. Honestly. Even took one really big gulp at a stage, but it just didn't work. The cup stayed full. She even asked if I wanted more sugar. I may have inadvertently blurted out "No!" before I could stop myself. It's rare for Kenyans to drink coffee. Despite Kenyan coffee being so famous internationally, most Kenyans drink only chai. And if they do drink coffee, it's usually instant.

On a completely different note: Today, I was working on a training workshop I'm doing for staff tomorrow, and kept smelling something really bad. Like a dead cow. Turns out it's . . . a dead cow. Less than 100 yards from my door. The cow had died 2 weeks ago and was buried near the river, but not very deep. So the dogs had dug it up. No fun. Some of the guys came and burned the carcass, covered it some more, and then put thorny branches on top so the dogs won't get to it again.

(Flannel just brought me a gift, a gorgeous gecko. The poor gecko may have already suffered fatal wounds. I just picked it up and threw it out the window. Flannel's still looking for it...)

On a far more positive note: I was also able to go to the women's prayer meeting/Bible study this afternoon and got to see our friend Betty. She's been very sick recently, and it was good to see her smiling face back with us. We had a very encouraging visit about Jesus' prayer in John 17. I love knowing that Jesus is praying for us! Betty was sharing what comfort she finds in knowing specifically that Jesus is praying for her. She's been house-bound for almost 3 months due to illness, and she was sharing how the only thing that sustained her during this time was her Bible. If you've met Betty, you'd know that's true of her. Compared to most of us, materialistically, she has nothing. Yet she has a faith that is profound!

I love learning from friends like Betty. I have much to learn from her.