grace.kindness.peace.disruption.pain.processing.rinse.repeat.have a nice day.

Not that I need to be made any more aware (at least of its existence), today is African Malaria Day. The day is a sort of awareness day for the world to learn about malaria. Malaria is a very big problem that doesn't just affect large white men that happen to mosey over to the African continent. The disease affects 350-500 million acute cases of malaria each year. Around one million people die each year from it. The disease plays a large role in keeping populations in poverty. Indeed most of the deaths of this treatable disease are too poor to pay the few dollars for the medicine to treat it. There is much more for me to learn, but I'll stick to books and pamphlets from now on.

Oh the stories produced in the last few days! Oh the drama, the misery, the many emotions. How might I convey them all to you? Frankly put, I won't. And you would thank me if you only knew. If you want the short version, I got malaria. If you want the long version …

It was a beautiful Wednesday morning. Sadly though, both Micah and I were feeling under the weather, Micah much more so than I. Michelle was at the hospital receiving another IV drip to rehydrate her and to infuse her anti-malaria meds. Faye sat dutifully at her side, the ever-responsible leader. She called me to inform us that we'd be the only ones going to the Lighthouse program that day, as Cami was also under the weather. Upon hearing that Micah was ill she requested we join her at the hospital. After one more involuntary bathroom stop, Micah and I gave Ben a "good game" to wish him luck as the lone leader going to Lighthouse and we were off for the hospital.

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Within an hour of posting my previous entry we received a phone call from our team leader Faye. It appears that Michelle has caught a little bugger and is ok, but will require several days of rest. She had to go to the hospital, but is now resting at her house.

Short story short, we'll be staying in Freetown until further notice. We're so thankful that her symptoms hit today and not tomorrow or the next day when we'd be farther from a hospital. We had packed malaria treatment meds, but any sickness is the pits when your bed is far away.

So, please redirect your thoughts and prayers from a safe journey to quick healing for Michelle. I'll post more when I hear it.

As of tomorrow evening around 9 in the p.m. I will have officially been in Sierra Leone eight weeks. I've heard the phrase "Americans have the watches, but Africans have the time." I haven't worn a watch in years, yet I'm not so good at having time. A wise man once said, "Life moves fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."

In an attempt to look around, I have begun a new season of pondering life. Why am I here again? What am I doing? How can I best serve my team, the Lighthouse folks, and others here in Freetown? How have things affected me? Has anything changed about me? How do I now see life? Why am I so selfish? What things have I done here made me come alive? What is next in life? How do I think about the future and be present here and now? Who shot JR?

These are (mostly) important questions. The things I've experienced, relationships I've established, and the thoughts I've had will be fodder lessons years into the future. There is not enough time to ponder all that comes my way while I am here, yet I am attempting to get a jump start on processing my experience. If necessary, I want to redirect my paths or jump on new ones in an attempt to get the most out of my remaining two months.

So if you have a question that would help me process my experience here, please send it my way. I will share them with my team as we all take a few steps back and think about our first two months here.
Things I've learned during my first 8 weeks:

• I like: good laughs, deep conversations, frozen yogurt, coconut, walking, a cool breeze at night, nighttime rain
• The mirror of a poda poda will give way if it hits you as you walk
• Said mirror might hurt as it gives way
• Duct tape is just as important on the other side of the world, if not more so.
• Palm oil just might be evil.
• Electricity is really optional for life, though it is still very welcome.
• The headlamp is one of the greatest inventions in the world.
• If a white man goes to a culture that has three different words that mean "white man," he will hear them pretty much everywhere.
• God is good and faithful and patient and forgiving
• Email is a really amazing invention. Gmail makes email even more amazing.
• I enjoy a good beer more than I thought (no spirits for me while I'm here)
• Emails and comments from good friends make me feel loved

Sorry for all of you out there that were hoping for some "vivid dream" posts. Thankfully, yet slightly disappointedly, my dreams have been no more vivid than normal and have produced nothing of interest to the general public. This is a good thing. Say yeah.