A Different Kind of Easter

We’ve made it through our first big holiday away from North America.  I was a little nervous about how we (read I) would do.  Easter has traditionally been spent at my parent’s house.  We have some pretty well-established Easter traditions.  Like, “I’ve been doing it that way for all of my thirty-something years and I like it that way” kind of traditions.  

So, when we found out that the missionary community here in our city usually has a big Easter weekend celebration, we decided it would be prudent for our family to participate.  About an hour from our home there is a place that was built about 100 years ago, for the purpose of providing a respite for missionaries.   A few families in our city plan a retreat weekend there for Easter, called "Fun in the Son."  There are all sorts of activities and you can participate in as few or as many as you’d like.  Each family rents their own cottage, so you have fellowship, but privacy too.  There was a kid's program each morning, which gave us adults some down time.  And, we got to know lots of families from lots of other ministries.  

We had a great weekend there and it was exactly what we needed.  I had 3 days of no cooking, which is a much bigger deal than it ever would have been in America.  We haven’t eaten out as a family since we got here in January.  With Isaac and Lily’s allergies, it’s just too dangerous for us to eat at a local restaraunt.  Which means, I cook every meal and with the absence of convenience foods and about 75% of what used to be my “normal” grocery items, that’s been a big, big stressor.  I feel like feeding my kids is almost as demanding as it was when I was a nursing mother.  So,  I was delighted for those days of no cooking.  

One afternoon, Ryan and Isaac went on a hike to an old volcano, while the girls hung out, Abe slept, and I read a book.  In the middle of the day I laid on a bed and read a book!  That felt pretty darn luxurious! 

We enjoyed a Good Friday campfire service and an Easter Sunday service with familiar songs and a beautiful reminder of why we’re here.  It was definitely good for the soul.  

Here's Abe, getting ready for the egg hunt using his borrowed bucket.  It didn't even occur to me to bring Easter baskets with us.  Our kids ended up getting their Easter goodies in these recyclable bag type things after I searched and searched for something more festive.  Next year, I'm going to try to find some sort of bucket to doll up, like this one.

Here we are waiting for everyone to get their turn at the egg hunt.  Each child got to find 3 eggs, which then had to be returned, because replacements can't be purchased here.  Another thing I didn't think to pack!  Something I loved about the weekend is that I could wear western clothes!  I think that this was the first day I'd worn pants outside of my home since we landed on the continent.

Here is my firstborn and once again, she's found her way to some sweet African child.  This little guy was rescued from a brothel and our girls have a big heart for him.  We're praying that God will reveal the best long-term family situation for little S.

One of the most humbling parts of this "rest home" as it's called, is this cemetery where former missionaries and lots of missionary kids who didn't make it to adulthood are buried.  Many of them came to Nigeria in the days when you left home with the expectation that you may never return.  I want to whine about leaving my conveniences, and then I'm reminded of those who packed their coffin as they boarded the ship.  The work they did in those pioneer days has laid a strong foundation for us to work with today.  We literally feel as though we're standing on the shoulders of giants.

The one low point in our weekend is that our room flooded.  One of our pipes burst and we came back from an afternoon of fun to find two inches of water covering everything.  My poor honey lost his Ipod in the mess.  We did however, get a significant discount on our weekend and some good laughs as we had a broom brigade of folks helping us clean it up.

Here's the volcano that Ryan and Isaac hiked.  While they were climbing it, a storm came, which was the first rain we'd seen in our 3 months here.  They got soaking wet and even had some hail in the mix.

This is the road we drove home on.  We're actually on the shoulder.  The higher ridge to the left of the photo is the road, but the potholes were so bad that the ride was smoother on the shoulder.