Making Friends with the Vet

Most Africans have a weird aversion to dogs. Maybe because as Americans, we treat pets like family, while here, dogs are for security purposes ONLY. In other countries, dogs are eaten (ugh – that’s disgusting).

Anyway - dogs are a huge part of keeping this home secure. Without dogs, most of the people with bad intentions around here tend to sneak right in and grab what they can and sneak right out.

Thankfully, petty theft is usually the name of the game. We have had the kids’ shoes stolen when they were outside drying, and we’ve had a few pairs of kid’s underwear disappear, too. Hmmm…

We’ve also had a small, low level grill stolen and charcoal, too. Boxes of matches have gone missing from the back veranda, and our trash usually gets dug into at some point during the week. But with Bonnie & Clyde, even INVITED guests are usually afraid to come in.

However, Clyde had been under the weather. So under the weather, he was almost in his grave on Saturday last week. We prayed and prayed that he would make it until our vet got back into town on Sunday. And thank GOD – he did!

Clyde

Our vet – Dr. Shaida – is awesome. She’s saved the lives of several dogs we love, and we were hoping she could save Clyde, too. She said Clyde had lost a lot of blood due to a severe tick infestation, despite tick treatments. Those little blood suckers would not leave our big guy alone. And he suffered a lot. He had lost so much weight & he was dehydrated.

Dr. Shaida gave us a heavy vitamin regimen along with some antibiotics to help get our big guy better. Unfortunately, he was only getting worse, so I took him back to the doc last Monday. She told me he has lost a lot of blood and all she could do was try to make him comfortable. Clyde passed away a few hours later.

Maybe its hormones or the fact that I sat with him most of that day, but wow – I didn’t know that sweet dog had crept into my heart so deeply. Every time I look out the window I keep waiting to see him walk by or chase Bonnie.

Because dogs are a big part of our security, and after losing Clyde, we needed to start raising some new pups or find some large dogs that need a home. The vet let us know she would bring any big dogs our way who needed a home, and our friend Niki hooked us up with a friend from Jadon’s school who had a puppy available.

Ali & Lucy

So while we’re still grieving our big guy, we’re busying ourselves with caring for a new Rhodesian Ridgeback. Lucy is sweet and small – only about 8 weeks – but by the looks of her mom & dad, she’ll be a big dog, too.

We’re praying our guard dogs stay healthy and grow to be nice & big. And I’m praying the vet bills don’t make the humans in this house sick….

Wind in Our Sails

Have you ever been gut punched?  Like, can’t-breathe-gasping-for-air, kind of gut punch? I sure have – come on, I grew up with 2 brothers. I hate that feeling of gasping for air. It reminds me of being under water and I can’t get my head up out of the water fast enough to take that breath I so desperately need. (Side note: Drowning is literally one of my worst fears.)

I felt the air go right out of me today. The word “NO” has never hit me so hard. I felt like I poured my heart and soul into the process. I felt like we answered EVERY possible question, and I know we left them with a lot to think about. But in the end, we clearly weren’t chosen for a reason.

Easter! They all changed & refused to put back on their nice clothes!

I sat back and looked over all the information I submitted and kept asking myself: where did I go wrong? What did I not explain well enough? And then it hit me – we weren’t ready for this. Now is not the time. God is still growing us, helping us to navigate this ship, and that process takes time. We weren’t ready for an exciting funding opportunity, but that doesn’t mean we won’t be ready soon.

I realize that funding a project like this is expensive. And I know not everyone gets the vision. I also know that orphan prevention and long-term solutions aren’t “sexy” in the nonprofit world right now. Even in the nonprofit sector, there are trends that we look at as a world & we prioritize based on what seems to be the biggest crisis.

Maybe it’s just me, but 160+ million children in this world without a caregiver is a pretty big deal. And out of a population of 27 million in Mozambique, we have nearly 2 million children who don’t have parents. That’s like the population of Houston! I can barely wrap my mind around that figure.

Easter with some of the neighborhood boys

Despite hearing that word NO today, I’m so incredibly thankful for many things. God used ordinary, caring, generous people to build this home. And God will continue to lead us, guide us, stretch us and grow us until we are ready for the next phase.

As we continue on, we have 5 children who need us daily. Four out of the five look nothing like me, but they are part of me & they always will be. I pray for them, worry about them, cook for them, scold them, teach them, cheer for them, play with them, and love them. I have big hopes & dreams for Ali, for Lina, for Fatima, for Jadon, and for Marieta.

This journey has been like sailing a boat. Sometimes things come along that knock the wind out of our sails, so we’re forced to sit & wait a while. We pray & hope the wind will return, and sometimes it doesn’t. So we wait a little while longer. And then like clockwork, the wind returns.

There are times when the boat sails smoothly, and there are times when storms are relentless and destructive. But the days that are sunny and breezy – those are the best days. And while these days don’t come as often as we thought they would, we cherish each one so much that when the beautiful day ends, we look forward to the storms so we can see the sunny, breezy days return.