 |
| Mother Murray's Flowers still bloom in their old yard! Neat!! |
We have some fun guests here right now. One group is from
Mississippi and it is so nice to have folks here without an accent! ;) They even understood- “Kiss My Grits!” One even knows Rocky Felker that we coached
with at Texas Tech!! They were up country working and this is two’s first visit
to Congo. They stayed in a
village and were fed by the natives. So ate goat liver, large rat liver and the
rat, intestines, Manioc Beda, greens, whole smoked fish and dried fish and
pineapple( until their mouths were raw from all of the acid!). They also
described having selected large crispy and gushy bugs in the gravy. So I guess
fish heads for lunch at MPH is not that bad!!
The other group is from the part of Oregon that reminds me
of Montreat, NC. – Ashland and Medford area. They live in Grants Pass area.
(Been to all three places when I was working out there! LOVE it!!) They too were
up country for a week in another area. One came back and has been in ICU in the hospital. Has been diagnosed with
everything in the abdomen area except pregnancy! Feel so sorry for him because
he speaks NO French and they are doing all sorts of tests (American Money
Tests, he wants to know? But he is afraid to tell them to take a leap! He is
two days by air from home! And in pain!) So two of his pals went on home and
the third has stayed here with us while he is still in the hospital. Their Host
will leave Friday and then I will be the go between with the aid of a
Missionary lady who is a PA... Scary thought, eh? (Running MPH covers A-Z, I
guess!! So now do I need to get Patient Surgical Scrubs too?? Oh, Dear!!)
The organization of the kitchen area continues. Inge is on
max overload with getting things moved and cleaned and…and…So she gives me the
list she wants done and I tell Ken- the Overseer- and he gets Baba to do as she
has asked. So it is S-W-A-N time for us all. Yesterday while we were out
grocery shopping she alphabetized the pantry. All is done in French and at a
glance one can see what we have and what we don’t have. Every Tuesday she is
going to stay at MPH and facilitate the ordering of the food needed to feed guests and the food
needed to keep either a Max or Normal supply on hand. Tires me out just writing
about it! So we are currently removing a termite infested cabinet in the
pantry, putting another in its place eventually and, cleaning a spot for two of
the three new metal cabinets to be put in the kitchen, getting out a
refrigerator for use and the list goes on…So she says “Lenore’, I say “Ken” and
he says ”Baba!! ;))
Yesterday in addition to some reservation issues, a guest in
the hospital, and feeding 40 for breakfast , one of the French ladies comes up
to tell me she has broken the tub washing her feet. “Broken the tub!” Inge and
I haul off for the Girl’s Dormitory Bath with the lady behind us! Turns out they call a
sink a tub! So we arrive and the porcelain sink is pulled off the wall and
broken into huge and small shards of glass. I ask her what happened. “I was washing
my feet in the sink.” So I tell her that sinks are for hands and the tub and
the Douche (shower) are for feet!! “But it was ok yesterday!” Luckily she was
not all cut up!! So I go down to finish breakfast and try to get all organized
for clean up and see if we have an old sink that will work to be mounted right
now. (We don’t. Welcome Home, Clay!) Meanwhile
hospital calls and now they have a diagnosis of pancreatitis, or gallbladder
and/or blocked bowel. Plus the chauffeur arrives and needs gas money so we can
go grocery shopping. (No, I don’t want to open a B&B!) Then the Mississippi
guys want to ride down town with us so they can see about changing flight tickets
and want my phone number so they can call us to come get them after they eat
lunch. I don’t know the number- I never call myself and it is MPH’s number. So
I have to call his number so he has mine! I look at Inge and she smiles. So I
tell them sure! So eventually off we go. To say I am frazzled is an
understatement and I barely have a grip on my Patient Panties. Ken keeps
telling me to “Breathe Lenore, it will all be Ok.” Then he risks his life
and chimes in with Dad Murray’s favorite saying -”In 100 years no one will know
the difference!” ;)) Mississippi guys want pizza and we don’t! So we go for
Chinese and it was soooo good. Go and get the guys from the pizza place and
head to the last store for marshmallows, hot dogs and buns and chocolate and
Petit Beurre. (Are having a picnic supper Saturday night on the patio- I have
created a monster! They love Hot Dogs and S’mores!!- for just the smaller group
of us who are pretty much “regular” residents here. (The French are going to a
wedding!)
Sunday afternoon – my “day off’ – right! A Pastor Kienyamba, comes by and wants rooms
in September. He is in a foul mood- guess his sermon crashed and burned or
something. We get it all sorted out and he says he will return later in the
afternoon. Well, he shows up Thursday (It’s Congo!) and wants the room prices
and everything. I had it all ready and had not thrown it out- for some reason –I’d
put it in my desk drawer. He is having a conference to teach older kids and
parents to work with younger one. Tells me it’s sponsored by Samaritan’s Purse.
I just stare at him! Samaritan’s Purse is Franklin Graham from Montreat and
Boone!! I grew up with him andhis sister, Anne, was in our wedding! Well then we sort
of bond! He even complimented my French! He will let me know on using MPH. Then
low and behold he returns in about 20 minutes and brings me a copy- in French
of the two books the kids will get and the New Testament that the parents will
get to help them all read etc! Small World after all!! Another one of those
“amazing coincidences!” ;)
Two of the three metal cabinets we bought and paid
for arrive- they are still putting the third one together at the store and will
bring it “sometime soon”- It is Congo! So now we need to remove the water from
two five hundred/ 50? - I don't know but it is a bunch of water!! -gallon plastic storage drums, wash the floor under them and
get the new cabinets into place. Then the plans are to put all the dishes into
them and other stuff necessary to serve a meal rather than have it all back in
the locked pantry room. Then we will get to the rest of Inge’s list. For Bill
Clinton it takes a “Whole Village to Raise a Child” or was that Hillary? Anyway,
it just takes two Murrays and Inge to tackle MPH! ;)
Called Christian – the Electrician - and he is repairing a
bedroom light, fixing an eye on one of the stoves, checking to see if there is
enough power to put another big freezer in the pantry and carry the electrical
load. Ken and he and Baba are all talking away in Tshiluba!! Fun and funny to
listen to!
There is one topic I am avoiding- in life, in this blog, at
MPH. It’s the “T” word. It happens Monday the 29th. I am not looking
forward to all of that. But it has to be done. So do it I will. Patient
panties, S-W-A-N, and “I Think I Can!” may get me through the “T” episode!
Figured it out yet?? If this will just go down easily and no feet where feet
don’t belong, and mattresses and rooms are all the way guests say they want
them this time. I will be ok- maybe!! ;)) So figured it out yet? Tents!
Yesterday when I headed out to do Groceries my list was very
short! But arguing is above my pay grade as an unpaid volunteer. We did not have
over half of the things we usually have on the list and considering the house
is full and overflowing and the menus are the same- I asked several times- “Is
this all I really need to get??” “Yes.” Well, I asked again since the printed
list was checked by the cook that can’t read-because one of the other two is on
vacation and the other still has malaria. (If he suddenly feels better after
the 24 French leave, I will smell a skunk! He was also sick when we had the
three day conference of 63!!) “No, Mama Lenore, this is all we need.” So when I
get back I ask why I didn’t have to buy this, this, and that this time? Look of
shock, “But Mama we need that!!” Duh!! So it had to be bought today at native
market!! Then they told me just tell us we have to get it next time if you see
it not on the list. Ok! (Folks,I diplomatically
tried this time!!)
Still no Internet and folks are coming in for the evening
and asking for it! I'm going to go hide! ;)
Take Care!! Love Ya! Me
No comments:
Post a Comment