5/25/12

I Would Like You to Meet....


The names and faces at my house have done some changing this week, so I think some introductions are in order.

First, my cat ,Sangy, got hurt on Monday, and there wasn’t anything that could be done for her, so I had to let her go on Wednesday. My house was sadly empty of the little friend I have had for the past six months. There hasn’t been anyone to wake me up at 4:30am, or earlier…..in the mornings and no one weaving in and out between my legs as I make a mad dash to the kitchen to save a pot of rice that I had forgotten about. I was happy that I still had my little kitten that I had chosen from Sangy’s litter, and one of the other kittens hadn’t been picked up yet by her new family, so there were still two little kittens to keep each other company. But I knew I needed to find a friend for my kitten before she was left alone. I had to laugh at the irony of the situation. The last three months my house has been overflowing with kittens, and then this week I was hoping to get another one.

I should pause the story here to add that lately God has been showing me that if I look for Him, I can see his love for me in even the mundane. Whether it is someone calling wanting to hang out, a rainbow in the sky, or a seat on the taxi be when I am running late, I see his love for me. So Yesterday I was telling God how I needed a new kitten. I decided I might as well tell Him the kitten I wanted, down to the color. The request was for a kitten who was as big as or smaller than my kitten, a female, and black with maybe a little white.

So Tatienne and I set out today in search of a kitten. We traveled some, wandered around some, and weren’t finding any kittens. Finally, after asking around, we made our way to the chicken market, where surely there would be kittens too. The first few stations didn’t have any kittens. Then I looked across the aisle and spotted a tiny kitten sleeping on top of a basket. Just one. Thrilled to see even one kitten, especially one so small, I forgot to ask about the gender. Thankfully Tatienne remembered and asked. "Girl" was the answer.  She was definitely no bigger then my kitten. You want to know what color she was don’t you? Not that I cared at that point, but she was a dark chocolate brown that looks black if she isn’t in the sun. She has a little white on her chest, a white star on her tummy, and one white foot. Yeah….it took everything in me to stop long enough to barter, knowing I would take her at full price if needed.

So I would like to introduce you to my kittens.
First is Angoty (on-goo-tee, you hardly hear the last syllable).
And then there is my new little kitten, Kintana (Keen-tah-nah).
So while it was sad to loose Sangy, I am thankful for Angoty and Kintana.The good news is, no one has decided, so far, that it is a good idea to wake Tara up at 4:30am or earlier (smart kittens) and no one has gotten the idea to weave in and out between my legs when I race to the kitchen to save some rice from burning (yes, that happens on a daily basis).  Even better, so far my laid back Angoty has no problem welcoming her very playful new friend who doesn’t just walk or run, she prances.

5/9/12

I have to wait how long to pay my bill??


I stared at my daunting to-do-list that seemed to stretch on for a mile. Taking a deep breath, I carefully gathered my shopping list, bank card and electric/water bill and set off. The plan was to quickly run errands, get home with enough time to complete the rest of the list at home and make food for the cats before heading out to study with Haja. First stop, pay the bill. Rounding the corner, I caught a glimpse of the line of people. It wound and curled its way around the countyard, which appeared to be just a mass of people instead of a line. I reluctantly took my place at the end of the line and began fishing around in my bag for my mp3 player, all the while wondering if this was worth it and considered returning the next day, even if that would mean paying it late. This is not how I wanted or planned to spend my day. After shuffling around in my bag for a while I realized my mp3 player was the one thing I had forgotten. As I stood there considering the options, I saw one of the teens in line 10 or 15 people in front of me. Catching eyes, we grinned at each other. The next thing I knew, he moved back to stand in line with me. Two hours later, after talking about everything under the sun, we were finally at the head of the line paying our bills. As I climbed on the ‘taxi be’ to continue my errands, I knew I would have to scratch the to-do-list. But maybe the list wasn’t all that important anyway. I could do it all another day. Surprisingly, instead of wishing the day had worked out differently, I felt loved by God and thankful for the blessings he had given me that day. Two hours of doing absolutely nothing other than talking to one of my friends was just what I needed after a crazy weekend. And who doesn’t want to practice Malagasy anyway??

Gratitude:
10. No bake chocolate oatmeal cookies
11. Six kittens sitting on my lap as I work
12. Cold weather and being able to wear a hoodie
13. The thrift clothes market where you can get just about anything for an amazing price if you dig and barter.
14. Friends, both Malagasy and from back home, who always make me laugh and encourage me to love God with all that I am.
15. Hanging out with two of the girls in town and how they showed me how to get pictures printed here.
16. The country that God has placed me in.
17. A successful visit with the landlord when she stopped by
18. The many people who call out “hi Tara!” as I walk to Pastor D’s house, many of them, I have no idea who they are, but everyone still seems to know my name