I've been thinking lately... I need to write another blog... life seems normal now... what do I write about?
So, I will ask you: Mr. or Ms. or kiddo, what questions do YOU have for US??
Leave a question in the comment area underneath this post, and we will answer. I can have the kids answer too if you have a question for them. And, if you haven't learned from your Momma... there's never a foolish question... then you can ask anonymously. :) We'll still love you! Read the comment section for all of the questions and answers.
If you can't figure out the comment thingy, my email is jennifergooden83@gmail.com, and you can ask me there. I'm really looking forward to this!
If you have to pick one thing, what would you say has been the biggest adjustment?
ReplyDeleteTyler and I both agreed on this one! There is no day in the week where it's okay to sleep in, or even still have jammies on after 7:30 AM! One morning the kids were playing quietly, Tyler was gone for the day, and I was still in bed at 7:30, when my neighbor came and opened my curtain/door to tell me someone was here to buy eggs! Humbling to say the least. :)
DeleteI'm not really trying to be anonymous, I just can't figure out what any of the other choices mean under "comment as:"! My name is Lynne and I'm a friend of our wonderful Therese Macfarlane. I don't have any particular question but I wanted you to know several of us follow your blog for any glimpse we can get of your lives there. Absolutely every observation, prayer request, photo, detail, pregnancy progress report or whatever is fascinating. Thank you so much. Remember your "normal" is anything but normal over here. May our amazing God protect and bless and use you all for His glory.
ReplyDeleteLynne, It is an HONOR to serve with Therese here. In her humility, she has no idea what an amazing example she is as a woman depending solely on Jesus. Before coming, I prayed for an older-in-the-faith Godly woman to be with to teach me. She is an answer to prayer!
DeleteHi Jeffie,
ReplyDeleteI'm wondering a few things. How is your pregnancy going? Do you need anything that I could send you? :)
The second thing is how's homeschooling going? How does it look now? I know school seems to be changing at my house constantly, but I wonder what it would be like if we were in a totally different culture.
Praying for you sister!
Rachel
Rachel,
DeleteI have had no prenatal care other than measuring my belly, doing kick counts, and listening to the heart beat with our own baby doppler. I feel better than I have with any other baby though! We will get an ultrasound in a few weeks to check the position of the baby. I am in contact with a midwife group that MAY be able to send someone to attend the birth. The mail is not very promising, so sending something wouldn't be a great idea. Whatever we need, we've been able find... even if it's a really long drive.
Homeschooling is going great. Our daily schedule is basically clean the house/play all morning. Lilah and Elisabeth nap in the afternoons, so I do school with the older 3 then. We were able to bring all of our curriculum with us, so it hasn't changed too much. There is a small desk and chairs in the upstairs of our hut for school. Concrete walls have been great for writing ABC's on with chalk for Abigail! Kind of like a chalk board. Non-curriculum school is from our "house-help" worker, Katherine. My kids are all speaking basic Acholi really well because of her!! (Even Elisabeth!)
Thanks for praying for us!!
Sort of random, but being around the people there and seeing the need, have you considered adopting like Zane and Summer did? I know keeping family units together are most important but that also sometimes children have no families or mothers/fathers are unable to care for their children. Knowing you have a large biological family, has it ever crossed your mind as something you may be called to do? Also, if you are able to have visitors come from mission teams down to individuals that may want to come and help serve. Just wondering!
ReplyDeleteWe haven't purposed in our hearts to adopt children, but I'm sure if God wants us to, He will make that perfectly clear. We are not against anything the Lord may want for us. It would only be good. As far as visitors/teams go, anyone is welcome to come visit. There's plenty of room, and we'd love to have extra hands around here!
DeleteI have lots of questions and I am going to ask the kiddos if they have any but the one that comes immediately to mind is:
ReplyDeleteIs there any one thing (or more) that you thought would be a part of your ministry that you have had to reevaluate and hand back over to God?
Love you and love you and love you some more,
From the Laughing Ossonts
Shane and Eryn,
DeleteWe had no idea why on Earth God was sending us to Uganda in the first place. We had no agenda, no mission, no vision until we got here. So... nope!
Love you all too!
Is your church within walking distance? We have more questions. Still compiling them. Love, The Hardens
ReplyDeleteOur church is within walking distance if you have an extra hour or so in the morning to spend walking! (Which many people do...) HA! No, we drive 5 minutes to get to church, and pick up a family or two on the way. There are only ever 2 cars parked at church, maximum. Many people ride bicycles, but most people do walk.
DeleteHi Goodens!! its julie kenyon (confer :)) in one of your posts you said the folks there like to touch your hair etc...you also said they look behind the kids ears? im just curious why they look behind your ears? what are they checking for? God bless you Goodens **hugs** jules
ReplyDeleteJulie, I have no idea what they are looking for! I'm wondering if they are looking to see how clean the kids are? People here have never seen white children. White adults are around here and there, but no children. Everyone waves at us when we drive down the street. We're like celebrities... It was very awkward at first, but we're accustomed to it now.
DeleteWhat are the names of the children you are caring for who are waiting for their adoptions to be final? Do you have a library? Abigail
ReplyDeleteDo you have tarantulas? Hess
Zane is flying home with 3 kids to america that have just been adopted. Now there are 5 children left here. They are Eden (4), Eston (5), Eli (7), Ephraim (8), and Elijah (10). We don't know when these ones will be going to America, since they haven't lived with Zane and SUmmer long enough to be adopted. They are hoping to get legal guardianship of these 5, and take them to America to finalize the adoptions... something to be praying about for sure.
DeleteAbigail, We have no library, and books are really hard to find to buy. We brought a few, and we have been using Zane's books as a library. When Micah finishes a chapter book, he returns it and finds a new one. They have been living here for years, so they have many books. Boxcar Children books are Micah and Jonah's favorites. Micah reads them to Jonah for special brother time. Jonah reads Frog and Toad. Lilah and Abigail love Dr. Suess.ones!
Hess, There are no tarantulas that I know of, but I have only heard nightmare stories of these nasty things called Camel Spiders. They will be coming out in the next few weeks... we'll let you know when we encounter them!
Hello Goodens family! What does it look like day to day in regard to funding your family? Are you receiving donations or are you generating income? What items do you find yourself needing to buy...American style on a pretty regular basis?
ReplyDeleteQuestion from Gia to the kiddos: What do you guys do everyday?
How is the adoption process going for Zane and family? Have there been any big medical crisis type of situations since you've been in Africa? Have you eaten the wings of those bugs Tyler told us about when he got home last year? :)
God bless you,
Samantha
Day to day funding is day to day trusting Jesus will provide for us. AND OH HOW HE HAS! It is illegal for us to generate income here until we are able to get Work Visas. Churches and individuals have given generously. The only "American" items we find ourselves needing are disposable diapers from time to time. We only buy them when the demand is greater than the supply... during bouts of sickness. We try to stay away from buying things that locals don't buy because of cost, and risk of stumbling our friends who see EVERYTHING we do.
DeleteGia, after chores are done, Micah and Jonah like to play in the dirt. They make roads for toy cars, and pretend to build huts. Inside, they like to play ZOOB (thank you!), Legos, and read books. The girls like to color with chalk, and play baby dolls. Afternoon time is for school and naps. The chores they do are make beds, sweep the dirt outside (sounds crazy, but it keeps the inside clean, and looks nicer), collect papaya branches in a wheelbarrow and bring them to the compost pile, wash dishes. And... on rainy days or days that are super hot, they get to watch movies. :)
I talked about adoption in the last question. We have been fairly healthy for the most part. We've all been treated for worms. We're pretty sure Abigail had Giardia, but she was treated for that too. Jonah had some pretty bad asthma last week. We brought his meds with us, and he's doing better now. A nasty stomach virus has swept through the house a few times. A;ll of that sounds awful, but the Lord has sustained us!!
Those bugs are white ants. The wings are left all over the ground, and the people eat the bodies. They are all so excited for us to try them. Not one person has said they are gross... they think I'm nuts for even hesitating. I'll let you know if I try 'em!
Here are some questions from email:
ReplyDeleteKimberlie- Today, we are healthy PRAISE GOD. It's a rainy day, so no one is hot today. It actually feels a little chilly! (probably 75 degrees)
Caleb- I don't know how to say Jesus Loves You in the Acholi language, but a common thing for people to say is "Lubanga Ber....Cha Wang." This means "God is good... All the time." We even say it just like at HIS Sports. One person says Lubanga Ber, and everyone else says Cha Wang! Pretty cool. :)