Bountiful Blessings and an Unforeseen Curse

Peanut Butter snacks at the Lind abode in Kin

"Do you know what my name is? Do you remember me?" Axel looked at me, confused. He fussed, not wanting to answer. I didn't push. He's only 2....but then again, it had only been a week since we'd been best of buds. So much so that he didn't want me to do anything but play or at very least be in the same room as him. I clear my head, focusing on Lisa who's sitting in the front seat talking to our driver as the car backs out of the driveway. Time for Vanga grocery run! I had just begun a conversation with Lisa when I heard it, "Nounou. Nounou!" I turned smiling and Axel, happy that he finally was noticed, smiled back. He did remember. He remembered visiting Vanga for Christmas. He remembered the 12 hours we spent in the car driving back to Kinshasa. He remembered my name!

Axel loves his kitty!

Reading during my visit to their house in Kin.

Axel Lind, full-bred Lindian, cute blond kido decided with his family, after days of flip-flopping, to brave the 12 hour journey with 3 kids and a pregnant mama. We are so glad they did. For those of you who don't know, the Linds are a part of my adopted family. We met them briefly in St. Louis in 2012 and then reconnected in Albertville for 10 months of intense language school; And now we're all in Congo. From swapping Congo stories in St. Louis to stealing expresso in France to sharing 1 bathroom in Vanga between the 11 of us, we're now official the Ricepotlindians.

Christmas in Congo looks a little bit different than Christmas in the States. Instead of winter/snow jackets, we put on swimming jackets. Instead of real snow, we made vinyl snowflakes to stick on the windows. Instead of hot chocolate, we drank cold soda. But despite all the differences, it still felt mostly like Christmas. We even had the typical crowded house with Ryan and Shannon sleeping on twin mattresses in the living room floor and me on the couch. Each day while the Linds were here, we made sure to make it down to the Kwilu for an afternoon swim. The kids loved splashing, swimming and screaming.

Two oldest Lind kids playing outside!

"You're looking for something that makes a lot of noise right? Something like these?" Father asks as he shakes a reed shaker. The bright orange and red bottle caps collide as I take the brown and tan noisemaker from him. I smile mischievously, "Yep, exactly." He asks the vendor how much they cost and buys 5. Why was I on the hunt for these shakers? Well, back when we were in France, I watched the Lind kids for a weekend while Lisa and Matthew went away. Considerately, Matthew left a brand new kazoo for each of the kids to play that weekend. (That should be read oozing with sarcasm.) The kids had a blast tooting on their new instrument; I, on the hand, spent the weekend with ear plugs in! Ever since that weekend, I've looked for the best way to get him back and I finally found it. So the three Lind kids got brand new noisemakers for Christmas from yours truly.

Movie night with the fam!

It was hot. Boiling. I sat on the Potter's dark green couch and wilted. I sipped on my cold beverage, hoping that it would accept me into it's cool abode. Sadly, it refused. If only I could just pour it down my back to cool me off... "I think we're going to set up some stuff for a water fight for the kids if you want to join." Shannon said as she walked through the living room. I perked up, perfect! I joined the 4 kids, Matthew, and Shannon outside. We set up 4 different water stations (tubs filled with water) around the yard and then distributed plastic cups as wet weapons. Immediately, the kids and I formed an alliance and ganged up on Matthew. We snuck around trees, hid behind walls and ran away as he doused us in water. Let me telling you running in a wet ankle-length skirt is near impossible, thankfully Shannon provided me with some better water ninja clothes. I thought I finally had the edge on Matthew, he was running out of water, I ran back to collect more ammunition, laughing, but as I looked over my shoulder I knew I was wrong. Matthew was charging, not with a glass of water but with a tub of water! I screamed but it was too late. That was a morning of laughter, memory-making and reviving childish spirits.

On Wednesday morning, we packed up the Lind's bright yellow Land Rover with the Lind's and my stuff. I had decided to make the trek with them and visit my friends (my crew as we've been named) in Kinshasa. As we were finishing up, Papa Mizingu came over to me, "You're going too?" I hadn't told him yet that I was going and I was surprised to see...was that sadness in his eyes? "Yes, I am going to go see my friends in Kin and spend the fête there" He nodded his head, a little disappointed. "Papa, I'll be back soon." It was a touching moment; he really cares about me and my family. It's been such a breathtaking experience for me to build a relationship with him. He is so kind, understanding and caring. He was truly sad to see me go, even just for 6 days. I am so grateful that he's here to guide us through the ins and outs of living here in Vanga.

The Dread Pirate Jonathan and The Brit

        

Lydia and her brother, Austin

We arrived in Kinshasa without much hassle. Matthew took the super friendly, "Hey! Happy New Year! How are you?" approach, which thoroughly confused several of the the "toll attendants". We were passed through without the regular hassle and annoyance, which we learned, was due to the fact that there was a big shot rolling through and they didn't want to be caught with their pants down. All three of Lind kids ended up being sick which was terrible because they were sick, but it was nice for us because they were very docile, calm and sleepy. Once we made it, the Linds dropped me off at my friend Lydia's house where I was staying.

Fun with friends

2016 started off well

Lots of jamming happened, lots

New Year's Eve rolled around and we got together with a few other missionary families to celebrate; it was a fun time of games, talking, fondue and an after midnight viewing of the newest Mission Impossible! During the celebration, I got to hang out with Jonathan and Steven, some other friends who live in Kinshasa. One of the highlights from that night was getting to sit down and actually talk to Aunt Katherine. Aunt Katherine is a missionary in Kinshasa who grew up here in Vanga. She's more than that though, she's my role model, she's a story teller, encourager, counselor, and listener. We talked about lots of different things from future plans to the difficulty's of being a walking, talking, white dollar sign .

The Brit, Dread Pirate Jon, Me, Dia, and Anna

Through a series of email with a friend in Kinshasa, I discover that one Dread Pirate Jonathan had no clue what a dutch baby was and that I, Nancy Rice, was really bad at describing them. Thus, we decided to rectify the situation when I was in Kinshasa by having a dutch baby brunch. It turns out that not only did Dread Pirate Jonathan not know what a dutch baby was, but the whole Hochstetler family and Steven the Brit did not know either! There were delicious, hot dutch babies, British-made tea, and homemade syrup. It was a wonderful culinary adventure for all and I am happy to report that it was a successful brunch. If you haven't had a dutch baby before, I suggest you try one but be careful when you ask for someone to make a dutch baby for you...

Leaving the hospital like a celeb

Sydney is glad to have a brother!

Speaking of babies, January 15, Zachary Louis Potter was welcomed into this planet after being rejected by the others for being just too cute. He weighed 3.5 kilos and was 20.5 inches long. Sydney seems to be adjusting well to having a little brother, but we'll see as she realizes the permanency of this little human. The following is a poem I wrote about this baby whole thing:

Sydney sees Zack for the 1st time.

  

Medley of a Mind

by Nancy Rice

I look down,

frown.

another goodbye

another reason to cry

Cuteness galore

I still have to walk out that door

Wrinkled ears

Jumble of fears

He won’t know me

Who could this Nounou be?

Won’t know I came

won’t even say my name

I’ll see him grow

  I’ll see him throw

 I’ll see him learn

I’ll see him turn

He won’t recognize

but he’ll grow in size

He’ll hear stories of our times together

but it will not be like my tether

The tether

to be altogether

for special smiles

I’ll travel miles

Drowsily rocking

Baby squawking

Lullaby

Small Fry

I hold him

I love him

More tears will be shed because of him

But

He’ll be worth it
Right?