the exorcist...

isnt' she beautiful? her name is nolipher and she was a part of my time in africa...she and her husband have six daughters together...they are precious people and nolipher is working on her phd in AIDS education for africa...

she is the first woman i have ever met who is known in her community to be an exorcist...she is the best story-teller i have ever known...she is funny and compassionate- and most of all she cares about the world and what is happening in it...

one night, on our way to livingstone, our bus broke down for the last time...we had spent all day repairing, driving along, running into more trouble, stopping in remote areas...the night sets in about 6pm and it gets DARK...we were about 10-15k away from livingstone when the "luxury coach- as bill put it" had finally pooped out the battery...we had been struggling with the fuel filter for hours...we were trying to get up some of the hills that were between us and our final destination...a 7 hour trip had turned into 15 by then...

it was a full moon that night and as the bus breathed its last breath i had officially gone hysterical...the day had been filled with women with baskets on their head trying to sell fruit, fanta, markets, rabbits in the window, zambian football against the congo, no meals other than wafers from the side of the road, and laughter...lots and lots of laughter...

one of the girls on the trip asked nolipher if it would be okay to get out of the bus...we were not that far from a city, but remote nonetheless...nolipher, in her beautiful african accent, said "i don't know...i'm not sure if we are in animal territory or not..." of course claire, being the inquisitive young woman she is replied with: "you mean, like lions?" and nolipher replied, "well...maybe, just a bit............probably"....at that point, all i could picture is after 15 hours on the "luxury coach (abpi)" the only thing that could have made the day more spectacular is being approached by a lion on the side of the road...i think i laughed for at least 15 minutes at nolipher's response..."yeah, maybe just a bit..." she knew exactly what that meant to an american... :)

needless to say, after about an hour, we decided to descend and take our chances...i used the bathroom more in the brush in africa than i ever plan to or think i will even have a possibility to do in the states...allen started a small fire on the side of the road out of some brush...kim and shelby sang hymns of deliverance...i learned how to clean out a fuel filter...and decided that when we make plans, we often get annoyed when the plans take us elsewhere...i concluded that it just may be that our plan was wrong- and the plan helped us get to the right place...then again, it could have been the full moon intruding on my rational...or, it might just have been nolipher's exorcist skills working on my presumptions...

favorite lines this summer- so far :)

"His laugh is made of porch swings and lemonade."

"I love the way we kiss...it's like a whole other language unto itself."

"A relationship terrarium."

"I love this art...when you look at someone and they don't look away."

"I won't even visit the singles.org page...they might trap my cookie."

"Be what you see...receive what you are." (regarding eucharist)


These quotes come from books read, conversations had, and a terrible addiction to the television show "brothers and sisters"...it's sick really...i think i watched the whole season...

grossly underestimated...

i tell you, there wasn't one place i went in africa where this wasn't the drink of choice...apparently, the pineapple is even better but i never had the opportunity to cash in on the taste test...you even get most of your money back when you return the bottle...pappan, i took this picture for you :)

i still can't talk about it clearly...

the closest shanty is of a public restroom in south africa...there are about 15 of these on something the size of a football field...then, as you can see all the different roofs there- about 25,000 people use these 15 bathrooms...they all live on about 2 square miles while across the street is 2 square miles of property owned by a white with only 20 people living on the property...

this is what it looks like inside...

wonder of the world...

i am convinced that creation is much more powerful than we humans are willing to admit...we think we are smarter than water...as i stood here to take this picture of victoria falls, i could hear nothing but the thundering sound of water falling constantly...never ending...day after day after day...it doesn't require any help from me- or any one else come to think of it...it just happens with no CEO to oversee the constant flow...the constant comfort of water moving from one place to the next...

on the other hand, as we stood beholding this wonder my friend ruth decided she needed to go back to the top and do a little shopping...i was entranced with nature...in the zone...she was concerned about getting the best deal possible from the sellers up top...god love her...she is one great lady...

bill is under a rainbow...

dude, can you see the rainbow? somewhere judy garland has changed "somewhere" to "bill is"....:)

favs...

1- these fellas were awesome...they live in lusaka and this night was the night they offered us hooves from some animal...it has been known to bless those in marriage...with what i am still unaware of but apparently it does wonders :)

2- awesome trees on the safari in botswana...i am addicted to trees framed in front of a beautiful sky...

3- these guys were hanging out in capetown...i asked them to pose and they obliged...lucky me...

i'm a happy girl...

well, i am happier now than i was when our blessed travel agent booked our flight to DC five hours later than our tickets proposed...the second picture was my reflection on 25 of may, at 0600...the other picture is of my roommate and travel companion for the duration of the trip...this was toward the end of the trip when i had forgotten about the stupid travel agent...i have so much to share...but i vote to do it after the jet-lag has exited...good to be in texas- but i have brought a bit of africa home with me...