Have You Ever....?

Have you ever trudged through the snow with snow boots? How about walked through the mud with plastic bags on your feet? As of yesterday, I have done both.

While the rest of the world thinks of "April Showers" this month, we are thinking more along the lines of "Muddy Season." The snow has melted, the rain is drizzling, and our poor, dirt roads do not stand a chance. When we need to simply survive, we look no further than our Ukrainian friends, for they are the experts on survival skills. While I wish I could take credit for the plastic bags on our feet idea, I cannot, because my very creative Ukrainian friends, Igor and Lena (who lived in our house while we were on furlough), taught me this little trick: We sold our car before we left for furlough last October and have not bought another one yet, though we hope to soon. However, I remember the troubles we had last year getting up and down our dirt roads.... flinging lots of mud with our tires, losing traction, slipping and sliding every which way... so, in a way, I am glad we have not bought a car yet. This is the best month of the year to be without one, hands down. Since hubby is in Israel and I needed to be at the church two days in a row, the VanSants invited the kids and I to stay the night at their house so that I did not have to venture out with my little ones twice in a row (one of those times being for Sunday services). So, I packed backpacks for the kids with as little as possible....

and then we ventured out into the mud for a little hike out to the asphalt road. There, we were met by a taxi which we had already called and ordered. After the taxi driver got over the initial shock of: 1) the muddy, plastic bags on our feet 2) the fact that Americans were living way out in this village 3) the astonishing amount of children I have... yes, four is a lot here... he thanked me for thinking ahead so that his car would be kept clean. Ha! Then, we headed to the VanSant's house for some much-needed fellowship. I want to let you in on a little secret - if you want to have the greatest fun in the world with your kids, get some grocery bags and tie them to their feet with rubber bands. You don't even have to have muddy roads to walk down, though that is certainly a bonus. Just let them slide around the house and there you have it... hours of entertainment that hardly costs a thing!

So, don't go feeling sorry for these little missionary kids. They are truly living, laughing, and loving every moment of missionary life!