Safely home

Coming back to Fimpulu was absolutely surreal. It seemed so familiar and yet so foreign at the same time. I remembered every twist and turn and dip along the road leading up to our house. But I still had the sense that this was all very new. With every approaching pot hole, I found myself bracing myself against the door of the landi, making sure that bobble head Bronwyn didn’t clunk her skull on the window. We stepped out of the vehicle into a swirl of dust and I found myself hunching over to protect my baby from the sand storm. As Bronwyn’s fleecy white sleep sack quickly turned a shade of brown, I remembered why we don’t own white clothing in Africa. As people reached for my child, I found myself wondering what germs were on those hands and wishing I could sanitize the world. These scenarios, these circumstances, all so familiar and yet now, with a baby in tow, all so different.

Not even out of the vehicle and the smiles are there

There’s a lot that could be said about our first few days back in the village, but to be honest, most of it is an exhaustion induced blur. I know we talked to about a thousand people and shook about a thousand hands. We swept away a few billion “presents” left behind by the rats (gross, but true). We trouble shot a handful of concerns that people were dying to offload to us as soon as we got back. But the highlight of it all was saying over and over, “Hey, come meet our baby! We’re so pleased to introduce her to you!”

Mubanga embracing his new little sister

The happiness in people’s faces as they snatched by child out of my hands to get a closer look at her has been absolutely priceless. She makes people SO HAPPY!!!

All manner of giggles. Precious.

What a joy that our Bronwyn JOY is blessing people’s hearts without even knowing it. She is opening doors for us already as women come and sit and want to play with Bronwyn, giving me a chance to talk to them for extended periods of time. She is a gift both to us and this village, which is why we are giving her the Bemba name Bupe (pronounced BOO-pay) which means gift. (people are tripping a bit over Bronwyn so we are trying to reach some creative compromises)

So, Bronwyn… aka Wynnie… aka… Bupe… aka Wynnie Bupe… you just keep doing your thing, girl, because it sure is working!