Seeing the Light at the End of the Quarantine Tunnel...

Somewhere in the midst of this quarantine, we found our new 'normal.'  And then, things started to loosen!

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The quarantine has been good for the Waggoner family's reading life.  I am ashamed to say we haven't read as much as we should, but with evening ministry programs cancelled, we can eat supper at a more reasonable hour and then let the kids read in bed before going to sleep.  I was thrilled to catch this photo of Ellie reading her Bible unprompted one afternoon...

And speaking of reading, I meant to include this in our last post about Easter... I have been trying to purchase more picture books for our family library and ordered this for our family's Easter reading.

The illustrations, typography, and language are all so beautiful.  I love that each page spread can be appreciated and studied as its own work of art, or you can read the entire book in one sitting.  These kinds of books are right up Ellie's alley (she doesn't have a long attention span for lengthy chapter books, yet most picture books have sophisticated language that is good for her).  What I loved about this particular books is that it made for great discussions with both children -- from the design to the author's personal choices in conveying the Biblical text. 

I know we're all doing it (vegetable washing).  But even in my post-grocery shopping cleaning, I just can't resist can't resist ROYGBV...

Spring time means weeds!  Grateful for Luli's help one day in scraping flaking paint on the gate and cleaning out the grapevine beds...

While this all transpired when folks were still supposed to stay home, we were never so grateful to live at a workplace where our staff could come to us.  It took the edge off of feeling so isolated.

Ms. Pam gifted Ellie this autoharp right before quarantine.  It has occupied many an hour for Ellie... though I'm also grateful for doors that could close while she mastered her skills.  It has a.... unique (?) sound.

For months I've been vocal here sharing about my cousin Dallas' project, The Chosen.  During the quarantine they released it to view free of charge on their app and on YouTube.  It skyrocketed in popularity in the United States as well as around the world.  We had been working for months to translate the subtitles into Albanian to have as a resource to share with the wider church in Albania, but the progress was quite slow.  The Global Partners team in Durres offered to help and moved the needle from around 23% to 48% completed. 

As a person who often finds her identity in productivity, this quarantine pushed me in some creative directions to fill this need.

Since we couldn't meet in person for our regular programs, I decided to set up a work station in the center and invited some of our local Planters staff to come for a couple of intense 'translation parties.' Each of these colleagues was passionate about the show and had been trying independently to work on translation, but I knew it was a difficult, tiring task.  However, I thought if we made it a group project we might be able to power through and bring it to completion.

The translation sessions were monumental in getting the project DONE.  Nathan kept our children at bay, while plying us with muffins and coffee while we worked.

I saw my role as team cheerleader, celebrating progress and catching which chapters of each episode had missing lines.  I also served as the clearing house with a couple of other translation contributors (one in Tirana, one in Shkodra, and another in the USA) to ensure we were all using the same spelling of characters' names and terminology for certain fictitious locations that had no obvious equivalent in Albanian. 

I busied myself taking care of all the repetitive scripts (copying the lyrics in the credits, for example, across all the episodes) to free up our bilingual experts for the tougher stuff.  And believe me, it was not easy.  Some of the dialogue -- actually much of the dialogue -- is smartly written in English.  The series employs a lot of humor, sarcasm and wit, while speaking in a more formal tone. It's not how a lot of my friends are accustomed to hearing colloquial English spoken. It was helpful that I could be there serving as the "native English speaker" to explain some of those trickier English expressions...  Eventually, though, having them nearby to consult, I started delving into more and more dialogue for some really good language practice.  I definitely saw that having each other to bounce off thoughts and verify understandings ensured greater accuracy.  

Breaking down the chapters of each episode...

Oh what a happy day it was to watch that progress bar reach 100% and receive confirmation that our subtitles were live and available to use on The Chosen App!! 

Then we realized we needed to translate the trailer so people could find the project to begin with!  Nathan created an Albanian version of the trailer which includes instructions at the end if you want to see how the Albanian subtitles can be found.

As with most folks, the isolation from peers has been difficult for the kids.  We were so grateful our agency offered a Zoom call for them to reconnect with some of their peers.  Reni definitely did not want me on screen with him, but I managed to sneak a pic of him enjoying this modern rite of passage -- one's first zoom.

Genti usually preaches for church, but one week he asked Nathan to share and he translated.  That meant I was entrusted with operating the presentation software for our livestream!  (gulp!)

May 2 was a big day.  It was technically the first day for Ellie to be allowed to leave our home -- though driving permission was still off limits, she could only go out on foot for a few hours.  

Of course that day it was raining, so we took a little walk down the street to check out the progress of the work site.

And take a few family photos.  Of course, we all need hair cuts and I have kind of gotten used to not wearing cosmetics. :-)

The weather turned incredible and Ellie enjoyed spending time outdoors painting. The well made a convenient table for her.

Another day we tackled the messy task of organizing our store room.  I had done a thorough clean out in August, but since then, it had become the drop zone for many donations during earthquake relief, making it almost impossible to enter.  With the help of Luli and Eda, we tackled this in just three hours.  It contains a variety of items from curriculum, to crafting supplies, table games and outdoor game equipment, seasonal decorations, costumes, portable heaters... you name it!! And given that it's accessed by all our staff, it's a constant work in progress to keep it tidy and organized.

We had a "sticky" drain that would get de-pressed and was difficult to raise.  After nearly six years of living here, Nathan was able to finally replace it.  You know how home improvements go.  So many other things take priority, and plumbing can be downright tricky ... it just felt good to get this done.

Reni FREE-HANDED this koala bear below in school with paint-dipped Q-tips!

Finally, last week we applied for permission to drive for work reasons.  Given that Planters is registered with the government, we were granted permission for 'humanitarian' reasons.  After 69 days, Ellie and Reni got to ride in a car!  It might surprise you to know, they had no interest in leaving! I have actually heard this from other friends with kids...

We drove to Tirana for a 24 hours-shopping-and-work trip.   As we drove up the street to the Planters office and apartment, we saw that at some point in time, this shop (Crocs) opened on our street.  To appreciate this, you should know that our first couple of years here, I would be REGULARLY pulled aside and discretely told that Ellie had 'accidentally' worn her house shoes out of the house.  That's because traditional "Crocs" or knock off "Crocs" to the Albanian eye do not look like street shoes, they look like house slippers.  Of course though, when we moved here we didn't know that and we used them as street shoes for Ellie for a LONG time because they were just so easy for her to slip on independently.  Well, until I could no longer handle the stares in public and comments.  I will be curious to see how this shop fares...

I'm not really a 'foot shot' person but it was so liberating to be able to go out and run errands in Tirana.  And wear summer shoes for the first time.  And think of my friend Jen who gifted me these incredible sandals I love so much.  I just had to take a photo to remember the feeling of gratitude. Thank you, Jen!!  Walking so much here, we are hard on shoes.  Thanks for keeping my feet stylish and protected!

We worked Wednesday from about 1:30 in the afternoon until 8:30 at night with Tiffany on a big new ministry endeavor she will be announcing soon!  You can do so much on Zoom, but the creative juices just seem to flow better in person!  Oh, and we rejoiced in ordering carry-out food for the first time since...?? March 2, I think.

The Lord blessed us with a really good Zoom meeting with some ministry partners in the UK who affirmed the progress on our work so far!

Food Bank Albania gifted us with several kilos worth of oats to distribute in food boxes to our neighbors.  Unfortunately, most of our neighbors don't really know what to do with oats other than feed it to their chickens.  After hearing that, I took it upon myself to start trying to find as many recipes for foods including oats as I could. Friday Nathan made this batch of 'soft and chewy flapjacks.'  It was a hit with the local friends who tried it!

Last week our district went from a red zone designation to 'green,'  This meant that we no longer had to request permission to leave the house and that we could drive anywhere else that is 'green.'   We celebrated by having Eda and Luli come over and work on a puzzle for fellowship --something we used to enjoy doing regularly, but haven't done in nearly a year.  Still no gatherings permitted larger than five, but with Ellie, we were okay down in the center!

The transition to Green Zone also meant the kids could resume in person instruction with Ms. Pam.  I think EVERYONE was happy for that!

Our Quarantine Life, part 2

Things are starting to change for the better here!  

• Senior citizens were allowed to leave their homes for the first time in 40 days and walk for 90 minutes on Saturday.
• Sunday morning, mothers and children (ages ten and under) were permitted outdoor for a walk.  We are blessed to be in the village and have an outdoor space (albeit small), but we know Tirana is full of apartment dwellers whose children have not been outside in 41 days!!  I can't even imagine.
• Last week our weekday curfew moved from 1:30pm to 5:30pm for folks who got permission to leave their homes to shop for groceries.  We still must text for permission to leave our homes, and only one family member is permitted to leave per day, but the window is now wider when we can choose to go out.
• Today individuals in certain job sectors were permitted to return to work, but must apply for permission to drive (still no public transportation) and no more than two individuals are permitted in one vehicle.  They must wear masks and drive with the windows open.  
• The government is promising to lift more restrictions next week. Talks are underway to permit Albanian laborers to cross the border into Greece and Montenegro for seasonal labor -- something that many families in our village rely on for income.  Right now, many Albanians have been trapped at the Greek/Albanian border (and actually, within a number of European countries) when the borders abruptly closed.  It appears that to re-enter Albania, they must stay at approved hotels to quarantine for 14 days.

This is so encouraging when just a few weeks ago, prison sentences were threatened for people who violated curfews, up to fifteen years if you infected someone and they died! 

Meanwhile, on our homefront, much remains the same.  We have had to cancel all of our summer visitors from the United States.  And we are unable to receive mail from out of the country -- thankfully we stocked up on a lot of things, but we have grown accustomed to getting certain items from home like contact lens solution and medications.  Hopefully borders will open by summer's end??

The kids seem to have adjusted to this new normal, while I have found a new incentive to prevent over-buying groceries.  Who knew cleaning  every single food item could consume so much time?

Nevertheless, I am grateful for food, especially the lovely, affordable produce that we can buy here.  I'm also grateful that our regular grocery store is now providing delivery service so we can place orders on WhatsApp and enjoy delivery to our home!  WOW!

Mandi and Arjan brought soaps, cleaning supplies, and shampoo for families in our village that are struggling without work.  We don't want any excuse to keep them from staying healthy!  As a foundation, at the beginning of the quarantine, Mandi was able to procure permission to drive and move about within the confines of the curfew hours. This has been a huge blessing, especially for all his responsibilities like paying bills, banking, and acquiring supplies for the building project (which continues, praise God!).

This time of social distancing has meant more time than ever on our computers.  I love this photo below of Nathan and Reni working side-by-side at our dining table.  Reni is not necessarily a 'quiet', sit-still kind of learner.  His humming and spontaneous chair dancing during math homework was getting to Nathan one afternoon while he was trying to compose a memo so he just stuck a pair of headphones on Reni's head.  Problem solved.

Easter morning we streamed church from our living room with a previously recorded message from Pastor Genti and a live children's lesson using the Resurrection Eggs, then our family enjoyed Easter lunch.  I didn't have access to my our usual meat shop for our traditional roast so meatloaf it was with broccoli casserole and key lime cheesecake for dessert!  I think it was our first holiday meal to eat alone in our 6.5 years here, but we knew that we were not alone in that experience!

We still held our Easter egg hunt.  BIG thanks to Miss Pam who brought special easter candy from America during her trip at the end of February.  Also, Gigi brought some Cadbury and Dove chocolate bunnies which were special surprises.

Reni is laughing because I placed a orange plastic egg amidst a couple of mandarins that had fallen on the ground.

Gigi also brought over in March some special Easter basket gifts I had ordered for the kids.  They each got a book and a DVD -- special activities that I had no idea would be so meaningful in providing something new to do during these days of lockdown.

Our little seeds sprouted and grew in their plastic cups so we decided to transplant them into our raised garden bed.  Now praying that the bugs don't eat them up! 

Our family's favorite active past time has become throwing a football around in our yard.  Don't ask me why, but it's something that gets us outside and something we can do in spite of our differing sizes and skills.

This kid LOVES football and would love to play able-bodied sports.  His arm ain't bad!

Friday nights we still hold our regular Bible study but on Zoom.  The photo below shows each of us showing our different perspectives of the same beautiful sunset.

One weekend we hosted virtual family reunions for our extended families.  We were thrilled with the participation!  We realized that we had much to thank God for... and it was sobering and enlightening to hear how all of our lives -- scattered across the country and world -- had changed as a result of the pandemic -- from those of us working in nursing homes, hospitals, or performing civic duties like jury duty!

So, working so much from our home, we are easily distracted by watching the activities of our neighbors.  This roof repair (below) had us holding our breath for several minutes!

During one of Mandi's trips to our village, he brought a large quantity of oats and baby food donated by the Food Bank.  With Genti's recently acquired permission to drive as part of his pastoral duties, he and Nathan stopped at a local grocery store and purchased flour, oil, and rice to supplement the food bundles and then traveled to Metalle. We hadn't visited since the quarantine measures went into place.

Incidentally, oats are NOT a food Albanians are accustomed to eating.  We had to explain how to prepare them and ways they could be eaten.  

One of our kid's club friends helped us locate the homes of our friends to make sure we didn't miss anyone!  Nathan said the families were overwhelmingly grateful, but assumed the distribution was part of our celebration of Easter.  Nevertheless, it was a blessing to help in some small, practical way.  Thank you to all who support the ministry here which enables us to help in times like this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEO1nCD7XZ0&t=3s

Click the link above OR watch the embedded video below to see the status of the building project next door!  Nathan provides a 360-degree virtual walk through of the work site.

Forgive my bragging, but Nathan has taken the time to acquire and learn new software for streaming our weekly church services.  Because of his work, we may have one of the most professional looking productions for a church our size. :-)  We can stream Genti's preaching in one box while sharing the relevant Bible text in another, or Ellie playing the guitar in one box while projecting song lyrics in another. In addition he's making special opening and closing graphics.  I appreciate the time he puts into making our church services accessible and professional!  We did have to move the recording up to our home for a better wifi signal and acoustics. We are encouraged by the number of folks who are watching from beyond the borders of our village!

The photo below is for my friend, Linda S, who was here in March.  I love watching our grape arbor go from a bunch of naked brown, snaking sticks to leafing out to a lush green tunnel! It happens so quickly at this time of year, changing daily.

Many folks here have similar kinds of structures, some that cover the entire front of the home.  In a part of the world that lacks many shade trees, arbors actually go a long ways towards keeping the first floor of homes cool and sheltered from the summer sun.

Just a reminder, if you are receiving these updates by e-mail, we do not receive any 'reply' messages as these are sent by Feedburner.  Thanks for loving our family and having an interest in our lives here in Albania!

Reni's New Legs | A Video Collection

In December, Reni got a new pair of prosthetic legs that have revolutionized his independence.  We've shared about that often but friends from afar kept asking us for videos to see them in action, so I've found a series of VERY short videos of them in use to post here.  Reni's not exactly keen on attention, so it's tricky to capture him, especially when he's most active!  He's rather quick!
NOTE:  if you are getting this post via e-mail, the videos might have links in the attachment, or you will need to actually visit this blog's online page (click here).

This first video is of him walking around the University of Kentucky hospital complex within minutes of putting his legs on for the first time.



While we waited to see the prosthetist for final approval to leave, I caught Reni practicing a few dance moves.  Here he is...



The next day we woke up to frost and a giant frozen puddle where we were staying.  He told me, "Mom, I want to see what it feels like to walk on ice!"



You can't imagine how our hearts rejoiced to see Reni overnight doing such 'typical' kid stuff like playing in the snow.  Below, he's playing outside with his cousin, Elisha.


The video below shows Reni engaged in a nerf war with some of his neighbor friends... He trips in the middle, but you see how he can bounce right back up...



In February Reni attended Night to Shine.  Nathan caught this brief clip of him showing off his moves.  But I think it might have more to do with his hips, than his legs, ha ha.



So this one is more just for fun than it is to show off Reni's mobility.  When you're in quarantine, it's the simple things one finds entertaining.  Like chasing a trespassing chicken out of the yard.



Thanks for caring about Reni and his development!  We are so thankful to Shriner's Children's Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky, for great service, and to his prosthetist, Eric Miller, who listened to our wishes and suggested these new legs which far surpassed our expectations of what he would be wearing at this age!

Door Delivery -- The Village Version

AMERICA HAS UBER EATS -- WE HAVE MANDI!! (Armand). Mandi got permission to drive at the beginning of this crisis and comes to Vlashaj at least twice per week from Tirana to meet with contractors and check on the building progress.

Today he brought me a basket of wish list items I haven't been able to find in the village markets. Before Corona (BC) we shopped weekly at a European chain grocery store in a shopping center on the edge of Tirana. In the village market, the product offerings are much slimmer and offer very few recognizable brands. Today, Mandi brought us deli ham, sausage, Hellman's mayonnaise, canned kidney beans, tortillas and canned corn. I've already started my next list which includes pineapple, celery and broccoli. :-)

One thing we can say about this time of quarantine is that we are never bored! We might feel trapped -- but we are not bored. As the head of our WGM team, Nathan has been in zoom meetings daily relaying information about changing restrictions in Albania, communications from the embassy (esp now that all commercial flights have ceased and land/sea borders are closed) and reporting back to the local team mission directives and decisions. Yesterday, though it was Sunday, Nathan spent several hours learning a new software program to better live-stream our church services. Today he gladly left his work at the dining room table to meet with a contractor to discuss the gutter systems and insulation (Albanian construction is more different in its steps than I even realized). Shortly after that I got a heartbreaking phone call from a church member asking for financial help because of being unable to work. We knew that it was a difficult call for that person to make and know it is just the beginning of a season of really hard times in our community. A good number of families here rely factory work (which are largely shut down) and on sending family members abroad for seasonal agricultural jobs. With Mandi nearby, he agreed to pick up boxes of food for this person as well as a handful of other families we know are struggling.

The newest round of restrictions unveiled over the weekend means that Nathan and I can no longer take our bi-weekly date to the market (the only time we leave our house and while we could do so it felt like such a moment of freedom to do so). We can now only send one family representative to do shopping, and only with permission via a text message which has to be applied for at least 24 hours in advance.

But though we haven't been able to go anywhere, it's been an incredible blessing to church hop on Sundays across a variety of different streaming church services offered by many of our providing churches. Such a blessing and feeling of connection with back home that we don't typically get to experience!

Yesterday we caught Ellie trying to sneak a wad of paper into the trash and noticed her licking the tell-tale signs of chocolate off her lips.  Apparently, she found a secret stash of Hershey bars in the deep freezer being saved for s'mores some day.  She explained that she and Reni were playing a Star Wars card game (like the one in which Han Solo won the Millennium Falcon).  They felt to keep things interesting they needed stakes of their own.  Oh my.  What have times come to.  Incidentally, we do not condone gambling, but we are so grateful these two are still finding things to do together and rarely complain about the lack of going out.  They have not left our house since March 10 (21 days as of this writing).

Hair gel covers a multitude of imperfections

Today things felt desperate and I was finally able to convince Reni to let me cut his hair.  I was less successful in getting him to pose for a good photo -- He gave me one shot.  The neckline is a little crooked but his argument was, he couldn't see it and likely not too many others would see my mistake either.  He had a point.