Thursday, June 21, 2007

after tasting the coffee

I was all excited to take pictures on Saturday and add some visual life to this blog, but somewhere between the Ethiopian Sidamo and the Tanzania and trying to remember what I needed to say about going on a writing mission trip to Africa, I forgot all about pictures. Until everyone was gone and my poor underused camera called out to me from the mantel.

In summary: Saturday was great! It was so good to visit with folks and to feel well-supported as I presented for the first time in one fell swoop (what is a fell swoop anyway?) the tale of what this whole Africa trip is all about. As life has been busy and wearisome lately, it was good to be reminded how excited I am about this opportunity, how certain I am that God is directing this path, and how much I want to celebrate the freedom to follow Him.

Here's what things looked like after everyone left:
Caption: A girl in a red skirt was recently seen in front of a large world map begging passersby to help fill what she called her "Green Support Raising Basket." Mysteriously, though, when asked if she would at least play something for said passersby on the drum resting beside her, she replied, "But I haven't eaten any tomatoes today!"

Caption: It appears that this is a hasty re-creation of what she and several others ate instead.

Caption: We believe this map and the "Green Support Raising Basket" are connected somehow. [ed. note - The pink papers read: 1 Ghana, 2 Kenya, 3 Uganda, 4 Zimbabwe, 5 South Africa.]

3 comments:

Philip said...

From phrases.org:

ONE FELL SWOOP - ".simply means one fierce, sudden onslaught, of the kind a hawk might make when swooping down on a defenseless small animal. 'Fell' is a word rarely met outside of this particular phrase. It has no connection with 'fall.' This 'fell' comes from the Anglo-Saxon word 'fel,' from which we also get 'felon,' a person guilty of a major crime." From the "Morris Dictionary of Words and Phrase Origins" by William and Mary Morris (HarperCollinsPublishers, New York, 1977, 1988).

Shakespeare used the expression in Macbeth (Act 4, Scene 3): MacDuff: He has no children. - All my pretty ones. Did you say all? - O hell-kite! - All? What, all my pretty chickens, and their dam, At one fell swoop? ".MacDuff uses 'fell' in a sense that is now rare - as an adjective meaning 'fierce, deadly.' King Macbeth, who knows that Macduff is conspiring to overthrow him, had ordered the murder of Macduff's wife, children, and servants. This is the 'fell swoop'" Macduff likens Macbeth to a 'hell-kite' (the kite is a vicious bird of prey in the falcon family)." From "Brush Up on Your Shakespeare!" By Michael Macrone (Gramercy Books, New York, 1999).

Anonymous said...

Sorry I couldn't make it Kami. It looks like this is shaping up to be one fantastic adventure.

Jason (old school guy)

Jessica said...

It was so wonderful to see you. Let's make sure to keep in touch and know that I'll be praying for you!