Recovery: December 28

Joe spent a horrible night sick with body cramps, chills, profuse sweating, splitting headaches and extreme fatigue and weakness. Kelli did the best she could helping him to the bathroom, wetting rags, and making sure buckets were on hand, wondering the whole night if a trip to the hospital was necessary. Joe convinced Kelli to hold off on the hospital and was actually able to sleep most of the day. Due to jet lag, the Kramer’s also spent a large portion of the day in bed.

The big excitement for the day came in the form of flying rats. Standing in the hallway speaking to her parents in the extra bedroom, Kelli kept hearing splats from the end of the hall. Finally distracted enough to investigate, she discovered five newborn rats on the floor. Pondering where they had come from, Kelli looked up just in time to see another rat falling from the ceiling, landing inches from her feet. Apparently there was a rat in our ceiling euthanizing her babies as they were being born. Never a dull moment. While Joe continued to recover, Kelli took her family on a relaxing walk around the village. Her parents and sister loved trying out their newly learned Ndebele and seeing all the places that Kelli had talked about over the past few months. We met some very nice villagers and were even invited to tour the house and property of one very proud woman. Making it home just before dusk, we cooked up a lovely meal which was enjoyed by both families.