Grandma's Letters From Africa: A Memoir: Through the Outhouse Floor

Monday, January 27, 2020

Through the Outhouse Floor

I have a hunch many women missionaries arrived on foreign soil with no idea their toilet needs would be so . . . um . . . challenging. (Click on I could envision how men could aim for that hole in the ground, but. . . . and Longing for a loo.)

“Did you notice that the slide bolt is missing off our outhouse door?” Barbara Thomas had asked. “And that floor sure didn’t last long. The boards must have been green. Already they’re rotting.”

In her memoir, Through the Outhouse Floor, Barbara Thomas writes that when she, her husband Paul, and their sons returned to Zaire (now Democratic Republic of Congo) after their furlough in the U.S., repairs awaited them.

Barbara continues,

“One afternoon I grabbed a hammer, nails and a new slide bolt. I was tired of using a rock to keep the door shut every time I went to the outhouse. I placed the slide bolt on the door, matching it to its metal slot in the doorframe and penciled in where the nails should go.

“I opened the door, braced it against the wall, and hammered the slide bolt into place. The nails extended through the thin plank door. I banged the nails down flat on the other side.

“I stepped inside again and closed the door, sliding the bolt home. Perfect.

“I stepped back with a feeling of pride. My foot landed on a rotted section of flooring. The floor cracked and gave way.

“My left leg dangled over the fifteen-foot black hole. I felt like screaming for help but on further reflection I decided I didn’t want the entire village converging on the outhouse to see me in this predicament. Besides, the door was still bolted shut. . . .”

Barbara, undaunted, explained,

“Using my arms and free leg, all still at floorboard level, I hoisted myself up . . . unbolted the door and limped to the house.”

Barbara admitted the incident inflicted a slight wound to her pride, but just think—the experience provided her with the title for her memoir! (The old silver lining thing, right?)

You’ll enjoy Kim’s blog post reviewing Barbara’s Through the Outhouse Floor (and her review of my memoir, too, Grandma’s Letters from Africa).

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What others are saying about Grandma's Letters from Africa

Great stories, great humor, and real spiritual depth! (Susan Van Wynen, Director for Communication, Wycliffe International)

Grandma’s Letters from Africa is an engaging, memorable account of Linda’s years in Africa. It was a privilege for me to read over the shoulders of her granddaughters as Linda tells her story through a series of letters. Through both laughter and tears, she learns to balance her roles as missionary, wife, mother, and grandmother. In the process, Linda falls in love with Africa, its people, and her work. Readers will be moved by this compelling story that reveals God’s heart and extraordinary grace. (Bob Creson, President/CEO, Wycliffe USA)

No matter what age you are, Grandma’s Letters from Africa transports you to that intriguing continent and gives you a glimpse of everyday life there. Make sure you have a box of tissues nearby because sometimes you’ll cry and other times you’ll laugh until tears roll down your cheeks. One caveat: Don’t start reading this book late in the evening unless you want to stay up all night. It’s a “can't-put-down” book. (Aretta Loving, Author, Together We Can! and Slices of Life)

Grandparents and soon-to-be-grandparents, read this book and give a copy to all your grandchildren old enough to read. In it, you will discover how to leave a life-impacting legacy for the children of your children. You will laugh and cry your way through Linda’s four incredible years in Africa … away from her children and grandchildren, but connecting with them in powerful ways as she skillfully weaves a tapestry of how her life made a difference. (Don Parrott, President, The Finishers Project

Linda tells it like it is—she and her husband actually lived and experienced what she writes about. TIS recruits teachers for the mission field, including those over fifty, and Grandma’s Letters from Africa is a must-read for those potential teachers—even though many will never have the plethora of experiences Linda did. (Thom Votaw, Ed.D., President, Teachers In Service, Inc.)