My washing machine is a girl, and she has a crush on my husband.

How else does one explain her habit of malfunctioning on me and then working like a charm the moment my husband comes home. She hates me. 

Obviously I’m joking, but we do sometimes make things personal in our own mind that really aren’t. At least I do. One of my goals this term is to try not to do this and to also remember who the real enemy is. It isn’t my washing machine, my noisy neighbor, the reckless and rude drivers, the corrupt policeman, or even the electric company. We know the real adversary is Satan, but sometimes we assist him by being our own enemy as well. 

For me, it’s the trap of looking inward instead of upward. Of being ungrateful. Of feeling entitled.

During furlough, I finally got my hot little hands (Yes, they are hot, I live in Africa.) on a copy of One Thousand Gifts, by Ann Voskamp, thanks to a dear friend.  I know, I know, everyone else read that book ages ago and this is old news for most folks. I have really been enjoying it. I am going through it slowly, taking time to reflect and absorb. Here are some of my favorite quotes so far:

“Jesus didn’t institute the Eucharist around some unusual, rare, once-a-year event, but around this continual act of eating a slice of bread, drinking a cup of fruit from the vine. First Corinthians 11:26 reads, ‘whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup” (NIV) –whenever.”

She quotes Alexander Schmemann: “Now, in the Bible a name…reveals the very essence of a thing, or rather its essence as God’s gift….To name a think is to manifest the meaning and value God gave it, to know it as coming from God and to know its place and function within the cosmos created by God. To name a thing, in other words, is to bless God for it and in it.”  

                                                                                                                    Does the old hymn “Count Your Blessings” come to mind? Name them, one by one. By doing so we are blessing the Lord and in return, we learn the secret to being content.

She writes about replacing the habit of discontentment with a habit of seeing God’s gifts as grace and accepting them with thanksgiving. 

Why is it that we interpret everything that is bad or hurtful as a personal attack from someone/something/somewhere and blindly overlook so many of the truly personal acts of grace intended for us that the Father bestows on us every day?

I am looking forward to the rest of the book, to learning about the author’s journey and transformation and to see how God might use her story in my life. 

Elliot: the picture of contentment.

Kinshasa Journal 2: Robocops and Refrigerators

Thanks Nick Frey for the photo!

We’ve been here almost a week! Where did the time go? 

Here is a list of highlights and “lowlights” from our first week back in Kinshasa.
We arrived late on Thursday evening. On the way home from the airport, I got to see the traffic robot, aka robocop. These new aluminum and steel traffic officers were built here in Kinshasa while we were in the states. You can see more photos, some video footage, and read more about the robocops HERE.

Upon arriving at the house, we were pleasantly surprised at the work our team had put into cleaning it and stocking it with enough food to get us started until we could go shopping. David Francis had done some plumbing and wiring repairs so that we could have electricity and showers. There was a welcome banner for Daniel from one of his friends. The beds were made with clean sheets. We were UNpleasantly surprised to see someone else’s refrigerator in our living room when we walked in, because it could only mean one thing. Sure enough, our refrigerator that we bought shortly before we left for furlough was not functional. 

It did not take us long to feel like we were back in Congo again. Friday night the car we are borrowing from MAF broke down on a dead end road and we did not have working phones yet. Not that anyone could have easily come to help us because the reason we turned down the wrong road was because our road is under construction and is completely barricaded and we were trying to find another way to the house. The nice thing is that in Kinshasa if you have some francs in your pocket you can always find a couple of guys willing to help you push your car. All we had was a twenty dollar bill so we really made their day. For a lot of people here twenty dollars is more than a week’s wages. Then on Saturday evening we spent nearly an hour stuck in a traffic jam. The kicker was that we were only about one minute from our destination when we got stuck.

We’ve already had several power outages, including one that lasted about thirty hours. David has already repaired the same light fixture four times. Two voltage regulators have fried. I no longer have a dryer, which means scratchy towels and hoping the mango flies don’t find my clothesline. We haven’t found a vehicle yet. 

David jumped in with both feet and started working in the hangar on Monday, but today he stayed home to try to address some issues here in the house. We discovered the refrigerator had zero refrigerant in it, so there is a leak somewhere. If we can find the leak, we can get it repaired and save a lot of money versus buying a new one. We are grateful for the loaner refrigerator while we sort this out. 

This doesn't look like much but it is a big deal to me. Our 12 volt lights, internet antenna and router are set up to run on battery power. The batteries are charged by solar panels, but they are not holding their charge well anymore so when the power is off or it is too cloudy our internet quickly begins to fail, followed by our back up lights. I was running up and down a ladder several times a day to turn the inverter off and reset the router to get internet back, or to turn it off altogether to try to conserve battery power for running the lights. David lowered the inverter today so that I can reach it without the ladder. That beautiful green light means we have internet! No more ladder in the hallway. Yaay! It’s the little things, folks. 

So, we are definitely not in America anymore. But we are doing well. Since this is our second term and not our first, now that the jet lag has worn off it does seem a lot easier to adjust. I know how to cook here already, how to pay bills, how to shop, how to run a generator, etc., so it doesn’t feel like a mountain of stuff is being thrown at me to learn and navigate. I already have friends and acquaintances here, which is a huge thing. During the last several months leading up to our furlough, David and I both had health issues we did not know about until we got to the states, but which were contributing to our mental and physical fatigue and stress and probably affecting how we (or at least I) related to our team. Thankfully, we have a very understanding  team, and we are both feeling much better now.

We’ve learned some things. Firstly, next time we go on furlough or an extended trip we will label where we store the parts for the water filter. That’s sort of important and at 1:00am after a flight across the ocean one’s memory is not what it should be. 


Secondly, I am learning to take better care of myself and to minimize stress as much as possible here so that I have more energy for my relationships with others and for the things I have to do. For example, we have one room that stays cooler than any other room in the house, so that is where we now have our home school day. It’s amazing the difference that ten degrees can make on a person’s overall well being and temperament after several hours each day! 

Robocops aside, life here is just as difficult for most Congolese as it was when we left last summer - maybe more so. The police are destroying the wares and stands of the roadside vendors in the name of "cleaning up and beautifying the city." There are new laws going into effect regarding what parts of the city the taxi buses are allowed to run in. Taxis are the primary mode of transportation for most people here. The prevailing attitude of those in power seems to be the end justifies the means without regard to who gets hurt in the process. Please continue to keep Congo in your prayers!

Exciting Times and Heartache

We are busy, busy, busy packing, shopping for things we need, and tying up loose ends. It seems for every thing I scratch off my list, two new items appear. Finishing the first furlough and returning for the second term is a big deal to us, almost as big as actually finally getting to go to Kinshasa the first time around. So, I revisited the first post I wrote when we arrived, Kinshasa Journal. 

It covers our entire first week in Congo and is pretty long, so you may or may not be interested in reading the whole thing. It was fun for me to read my first impressions in light of what I know about Congo and life there three years later. Honestly it made me shake my head at myself and laugh at myself a little. This time around, I think we have more realistic expectations. Everyone there was a stranger the first time around, but this time we have reunions with friends to look forward to! 
 
Tomorrow we take Emily back to school so that will be a long (6 hours one-way) day and a sad one. Then when we fly out on Wednesday, we will be down to a family of three. Being 7,000 miles from my kids is the hardest thing I have ever had to do. I won't sugar-coat it, it stinks.

Pray for our travels, for all of our luggage to make it intact, for Josh and Emily as they stay behind and for us as we re-adjust to life in Africa. 

Behind Enemy Lines

BEhind Enemy Lines (Photo credit: 182 mier)

Our Sunday School lesson this week was a study of Romans 7:14-8:2, and opened with the question “If your life were a war movie, which one would it be?”

While the focus of the lesson was on our personal struggle with our own sinful nature, my mind kept wandering to the spiritual war declared by Satan against Christ and all who represent Him. Jesus referred to Satan as the ruler of this world, so I guess the movie title I would choose is “Behind Enemy Lines.”

Some have asked me how last week’s coup attempt and shootings in Kinshasa will affect our plans to return to Africa. 

(If you are not sure what I'm talking about, you can read a news article about it HERE. A friend of ours in Kinshasa shared her first-hand experience HERE. Cindy's post is long but worth the read.)

Thankfully, things quieted down quickly and our plans have not been altered. The physical battle was a very tangible reminder though, of the spiritual battle being waged in the Congo and elsewhere. 

As Christians this side of heaven, we are behind enemy lines whether we are in the heart of Africa or the heartland of America. Will we hunker down and lay low while lost souls are dying, or will we put on our armor and stand firm?

 “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. (Eph 6:11-13)”

We can stand, and be the avenue through which someone sees the light of the gospel. And in the end, we win!

     _____________________________________________

David's surgery went well and he is recuperating nicely. The surgeon says we can return to Congo as scheduled as long as David lets me lift all the luggage. Thank you for praying for him!

The MAF Blog published the Top Ten Blog Posts For 2013 . One of my posts made the list, which I think is kinda cool beans and a very nice surprise. There are at least nine great articles in the list so you should check it out.

Another Announcement and A Long Hello

Josh and Kristen came for a visit! We got to close out 2013 and ring in 2014 with ALL of our kids and many of our friends. I am so, so grateful. 

While we had an opportunity, we asked a friend to take some pics.

We aren't the easiest or the most cooperative bunch to photograph, but at least our personalities are shining through.

I love this man! He's pretty amazing.

                                                     The goodbyes have begun. We said goodbye over Christmas to our extended families. This week we said goodbye to our oldest son and his fiancee.  Billy Sprague had a song years ago that said "heaven is a long hello." Saying goodbyes hurts a lot, so I am trying to focus on all the hellos we have said over the last six months and looking forward to the next round of hellos.                                                               One thing we did not expect was that in the midst of shopping for supplies, packing, and saying our goodbyes, David will go to the hospital Friday and say goodbye to his gallbladder. We know God is in control and that having to have surgery here is way better than having to do it in a third world country, so we are looking at this as a reminder that God is taking care of us. We would appreciate prayers for a quick recovery for David and for our travel preparations.