The Joy of Discovery

As I sit here, I can hear the high school band on the field across the road from our apartment practicing for tonight's graduation ceremony. For many this is an exciting time of year. I got to attend another graduation a couple weeks ago, thanks to the kind invitation extended to me by two friends: Justine (whom I met when I hired her to help me learn Lingala) and Emily. Emily and Justine work with a ministry called the Tabitha Center. There are many similarities between the Mitendi Center I often write about and the Tabitha Center. Both reach out to at-risk women and offer discipleship and job training. Here are a few photos from our day.

I have been to a few major celebrations here, and music is an essential part. Sometimes a sound system and DJ are hired and sometimes, as in this instance, a local band is hired. Personally, I prefer the bands. 

Dressing up is also a key part of any celebration here. I have no idea who this fellow is, but I thought his tie modeled after the DRC flag was cool. 

My lovely friend, Justine. I am really grateful to have met her this year. She is passionate about her faith and about helping women in Kinshasa. 

Emily is also one of my newer friends here. She received a gift in appreciation for her service to the Tabitha Center. She blows me away with her talent and her compassion. 

There is no joyous celebration quite like a Congolese joyous celebration, so here is a little sample of the excitement of the day. When the graduates paraded in, I started crying. Their joy is just so contagious and I was really happy for them. Sorry about the quality. It was the only way I could get it small enough to upload for you.

A.A. Milne, the author of the Winnie The Pooh books, once wrote: "One of the advantages of being disorderly is the JOY of discovery." It's true, too. I am surrounded these days by a great deal of disorderliness. Mostly of my own doing, but some can't be helped as we are packing and preparing for furlough and because we live in a place that often lacks order. I've been going through papers and folders and scanning back ups of things that are important. The other day I was going through some old genealogy papers I had printed twelve or thirteen years ago and found this on the backside of one:

All these years I never knew that was in my files, so it was a joyous discovery. I know without a doubt which child did the drawing, and I am sure at that tender age she didn't know what she was drawing on, or that way in the future it would bring a smile to her mama across the ocean who misses her so much. We love what we do here, but we can't wait to see our grown kids and the rest of our families again. Maybe I can even get them to draw me a picture.

Please pray for the people who live here in the midst of disorder, that they will have the joy of discovering new life in Christ and peace that passes understanding. 

"For God is not a God of disorder, but of peace..." I Cor 14:33a

"You Have Memories"

Ever used Facebook's "On This Day?" At the click of a "You Have Memories" button, you can see everything you ever did on Facebook on that particular day of every year since you joined the web site. It's genius on the part of Facebook. What better way to feed our tendency toward self-absorption and keep us posting and reposting so as to ensure the popularity of their site and attract sponsors and advertisers? And Facebook makes it easy by telling you that "You Have Memories" every day, so you don't forget to look at them. 

It can also be an eye opener. I have looked at mine a number of times and had varying responses ranging from face palms to groans to pleasant trips down memory lane to timely reminders of lessons learned. Sometimes I look at things I posted waaaaay back when Facebook was relatively new and I can't believe I thought anyone would EVER be interested in that. Ever. 

"writing letters today"

"doing homework"

One nice thing about On This Day is that I can delete that garbage. No one wanted to read it once, let alone a second time. I did not join facebook to punish my friends.

Other times I look at posts and see things I wish I didn't: negativity, criticism, anger. I try to evaluate whether I am still the same person who wrote that post and do I still have the same attitude. If not, I thank God. If so, I ask Him to keep working on me and change my heart. 

Sometimes I see posts from people who encouraged me just when I needed it and I am reminded how loved I am and that maybe I should take a moment to let them know I love them too. Or I see posts that remind me of something significant that happened and how God showed Himself in it. That happened today when I saw that "On This Day" four years ago, Emily used my facebook to post a prayer request. I posted our family's little adventure here: Daniel's Bottle Bucket Battle a few days later. It's a story about a night that could have been much, much worse than it was, but turned in to a testimony of God's care for a little boy and his family, and His power to orchestrate even Kinshasa traffic to His will. 

Facebook makes it easy and tempting to live in the past rather than embracing the present and anticipating the future. But it can also remind us that the God who was with us in all those past events is the same God who is with us now and will be with us as we face the future!

My 2016 Prayer For My Kids and Mitendi

Normally, if I step just outside the front of our apartment, this is my view. I can clearly see the flowers in my yard, the road that runs in front and to the side, and the building across the way. It is the nicest view we have ever had from our windows since we came here and it is a real blessing. 

Biting flies and mosquitoes that carry diseases like malaria, chikungunya, and yellow fever are abundant here and because of that, periodically steps have to be taken to reduce the risk. This week a company came in to spray for the flies and mosquitoes. 

During the spraying, we stayed indoors. This was my view out the front window (apologies for the screen).

Wherever the man in the "hazmat suit" walked with his smoker, a thick wall of fog/smoke was left in his wake. Soon we couldn't really see anything until the smoke had time to clear. The fog was a temporary obstacle, blocking our ability to see what was right in front of us. If we had tried to walk through it, we wouldn't have known which way we were supposed to go and might have even gotten hurt.

As 2016 began, God impressed on me to pray two scriptures for my kids this year, as well as for myself and my husband. 

"Remove the obstacles out of the way of my people." Isaiah 57:14b

"I am the LORD your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go." Isaiah 48:17

Lord, please remove any obstacles that stand between my kids and their relationships with You, and/or their relationships with others. And when they can't determine which way to go or see the reality is beyond the haze of their present circumstances, I pray You will direct them and teach them and that they will learn to trust your direction and hear your voice clearly. 

I would ask if God has directed you to this post, please pray these verses for your missionaries.

But why stop there? I am still very burdened for the Mitendi Center and the legal and spiritual battles they are fighting to keep their land and continue this vital ministry. Please pray for Mitendi Women's Center and those who are involved in the leadership, administration, and legal representation. Pray that God will direct them and that in 2016 He will remove ALL the obstacles out of the way of HIS people. 

Fever Tree

A few days ago, David brought this stick home. It had travelled to Kinshasa via MAF plane from an interior village and was accidentally left at the hangar. The passenger who misplaced it is a friend and he had called David and asked him to look for the stick. He had brought it from the village for someone else and they really wanted it.

It's really not much to look at. Why would they want that stick so badly? Why would a stick be so important (unless you are a dog)?

Cinchona pubescens (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This isn't an ordinary stick. It was cut from a "fever tree," also called "cinchona," "quina," and "Jesuit bark." The bark of this tree contains quinine, and is chewed or steeped into a tea to treat malaria. I have sampled a tiny, tiny piece of fever tree bark. It was very bitter and the taste lingered for a long time after I spit it out, even though I didn't even chew it. It amazes me that anyone ever even discovered that something that nasty could cure malaria, since that would require tasting it more than once. Quinine is also used to treat malaria worldwide in other forms, like pills. That ugly piece of tree branch has the potential to save lives.

Malaria is a serious threat in DRC. It is one of the leading causes of death here. Over 400 children die in Congo every day, and nearly half of these deaths are caused by malaria (World Health Organization). Please pray for those who are working on better preventions like vaccines, for those who work in the health care sector, and for the people of DRC. 

Cool Beans - Five Years in DR Congo!

Kinshasa is a large city with some serious traffic!

In the evening on October 11, 2010, we arrived in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo to begin our assignment here. Five years ago! A lot has happened in just five years, both in Congo and in our family.

When we joined MAF, in July of 2008, our family looked like this. We spent two years raising ministry support and attending language school and other training.

We arrived in Congo looking like this.   After our Canadian winter our Florida tans were long gone. And of course the kids were bigger.

We have experienced one election season in this country and face another in the near future. We've learned to be flexible about things like electricity, water (none today), sanitation, and sleep. We have felt the joy of making new friends and the pain of saying goodbye when they left. We've seen our two oldest graduate and return to the states to further their educations, and felt the pride of their accomplishments mingled with the sorrow of not being able to be there for them to help them along. We've had the pride and happiness of seeing our son get married and getting a new daughter. We have lived the guilt and grief of loved ones dying while we were separated from them by thousands of miles, including my mom, my grandmother, my uncle, my mom's cousin, a great uncle, one of David's cousins, and a dear friend. 

We've also seen God perform miracles and met people whose lives have been transformed by Him. We've had opportunities to be involved in God's work here and meet incredible people He has placed here for such a time as this. We've prayed and worshipped with people from all over the world and been places we never imagined we would see. We've heard the gospel preached in a minimum of four languages here and observed that in each language, amen is still amen! We've worked harder and prayed more than we ever had before. We've faced health issues, including a surgery for David and one also for me. We've had our faith challenged, we've been brought low, and God has lifted us up and strengthened us. 

We are so thankful that God brought us here! We look forward to continuing to serve here as long as God in his generosity and wisdom keeps us here! God has given us a ministry team of incredible, faithful friends that makes it possible for us to be here by praying for us and financially supporting our ministry with MAF.

Now, for a little fun to mark our celebration. The Mitendi Center has been growing food for itself for some time now. They have also acquired a couple new residents:

The female arrived first. She was purchased with the idea to breed her and use the additional pigs as a source of income for feeding and upkeep as well as for food.

Breeding animals is generally much easier to accomplish when you have one of each gender, so a month or so later the male was acquired. They have a bit of growing up to do before they are ready to breed, but the girls at the Mitendi Center are learning to prepare the right kind of food for them, to care for them, and to develop a mindset of investing in their own future.

Last time I looked in on the piggies, I captured this with my phone. I thought it might be fun to ask people to come up with captions for my photo. So, please do comment below! 

Rebooting the Blog

Where have I been you ask? Actually, no one asked, but just in case someone wondered, I'm still here. Several months ago I took a little break from blogging and fully intended it to be just a little break. We were tired and stressed and felt a need to simplify and reduce demands on our time in order to "huddle in" as a family. Then my mom died and for some time after that the blog was the furthest thing from my mind. Losing mom turned my world upside down and it will probably always remain at least slightly off-kilter. It is just a fact that life without her will never be the same.

Through the last several months and all the different stress factors we were experiencing, I progressed from feeling like God was silent and distant, to confusion and devastation, to comfort and hope. God showed in both big, obvious ways and small, quiet ways that His love for me is immense and unwavering, even when my faith is wobbly and frail. 

For as long as I have been a Christian, I have understood God in the context of the relationship between a father and child. That isn't incorrect, but it isn't the whole picture either. God also nurtures and cares for his children in the same way a mother does. I don't know why that would surprise me, since God created mothers and the role of motherhood. But it did change my thinking. In my day to day life here I encounter many who are orphaned or abandoned. It brings to mind, and to my prayers, that God is a father to the fatherless. There are certain things though that fathers seem to do better and certain things that mothers seem to do better. God can do them all. He IS a father to the fatherless, but he also meets the needs that only a mother can fulfill. 

For this is what the Lord says:

“I will extend peace to her like a river,

    and the wealth of nations like a flooding stream;

you will nurse and be carried on her arm

    and dandled on her knees.

As a mother comforts her child,

    so will I comfort you;

    and you will be comforted over Jerusalem.”

When you see this, your heart will rejoice

    and you will flourish like grass;

the hand of the Lord will be made known to his servants,

    but his fury will be shown to his foes.

Isaiah 66:12-14

I am still active in the Mitendi ministry. In some ways, sharing my grief with the women here, even though it was awkward for me, has deepened my relationships with them. They have all experienced loss. They can't relate to my culture or my background but they can relate to my loss. 

We are in the middle of packing and preparing to move, so maybe this isn't the best time to recommence with blogging, but this is when I finally felt prompted to begin again, so bear with me. We'll only be moving a few kilometers, but we will be in a much less stressful situation, which will give us a little breathing room and more energy for focusing on ministry, so we are excited about this.

Save the Date!

I have a lot of things I want to "write down" and share from the last week or so, but today I really want to focus on the Mitendi Center and it's needs because tomorrow (Thursday) is our court date and I want to urge everyone who reads this to set aside time today and tomorrow to pray. On paper this court date is about property and land, but in reality it is about lives, and its outcome will affect many.

If you don't know about Mitendi Center, I first started blogging about it in my post, Finding Hope in Mitendi. The land that the center is on is owned by the Congolese Baptist Community but for several years now others have been squatting on the land, even building on it, in attempts to steal it out from under the ministry. Funds have been raised to build a protective wall around the property and it is mostly completed. Portions of it have been knocked down and other issues have prevented its completion. 

The Mitendi ministry reaches out to marginalized and at-risk girls with the gospel and practical help to enable them to live a better life, free of bondage. It also has a school that makes it possible for some of the poorest of the poor to get a basic education and to come to know Christ. The Mitendi Center is making a difference in Congo, one girl, one student, and one generation at a time. 

Please take time today, even if you read this after the court date has come and gone, to pray for this ministry and for those who serve here. The last court date was postponed, and that could always happen again, but even if it doesn't, the battle is really a spiritual one, not physical, and the enemy will continue in some fashion to try to thwart the work God is doing here. 

God and the Cockroach

#102340244 / gettyimages.com

(Our new prayer letter just went out. If you didn't receive one you can read it HERE. If you go to our MAF web site you can subscribe to our prayer letter.)

We started school this week. This year, instead of using a full-blown Bible curriculum from a major publisher, we are changing things up a bit. I opted for a devotion book centered around something my son loves and will be interested in - animals. I wanted more of our Bible time to be spent discussing and praying together and culturing a love of scripture. I felt that all the hours of workbook exercises were accomplishing the opposite. My son was dreading Bible class every day. Yes, he was learning the content, but if he could grow up loving God's Word then he would eventually learn that anyway because he wanted to and not because I forced him to. 


Today our devotion was about roaches. Is that not a disgusting photo? It gives me the creeps. Roaches are not on many people's list of top ten favorite living creatures, but the point the author made in the devotional is that they are everywhere (polar ice caps excepted). Wherever people are, there are roaches. In that sense, God is like cockroaches. No matter where we are, He is there (Psalm 139:7-10). Not only can we not escape from God, we can't be hidden from Him by others either.

We talked about how comforting it is is to know that God is always present with us, thanked Him, and asked Him to remind us all day long that He is with us. Daniel said he would never see a cockroach now without remembering that God is everywhere. Hmmm.

That led to a discussion of the ebola epidemic and the persecuted Christians in Iraq and elsewhere and how we didn't have to ask God to be with them because He already is. We asked Him to remind them that He is with them, to guide them with his hand, and to support them with HIS strength as He did for King David.

I am glad my kids know a lot about the Bible, but I wish I had done a better job of planting and nurturing in them a love of God's Word. 

Four Things That Happened On This Day

Today is a special day. On this day TWENTY-ONE years ago, our first child was born. It hurts to be so far away from him today, but I am glad he has his new wife and her family to celebrate with. 

And on this day SIX years ago, we were in Idaho for orientation and became official MAF missionaries. Yaay! Here is a photo from the week prior. 

And on THIS day, as in today, Daniel did THIS:

He was playing with a dog that we are babysitting for a few weeks and fell and sliced it on the air conditioner. We took him to the same clinic that we went to the last time he cut his leg (story here) but thankfully this time around he was not hurt as badly and did not get stitches, though I still think he could have used a couple. He will definitely get another "cool scar or two to add to the collection." His words. Not mine.

Also on THIS day we woke up to another power outage. Nothing new there. We found out that the line was stolen again. Unfortunately that is nothing new anymore either. Third time in as many months. I am grateful for the cooler weather, for our generator and that we had just stocked up on fuel, for our little gas stove, and for battery-powered lights and internet so that we can skype Josh on his birthday! 

Having Coffee with the Army Guys

I regularly find legos, knights, army men, bouncy balls, etc in my washing machine. It's part of raising kids, boys in particular. 

I also find miscellaneous "boy stuff" in other places. 

We don't often eat at our dining table because the air conditioner in that room is broken, so approximately 350 days out of the year it is so hot and steamy that no one wants to be in the room, much less sit down to a hot meal and commence eating while sweat drips off your face.

I use the table in the mornings though. Before it gets hot, this is my station for Bible study, bill paying, letter writing, studying, planning, sewing, etc. It's my "desk." 

But this morning as I approached the table/desk, I found this:

Obviously, a boy has been here. 

If you are familiar with the organization/cleaning guru FlyLady, you know that she refers to places that attract (and seemingly multiply) clutter as "hot spots." I fell off the FlyLady wagon eons ago, but I am fully aware that my table IS a hot spot. It is conveniently located, large, and flat, so it will hold a LOT of stuff. Some days it looks like a page out of one of those I Spy books with the hidden objects. I had just cleaned it off yesterday. Now look at it.

I didn't have the heart to move any of it. All of those things are his and they illustrate him so vividly. And I love that in addition to all his little toys and his treasures, he also carries around that pocket Bible. Very cool beans, Daniel, very cool beans. 

One day, all too soon, the last bird will fly from our nest and there won't be any more puzzles, army guys, bubbles, legos, or other gizmos on my table, my floor, or in my washing machine. So today I just sat at the other end of the table with my Bible and my books and smiled while I had coffee with the little green army guys. If only they could talk to me of their adventures on my table with my son. 

Yes, I had just cleaned it off. But look how the space is being used now! Isn't that the whole point? Yes, that table is the first thing folks will see if they come visit and enter my house. Big deal. Maybe they would like to join in the fun or help put the puzzle together. I have plenty of other hot spots I can work on.

Trusting Truth

I'm a Missouri girl, so I can't think of a better place to be refreshed and renewed than Missouri in spring and early summer. Everything is blooming and the colors are vibrant with newness. Baby birds and animals are everywhere and all around you can see and hear their parents keeping vigil and finding food. Everything smells, well, like spring. It's a balm for the senses and the soul and I loved getting to enjoy the season again.

You would think with all of that newness I would have returned to Congo recharged and ready to go. The reality is that a struggle began in me before I left the states and followed me here. It didn't help that I was sick the last three of my four weeks home. That wears on a person. Missionary life has made me more acutely aware that every moment with a loved one, every walk down a favorite path, every routine activity we so often take for granted could be the last, so you better savor it. 

I didn't want to just savor the moments. I wanted to keep them. Watching my kids interacting with their cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents reminded me of all they miss when we are away. My first-born went off to college at 18 and for two years he was the only one in our immediate family on U.S. soil. When breaks and summers came and other students went home, his "home" was 7,000 miles away and unreachable. He had places he could go stay, but they weren't "home." Now my daughter is in the same predicament. My youngest struggles with isolation and life without electricity most of the time and he can't even get packages from his grandparents. 

I felt like I had cheated my children. 

Feelings cannot alway be trusted, though, and I know that. How I feel can be affected and manipulated by many things but Truth never changes. The truth is that God is our Shepherd and takes care of us as a shepherd cares for his flock.  A shepherd safely leads his flock to where they need to be to find nourishment and rest to grow strong and healthy. He carries the weak ones and the littlest ones because he knows how fragile they are and how hard the path is. God knows the path ahead of my kids and He's got them in his arms. A shepherd leads the mamas in his flock with gentleness. He knows my feelings and doesn't disregard them, but gently beckons me to trust Him. To trust Truth. 

"He tends his flocks like a shepherd: 

he gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; 

he gently leads those that have young." 

Isaiah 40:11

Cool Beans In My Luggage!

The other night Daniel and my nephew accidentally spilled popcorn in my open suitcase. Today it is filled with blessings instead of butter.

These are gifts for the orphanage and the Mitendi Women's Center. Some items are still yet to arrive! I have amazing, generous friends and I am grateful to all who donated to make this possible. You know who you are. Dry season is beginning, bringing cooler temperatures, so the blankets and caps will mean a lot to the little ones at the orphanage. The yarn and sewing supplies will help the girls at the Mitendi Center learn to sew and crochet to earn a living. There was even some money donated that will go into the scholarship fund to the Mitendi Women's Center! 

Daniel and I leave for Congo early Friday morning and will arrive late Saturday evening. I am still having problems with my ear infection and residual coughing from the bronchitis so would appreciate prayer for no ear pain and no coughing fits that cause anxiety for my neighbors on the plane, as well as safety and that all of our bags arrive on time, undamaged, and with nothing missing. Can't wait to see David. 

Mother of the Groom

my lovely gift from Kristen's aunt Terry

Here are a few of my favorite photos from Josh's wedding. I know that no one is as interested in the wedding as I am and I have been ill so this post will be short and sweet. The first two photos are mine but the wedding photos are posted with permission and were taken by Andrea Cahill from Distinctive KC.

Rehearsal was fun not just because it was for Josh's wedding, and not just because we got to see Josh and Kristen again and meet Kristen's family, but also because we got to see our pastor, Brother Michael, again. 

Daniel escorting Kristen's sister, Amanda. It was a very emotional moment when I saw both of my boys in tuxedos at the same time. Josh is already taken, but look out world, here comes son number two!

Josh escorting me to my seat. Lots of mixed feelings here but pride and joy were way up there, along with a little bit of sadness and a big dose of "phew, we did it, we raised a boy!" 

I love this one because Josh and Kristen have a strong desire to keep God the center of their marriage and life together.

It was a very joyful day. We are so blessed and happy to add Kristen to our family. 

Prayers Needed

 


*My article for the MAF blog has been posted. You can find it by clicking HERE.

And now I want to talk about something that has become more urgent since both the newsletter and the blog article were written. You may recall my post a couple weeks ago about the Mitendi Center. 

The Mitendi Center and the Congolese Baptist Community that operates it have been under a land grab attack for some time. I mentioned before that the center is trying to build a wall around the property, which they legally own, because there are people sectioning off the property, selling it, and building houses on it. Here in Congo, possession is 9/10 of the law, in the sense that once building starts, it becomes much more difficult to defend your property in court. 


The center is in danger of literally losing it's property, one piece at a time, and even after courts and officials have been involved, no one is stopping it. No one is doing right. The workers in the photo above have been attacked while building the foundation for the center's wall, physically beaten and have had their tools destroyed and/or stolen. 




The ministry in Mitendi reaches young people for Christ and helps them build their lives on the solid foundation of Jesus, but people have intentionally broken the foundation that the workers had built for the wall at the center so that it is no longer structurally sound.








Many of the children and young women that benefit from this ministry are orphans. God expressly commands us not to mistreat orphans or widows (Ex 22:22). He warns us of the consequences of causing one of his little ones to stumble. 

Please pray earnestly for the center, the students, the workers and the teachers. Pray for Jill and for those who are representing the center and defending it. Pray for truth to prevail. And pray for those who have made themselves enemies of the children and women and are shaking their fists in the face of God. 

Finding Hope in Mitendi

Last week, Daniel and I spent a couple of days with Jill Lowery to learn more about her missionary role here in Kinshasa. I got to know Jill a little better, learn about the heart God has given her for Congo, AND - I got to see first-hand a ministry that is changing lives! God isn't just working in the bush where our MAF pilots fly every day. He is also at work right here in Kinshasa and the surrounding area.

As a missionary with the Congolese Baptist Community, Jill works with two centers. The first is called Mitendi Women's Center, or Marie Mattie Women's Center and is about a 45 minute drive from my home, in a neighborhood that is impoverished even by third world standards. Marie Mattie was the first Congolese woman to graduate from college here and had a vision for helping women. This center is a two-year residential program for girls at high risk of exploitatioin or prostitution. In addition to the women's ministry, they also operate the Marie Mattie Complexe Scolaire, a school for kindergarten through sixth grade for at risk and vulnerable kids. These are kids who otherwise would not be able to attend school. If you want to know more about what the terms "at risk"  and "vulnerable" mean when applied to children and teens, there is an explanation HERE.

When we arrived, our first sight was all the little school kids standing under a shade tree. I got my camera out and immediately a few kids noticed and started "posing."

Then more kids noticed.

And MORE! This took less than ten seconds. They were all smiles and excitement...

...until the teacher blew his whistle. 

He led them in a couple of marching songs to help them get rid of their wiggles before they headed back into their classrooms. Wish you could have been there - they were SO CUTE!

We were allowed to visit the classrooms, and in each one the entire class stood and sang a welcome song for their visitors. This has happened to me in the orphanages and other schools I have visited. It is very much a part of the culture here and even some adult groups have sung welcome songs for me.

In the Women's Center, many of the young ladies have not had much opportunity for education, so they are taught literacy, basic education, and French. They also learn skills which they can use to support themselves such as crochet, knitting, sewing, and restaurant work. It is a two-year, residential program. They also study the Bible and of course the primary goal is for these girls to come to know Christ and learn to trust in Him.

The day we visited, Mama Jackie was teaching sewing class.

The girls learn with hand-cranked sewing machines...

...and hand-drawn lessons, without patterns. 

The way our grandmothers and great-grandmothers did it.

Currently, funds are being raised and efforts are being made to build a protective wall around the center property to stop attempts to steal and sell off the land, to keep animals out of the vegetable gardens, and to increase the safety and security of the girls who live there. 

This gentleman had the task of getting water for mixing cement - a time consuming task when you have to draw the water by hand from a cistern with a homemade bucket and funnel.

The next day we visited the second center, Marie Mattie Maison de Couture. This center is an extension of the first one, sort of an internship program so that when the ladies graduate from the two-year program, they have a chance to refine their skills and earn money while doing it. On the days that Mama Jackie is not at the Women's Center, she is at the Maison de Couture. The "house of sewing" is in the city and has better power and electric sewing machines. Some are hand-crank machines that have been transformed into electric machines!

The ladies sew school uniforms, clothing, surgical drapes and bed coverings for hospitals, baby layettes, and more.

One of Jill's tasks is to inspect each completed item, since the girls are still in the learning process. Each intern then has to correct her mistakes before an item can be sold. This teaches them to take responsibility for and pride in their work and to understand the importance of doing one's best. It also reinforces the core verse for the center: Colossians 3:23-24, which says “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.” 

Jill and Mama Jackie are always on the lookout for new things for the interns to make and sell, increasing their skills and their potential to earn a decent living for themselves. Here they are inspecting a quilted zipper pouch that I had with me so they could see how it was made. 

I am sure I left out something, or several somethings, about this vital ministry, so I have included links below to the Lowerys' web site and to a site with information about the center. I asked Jill if there are any specific ways to pray for the ministry and this is what she shared with me.

First: Pray that the girls will persevere and complete the program. They face many obstacles.                                                     Second: The greatest stress right now is getting the wall built and bringing an end to the problem with the man who is trying to sell off the land that belongs to the center. Pray that God gives favor over corrupt officials.                                                         Third: Pray for Mama Jackie for continued health. She has given her life for the ministry and without her, there would be no center.

Useful links:

Lowerys' Web Site

About The Fence Project