Surprises

I tell people that I don't like surprises, but I really do. Let me explain. No. There is too much. Let me sum up. 

www.reusableart.com

I don't like when company shows up unexpectedly.











I don't like these kinds of surprises either.







I don't like having to make big decisions on the spur of the moment. Actually I don't like making decisions at all. 

Beth Moore said in one of her Bible study videos that she regularly asks God to delight her and He regularly answers in ways that only God can. Those are the kind of surprises I like. 

Ways God has recently surprised me:

Visitors who did not know I had been missing treats from home brought us m&m's candy. God knew!

While walking a friend's dog on the American school campus I found this fascinating critter. I thought he was a wasp at first but it turns out he is a "wasp moth" and his disguise is his defense. I'm weird, and easily entertained, but I really thought it was cool to see an insect with so many colors. Made me wonder what the caterpillar looks like.


You might not think this is a nice surprise or a good thing to give someone, but when our MAF friend David Francis brought this to us I was delighted. This was a part we needed to repair our water reservoir system. Without it, we had to keep city water turned off most of the time to keep the tank from overflowing and flooding the yard. When you live here, shutting off water supply just feels WRONG, because you never know when it will be available again. Now our tanks are full and our yard is dry.

Today we went to the orphanage in Kimbondo with armloads of soft knit hats and blankets for the babies and toddlers. Many of these kids are malnourished when they arrive and have little to no body fat or energy for keeping warm during the cool dry season. Several friends donated items and money to make this possible. 

Traffic is heavier than it used to be on the road there and construction projects add to the congestion, so it took about 90 minutes now to go 25 kilometers (about 16 miles) to the orphanage. By the time we got there I was tired and thinking about all the stuff I still had to do today so I decided I would just find Father Hugo, give him the stuff, and excuse myself to go home. After I talked to him and showed him the gifts from friends in the states, he excitedly told a nurse about it and next thing I knew she and another person had taken it all and told me to follow them. Turns out they wanted to distribute the hats and blankets right away and they were ordering inviting me to be a part of it. My five minute visit turned quickly into 45. Even though we had not been there in a year because of furlough and car issues, many of the kids and staff remembered us and greeted us warmly. Leaving the orphanage is always wrenching because the kids cry when we leave, but it was a real treat to see them again and give them hugs and hold them for a bit.

When You Know Where To Look

They say an elephant never forgets. Not being an elephant, I forget things all the time. I would blame my age or my health but I have always been forgetful AND unorganized - a deadly combination. My poor husband has not gone a day without hearing "where's my?" or "have you seen?" since he married me. 

My mom used to encourage me to be more organized and to put things away before I moved on to the next distraction. She would tell me: "It's easy to find when you know where to look." If I put things in sensible places, it would be easy to find them when I needed them. 

This past week has been a stellar memory week total memory fail. I spent at least an hour looking for this so I could work on some quilt block ideas for the Mitendi Center. Just about the time I told myself that if the girls at the center can cut fabric without a rotary cutter then I jolly well can too, I finally found them.

I also spent an hour (or two) looking for the receipts from last month's water and electric bills. Now utility receipts are one thing I never lose because it is a humongo hassle here if for some random reason the utility company decides to claim you never pay your bills and threatens to cut you off and you can't produce your receipts. But I couldn't find them anywhere. Later as I was going through a shelf I saw a folder I didn't remember the purpose of and opened it to find our utility receipts. Then I remembered selecting that folder specifically for keeping the receipts in so that they would be easy to find if I ever needed them. Aaagh! 

My family and close friends, if you are reading this, I know you are shaking your heads at me but are not at all surprised. 

Not being able to find things isn't always my fault. We went downtown on Saturday to shop for a phone for my birthday. At the first store we tried, an employee told us that the phone I wanted but wasn't willing to pay their price for could be purchased at a significant savings if we bought it at a different store. He even called ahead to make sure the phone was in stock and to guarantee the price. Then he told us where to go. 

We thought we understood his directions but we ended up in a part of the city where there were lots of police (not a good thing in Congo) and after going down several ONE WAY streets the wrong way (in our defense, they were not labeled) and having no success finding the store, we decided to just head home. As we turned a corner to get back out on the main road, lo and behold, there was our store! It's easy to find when you know where to look, which we didn't.

After we got home I wanted to finish what I had begun with my sewing, so once I concluded my search for the iron, I managed to do these. Both are a type of crazy quilt square. I am not sure yet how I will use them.

I am so glad I DO know where to look when I need peace, direction, comfort, strength, or forgiveness. I don't have to search frantically for Jesus because He is always with me and He never loses his own. I just have to call out his name. 

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!

First Week of Furlough

MAF Office in Nampa

A week ago today in the wee hours of morning we landed in Boise, Idaho. It does not seem like a week has gone by! Already we have had some memorable moments:

* stepping off the plane in Brussels was like entering a portal to another world - "first world"

* hot water/showers, and actually feeling clean after we rinsed off

* hair that behaves

*people are so friendly and polite!

* driving! Oh my! Smooth roads, orderliness, street signs and street lights

* re-teaching my son to make microwave popcorn

*first time I put on a clean shirt and it smelled clean

* milk in a jug!

* pulling something out of the fridge that is actually COLD

* getting all our groceries, toiletries, etc at one store and finding everything (In reference to my post about what it might be like to go to Wal-mart, not much had changed really. I still had the entire floor plan memorized and had no trouble finding things. The big difference is that it took me twenty minutes to pick a deodorant, and the first time we went to Wal-mart, we came home with only two food items: milk and Oreos. We may have been tired but at least we had our priorities right.)

* While putting away groceries, someone forgot what crescent roll dough was and put it in the freezer. oops.

* one of my kids was the first of us to accidentally speak French to someone instead of English, and yes, the rest of us laughed

* INTERNET!!!

* getting to dry my clothes in a dryer!

* David mentioned the other day "No one in this family except me knows how to turn lights off." That made us realize that in our house in Kinshasa, it rarely mattered if the switches were on or off. It's hard to waste electricity when you don't have any.

We have all been to the doctor for physicals and are attending meetings/debriefings. Next week David has some training in the hangar and I hope to use that time to get a few much needed clothing items for the kids and me.

It has been a real treat to be in Nampa and see again our friends there. These are the people who work behind the scenes to help all of us who are on the field with everything from processing support gifts, writing literature and making our prayer cards, arranging our travel, raising funds to get us planes, helping us with insurance claims, training us, coaching us, processing our mail, and more. They pray for us, advise us, serve us and encourage us. Many of them have served overseas and know all the ins and outs and understand all that we experience. They know how weary we were when we arrived without us having to tell them and they have loved on us since we got here. I have met missionaries who do not have the kind of support that MAF gives to their missionaries and it makes a huge difference! If any of our Nampa friends are reading this, THANK YOU! We love you too!

Don't mind me...

Coffee & Donuts (Photo credit: Jeremy Brooks)

…I’m just a missionary on furlough (almost).

We leave in two weeks for our first furlough. I don’t know if this happens to every missionary family but as our departure time creeps closer, we’ve begun to notice some strange mental shifts. Nothing scary or creepy, just little things that by themselves mean nothing but collectively make us a little bizarre.

We see photos on the internet of our friends, and after a cursory glance at the people our eyes are drawn to things in the photos that we never would have noticed a few years ago. Carpet. Door knobs that are not five feet above the floor. Sidewalks. Starbucks. Donuts. And we sort of go into a trance and drool. It’s disgusting.

We talk about things we used to take for granted like peace and quiet and fresh strawberries, peaches and blueberries and we sound like Sam and Frodo at Mordor when they realize they can’t remember the taste of strawberries or the sound of the trees. Pathetic.

English: Wal-Mart location in Moncton (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I’ve heard stories of expats returning to the states and crying the first time they went back to Wal-Mart and thought to myself, "no way, not me, Wal-Mart and I are old friends and I CANNOT WAIT to go back." Lately though I am not so sure of myself. Since we've never had a furlough this is all pure speculation but I might cry after all. I might feel overwhelmed. I might be just as likely to cry tears of joy. “Look, Honey! They have EVERYTHING on our list right here in ONE store! And it all has a price tag on it! And none of it is expired! And the labels are in ENGLISH!”

I might do a happy dance.

I might take forty minutes to drive the twelve miles to the store because driving in excess of 35mph feels terrifyingly fast.

I might try to order my meat by the kilo instead of by the pound.

I might try to give a tip to any pedestrian within six feet of my car and thank them for keeping an eye on it for me.

I might hand my merchandise to the cashier and after he/she scans it, ask, possibly in French, “Is that your BEST price?”

If I am going to behave strangely, Wal-mart might just be the safest place to do it. Still, maybe I will make a t-shirt for furlough that says “Don’t mind me, I’m just a missionary on furlough,” just in case someone wonders about me. It might prevent an awkward moment or two.

A Close Call

English: original description: "Built by Jess Dixon of Andalusia, Alabama. Can fly forward, backward or straight up or hover in the air. Runs on road or flys across country. 40 H.P. motor, air cooled, speeds to 100 m.p.h." (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Last night Daniel and I had a close call as we were driving home from my Bible study meeting. It was dark, which in Kinshasa means it was VERY dark because most of the roads have no street lights and at any given time half the lights that do exist are not on due to power outages. We were on a two lane road approaching a curve and someone came rapidly around the bend, in our lane, straight at us in the wrong direction. There was no shoulder to pull onto and no sidewalk, so there was no way we could get out of their way. We were barely able to stop in time to keep them from plowing into us head-on and they nearly hit someone else as they cut off another driver to avoid us.  As he sped by the driver honked at us for having the audacity to be in our lane when he wanted it for himself.

Driving here is an adventure. Aside from the lack of proper lighting, there is also a lack of street signs, stop signs, order, courtesy, and consequences. Roads are poorly maintained and deep potholes and ruts are common. People just do whatever they want to without regard to rules or other drivers. Defensive driving is bumped to a whole new level here. No matter what time of day or night it is, there are always tons of pedestrians and they are usually walking in the actual street due to a lack of sidewalks. It is not for the faint of heart, which is why I only drive in places I am familiar with. I fantasize about having a flying car and soaring above all the chaos.

It can drive (pun intended) you crazy if you let it, but it is more fun to laugh about it. We sometimes quote movie lines. Here are some I have heard our family and/or friends use specifically with regard to driving in Kinshasa.

“I’m surrounded by idiots.” Scar, in Lion King
“I’ll get you my pretty, and your little dog, too!” Wicked witch, in Wizard of Oz
“Toto, I’ve got a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.” Dorothy, Wizard of Oz
 “Never tell me the odds.” Han Solo, Empire Strikes Back
“Wax paint on, wax paint off.” Mr. Miyagi, Karate Kid
“Inconceivable!” Vizzini, Princess Bride
 “Roads? Where we're going we don't need roads.” Doc, Back to the Future
“All me life flashed before me eyes.” Babs, Chicken Run
“I’ve gone way beyond afraid. Right now I’m somewhere between bedwetting and a near death experience.” Rizzo, Muppets Treasure Island

Next time you go driving, please say a prayer for all the missionaries who deal with driving in third world nations.

Firsties

Here are ten of my most recent "firsties," things I did for the first time:

* met Rita Chapman, a missionary serving in Kikongo whom I've been hearing about since 2008. Very Cool Beans!
* washed myself with gasoline. Peeyou.
* "jumped" electrical phases in our breaker box. Needed to learn and now I have.
* went through a Congolese military checkpoint. Ok.
* led a group of high school girls in a Bible study. These girls are fantastic!
* made pickles that actually stayed crunchy. Too salty, but at least they stayed crunchy. (whisper: They taste like Claussens.)
* drove more than three miles one way from my house, and back. Survived. Barely.
* went to the consulate for the U.S. embassy to renew our kids' passports. Not fun.
* went to a parent/teacher conference for my daughter, a senior. Somehow when we were home schooling her it seemed way too odd, even for us, to have parent/teacher conferences. hee hee.
* took my new friend Hannah to the orphanage with me to play with the kids. This is Hannah.

There is just nothing like hearing a little kid giggle!

Obviously, God is not letting me stay in a rut or get too set in my ways. Living a Christian life takes "muscle," which brings me to the subject of my new post, "Move That Muscle" on the MAF blog. I hope you'll check it out.

No Place Like Home

Ruby Slippers (Photo credit: ZakVTA)

I just sat down to lunch, yeah, at 3:15pm. We've already had quite a day. My sandals gave me a nasty blister on my toe, which kept getting worse, so after Daniel finished school we headed for the house (we are staying at a friend's house down the road for a few days while we pack and move.). We were supposed do actually DRIVE to the house so that after packing for a few hours, I could return here to cook supper, bringing back my dirty laundry and the items we will need between now and when we move into our new home. My car decided it does not like this moving thing and it is not going to run anymore. So, blister and all, we walked to the house, discovered I had forgotten the key, walked back, returned with the key, and proceeded to pack until I ran out of boxes and realized I had forgotten to eat lunch and maybe that was why I felt so tired. Um, there's a lot of stuff still.

On the way back to my friend's house, the first time, I spotted the reason why I am packing in the dark in 94 degree weather with no fans or a/c. This is my power line. It's hard to see the details because I took this with my cheapo phone but that is a broken bottom of an office chair wedged between the wires to keep them from touching each other. The blue and white you see are plastic grocery bags that have been tied around the cable to "repair it." Throw in a few tree roots and you have my power line.

Here's another section of my power line, just a few meters from where I snapped the first photo.





I will miss my neighborhood and being close enough to walk to see most of friends. I will not miss my power line.



Saturday the vet came and spayed our 7 month old kitten. He was supposed to come to check on her the following Monday but never showed. By Tuesday morning she still had not eaten and was lethargic. Her breathing was rapid and noisy. I called the vet and told him I was anxious about her and he said he would come. He said "today" but he showed up on Wednesday. By that time, she had improved a little on her own but still sounded raspy. He gave her antibiotics and went on his merry way. Today she is much better. Lunch break is ending so here's one more photo. Next post will be from the new house!

This is how we keep our cat from licking her incision. I cut the ends off a clean tube sock. She is obviously humiliated at having to wear David's half-sock.  That's why she won't show her face for the camera.

From Ocean Front to Battle Front

photo credit: Amber Derocher

Our week at the MAF family conference was amazing! Here are some of the highlights.

photo credit: Chris Steiger

Sessions/studies about: the dangers of ego, God speaks our love language, forgiveness, unity, spiritual warfare, and more

praise, prayer, and worship

Meeting fellow MAF missionaries who serve in Congo with us but whom we never see, and seeing friends we'd not seen in a year or more

Date night: the Rose Drive team entertained all the young children so all the couples could have dinner dates

Pampering: ice cream with real American toppings like Heath Bar bits and Hershey's syrup, real chocolate, door prizes of things we can't get here like Ranch dressing mix and Starburst candies, s'mores! (no graham crackers, big marshmallows or Hershey bars in Congo), shower gels and lotions for the ladies, and hand-written notes from the team leader (hand-written notes are a lost art and a real blessing anywhere!)

Fun activities: pool, beach, volleyball, snorkeling, kayaking

Electricity and water: in abundance!

Cooking and cleaning: none!

Now about Snorkeling.  Forty of us signed up for a snorkeling excursion out to the coral reef.  I have had a fear of deep water since childhood that even after learning to swim did not go away. I like to swim only if I can stand up and still breathe. But I figured I would probably never get another chance to snorkel in the Indian Ocean for only a few dollars per person.  It was a learning experience.  The first thing I learned was not to assume things.  I had assumed that the snorkeling adventure was one of the many activities offered through the resort and would therefore be handled by professionals and come complete with a lesson on how to actually snorkel. Um, no. It was two dudes with boats for hire. Here's a photo of our boat. It was called the Millenium, I think because that's how old the boat was.

photo credit: Sandy Francis

(That's me in the brown striped swimsuit coverup and David is the cool looking guy in the grey shirt and sunglasses. Daniel is up on top. Emily was in the other boat with her teen friends.)








There was no lesson.  No safety lecture. Not enough snorkeling equipment to go around, requiring us to take turns. AND: no life jackets, giant noodles, styrofoam dishes, or other flotation equipment was offered or available. Each boat had one life preserver that was tied to the boat and floated in the ocean. The thing about irrational fears is that those of us who have them know they are irrational and yet there they are. And they are powerful. I prayed. I talked to myself. It took some time, but I finally got up enough nerve to get out of the boat. The water was choppy and the snorkel tube did not have anything to prevent water coming in so I quickly got a big mouth full of seawater. Panic and dread ensued and I immediately got back in the boat. I was angry with myself and decided to try again, only to repeat the first experience. I was so disappointed in myself.

photo credit: Sandy Francis

(Daniel having fun and me either getting in the water or climbing out - I did lots of both.)





Then another girl who was a weak swimmer told me that she had swum out to the life preserver and snorkeled while holding on to the preserver with one hand.  I thought, "I can do that!" So, I tried a third time. I swam out to the life preserver, grabbed hold, and snorkeled away. It was incredible! I was having so much fun! David swam out to where I was just to say he was happy for me that I had found a way to snorkel in spite of my fear.

Next, I learned about currents. At some point I lifted my head up and saw that I was quite a bit farther from the boat than when I began. I told David he had pulled me out too far and he said he hadn't done it. No problem. We just grabbed the rope to pull ourselves back in. Except that the rope had come untied from the boat. Naturally. We started swimming but were really not making any progress against the current for our efforts and it wasn't long before I was tired enough that I knew if I didn't have that life preserver I would have been in trouble. We could see the boat but couldn't get to it. Eventually, one of our friends saw us fighting the current and swam out, got the rope, and pulled it in. Enough water for me for one day, thanks.

I am very glad I went. I had a great time and saw cool stuff! And I was only a little embarrassed over my ridiculous fear because everyone was kind about it.

After we came back to Kinshasa, we took a couple of nights to go camping and have some time alone as a family, away from videos, internet, phones, etc. We cooked over fires, played in the river, hiked, played games, saw cool bugs

and crossed this bridge.

On our way home, Saturday, we were about five minutes into Kinshasa, stuck in a traffic jam, when someone hit our car from behind. The police held us there and let the person go who had hit us. Then they tried to fine us $100 for "being in the way" of the other driver.  This is actually a common occurrence, especially if you are fair skinned. If you don't pay, they put a lock on your wheel until you do. We talked them down to $20, drove about fifty feet, and got pulled over again, and once again it was because of our skin color. David told them we had just paid the police behind us and they let us go.  No kidding, fifty feet later we were stopped for a third time.  This time we had to talk a while before they let us go. 

Our welcome back to Kinshasa was further "enhanced" on Sunday by a 14 hour power outage and the news that our landlady is finally planning to repair the plumbing issues in the house and the wall that is about to fall into the road. She also plans to raise the rent, so we have to move. She wants us out by end of September.

A friend recently said to us "any battle front is not an easy place to live and work." There is sometimes the temptation to feel a bit disillusioned, especially after a mountain top experience like the conference and then coming back to Kinshasa. But this place really is a battle front. A person can't enlist in an army and go off to war expecting it to be a bed of roses. My snorkeling experience reminded me that my God is big, bigger than the ocean I was so afraid of, the ocean He created.  He was with me there and He is with me here.

Running an Obstacle Course in an Oven Full of Mosquitoes

View of my road from my yard.  This is one of the better roads in the neighborhood.

On my birthday, we had to take Emily to the eye doctor and decided while we were down town to go out for supper to celebrate.  It was quite the evening.  A police officer tapped on our window while we were stuck in traffic and asked to see David’s driving license.  We had not done anything illegal.  Our crime was having fair skin.  The officer took David’s license and drove away on his motorcycle, leaving us still stuck in traffic.  Presumably, he wanted us to follow him so he could attempt to extract a bribe for the return of the license.  We have no idea where he went and still do not have the license.  On the way to the restaurant, our car overheated.  On the way to the orphanage Friday, our car overheated again.  Then on the way home from the orphanage, the car again gave us trouble.  So…we are having to borrow an MAF vehicle until David can get the car repaired.  We are really missing AutoZone right now.

I spent Thursday evening at my friend Christine’s house.  She was hosting a women’s Bible study group from her church and had planned to show the film Courageous, in French.  Twenty-five women came and packed her living room.  I always enjoy meeting the ladies and studying with them as much as the language barriers allow (most speak French but they prefer Lingala).  Watching them as they watched the movie was much more fun than I could have anticipated.  During the police chase, every single woman was literally gripping the sides of her chair and leaning forward.  When the runners jumped a fence or took a dive, the ladies oohed and aahed simultaneously.  Occasionally Christine would stop the movie and explain a cultural difference for them.  Sometimes they would see something and all start discussing it enthusiastically, oblivious to the still playing movie.

I don’t see these women often and I have trouble remembering all of their names, but they are a special group.  They walk to the Bible study.  It’s only about a kilometer, but I met one woman who walked the entire way on crutches.  I am not talking about American made, just the right height, rubber tipped aluminum crutches.  I’m talking about something out of a Dickens novel – crude wooden things of differing heights with cloths tied round the tops and bare stubs on the bottom.  She had no nice sidewalks with ramps at every intersection either.  She had a hilly, torn up road full of holes and rocks, just sand in some places and concrete in others.  Her condition is permanent and it’s hot here.  One would completely understand if she didn’t want to make that trek in temperatures of upper nineties.  But she did it.  She didn’t complain about it either.  She was just glad to be there.  Going to a group Bible study may sometimes be inconvenient for me, but it is WORK for her.  Next time I think I do not have time in the evenings or it is too much work to get the family fed and get there in time, I hope the Holy Spirit reminds me of that woman.  Here are some more photos of typical streets, yards and buildings here.  As you can see, it is a very challenging environment, especially for someone with a disability.

Another view of my road.  You have to navigate around that pile of trash and debris all the time.

Imagine having to navigate through this!

My favorite is this one I like to call the Kinshasa version of a strip mall.  It's a major road, so it does have a sidewalk, but the vendors have taken it over.

Ten Things I Never Thought I Would Do. Ever.

Whack A Mole Fever (Photo credit: TPapi)

Ten years ago, the only missions experience I had was spending a week in a shelter for the homeless during my senior year of college.  I had never left the United States, unless you count a couple of hours at Niagara Falls during my high school senior trip.  I had no idea then, that I would be here now.

I've done a lot of things here - some smart and creative and some, well, otherwise - that I never, ever, ever thought I would do.  I didn't just think of those things and scoff and say "I would never do that."  I didn't think of them AT ALL!

Here are TEN THINGS I NEVER THOUGHT I WOULD DO.  EVER!

1. Whack baby cockroaches on the counter with my fist in rapid motion, like a real-life Whack-A-Mole game! (I am afraid of cockroaches, so this is VERY out of character for me, but sometimes enough is enough.)  If you run to get a shoe or some bug spray, it is always too late and they've escaped.

2. Learn to like powdered milk.  I am way ahead of my family in this area.

3. See and greet men with automatic weapons on my street as if it is normal.  Isn't it?

4. Make my own sausage.

5. Give my child worm medicine, as in the same stuff we give our cats and dogs in the states, routinely.

6. Intentionally leave money in my pockets in hope that the smell will come out in the wash.

7. Cut my own hair (see Filling Holes).

8. Pick up a crying child who was not my own and was covered in his own waste without gagging.

9. Ride in the back seat of a car holding my child's leg in the air to slow the bleeding while we drive to a third world medical clinic (see Daniel's Bottle Bucket Battle).

10. Eat cheese that smells like dirty gym socks.  The orphan in item number 8 didn't make me gag, but the cheese did.

Some of these experiences were once and for all.  Some are experiences I will have repeatedly.  The Cool Beans is that all of them have had an impact on me.  Sometimes they revealed hidden strengths.  Sometimes they revealed uglier traits that I had not seen in myself before and had to ask God to change in me.  Sometimes, they made me laugh at myself, which is not a bad thing at all.  By the way, Whack-A-Roach can be a very effective way to vent stress and anger.  No one gets yelled at, and there are fewer bugs in the house.  Not that I'm saying you should try it or anything, but if you want to give it a try, you can come to my house!

How about you?  What sorts of things have you done that you never thought you would?

Back in Nampa

We are in Nampa, now! David is taking classes and brushing up on his mechanical skills. He is glad to be working in a hangar again. Yesterday I got our oldest enrolled in the local high school. This summer has flown by! School begins tomorrow. We are praying for God to raise up more people to pray for us and support our ministry with MAF so that we can leave as soon as possible for Africa. We are eager to go and Josh needs to be there by mid-October in order to be able to transfer to his new school as a senior. We only have 12% more to go. Please pray with us. Josh and Daniel both had birthdays recently. Daniel always seems to have a birthday "on the road". Depending how you look at it, he either gets the short end of the stick or the "easy button". We are almost never at home, but this usually means he gets more than one cake and more than one party because we have one at home and one with whomever we are visiting. While driving up from Missouri, we drove through a town in Idaho called Twin Falls and decided to stop. There is a waterfall there called Shoshone Falls that is comparable to Niagara Falls when the water level is up, but it was low when we visited. It was still beautiful. There were places to hike and lakes. It only cost 3.00 for parking and everything else was free. That is way cheaper than Niagara Falls was and we had more fun. Twin Falls is also where Evil Knievel made his attempt to jump Snake River Canyon on his skycycle. The dirt ramp is still there for people to see. We thought Twin Falls had a lot of character. In addition to the historic Evil Knievel jump and the water falls, we saw two car dealerships. One was owned by someone named Con and the other was owned by someone named Rob. We were so travel weary that we thought that was really funny.

Back in the U.S.A.

We're back! We crossed the border into the U.S. on June 30th, our 20th wedding anniversary, and arrived at my sister-in-law's home happy but tired. We left the kids with my in-laws and went to a nearby small town B&B to celebrate our anniversary. In case you think the kids got jilted, their aunt and uncle treated them to laser tag, a movie, shopping, and all the junk food any kid could want. It was good for all of us. We are now in Missouri, packing and working on ministry support. It feels kinda wierd going through the checkout line at the store with enough unscented solid deodorant, vitamins, and tylenol to last a family of five for two years. It does make people stare. It also felt a little wierd the first time we went into a store and everything we heard was in English.  That didn't even happen when we lived in Florida, let alone Québec.

Sometimes you need to stop and smell the roses, so on our way down from Canada, we stopped at Niagara Falls. I had been to see the falls years ago, on my senior trip, and wanted to share it with David and the kids.

My Baby is Growing Up!

Yesterday, Josh turned 16. Today, Josh passed the exam to get a Missouri driver's license. Needless to say, as his mom, I have mixed feelings. I wish he wouldn't grow up quite so quickly! I am proud of him and excited for him. He set a goal, worked for it, and succeeded in reaching that goal. He has passed a milestone in his journey toward adulthood. On the other hand, now he will be driving without the benefit of one of his parents there to catch his mistakes and help him make good judgements. He'll have to rely on what we taught him and learn from experience. Also, it is not insignificant that when I called the insurance company today our rates more than doubled. Ouch! The agent on the phone tried to make me feel better by telling me that the rates would go down again when Josh becomes 25. Since by that time he will be paying his own insurance, I'm happy for him but it gives me little comfort here in the present time. So, any moms out there who understand all these mixed feelings who happen to read this, I would love some empathy.

Friends And Flowers

Wow, has it really been over a month? Time goes so quickly! We've been on the road again. We had a very busy time in Florida. We got to spend time with friends and say goodbye to them before leaving for language school this fall. God opened doors for us to make new contacts and speak in churches and small groups. We got to spend a couple of days with my parents, which is always a blessing. After we got back we had a few days to recoup and then we drove to Columbia, MO. to speak at a church that we were members of in the early days of our marriage. It was a real treat for me to get to see friends I hadn't seen in 12 years and walk the halls again of that church. Our first two babies were dedicated in that church and we met some amazing friends there, so we will always have a special place in our hearts for Calvary Baptist Church. Here's a scrapbook page I did with a photo from our trip. Ben and Shirley were our Sunday School teachers years ago and are dear friends.

Tired

Image via Wikipedia

This morning we left early and drove up the western edge of Missouri, cut the corner of Iowa, and drove all the way across southern Nebraska into Cheyenne, Wyoming. My limited experience of Nebraska is that it is rather boring, and quite stinky. We saw, and smelled, a plethera of cattle. It's been a long day and we are all tired, but very happy to be out of the van for a while.

Isaiah 40:28-29 (New International Version)

28 Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
29 He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.