Team Spicy

Photo credit: Debbie Martinez, joyinthecongo.blogspot.com

The last day of Family Conference is always the most emotional for me. By that point, I am tired, which always makes me emotional anyway, but there are other factors. Knowing the conference is nearly over and friends whom I see once a year or less are about to return home. After days of worshiping together and asking God to have his way in our hearts, in our team, and in Congo, we are all more united, more focused, and more cohesive - and it is challenging sometimes to figure out how to let the conference end but still hold on to that. The fun and fellowship are ending and we are all going back to life-as-normal-as-it-gets-here. Unity, staying focused on what we should, and loving so well that others can tell we belong to Jesus just by observing us can over time come under pressure from fatigue, stress, and circumstances. It is a constant battle, so pray for all of us that we remember the lessons we learned about finding joy when we go through the "furnace", the trials of life.

Our last day included more worship, study, and prayer. We also had some time for communication as an organization, sharing information and ideas and making sure we are all on the same page not just as ambassadors for Christ but also as representatives of MAF. 

We also had an impromptu softball rematch. MAF won. 



Our evening began with devotions and then ended with a "variety show." If variety is the spice of life, our West DRC team is really spicy! We are such a melange of talents, interests, and passions that it will be very interesting to see how God puts that all together for his work here. Next year, the dynamics will be different. Some of us will have followed different paths and will be deeply missed. But God gave us the gift of our time together in Kinshasa, learning, letting go, loving, and laughing with each other. A little joy in the furnace. 

A Day at the Farm - the SNAKE Farm

Friday, after our worship time, we went to a "snake park." Kinshasa is home to the only center where venom is collected from snakes native to Congo for the purpose of making anti-venom. 

Our guide showed us the venomous snakes first, proudly proclaiming that in his fifteen years working with the snakes he has only been bitten seven times. Sounds like a fun job. 

Five of his seven bites came from this little guy. 









This is as close as I ever wish to be to a cobra. 








These snakes were beautiful but deadly. They make an ominous warning noise when they want to be left alone.

Next, we saw the non-venomous snakes. Those of us who were willing were allowed to handle these snakes. Our guide had a little fun with that, walking about in search of victims volunteers. 

One of the first things Brad (our conference speaker) said to us is that rejection does not equal failure. Sometimes it seems like MAF and other mission groups have been here for a long time and done all God has asked of us to the best of our ability but we've seen little fruit. But Christ said that when we are rejected we should remember that the world rejected Him first. Brad also pointed out that it is an honor just to be able to serve and represent the One who has saved us, regardless of the outcome this side of heaven. Important truths to remember.

We had a softball game between the Lubumbashi team and the Kinshasa team. 

Everyone was invited to play and we had lots of men, some children, and one girl - me. Everyone had a good time, and while there was NO rejection on our ball field, team Kinshasa did feel the sting of defeat. 



We ended our day with dinner out for the adults and a pizza/movie night for the kids.

Feet in the Furnace

We are literally in the middle of our annual Family Conference, and last night the ladies on our team enjoyed fellowship, devotions, and a little pampering. 

Our theme this year is Joy In The Furnace. Debbie Martinez, one of our team speakers/teachers, has written a Bible Study with the same title. If her teachings this week are based on the book, I would highly recommend it. 

Without giving away the contents of Debbie's book, I can share that one of the things which really stood out to me yesterday is that God was making Himself famous through Shadrach, Meshack, and Abednigo and He is still making Himself famous through willing servants today. It occured to me that I have never seen this happen without someone "going through the furnace." God become famous when He does something that ONLY GOD CAN DO. No one earns fame by doing something ordinary  that anyone else can also do.

Am I willing to let God do something out of the ordinary in me and through me? Am I willing to jump into the furnace and trust Him with the results?

Another thing that has stood out to me is that this team of volunteers that we have, all six of them, came to serve us and minister to us, not to make a name for themselves. They answered God's call to come to a place that many would compare to a "furnace experience" and made sacrifices to do it and others made sacrifices to help them get here, and God orchestrated all of it in his great love for us. Amazing! 

Counting Down

Flowers in my yard, NB

MAF missionaries live in challenging conditions 24/7 and MAF takes member care seriously. We can't be effective in ministry if we are "running on empty" spiritually or physically. Each year we have a family conference, sort of a concentrated sabbath rest.  We spend time in worship, discipleship, fellowship, building team unity, and de-stressing.

Most often, a team from the U.S. comes to offer their gifts in teaching, encouraging, music, and serving to minister to us. Often new friendships are forged during their time here and I think by the time the conference ends and they return home, they are impacted as much as we are.

Our 2014 conference is not until April, but the countdown has already begun and folks on both continents are already preparing. Here's a little countdown of my own:

 In the five years we have been with MAF, we've attended four family conferences, in three countries, and they have all been times of restoration, encouragement, refreshment and growth.

This year, two people who are dear friends of one of our team members have sensed God leading them to come help with our family conference. Would you take just one minute to look at Mike and Debbie Martinez's blog: Sharing His Joy in the Congo and pray for them? Maybe even consider helping them get to Congo?

This year's conference theme is Joy in the Furnace. That's not a reference to the climate, even though it topped 100 degrees yesterday. Please pray for all of the people preparing for this conference and all of our team members here who are so looking forward to it!

 And pray for the MK's, the missionary kids. They need rejuvenation and encouragement too and the conference will include programs for the kids and teens.

I don't have good enough internet today to re-post them here, but if you want to see photos of some of our past conferences or read about their impact on our family, just click on the "family conference" label at the bottom of this post.

Jenn and Gracia

Photo by Marilyn Gorenflo

We've been reconnecting with MAF friends while here in Nampa, some of whom we have served with in Congo! Just look at that group of MK girls! Both kids have enjoyed making new friends and seeing old ones.

Another blessing for us that we weren't planning on but thoroughly enjoyed was getting to attend the MAF Family Conference. Family Conference means a lot of different things in MAF but one of those things is a chance to be a Mary instead of a Martha for a few days.

photo by Marilyn Gorenflo

Jenn Helvering led the worship music and spoke for one of the sessions. For those of you who do not already know, Jenn is the daughter of singer Sandi Patty. I remember Sandi Patty songs from my high school and college days and now her daughter is leading worship at our conference? Oh, I am old!


Jenn is uber-talented and a delightful person. I appreciated the time she took to talk with Emily and the other teen girls at the conference.

photo by Marilyn Gorenflo

Our other speaker was Gracia Burnham! I read her book In The Presence of My Enemies several years ago. Gracia made us laugh with her, and cry with her. She encouraged us and exhorted us. I had the pleasure of meeting her for just a couple minutes and will treasure the memory. Her story, not just the story of her time in captivity in the jungle but her story of God's work since her rescue, is astounding.

Several things Gracia said during the conference really resounded in my own heart and either convicted me, reminded me I was not so different from everyone else, or both. She shared that the hardest thing about her captivity was seeing her own heart not as she thought it was but as it really was. During our first term in overseas missions I learned that it does not take much hardship to bring out the ugly in me and that my heart needed a lot more work than I realized. None of us like to see that in ourselves but it is a good thing if it humbles us and helps us see how much we really need God, not just for our salvation but also for our freedom and transformation.

We wrapped it up with a picnic at a local park. For us that was a double treat because we had not seen a city park in years. The abundance of green, flowers, even trash cans and bathrooms, and the lack of concrete was refreshing. 

The songs and words chosen by Jenn and Gracia for the conference, along with the fellowship with our Nampa team, was something I really needed. Many times in those last six months or so before our furlough I told God, "Lord, I'm TIRED." We all were. When I think now about the fact that while I was telling Him I was tired, He had already planned this for me, it just amazes me.

Here are some extra photos from the conference.

photo by Marilyn Gorenflo

Gracia demonstrating the method she used to safeguard her privacy in the jungle.

A dodge ball game using giant marshmallows!

photo by Linda Whiting

ladder ball at the park. I love the look of intense concentration.

photo by Marilyn Gorenflo

The Gene Jordan photo bomb!

Picture This: Somber (and otherwise) moments during Family Conference

Thanks Jocelyn Frey for the photo!

The MAF family of west DRC has officially conferred and our conference time is over until next year. As always, there were many blessings. We had time to visit with one another in a relaxed, non-work/ministry setting, just getting to know one another better and enjoying each other's company. Since some of us live in Lubumbashi and all of us stay really busy, that is a rare treat. We enjoyed goodies that our pastoral team brought from the states - especially chocolates! The teaching sessions were great. The food was great - BONUS: we did not have to cook it! In the land of weirdo-unpredictable power that was a huge blessing.

I promise this is the LAST post about this year's conference. I just wanted to share some of the special moments with you, via photos.

photo credit: Jocelyn Frey

 On the last day of conference the kids showed off the songs they had learned. Except my kid, who was busy talking to his buddy, Nicholas. My gene pool is a strong one, what can I say?

photo credit: Jocelyn Frey

One really neat moment was when the pastors anointed us, all thirty-something of us, with oil and prayed for our team, even the kids. It was a very serious and touching moment...

Photo credit: Jocelyn Frey

...as you can see.










But then, Pastor Don was a very serious kinda guy. Truthfully, we have many special memories from this conference and lots of things to ponder in our hearts. Thank you, Walnut Creek Mennonite Church, Don, Brenda, Beau, and Nicole!












I already have a very nice group photo above of our entire team, plus the pastoral team from the states. I really like bloopers, though, so I thought you might enjoy these. Click on them to see an enlarged view.

Photo credit: Jocelyn Frey

Photo credit: Jocelyn Frey

Conference Time!

photo credit: Tim Dyk

This week we are having our annual Family Conference. I'll try to take photos for ya and post them. Meanwhile, here's a cool photo or two of our guys working on the planes. In both photos, my hubby is the one on the ground at the nose of the plane.

I don't get a lot of comments on the blog but I do get some emails. I hope you'll check out my latest post on the MAF Blog - Better Than Bitter. This post started as a response to an email from a blog reader/friend. 

Some things God has taught me here

The first ever All-DRC family conference is now underway and so far is going great!  We left Saturday and had an overnight layover in Nairobi.  We stayed at the Mayfied Guesthouse, which is run by the Africa Inland Mission.  There I enjoyed the best hot shower I have had in a very long time.  Water pressure makes ALL the difference!  The climate here is cooler, so I can honestly say that the only bad part of our stay at Mayfield was that the toilet seats were cold, painfully and shockingly cold.  Toilet seats aside, I would recommend Mayfield to anyone.

Several of the team from the east side of DRC were also at the Mayfield so our flight to Malindi on Sunday morning was almost entirely made up of MAF families.

We are less than 24 hours into the actual conference, but we are already incredibly glad we came and grateful for this experience.  It’s difficult to describe, but the release of stress and tension that we weren’t even always aware we were carrying has been almost tangible.

This morning our family had breakfast with Greg Prickett.  Greg is the missions pastor of Rose Drive Friends Church and leads the team that is doing our conference for us.  Greg asked us what God has taught us in our nearly two years here.  At first I had trouble answering but as the morning progressed, I chewed on that question and a few things came to mind that God has shown me since our family came to the Congo:

wall near our room at the conference

1. How “soft” I am.  I am a bigger pansy than even I thought.  But at the same time He has shown me that when I am not strong enough – His strength is made perfect in me.

2. I thought as a single income family that home schooled and lived without debt that we knew what it meant to make sacrifices.  Then I came here and He asked me to give up other things that I had taken for granted: my rights as a citizen (I am a guest here and have no rights.), convenience, steady elcectricity, clean and ample water, choices, access to news as it happens, frequent communication with family in the states, security, etc.  And I realize now that there are plenty of others who sacrifice much, much more.


3. I thought I trusted God – until I had to trust Him for more than I ever had before and the possibility of living in my own strength became less and less.

4. Realizing that I cannot live here in my own strength, let alone be involved in ministry work here, has made Phil. 4:13 mean more to me than it ever did before.  I can do all things through Christ, and nothing without Him.

5. People look at the outward appearance, and God looks at the heart.  There are two Congos.  The Congo we see when we only look at the surface, and the Congo we see when we look at the hurting and lost hearts of the people.

6. It’s not about me.  The more I focus my attention outside of myself, the easier I have found it to be content.  When I focus on myself, I open the doors to selfishness and discontentment.

7. My team needs me, and I need them. We are each other's family here.  They've extended a lot of grace to me as I adjusted to being here and they are priceless!