How Missionaries Tell Time

Clock for the railway at Whipsnade Zoo (Photo credit: Martin Pettitt)

The Bible makes many references to time.  Some are well-known, such as Ecclesiastes chapter 3 (There is a time for every thing and a season for every activity under heaven.) and Esther 4:14 (Who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?).  Revelation tells us that Satan knows his time is short.

Time seems to go very quickly when we think of our children growing or our loved ones aging.

Everyone marks time in their own way, but we all count down the time until events that are important to us: births, weddings, anniversaries, graduations, holidays, etc.  Missionaries tend to mark time by additional events.  We count down the days, months, or years until we get to leave for "the field," until furlough and our chance to see our families again, until a friend is scheduled to arrive or leave, until the electricity or water might return, until the government processes our paper work, etc.

Sometimes...the countdown seems to go like this:

 Ok, what really happened in this video is that we purchased a clock here and when we changed the batteries, the clock just randomly decided to go backwards.  We filmed it because we thought it was so bizarre.  A quick "thump" knocked some sense into the clock and it began working correctly again.  (I wish that application worked as well in other situations here!)  There have definitely been times in my life where I would have done things differently if I could have "turned back the clock."  Other times, the clock moves way too slowly or way too quickly.

I'm thankful that God is not governed by time like we are.  He never sleeps, never grows weary, and always has perfect timing! When I grow old and feeble in mind or body, the Ancient of Days will still be all-powerful, all-knowing and ever present with me. And when I think I'll never last until the next event, whether it's furlough or a day of electricity, He is my sustainer.

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.

A Historic Day for the People of Congo

Image via Wikipedia

Image via Wikipedia

Today was a historic day for the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo.  The International Criminal Court has issued it's first verdict - guilty.  Thomas Lubanga Dyilo, after a prolonged trial that began in 2009, has been convicted of abducting and recruiting child soldiers as young as 11 in the eastern Ituri region and using them to participate in armed conflict.  Lubanga Dyilo has been accused of other atrocities, including abducting young girls and forcing them to serve as sex slaves.  I have a teenage daughter and a ten year old son.  I can't begin to imagine the agony those children and their parents have suffered.  There are still others out there in Congo and in other countries who exploit children and use them as weapons.  There are still thousands of child soldiers in this country.  There is still much to be done, but today a step was taken in the right direction.  Finally, the cycle of impunity may truly be breaking.

The Congo needs justice.  She also needs healing.  Pray for truth to prevail, for an end to impunity, for healing, hope and salvation.

related articles:
Lubanga guilty of using child soldiers
In landmark ruling, ICC finds Congolese warlord guilty of recruiting child soldiers

How to Exponentially Increase Your Husband's Stress

Photo source: Reusable Art

Some times when a person is under stress or having a hard time, blessing them is not the temptation that first presents itself.  We don't usually deal with our stress and problems by being all sweetness and warm fuzzies.  Often we drive people away.  But we married our men for better or for worse, and most days, my husband receives the "worse" and I receive the "better."  I know all sorts of things that definitely do not bless my husband (or anyone else) during  a stressful time.  I know, because I have at one time or another tried all of them in the 21 years we've been married.

How to Exponentially Increase Your Husband's Stress (subtitled: stuff I learned not to do after I had already done them):

1. Reacting instead of responding.
2. Assuming because he hasn't said anything more about it, that the problem has gone away.
3. Taking it personally when he is quieter than usual or when he says something he normally wouldn't.
4. Inviting people over to distract him from his troubles.  Never works.  Never.
5. Talking to him incessantly.  I don't know why, but they don't like this.
6. Trying to "one up" him - let him know how much longer my list of problems is than his.
7. Ask him when he's going to fix the car, the toilet, etc.
8. Tell him to just get over it or to stop making such a big deal out of it.
9. Committing him to more activities without asking him first.
10. Play the martyr.  Make a big production out of everything you do for him.

photo source: Reusable Art

I found an article called "10 Ways to Bless Your Husband When He Is Having a Stressful Week."  The big difference between the list that Sandra Peoples has written and my list is that her list revolves around the other person, not around self.  I like this little article because it is practical and do-able.  I don't have to read his mind or do acupuncture or learn to play golf.  Just look for real things I can do that give him one less thing to think about here, one less thing to do there, a few more minutes of rest in between, and a little less chaos.

So, if you are interested, check out 10 Ways to Bless Your Husband When He Is Having a Stressful Week.  Then just in case she's having a stressful week, leave her an encouraging comment.  I'd love to hear your ideas too!

Any Place Else

Emily arrived home Thursday evening, happy and exhausted.  She had a great time on the youth trip.  While she was gone, I home schooled my friend’s daughter until her mom came back from a trip.  I cut the fabric for a new quilt project.  Now I just need free time and electricity at the same time so I can start assembling it.  Maybe I don’t have the best hobbies for living here, since both digital scrapbooking and quilting require electricity.  Or maybe it makes me more appreciative when I do get to work on them.  OH!  And Daniel found the memory card I lost in December!  Yaay!  Somehow it ended up tucked between two games in the closet.  Maybe we should play games more often.

Yesterday a group of us MAF wives went to the orphanage together.  Here are a couple of the sweeties I encountered in Kimbondo this trip.

I noticed Marina right away because one of the sisters, Nori, was playing with a group of kids and Marina was the only one who wasn’t smiling or participating.  When I mentioned it to Nori, she told me that Marina has just been there a few days and is still in shock.  She is 5 years old and is the size of a 2-3 year old because of severe malnutrition.  This could be the first time in her life she is being fed on a regular basis.  She had several skin eruptions, also due to the malnutrition.  Nori told me that Marina had been abandoned at the orphanage and arrived with an infection.  She still had a fever.  I thank God that she was left there and not on the streets, but Marina is still very hurt and confused.

Emmanuel has been at Kimbondo Pédiatrie for some time but I had never met him because he was too weak and was in the infirmary.  He’s finally strong and healthy enough to be in with the other children his age.  Emmanuel can’t walk or talk, but he can sure smile!  

I really do not know what would happen to  Marina and Emmanuel if they had ended up any place else, and honestly I don’t like to think about it.  The orphanage at Kimbondo actually began as a clinic for treating malnutrition in the region, grew into a hospital over time, and then also an orphanage.  They have the capability to treat Marina’s health issues and a physical therapist for Emmanuel.  They have staff like Nori.  The most negative thing I have ever heard Nori say was in response to a remark I made when she and I were each holding several children and there were others crying because they wanted to be held also.  I said I wished we had enough arms to hold them all.  Nori replied: “that is the problem.”   

Pray for Marina in the upcoming weeks and months, that God will heal her body and her broken spirit and help her to adjust to her new home.  Pray for Emmanuel to continue growing stronger.  Pray that God will give wisdom, strength, and encouragement to Nori and the other staff.

Who Wants to be a Stink Bomb?

Image via Wikipedia

Several days ago, I noticed a bad odor when I was in the kitchen. I joked about it, telling my friends that “something is rotten in the state of Denmark,” meaning my my pantry. I checked the onions and potatoes. I checked the floor, thinking a cat might have had an accident. I found stale bread, but never found the source of the smell.  

We just kept tolerating it. No one wanted to clean the pantry from top to bottom. Everyone hoped the smell would magically go away on its own.

Then a couple nights ago David had to move some stuff around in there. I heard him ask “what’s going on with the tomato paste?” I had purchased a box of 100 cans of tomato paste because they were cheaper that way and stored the box in the pantry. Many of them were swelling on the ends and several had obviously ruptured. Instead of red tomato paste though, the cans were covered in a sticky black goo and grey mold. Voila! L’odeur! Of course we had to pull the box out and clean up the mess. Afterwards, though, the smell was gone.

We are like those cans when we keep toxins bottled up inside: angry thoughts, unforgiveness, criticism and bitterness. Sometimes instead of dealing with things and asking God to forgive and heal us, we stuff it all in and slam a lid on it. Eventually we explode like a bomb, usually on someone we love who is totally innocent. Or we simmer, exuding a bad “odor” so we are like poison in the atmosphere around us.  Christians are the aroma of Christ among both the saved and the lost.  I would much rather be "aromatherapeutic" (is that a word?) than noxious.

Tragedy in Brazzaville

Congo river (Photo credit: Karin.Lakeman)

Yesterday morning we heard a series of loud explosions.  Windows opened and slammed shut, the house shook, our ears popped, chairs moved.  Everyone here does not own a television or a radio, and news coverage is not live and instant, so people were guessing and rumors were flying as to the cause.  We were told more than one story.  There was an invasion from Brazzaville, the capitol city of the Republic of the Congo across the river.  We were told a munitions dump had exploded.  A military depot full of explosives was on fire.  There was a coup.  Etc.

Image via Wikipedia

As it turned out, an arms depot in Brazzaville really had caught fire and caused the explosions.  Our church lost a window.  Friends of ours now have a cracked ceiling.  I have not heard of any injuries or deaths here in Kinshasa, but my heart is hurting for Brazzaville right now.  Some estimate over 200 deaths so far and collapsed buildings may contain more dead.  Hundreds have been injured.  Churches collapsed on entire congregations.  One report I read that broke my mommy heart said that the government had to take custody of numerous children found wandering the streets, separated from their parents and unable to locate them.  We have missionary friends across the river.  They are in the northeast region of the country, far from where the blasts occurred, but I am certain their hearts are breaking for the country they serve and love.  Please pray for the Congo Republic and the people of Brazzaville.  Pray for the Christians who are there, that God will use them to bring hope and healing.

Related articles

• Congo's Brazzaville hit by blasts (bbc.co.uk)
• About 200 killed in explosions in the Republic of Congo (theglobeandmail.com)

What-cha-ma-call-it?

I've been thinking for a while that I would like to add a description in the title section of the blog so people can actually tell what the blog is about at first glance.  I asked my family for ideas and while it generated a long and lively discussion, none of us came up with anything that everyone liked.  One member suggested I keep it simple and use "things that happen to me and what I think about them."  Other suggestions offered were "coffee break considerations" and "reflections of a missionary."

What do you think?  How would you describe this blog for someone in just one phrase or sentence?  Would you use a scripture?  Humor?  Keep it simple?  Help me out here.

***update***

I received a few suggestions and emails and after thinking it over for a while, decided to keep it simple and just add "journal of an unlikely missionary." 

Bad Tasting Medicine

photo credit: Reusable Art

Daniel was sick this week.  When you live in or have traveled to Africa, and you develop a sudden high fever, it is prudent to test for malaria.  Daniel tested negative and it turned out to be just a "bug."  He's much better now.  He's a pretty smart kid, getting sick during the school week and then recovering in time for the weekend.  The rest of us seem to have managed to fight off whatever it is he caught thus far.  Emily's youth group is going on a retreat next week during spring break, so pray for their safety and for the speaker.  Last year Josh and Emily came back spiritually refreshed and physically exhausted.  The kittens have opened their eyes and are starting to actually walk, as opposed to dragging their little bodies around with their front legs like seals.  We are really enjoying them.  I can't say the same about their mama today since last night she decided to sharpen her claws on my Bible and tore up parts of John and Acts.  I was tired and left it on the table, opened, when I went to bed.  I should have known better.  She's always had a paper fetish.  

************

I count it a privilege as well as a calling to home school.  Once one of the kids, at a young age, came to me with a question about the history lesson on the life of Abraham.  “Mom, what’s circumcision?”  I explained.  A couple of days later, the same child asked, “Mom, what’s weaning?”  I explained.  The next day, as my child was getting out books and preparing to read a history lesson, I heard this proclamation: “I don’t think I wanna ask anymore questions about history!”  I asked why and my child replied: “cause I don’t like the answers.”

            I love that my kids feel comfortable being honest and direct with me, even if it means telling me they don’t like my answers.  When I heard my child’s statement, I suppressed my laugh and we talked about how even if what we discuss isn’t a fun or comfortable subject, I would always give truthful answers.   

            Sometimes I have to hear truths that I don’t find enjoyable.  Like this morning when I woke up and my husband told me the cat had torn up my Bible.  Or when someone I love was diagnosed with cancer.  Or when God reveals something to me that I need to repent of or surrender to Him.  Sometimes I feel like saying to God: “I don’t think I want to ask you to search my heart anymore.”   Other times I don’t want to ask God what his will is about something because I already know it, or think I do, and I don’t want to hear it.  Sometimes the truth is like a bad tasting medicine.  It tastes awful, and we don't want to take it, but once ingested it works for our good.

            I’m grateful that I can trust God to always give me truthful answers.  He IS the Truth.  I can be confident that even if what He tells me is unpleasant, it is for my good, so I need not be afraid to hear it.

The Truth Will Set You Free (John 8:31) (Photo credit: technovore)

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?

Beauty from Ashes at the Orphanage

Last Tuesday evening, I received a phone call.  Lauree was in Kinshasa for a short time to adopt a toddler and to do some volunteer work.  She and three other Christian ladies, all representing Our Family in Africa, were planning a visit to the orphanage in Kimbondo on the following morning. Did I want to accompany them?

So the following morning Daniel and I walked down to the commercial center in our neighborhood and found their interpreter waiting for us near the vehicle - a beat up taxi van.  There were two women in the back and two Congolese men in the front (the interpreter and the driver).  Quick introductions were made and then....I did something my mother taught me as a child to never do anywhere, much less in a third world country...I got into a van full of strangers and we headed off to Kimbondo.

We went on Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, and the orphanage is Catholic, so I didn't know if showing up unannounced on a holy day was a good idea or not.  My new friends had loaded down the back of the van and the back of another vehicle with gifts for the orphanage: clothing, medicine, food, baby formula, toys, and toiletries.  When we arrived I introduced them to Father Hugo and stood back to watch the magic.  Father Hugo's countenance changed with each bag and box that was unloaded from the vehicles and placed in front of the office.  He didn't have to say "thank you," because it was written all over his face, but he said it several times anyway.  He explained to us that it was the first day of Lent, the beginning of a season of sacrificial giving to God and spiritual reflection.  He did not believe it a coincidence that God had sent those supplies, so badly needed, on that particular day.  He was deeply touched.  Jules, the interpreter, summed it all up for all of us when he said he wanted to cry.

Father Hugo gave us a brief tour of the orphanage and the hospital.  The ladies had already visited a number of other orphanages in Kinshasa so I asked them how Kimbondo compared with those.  They said there is no comparison.  This orphanage, the largest they had seen thus far, was clean, for starters.  The kids were clean and well nourished.  They told me stories of the disheartening conditions they saw in the other orphanages.

After that, we got to play!  Some of that giant care package included balloons and bubbles, which we distributed to every kid we could find.  I'm not sure who had more fun, the kids or the adults.

Ashes symbolize mourning and grief.  In the case of Ash Wednesday, ashes are a tangible reminder of our own mortality and what is supposed to be happening within us: grief over our sins, leading to repentance and renewal.  Surrounded on Wednesday by all those beautiful smiles on the faces of the orphans, I was reminded of Isaiah 61:1-3,  

"The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.  He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion - to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor."

Pray for Father Hugo and his staff as they care for these kids, who are all too familiar with mourning, and proclaim the Good News to them.

I am so grateful to Lauree, Lynette, Darcy and Kim for allowing me to share their day with them.  In this hard place, it was a real balm to my soul and an encouragement to my spirit to see how their gifts touched Father Hugo and the children.  Thanks, ladies, for letting God use you to make a difference in Congo!

I Slept on a Popsicle

Popsicle - Orange Cherry Grape (Photo credit: frozenfoodjournal)

Last night I slept on a popsicle.  When we first arrived in Kinshasa, we were loaned furniture, appliances, cookware, etc. until our shipment arrived and we could afford to purchase our own things.  Last summer we finally acquired our own bed when a departing family was selling their water bed.  They told us when we bought it that we should keep a blanket between the mattress and the fitted sheet to avoid getting too cold.  Too cold?  We live in central Africa.  But, banking on the fact that they had more experience with waterbeds than we did, which was none, we followed their instructions.  Until yesterday.  I took the blanket off to wash and didn't get it dried before bedtime because the power was out.  So we just put the sheets on and went to bed, thinking that since the power was off it probably would be a blessing anyway if the mattress was a little on the cool side.  I started out cold as soon as my back hit the mattress, but when the power came back on sometime during the night and hubby jumped up and turned on the a/c, our bed became a popsicle.  (Yes, Marilyn, you told me so!)  It was like laying on a giant version of those squishy ice packs you keep in your freezer for when you injure yourself.  I ended up getting a pair of socks (I'd forgotten I even owned socks.) and another blanket so I could sleep on top of the covers and insulate myself.  David even got cold and turned off the a/c.

Not that I'm complaining.  Our old bed was hot and uncomfortable (see our bed story HERE).  And many people here in Kinshasa sleep on a mat on a dirt or concrete floor with no screens or mosquito nets.  I am very grateful.   But I have learned that when a good friend gives you advice, it is often worth heeding.

Speaking of good friends - several years ago we went to a New Year's Eve get together with some friends.  It was a sort of potluck, everyone bringing whatever they wanted to contribute to the gluttony of the evening.  My friend Amy brought pepperoni chicken, which immediately became a family favorite and we begged the recipe off her.   Pepperoni is a real treat here, hard to find and expensive, so this meal makes my family feel very much loved and a little less homesick.  Here's the recipe, with my Congo adaptations:

Pepperoni Chicken - serves 8

1 small package of ppperoni (or to taste)

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or meat from 1kg chicken leg quarters)

1 package gemeli pasta (something curly like rotini or macaroni)

2 jars of spaghetti sauce (roughly six cups, I use more if I add extra chicken)

1 Tbs Parmesan cheese (Gruyere is a good substitute and cheaper in Congo)

2 Tbs oil

Dash of Italian seasoning

Dash of crushed red pepper

Mozzarella cheese (Just enough to spread over the top.  Gouda is a cheaper substitute and works OK)

Combine chicken, oil and Italian seasoning.  Marinate half an hour.  (I often forget to thaw my chicken in advance, then end up boiling it, leaving out the oil altogether, and just adding the Italian seasoning when I mix it all together.)  Brown chicken.  Meanwhile cook pasta.  Combine everything except the mozzarella and place in a greased casserole dish.  Top with mozzarella.  Bake at 350F for 10-15 minutes.

Although my driver is still out of town, I was able to visit the orphanage this week!  I'll tell you all about it in my next post.

Learning About Lent

Lent (Photo credit: Fr. Stephen, MSC)

Growing up, all I knew about Lent I learned from my Catholic friends who gave up things like bubble gum or soda for several weeks. None of the Baptist churches of my childhood taught or practiced Lent. Here in Congo, we attend an international Protestant church with people from all over the world representing multiple denominations. One result of this is that I hear more about Lent.

Curious, I did a little reading up on it. Lent is not just about giving up something. Observing Lent is about drawing closer to Christ, spiritual discipline, and preparing for the Easter celebration of Christ’s resurrection in the same way that celebrating Advent prepares us for Christmas. It keeps our focus off the secularisms and commercial trappings and on our Lord. Lent is meant to bring about repentance and renewal. It’s about reflecting on and grieving over our sins – something we don’t hear about too much anymore. That one got me. Do I grieve over my sins? Elliot Ryan wrote: “Perhaps, after we examine our hearts and lives, we will be led to cry out to God as David did, ‘Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me’ (Psalm 51:9-10).” (My new verses for this week's 52 Challenge)

I know repentance is not an annual thing but something I should practice continuously. However, I think having a season of reflection and self-denial and spending that time and energy we would normally expend gratifying ourselves in prayer instead could be valuable and beneficial. I’ve decided to observe Lent this year and see what God will do.

What about you? Were you taught the observance of Lent while growing up? Or recently? Do you believe observing Lent is a good thing?

Sources and related articles:
Why You Should Celebrate Lent - Elliot Ryan's article
Journey to the Cross - excellent devotionals for the Lent season
What is Lent? - a good explanation of the origin and purpose of Lent

One Hundred and a Handful

image created with "I Am This Many" kit by Amy Stoffel of Scrap Orchard.

This is my 100^th blog post.  TAH-DAH!  I considered hosting a giveaway (legally called a sweepstakes) for you in celebration, but I’ve decided not to even though I LOVE giving presents.  I have determined that for me, the cons outweigh the pros.  Since I blog simply because I like to, and to keep in touch with people in my life, my motivations for hosting a giveaway would mainly be to thank readers and to increase traffic to my microscopic little blog.  THANK YOU!!!  Okay, now I've thanked my readers.  As for increasing traffic to my blog, I wonder what kind of traffic a giveaway would really bring.  My group of readers is very small, just a handful by blogging standards.  Since there is no other incentive, they must read my blog for the content (or because they love me so much).  I think I would like to keep it that way.  I love comments, but I am not interested in “drive by comments” from people who just want to sign up for a freebie and have no interest at all in me or my blog.  If my blog stays little and obscure because of that, I'm OK with it.

I also do not have the money to hire a lawyer or the time to do research to make sure a sweepstakes is legal and to minimize my liability.  The FTC, the IRS, the USPS, the ABC, the 123 and the XYZ all in some fashion regulate sweepstakes, contests, and lotteries on blogs and web sites just as they do elsewhere.  There are about a bazillion laws.   I would have to follow all the sweepstakes laws of every state and country of every participant.  There is a fine line between a sweepstakes and an illegal lottery, even if there is no money charged.  I deeply desire to glorify my Savior through my blog, so I will not take the risk of accidentally breaking the law. 

It has been my prayer that God would bless this blog and He has.  Not with huge numbers of “page views” but in the way He has connected me with people I would never have otherwise come into contact with.  I have been so encouraged by the comments and emails I have received!  It is a huge blessing to hear from someone that something I have shared has touched them and encouraged them or made them laugh.  

A true giveaway is offered to every participant, not just to one whose name is randomly selected.  God loves each of us.  There is no random drawing or luck involved in salvation.  You don't have to hope to win salvation.  You can know you have it.  It is a gift for any who choose to accept by faith.  I will keep sharing with each of you all the “Cool Beans!” stuff in my life - our stories from the mission field and our family, lessons He teaches me, etc.  I will keep praying for each of you and thanking God for you.  To paraphrase a Keith Green song “I’ll just keep doing my best, and pray that it’s blessed, and He’ll take care of the rest!”  In the meantime, I give all of you my gratitude.

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile." -- Romans 1:16

"If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." --Romans 10:9

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Is Your Giveaway Legal?

Contests and Giveaways - Good Idea or Legal Problem?

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On Being Jealous of a Cat

page created with "Doodle Pets" kit by Michelle McCoy of Scrapbook MAX!

     A few months ago a half-grown, starving cat wandered to our home.  “Piper” quickly became part of our family.  This week Piper had kittens!  She tried to have her babies on a prom dress that had been given to Emily.  I caught her clawing at it and shut her out of Emily’s room.  She was so determined to use that dress (We girls do like pretty dresses!) that she stood outside Emily’s door for a very long time and went into labor in the hallway so we had to move her. 

     I’m a little bit jealous of Piper right now.  Not because she had five babies in one day OR because she now lives most of her life in a laundry basket.  She’s strong.  She only meowed once through the whole ordeal of birthing five kittens.  My own labors were a teensy bit less serene.  She had her old figure back within 24 hours.  (absolutely NOT FAIR!)   She always seems to know what to do for her babies.  Piper is a good little momma.  She never seems to get upset or angry.  She EVEN looks like she is smiling while she’s laying there in that basket nursing five babies at once for twenty hours out of every day.  Even if she could talk, I don’t think she would complain.  It's not her nature to complain.  Elliot, our other cat, complains enough for both of them anyway.

     Piper instinctively knows what I too often forget: “It’s not about me.” I want to see even the most mundane tasks as golden opportunities to bless and nurture my kids.  I want to be more patient and gentle.  I want to go about the business of managing our home pleasantly, not with grumbling and complaining.  I want to “shine like stars in the universe” as I hold out the word of life to my children and to everyone else around me. 

     I am grateful for God’s mercy and grace when I make mistakes as a mom.  I’m also grateful that I can trust Him to continue transforming me into a more Christ-like person and finish what He has started in me.

My Funny Valentine

What do you do when your turn to bring snacks to Bible study falls on Valentine's Day?  You make cupcakes of course!  A while back I found a rare treat - real cream cheese on sale for a somewhat reasonable price.  I therefore decided to make my first ever red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting.  Naturally, in the best interests of the ladies in my Bible study group, I had to test them since this was an untried recipe.  Oh, my, these are good.  Maybe I still have time to make something else to take to Bible study.....

I found the recipe on the internet, here.  I have no idea who she is, but she makes incredible cupcakes.

My Valentine gift this week was so awesome!  To quote a song we used to sing in Brownies when I was a girl, "I am sure you couldn't guess it, if you guessed a long, long while."  Drum roll please.....I got a 12-volt light in my bathroom that runs off a battery!  No more shaving or doing other bathroom stuff in the dark!  Hubby finished installing it and we decided we like it better than the light that runs off the electricity because now we can see both sides of our faces in the mirror!  Ok, it's a strange gift.  But I love it!

I am still working on memorizing Isaiah 41:13 for the 52 Challenge.  I've almost got it.  Next I'm going to learn Psalm 141:3 "Set a guard over my mouth, O LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips." Nuff said about that one.

Incomparably Great Power

Kitchen Aid (Photo credit: John-Morgan)

Have you ever heard the expression "I don't know whether I'm coming or going?"  My mom used to say it when she was either so busy or so tired that she was in a state of confusion.  Her brain couldn't deal with it all anymore.  We joke here that we never know whether the electricity is coming or going, but apparently our western-culture brains really don't know what to do with the randomness of the power outages.  Many times one of the kids has walked into a room where all the lights are obviously on and asked "do we have electricity?"  David has come home from work and found us sitting in the heat with no fans or a/c on because we had gotten so used to not having power that when it WAS on, we didn't think to use it.  I was preparing dinner this week and making dough.  As I worked with the dough and my arms began to get tired I told David that I should have used my KitchenAde.  He remarked that I had said that before and asked why I didn't.  I said I had been used to not having power and didn't think to use it.  Then just yesterday I was washing dishes in the dark and halfway through I realized  I didn't have to do it that way.  I had forgotten that we had power.  It made me wonder how much energy and time I waste struggling in life because I forget that I have access to God's incomparably great power and therefore don't use it.  Far too much, I'm afraid.

"I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.  That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come."  Ephesians 1: 18-21

The 52 Challenge

image created with Crisp Linens kit by Kathy Woolery of Scrapbook Max!

This week is topsy turvy. I am homeschooling a couple of extra children this week, beginning yesterday, so I went to the orphanage Monday instead of my usual Friday in order to give them a consistent schedule. We took a few toys with us and when the staff saw them they brought out more toys from storage so there would be plenty to go around. We had one of those "See and Say" toys where you pull the handle and it makes animal sounds to match the pictures. The kids liked that but they were more interested in their discovery that the holes on the back where the toy was screwed together were just the right size for all their used lollipop sticks. Sort of like tinker toys. As always we had fun. I was mostly over my illness but still fatigued and those giggles were good medicine!

We are grateful no one else in the family caught my illness! Please pray for our electricity. Once again the electric company has simply cut the line to our street altogether because they didn't want to come out and fix the problem. We have friends trying to help but don't know how long it will take. It can vary here from a few hours to several weeks.

I found a blog this weekend that began a challenge in January to memorize a Bible verse each week for a year. I know it's February but the author encouraged readers to join the challenge any time and just continue until we learn 52 verses. So who is up for a challenge? Check out The 52 Challenge.  I am going to begin with this one:

Isaiah 41:13 - "For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, 'Do not fear; I will help you.'"

I love the image this verse gives of God taking hold of my hand.  As a parent, I remember taking the hands of my children when they were little to help them navigate without falling if the pavement was rough, to keep them from straying into dangers like traffic or crowds, and to make them feel secure.  When I tell my kids not to be afraid and that I will help them, it is because I mean it.  I am watching out for them and protecting them and I desire for them to trust me.  I can picture God telling me "I've got this," and taking my hand to guide me and keep me from stumbling, whether through my dark house and neighborhood because the power is out, or through the darkness, chaos and oppression of this crazy world we live in.  And I'm reminded that when He tells me not to fear, it is because He will help me.  He's in control.  He's holding my hand, and He's "got my back."