Follow-up to Cameroon

I had forgotten about this blog, but signed on so I could comment on a friends blog. I was shocked to see how many people have looked at these blogs in the past year. Last month over 200 people looked at my old blog - from all over the world! When I first started writing, my purpose was to keep my friends and family informed about our trip to Cameroon and fill in all the fun details of living there. I loved watching the stats and getting feedback from my friends, especially during some of the lonelier days. It seems very amusing to me that anyone else would find any of this interesting.

Since we have returned home, life has gone on at the same crazy speed as ever. One difference that shows me that we will never be the same from our experience we shared as a family- a day does not go by that one of us does not reference a memory from Africa. I love that we will always have these amazing memories. We are constantly comparing our days in Minnesota to what they were like in Cameroon. We all share the longing we have to see our friends that will always have a place in our hearts. Another change that I see is that our prayer life is a little richer - oh how I would love to have the depth of prayer that some of our African friends have. The missionaries that we have met along the way (especially those who were our neighbors), are prayed for as if they were family. I have so much respect and admiration for the missionaries that are working side by side with our brothers and sisters in Cameroon bringing God's Word to the ends of Cameroon (and beyond). I honestly cannot think of any other 3 month time of my life that had a greater impact on me or my family. My faith deepened, my eyes were opened to what the "true" missionaries do on a day to day basis and all that they give up for the Kingdom of God. I am stirred to be discontent with who I am and settling for living a "comfortable" life. I'm constantly praying and asking God what he wants to do through my life here in Minnesota. Asking and waiting for clear answers but seeing my family as my main ministry. I see my job of discipling my kids as an even greater calling. My children have been changed in ways I never could have imagined - I am excited to see all that will mean as they spread their wings and explore the path that God will take them on as young adults.

It has been over a year since our whole family returned from our great adventure.  This past January (exactly one year from the date we went last year) - Kyle and Drew returned to Cameroon to work on a concrete project in Bamenda.  This was not in our plan but when the opportunity came they just could not refuse.    The time they spent there was quite different than our time in Ndu and there were not the daily blog of all that they did.  Two other men from our church joined them for 2 of the weeks that they were there.  Kyle and Drew added a 3rd week and headed up to see our friends in Ndu again.  It was encouraging for them to connect again with many of the people that had imprinted themselves on our lives.  They also made new friends in Bamenda.  Drew told me of a family that had them over a few times for pizza and fellowship - missionaries from the states who have been in Cameroon for 20 years or so.  He said I would love meeting the wife - and that we would certainly be good friends.  Sadly, Karen Jackson died recently  - leaving her husband and daughters (and the whole Jackson Village) mourning their loss.  Even though I had never met her, I found myself mourning with them and looking forward to that day when I shall meet her.  Her death has challenged me.   I read of the joy that all those who knew of her talk about, of the dedication she had towards her family and her extended "village", of her deep love for her Savior and how that love drove her to show Christ to those around her.  She lived her life to the fullest and there will be a large whole left in this world.   She was only a few years older than I - and I am reminded that life is short.  Her life and their blog have challenged me to want to be a brighter light and to take more risks as I live a life fully sold out for our Lord Jesus.  As I see all the people from all over the world searching for something new to read.... I hope that they will come across one of my blogs and find encouragement and hope.

My family often talks of how we long to return to Cameroon... but actually, I believe we are longing for our home in Heaven.  Cameroon showed us a glimpse of the fellowship we can share with believers from all areas of the world.... Heaven will be that and so much more.  I can't wait for that ADVENTURE!!!!

More of my observations

Some things here in Cameroon are just so different it makes me laugh. Just this morning I made a phone call to the man in charge of a taxi service here in Ndu. We need to arrange a ride to Bamenda next week and I have been trying to get in touch with him but I was getting only a busy signal. This morning I finally got an answer but barely into my call when my phone went dead. I went to plug it in and we had no power, so I figured I would try again later. Meanwhile, Levi and I headed down the hill to go to the health center. As we were walking, a car came down the road we had just past honking his horn and flashing the lights - strange behavior even for Ndu. I stopped to see what it was all about and a man jumped out and greeted me, it was the taxi guy. He had tried calling me back but got a busy signal, the only information I had given him was that I was at CBTS. Wow, what service. I was able to tell him when we needed a ride and he agreed to meet with Drew and I together a few days before we leave to get the details worked out. Nice to have that off my list, especially since we still do not have electricity. Can you imagine in America if your conversation was cut short with a dead battery and moments later the person showed up at your door to finish the conversation?

Levi was tested for malaria this morning and it did come back negative - Yeah! We got some medicine for parasites so hopefully he will be feeling better soon. While waiting for 3 hours between our registration, consultation, lab work, more consultation and then the pharmacy, I had a lot of opportunity to observe the people around me. One thing I have noticed since arriving here is that women seem to embrace their chin hairs and today I noticed several women with actual go-tees growing. Many of the women wear a wrappa around their skirts and this is very useful for waiting - they just throw the outer wrappa on the grass and use it for a blanket (I will have to remember that next time we go to the health center). Another thing I noticed is that "Minnesota Nice" does not work well when you are waiting in Africa - people do not usually take turns but push to get waited on as soon as possible. You really need to stand your ground or you could spend the whole day waiting and never get service. Yesterday I went to the Moneygram place in Ndu to get some money my brother had wired me. There were probably 20 people waiting and when I arrived the security guy ushered me to the front of the line. I wasn't sure what was happening at first but once I realized I felt very awkward. I did not have the right information though and was unable to get my money, therefore I felt very relieved that I had not waited hours to find that out. I'm going back today but plan to wait my turn.

One thing that I will miss that just doesn't happen at home, is the greetings that happen everywhere you go... and it's not just that we are white, everyone greets everyone. It takes longer to get from place to place because people say "Good morning Madame", "Good Afternoon" or the kids shout "Hello, how are you?" (over and over). People shake your hand and sometimes hold their arm when they do this as a sign of respect. As our time is coming to an end we have had numerous invitations to have supper (fufu and jamajama most likely). The Africans we have met have taught me so much about being hospitable and making people feel welcome. As you enter their homes they often say "You are welcome".

Saturday Evening Post

Had a lovely night with the Schroth family at our home in Ndu. It's been a long week but a good one in many ways. Ellie was recruiting painters for the child care center so I went and painted benches. Drew poured some steps today - I'm hoping to post his progress with pictures one of these days. One thing I have noticed is how little garbage our family generates here in Cameroon. At home it would not be uncommon for us to have at least one large kitchen garbage bag a day plus a bin of recycled items. Since we have been in this house, we have had one small target size bag for 3 - 4 days. We have eaten plenty of food but very little is packaged. We also keep a slop bucket for Martha's pig. Our refrigerator is quite small so we try not to have too many leftovers. Drew has brought leftovers to the men he works with just so we don't have to deal with them. This works well especially when it's a meal we maybe didn't care for too much because it was too authentic Cameroonian, which means the other workers love it. Today I met our new cook Irene - she is lovely and very cheerful. The house we are living in used to be her uncle's house so she is familiar with the kitchen. Clovis was here today putting in shelves for me outside our bathroom, he'll be back on Monday to put up shelves in the kitchen. He is a student here at CBTS and can use the extra income. It's starting to feel like a home. Tonight we had 4 extra kids and their parents - loved having all the action in here. We thrive around people and I'm so thankful we can use this home to entertain and fellowship with others here in Ndu.

Last Day With Our Team

We just had a sweet time with all of us together, reminiscing about our time here up in Ndu. We took turns telling a high and a low from our time and giving words of encouragement. It's always fun to see how God brings people together on mission trips. You spend day in and day out with people who you aren't normally used to being around, and in our case people have to spend time with my whole family. I feel our team was very united and that is a result of many prayers. I was in tears earlier today as I thought of what a blessing it has been to be with these other women and how much I will miss them.

Tomorrow we will move out of this home and into our little yellow house. It will be a much quieter evening without the laughter of having 9 people in one house going a little loopy. This has been such a nice place to stay, but during supper I went into the kitchen and a mouse ran across my slipper. I was very calm about it because it happened so fast I think I was in shock. So now I'm thankful to be moving to a kitchen with a cock roach and away from my kitchen with a mouse. I will miss all the cupboard space.

Pray for our team as they travel that rough road back to Bamenda and then on to Yaounde' the following day. Pray for us also as we transition into serving for the next 2 months without the support of a team. We have met the other missionaries and they are so supportive in helping me to understand all the ways of Cameroon.

Today our friends the Schroth family bought a chicken and had it slaughtered. Levi and Kyle were so excited to watch the action, they even took my camera to record it. I arrived shortly after the chickens neck was sliced and Levi was close to tears. He has a very tender heart and it was just too much for him. I think he also felt some empathy since it wasn't that long ago that his own neck had been sliced open and it brought back bad memories. Even tonight when we were doing our "High and Low" game he couldn't mention the chicken experience.

I'm so thankful for this experience, even if some of my blogs may sound like I am complaining. In truth, I have many emotions that go through me as I am experiencing life in Ndu, my blog is just my place to process the good and the bad. I will not sugar coat it and make you think it is "easy" - I think everything is harder here. I would love a hot shower, but for now I am thankful for my Norwex cloths. You get so dirty here even if you try to stay clean. Be thankful for the cold snow in MN... that is if you have any yet.

Ndu

We have been in Ndu for 2 days now and are feeling settled (somewhat).  Right now our whole team is living in a house that is usually used by visiting teachers to the seminary.  We have 2 beautiful women cooking for us: Ancella and Martha.  They have made the most amazing meals for us, although too much for our small group.  Today we ate beans and rice and I had to fight the urge not to eat until I burst – so good!  The house that our family will live in once the team leaves is just up the hill a ways.  Alyssa, Kaley and Ellie cleaned the floors and the kitchen yesterday so it’s starting to look better.  I had Drew rearrange the bedroom furniture but we are still waiting for the mattresses to arrive.  We were told maybe today but the day is almost over and they have not come yet.  There are a couple of baby goats that like to hang out outside our door of our home, they get a little crazy at times and it sounds like someone is trying to break in.  As I was walking away from our little yellow house towards the team house, I heard someone shout.  I didn’t think it could be for me but I looked to see what the shouting was for.  There were two men walking towards me with a refrigerator on their heads, this was for our home, so they were shouting for me.  I would have loved a picture of it but my camera battery had just died so it didn’t happen.  We have seen lots of interesting things carried on people’s heads and on motorcycles.  We did get a picture of a man on a motorcycle carrying another motorcycle.  It reminded me of some of the photos Tom Butz has “You know you’re a redneck when…” only we will call it “You know you’re in Africa when…”

This morning Alyssa, Kaley, Ellie and I walked to some of the local stores to get some supplies.  Ellie had her first marriage proposal.  I think it creeped her out a little, especially because he was a Muslim man much older than her.  He asked how old she was and said at 15 she should be getting married, since she is 14 he thought she should be preparing for that day.  Different world.

Drew started working on the main entry stairs into the teaching area of the seminary.  He brought   a few of his fellow workers home for lunch – nice men.  They have already done quite a bit of work for the first day.  The kids were cleaning off shelves and books in the library.  The seminary boasts one of the largest libraries in Northern Africa but it is very unorganized.  There is only one man running the whole library and it is very overwhelming.  So if you know a librarian who would like to come to Ndu to help Henry, he would love the help.  The dust that is everywhere is not good for the books either.  The   kids are so dirty   after cleaning books all day.  Tomorrow Alyssa and Kaley will be meeting with the woman in charge of the Child Care Center to see what their project will be.  Kaley is going to school to be a preschool teacher so this is right up her alley.

We are having so much fun, the time is flying by.  Last night we got the giggles so bad over stupid things – it feels like being at home.  It will be so hard when the team leaves.  It looks like I will have a part time cook once we are on our own in our little yellow house.  The people here are so nice though, I’m sure we will be well taken care of.  It’s still hard for me to grasp that my family still has 2 months to go in this amazing, but dirty, place.  We have had water so that is good.  I guess they can go weeks without enough water.  I’m still trying to figure out what my role is here.  My first priority is getting our home ready for us to live in. 

Pray for our team and the people we are working alongside.  Pray that we will be productive and that the seminary will be satisfied with the work that we do.  Pray for our family as we adjust after the team leaves (which is still one week away but I am already feeling melancholy over it).  We all feel so privileged and thankful to be here.  Thank you all for helping to make this possible and for your continued prayers.

This is it

Last year at Faithwalkers (December 27-30, 2010), I felt a desire to do something BIG and to see God work in my family.  I wanted to get out of the security of my own little world and do something completely different with my family.  This caused me to spend more time seeking God and asking Him for direction.  On February 3rd, 2011 - God put it on my heart to pursue going to Africa with our family.  He didn't speak audibly to me but it was the closest thing I have experienced of "hearing" God.  My husband and kids came together in prayer with me to see what God would have us do.  11 months ago we started our journey together in prayer, asking God to provide all that we would need to go to Africa, if this was truly HIS desire and plan for our family.  I have been a Christian for years and to be honest this is the most clear direction I have ever had from God.  I don't know why, but God doesn't always give us such a clear vision in all things He is leading us to do.  Even though there were days of waiting within this past 11 months, it all has come together EXTREMELY fast.  God must have amazing things in store for us!

Tomorrow, the 5 of us will leave for Cameroon, Africa, and we will finally get to see what God has been preparing us for.  Thank you so much for your prayers for us.  We will try to keep you posted as much as possible.

Packing for 5

It's a little crazy around here lately.  Trying to pack for a extended stay is proving to be a challenge.  We will be in Yaounde' and traveling the first few days in Cameroon, most likely the temperatures will be hot or at least pretty warm.  Once we arrive in Ndu, we have been told it's cool and to bring sweaters and warm pjs.  I'm guessing we will still think it's warm, coming from Minnesota.  We will be doing construction type work, so we will need appropriate clothing for that.  The training info we have been given encourages the women to wear skirts when we are out and about.  I'm not sure how frequently we will be able to do laundry either so we need lots of socks and underwear.  We made our dining room table as big as it would go and brought clothing for each need for each one of us in our family.  We've been told that our luggage may not arrive at the same time that we do, or perhaps at all, so to pack accordingly.  We packed a little of each persons clothing in each suitcase and added Drew's tools throughout.  It was really an obnoxious amount of clothing when we had it all heaped on the table.  The sad part is, I still have clothes in my closet and drawers too.  It doesn't help that I have put on weight during this season of good food, putting me in my "fat" clothes.  I'm fully anticipating slimming down with the different whole foods we will be eating, which means I need to bring a few of my smaller sizes too.   I have never been a light packer - it must be from that year of Girl Scouts when I learned to "always be prepared".  In addition to tools and clothing, we also need some cooking supplies (pot and pan, spatula etc), pillows, spices, gifts, shoes, toiletries, camera, games, books....the list goes on.  This is just the items we may need, other missionaries have had items sent to us to bring in our luggage.  Needless to say, we are having no problem filling up our 10 allotted 50 lb suitcases.  We will be like sardines traveling in our van to the airport.

I have every intention of leaving as much as possible in Ndu when we come home.  I will leave it with the local missionaries to go through or distribute how they think best.  I think that is why I feel it's okay to over pack, because I know that it will be so freeing to leave it behind.  Hopefully, I will be able to continue that trend of letting go even after our trip.  It's that time of year when we really start analyzing what we want to change in our lives.  As I look around at all the "stuff" I have accumulated, and realize that nothing I have can give me security, I wonder why it is so hard to let go?This past year was one of cutting back on our impulse buying and trying hard to just stick to our needs.  We had our goal of going to Africa always before us so it wasn't really that difficult.  Once we have reached this goal and returned to our life in Minnesota, I hope to continue saying "No" to all the little extras that cry out to me.  I want  to get to a place where Christ is everything and my comfort has nothing to do with what I can see.  I have so far to go.

Happy New Year to all of you.

Keeping Balance

I've been thinking quite a bit lately about balance.  Maybe it's because I feel like things are so out of balance and I'm not sure how to get it back.  It seems that for the past 11 months I have been single minded, focused on our upcoming trip to Africa.  Even though this is a good thing, taking an immense amount of planning and preparation, it still has swung us out of balance.  Drew has worked long hours, the kids and I have devoted more hours to outside work than we normally would have.  Our school work has been increased so that we will be free to travel without all our books.  Our thoughts are constantly on how many days we have until we leave, what we need to pack, what else needs to be done, how can we avoid getting sick, how exactly do we use SKYPE?  Even our Christmas presents are all revolving around the theme of traveling.  There are many days I feel so overwhelmed that I just can't wait to be on the plane and done with all of the preparations.  In addition to all that leads to us to Africa, life still goes on.  I still need to pay the bills, feed my family, wash clothes, clean our home, correct papers, spend some time with my husband, family and friends... the list seems endless.

I'm sure many of you can relate.  Maybe it's not Africa exactly, but it could be a number of things that pull us off balance.  Maybe it's hockey, or drama, or some other sport that has your family feeling anything but united.  I envision myself at times on a balance beam just trying to get to the other side.  One way to keep your balance is to find a focus point and just concentrate on that.  One of my favorite verses is in the book of Hebrews, "Fix your eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our Faith."  I even have this verse stenciled on my family room wall so that I will be reminded of this every day.  I try to make Jesus my focus point when life starts to get crazy, at times it feels like I'm balancing on the beam, making my way across, only to be bombarded with water balloons trying to knock my off.

  Just this week, I had lunch with some college friends.  The subject came up of one of my friends daughters who both have scoliosis.  Ellie and I had just been at the hospital visiting her friend after surgery for scoliosis.  I  went home and was talking to Drew about how strange it was that 2 of my friends were going through this.  Ellie walked in the room and I had her bend over to check her spine, I was just curious.  Drew and I were shocked to see that her spine was VERY crooked.  I slept little that first night, wondering how I could fit this into our already busy days and yet feeling this fear that I couldn't just let it go.  I had to remind myself to get my eyes off the circumstances and the "what ifs" and trust the One who formed my little girl in my womb.  Today I was able to get her into our chiropractor for an x-ray and he confirmed that she does have scoliosis.  He assured us that even though her spine is in the shape of an S, she is still very healthy and he does not see FEAR when he looks at her x-ray.  He was so encouraging about moving forward in having a base evaluation and checking her again to see if anything has changed once we return to the states.  It's funny how freaked out I was feeling but actually nothing had changed in God's eyes.  He knew her spine was growing crooked and yet He was still leading us to go to Africa.  Ellie is the same young lady she was before we looked closely at her spine.   I realize when we return, we will have to make decisions that will be for Ellie's best interest.  Today I can rest, knowing that I don't have to have everything figured out all at once.

I think balance is really about recognizing when we are off balance and putting our focus back where it belongs.  I'm going to share a journal entry from a Mom who just yesterday went to be with Jesus.  Heidi Swenson left behind a husband and 7 young children.  Even in her final days, she could see that her family was getting off balance.  Not that anyone would blame them, but it is so beautiful how she brings their eyes to the future glory of meeting Jesus.

09.01.2011

Would you mind dear family and precious friends if I go on ahead of you to help Jesus prepare a place of exquisite beauty, tremendous joy, and radiant love for you?  I am exhausted and weary from all this mourning.  I feel the mourning day and night, in your presence and away.  I hurt as I cause you to mourn.  I am exhausting those nearest to me.  I sob every day at being able to do less and less to care for you.  I imagined myself helping you lovely grandparents in your old age, not this.  I hurt so much over what I am causing you to feel and sacrifice in your tender care of me.  I must change my perspective.

So, would you mind if I focus on the joy ahead of all of us--a time when we are all re-united at the feet of Jesus?  Then it won't feel so much like I am deserting you, rather going on ahead where I shall lovingly and eagerly await your adoptive arrival into my Father's heavenly family.  As I prepare my/ our wedding gown for Christ, know I forgive you any shortcomings and humbly  I beg your forgiveness for the hurt you hold from my existence.

With an everlasting joy, Heidi (taken from her Caringbridge entry)

The things that I am balancing are nothing compared to what this dear family is going through.  I hope her words challenge you like they do me, to remember to fix your eyes on Jesus too.  

Hebrews 12:1-3  "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.  Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."

Blessings from Friends

Last night I got together with some neighbor friends from our previous home in Robbinsdale, MN.   We try to get together at this time of year and catch up on each others lives.  We all have kids in the junior high and high school age and have been friends since they were all just little.  My friend Val, who happens to be the quietest one of the bunch, was feeling disconnected as a stay home Mom of small children.  She took it upon herself to make up little invitations and walk around the neighborhood delivering them to any home that looked like they had kids living there.  I was also home with my 2 young ones in diapers.   Val invited us all to her house for a play date and a chance to get to know other Moms in the neighborhood who were home with their children.  We have been friends ever since that time (about 12 years) and what a blessing these women have been to me.

I have such fond memories of living in Robbinsdale and the friendships we developed during that time.  One Mom loved celebrating Valentine's Day and Halloween and would always have a fun party for the kids.  She was so good about having crafts, games and snacks all revolving around a theme.  Had it not been for her, I don't think my kids would have done some of the fun (but messy) craft projects they did while in her home.  We had alley "Polka" dance parties at another friends house with a real live polka band.  We decorated bikes for 4th of July and had our own parade on the parkway.  We spent countless hours at the park,  the kids playing and the Moms all gabbing.  We had picnics and went on field trips.  We hung out and enjoyed root beer floats before the fireworks during Whiz Bang Days and then walked to the park together to watch the display of lights.  We signed our kids up for t-ball and cheered them on  even when they ran the wrong way around the bases.  We encouraged each other by listening and sharing the day to day struggles of being a Mom.  We walked together at times, we prayed together and even had a Bible study at one point.  Even though we all had different choices of churches, or even schools once the kids became of age, we all were on the same quest of being the best Moms we could be.  I know my experience of being a stay home Mom may not reflect what most people experience, but for the Moms of our neighborhood it was a wonderful community to raise our kids in.  Over the years many of us have moved away but those friendships will always have a special place in our hearts.

At our Moms get together last night, we exchanged blessings and prayers with each other instead of gifts.  Just reflecting on the memories we share together was really a blessing in itself.  As we age we have experienced the heartache of parents dying and relationships that have ended.  We have also experienced the joys together of seeing our children become these amazing and talented people, making a difference in their world.  The focus turned from our children  to my family and our upcoming trip to Africa.  These dear friends all gave me a blessing, a prayer, letter or verse to carry with me on my journey.  They know that missions have an important place in my heart and it was so amazing to have them excited that this dream of mine is about to happen.  I felt so humbled by their encouragement and their faith in that which is not yet seen.  Candles were lit as a symbol of the difference one light + one light + one light etc can make if we just step out and do the task God has given us. 

 I'm proud to know these women who have influenced me in many ways.  I think of the courage that Val had long ago to invite a bunch of strangers to her home in hopes of filling that feeling of being alone.  What if she would have ignored that prompting?  My life has been richer because of the friendships made that day.   What is it that God is asking you to do today?  The blessings that may come from just a simple task may be more than you can ever imagine.

Experimental Cooking

I have had so much on my mind lately that I just shut down and do nothing.  My house is a mess because I have started projects and then got distracted and never finished them.  We have one more week of our Homeschool Co-op.  I teach a Critical Thinking class so there are papers to be graded and I need to come up with a final grade for the 14 students in my class.  Thankfully, Drew has decided that helping me grade papers would keep me sane.  Last week I was stressing out trying to get all of our visa applications organized, it was not an easy task.  The visa application is sent, along with our passports, so now we just wait for them to return.  I have had numerous blogs fly through my mind but have not had time to capture them, so unfortunately most of them are gone forever.  With 4 weeks to go until our departure, I am attempting to take one day at a time.  That being said,  I am very distracted by thoughts of Africa and preparations that need to be made.  My brain is divided by what needs to happen to function today and my daydreaming about my future reality.

One of the great unknowns about our trip has to do with what happens once our team heads home.  Usually when you are with a team, a cook is provided and you are well cared for.  I was anticipating that I will feed my family as I do here in Minnesota.  At first I was getting a little distressed about what this would look like and thinking I might want to hire a cook for our family.  It could have to do with the fact that Kerry Bender has been to Ndu and told me about buying a lamb at the market, walking it home, feeding it for a few days and his daughter naming it.  Then one day, they (the locals) slaughtered the lamb and that was supper.  I love to cook from scratch but I have never gone that far back to the "natural".  The thought of killing my supper does freak me out a little.  I dealt with it by assuming there will be no way they could possibly expect me to cook under such conditions, so they must be providing a cook.  That would not be an unusual thing at all in Africa and it would actually help whoever we hired to earn some money for their family.

About a week ago, in the same email that gave the wonderful news that our housing would be half of what we had expected, there was a short note about me "not needing a cook".  Those words left me trembling.  I was talking to my computer even - "What do you mean, I don't need a cook?"  When I had finally composed myself, I simply replied that I couldn't possible kill my supper.  The answer I received left me somewhat relieved when I was advised that indeed I would not have to kill my supper.  After breathing a sigh of relief, I started wondering exactly what that means.  I envisioned how my cat leaves his "treasures" on our door step and wondered if I would find a carcass of some kind waiting for me to skin it and make stew.  I'm guessing not, but that is how my imagination goes.

Once I got over myself (again),  I started thinking about how our full house has been preparing me for this all along.  I would say most of the meals I make are what I call "experimental cooking".  I love to throw things together and use my favorite spices.  My family is very encouraging and most meals get the thumbs up.  Their biggest complaint is that I can't usually make the same meal twice.  Kyle keeps telling me to make my own cookbook.  I haven't had that same response from people outside of my home but I'm thankful my kids will eat anything I put before them.  I've been flipping through magazines and cookbooks feeling very inspired and excited to try my hand at African cooking.

As with most things concerning our upcoming trip to Cameroon, I have had to process and in the end I've come to a point of embracing that which I feared.  I think at this point I will be very disappointed if I am not cooking at least for my immediate family.  I look forward to finding unique treasures of local vegetables and fruits and creating some amazing meals.  The best part is, I will have my family surrounding me, hopefully with double "thumbs up".

Perfect fit for Drew

Going on a missions trip is always a lesson in flexibility.  You may go into it thinking you have an idea of what you will be doing and it won't look anything at all like you imagined.  That is part of the excitement of it all.  I'm a planner so this is not easy for me.  It's interesting because you send your information out of all your skills and talents and then you wait.  Every now and then I get an email that lets me know that they are working on what we will be doing and give me just a hint of what is to come.  Drives me crazy as I try to read  between every line to see if I can eek out just a tiny bit of  information that isn't being said.  In the end, I'm left trusting the people in charge - most whom I have never met.


As the days get closer to our departure I have had to ask a few questions about the plans for our family.  A little over a week ago, we still needed about $3000 in our account.  This was a lot of money to have to take out of our savings.  We could do it but it would leave us with very little upon our return.  I emailed to find out more specifically what we would need to pay for housing while in Cameroon.  The email I got back just made me smile at how well God takes care of us.  Found out the housing where we are going (Ndu) is half of what we were thinking.  That was a savings of $2000!  Shortly after this we were given gifts in person and more deposited into our account.  Financially it is all falling into place - Praise God!


The other cool part of the story is also evidence of God's hand in this whole journey.  Our family has been part of an AWANA program at Faith Baptist church in Minneapolis.  Over the years we have heard about missionaries that they support in Cameroon and their church has also sent short term mission teams to Cameroon.  I was thinking about one family in particular that homeschool their children and work full time as missionaries in Cameroon.  In one of my emails to Wycliffe I asked if we would be able to get gifts to this family from their support church in Minneapolis.  I was informed that we probably wouldn't see them because they lived in the mountains but the gifts could be sent on to them. 


 I guess within an hour from that reply, the person in charge of our assignment received a request from the Cameroon Baptist Theological Seminary (CBTS)  in Ndu.  The request was for a job through Wycliffe Associates to do construction work - mainly concrete.  My husband has been finishing concrete for 20 years.  It ends up that this is the same place the missionary family I had just asked about lives and works.  She too saw this as God's hand and forwarded our name on to  Eric Hagman, the Africa Area Director of Wycliffe Associates.  Eric and his wife Tracey were long time members of our home church before moving to Africa, not to mention good friends of ours.  Eric immediately replied that our family would be a perfect fit for the job.  I still don't know what part I will be playing while in Ndu but I'm convinced it will fit me just as well as this job fits Drew.  


This kind of thing makes me so excited.  It's obvious that God cares about the details and was working out the pieces to the puzzle far before I ever even had a thought of actually going to Cameroon.  Now here we are just one month before leaving and a few more pieces are revealed to me.  I have no doubt we are right in the middle of God's plan for us as we prepare to live for 10 weeks in Ndu.

Blessings Showered Down

December is here and I’m starting to freak out a little at how fast the time is going.  This morning I was taking a long shower, talking to God about all the things on my mind and trying to let go of my worries.  Ever since my children were small I have had a rule not to bug me in the shower unless the house is on fire.  I justify it because I have always been with my kids day and night.  Being in the shower is like a little retreat or personal spa treatment, it gives me time to renew my mind and be a better Mom.

 I was showering and praying about what to bring to Africa without over packing.  No small feat, because when we camp we pack for comfort.  I definitely struggle with over packing.   This will be much longer than any camping trip I have ever been on.  It's not fair to compare it with camping but that is the closest thing in my experiences.  We will have a house to live in so I certainly will have a comfortable place but it will be different. 

Right in the middle of my prayer, the thought came into my mind – How many people in the world don’t even have enough water to drink?  What would they think right now if they could see me standing here?  Besides the shock of seeing a naked, overweight, very white, 40 something woman- I wonder what would go through their mind?  I’m sure for some it would be something they could barely wrap their minds around.  They would probably think I had lost my mind wasting water like that.  If I wanted I could drink my shower water and not get sick.  Here I am with gallons of water washing over me and down the drain, while people all over the world are dying from disease caused by  infected water.   It’s not like I can bottle up the water going down my drain and make any kind of difference, but do I really understand what an amazing blessing it is not to worry about water?

We may or may not have access to showers on a daily basis while in Africa, but at least our showers will need to be much shorter than we enjoy here.  I read one story of a short term missions team that was in Africa for 2 weeks in a village that had a shortage of water.  They had rationed out water for the team to drink but one lady was using the filtered water to wash her hair.  All I could think was – Please Lord, help me not to be so culturally insensitive that I do something so incredibly selfish.  I know that I am selfish through and through and  my eyes are going to be opened to that fact more and more while we are in Africa.  

Today I am thankful for my fresh water to drink, my toilet to flush, my hot shower, my sink with running water to wash my dishes.  I'm also thankful for the amazing blessing of getting to go without these things for even a short while and live like most of the world.  We live in a land of abundance, in a season of even more abundance.  God, show me how to be content, to let go of wanting more, to be satisfied with the blessings all around me big and small.  Help me to be satisfied in you alone.

What About School?

Probably the most frequent question I get asked concerning our trip to Africa is "What about school?"  It's a fair question and looks different depending on who it is coming from.  We are a homeschooling family but even that does not look the same in every family.  Some may take classes online, we don't.  Some are very relaxed and don't follow any type of curriculum, we follow more than one.  Some take classes through a co-op of families, we do.  There is freedom in our decisions on how to teach our kids, but in many ways I feel a great pressure in that freedom.  I do feel like I have "eyes" watching me at times and there is a pressure to some degree of caring what others think (by this I mean extended family or friends that don't homeschool).  I would say my biggest reason for the pressure I feel is that I don't want to fail my kids.  I don't want them to be ill prepared for life or finding a decent career path using the skills and talents God has given them.  I have one shot at this, there are no "do overs".

Originally, when I thought of going to Africa, I did think that we would just bring our work with us.  My reasoning is that I didn't want to get behind on anything.  After talking to a friend that had gone with her family on the mission field for an extended time, she helped me see it differently.  I believe her comment was, "Why would you want to taint your child's experience by bringing their 'American' school work with them?  They would miss so much."  Giving that some thought, I realized she was right in many ways and I needed to come up with a plan.

We started our basic school work several weeks early and I had each of my kids test out of the first few chapters of review in their math books.  Our co-op has been wonderful and the kid will be able to jump in the middle of their subjects when we return.  For their Enviromental Science class they will be doing a project on what they learned in Cameroon with regard to Enviro Science.  As a family we love to read aloud, or individually, so we will have a Kindle full of books as well as the real deal.  Math will be real life stuff like dealing with conversions, buying things from market, figuring travel time and working through real life construction puzzles with their Dad.   We will have a front row seat on our African culture class.  French is spoken in parts of Cameroon so they will have a chance to put their French into practice.  They will learn about Bible translation and the effects of illiteracy and how they can help.  They will learn compassion and mercy that would never come from seeing a documentary or reading about poverty.  Their one assignment that they will all have to do is to keep a journal of our trip so they can document it through their own eyes.

My hope is that all of us will walk away forever changed from this experience, but especially my children.  I hope that they come home with a vision for how God can use their lives.  My wish would be for them to work hard at the tasks put before them and the school that must happen to reach their goal.  I would want for them to see school as essential steps to live a bigger life with purpose and not just a time to do the bare minimum.  They do not need to wait until they are adults to make a difference in this world, they can begin today.

I think the answer I got from our travel nurse is the one I liked the best.  When I told her we were not bringing our regular school books with us, she responded "Oh, field work, sounds good!"

Provision My Way

Yesterday I shared how God has been providing for us in some amazing ways over the years, but more specifically leading up to our trip to Africa.  I am an idea person, so when we first started realizing just how much this trip would cost, my mind started thinking of different ways to make it happen.

Earlier this year "Minute to Win It" was in town looking for people to be on their show.  We don't even watch the show usually because it is on Wednesday nights and we are at AWANA on Wednesday nights.  A few times we have caught the end of the show or watched it on some of the free Wednesday nights we had.  If you have never seen the show, the contestants do all kinds of crazy games/competitions and each time they successfully complete the challenge they move up a level.  Each challenge has a dollar amount and you can win lots and lots of money.  When I heard about the local auditions I shot them an email.  For whatever reason, I got a reply email with an invitation to audition with my family and a VIP pass so we could move to the head of the line.  I was so excited and completely sure that God was going to let us get on the show.  I figured we could give God glory since we had a good reason for wanting the money.  It would also be a quick and easy way to have all the funds we needed and maybe some leftover too.  I liked the idea of an easy solution to our money dilemma.

Things got crazy around here for a while.  We checked out the "Minute to Win It" web site for all the different challenges that had been done.  We set up stations so we could practice all the different games.  I have to admit, I was terrible at all of them.  I was too impatient to bounce a pencil in a cup or get a cookie from my forehead to my mouth.  I wanted to get on the show because it sounded like an easy way to get to Africa but I really didn't want to practice so that I would be ready.  Thankfully, my kids were great at almost every challenge they tried. Although they were having trouble getting a playing card to lodge itself into a watermelon by throwing it from 3 feet away.  I'm still finding cards in random places in my basement.  I was feeling a little nervous because we wanted to be good examples since we were using our money for missions.  All the competition brought out some pretty ugly parts of our character and we hadn't even left our home.  We laughed a lot too as we stacked Oreos on our foreheads and did other crazy stunts.  We put everything else on hold as we worked on our training, not knowing exactly what would be expected of us at the auditions.

The day of the auditions finally arrived and we headed out to the furniture store where auditions were being held.  Our 10 page application was all filled out and we had our matching shirts to boot.  The store was overflowing with people and once inside the door the line of contestant hopefuls wound and wound throughout the store, they would have a long wait ahead of them.  With our pass we awkwardly walked past all these staring eyes to the front of the line.  Everyone else had only one page applications so we felt pretty good about our chances.  The "audition" was over in about 30 seconds and we were walking out the door.  That was very anti-climatic but we were all so thankful that we were not part of the crowd waiting all day in line to have the same experience.We never heard from "Minute to Win It" again.  All that practicing for nothing except to annoy me whenever I find another ping pong ball, or card, or cup with holes in it, in a cupboard or under furniture.  It was kind of a waste of time in the end.

Thinking about that experience showed me just how easy it is to get our eyes off of what God intends for us and that which is fun or will make life easy.  I wanted to "win big" for a good cause but in doing so I would have missed so much.  The people who have been praying for us for months probably wouldn't be, since most of these people knew what we were doing from our support letter.  Our family has been so touched by the sense of community we have had knowing people are investing in us on our journey, both financially and through prayer.  Practicing for "Minute to Win It" would not have prepared us for what we will be doing in Africa.  However, working on remodeling the house that we helped "flip" was great preparation for all of us (since we will be doing construction projects).   We have had lots of opportunity to work together as a team and support one another.  Our character has grown as we have had to work harder than we ever have before and persevere to the end.

"God's ways are higher than our ways" and I've found that to be true.  We are winners!  My faith has grown leaps and bounds this year as I've seen first hand God's faithfulness.  My kids wanted to be on "Minute to Win It" because they have never been on an airplane.  They will get to be on an airplane for a VERY long time and God used our hard work, along with big and small gifts and lots of prayer from our friends.

God's Provision

As we are coming closer to leaving for Africa, I am in awe of how God is providing all that we need.  The idea of having enough money in our bank account to pay all our bills (house,insurance, utilities) while we are away and having enough for 5 of us to travel was overwhelming to say the least.  It was the "mountain" that had to be moved in order for this dream to become a reality.  It was also the sign that we would know this was God giving us these desires, because if He was not behind this trip there would be no way that we could make it happen.  It has been a faith journey from the very beginning, but to be honest, that journey began with our family long before this mission trip.

Back in the late 80's, when my young marriage failed and I found myself parenting alone, I realized I could not make it on my own.  I saw for the first time how my decisions and selfishness had got me to a place that was very hard.  For the first time I really understood my need for a Savior and surrendered my future to my Lord Jesus Christ.  I had a lot to learn along that road (and I am still learning), but it was the best decision I have ever made.  As a single Mom, things were tight even though I had a full time job with good benefits.  One day I was reading in Malachi where God is talking about tithing and it says to "test Me in this".  I had no money and didn't even know how I was going to pay my house payment that month.  I chose to take the Bible at it's word and test God in this area.  I tithed that next paycheck and had a peace and a security that I had not felt before.  In addition to that, God provided in so many amazing ways that my faith was strengthened.  I know some of you will read this and say that Malachi is in the Old Testament so we don't need to follow the idea of tithing the first 10% of your income.  I'm not here to debate, I'm here to tell my story that God has been faithful and my experience is that he really has provided all that I have needed.  As New Testament Christians, I believe that it's all God's money anyway, we should be giving at least 10%.  I did go through a short time when a well meaning Christian advised me that God didn't intend for the poor to have to give back to be provided for.  That time was a time of worry and anxiety and I will not go back to that type of thinking.

When I met Drew, one thing that attracted me to him was his conviction and practice of tithing.  I knew that most marriages struggle because of money issues and this was an important foundation for both of us.  We have been married for over 18 years now and Drew has been in seasonal construction for all of those years.  We have had years of plenty and especially in the past few, years of lean.  God has been our provider through them all.  As long as I have my eyes fixed on Him and not on circumstances, my heart is at peace.  As soon as I take them off my real source of income, I get anxious, worried and filled with doubt.  My friends know that most years as winter approaches I start to get worried and have to remind myself that God has never let us down.

Last year's winter season had Drew feeling very anxious.  The season before his income had dropped quite a bit from previous years and we didn't have as much money in the bank for the long winter as we liked.   This was also right about the time that I brought up our whole family going to Africa.  A couple of things happened that helped calm his nerves, and had nothing to do with us getting more money.  The first was when we started praying for Africa, we were reminded of all the ways God had provided for us in the past.  We also realized how it was out of our control in many ways.  The second was that Drew had a lead part in a musical that the kids were in at the church where they had attended AWANA.  The part was a bit cheesy but most of his lines were directly from scripture.  For an hour most days he would go over and over the lines from this play, which was all about taking our burdens to the "Rock" of our Salvation.  Something about saying these truths out loud day after day, transformed my husband.  The timing of this musical couldn't have been more perfect.

Once we made the decision to move forward with our trip to Africa we still had no idea where the money would come from.  Knowing many of you have hearts for missions, we sent out support letters for those who may want to partner with us on this adventure.  That has been humbling and encouraging to see so many people come up along side us and help make this happen.  We are so thankful for the gifts that have come in.  We have received large sums from anonymous givers and some from names we don't even know, as well as from our friends and family.  The Bible talks about faith without works being dead and we have worked hard this year to do our part.  A friend had been talking for 2 years with Drew about "flipping" a house together but the right house just never came along.  Right in the middle of us trying to find a way to make this work, the perfect house came along that our whole family could work on.  We appreciate the fact that he would take the risk to have us work on this huge investment.  It was hard work but has provided all that we need to pay the bills while we are gone.  Ellie and I have sold Norwex products and cleaned houses together.  The boys have done lawn work and other odd jobs to pitch in for the expenses coming up.  Drew has had many side job opportunities, almost more than he has time in a day to do.  Drew's sister gave us a laptop that we can use to stay in communication while we are away.  It has been so cool for all of us to see God's hand in providing opportunity as well as money for our needs.

My faith has grown so much this year and reading this makes it look as if it all came right when I thought it should.  We have had deadlines along the way for expenses and I don't think we have had enough in our account for any of them.  As each deadline has come (like for airline tickets), we have prayed like crazy for God to show us what to do.  In the end, we felt at peace and went forward with the purchase not knowing if all the funds would be there or not.  Each time at just the right moment (but later than I would have preferred), the money has been there.  I'm embarrassed to say that I still have moments of doubt even after seeing God's hand provide time after time.  I don't want to be so stressed that I can't see where the last money is going to come from, or if we will have enough in our savings for all our bills after paying out what needs to be paid. I feel so unworthy of all these blessings that have been showered down on us.       

I'm amazed at God's patience with me.  Even this weekend as I was once again praying and asking (and even doubting a little), a number of random people came up to us and gave us gifts of $100 each.  I'm like a little child that has to see and touch to believe.  Lord help me in my unbelief as we continue waiting on you!

40 days to Africa

I woke up this morning to the realization that we will be boarding our plane in just 40 days.  I'm sure there is some significance to this day.  I feel like I should "do" something for the next 40 days - exercise, fast, pray...something spiritual or good.  I thought about "40 days to lose my blubber", but I hear African people think it's good to be fat.  It might not be true but it sounds good to me.  I want Drew to get the most respect he can for his "healthy" wife so I will forgo the diet.  We could use 40 days of prayer, so feel free to pray for us.   We have so much going on during the next 40 days, I could just call it "40 days of Freaking Out".  Again, prayer would be good.

All kidding aside, 40 is a significant number in many ways.  I googled "40 days" and there were 159,000,000,000 sites to choose from, many of these were spiritual in nature.  For some reason, God used 40 days in many of the events that happened throughout the Bible.   Many of those events were tied to times of trial and testing.  Think of Noah, after obeying God and building the ark, it rained for 40 days.  I would guess that 40 days was not a time of rejoicing (even though his family was saved), but rather a time of adjusting and grieving the loss of the life they knew.  The Israelites wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. This happened after their spies checked out Canaan (the land flowing with milk and honey) for 40 days and were too fearful to trust God.  Jesus was tested in the wilderness for 40 days at the beginning of his ministry.  Jesus appeared to people for 40 days after his resurrection, a time of great confusion to the early Christians.   There are many more examples but I think you get the idea.  40 days was a good amount of time to get people's attention...and 40 years would definitely get a point across.

Many people today celebrate the Advent season, which was originally 40 days.  Advent is the weeks leading up to Christmas that is a time of reflecting on the events leading up to the first Christmas.  It's a time of getting our eyes off of our selfish desires and focusing on others.   As a family we have followed different Advent reading plans over the years.  The time leading up to Christmas takes on a deeper meaning and gives us a greater appreciation for the significance of the birth of Jesus.  It wasn't just a random event but was foretold throughout the Old Testament.   We anticipate Christmas morning with excitement, not just on getting present, but the realization that WHO we live for was born on this day.  If it were not for the personal relationship I have with Jesus, I would have no desire to even go to Africa.

The season of Lent is the 40 days leading up to the death and resurrection of Christ.  Some use this time to  give up something or let go.  I like the idea of that as we are leading up to our trip.  I want to use these next 40 days to prepare my heart for all that God has in store for our family.  I also want to begin the process of "letting go".  Letting go of my rights, my possessions and my expectations.  This last week has been a time of struggle for me and I feel like I am in a battle.  I want to use this time to prepare for a continued battle, one where I am not in my familiar surroundings.

 Even though I know the battle will be happening, I am excited because I am not in this battle alone.  I also know that you can have joy in the middle of the hardest times.  I am looking forward with JOY to our time in Africa.  Starting today, I am choosing to have "40 days of Joy".

  

Outside My Comfort Zone

Now that the weather is getting colder and we actually have a bit of snow on the ground, I find all I want to do is stay in my nice cozy house.  I'm actually a home body all year round but especially in the winter.  The past few weeks have been busy ones for our family and I have had to leave my cocoon almost every evening.  This weekend I was finally able to put on my comfy cloths and just hang out with no where to go - it was wonderful!

This morning the kids and I will be heading over to Heppner's Legacy, to the new store to help paint.  Painting is not my favorite thing, probably because I have done quite a bit of it this year.  I am excited to go because Nancy and Brad are such giving people, it makes me  want to give back to them.  Deep down I would much rather stay in my pajamas all day, turn the fireplace on and read a good book.  Laziness is my flesh in full power.  The other thing that draws me is being around people that I enjoy.  It will be a fun day with lots of hands to get things done.  That's probably what draws me to my own home too, the people I live with are some of my favorite people.

So yesterday I was thinking about how much I like to stay home and it hit me - WHY would I ever want to go to Africa when I can barely stand to leave my house?  That is a very good question.  One answer to that is that I want to go wherever God asks me to, even if it's uncomfortable.  I want to be uncomfortable.  I know that when I am outside of my cozy cocoon, I need God so much more and I'm so much more aware of all that He is doing around me and through me.  The other part of going to Africa that makes it doable is the fact that my family is going with me.  My physical house may be a comfort and a place of refuge for me but really it's the people in it that make it that.  Ultimately God is my refuge and my strength and He promises to be with me wherever I go.

Psalm 91:1-2
"Those who live in the shelter of the Most High
will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
This I declare of the Lord;
He alone is my refuge,
my place of safety;
He is my God, and I am trusting Him."

Time for Squats

Exercising is not my favorite thing, but I have been making an effort so that I will be strong for working in Africa. One exercise that needs to be worked on before we go is the "squat".  I informed the kids today that we would be working hard on this skill for the next 8 weeks  so that we would be prepared for our trip.  Met with puzzled looks, I then informed them that not all toilets are the same and they would be happy if they have their squatting technique perfected before we leave.  I'm sure they were thinking "How bad can it be?" since we have camped ever since they were young.

Camping in Minnesota may have flush toilets but most rustic campsites are lucky if they have a pit toilet (and sometimes with snakes crawling around in the bottom).  We have had our share of nasty bathrooms in gas stations across the country.  I'm not much of a germ-a-phobic but some bathrooms are just not sanitary.  I remember as a child crying and refusing to use a pit toilet no matter how hard my Mom tried to persuade me.  I don't know if I was afraid I would fall in or what, but I held it an awful long time.

  Drew and I were in Africa back in 2005 and one of my biggest regrets was not getting photos of all the different toilets we came across.  Don't get me wrong, Africa has flush toilets, just not always when you need one.  Road trips leave you at the mercy of whatever you come across when the urge hits.  I remember one rest stop where there was an attendant and he motioned us women to the MEN'S room.  He insisted, so we went.  Later we discovered he was being very kind to us foreigners since the women's room was a "long-drop" - or basically a hole in the ground.  The men's room was much like any gas station bathroom you would find in America, flush toilet and all.  The squat toilets or "long-drops" are fairly common throughout Africa and we just do not have our thigh muscles strong enough to use them well.   At another rest stop I walked past my husband and a few other men from our team standing at a fence facing the market area.  I said "Hi" and went on my way when I realized they were all standing there doing their business (I could only see them from the waist up - it was just awkward).  That was the men's room - the other side of the wall had a trough like urinal.  I'm not sure why they only put up half a wall but that's what it was.  Every stop we made was like a little adventure to see what kind of bathroom we would encounter.  Traveling with a team can be quite a bit of fun in this regard.  Can you imagine being all alone and having no one to discuss how different, dirty, stinky or gross the potty was?  Many times there would be no toilet paper, so it was always good to have a companion who could share their tissue with you.

All over the world there are different rules, it's hard to keep up on them all so it's best to find out any special rules for the area you are traveling.  In Africa it is considered impolite to touch the left hand of anyone.  The reason is the right hand is for eating and the left hand is used for other unpleasant things (like wiping).  Good to know though.  It's interesting because that is such a practical reason for not touching someones left hand and many other rules are also for practical reasons.  In Honduras, Mexico and the Dominican Republic, you find out immediately in the airport bathrooms that the rules have changed.   The bathrooms are fairly clean but the smell is really strong.  The reason is the plumbing is not adequate enough to handle toilet paper so that is just thrown (used) in the garbage next to the toilet.  The smell would be much worse if everyone ignored this rule and clogged up the whole system.  Actually I saw several backed up toilets in the airport because people were just unaware and they threw their toilet paper in the toilet without thinking.

People traveling to America from other cultures probably find things confusing here too.  I remember one time being in the bathroom at Costco.  I didn't see any feet under the door of the stall so I gently pushed the door only to find a woman with both feet on the toilet seat, squatting over the toilet.  She said something (probably cursed at me) in some other language and I apologized.  I didn't stand and stare but the image was burned into my mind so I had to follow it to a logical conclusion or it would just be disturbing.  I realized quickly that she was from somewhere else and that this was comfortable and sanitary to her.  We have friends that were in a refugee camp in Nepal for 17 years and they used pit toilets that whole time.  Think of how different it must be to have flush toilets in your own apartment for the first time in your life.  I noticed at one of the homes of our Bhutanese friends that they had taken the toilet seat off completely.  Who needs it when your culture teaches you to squat?  Maybe they think we are really different because we share toilet seats that we actually sit on, or because we spend so much time in the bathroom that we have books and magazines to read at the same time.  Try doing that in the squatting position.

So if you're planning a trip anytime soon - especially to a poor area of the world - I would highly recommend you start working out those thigh muscles.  Remember to have good form, if your knees are weak you don't want to have them go past your toes, try pushing back into a sitting position and keep your feet flat.  If you are unsure about the toilet conditions where you are going, and you're too afraid to ask, there are lots of different online sites that can walk you through this interesting subject.  By the way, November 19th is World Toilet Day!  Do a set of squats to celebrate.

Still Obsessing over the Tumbu Fly

I thought about posting a video from Youtube about these flies that lay their eggs on laundry.  The videos show what happens when the larvae burrow into your skin... honestly, I wasn't able to finish watching any of them.  Just the little bit I saw haunts me.  The interesting thing is, millions of people live around the tumbu fly everyday of their life and it's no big deal.   I understand that all you need to do is iron your clothes to kill these eggs yet I still obsess.  Maybe it's because I've heard the electricity where we are going is unreliable, sometimes off for days or even weeks at a time.  Iron's require electricity.  We had the opportunity to hang out with Josh and Audra Cadd yesterday.  They are missionaries with Wycliffe Associates on furlough from Kenya, Africa.  As I was talking to Josh and Audra I told them my fear of this larvae getting under my skin.  Josh calmly said, "You just squeeze it out."   Just like a zit, the worm is out and life goes on.  (Anyone else besides me squirming?)  He really had a point, that is just a little thing and you need to deal with it and move on.

  Drew and I celebrated our 18th anniversary  yesterday.   Honestly, over the years there have been things Drew has done that have "gotten under my skin".  To be fair, there have been things that I have done to "get under his skin".   If I obsessed,or when I have obsessed over these little things, it has put a strain in our relationship.  It's when we "squeeze it out" that we are able to move on to the more important things in life.  I think this is true in any relationship.   When we dwell on little things pretty soon it destroys the unity and becomes a festering wound in our relationship.   One of the ways we have kept our marriage strong is by being quick to forgive.  We know that we are not each others enemies and so we believe the best in each other.  When I notice that I am obsessing about all the things that are "bugging" me about Drew, I instead shift my thoughts to all the things I am thankful for... and the list is long!

Colossians 3: 12-14
"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another.  Forgive as the Lord forgave you.  And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity."

As we look forward to our time in Africa, I know we will make some amazing relationships with the people we meet.  I'm not going to let a pesky little fly get in the way.

Wilson

At the bridge

Who is Wilson??

Wilson's Home and Family

In 2005 Marie and I (Drew) went to Kenya on a 2 week short term mission trip to Kenya with Wycliffe Associates.  We went to a property they owned and were turning into a retreat/conference center.  Imagine your church or work is having a weekend retreat and renting the facilities of a YMCA camp or a church camp a little ways out of the city, that kind of place just a short distance outside of Nairobi. Then the facility could be used to generate income instead of just being an expense.  About a 1/4 mile down the road from the compound entrance was a little stream. most of the year cars could drive through it to go to the conference center. During the rainy season however, the stream was too deep, and too wide.  That turned a 1/2 hour trip to and from the city into a much longer trip.  In the African countryside, when the main road is shut down, finding another route is a little more involved than just going the other way around the block.  Not good for a retreat center business.

Having a background in concrete,  I was assigned to work on the little bridge.  They had hired a number of local men from a small nearby village to accomplish a lot of the construction that had been going on and the guys were mostly working on the bridge at this point because it was the most labor intensive thing happening. These guys had done an amazing job of hand hewing rock faced block out of small boulders(with hammers and chisels) and building some beautiful dorm buildings. Apparently however, no one had formed concrete up in the air. (Except the regional construction manger who had an engineering degree - but not the time to stay on one project.)  It's one thing to stake some 2" X 4"s into the ground and pour a sidewalk.  The wall that is behind Wilson and I in the "At the Bridge" picture however, would weigh about as much as 8 or 9 Chevy Suburbans.  To hold this much weight up in the air, you need to know what you're doing. Especially when the materials you're working with are what we would have used in America about 100 yrs ago.  The trip planners were happy "a concrete guy"  was on the trip that could form the first vertical wall and hopefully teach some one else to continue after the team left.

Last Day

Now we get to Wilson. Wilson(first name) was one of local guys working at the compound.  We met the the first day I worked on the bridge and hit it off from the start.  Wilson is also a believer and frequently would say "It is written . . . ."  and quote scripture, simply as a part of his normal everyday self.  He was filled with a joyful outlook on life, was encouraging to be around, and was a diligent hard worker.  Wilson was married and had 3 kids.  He invited Marie and I and a few others to his home to see his house that he was so proud of and meet his family.  When we got there we were warmly welcomed and noticed a few things as soon as we approached  and entered. First, Wilson's house, which was very nice by the standards of the average persons dwelling, is most easily described as a concrete block single car garage.  Second, when we entered the house we immediately could not miss the scripture verses written in chalk near the top of the walls all around the house.  Have you ever met someone who says "Jesus is my everything" or  "His word sustains me"??  I've often wondered how many times that's just Sunday morning Christian talk. Do they really mean it??  What does that really look like??  Travel with me to Kenya and I can introduce you to the real thing.  His name is Wilson.  Wilson was incredibly thankful for God's provision for his family.  Wilson made about $3 or $4 a day at his full time job with which to provide for that family.

Back to the bridge.  Seeing that Wilson and I hit it off so well and knowing his hard working diligence, Wilson basically got assigned to work with me on forming the wall.  Wilson, like many people (even 10 yr olds) in Africa can converse in 3 languages Swahili, English, and the  local tribal language.  And we can think we are so smart if we know 20 words of Spanish.  He hadn't, however, been to college or had any real form of what we would call "higher education".  But Wilson was a "sponge" for learning.  Forming Concrete "up in the air"  is basically a real life lesson in the physics of  masses and forces.  If a 20,000 lb section of your wall (and the lumber holding it) blows out or falls over it can get really expensive fast and can really injure someone.  Wilson and I were side by side for several days, and I did all I could to teach him about the foundation principles of containing that much mass and that much force.  To try and get him to follow the domino effect of "This is exerting force there, and it's traveling through this to that, so we must also brace here . . .    When you pour  the concrete,  watch here, if there is a weakness, it will be the first place to move . . ." and so on.  So much information, so little time.  Such a deep friendship, so little time

There were other things to be accomplished before Wilson and I formed the wall and I had to leave just a few work days before the pour.  I was actually really bummed to not be there for it.  I was told by e-mail that all went well and the forms held.  I was also told that Wilson, who learned in a week what it would usually take me a whole season to teach someone,  got what to him was a pretty big raise and was made the main forming guy for the rest of the project.  That was 6 years ago and in our fast pace american life that we live, I haven't inquired about Wilson for a few years.  Last I heard he was still a trusted foreman type employee who was joyfully thankful for a full time job that paid him for a days work what we could spend for a "lunch on the go".  He was still a living example of "Jesus is my everything" and "His word sustains me".  So little time, so much impact.  I still haven't figured out who's life was impacted more. Wilson and his family's, or mine?  Probably mine.