Monday Musings

I woke up this morning with all these random thoughts running through my head. Most of them were observations I have had while here in Ndu and what I want to do different when I return to Minnesota. As we have met some of the students at CBTS, one of the things I've been struck with is how many languages many of them know. Even our missionary friends know a few languages. I think if I want my children to make a difference in this world and to be global thinkers, they need to work harder at learning a language or two. There are so many opportunities available if you broaden who you can communicate with.

Random thought number 2: My views on missions is shifting (a little). I still strongly believe in short term missions trips, maybe even more so than before. What I am realizing more than before was the fact that a person really needs to be CALLED to be in full time overseas missions. I also think that you need to have a specific need or skill (think pilots, doctors, teachers etc) that would benefit the people group you are living among. It would be very easy to throw in the towel and give up if you did not have that assurance that God had called you specifically to the task before you. I'm sure this is pretty obvious to most of you but I think before this I leaned more to the thinking that you just need to be willing.

Random thought number 3: People here are extremely bright and have overcome incredible odds. Kyle and Drew have been working with a few guys that play keyboard and guitar but have never had any music lessons. These guys have a natural ear and a desire and have learned simple music theory quite rapidly. Our friends (The Schroths) help out at the local elementary school and were surprised at how advanced the 5th graders were in science and math. As a homeschooling Mom, I feel challenged by this to raise the bar on my expectations in my school. One of the families we have met lived in the states for 5 years. During this time their son went to a public elementary school. When he returned to Africa, they had to hold him back a grade because he hadn't covered the information that all his peers in Africa had covered. He was a bright kid who got good grades but the information just had never been given to him. I'm not here to attack the education system in the States - we have many options for many different types of kids - these are just my observations.

Random thought number 4: I have observed that there are quite a number of Muslims that own many of the businesses around here. The local tea plantation is owned by a Muslim man and most of the big vendors at the market are Muslim. I have been treated very fair by these vendors and have nothing against these people. However, I believe they are very business savvy and seem to be taking over most of the economic power in this area. In talking to some of the local Christians, many of them have lost their loved ones to Islam because that is where the money is. They want the security that is offered to them in working for these men and soon it spreads and they convert to Islam. Jesus says in Matthew 10:16 to"be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves." I think it is possible that this whole area (and many others like them including even the States), need to take this to heart or we could be in slavery to the Islamic world. I think it is important that we be raising children to be business savvy, intelligent, wise and purposeful. Somehow, I need to figure out a way to light a fire under each one of my kids so that they can be prepared and equipped to further the Kingdom of God.

These are just my thoughts and observations: I have no hard facts that I have researched or anything. These also cover some pretty deep problems or potential problems. This blog is really just my thought process and what I hope to implement in my own family to make even a small difference in this world.

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!"

A Blog about Blogging

Originally I wanted to blog because so many people had been asking how I would communicate while we were in Africa.  I thought I should get the hang of it before leaving since I would probably have more time and electricity to do that here in MN.  Occasionally I would read other blogs but I didn't actually follow any one blogger, I just read what happened to come across my path.  I had no idea what I was getting myself into.

 The more I blog the more I find myself interested in what others are blogging about.  I have one friend that has a blog a day.  I have no idea how she can come up with something interesting every day but somehow she does.  I sometimes have to wait until the end of the day to see what she has to say because she is waiting for a burst of inspiration but she never fails me.  Her mind is as random as mine so you never know what you will get.  She inspires me with her writing because I can see how some seemingly irrelevant thing will resonate with me, maybe my blog is doing the same to others.

Blogging is a little like scrapbooking but with words.  When I first start scrapbooking, I would see everything I did in life through the lens of a camera and what that would look like on a page.  Now as things happen in my day, I jot myself a note of what's happening if I think it might be blogger worthy at some point.   It does become a bit obsessive at times.  I can focus too much on how many people have read certain articles or if anyone bothered.  Sometimes I think I have something really important to share and just a few people take note.  I wonder what it is that will draw their attention, and laugh when it is "deep" things like toilets around the world.  I shared thoughts about missing my Mom, since I know that many of my friends have also lost their Moms and could relate to the feelings that I was having that day.  I guess that was too deep of a subject because very few even read it and the ones that did probably thought I was depressed or something.  Grief is weird, it shows up occasionally when you aren't expecting it and I chose to expose myself in hopes that it would encourage even one person going through a similar time.

The thing that has surprised me the most is how many people have told me certain things I have written have touched them or encouraged them.  I shouldn't be surprised because I have been encouraged by others in the same way.  I'm surprised sometimes by how much I have in common with events from other peoples lives.  I have had people comment on that about my blogs too, that they have been through the same thing or felt the same way or wanted to do the same thing that my family is doing or has done.  It's when I am the most transparent about myself that what I say resonates the most with a reader.  It's scary at times to be truly transparent and exposed.  I run the risk of judgement or being misunderstood by someone who is only getting a small glimpse into my life.  I think of that when I am reading other blogs, that I am just getting one snap shot and not read too much into that little piece of their life.

So fellow bloggers, keep up the good work!  Your words have encouraged me, they have made me laugh. Your words have given me food for thought as well as ideas for actual food/menu plans.  You have shared God's Word when I have needed it. You have given me fresh ideas and insight into my homeschool day.   You have reminded me of all I have to be thankful for and blogging has given me a place to share that.