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.
African outfits
Our crazy family
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Onward Christian Soldiers
With Veteran's Day just around the corner, I have been thinking about those who daily serve our country. It seems a thankless job and yet where would we be without the men and women who have given up their freedom, so that we can have ours. My Dad served in the Korean War as well as Viet Nam. Growing up in a military family you expect to move around a lot. In many ways my Mom was the true hero. Each time we moved, she was the one making a new home for us while my Dad was away at war. I was only 6 years old when my Dad decided to retire after 21 years in the Air Force. I'm sure part of the decision was made because our family had 4 kids in school and my parents wanted to plant themselves for a while so we could have stability. I was young enough that I have limited memories of the adventures of living in the Philippines and Florida. My memories are tainted by my brothers perceptions of how things happened, they have always been good at telling a story, the problem is I don't know where the truth starts or ends.
Now I have a niece, Joye, that has followed that career military path that her Grandfather took. She has had to move her family to Germany recently. Her husband and 2 young boys are away from Grandparents and all things familiar while their Mom serves our country. She has since been deployed to Kuwait, while her family holds down the fort in Germany. She has missed big events, like the birth of her new little niece. This is the life she signed up for, all so we can be free as a country. It doesn't seem fair that people like her give up everything. She can't just easily leave if she doesn't like it - her life is not her own. Thank you to all of you who miss weddings, births, funerals, parties, graduations... all the things I take for granted. Thank you that you believe in this country and in our freedom enough to risk your life for it.
I was reading my Bible recently and came upon the verse in 2 Timothy 2:4 "...as Christ's soldier, do not let yourself become tied up in the affairs of this life, for then you cannot satisfy the one who enlisted you in his army". I remember singing songs as a child like "Onward Christian Soldiers" or "I'm in the Lord's Army". As a committed Christian, I say my life is surrendered, that my life is not my own. This verse challenges me. My niece had no choice once she signed up for the Army, her life was not her own. I envy her dedication and her courage. I claim to be Christ's soldier and yet I cling to my rights and my "things". I'm no different than most people in justifying my choices or giving excuses to stay in my comfortable life. I should have the same willingness to serve my God as so many men and women do to serve our country. Many of them are serving our country as a service that God has called them to. God bless them.
Now I have a niece, Joye, that has followed that career military path that her Grandfather took. She has had to move her family to Germany recently. Her husband and 2 young boys are away from Grandparents and all things familiar while their Mom serves our country. She has since been deployed to Kuwait, while her family holds down the fort in Germany. She has missed big events, like the birth of her new little niece. This is the life she signed up for, all so we can be free as a country. It doesn't seem fair that people like her give up everything. She can't just easily leave if she doesn't like it - her life is not her own. Thank you to all of you who miss weddings, births, funerals, parties, graduations... all the things I take for granted. Thank you that you believe in this country and in our freedom enough to risk your life for it.
I was reading my Bible recently and came upon the verse in 2 Timothy 2:4 "...as Christ's soldier, do not let yourself become tied up in the affairs of this life, for then you cannot satisfy the one who enlisted you in his army". I remember singing songs as a child like "Onward Christian Soldiers" or "I'm in the Lord's Army". As a committed Christian, I say my life is surrendered, that my life is not my own. This verse challenges me. My niece had no choice once she signed up for the Army, her life was not her own. I envy her dedication and her courage. I claim to be Christ's soldier and yet I cling to my rights and my "things". I'm no different than most people in justifying my choices or giving excuses to stay in my comfortable life. I should have the same willingness to serve my God as so many men and women do to serve our country. Many of them are serving our country as a service that God has called them to. God bless them.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Jumping Out of the Box
This past year our family made a huge leap of faith and canceled our health insurance. Before you jump to the conclusion that we have been very foolish, let me explain.
I have been raised in a family that fortunately has always had a good health care plan. I don't remember ever having to think about it growing up. I was current on all my vaccinations, went to the doctor when needed, visited the dentist twice a year, wore braces for 2 years, all without a thought or care of who covered the costs involved. Right out of college I got a job with National Car Rental. I had wonderful benefits, this being in the mid-80's there was basically 100% coverage and no deductible. I remember feeling a little put off when I had to start paying a $10 copay each time I visited the doctor's office. When Chris was born, all my medical expenses were covered in full. The biggest decision I had to make was which plan to go with since there were 3 or 4 options to choose from. Twenty-five years ago I started going to our neighborhood clinic where all 4 of my children have received their health care needs. I know the people there and it feels comfortable.
When Kyle was born I made the decision to quit my job of 12 years and be a stay home Mom. The hardest part of that decision for Drew and I was losing the benefits of my health insurance. Even though it was a leap of faith, we did have cobra coverage for the first 18 months (although at a much higher rate). When our 18 months was just coming to an end, Drew's employer started offering health insurance for the first time in 50 years. We were so excited! The excitement soon ended when we realized that the insurances this small company could offer were nothing compared to what I had from a large national company. We struggled along for a while and finally started looking independently. We found a very competitive insurance through a friend of ours. Insurance options had changed over the years and we chose a plan that had a high deductible but would still cover us for anything big. We rarely went to the doctor so this was a good fit for our growing family. The monthly fee was relatively low and we were able to stay with our same clinic and hospital that we had always had.
Life went on and we really didn't think much of our insurance, it was just another bill to pay each month. The first few years the rates did not change much but then we started seeing a trend of large increases every spring. This past spring our insurance again jumped and we realized it was almost twice what it had been when we originally signed up years ago. This wasn't because we overused it, we hardly used it at all. It was just a sign of our times of ever increasing insurance fees. I know most of you have experienced this same thing. If you haven't, count yourself blessed. I'm not very political and I know health care issues are a huge source of debate. What I do know is that something needed to change in our house in order for us to meet the needs of our family. I didn't trust someone in Washington DC to make a change for us - they don't even know us.
A year earlier I had heard from a friend about a Christian Health Sharing program called Samaritan Ministries International. The idea is that the members bear one anothers health care burdens by praying, encouraging and sharing the cost of needs. I remember being very intrigued by the idea but thinking it was too radical, mostly because all I knew was my comfortable HMO. I read through all the literature and testimonials but lacked the faith to go for it. Drew and I just went on paying our ever increasing health premium because that seemed safer.
This past spring as we were planning our upcoming trip to Africa, trying to find ways to cut costs in our expenses, I was reminded of SMI. I dug out the information and started praying for direction. Finally it just became obvious we needed to jump in with both feet when our insurance premium jumped up another $100/month. I'm so thankful we got the kick in the pants to go for it. What a pleasant surprise it has been. SMI is based on the Biblical principles of believers in Jesus Christ meeting the needs of other believers by sharing their burdens. I'm simplifying it but if you want all the details please go to their website and learn more. (www.samaritanministries.org). Each month we receive a newsletter with a prayer directory of members with a need. There are about 18,000 members at this time. Each member is assigned a family to "share" their need - our family gives $320 a month towards another family's need. This is half of what our premium was on our HMO. Along with our share, we send a card and lift up a prayer for whatever need is posted. There are lots of new babies coming so many times it's just a praise and prayer for a healthy delivery. The newletter also gives ideas on cutting costs if you have an upcoming surgery or other alternative medicines that may be helpful in different circumstances. SMI does not tell you what to do, they trust that you will make the wisest decision and be good stewards with the money God has provided. The process to join is pretty thorough too, so I feel confident that it's a safe alternative. I have been so impressed with the whole process and wish that more people knew of this. I know there are other similar ministries out there that are good, I can only speak from my experience with SMI.
Last month, Levi fell on a garden stake and cut his neck open. We rushed to Mercy Hospital, into their critical care unit without a thought of how it would be covered. The care we got there was amazing and it all worked out well. After the cat scan showed that the stake missed Levi's trachea by only 1/4 inch, all they had to do was sew it up. I asked for a discount since we would be paying in cash and found that it was quite a large discount. When a need is posted, SMI asks that you pay the first $300 and the members will share the rest of the fees. Since I did the calling and asking for the cash discount, they took our $300 off of the discount. The original bill just for the emergency room was over $1800 but after the discount we only owed $777! The other bills also gave discounts, mostly about 15%. What a blessing to not have to pay any of this and have people praying for us.
One of the things that has struck me over the months that we have had SMI is how stuck I am in my old way of doing things. I've "always" gone to the same clinic and it had never occurred to go elsewhere. I feel like I have so much freedom now with SMI but I'm trapped only by my old way of thinking. Kind of like an animal that has always lived in a fenced in area, one day the fence comes down and the animal doesn't even notice but continues living the same as always. I encourage you to think outside the box when it comes to your families health care needs and check out the SMI website for more information. Another cool thing about SMI is that we are no longer funding "choice" problems: health problems caused by drugs, alcohol, smoking and SMI does not fund abortions or other things that are contrary to our beliefs. I'm thankful to be partnered with a program that honors all life and strives to give glory to God!
I have been raised in a family that fortunately has always had a good health care plan. I don't remember ever having to think about it growing up. I was current on all my vaccinations, went to the doctor when needed, visited the dentist twice a year, wore braces for 2 years, all without a thought or care of who covered the costs involved. Right out of college I got a job with National Car Rental. I had wonderful benefits, this being in the mid-80's there was basically 100% coverage and no deductible. I remember feeling a little put off when I had to start paying a $10 copay each time I visited the doctor's office. When Chris was born, all my medical expenses were covered in full. The biggest decision I had to make was which plan to go with since there were 3 or 4 options to choose from. Twenty-five years ago I started going to our neighborhood clinic where all 4 of my children have received their health care needs. I know the people there and it feels comfortable.
When Kyle was born I made the decision to quit my job of 12 years and be a stay home Mom. The hardest part of that decision for Drew and I was losing the benefits of my health insurance. Even though it was a leap of faith, we did have cobra coverage for the first 18 months (although at a much higher rate). When our 18 months was just coming to an end, Drew's employer started offering health insurance for the first time in 50 years. We were so excited! The excitement soon ended when we realized that the insurances this small company could offer were nothing compared to what I had from a large national company. We struggled along for a while and finally started looking independently. We found a very competitive insurance through a friend of ours. Insurance options had changed over the years and we chose a plan that had a high deductible but would still cover us for anything big. We rarely went to the doctor so this was a good fit for our growing family. The monthly fee was relatively low and we were able to stay with our same clinic and hospital that we had always had.
Life went on and we really didn't think much of our insurance, it was just another bill to pay each month. The first few years the rates did not change much but then we started seeing a trend of large increases every spring. This past spring our insurance again jumped and we realized it was almost twice what it had been when we originally signed up years ago. This wasn't because we overused it, we hardly used it at all. It was just a sign of our times of ever increasing insurance fees. I know most of you have experienced this same thing. If you haven't, count yourself blessed. I'm not very political and I know health care issues are a huge source of debate. What I do know is that something needed to change in our house in order for us to meet the needs of our family. I didn't trust someone in Washington DC to make a change for us - they don't even know us.
A year earlier I had heard from a friend about a Christian Health Sharing program called Samaritan Ministries International. The idea is that the members bear one anothers health care burdens by praying, encouraging and sharing the cost of needs. I remember being very intrigued by the idea but thinking it was too radical, mostly because all I knew was my comfortable HMO. I read through all the literature and testimonials but lacked the faith to go for it. Drew and I just went on paying our ever increasing health premium because that seemed safer.
This past spring as we were planning our upcoming trip to Africa, trying to find ways to cut costs in our expenses, I was reminded of SMI. I dug out the information and started praying for direction. Finally it just became obvious we needed to jump in with both feet when our insurance premium jumped up another $100/month. I'm so thankful we got the kick in the pants to go for it. What a pleasant surprise it has been. SMI is based on the Biblical principles of believers in Jesus Christ meeting the needs of other believers by sharing their burdens. I'm simplifying it but if you want all the details please go to their website and learn more. (www.samaritanministries.org). Each month we receive a newsletter with a prayer directory of members with a need. There are about 18,000 members at this time. Each member is assigned a family to "share" their need - our family gives $320 a month towards another family's need. This is half of what our premium was on our HMO. Along with our share, we send a card and lift up a prayer for whatever need is posted. There are lots of new babies coming so many times it's just a praise and prayer for a healthy delivery. The newletter also gives ideas on cutting costs if you have an upcoming surgery or other alternative medicines that may be helpful in different circumstances. SMI does not tell you what to do, they trust that you will make the wisest decision and be good stewards with the money God has provided. The process to join is pretty thorough too, so I feel confident that it's a safe alternative. I have been so impressed with the whole process and wish that more people knew of this. I know there are other similar ministries out there that are good, I can only speak from my experience with SMI.
Last month, Levi fell on a garden stake and cut his neck open. We rushed to Mercy Hospital, into their critical care unit without a thought of how it would be covered. The care we got there was amazing and it all worked out well. After the cat scan showed that the stake missed Levi's trachea by only 1/4 inch, all they had to do was sew it up. I asked for a discount since we would be paying in cash and found that it was quite a large discount. When a need is posted, SMI asks that you pay the first $300 and the members will share the rest of the fees. Since I did the calling and asking for the cash discount, they took our $300 off of the discount. The original bill just for the emergency room was over $1800 but after the discount we only owed $777! The other bills also gave discounts, mostly about 15%. What a blessing to not have to pay any of this and have people praying for us.
One of the things that has struck me over the months that we have had SMI is how stuck I am in my old way of doing things. I've "always" gone to the same clinic and it had never occurred to go elsewhere. I feel like I have so much freedom now with SMI but I'm trapped only by my old way of thinking. Kind of like an animal that has always lived in a fenced in area, one day the fence comes down and the animal doesn't even notice but continues living the same as always. I encourage you to think outside the box when it comes to your families health care needs and check out the SMI website for more information. Another cool thing about SMI is that we are no longer funding "choice" problems: health problems caused by drugs, alcohol, smoking and SMI does not fund abortions or other things that are contrary to our beliefs. I'm thankful to be partnered with a program that honors all life and strives to give glory to God!
Monday, October 31, 2011
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.
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.
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Wilson
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| At the bridge |
Who is Wilson??
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| 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.
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| Last Day |
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.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Top 10 Fears
The scriptures tell us over and over to "Fear Not", but the reality is we all have fears if we are honest. Recently our Pastor Doug asked if our family would be willing to share our fears during his series on "Living Courageously". Our first reaction was that we don't feel courageous and we don't have very many fears. Our trip to Africa just seems like a big adventure. Trusting that Pastor Doug must have a reason for wanting us to share our story we decided to have a brainstorming session on what we might fear. It was so good for us to do this because it made us realize we do have fears. I don't believe God wants us to shove our fears down and pretend like they don't exist but to acknowledge fear and give it to Jesus. I Peter 5:7 "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you."
Pastor Doug's series on "Living Courageously" can be found in full by following the link below to Evergreen Community Church New Hope and check out their media section. The day we shared he was talking about doing something CRAZY for God. We definitely fit the "crazy" category.
Here is a list of our families top 10 fears and who shared that fear.
10. Levi is fearful of having an injury while in Cameroon and having to visit an emergency room. With his track record of injuries this is a very real fear. Please pray for protection for him and our whole team.
9. Levi also has a fear that our plane will crash. The kids have never been on an airplane so they feel a little anxious about this. However, Levi did say that he would prefer the plane crash to going to an emergency room. His reasoning is that if he dies he'll be ushered into the presence of Jesus and if he's in an emergency room it could be scary.
8. Ellie is worried about being away from her friends for so long.
7. Ellie is afraid of the unknown - not knowing what it will be like to be in another country, what kind of toilets we might have to use... and all the other stuff she doesn't know.
6. Kyle has no fear but will miss playing piano every day because this is how he worships.
5. I (Marie) have practical fears: Once the team leaves we will no longer be taken care of with meals and laundry. I believe I will have to prepare all of our meals and the food will be different then what we have here. The laundry will need to be line dried, which wouldn't be that big of a deal. Unfortunately, Tracey Hagman told me that in Africa there are moths or something that lay their eggs on laundry. Body heat warms the eggs and the larvae burrow under your skin. When we went to Kenya it was only 2 weeks so I made sure to have enough underwear for the whole time. I think it is unrealistic to bring each of us 73 pairs of underwear... so I guess I will have undies hanging all over our bathroom.
4. I do fear that I will get all caught up in doing this for the sake of the "purpose" rather than going on this trip because God is leading us. I don't want to miss anything that He is trying to show me because I have my eyes on the wrong things.
3. I fear that God might call us to go somewhere more permanently... and we would have to go because what I really fear is NOT obeying God.
2. Drew fears that he will be asked to do something way beyond his skills or knowledge and that he will not meet their expectations.
1. Our main fear for both Drew and I is that when we return from this amazing trip our old life will no longer make sense. That we will be completely discontent with the way things are. Really we want to be changed, but what does that look like?
We are just an ordinary family that is following an extraordinary and amazing God.... to the ends of the Earth if He asks us. Our story is really about Him and how he can use anyone if we open our eyes to what He is doing.
This prayer is from 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12a: "We keep on praying that our God will make us worthy of the life to which He called us. We pray that God, by His power, will fulfill all our good intentions and faithful deeds. Then everyone will give honor to the name of our Lord Jesus because of us"
http://www.evergreennewhope.com/media/audio_messages
Pastor Doug's series on "Living Courageously" can be found in full by following the link below to Evergreen Community Church New Hope and check out their media section. The day we shared he was talking about doing something CRAZY for God. We definitely fit the "crazy" category.
Here is a list of our families top 10 fears and who shared that fear.
10. Levi is fearful of having an injury while in Cameroon and having to visit an emergency room. With his track record of injuries this is a very real fear. Please pray for protection for him and our whole team.
9. Levi also has a fear that our plane will crash. The kids have never been on an airplane so they feel a little anxious about this. However, Levi did say that he would prefer the plane crash to going to an emergency room. His reasoning is that if he dies he'll be ushered into the presence of Jesus and if he's in an emergency room it could be scary.
8. Ellie is worried about being away from her friends for so long.
7. Ellie is afraid of the unknown - not knowing what it will be like to be in another country, what kind of toilets we might have to use... and all the other stuff she doesn't know.
6. Kyle has no fear but will miss playing piano every day because this is how he worships.
5. I (Marie) have practical fears: Once the team leaves we will no longer be taken care of with meals and laundry. I believe I will have to prepare all of our meals and the food will be different then what we have here. The laundry will need to be line dried, which wouldn't be that big of a deal. Unfortunately, Tracey Hagman told me that in Africa there are moths or something that lay their eggs on laundry. Body heat warms the eggs and the larvae burrow under your skin. When we went to Kenya it was only 2 weeks so I made sure to have enough underwear for the whole time. I think it is unrealistic to bring each of us 73 pairs of underwear... so I guess I will have undies hanging all over our bathroom.
4. I do fear that I will get all caught up in doing this for the sake of the "purpose" rather than going on this trip because God is leading us. I don't want to miss anything that He is trying to show me because I have my eyes on the wrong things.
3. I fear that God might call us to go somewhere more permanently... and we would have to go because what I really fear is NOT obeying God.
2. Drew fears that he will be asked to do something way beyond his skills or knowledge and that he will not meet their expectations.
1. Our main fear for both Drew and I is that when we return from this amazing trip our old life will no longer make sense. That we will be completely discontent with the way things are. Really we want to be changed, but what does that look like?
We are just an ordinary family that is following an extraordinary and amazing God.... to the ends of the Earth if He asks us. Our story is really about Him and how he can use anyone if we open our eyes to what He is doing.
This prayer is from 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12a: "We keep on praying that our God will make us worthy of the life to which He called us. We pray that God, by His power, will fulfill all our good intentions and faithful deeds. Then everyone will give honor to the name of our Lord Jesus because of us"
http://www.evergreennewhope.com/media/audio_messages
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Why Africa?
The whole reason I've started blogging is so that I can keep people informed about our activities in Africa. I figure that I better know what I am doing before we set out or it might not happen. That being said, I'll give you a little background on our decision to take our family to Africa.
Fast forward 6 years, to January 2011. The economy has been in a several year slump and we are feeling it. Drew works in seasonal construction and has to worker harder than ever for less money than ever. We're doing okay but it's definitely by the grace of God and we surely don't have EXTRA. One day as I was praying for our friends in Africa while walking on my treadmill this thought came blazing into my mind. "If you are ever going to take your kids back to Africa like you said, the time is now." It was that clear. Being the logical one that I am, all I could think was - That would be impossible. Right about then, the song came on with the line "He can move a mountain..." Wow, did I believe that God could move a mountain? I felt really challenged by that thought as I prayed more about the possibility of us taking our kids to Africa. In my mind, I pictured just the 5 of us going and staying near Eric and Tracey. I thought the kids and I could work at Heshima with Tracey, and Drew could do construction with Eric. We had been there before so it didn't seem too risky.
Once I had this great idea figured out in my head I went upstairs to talk to Drew about it. Now here is what I love about this man. He could have laughed at me or said "No way" or just ignored me. He looked at me and said "Wow, that would be great. You're right, there is no way we could do that without God making a way for us to. I think we should pray as a family for 2 weeks and see if we still should move forward."
So we prayed and prayed (all 5 of us) for 2 weeks. At the end of the 2 weeks we sent an email to Eric to see if it would even work. He copied our email on to Michael Wahl with Wycliffe Associate (Volunteer Coordinator). We laid our plans before the Lord and he took our willingness. Michael called us right away and said it wouldn't work for us to go to Kenya but would we consider going to Cameroon? Cameroon sounded almost as good, since we had another couple from our church moving there. Then he asked if we could get a team together...Okay. This wasn't really what we had in mind but our good friends Jon and Julie Sybrant agreed to co-lead a team with us. There are 16 people in our team! We thought we were just dipping our toes into the water to see if there was a need and suddenly things are happening. We still had no idea where we would come up with the money.
Well, I'm here to say that God really can move a mountain when it is part of His plan. We had prayed for things before that just seemed to go on empty ears after years of laying it before God. I don't know why this is so important to Him or even why he would chose to use me and my family - I'm just along for the ride. With each step of faith we have taken on this journey the money has come in at just the right time. We have been blown away with the generosity of people, some we don't even know! The more we planned the clearer it became to us that we should stay longer than the team. There are a lot of projects going on in Cameroon and we have the time. The biggest expense is the airline tickets so in our mind we might as well get our moneys worth and stay until mid-March. Since making this decision to stay 10 1/2 weeks I have heard a few different speakers talk about the 6 week point being very difficult in a new land. I really believe this is going to bring us closer as a family and cause us to cling to Jesus in a whole new way.
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