{My Body Doesn’t Bend That Way}

No I’m not talking about yoga or stretching. Although I could stand to do a bit more of that in my life. I hear it’s really beneficial for your body, but I’m getting sidetracked now.

At our training another couple and us would joke about how our middle names needed to be changed to “Flexible”. Sometimes working for a huge corporation creates lots of miscommunication or just plain no communication. So we’d joke about how in order to be successful in this job, one thing that we needed to be was flexible. It was our way of dealing with frustrations and irritants that came along the way even as late as our training two months before we left.

For people that plan and organize everything from their spices to their calendar, being flexible is not the easiest thing in the world. It creates LOTS of frustration, anger and sometimes, hurt feelings. But if God has taught me anything this year (which believe me, He has!) it’s that I really can’t do my job unless I’m flexible.

What does this look like here? Well the people here aren’t organized for one thing. Like at all! Seriously they don’t even know what a calendar is. No they do, but you get my point! You can’t really plan a specific time to meet with someone. You just have to give a 3-4 sometimes 5-hour window for your meeting. And that’s just for them to show up. Also people just drop by unannounced. Now for some people in the South (who shall remain nameless…my husband), this is perfectly acceptable. But in IL, you just don’t do that! So sometimes your plans or goals for the day get thrown out the window when someone drops by for 3 hours unexpectedly.

And of course the company flexibility continues. They are constantly re-organizing, re-structuring, making things more efficient (or so they think J). Seriously, in the year we’ve been on the field, we’ve had 3 “new and improved” medical expense reports to fill out and 5 different emails to send them to! BUT we love our company and as frustrating as it can be to a person that doesn’t want to be flexible sometimes, we’d never change it. They take SUCH good care of us and we are incredibly blessed.

So all this to say that one thing that God continues to impress upon this not so flexible person is the importance of being able to chuck your plans and go with His. You never know what the person who stops by unannounced might need to hear from Him. You never know what the re-organization might bring to bless your life more. Jesus is a great example. When people stopped listening to Him, He just got up and left. No second thoughts like “Well my planner says that I need to leave on this day”, no getting angry that people were changing what He was doing. He was simply flexible with Himself and gave of Himself without another thought.

The thing is that if you remain inflexible to the changes around you, you WILL go crazy. Trust me, I know this from experience. So when your neighbor comes over for an unexpected visit, or it takes 3 hours to pay a bill of $2 or your language test gets postponed again and again, the only way to survive is to follow His example and just be flexible.

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Ticket Days

"Have you had a ticket day yet?" we were asked by some colleagues who came to visit us this week. Unfortunately I then felt completely stupid because I had to ask what on earth he was talking about!

A ticket day just means that if you had a ticket back to the States you'd use it because it's so aggravating here or you're just plain tired of being a missionary, of visiting people, of having a constantly dirty (think layers of dirt, not dust) house and you just want to leave.

I had to stop and think about that question for a bit. Sure there have been times where I've wanted to come back. I miss my family and friends. I miss my church. I miss the ease of living next to a grocery store or a Target. I miss lots of things..who wouldn't?! But even in the midst of all of that I've never wanted to come back because I was tired of this culture, aggravated or so frustrated that I wanted to stop. I've wanted to come back to give my family a big huge hug and be loved on by them, but never because I didn't want to be here anymore.

It's a funny thing...we've been here a little over a year now and sometimes it feels like just yesterday we arrived. We are constantly inundated by new things, things we've never seen or heard before, new challenges, new successes. So much so that it feels sometimes like we're still newbies (i mean we are...but we have some time under our belts). But yet at the same time this feels like our second home. Just the other day we were walking through the market, almost got hit by a donkey cart, were pushed around by the crowds of women in the main section, stopped and chatted with some women with the same last name and then bought a HUGE eggplant for .10 cents and it stopped me in my tracks. I thought...this feels normal...just another day...something we've been doing forever. How weird is that?!

One thing that I've consistently been sure of is His call on my life. I've never doubted that I was supposed to come here. Even in the midst of....well just plain yuckiness....I've always been sure that this was what He's called me to do. So even if I had a plane ticket, I'd only use it if it meant I could come back here after I loved on my family for a bit. Because this is my second home...oh and we've worked really hard to make it homey....in a good way...not the boring, colorless, drab homey way....like pretty, warm, and colorful way and it'd be a shame to stop now :)

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Here and gone again

Well the cold weather came and unfortunately has already gone. We had about a month of cooler temperatures. So much cooler in fact that we had to pull out the down comforter we brought with us....yes we did bring a down comforter with us because it's one of my most favorite things in the whole world and I just couldn't leave it behind. And see we got to use it!! The days were cloudy and cooler. I was able to wear a scarf to class because it was chilly and I got to relish the evenings on my couch reading, sipping my cup of Teavana tea, wrapped up our new lightweight Moroccan blanket. It was GREAT!!

But now it's gone and although it's not yet hot hot hot! it is getting there. I guess I'll just have to wake up extra extra early and enjoy that cup of tea and blanket time.

Have a good week!!

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Bring on the cold!!

Since we arrived here in January we've been told that the rainy season end in September and then it's the beginning of the dry season and cooler weather. Needless to say that when the heat and humidity of the hot season began in April and then the humidity stayed through the rainy season of August, we were really looking forward to the start of the dry season and cooler temps.

But no one told us about October. October is hot, humid and just plain miserable. It's exactly like April and May. Only I wasn't prepared for October because everyone said the rain ends and then it's cold. Now mind you cold here means like 70 degrees, but compared to 100 degrees that's frigid! But no one told me about October! So I've been praying for the weather to change, trying to be patient and complaining to my hubby about the heat.

Last night after the women's study we started for our team, we were standing outside talking about how there should be one last rain and then the cooler temps. We were saying "Wouldn't it be nice if it would just get here, just rain and then be cool?". As I drove home, it started sprinkling. Within 10 minutes there was lightning, thunder, wind and lots of rain.

Sometimes I forget how fast God answers prayer. I get lost in the waiting and forget to praise him when He is quick (in my mind) to respond to what I ask of Him. So I just wanted to take the time to thank Him today for the rain, for the cooler, cloudy, windy day today and for always answering my prayers.

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The wail

"Someone just died," B said as he came into the house after class. Of course my immediate sarcastic response was "What you're psychic now?"

But as I stepped outside I could hear wailing, the intense cry when someone dies. There is no other way to describe it. It is a wail. Deep pain, sorrow, tears and sobbing all coming out in a single sound. It's intense, surreal and heart-wrenching. A lady came out of a compound literally 20 yards away. She was being held up by another lady as her body was racked with sobs. They walked down to the corner, both wailing.

B and I immediately got dressed and went with a friend to greet and pray for the family. As soon as we walked in and heard the wailing we both started crying. Crying for the deceased woman and her family that we didn't know. Crying because this family was in such visible pain. Crying because we knew where this woman would spend eternity. Crying because we never knew her, never shared Christ with her. Crying because we'd never have the chance.

We sat and prayed for the family. I hugged and held hands with some of the ladies as they sobbed. I didn't stop crying until I got home.

This brings a new sense of urgency to why I'm here. We hear all the time that there are people dying every second without ever hearing or knowing Christ, but that's never really really really impacted me. Not like this. Now I've seen it, seen the pain that is caused from losing someone and not knowing where they will go. I feel a greater pressure to know the language better, so much better so that I can share Christ every chance I get. To not worry so much about cultural norms and boundaries and boldly share Him who brought me here. To not let another person who lives near me die without hearing about who Jesus Christ is. Please pray with me for these families..for the families who do not yet know Jesus...for the families who I will tell...and for the families I might not get a chance to tell, that somehow they will hear it and believe.

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Why?

I've been reading the Psalms lately..mostly because I have felt attacked, discouraged, and just plain icky (yes that is a real feeling).

Spiritual warfare is not something that most of us recognize because in the states most of the time it's just little stuff Satan uses, like too many commitments, impatience, or sickness to pull us away from God. But since I started this journey to follow God to Africa I've been attacked. I'm not talking about little things. I'm talking about mentally ill roommates that try to get you kicked out of school, an apartment complex that robs you, paperwork being lost so that we can't be over here sooner, more paperwork being lost, being stalled because someone was too lazy to look at his desk, more mentally ill people, and now a man who is coming out here in June. It's a long story but basically this "Christian" man was here before alone for three or so months, did some things that were not good, spent too much time in the wrong places and left a very very bad image. We found out what was going on and since he was coming back tried to correct the situation via our leadership, but now he is mad (although we have been assured by many around us that we handled the situation correctly and maturely) and is sending us threatening emails and is probably going to come here and not be very nice.

All this to say that I have been reading Psalms a lot lately, especially chapters 54-62. The psalmist writes about how men attack him and do evil and seek to drag him down into the depths. He cries out to God asking Him to deliver him and destroy the enemy. Asking God for faith and proclaiming his trust in the Lord. This has been my source of comfort these last few days....knowing that God is my Savior and He has great things planned for our town, great things planned for our people. Crying out to God to deliver me from the hands of men, from evil things that men do to destroy His name and trusting that God is faithful as He always has been in the past.

I think God has great plans for me, for my husband, for the people here and for this town. I think this because Satan is trying desperately to make me defeated, to make me give up and go home. Why? Because God is working here, moving fast and hard and Satan is losing his foothold in this area. Because we are called to proclaim His name and His saving grace and do great things for God's kingdom. Please pray for me, for us...to be faithful even when we don't feel like it... to be obedient even if we are hurting....to shake off this fear, hurt and anger and boldly proclaim Jesus' name...and to not let Satan win this battle when this man comes in June.

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Shoes....how I miss you!

I know this is completely superficial...and you probably will think I'm a very bad missionary....but I have comes to terms with this so you must also.

I miss my shoes....

I had so many at one time....now I have six...3 flip flops, 2 Keen sandals, and tennis shoes. Boring I know...

Do you remember these?? I do...

I miss the way they feel on my feet...I miss the smell of new leather...I miss my feet hurting from wearing heels all day.

These are waiting on me when we come back to the states in 2014...a long time from now...


This is all www.thepioneerwoman.com/confessions fault....she blogs about her shoes all the time... I must stop reading!!

I tried to prepare myself for not being able to shop, by bringing extra new clothes and leaving them packed away so I could "shop" and pull out new clothes when I got tired of my current ones. But I didn't do that for my shoes! What was I thinking??!!

So if you are out shopping today, go try on a pair of the cutest heels you can find, the most expensive nicest shoes and think of me in Africa with my $2.50 flip flops from Old Navy. Just don't tell me about it...because I might cry. Well not really cry...ok yes I would cry so just keep it to yourself ok?

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