Ramadan is over!!!! Our people hear break the fast with feasts and dancing and ofcourse I have to get a greater understanding of the culture that I'm a part of so we went to a bush party on Tuesday! It was in the middle of our village and it consists of a ton of kids and 20 year olds having a good time! 3 guys play drums and the girls dance first then the guys. There aren't lights in the middle of the bush so there were a few guys with flash lights and that made the sand getting kicked up from dancing look pretty! Tuesday and Wednesday our supervisor took us out storying and it was fun to see the ladies listen so intently. Thursday we tried to go prayer walking but we got in trouble with our African mom because we were walking at sunset so we went out in the field with her and her daughter instead and picked weeds for donkey food and admired the sunset. It's different and beautiful every night!
The culture has changed quit a bit since the fasting is over. Our family has tea atleast 3 times a day. If I had a caffiene addiction before Africa it is only getting worse. We got to try fresh roasted corn that was really good! I also had some really good millet which was surprising! Millet is what we feed to birds and it's their main source of food but the sauce they put on it is really good. So Wednesday I got a little sick just because I had so much African food that my stomach wasn't used too. But it only lasted for a day. Another cultural learning experience... if a woman is pregnant and refuses to marry the father when the child is done breast feeding at about 3 she is required to give the child to the father and waive parental rights. We had to take a child to her father this week and it was one of the saddest things I've ever seen.
The family I wrote about last wee, "Linda" and her family, were pretty sweet this week. On Monday morning when we got back to our compound she RAN to the car to greet us! That's when I knew for sure I'm really going to miss these people when I leave and I'm sooo glad we have more than 2 months to be here! Last night, Friday, her 2 year old son fell asleep star gazing with me and I would't have traded that for the world!
Continue to pray for "Linda" and her family for building relationships with them, for vision and direction in prayer walking (we're going in the morning next week, not at sun set). Our supervisor is giving us an MP3 player and speakers to use to play bible stories since our language skills still aren't the best. The Lord says His Word never returns void but always accomplishes his desires and acheives the purpose for which he sent it so claim that promise for storying when we get the opportunity. Love yall so so much!
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Big Picture
This was an action packed week! Monday we went to a “Bouki” a baby naming ceremony and we got to meet the King of our tribe! We also got to see a sheep get sacrificed and cleaned and gutted. The king was a ton of fun and joked with us and told us we needed to live in his village with his family! Our supervisor said he has a bible and he is reading it because he has actually gone to school and is really well educated, but his wife is a Muslim religious teacher in the community so that hinders him a ton. He is not a believer right now, so you can pray for him to come to know the Lord through His word! Monday night I went out to our village and stayed the night there alone and I thought I would be fine, I can handle one night alone in our hut…. Worst idea ever! We had the worst storm I’ve seen so far in Africa and I thought our hut was going to blow away!! Again, it was surprisingly sturdy and held up well against the storm. I prayed a lot that night J
Tuesday I tried to pound millet with a 15 year old girl and with the same lady who took us to the well… I feel like I need to give her a name, we’re not supposed to put specific online just for the sake of protecting the people here to I’ll call her Linda. The teenager grabbed my cross necklace and said Jesus Christ so I got to tell Linda and the 15 year old girl, in their own language, that Jesus died on the cross rose from the dead and I follow him and that my life is in his life! That was a pretty big deal to verbally communicate the gospel. They didn’t want to follow him, yet, but this is just the beginning of ministry time here! The Lord has really been impressing it upon my heart to have a big picture perspective about my time here and knowing that this is really the beginning of ministry in the village. We’re the very first missionaries to go into this village. These people have never ever heard the good news. Paul talks in 1 Corinthians chapter 3 about planting the seed, and laying the foundation for another to come and water the seed and build on the foundation. Lauren and I are the seed planters and foundation layers here in our village. We may not get to see growth or these people being built up, but I do know that our Father is faithful to fulfill all the good that he starts (see Philippians chapter one) and He has a plan for these people that is bigger than my 4 months here!
Wednesday we finally finished language study and we got to go to the well for the first time. It’s about ¾ a mile from our compound and at least ¼ of a mile deep before the water table. The ladies lower down this rubber bag kind of thing and pull it back up on rope. It probable holds about 4 gallons of water, and then they pour the water into a 25 liter container and carry it either on their head if they only have one, or some ladies bring a donkey out and carry 4 of these 25 liter containers back at a time.
The 2 year old that I’ve written about a couple of times that was scared of me before but has open up got even closer to me this past week!! On Thursday I was out napping under the tree by myself and he found me and wanted to play. I just really wanted alone time at this point and did not want to play, but also couldn’t pass up the opportunity. So he sat in my lap for a little bit then he decided it was time for some more fun so he went and hid from me in the millet field and watched me look for him and pretend I couldn’t find him. Then he would come running at me! Full charge and jump into my hands and laugh so sweet as I threw him into the air and spun around with him. After I returned him safely to the ground he would run back into hiding then run back to his launching pad! We played this little game for a good 20 minutes until the little one got too excited and ran right into a millet stalk and broke it off at the ground!
It broke my heart to see the way his demeanor completely changed around his mom, Linda, though. Our tribe has these silly unwritten social rules that they follow. One of them is that they don’t show any affection to their first born child. Sadly, this little one is the first born of the family. I didn’t even know his real name for a couple of weeks because his mom calls him something different. The only attention he gets from her is getting hit in the head for doing wrong and a yell at night to call him into the hut for bed time. When I went to see him to tell him bye that evening when our supervisor was there to pick us up he was standing outside the hut by his mom who was making dinner and just bawling. He wouldn’t even look at me anymore. His mom, Linda, is the same young woman who dropped off her little 6 month old girl to my hut last week and fell asleep with me. I think most of my ministry time in our compound is going to be spent with this little family. The dad is the chief’s son and I’ve gotten to build a relationship with him too. He’s a lot of fun and is easy to relate to. Linda is also the one who led us to the well and she has just begun to open up week before last and even more this past week. Please pray for the relationship I’m getting to build with this family. I think a big way I’m getting to show Jesus’ love is with this Linda’s children and loving them so much even though they aren’t mine, but I would take them for my own if I could J I can tell that she wants to love her oldest son because she smiles at me when I hold him and she can tell he’s happy but it breaks social code and would bring shame upon her whole family so she can’t.
Like I said our supervisor picked us up Thursday evening. Friday we went as a team to clean another missionary’s house that had to leave on emergency medical leave a few months ago in a town a few hours away. Saturday was laundry a rest day. Today is Sunday and we get to go to church again! Ways to pray this week… for the family I wrote about, Linda and her husband and 2 kiddos, that the Lord would give me opportunities for ministry and relationship building. Also, since we are officially done with language study we’re getting into the actually planned ministry time. Our supervisor is taking us out to story with her and the days we’re not doing that we get to prayer walk and map out our village, so pray for direction for that too! And for sensitivity to the Holy Spirit for any and all opportunities to minister to whoever is around us. Again, thank you so much for following, and praying. It’s a constant encouragement to think of all of you back home thinking about, and praying for me!
Tuesday I tried to pound millet with a 15 year old girl and with the same lady who took us to the well… I feel like I need to give her a name, we’re not supposed to put specific online just for the sake of protecting the people here to I’ll call her Linda. The teenager grabbed my cross necklace and said Jesus Christ so I got to tell Linda and the 15 year old girl, in their own language, that Jesus died on the cross rose from the dead and I follow him and that my life is in his life! That was a pretty big deal to verbally communicate the gospel. They didn’t want to follow him, yet, but this is just the beginning of ministry time here! The Lord has really been impressing it upon my heart to have a big picture perspective about my time here and knowing that this is really the beginning of ministry in the village. We’re the very first missionaries to go into this village. These people have never ever heard the good news. Paul talks in 1 Corinthians chapter 3 about planting the seed, and laying the foundation for another to come and water the seed and build on the foundation. Lauren and I are the seed planters and foundation layers here in our village. We may not get to see growth or these people being built up, but I do know that our Father is faithful to fulfill all the good that he starts (see Philippians chapter one) and He has a plan for these people that is bigger than my 4 months here!
Wednesday we finally finished language study and we got to go to the well for the first time. It’s about ¾ a mile from our compound and at least ¼ of a mile deep before the water table. The ladies lower down this rubber bag kind of thing and pull it back up on rope. It probable holds about 4 gallons of water, and then they pour the water into a 25 liter container and carry it either on their head if they only have one, or some ladies bring a donkey out and carry 4 of these 25 liter containers back at a time.
The 2 year old that I’ve written about a couple of times that was scared of me before but has open up got even closer to me this past week!! On Thursday I was out napping under the tree by myself and he found me and wanted to play. I just really wanted alone time at this point and did not want to play, but also couldn’t pass up the opportunity. So he sat in my lap for a little bit then he decided it was time for some more fun so he went and hid from me in the millet field and watched me look for him and pretend I couldn’t find him. Then he would come running at me! Full charge and jump into my hands and laugh so sweet as I threw him into the air and spun around with him. After I returned him safely to the ground he would run back into hiding then run back to his launching pad! We played this little game for a good 20 minutes until the little one got too excited and ran right into a millet stalk and broke it off at the ground!
It broke my heart to see the way his demeanor completely changed around his mom, Linda, though. Our tribe has these silly unwritten social rules that they follow. One of them is that they don’t show any affection to their first born child. Sadly, this little one is the first born of the family. I didn’t even know his real name for a couple of weeks because his mom calls him something different. The only attention he gets from her is getting hit in the head for doing wrong and a yell at night to call him into the hut for bed time. When I went to see him to tell him bye that evening when our supervisor was there to pick us up he was standing outside the hut by his mom who was making dinner and just bawling. He wouldn’t even look at me anymore. His mom, Linda, is the same young woman who dropped off her little 6 month old girl to my hut last week and fell asleep with me. I think most of my ministry time in our compound is going to be spent with this little family. The dad is the chief’s son and I’ve gotten to build a relationship with him too. He’s a lot of fun and is easy to relate to. Linda is also the one who led us to the well and she has just begun to open up week before last and even more this past week. Please pray for the relationship I’m getting to build with this family. I think a big way I’m getting to show Jesus’ love is with this Linda’s children and loving them so much even though they aren’t mine, but I would take them for my own if I could J I can tell that she wants to love her oldest son because she smiles at me when I hold him and she can tell he’s happy but it breaks social code and would bring shame upon her whole family so she can’t.
Like I said our supervisor picked us up Thursday evening. Friday we went as a team to clean another missionary’s house that had to leave on emergency medical leave a few months ago in a town a few hours away. Saturday was laundry a rest day. Today is Sunday and we get to go to church again! Ways to pray this week… for the family I wrote about, Linda and her husband and 2 kiddos, that the Lord would give me opportunities for ministry and relationship building. Also, since we are officially done with language study we’re getting into the actually planned ministry time. Our supervisor is taking us out to story with her and the days we’re not doing that we get to prayer walk and map out our village, so pray for direction for that too! And for sensitivity to the Holy Spirit for any and all opportunities to minister to whoever is around us. Again, thank you so much for following, and praying. It’s a constant encouragement to think of all of you back home thinking about, and praying for me!
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Reality
So after a month and a half of being in Africa reality has set in that I am really here in Africa and I am really going to be here for another 3 months living in a grass hut. Really? Yes. We have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens who was tempted in all ways yet was with out sin so He could sympathize with us (see Hebrews ch 4) Just like Paul became all things to all people that he might save some I am here becoming like the Africans doing life the way they do it that some of them might be saved (see first corinthians ch 10) These are just a couple of things that the Lord has made a reality to me as life in Africa has become a reality this past week. The family in our compound has really become our African family. We sit around outside and eat dinner together late at night and laugh and talk with the little bit of language that we have over hot tea. We have so much fun together! On Wednesday the guys... there are 3 right around our age that are a ton of fun... they set up a high jump thing atleast 5 feet tall and after a running start cleared this thing! We all laughed and yelled and had a good time. We had a really great rain on Thursday with a sand storm to start it off. Our little grass hut is surprisingly sturdy againt the elements! We have 3 days left of language learning and I am so excited to be done with it. We are by no means fluent, but are doing pretty well for only 3 weeks of learning. After this week we will begin prayer walking and mapping out our village on a GPS system and I'm really excited about prayer walking! We found out our cheif really likes coffee too so while they do tea this week at night I'm going to bring out my coffee press and see if I can get some ministry going sharing coffee! There is a young lady that was a little intimidating when we first got to our compound and she was just real stand off ish but this past week she has opened up and we call each other hegoam which means my friend! I'm looking forward to seeing what the Lord does with that relationship. One morning this past week she had a lot to do around her hut so she just passed off her precious 6 month old little girl who promptly fell asleep in my lap! I got to watch her sleep and then bounced her and played. I joked with her mom and told her I was talking her to America with me and she laughed at me :) I would really bring her home with me if it wasn't illegal! We actually get to go in to our supervisor's house every weekend which was a surprise blessing to get a really shower and sleep in air conditioning every weekend! It gives me a little bit of time to be away from our African family and miss them for a little bit. I'm ready to go back out by Monday morning :) Ways to pray this week... We're still in Ramadan so continue to pray for the people to be sick of old meaningless traditions. Ask for the Lord to give them the life that only He can. Continue to pray for encouragement for Lauren and I for the Lord to make us aware of the simple joys around us like getting to go to our shade tree alone and getting to look up into a sky absolutley FILLED with stars and laughing with our African family! I love you all thanks sooo much!
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Thankful
When ever you spend time in a third world country you always become more aware of the things that you are thankful for. Thought yall would apreciate hearing some of those things...
washing machines dryers and fabric softener- we do laundry on a wash board in a bucket with a bar of soap and hang clothes on the line to dry.
microwave-those don't exist in the bush.
english-its really nice to be able to communicate in the way that you want to and not have to play charades.
toilets- we have a squatty potty, which is really nice compared to some of the other "facilities" you may find around, a squatty is a concrete hole in the ground more or less.
clean water-all water must be filtered here
matches- we have to have matches to use our gas stove and one day we had all wet matches and those just don't work.
here are some things here that I'm thankful for...
simple shade- we have a tree a few yards from our hut that we go to for afternoon naps and the whole family usually comes out to nap together under the shade
not being attached to a cell phone- we have a phone to contact our supervisor if we need it, but I really enjoy not having it attached to me and checking it all the time
church-fellowship with other believers is so neccisarry. Lauren, our supervisor and the other two girls that are working in a village a few minutes away from us is the body of christ for us on a daily basis. Today we get to go to church for the first time in a month and I'm so excited to be in company with like minded people!
God's word- it's a daily encouragement to get to read His word and hear from Him.
Language study has been the best time! Our teacher is great, he shared Christ with two guys in out village this week! A lot of the little kids here are scared of white people because their older simblings tell them that we eat little kids :( so there is this one little boy in our village who screams and runs when he sees us, but this week he held my hand!!! Major personal victory there! Africa feels more like home the more I'm here. I put pictures up in our hut and we have some more personal things that make it more comfortable. It rained a lot this week which was a HUGE blessing! It hadn't rained for about a week and a half and if it doesn't rain for two weeks crops die and there is no food for the next year, so we were getting pretty worried, but it rained like 3 times really hard! We got to play in the rain and really enjoyed it :) the family that we are staying with has been so sweet and welcoming. They checked and made sure we didn't have leaks in our hut and got rid of our termites and are always laughing with us and being patient as we learn their language. Be praying for the two guys that heard the gosel last week that the Lord would make them curious about the truth. Continue to pray for me to be content in all circumstances and for the Lord to show me more of His character so that I can manifest that to those around me. He's been showing me a ton about who He is and who I am because of who He is and it's been really fun!! Thank yall so so much for your prayers!
washing machines dryers and fabric softener- we do laundry on a wash board in a bucket with a bar of soap and hang clothes on the line to dry.
microwave-those don't exist in the bush.
english-its really nice to be able to communicate in the way that you want to and not have to play charades.
toilets- we have a squatty potty, which is really nice compared to some of the other "facilities" you may find around, a squatty is a concrete hole in the ground more or less.
clean water-all water must be filtered here
matches- we have to have matches to use our gas stove and one day we had all wet matches and those just don't work.
here are some things here that I'm thankful for...
simple shade- we have a tree a few yards from our hut that we go to for afternoon naps and the whole family usually comes out to nap together under the shade
not being attached to a cell phone- we have a phone to contact our supervisor if we need it, but I really enjoy not having it attached to me and checking it all the time
church-fellowship with other believers is so neccisarry. Lauren, our supervisor and the other two girls that are working in a village a few minutes away from us is the body of christ for us on a daily basis. Today we get to go to church for the first time in a month and I'm so excited to be in company with like minded people!
God's word- it's a daily encouragement to get to read His word and hear from Him.
Language study has been the best time! Our teacher is great, he shared Christ with two guys in out village this week! A lot of the little kids here are scared of white people because their older simblings tell them that we eat little kids :( so there is this one little boy in our village who screams and runs when he sees us, but this week he held my hand!!! Major personal victory there! Africa feels more like home the more I'm here. I put pictures up in our hut and we have some more personal things that make it more comfortable. It rained a lot this week which was a HUGE blessing! It hadn't rained for about a week and a half and if it doesn't rain for two weeks crops die and there is no food for the next year, so we were getting pretty worried, but it rained like 3 times really hard! We got to play in the rain and really enjoyed it :) the family that we are staying with has been so sweet and welcoming. They checked and made sure we didn't have leaks in our hut and got rid of our termites and are always laughing with us and being patient as we learn their language. Be praying for the two guys that heard the gosel last week that the Lord would make them curious about the truth. Continue to pray for me to be content in all circumstances and for the Lord to show me more of His character so that I can manifest that to those around me. He's been showing me a ton about who He is and who I am because of who He is and it's been really fun!! Thank yall so so much for your prayers!
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