Same But Different

On January 10, 2012 I begin a new chapter using my training in Communication.  I will begin teaching two classes of Speech Arts at Jackson State University.  I am both excited and apprehensive about this.  But then that's where same comes in.  I felt both excitement and apprehension last January as I embarked on teaching at ABCU in Liberia.


So, what's different?  Besides being a year older, I hopefully have grown in this past year so that the woman who begins teaching this Spring semester is not just older but wiser as well.  I guess others will have to be the judge as to whether or not my perception is actually a reality.  But then I'd rather have the affirmation of God that somehow He has used the trials, experiences, and lessons of this past year to make me not only a better teacher THIS SPRING but a better child of the King.

On the same front though, it's the same that buckling down to create lesson plans is a daunting task.  It's the same that I like teaching.  But it's different  in the pay I receive (smile) and the distance I have to travel in order to teach.  It's also different the amount of  different preparations I have to make.

It felt SIMILAR,  however, the other day when I went to campus to fill out final papers and pick up my textbook.  In the coming months, those who read my blog will receive more details on those similarities, that is after I figure out what is going on in me that makes me sense that working in two different worlds might not be as different as one would expect!


Merry Christmas! I'm 2/3 of the way ready with Christmas dishes I need to prepare for our family gathering.  Now, I think I'll do a little preparing for January 10, a date fast approaching.

Today, I'm Pumped Up

Don't you just LOVE to get PUMPED UP?  I do, and I haven't been lately.  Today, however, I am.  Why?  Well, I'm dreaming again, and to me dreams make my eyes twinkle!   I just finished reading a book It's Rising Time  by Kim Kiyosaki.  I "happened" to hear the author interviewed on the radio 2 weeks ago.  That interview resonated with my spirit.  (Yes, I do think that those "gut" reactions are often an answer to prayers.)  At first I'm sure I didn't see reading a book as connecting the dots to varied prayers I was praying at the time, but today I think I do.

Today I'm pumped up because I think I'm beginning to see ways that my prayers are connecting "other" prayers that I thought had been totally unrelated.

Let me try to explain.  EAFC started "Women of Purpose chapters" a few months ago.  Because I'm not in the office on a regular basis, I'm not real sure how many WOP chapters we have, but in MY HEART, they're something that I want to see develop.  Why?  How?  When?  For what purpose?  I'm not sure I can even answer all those questions myself YET.  I just CARE DEEPLY that women all over the world grow/ spiritually, educational, physically.  I want today's women and tomorrow's women to believe in their God given gifts, potential.  I want them to know they "can do all things through Christ who strengthens them."

WOP's only relate to EAFC as a possible frame around the picture that is OUR CORE.  At our core, we partner with churches in Africa who identify and work with us in training Africa's future leaders.  Focusing on women's special needs is an aspect of that vision that I'm hoping churches will want to embrace, but whether or not they do, I can't say.

What I have gotten pumped up about today is my personal vision.  I want to VISIT WOP chapters.  I want to help WOP chapters get started.  I want to play over the holidays the new game I've just ordered  CASHFLOW.  I'm dreaming that I'll learn a lot, and that what I learn can be passed on to women in Jackson, around Mississippi and ultimately to my friends in Africa.

Will it happen?  ABSOLUTELY on some level, I believe it will.  The Bible tells us that without a vision the people perish.  In this book I just finished, I read about Trina, a lady who grew up "in the hood" in South Chicago.  "She's had her winning days and her learning days."

I read about Rita who was born in Kenya.  "Rita's cultural upbringing was one in which men, not women were brought up to be the business person and money-maker."  That's been the world I've lived in too.  Yes, I know many American women wouldn't identify with what I just wrote, but that's been "my story".  

My story, however, is changing.  And therefore, today I'm PUMPED UP.  I'm looking to the future again.

I wrote in one post not too long ago that I was struggling with "LETTING GO."  I'm finding though that  I don't really HAVE TO LET GO of HOPE, EDUCATION, LEARNING, LISTENING and SHARING what I learn.  I just have to let go of whatever is holding me back from doing what God has planned for me now.

So, what does this have to do with Africa?  Hopefully, that's clear, but if not, I'll say it again.  I plan on sending this post to my WOP friends.  I want them to join me in this adventure.  And yes, I'm thinking, maybe, just maybe I might get to see them again!

HOW to leave comments! Get adventuresome and try it!

AHHHHHH,  a friend told me what she does to make comments on this blog!  TRY it!  We could have fun, don't you think?

I went though the steps and here is what I do:

• Click Post Comment
• Write comment
• Click Comment as: (then on arrow to right choose Google. I have an account.)
• Type Word verification.

See if this works.

nb

Friends, and Their Dreams

Jamaima wants to do media editing.  She's praying that her church can get a MAC computer
to help her.  One of her professors in communications introduced her to MAC's.
I chatted with her today on Facebook.  One request:  "Pray that I have health."  I asked her
if she's been sick.  "No, she said, but I pray for health anyway."
Hummmm, I think I take health for granted.
Good reminder to me, Jamaima!  Thanks!!!!

Emmanuel was dressed sharp for the ABCU rededication when Franklim Graham came.
He needs a masters in education.  His Mother started the
Betty Jonah Orphanage for those who have followed this blog for a while.
Emmanuel brought a young man to the States
this past summer for surgery on his hands.

Bishop Augustin told me to tell the EAFC students and alumni
2 things:  Tell them to keep in touch with one another when
there is NOT a TEAM from the U.S. to remind them of
its importance, AND
Tell them that what you do for this
IS NOT EASY.
Will you make it easier this December by giving?

Today I heard from another student that I taught last February through April in Liberia. I am keeping up with Jamaima, Malue, Latoypoe, Emmanuel, Linda and more. I am hearing from church leaders with the Evangelical Church in Liberia too. Africa stays in my emails, In my heart, and in my prayers. I don't want to close this blog because I don't want you,my friends, to forget Africa either. My friends are praying for me as I Pray for them. They have been commenting on Cain's getting out of the race today. America's politics are more important to them than their politics are to us until AFTER they have genocides. I know when Rwanda was going through their nightmare in 1994, I had a reaction then that was typical of most Americans. I didn't then YET have friends in Rwanda. Today, I do. And I hope you are becoming friends too with Addy, Fancine, Bishop Augustin, Jean Paul, Lydie etc etc. don't like leaving any of them out. So I want you to be friends with my friends. If we can't all go to Africa , we can stay connected through prayer! After all, we will be neighbors someday in heaven! ( I will post a picture when I get to my computer)

Malue, Neah is his last name, but it's the name he wants us to call him.
He is one of my best students from when I taught at ABCU in Liberia.
He wants to, and I'd like for it to work out for EAFC to help him
get a Masters in Education.  Pray with me that his church
will catch the vision and partner with us.

Yesterday!

"Yesterday" turns into last week, a month ago, or what feels like forever.  These children grow up.  What seed have we planted?  We'll probably never know, but thankfully, that's ok.

Christopher

When you've given and received love, that eternal quality doesn't die.  One life has touched another and is forever blessed.  What follows are scenes from my "yesterday" after I'd presented Seeing Africa Through the Eyes of Children.

Preshus

Madisyn

When one little boy asked me to work with him even though the cute teens you'll see in these pictures were there, now that made my "yesterday" quite special.  Here are pictures of some of those who worked with the children.  Yes, one of them is "my GRAND".  Now, talk about something special!

"Jesus Loves the Little Children"

"This Little Light of Mine, I'm going to let it shine"
 This tune and "Jesus Loves the Little Children, All the Children of the World" is going round and round in my head.  I've taken pictures in my photo album and put together

This little one is one of my "newest" nephews.  He came to us from St. Petersburg, Russia.
Richard turned 2 in August, and yes, he's one of the little children of the world
that Jesus loves.

              Seeing Africa Through The Eyes of Children

for the tutoring group I work with.

Some of these children were around when I went to Liberia, but for others this is their first viewing of a world very far away from the one in which they live.  When I returned from Liberia, I tried to show the children what "REAL POVERTY" looked like.  I don't think I did a very good job, because the American kids didn't "get it."  When I asked them what poverty was to them they said "Stewpot" or not being able to change clothes or only eating one meal.  They said they didn't know any poor people.

And sure enough those descriptions would fit in the Africa I have seen, but it's so much more.

Before Thanksgiving one of the volunteers was teaching the children about that FIRST Thanksgiving (which wasn't called Thanksgiving).  She told the children how children in 1620 lived and asked if they'd want to live like that today.  The "today" kids once again didn't seem to get it, and especially when I told them that there are COUNTLESS KIDS that ARE TODAY living just like these children of America's beginnings, except they don't have some of those benefits.  The children of today are not in stable families who know and love God like Pilgrim children.  They have no opportunity for education, even the homeschooling of our forefathers.

Maybe we won't get to "their regular lessons" today, but hopefully, today's class will come away with knowledge that will bless their lives.  If they "GET IT" that Jesus loves them, if they "GET IT" that we GO because someone needs to tell other children the stories of a GREAT SAVIOR and ALL OUR NEED for HIM, then today will have been a successful tutoring session.

On the wall of the school we visited in Rwanda were these and many other quotes by children sharing THEIR DREAMS of THEIR FUTURE.

NEED HELP!

I've been told from time to time that commenting on this blog is NOT EASY or even possible for some.  Now, I suspect that there are some of you reading this who have knowledge of how blogs work who can advise or even fix our problem.  Otherwise, what I wrote in the preceding post won't be possible.

Can anyone help? 

How to Keep Growing

OK, So it's been 2 weeks since I returned from Africa.  Do I have to go to Africa to GROW THROUGH AFRICA?   I don't think so, but those components that go into growth WHEN I go, must continue to penetrate my life WHEN I AM HERE.

In Mississippi we didn't ride the financial waves of Florida or California and so when the recession hit, we didn't feel it hurt financially like they did either.  Now, when I observe that the "super committee" threw in the towel yesterday, there is something in my heart that hurts, thinking that such gridlocks represent something significant in our country. The stock market keeps rumbling like pre or post shocks of earthquakes.  What is going on?  No one knows, but we do know that when IT DOES HAPPEN, America will FEEL the affects more deeply than our friends in Africa.

I think I better keep GROWING regardless of where life takes me.  As I've written all these months, very few people have chosen to join in with "their comments".  I think the dialogue would be healthy for all of us.  So, could THIS post be that "push" we need to begin helping one another explore ways we can grow?  "Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds."

Think it could help?

Reflecting on Busyness

My Friend, Joyce Mlenga

Joyce, Moses Mlenga with Japhet, EAFC's first student, met me at the airport!

Joyce tells me that her husband Moses only sleeps about 4 hours a day (night).  WHY?  Well, in their culture it is next to impossible to say "no" to any request, especially by a superior.  So when the sun comes up, he's busy with teaching, preaching or administering duties at the University of Livingstonia.  Then after the sun goes down, I guess they "are blessed" if the electricity goes out and they have to go to bed.  Because after 4 hours of sleep, he gets up to work on the PhD dissertation he very much needs in the academic world in which he dwells.

Joyce says she can't function on that little amount of sleep, and thus an adjunct teacher seeing her dilemma, invited her to come here (Washington state) for 3 months primarily to work on that dissertation.  See how blessed we've been to have her among us for these 3 days.  Joyce did explain to her other "hosts" that if it hadn't of been for EAFC she would have never been in her position, therefore, she wouldn't even know them.  I thought that was a clever way to explain how important EAFC is to her.

Cathy Phillips, long time friend of EAFC and former board member
on one of her trips to Kenya visiting with Moses and Joyce when they were studying
for their master's degrees

Now, let's contrast Malawian busyness with American busyness.  Maybe we just have different "bosses" in our lives that pull at our ability or willingness to say "no".  With grandmothers my age, it's wanting to invest in your grandchildren, please your children.  With businessmen, it's generally wrapped around "money, sex, or power."  (as Richard Foster taught us.)  With young women, it's struggling with career and family pulls, questions such as whether to play soccer on Sundays.  The lists go on and on and on.


Yesterday Joyce went to my luncheon club with me.  Though she's probably 20 years younger than most of us, we found we had lots in common.  We don't call it "witchcraft" that vies for our attention over trusting God, but don't we have "our demons in our closet?"  


In general, people are people!  If we STOP and LISTEN to one another, we find we have so much more in common than what appears on the surface.


Those who follow my blogs know now that questions are NEXT in my pontificating.  If I am to be changed as I want to be, I must be willing to let these questions penetrate my soul.  These are the seed thoughts that turn into prayers, for myself and for "us" that care about our brothers and sisters who live on the other side of the world.


Now, some of my questions: are we letting ourselves STOP long enough to MEDITATE?  Do we have "our pet projects" and not stop to examine whether we could stretch ourselves to learn a better way?  Are we too busy to even meet the "Joyces" that pop into our lives from time to time?  OR are we just too tied up with our very personal  world that we just  don't consider letting this other "world" invade our routines from time to time?


Just my musings for the day.  May God show us a more excellent way!

Hard to Quit Posting; Can you bear more?

Ok, so I can still grow through Africa EVEN when I have finished recording the major events of the past three weeks. Today my heart is hurting for Malawi where today Joyce Mlenga sitting at my kitchen table told me of the corruption and consequent hardship in her country, most of what has taken place since Aug 30 when she left. 19 hours a day without electricity, a President who wants to appoint his brother to replace himself, demand for a five hundred thousand US dollars for his vacation?? Lines for petrol which is hard to find, no foreign currency in the banks. We study about Pilgrims this time of Year and yet I am moved by how many today still live like those early settlers in America. Do we just stick our head in the sand and try to forget or do we stretch ourselves, visualize what is really a reality to so many and then PRAY

Lefty

Lefty told us quickly that his name was his nickname.  Yes, he was given it because he's left handed.  He showed us his missing lower front tooth, a typical way that one can identify someone from his Massai tribe.  There are other signs, some of which he missed, like having the huge ear lobe often seen among the Massai, men and women.

Lefty was a free lance driver; apparently the Sarova was too busy that Saturday afternoon to let Edward take us back to the landing strip.  Lefty was more than happy to handle the job, taking two sisters from Ethiopia, Sarah and me.

"Did you see the Big Five?" he asked.  Our Ethiopian friends assured him they had, but Sarah and I had only seen THREE.  "Oh," Lefty said, "that is really bad to leave the Mara and not have seen the Big Five, especially the rhino.  I will show you."

And off he took, violating all the rules we'd learned from our other game driver like never taking off the main roads etc.  Lefty drove like he knew every square inch of a land that to us looked like you could easily get lost in.  If Sarah had been disappointed she hadn't gotten to raft the level five waterfalls at the source of the Nile, she now had a thrill that had to have matched that.  The Ethiopian ladies' pleadings to just take them to the air strip fell on deaf ears.  Lefty was a man on a mission.

I imagine we were only about 15 minutes into our ride when he DID indeed spot a mother and baby RHINO.  Yes, I'd put my camera away, so I have nothing to "prove" I saw it.  Maybe in time, I'll get Sarah's pictures, for she has "the proof".  All I have is a picture taken at the air strip of Lefty and me holding up our triumphant left hands; yes, we "lefties" have to stick together.

Lefty and me at the air strip.  "Just one more hour and I'd show you a leopard."
You know what, our plane was so late that I do think
he could have done it!

Winding Up Our Trip by Going on Safari

Being on Safari, reflecting on what I anticipate, remembering other such pleasures and adding to my knowledge of God’s creation in this part of the world.

I have been to the Masa Sarova in The Masa Maira in Kenya before; it has come back to me. I even remember rain when I was here, just like today.  Rain, however, soothes me, gives me permission to relax and totally unwind.

Getting massages is something quite common for my young friend traveling with me, but in my life they have been few and far between.  But today, I scheduled one for tomorrow.  My mother was  brought up severely affected by the Great Depression, and for the life of me, I can't seem to shake that stamp born into my soul.  To add to my conundrum is the pondering I do, especially while on trips like this.  I struggle with questions of denying self, accepting good gifts from my heavenly Father, and wondering what is wise, loving and prudent.

At the same time, I feel very loved and pampered by my heavenly Father.  Do I think I deserve this rest?  I do not think I do; I think I just feel blessed to be able to take in the natural beauty, to be surprised by the thrill of inviting myself into the kitchen of Mr Giraffe while he enjoys his dinner feasting on the sausage tree.  I don't want to miss experiences like that, but at the same time, I feel like scheduled game drives might be more than I want at some point the next few days.

We have worked incredibly hard the past 3 weeks keeping schedules from early morning until late at night, not that our experience is unique.  Our hosts have worked to make sure that all our meetings went as scheduled, that we accomplished what needed to be done.  They have negotiated the traffic, kept our itinerary, arranged impromptu meetings, etc.

And now two days before going home, I can name the animals I saw on DRIVE #1.

We saw in the antelope family, topi, hart beast gazelles, and Grant gazelles,

Of the Big Five, we saw LOTS of elephants.  (I’ve even had to refresh my memory of which animals make up the BIG FIVE:  there’s the elephant, lion, leopard, cape buffalo and rhino.)

Besides hearing the joyful sound of countless birds, the crow cawing that I associate with Africa, and the cooing of the dove, we saw my favorite, the lilac breasted roller.  When it flies, it's not lilac but  brilliant turquoise that explodes the sky with it's brilliance.

We learned that elephants only sleep fours hours a day and don't even do that all at once.  From the huge elephant which doesn’t look unusually large in the expanse of the savannah to the tiny brown mongoose hard to identify, we got the impression that we didn't touch the surface of the plethora of animals that were probably around us.

Warthogs, with six babies and lots of zebra which could have begun to get boring if not for the secretary birds who enjoy spending time with them. rounded out the animals I identified on the first morning drive.  It's not long before we go again.

The animals are making joyful noises to the Lord.  All creation is doing what they were created to do; only we mortals contemplate whether to give Him the glory He deserves or rob ourselves of enjoying His constant fellowship.  I'll bet you can guess what my prayer for myself is.

Around camp today we saw the dik dik, a member of the antelope family that must know that to get outside the bounds of these fences would spell disaster to their species.  How do they know where danger lurks?  If only we humans were as alert to danger for our souls as these creatures do.

The afternoon drive of day #1 added Impalas to our antelope family.  We saw guinea fowls, which I have heard described as "stupid birds".  They do appear to run into harms way but they really are quite interesting to watch with their beautiful blue necks.

Cape buffalo look like they are in the cow family, and to us don't appear to be dangerous enough to warrant being named as one of the Big Five.  Maybe I can find out why the hippo avoided that distinction.

Mama lionesses with their young didn't do much to entertain us but it is always fun to see a lion.  Hart beasts, Thompson gazelles add flavor to the expanding antelope family, similar but with many characteristics that distinguish them from one another.

In the bird family, we see vultures, I guess waiting to get the scraps from a lion's kill.  We have seen a malibou,an Egyptian goose, all interesting, but not creatures to brag about having seen, I guess, unless you consider yourself a real bird watcher.  I have been on previous trips and met those who truly go on safari just to see the birds.  Through their knowledge and keen eye, I have been introduced to some very unusual birds, one even looking somewhat like a dinosaur.  

But really, seeing the two cheetah was a thrill.  And then learning from our guide the distinguishing characteristics between them and the leopards.  Besides the leopards being nocturnal and far more elusive, the leopards also climb trees which cheetahs don't.  Cheetahs have lines coming down from their eyes, and are a brighter color than leopards, which also have much bigger spots on them than cheetahs.

Leopards, rhinos and lions are territorial.  I hope we can find the territory of the first two before this adventure ends

Day two greeted us with cool aIr but a warm sun, promising to be a fabulous day.  The highlight of the morning drive was more close up shots of roaming elephants, both old and young, AND the apparently full young lion, waking and walking around as though his audience didn't exist.  All the pride he keeps company with resting in the shade really didn't know we were there.

The last morning we got to see a cheetah and her baby.  If ONLY we hadn’t really wanted to make it to the river for hippo and croc viewings we wouldn’t have missed Mama cheetah giving a live lesson to her young.  “This is the way you hunt, little one!”  What amused me while I watched was how “childlike” the little one was.  He rolled, tumbled while his mama stretched in what looked like a yoga move to me.  She seemed unconcerned that he wasn’t vigilante in his observations of her planning maneuvers, for before long, he seemed to catch on and follow along behind her.

After our trip to the river, we did return back to cheetah territory only to watch her feasting on her dinner.   It would have been fun to watch the actual hunt, and yet a grim reminder that death of one is necessary for the life of another.

Game drives can be exciting, but they can also become boring if after 2 or more hours you haven’t seen what it is that you were looking for.  Getting another vehicle to pull you out of a stuck place can break the impasse, but hearing about others’ sighting of the Big Five only makes you want to add bragging rights to your tales too.

On this Safari, Sarah and I can only claim to have seen 4 of the 5.  The leopard, a nocturnal animal, remains the only one we didn’t see.  But Lefty assured us that “just one more hour, and I will show you a leopard.”  And I have no doubts that he could have.

I’ll save his story for my last posting......... unless I later get another inspiration. ha!

Wander if she'll ever wear her safari hat at home?

We were in Massai territory when in the Mara.  This is one of the
men who worked for the Sarova Mara.  Boy, could they jump high
without a running jump!

Pausing for a moment for important announcements

I pause from my postings on our trip to give you, my friends, information that you might like.

For THREE DAYS now  (Monday Nov 14- Wednesday the 16th) Joyce Mlenga will be in Jackson.  She's a PhD candidate from Malawi here in the States for three months to research and write her dissertation.  She's taken a  break from studies to visit us.  If you'd like to schedule a  "coffee" chat or even possibly a meal with Joyce, call our office at 601 206-5667 this week.

The second announcement is that Sarah and I brought back lots of cute and different gifts that might be JUST the RIGHT GIFT for someone you love for Christmas.  These are certainly one of a kind PLUS buying from our African Market helps raise scholarship money too.  Since the quantities are limited, I'm mentioning this now.

Again, you can call the office 601 206-5667  if you'd like more information about how to get something from the African Market.

Seeing Yvette Again

Yvette 16 months later

After my first ever visit to Rwanda in June, 2010 the big thrust of communication with friends back home was about Yvette.  But for those who might not have heard the story, let me roll back the tape.

January, 2010 WOMEN of PURPOSE (with a different name) was introduced in my sister’s home in Columbus, Mississippi.  Her “passionate friends” heard the story of Addy, Mary, Joyce, Eveness,  and Lilian.  After these ladies heard the stories, they asked what they could do.  I had just gotten an email from Addy introducing me to her friend, Yvette.  I had copies of that email and passed it around that cold winter night.  Within weeks the majority of the funds needed to send Yvette to nursing school had been raised.  The only problem, however, was that we were a bit premature in our estimation  of how long it would take her to get ACCEPTED into nursing school.  

That June, she still hadn’t gotten accepted but was very hopeful by then that it would happen.  But meeting her was a huge step in beginning a work in Rwanda that today 16 months later seems quite healthy and full of hope. There are now eleven EAFC current students studying in Rwanda today when only 16 months ago Addy was our only one.)  

At THAT TIME Yvette was still primarily a French and Kenyawandan speaker.  Thus communication with her came through friends like Addy being willing to do the necessary translations.

Because EAFC has worked almost exclusively in the past in countries that used English as their business language, this step into a country where English wasn’t as common created another learning curve for us.

Now, October 29, 2011 I got to hug Yvette again, introduce her to Sarah and try to explain the amazement I felt as I encountered a very confident young woman, studying  nursing who did in fact speak with us in English, the only language we know.  (Yes, patience as people kindly translate for us is a small price to pay for our failures to know any language, a skill many, many in Africa master.)

Few More Pictures

Hope this captures a little of the spirit displayed at Ntenyo Primary School where the children were all respectful and so happy to greet "their visitors."  We felt honored to be among them.

Time for Pictures

Yesterday when I visited a friend I showed her a lot of my pictures.  That's when I realized that so many of them are of PEOPLE who aren't very interesting UNLESS there's a story accompanying them.  I've written sooooo many posts the past week, and yet I have hundreds more pictures that I could show.
So here are a few of them.  Hope you enjoy!

Joe, Caroline, Ginny and Pippy Mbuvi from Kenya

Hindu Temple in Nairobi.  The world's attempts to find God!

TOMORROW's LEADERS?  Who will help His Mother and Father get the
training they need to raise him?

Couldn't arrange these like I wanted, but I think you get the idea of what was going on here with SIMPLE Balloons!
Pastor Emma Kiwanuka gets tickled by the children.
He is the pastor of Zana Presbyterian Church in Kampala, Uganda

Never Fail to Learn

As many times as I have been to Africa, I sometimes think I sound like an idiot when people ask me “what’s it like?”  For just as I sound like some kind of authority, I turn around and show forth my ignorance on the very subject I’ve just acted like I knew something about.. One example was how I discovered the people of Liberia to be so different  from those who were my friends in countries like Malawi, Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda.

Another example is when Sarah asked me how to pack.  I totally missed how cool and rainy it would be in all three countries we visited, even when we went to the game park.

But where my ignorance showed up the greatest was when we had banking experiences.  I think these also took Barry by surprise.  He’s been “my main man” for a LONG time, not just relying on banking decisions regarding trips to Africa.  But on this trip, Sarah and I went to him often to plan our strategy.

BECAUSE of BANKING, we could buy cute gifts like this.  Well,
maybe you can't tell it's cute, but take my word for it when Grands saw this wire framed
car, they instantly envisioned a good ride
for their Calico Critters.

We decided that taking lots of cash on our person wasn’t too wise.  I had known that Visa was by far the more preferred credit card in most countries I’d visited, but I assumed that when we were in Kenya, that we could use our EAFC Mastercard.  Well, that wasn’t a very good assumption.  All the ATM’s accepted Visa but not Mastercard.  

Banks wanted us to have an account with them to do business with us.  And yet when Sarah and Jean Paul went to a bank in Kigali to get U.S. cash, they had no problems at all. The bank checks we took to give funds to students and those who had worked with us didn’t prove to be the right decision either.  I think December 5 is the first day that “their checks” will clear, even though the money has left our account.

One banking experience showed us we not only needed lots of TIME, knowledge of the area in which we were working, but we HAD TO HAVE Joseph with us who provided the bank with a local phone number in order for them to allow each of us to take $500 only out of our credit cards.

I guess I could tell the whole story, but maybe the details aren’t too important.  How interesting can it be to explain standing in line at THREE different banks before we found one who would help us?  Does anyone care to hear about the forms we had to fill out, the sitting and waiting, then being told to fill out more forms before getting our money?

In Uganda we saw children out at 10 PM at night.  We saw people who left their homes at 6 AM to be at work by 8, only to leave work at 5 to get home some time after 7.  They did this day after day.  People work long hours!  They sit in traffic ALOT.  They work 6 days a week, and I seldom heard anyone complain.

And here I was complaining about two hours in a line in a bank.

Get the idea?  I still have lots to learn!

God Is In Control

God is in control!

One day while in Rwanda I got an email from Barry with the subject line, “God is in control”.  I braced myself!  “OK,” I thought.  “Let me prepare for this bad news.”

But what followed was really some very good news; someone had given a very generous gift to EAFC.  That email became the seeds for my rethinking how I view God and what the Bible really does say about how He delights to give good gifts to His children.  He only disciplines us for our good.  All His gifts are ultimately for my benefit, whether at the time I perceive them as good or hard.

Shocolat was the restaurant we went to after first arriving in Kigali.  Its location had changed since we were in Kigali before.  I liked the other one better but the food was as exceptional here as the other location.  The background in the picture is interesting however.  It's made of African fabrics arranged as though they are books in a book shelf. Later that day I asked Addy and Jean Paul what they would have expected if they’d read an email with such a subject line and both confessed that their reaction would have been similar to mine.  (Others we asked, however, seemed not to necessarily think that way though).  But this exercise led the three of us to look at events in our day in the light of God’s control.  Jean Paul particularly repeated the phrase over and over whether we encountered mud, rain, favors or struggles.  EAFC has a tagline,  “Leadership development with a unique approach.”  Maybe now we need a theme.  God is in contro l!

Angel With a Broom

Guardian Angel with a broom

Are you like me, having a tendency to take for granted those who are familiar to you, who have been God’s vehicles for blessing you for a long time?  Do you ever forget to really thank your family or friends when they act as your “Guardian angels”?  I know I do.

I can’t imagine all the work the 3 J’s did for us BEFORE we arrived in their countries.  Joseph researched and got all our internal flights booked.  He texted all the alumni, arranged meetings, secured snacks, made appointments.  He was in daily contact with us as we planned.  We never had to wonder whether anything was being taken care of.  Sometimes knowing that when we were still in Daylight Savings Time that he was +8 hours ahead of us, I’d email him,  ‘GO TO BED, JOSEPH.”  I’d KNOW how late he was up taking care of one more detail needed for our care.

We KNOW that this trip would have been a very stressful experience if we’d had to arrange our transportation, book all our meetings, depend on email alone to contact our students and alumni.  But instead we were always picked up promptly, protected, had questions answered and on and on.

Yes, JOSEPH, JAMES and JEAN PAUL, we love you all!

So, who’s the guardian angel with a broom?

I wish I knew his name.

Saturday night (Nov 5)  Joseph met our airplane coming back from the Sarova Mara from our 2 days in the Masa Marai.  (I’ll tell about that experience later.)  We celebrated our last meal together at a tourist “trap” The Carnivore, which today is misnamed since they no longer serve the wild game of yesteryear.  We did have crocodile, camel and ostrich though.  But I’ve really made a diversion from my story.

We THOUGHT we’d planned the evening so that we’d arrive at the airport by 8 for the 11 PM flight to Amsterdam and on to Atlanta and JACKSON, but alas, even on a Saturday night the traffic in Nairobi wasn’t to be predicted accurately.  (soccer stadium we passed with a game going on and then a wreck along the way changed our arrival time drastically)

You can imagine that tension was beginning to mount.  When we did arrive, Joseph dropped us curbside, our assuring him that we could manage 2 big suitcases each plus our carry ons.  Yes, I guess we over estimated our abilities a bit, but once again we saw how God was in control.

There was a man standing outside the LONG line forming for people to make the initial clearance into checking in.  He had a broom and dust pan in hand; I imagine that was his job for the airport.  But as he observed our awkwardness and confusion as to where we were to go, he offered to help.

“Here,” he offered. “Down here is a shorter line.” 

Sure enough he was right.  We maneuvered through that obstacle course only to once again cue up for another line taking us to weigh our luggage.  But to our amazement, there was our NEW FRIEND AGAIN.  He picked up those heavy suitcases, put them back on the carts once weighed and again pointed us where to go next.

Now, why didn’t I think to tip him?  I’ve asked myself that many times since Saturday night.  And all I can now do is just pray and ask Him who knows his name, is aware of his needs and loves him show him the love of Jesus who never forgets anything that might bless us. And I pray for me too that I become a more alert person, ready to show appreciation to God’s guardian angels placed along life’s paths.