Mullings & Musings...

• "Tough Calling in Africa" (thankful for men like these...)

"There is one doctor for every 30,000 people in Niger, one of the lowest ratios worldwide.

But such statistics inspire doctors Tony Mwenyemali and Yakoubou Sanoussi, both of whom turned down lucrative job offers elsewhere after discerning a call to practice missionary medicine in Niger. Mwenyemali and Sanoussi work with Christian nonprofit Serving in Mission, which operates two of the nation's most renowned hospitals."

• "Sons, Mothers and Silk Purses out of Sow's Ears" (Of course, this made me think about my rapidly-turning-man boy...)

"Soon enough, this boy’s a man, I can see it. There is a way a mother can hold a son safe, a way that she can cup exactly who he is in an unconditionality, a love that cradles like a radical grace. Am I too old to learn?"

• "Pushing Back the Desert: Niger's Christians Get Creative for Daily Bread" (A great insight into ministry in Niger... make sure you read the entire article!)

"On the edge of the Sahara Desert, church growth and discipleship strategies come down to one simple command: Stay alive.

The sub-Saharan African country of Niger is one of the poorest in the world, physically and, from a Christian perspective, spiritually. And with Christians making up less than 1 percent of the population, the survival of each congregation is a constant concern. Unpredictable rain patterns threaten what meager crops are grown. For Nigerien church leaders, "Give us this day our daily bread" is not just a metaphor.

"You find, even within church leadership, the statement, 'Yes, God has called us. We are ministering for God. But how do we survive?'?" said Gaston Slanwa, a Cameroonian who trains church leaders in Niger. "That is the question that comes up most often." "

• "Fighting Illness Naturally is Scary (Especially when you're Blind)" (So true... I shared this post with a friend and she said, "And that medicine blog post was so spot on …just change the context…add malaria to the mix…. And it could have been us…")

"There’s nothing easy about making medical decisions for your child.
It’s petrifying.
You so strongly desire:

• your child to stop feeling pain
• to do the best thing for the child
• to help the child avoid future negative side effects

and honestly, to be free from the weight of having a decision to make...

1. Suffering is never given in vain, but to show Christ to the world in some way. YOU, Katie, did not show Christ through Paul’s illness. You were negative, frightened, and sought only a solution, an end to the opportunity of suffering I granted your family, instead of trying to find Me in the situation and trusting Me. You thought it was not fair that Paul, a child, be the one with the affliction. How little you understand that my grace flows through him, too, and could have given many people an opportunity to see Me through how you reacted to the Cross I gave your family. Instead you complained.
2. Like the Pharisees, you were blind to My will, to my gift. Like the Pharisees, I want you to see the truth of suffering, to see the beauty in it, all of it. Like the Pharisees, I need you to be blind to the ways of this world so that you may truly see holiness. The suffering of children is not in vain; it gives the parents a road to Heaven, along which they may bring all their children."

• "Lemon Meringue Cookies"  (These are way up on my list of recipes to try!)

"If the dream fairies are taking requests, tonight I’d like my dreams to include:

*the bright green grass of a perfectly manicured baseball field.

*first kisses.

*lemonade so cold and tart it almost hurts my teeth.

*… maybe a waterfall… that might be nice.

*… the sound of my aunt dede humming to herself?*…. that could be pretty special.

*and perhaps these lemon cookies, cold… from the freezer.

I rarely put in dream requests, but I’m feeling rather particular tonight."