Mullings and Musings...

• "Prayer in a Time of Drought" (beautifully written!)

"Jesus said that the rain falls on the just and the unjust. I take that to mean that drought happens to the just and the unjust as well.

The ways of our planet are not always convenient for the creatures on it, to put it mildly.

What I’m saying is the same humility that brings me to prayer also helps me accept that everything does not revolve around my comfort or even my survival."

• "Happy Accidents" (Amen!)

"I used to struggle with the spiritual, existential tension between taking initiative and surrendering to God’s will, wondering how these opposing forces play out in the course of life. I can’t tell the difference any more. All I know is that, theologically speaking, I no longer subscribe to either free will or predestination.

I believe in both.

I have learned to become more comfortable with probablity, with paradox, with the possibility that two contradictory ideas can both be one hundred percent true at the same time."

• "The Gift We Can't Afford to Refuse" (...and why do I need to learn and relearn this lesson... almost every week?)

"The hurry makes us hurt.

Life is not an emergency.

Slow never killed time, only the rushing and racing, the catching up that tries to catch up to time, this is what kills time. Why keep wounding eternity?

Ourselves?"

• "GSA Selling Lighthouses" (I could so see my parents doing something like this... if they decided they wanted to!)

"The lighthouses are being made available as part of the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000. The federal government owns about 250 lighthouses, which are maintained by the U.S. Coast Guard. Once critical for navigation along the nation’s coastal and inland waterways, many have been made obsolete by the advance of radio, radar and satellite navigation.

Under the terms of the legislation, if the Coast Guard decommissions a lighthouse the government tries to find a caretaker agency or buyer rather than see the structures demolished or fall apart from neglect.

“They’re in varying states of repair or disrepair,” Smith said. “They’re not cheap to maintain.”

Over the last half-dozen years, 54 lighthouses have been transferred from the federal government, including six to public agencies, 16 to local governments, three to states and 29 to non-profit organizations, according to Smith. Another 22 have been sold to the public..."

• Down but not out: Voices of the long-term unemployed (Surrounded by poverty here, sometimes it is easy to forget that there are many back in the States who struggle to make ends meet...)

"More than 6.3 million Americans have been out of work for more than half a year. The average jobless stint now lasts longer than nine months. We could go on.

But no facts or figures bring home the grim human dimension of this epidemic better than an account we received from an unemployed Iraq War veteran. "I have led men in combat, but my last job was a temporary cashier position in the women's department at Nordstrom's," he wrote. 'I don't get many interviews, but when I do, I get a lot of handshakes and a 'Thank you for your service, but you're not what we're looking for. ' " 

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Photo by AC.

"You are the salt of the earth!"

...she begins singing to me after she has crawled up into my lap, taken my face between her two sweet little hands and looked me straight and seriously, directly in the eyes. Yep, that would be our M&M.

But what? Why in the world? Let me explain...

Our littlest squirt loves to come snuggle first thing in the morning... whether she finds me reading in bed (like in these pictures here), whether she finds me making bread in the kitchen (means I've got to wash dough off my hands-find and aunt free spot-and pull her onto my lap while she gently pinches my face in those sweet chubby hands, or as of more recently, whether she stumbles out to the terrace and then backs up to my chair saying "Pick me up... I want to pinch you." And she often will have something else, something funny and strange that she wants to say - expressed in a sleepy two year old voice.

Shortly before the long vacation began, Sahel Academy students performed an adaptation of the Broadway musical Godspell (note - said adaptation was significantly different than the original Broadway production and did include the resurrection). Tim then spent many, many hours editing a 2 camera taping of the production to give the students (and anyone else who so desired) a video memory of all that hard work.

Not only did our children attend the performance, they listened to the music time and time and time again as their daddy edited the video... and thus came to know the songs "purty well." For little songbirds like our Elsie Mae and Mary Michelle... they love to sing and pick up music like they learn new vocabulary... new songs are pure delight. As a mama, I love hearing my kids wander around the house, singing words like these!

You are the light of the world!
You are the light of the world!
But if that light is under a bushel,
It's lost something kind of crucial
You've got to stay bright to be the light of the world


You are the salt of the earth
You are the salt of the earth
But if that salt has lost it's flavor
It ain't got much in its favor
You can't have that fault and be the salt of the earth!


(chorus)
So let your light so shine before men
Let your light so shine
So that they might know some kindness again
We all need help to feel fine (let's see us shine!)


You are the city of God
You are the city of God
But if that city's on a hill
It's kinda hard to hide it well
You've got to stay pretty in the city of God


(chorus)
So let your light so shine before men
Let your light so shine
So that they might know some kindness again
We all need help to feel fine (let's see us shine!)


You are the light of the world
You are the light of the world
But the tallest candlestick
Ain't much good without a wick
You've got to live right to be the light of the world

I also love when God uses my sweet little ones to speak His message... one He knew I'd need to hear, and so I started thinking along those lines as I began my day... kids are such willing, delightful tools in the hands of an awesome God. Truly... outta the mouths of babes!

Not-so-wordless-but-heartfelt Wednesday

Just wanting to say

a huge and heartfelt thankyou to Pastor David Warren,

his wife Maria

and their three children...



...for their investment and corresponding sacrifice!

~to Pastor David, in making this trip...

~ his family in facilitating it and agreeing to say "Goodbye" for awhile...

They've certainly contributed to what God is doing through His church here in Niger.

We've enjoyed the opportunity to fellowship with and get to know a little better Pastor David as he's spent this last week with us - it has been a fun and encouraging time.

We know all the seminar participants agree whole-heartedly,

and we can't wait to see them begin to use their newly acquired

and/or fine-tuned skills for His glory!

Thank you, so very, very much! 

Thanks, also, to our home church, Calvary Baptist- Midland, Michigan -

for helping to make Pastor David's trip possible.

Just an Act ~

~ a few pictures of Pastor David

and the actor's seminar that took place at the studio last week ~

~ and there are certainly more to come... ~

Multitude Monday - 1000 Gifts

"The days of our lives are seventy years;
 And if by reason of strength they are eighty years, 
Yet their boast is only labor and sorrow;
 For it is soon cut off, and we fly away.
 Who knows the power of Your anger?
For as the fear of You, so is Your wrath.
 So teach us to number our days,
That we may gain a heart of wisdom.
      
 Return, O LORD!
How long?
And have compassion on Your servants.
Oh, satisfy us early with Your mercy,
         That we may rejoice and be glad all our days!
 Make us glad according to the days in which You have afflicted us,
The years in which we have seen evil.
Let Your work appear to Your servants,
And Your glory to their children.
 And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us,

And establish the work of our hands for us;
Yes, establish the work of our hands."

(Psalm 90:10-17)

Have you ever heard someone say to look for what God is doing around you... and then focus your efforts in that direction? I have... in fact, I've said it myself! One of the most powerful (for me as I prepared) Bible studies I've ever taught looked at Christ's first public miracle... changing the water into wine at the wedding in Cana. Jesus' mother asked him to help when the wine was finished, the disciples were there watching, but it was the servants that first knew what He had done. Now, every time I read through that biblical account, the phrase, "but the servants knew" always leaps off the page, searing my heart, because reality? I don't need to always "be in the know." I need to always be focused on obedience because obedience, whether I understand all the reasons and details, will likely open my eyes or focus my attention on the things that God is doing.

I've been meditating on Psalm 90 the past few days, in particular verse 17, specifically the word "establish." When I looked it up in Strong's Concordance, one of the meanings of the original Greek for the word translated establish was "to be erect, to stand perpendicular." Additional renderings include make certain, confirm, direct, fashion, fasten, to perfect... 

...which has led me to the following still bumbling thoughts - certainly not a sure conclusion- mulling around in my heart and mind.

When I'm an obedient servant doing what I know He wants me to do, not only will I best see what God is in the midst of doing, but as I jump on board and, in willing obedience seek to join Him in His work, I have the hope that He will make my efforts stand, He will perfect the work of my hands... I don't have to understand everything or feel confident in my capacity - I do need to know that I am an obedient servant.

this week's gratitude list

(#s 1342 - 1371)

kids giddy over the gecko who has taken up residence in our living room... they watch him run, eat up those 'skeeters, squeel that he stays safe and out of the fans; I just listen, amused and amazed and hope he doesn't lose his grip on the ceiling right above me... or whatever is cooking on the stove!

watching the director's cut of "Papa was a Preacher" - with the director!

dehydrated strawberries for strawberry shortcake - and the shortcake was made by Anna and Tori

watching a grinning Jonathan perform "the Buzzard's Lope" (you'd have to see the play... or watch the video)

cool breezes

homemade cough syrup

mornings with nowhere to go... no place to be... but home

clean closets

time to talk and visit with one of the pastors from our home church... one of the pastors we didn't really feel like we knew very well

five-fingered shoes

bandaids to cover blisters

crockpot rice pudding

homemade, whole wheat bread

finally finishing all of the handwash

going to bed with all of the dishes clean

anticipating a picnic

finally hearing the plane land

sister and niece sleeping just down the hallway

closing my eyes and drifting off into that deep sleep of delight and utter exhaustion

girls brushing long locks and chattering away while they do

overcoming inertia, even when I don't want to

hoping to see hippos - from a safe distance

scheming plans for fun

homemade pita bread - still shocked it actually worked

listening to the music of crickets and toads and gentle rain falling

the fluttering and flapping of the curtains as the breeze finally blows, lovely coolness drops through the window of our bedroom, and sleep changes from fitful to sound and deep

stormy skies and lightening shows

plentiful avocadoes... at least for a few days

checking the last obligatory thing off the list for the night - and hearing my pillow call

So much, really, so much more...

"ba... bo... ga... go... ma... mo... na... no... ya... yo... fa... fo..."

So far, these are the syllables she's mastered...

and we are getting ready to add the "u" vowel next.

It is hard, painstaking and tiring work for her nearly 70 year old eyes as we hunch together on a woven plastic mat, opposite sides of a small tea table under a straw lean-to, sharing the shade (and relative coolness - as coolness is always a matter of perspective) with numerous relentless flies.

And all of this because she desires to be able to read God's Word, all by herself, for as many years as the Lord keeps here in this world, this life.

She is an amazing woman!

I wish I could introduce you to this incredible woman in person! She is just the neatest lady! I've spent anywhere from 45 minutes to a little over an hour with her every weekday for the last month, and my life has been immeasurably enriched. It isn't easy for us to communicate - but a definite upside to these literacy classes is that my Zarma language abilities are improving rapidly. I still only understand a small percentage of what is going on - but I am finally capable of expressing myself and communicating ideas... in a very limited sense, of course. We stumbled across the word for chameleon the other day (I knew what it was because there was a picture right beside it :-) and she started telling me how she didn't like them... their eyes never look in the same direction at the same time and that the cultivators and gardeners are the only ones who can bear them.

So then I told her how my tribe, on the other hand, LOVES chameleons - finding them both irresistably cute and fascinating. Elsie Mae found a super tiny one down in the gardens the other day... must have been newly hatched, and the kids played with it for at least a half hour before they finally released him to run and hide from all the unwanted attention.

I think she found that both horrifyingly and amusing... and so I proceeded to tell her another chameleon story, the story of Harley, our just-having-arrived-in-Niger-pet-chameleon... Here's the abbreviated version! Tim was riding home from the studio on his motorcycle as an old man riding a moped approached him from the other direction on a dirt road wide enough to be a four lane freeway. Suddenly the man swerved towards Tim, spilling off his bike and ending up sprawled on the road. The only way for Tim to avoid him was to ditch his bike. As he helped the old man up, he discovered the cause of the accident. The older gentleman glanced down. Tim followed his eyes and still clutching tightly to the handlebars of the moped clung a rather large, very black (i.e. angry) chameleon Tim promptly dubbed Harley. No one was seriously hurt, bikes were dusty but still functioning, so Tim helped the Harley change bikes and brought him home to our house, where we discovered that chameleons don't live well in cages, but will stay in your garden for a long time if they have lots of places to hide from dogs, cats and birds!

But, back to Mamata... that's my friend's name, by the way. Have I told you that I think she is just beautiful?

Reading skills are coming very, very slowly... but she is learning. I pray daily that the Holy Spirit will open her eyes and strengthen her memory so that with in the next few weeks, she will be able to, at least haltingly and slowly begain to decode written texts... particularly "Irikoy Tira Hanna!"

She was thanking me the other morning as I was leaving her yard... She always thanks me profusely and reminds me to thank Tim for allowing me to drive to her neighborhood every day and spend this time helping her. However, I feel like I should be thanking her... She has entrusted this little piece of her education to me, she has opened her home and concession to me, she works hard, is ever welcoming, is patient with my halting Zarma and she has let me really see first hand what it means to be a "light set on a hill" in a very dark community. Sometimes it hard to accomplish much during our class because every woman in the community who walks by her concession must poke their head in to greet her - always with much laughter and clear delight. People clearly bring her joy. I love watching her with her grandchildren - they obviously adore her and know that her bark is much worse than her bite.  She sacrifices much to be at church almost every time the doors are open because she knows that is, at least now, where she will receive spiritual nourriture. She has suffered so much in choosing to follow Jesus, and yet she radiates the joy of the Lord.

The thought crosses my mind that I should tell her all of that... I'm not giving nearly so much as I'm receiving. I wonder if she has a clue that she is actually mentoring me. I tried to tell her... but I don't think my Zarma is good enough... yet.

Please pray that the Lord would continue opening her mind, her intelligence, her memory... that he would help her persevere in this task and that soon, she will be reading "Irikoy Tira Hanna" for herself.

On her way!

Last Sunday was Leandra's "commissioning" service, including a prayer of dedication.

• If I know her pastor... her daddy, my bro-in-law and a long time dear friend...,
• if I know anything at all about all that is wrapped up in stepping out and following that call to longer-term missions the very first time, or any time... 
• if I know anything at all about the scary, lonely, what-in-the-world-have-I-said-I'll-do panic that can strike as it the weight of it all becomes really real...

I can guarantee it was a spiritually powerful and emotionally full moment. I do remember when my daddy prayed for me the first time I left on a long missions trip... I remember the excitement of leaving, the fear of the unknowns to come, the sadness of parting with people you dearly love for longer than you've ever been away before...

...and I'm just starting to understand the painful delight involved in watching your kids begin to step out and follow their Lord, even when it costs them... and you... much.

Please pray for Leandra and Julie. They are presently en route! They have a long trip before them, long layovers in strange airports, the fun of navigating worlds where you are not guaranteed someone will speak your language... all to arrive in Niger heat at 3 in the morning. Pray for safety, uneventful travel, smooth connections and a special time as they travel together - a mama and her girl!

And then, don't forget to add in a special request... that we don't overwhelm them with too much love and excitement when they do get here! We can't wait!

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A huge thanks to Candace Fox. She snapped this photo at their church in LA and then graciously responded to my fb request, allowing me to use it.

Mullings and Musings...

• "10 Reasons I'm Canceling my Credit Cards" (So what do you think? Do you think we'll end up a totally plastic society? I think my favorite reason... he's a contrarian! =D)

"The dollar bill needs you.

A growing number of merchants won't accept cash anymore. That includes a lot of airlines, which insist you pay by credit card if you want to buy a drink or a sandwich on board. And now comes news that the U.S. Treasury is printing fewer dollars, as we move towards an all-plastic economy."

•  "Affordable and Versatile Sommerhaus Piu Prefab Vacation Home" (Call me wierd... I think this is kinda cool!)

"...this small but comfortable vacation house named Sommerhaus Piu Prefab Vacation Home. The affordable house can act as a vacation home, a weekend retreat or even a year-round home for those with a small budget....  Covered in horizontal wood planks, the prefabricated house was designed to offer its inhabitants both comfortable interior spaces and outdoor relaxation facilities."

• "Niger president says Areva uranium mines safe" (Time always tells... I so hope this is the case.)

" 'We have taken all security measures so that work can resume at the new mine in Imouraren... and the Arlit zone is now secured,' he said after a meeting in Paris with French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

He also said he was doing all he could to obtain the release of four French hostages captured near the mines by Al-Qaeda..."

• "Niger: Libyan Conflict Impacting Sahel Security"

"Security forces in Niger recovered detonators, more than 600 kilograms of semtex explosives and $90,000 in cash during a shoot-out with suspected terrorists last month. President Issoufou's government says the arms came from Libya and were intended for Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM,) which is responsible for a string of kidnappings and ambushes across the Sahel."

• "Pogo Stick Persistence" (I thought this was an inspiring example!)

"I must acknowledge that God cares about the insignificant things of this world, the mustard seeds. So the eight-year-old child slave, the woman infested with advanced HIV and a looming death sentence, the little girl with “#146” attached to her dress (her claim number for the evening)...what about these seemingly insignificant people? They have inspired places like The Restavek Freedom Foundation, the International Princess Project, and Love146, an organization that just raised $111,000 to fight child exploitation globally with over 1000 treaders. I’m so thankful I was one of them."

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Photo by AC.

I'm a Seminarian...

Just kidding! Seriously! First I start writing about liturgy and then claim to be a seminarian?

No, I'm not switiching churches or demoninations... I was just looking for a play on words, thought I'd found one and then discovered that that word "seminarian" had connotations about which I was clueless! But I still liked it, so I figured it would be okay to use... with this disclaimer.

Last week was a tremendously busy week for me. Not only was I teaching literacy classes every morning, trying to keep the tribe focused on their daily tasks and accomplishing some home schooling, and working with my summer school student... I also taught "un petit seminaire," almost 14 hours worth, of script writing for the radio, and  that doesn't include "prep" time.

I REALLY don't consider myself a script writer... or even a writer per se. I do write... because I love to write. It is a passion of mine, a favorite form of communication and it helps me learn as well as process life. I love to use the written word as a vehicle to express what God is teaching and doing in my life, our family and in this ministry He's loaned us for this time. But I haven't studied writing "formally" other than English and Lit classes in school (unless you count classes that focused on writing long term goals, short term objectives and IEPs for my degree as a special educator), I've never made a dime off of anything I've written, and truthfully, what I know about radio script writing and adapting Biblical texts for audio drama is the little collection of knowlege from things I've researched, learned via trial and error, or just made up all on  my own and which seems to make sense and work.

So I was surprised when the woman who mentors the local Christian acting troupe, Messagers du Christ, approached me several months ago to ask if I'd lead a script writing seminar for some of the group members. I agreed (and then wondered if I'd lost my mind... my kids say I would if my head wasn't already attached to my body).

Depending on the day, the class had anywhere from 3-6 students each day and we discussed many topics, but particularly focused on the following:

• Is there a Biblical foundation for using radio theater and drama to evangelize and disciple?
• Where should we look for ideas?
• What are the essential elements of a play/radio drama? In particular, we considered the plot - with an inciting incident, a climax, a resolution and ending, characters - focusing primarily on the protagonist and the antagonist, integrity when developing dialogue and setting, and last, but not least, precision and integrity when determining and then presenting a theme without moralizing or preaching at the listeners.
• How do we authentically evaluate the scripts and dramas we produce? What type of attitude must we have with our creations when others critique what we have written?
• How do we determine relevant current issues and then develop scripts that realistically and authentically address Biblical solutions or responses to those issues?

Now, I'm waiting to hear their evaluation of how they felt the seminar went, and I figure I might get a chance to practice what I taught when it comes to  humbly receiving commentary, suggestions and criticism!

Sorta Wordless Wednesday (Does it count if the words are on the photos themselves?) - Pics of the House