With Unveiled Face...

I'm Moving...

2007-05-16T06:14:00.000-07:00

Hello! I've put it off, but my dear friend Tracey finally helped to push me over the edge to move my blog to wordpress. This should be my last post on blogspot. Everything from blogspot is still in my new blog, including my posts, links, and comments. And I like the new look and all of the extra pages with room for just photos, prayer requests, etc. Check it out at http://beckyreeves.wordpress.com May God richly bless you! See you there!

3 Year Old Gabe

2007-05-08T02:42:00.000-07:00

Gabriel is at such a fun and trying age at the same time. I love that he's learning to use his imagination and showing more signs of budding independance. He's learned to wear flip flops around this month without them falling off his feet and is anxious to be a "big kid" with his older siblings. Sometimes, though, he still wants to be a baby and sometimes he goes potty in strange places just to see what our reactions will be. Sometimes he runs up and hits his older brother Elijah over the head as he's trying to fall asleep at night and sometimes he whines, "But I don't waaant to!" But, last month he reported to me with a light in his eyes that "Jesus died on the cross for our sins because He loves us!" 5 different times. And on Sunday when we arrived at the beach I laid down with him to take a rest and watched him sleep in my arms for an hour and remembered him as a sweet baby. I'll take it all together! Gabriel is a wonderful creation of the Lord and I praise God for him! Here he is on the right with his buddy, Owen Ries on the swingset in our front yard last week.

The Flambouyant

2007-05-05T15:45:00.000-07:00

In recent months I have begun to notice and appreciate details of God's creation around me that I have somehow missed the fullness of in the past. There are two ways to drive in to our house that is located near the Kara river. The "back way" usually takes a little longer but when I'm out and about I've found myself driving out of my way on most days just to take in the beauty of this lovely tree. After 5 months of harmatton dust blown down from the Sahara desert, no rain, no crops and scorching temperatures, the bright red flowers on this flambouyant tree, which bloom every year by May 1st have filled my soul with delight over the past two weeks. I feel intrigued by the effect this tree has had on my soul. In years past, I've felt most delighted in interactions with other people or emotion-filled seeking and finding experiences in God's word. And here, I find myself in this point in time blown away by this tree on the road to our house. One glimpse of it fills me with awe for my creator and creates in me such child-like delight. Oh, Lord, if this is beautiful to me, one tree that you've created out of the thousands upon thousands, how much more beautiful are you! You amaze me! "One thing I have asked of the Lord, that I shall seek...To behold the beauty of the Lord..." Psalm 27:4

Caleb at 8 months

2007-05-01T03:08:00.000-07:00

This picture says it all! He is such a delight! He's not crawling yet (which I'm actually thankful for! What a difference I feel from my first child to my fourth!) but is getting around by rolling around on the floor. He is very active but likes to be held and kissed on. He seems to notice everything and is always working to figure things out. When he finally does, he has quite a triumphant look in his eyes! "Sons are a heritage from the Lord....children a reward from him" Psalm 122:3 I am so thankful to the Lord for Caleb!

A Week In My Life

2007-04-22T06:57:00.000-07:00

I’ve been thinking lately that this blog is a good avenue for me to communicate "what my life is like in Africa”. I’ve been asked many times by many different people to address this subject and I always find it difficult. Yes, our week has a schedule and routine to it but as a missionary, and especially in Togo, things change sometimes from week to week or day to day. Almost every week of the year if someone asks me, “How has your week been?” I can usually answer, “Fine” with honesty. But if someone asks “Have you enjoyed your week?” I have to give longer pause. For me, an enjoyable (because of happenings and outward events) week consists of the big V word….VARIETY!!

This past week I was motivated to create this post by the fact that it is our last week of 24 hour internet access for one monthly fee. Beginning on the 21st we have to pay 2 dollars an hour to be online at really a not-so-fast speed. But, I didn’t want to put all of the time into getting on my blog and creating a post each night, since that would take up every evening time. So, I decided to write this log of my week in one document and then upload it to my blog on Sunday the 22nd. FYI: On a scale of 1 – 10 (10 being the most typical week and 1 being the least) this week would rank at about an 8 overall. Feel free to read in detail or just skim the Event by Event log (to the best of my memory) of my life this past week.

*Please Note: The first 2 pictures above were taken Saturday the 14th. The last 3 were taken during the week of the 15-21.

April 15-21, 2007

Sunday April 15 (Day of Worship)

6:30 out of bed/nurse Caleb
7:00 pre-made banana bread for breakfast
7:30 children get dressed, David helps me print off the new job charts I’ve made up for the children, I peel potatoes and get mashed potatoes in the crock pot for lunch
7:45 I explain how the job charts will work and encourage the children to make their beds, brush their teeth etc. to be able to check those things off
8:00 I hurriedly gather water, coloring books, toilet paper, extra diapers, wet wipes etc. for our trip out to the village which I had meant to do the night before
8:20 We finally make it out of our front gate
8:30 We pick up our school teacher Rachel at the schoolhouse and head out to the Hade Te cluster for worship
8:50 We drive through the meeting area of Hade Te and no Christians are around, so we hope that they might have walked to the neighboring church plant of Kacade for worship.
9:00 We arrive in Kacade to find only 3 workers resting in the church building made of mud bricks that the Christians have begun building. They tell us that they are waiting for the church leader and will continue to make more bricks this morning, so they won’t be meeting.
9:15 We arrive back in Hade Te and find one of the leaders waiting near the area where the church meets. He saw us drive through and says that he and his wife want to meet but that noone else is coming. We debate on whether or not to stay. We decide to and as I nurse Caleb and he sleeps off and on in my arms, David reads to them from the Bible and we all talk back and forth together in Kabiye about remaining strong in the Lord and trusting God for everything we need. We also pray with this couple for God to give them another child. Their only son died two years ago from cancer. Rachel helps watch Hannah, Elijah, and Gabe as they play off to the side drawing in the dirt.
10:30 We leave to come back home
10:50 We arrive home and I start making lunch (Fried Chicken, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob and no-bake cookies for dessert)
12 noon We eat lunch
12:30 Nurse Caleb, Caleb and Gabriel down for naps
1 pm I take Rachel back to schoolhouse and get supplies for Bible class later in the afternoon
1:30pm I lay down and take a rest
2pm Get lesson ready for Gabe and Owen for Bible class
2:30pm Nurse Caleb/Do dishes
3:30pm Get children ready to leave
3:45pm Leave and pick up Rachel
4pm Arrive at Rieses house for team worship/Sing/Lord’s Supper/Rachel teaches 3rd grade and 1st grade, I teach 3 and 4 year olds (Gabe and Owen)
5:30pm take Rachel home/arrive at our house/nurse Caleb
5:45pm make supper (breakfast for dinner)
6:30pm big kids take showers/give Caleb a bath
7:00 nurse Caleb/ Caleb to bed
7:20 Devotional with big kids
7:30 Big kids to bed
7:30 shower/watch episodes of season 3 of The Office (we watched a lot I lost count) with Dave in our air conditioned bedroom
11pm Asleep
12:30am Caleb wakes up and I nurse him
3am Caleb wakes up and I nurse him
4:30am Caleb wakes up and I nurse him ( I decide this can not keep happening! HE’s been sleeping through the night since he was 2 months old but Temps are in the 90s and I know he’s thirsty and don’t want him to keep waking up Hannah since they share a room, but I’m being worn down from waking up 2 or 3 times a night to nurse him)

Monday, April 16 (Day Off)

6:15am nurse Caleb
6:30 out the door to meet Rachel for morning walk
7:30 arrive back home/Dave has defrosted cinnamon roles for breakfast that our house worker has made the week before/our day guardian arrives
7:30 Shower/get dressed
8am eat breakfast/our house worker arrives
8:15am Sit on the swing on the front porch with Caleb and spend some time singing some prayers to the Lord
8:30am Nurse Caleb/Put him down for a nap
8:45 am Read and answer emails
9:30 Power goes out (Stays off until 11:30 am)/Call Rachel and ask if she wants to go to the Hotel Kara pool
10:30am Leave to go to the Kara Pool
11am try to call Centre Grill (restaurant) to order food ahead of time that we can pick up at noon on our way home only to find all of the phone lines are down.
11:15am David leaves the pool to go to Centre Grill and order, go by the ATM at the bank and then come back/I nurse Caleb
11:40am David arrives back and accidentally locks the keys in the car/he calls our houseworker (our phone by some Godsend was working that day!) explains where the spare key is and she rides a taxi moto up to Hotel Kara and brings the key on her way home for the sieste.
11:50am We leave the pool and pick up our food at Marox wrapped in aluminum foil - David got a spicy pizza, Rachel got ham and mushroom pizza, we got the children spaghetti and French fries and I got a fillet of sole with herbed potatoes (they got the entire order right!) David also borrows the oil filter wrench from the mechanic there so he can change the oil in our vehicle and get the wrench back to him by 3:30pm when he opens the garage again after the sieste (nap break/everything in town is closed)
12:10pm We arrive at the Shell gas station to buy motor oil. They are completely out and Caleb has fallen asleep in his car seat. David explains that he can’t take us home and then get the oil because the engine would heat up again. We drive to the Total station on the edge of town. They don’t have the normal grade of oil that David usually gets, but one that will work. He has to buy 3 bottles and it costs him approximately $60 US (Gabriel has now fallen asleep in his car seat. I know that this means no regular naptime at our house today)
12:30pm We arrive at the schoolhouse and drop Rachel off
12:40pm We arrive home and try to eat lunch. Gabriel and Caleb have woken up and are hungry but fussy and don’t each much or go down for naps easily
1:00pm David begins to work on the car
1:30pm David offers to watch Caleb (who refused to fall asleep after trying to let him cry for 20 minutes) while the oil drains so I can have a 30 minute nap
1:30pm I lay down and try but can’t fall asleep because I am hearing my children and I have a lousy attitude about how the morning went.
2pm I take Caleb back and Dave works on the car. I try to play with Caleb and the big kids but there is a lot of whining from Gabe and Caleb especially
2:30pm I nurse Caleb and get him down for a nap/I put clothes in drawers, clean up around the house, get Gabe down for a nap and play one round of a card game with Hannah and Elijah. They continue to play while I try to nap on the couch for 15 min. It somewhat works
3:15 Dave leaves to take the oil wrench back after changing the oil/Caleb and Gabriel wake up
3:25 Tracey shows up so we can work on planning the schedule for our summer internship with the Harding interns
3:35 David returns and we got out to the guestroom, turn on the air conditioners and the breaker blows. We realize we do need to get more amps put in our house before the interns arrive so they can run the air conditioners
4:30pm Tracey leaves to get home to make dinner/I nurse Caleb and then make Hamburger Patties for dinner and defrost hamburger buns our house worker made previously/Dave gets the grill started
5:30pm We sit down to eat yummy hamburgers Dave has grilled and have a nice dinner. The children are all happy
6:15pm Children take showers/I give Caleb a bath
6:40pm I nurse Caleb and get him in bed
6:55pm I do “girls devo” with Hannah (we’re reading through a book together called Beautiful Girlhood and looking through a book also on babies)/Dave does devo with the boys
7:20pm Kids in bed/Shower
7:30pm Watch more episodes of the Office in our air conditioned bedroom
11:30pm Asleep
1:30am Caleb wakes up to nurse
3:30am Caleb wakes up to nurse (Dave and I have decided he will try and put our old air conditioner in their room tomorrow and then since I know he’s not too hot, Dave will give him some water and we’ll have to let him cry it out.)

Tuesday, April 17

6:30am out of bed/nurse Caleb/Dave goes out to office to work on getting his bike in working order to start riding again
7am Set out breakfast (cornflakes with milk)/ pack Hannah, Elijah, and Gabe’s lunches
7:30am Help everyone get dressed, do jobs etc.
8:00am Dave takes H, E, and G to school (Gabriel has preschool on Tuesday and Saturday mornings)
8:05-8:30 I sit on the porch swing with Caleb and spend time in prayer through song as I admire God’s creation/greet our day guardian and the workers coming to put the roof on our dependence (side building near our house)
8:30 Dave returns and we decide I’ll do literacy work tomorrow and Dave will have office time/put in air conditioner in Caleb’s room as I need to do more house stuff this morning
8:45 Nurse Caleb and put him down for a nap
8:45-I plan the week’s menu, make out shopping lists for myself and house worker, put clean clothes away, straighten up rooms
10:15 Caleb wakes up, nurses, our house worker arrives/play with Caleb
11:15 I leave with Caleb and go to the Millers’ house to talk to their house worker about getting things ready for their return and return some things I’ve borrowed
11:45 I arrive at school house early to pick up Gabe and Owen from preschool
12noon take Owen and Bryan back to the Rieses and Caleb and Gabe back to our house
12:30pm feed Caleb lunch/read Gabe a book, put both of the down for a nap
1pm Dave is feeling very tired and sick and decides to wait to go to Legue this next Sunday for church instead of today (An hour and a half drive both ways) We both take a rest
2:20pm Tracey drops Hannah and Elijah off from school/Caleb and Gabe wake up/electricity goes off
2:30pm Dave starts up generator and we decide to clean out and rearrange Gabe and Elijah’s room
5:30pm I get leftovers together for dinner and make smoothies to go with them/big kids get in the showers
6pm Dinner
6:30pm Power comes back on, we turn generator off. Dave offers to give Caleb a bath and I clean up after dinner tonight
7pm Devotional with kids/I nurse Caleb and put him down
7:30pm Children in bed
8pm Dave and I watch more of season 3 of The Office/ I make lunches for tomorrow and breakfast casserole for the morning
11pm Asleep
1:30am Caleb wakes up and Dave gives him water
3am Caleb wakes up and Dave gives him water
4:30 am Caleb wakes up and Dave gives him water

Wednesday April 18 (Work Day/School Day for Hannah, Elijah, and Gabriel)

6:15 Nurse Caleb (Wow! I feel much more rested this morning! I still woke up when Caleb cried, but not getting out of bed each time made a difference!)
6:30 Leave and meet Rachel for walk
7:30 Arrive back home, shower, get dressed, help H and E get out of the house for school
8am Dave takes Hannah and Elijah to school, I help Gabe get dressed and we read a book with Caleb/our house worker arrives along with our guardian and the workers for the roof
8:30am Dave gets back, I nurse Caleb and put him down for a nap/put clean clothes away and straighten up rooms
9:00am I go out to the office to work on the Kabiye literacy book
10:30am I come back inside because I’m feeling dizzy and exhausted. I nurse Caleb again and Dave watches the boys while I rest
11:15am I wake up and take my vitamins, which I realize I haven’t taken for 4 days. I figure my iron might be low
11:30 I check email
11:50 I make PB&J sandwiches for lunch
12:30 Dave reads to and puts Gabe down for a nap/ I nurse Caleb and put him down
12:45 I take another rest
2pm Dave wakes me up and goes to pick up Hannah and Elijah and the Rieses. After dropping the Rieses off, they arrive back home at 2:30pm/I read chapter 3 of Mere Discipleship by Lee Camp
2:45pm Dave leaves to go to the village of Hade Te/Kacade for lesson/Hannah decides to go with him
3pm I get out the calligraphy set that Elijah’s been wanting to do and teach him how to write a basic alphabet/our house worker arrives
3:45pm the Power goes out/Gabe and Caleb wake up. Temps are at least 110. I fill up the blow up pool in the yard and get in with the boys. My mood improves within minutes! Thank you Lord for this blessing!
4:30 power comes back on and I come in to get dinner started. Our house worker puts Caleb on her back so I can get dinner going.
5:30pm Dave arrives home and has picked up Rachel on his way back/big kids take showers
6pm We eat dinner (bean and cheese quesadillas, Spanish rice, salad, and ice cream with chocolate syrup for dessert)
6:30pm I give Caleb a bath
7pm nurse Caleb and put him in bed/Dave does devo with bigger kids
7:30pm kids in bed
7:45pm My mom and Dad call to say hi
8:15pm The Rieses arrive for team devotional (at our house this week)
8:25pm My mom and I get cut off by the phone lines
8:30pm- Worship and discussion of chapter 3 of Mere Discipleship which we are reading together as a team
10:30pm Everyone leaves/ I do my Bible reading (which I’m not keeping up with very well)
11pm Asleep
1:30am Caleb wakes up and Dave gives him water
4am Caleb wakes up and Dave gives him water

)Thursday, April 19 (Team Prayer Day/School Day for Hannah and Elijah/”Semi-preschool” for Gabriel at our house

6am Dave is up and leaves to go play basketball with the guys
6:30am Nurse Caleb and get breakfast started
7am Breakfast (leftover egg and ham casserole from yesterday morning)
7:30am kids do jobs, get everyone dressed, Dave gets back, I take a quick shower
8am Electricity goes off/Dave leaves with Hannah and Elijah/I push Caleb and Gabe on the swings until Owen arrives/ our house worker arrives, guardian arrives, and the men to work on the roof
8;30am Bryan, Dave, and Owen arrive, Dave starts generator and then Bryan and Dave leave for prayer time
8:30-11:45 Do preschool stuff with Gabe and Owen (play dough, singing, dancing, dress up, painting, read books, snack, 30 minutes of Go Diego! DVD/nurse Caleb, Caleb naps) 9:45am Power comes back on
11:45am Tracey drops off Hannah and Elijah and Rachel and picks up Owen
12noon Rachel eats lunch with us (our house worker has made an African dish, peanut sauce with rice. Rachel thinks it’s yummy!)
12:30pm Dave arrives back from prayer time/ I nurse Caleb, put him down for nap, read to Gabe, put him down for nap
12:50pm I begin cutting Rachel’s hair for her
1:25pm I lay down to take a quick power nap before we leave for prayer time
2pm The power goes off/We leave to go pick up Tracey for prayer time. It is Rachel’s week to pick where we go and she’s decided to go to the waterfall in Bafilo, which she’s never seen.
3:15pm We arrive at the waterfall in Bafilo after a 30 minute drive and 30 minute hike/share prayer needs, pray together, stick our feet in the pool of water at the bottom of the waterfall, talk about spiritual matters all the way back home
4:30pm Dave says the power came back on
5:30pm arrive back home, nurse Caleb, help Dave get dinner on the table (he’s grilling pork ribs. Yummy!)/ big kids take showers
6:15pm dinner
6:40pm Give Caleb bath
7:15pm Nurse Caleb and put him to bed
7:30pm Do Girl’s Devo with Hannah/Dave does Boys’ Devo with boys/Air conditioner in Hannah and Caleb’s room breaks
8pm Kids in bed/I make lunches for tomorrow for kids/Dave and I listen to a sermon by John Piper on his I Pod and then discuss it afterwards
10:30pm Asleep
2am Caleb wakes up and Dave gives him water in a sippy cup

Friday April 20 (Work Day/School Day for Hannah and Elijah)

6:15am Nurse Caleb
6:30am Leave to meet Rachel for walk
7:30am Arrive back home, Dave has made pancakes for breakfast, help H and E get ready for school
8am Electricity goes off again/Dave starts generator/Dave takes Hand E to school/I sit out on porch swing with Caleb and Gabe and sing songs of praise to God (Gabe gets tired of it and goes inside to play with toys!)/our house worker arrives/guardian arrives/workers putting on roof arrive
8:30am Dave returns and I take a shower while he watches Gabe and Caleb
8:45am Nurse Caleb and put him down for a nap/Dave goes out to office
9am I leave with Gabe to run errands (Go to grocery stores and post office and to the Millers again to give their house worker a list)
10:30am We return home and Caleb has been awake since 9:30am when our generator broke and there is no electricity to the house/Dave calls the repairmen to come and fix it
10:45am Repairmen arrive
11am Temps are over 100 already and I fill up the pool and go and sit in it with Caleb and Gabe again. Whew! What a relief!
11:50am They fix the generator (thank you Lord!) and we have fans again. I go inside to fix lunch (tuna sandwiches with apple slices)
12noon Lunch
12:30pm Dave reads to Gabe and puts him down, I nurse Caleb and put him down
12:45pm I check and answer emails
1:25pm I lay down for a power nap
1:55pm I wake up with a start (I slept to long!) hurriedly get my things together and rush out the door to pick up Hannah, Elijah, Tracey, Graham and Isaac to take them home and Rachel, who is going to the village with me today (Dave usually goes to the village on Friday afternoons, but we’ve planned ahead for me to go today instead to do a women’s lesson)/ Jean Marie (a Christian leader) is here talking with Dave as well as a Mason who has been doing work at the Emersons
2:30pm I’ve dropped everyone off and Rachel and I head to the village of Tchikpe
3:30pm We finally arrive after I take a wrong turn and we get there through some back roads (I’ve never been to this village driving myself before. Jane used to do the women’s lessons here)
3:45pm There is only one woman who has come but one of the leaders and a few other men arrive. They tell me to go ahead. I read in Kabiye about the sinful woman who washed Jesus’ feet with her hair and the woman with the issue of blood that touched Jesus’ garment and how he told both of them that their faith had healed them and they were to go in peace. We talked about the importance of faith and I asked them if they would be interested in talking with others, women especially, about learning to read Kabiye beginning in September. They were very excited and said they would talk with people in their village and the other two close by. I am hoping to be able to teach 2 days a week beginning then, and will have the literacy primer completed.
4:45pm Rachel and I leave and go back the “right” way to town
5:30pm I arrive home and Dave has dinner almost done (I am so blessed to have such a servant husband!)/I nurse Caleb
6pm Electricity finally comes back on and we can turn generator off! We eat dinner (Oriental Chicken Salad)
6:45pm Caleb bath and nurse him and put him in bed
7pm We begin our devotionals with the children on Handling Money God’s Way to go along with their new job charts. They are very interested in the stories and verses (Yay!) Even Gabe is listening to some of it.
7:30 pm Children in bed
8pm Dave gives me a pedicure! (He had given me a coupon for a pedicure from him that he had agreed to redeem this evening.) We listen to another John Piper sermon on his I pod while he gives me a pedicure
10pm We watch one episode of 24
11pm Asleep
3:30am Caleb wakes up and Dave gives him water

Saturday April 21 (Work Day/School Day for Hannah, Elijah, and Gabriel)

6:30am Nurse Caleb/ Dave goes outside to work on finishing the repairs on his bike so he can begin riding again next week
7am I make breakfast
7:30am WE eat scrambled eggs, bacon, and juice/help the children all get ready for school/ I make all their lunches
8am Hannah, Elijah, and Gabriel leave for school/I sit on porch swing and spend some time in praise with Caleb (No guardian today, our house worker doesn’t come until 10:30am and the workers for the roof don’t come today) Wow!! It’s quiet and I’m singing quite loudly today!
8:30am Dave arrives back home/He takes a shower while I nurse Caleb and put him down for a nap and then I shower and get dressed
9am I put folded clothes away and straighten up rooms/ I decide to work on internship stuff for my office time today instead of the literacy book since there are some pressing things I need to address
10:45am Caleb wakes up and Dave watches him for me while I finish up
11am I nurse Caleb, play with him a bit and make brownie cookies for our girls’ night tonight
11:50am Dave leaves to pick up Gabe and Owen
12:20 Dave arrives home with Gabe, I’ve been making more baby food for Caleb and I make smoothies for Dave and I for lunch (Gabe eats at school at 11:30am)
12:30pm Dave puts Gabe down for a nap/ I nurse Caleb and put him down
1pm I lay down to take a quick nap
1:30pm I get on internet (our 24 hour connection has lasted one day longer than we had thought!) And email UofWisconsin OshKosh about their online nursing degree that I’m interested in pursuing over the next few years if our 24 hour access every becomes available again….
2pm Dave leaves to go out to the village of Tchefengda
2:45pm Bryan arrives on his way out to the village to drop off Hannah and Elijah with Isaac, Graham, and Owen who have all come over to play for the afternoon/Caleb wakes up
2:45-5:00pm I watch the children play, help them run through the sprinklers, play in the pool, swing on the swings etc.
5:00 Electricity comes back on (it’s been off since 4pm)/ I nurse Caleb and Isaac picks out a Dora the Explorer movie to watch before they have to leave/I get dinner ready (white chili and rice) , make ice cream for tonight and then get dressed for our girls’ night, as well as call the restaurant to order our dinner so it will be ready when we arrive at 6pm
5:30pm Dave arrives home/I get the Ries boys together and we load up
5:45pm I go to pick up Rachel at the schoolhouse, get gas at the gas station, and drop off the Ries boys and pick up Tracey
6:10pm We arrive at Le Jardin (the “nice” restaurant here in Kara) and they have our entire order right and bring it out to us. We have a very nice dinner and good conversation.
6:50pm We pay and leave to come back to our house so I can nurse Caleb and we are watching the 1st disc of the A and E version of Pride and Prejudice out in our guest room in the air conditioning.
7pm I nurse Caleb and put him in bed/Dave does devo with big kids, I kiss them goodnight and we head out to the guest room
7:30pm-10:00pm We watch Pride and Prejudice and eat dessert (Fun!)
10:00pm I take Rachel and Tracey home
10:30pm I arrive home and finish watching Invincible with Dave, which he’s been watching while we were out in the guest room
11pm We go to bed

For any of the 3 of you who have actually read through this entire post, I hope this is insightful into the daily happenings in my life here in Togo. Many of my daily events are similar to what they would be in the states and some are very different. I have not made my time in God’s word a priority in the evenings after the children are in bed and this log of my week has made that painfully obvious. I’m convicted to choose time in the word in the early evenings DAILY. I also have realized how much I really do in a day and although I often feel like I’m not accomplishing much, I realize that time enjoying and ministering to my husband, children, and then others is exactly what I should be doing right now. I’m also thankful for the sweet gifts of variety and time away that the Lord gave me this last week that are out of the ordinary, such as our ladies’ prayer time at the waterfall and the ladies’ night out on Saturday. I don’t feel the same melancholies that I usually feel after an average week here in Togo since we’ve returned from the states with Caleb. I am so very blessed and so very thankful, Lord, for the full life you’ve given me in You!!!

Thank You for Praying!

2007-04-15T06:52:00.000-07:00

Thank you to all of you who have been praying for Elijah's healing over the past two days. God has been gracious and Elijah and David are back home and he seems to be fully recovered. He has lost some weight but seems otherwise his normal self. The best the doctors can figure out is that he had some strange virus. We did, however, finish his malaria treatment as sometimes malaria tests have false negative results.

I apologize for not having posted before now but our Internet service was unavailable from Friday afternoon until the morning (Sunday 15).

The Lord is sweet to us! Thank you again for all of your care, notes, and supplications for him.

Please Pray for Elijah

2007-04-13T07:55:00.000-07:00

This is a brief post to ask you to pray for our 6 year old son, Elijah. He has been very sick for the past 24 hours with severe headache, intermittent fever, and excessive vomiting. These are classic malaria symptoms and the treatment that we've started him on has not seemed to help. He has had malaria numerous times but with much less severe symptoms and has always responded somewhat quickly to treatment. My husband, David, left at 5:30am today to drive Elijah down to the nearest hospital with competent medical care in the southern part of Togo. He arrived at the Tsiko Baptist hospital around 11am and the doctors are presently trying to diagnose his condition. The malaria smear they performed came back negative and they've ruled out meningitis. They're suspecting a virus of some kind but are still looking into the matter. He is mildly dehydrated so he is getting needed rest and fluids and they will reassess his condition later on this afternoon.

The Lord God is all powerful and I ask you to pray with me for him to show grace and mercy and heal our son. I'll attempt to post later on when I have an update. My friend Deborah brought this scripture to my attention a few months back:

"Pour out your heart like water before the presence of the Lord; Lift up your hands to Him for the life of your little ones." Lamentations 2:19

Please join us as we ask Him to heal Elijah.

Family Safari

2007-04-07T09:29:00.000-07:00

March 3-5, more than a month ago now, was a weekend filled with lots of animals and fun fellowship with our teammates, the Friesen family here in Kara, and the Tabligbo team from southern Togo. We awoke on the morning of the 4th to find that a pack of lions had taken down a cape buffalo in a kill the night before only a 5 minute drive from the hotel! We spent hours off and on during that day observing the lions chasing off vultures and even the original herd of buffalo returning twice to face off with the lions. It was an adventure we'll never forget and Hannah and Elijah were old enough to enjoy the experience while I did my best to keep Gabriel and Caleb entertained. Here is a list of the animals the children helped me count that we saw over our 3 day trip:

Cape Buffalo: 24

Rhone Antelope: 11

Cob Antelope: 105

Wart Hog: 23

Elephant: 2

Lion: 4

Duiker: 1

Hippopotamus: 9

Baboon: 42

Bushbuck: 3

Patus Monkey: 33

Crocodile: 2

Birds (specified with the help of Daddy):

-Stellar Starling: 2

-Maribou Stork: 2

-Vulture: 33

-Crested Crane: 27

-Roller: 1

-Eagle: 1

-Battleur: 1

-Saddleback Stork: 1

-Hammercop: 1

Oh Lord, your creativity and beauty amaze us!!

Hannah Ruth is 8 years old!!

2007-04-07T04:14:00.000-07:00

My sweet only daughter and firstborn turned 8 this past month. I can hardly believe she has been a part of our lives for 8 years now! My emotions towards Hannah are great as she was the baby we wanted and waited for for 2 years; as I struggled so much with motherhood and helping her through the first 6 months of colic and tears; as I worked for years to understand her slower paced way of living life compared to mine; as I've worked to overcome my overreactions to her overreactions; and in the last few years as I've come to truly enjoy and delight in her "quirkiness" and love even more her tender, compassionate, justice-oriented, and truly insightful personality. She brings pure delight to my life, as she has from the first moment I held her in my arms, and I praise God for his gift of Hannah in our family. She makes life full and I am appreciating ever more definitely her girlishness in a home where we're outnumbered by the boys!

This past week she was overjoyed to get to spend time with another "American" girl her age, Tori Vaughn, whose parents are missionaries in Benin. This is a rare treat during this year since there have been no other girls on our team present with us here in Togo this school year.

Hannah is very creative and loves storytelling, writing (She is writing a series with her friend Isaac about the Ice Twins), imaginative play (especially with her animal and people figurines, complete with jewelry and hair ties for collars and other decorations), Star Wars (specifically Luke Skywalker!), learning about different cultures and peoples of the world, and any kind of slapstick humor. What a fun girl she is and a blessing! Thank you, Lord, for blessing us with Hannah Ruth!

Caleb Joe 6 months today!

2007-02-23T13:19:00.000-08:00

I've loved the baby stage of 6 months with each of my children and Caleb is no exception. They feel so good and they're sooooo sweet! If I could make time stop now for a few months I would do it! "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the father of lights." James 1:17 Thank you Lord for Caleb!!

Teaching Again

2007-02-23T13:03:00.000-08:00

Although it's been almost a full year since I've been teaching women's lessons in the villages, Wednesday in the village of Ajadaa felt as natural as if I'd been going out every week for the past few months. They were all happy to meet Caleb and were shocked and pleased that he nursed like their babies. I read about the woman who came and washed Jesus' feet in the home of Simon and the woman with the issue of blood who touched Jesus' garment and was healed. We talked about how Jesus responded to and healed these women because of their faith. Kabiye women always marvel when I teach on the way Jesus treated and responded to women, with such compassion and grace. This is not what they expect from a man, especially one who is "in charge" of others.

I understood language better than I remember in the past and felt so grateful that the Lord placed this dream in my heart so many years ago and has made it come to pass, giving me delight in being His ambassador. I love the older women in this church. The group was small on Wednesday but during our praise time the songs these women made up and taught as they went along blessed my heart in such a sweet way! Please pray for the Christians in this village as they continue to be led by God's spirit closer to his heart.

Termite Attack!

2007-02-23T12:34:00.000-08:00

In the 6 and a half years we’ve lived here in Togo, we’ve had army ants march down our hallway, black biting ants pour out of a door frame and cover our hallway, mosquitoes pour from the bathtub drain, and crabs skitter around the dining room (these I brought back as a gift to my children after a ladies’ getaway at the beach over a year ago). But this past Monday night was the first termite infestation we have experienced. Now that I have a blog I get to record these adventures for posterity and also gross some of you out! (You can stop reading now if the pictures were too much for you!)

The electricity has been going out about 5 or 6 hours each day over the past few weeks. This usually happens either all at once in the morning or for a few hours in the morning and a few hours in the early evening. On January 19th, I think the power went out in the late morning so it wasn’t unusual that the power shut off at around 6:30 that night just as we were finishing dinner. David, proud of himself, reached for our high powered mag light that he had placed near the table before dinner and switched it on, giving adequate light to finish up our meal and get the table cleared. Within 30 seconds, Hannah said, “Eww! Look at those bugs!” as about 10 bugs flocked towards the light. It didn’t register in my mind at first that these “ewwy” bugs were termites. If it had, maybe the following mayhem would have been lessened as I might have evacuated with the children more quickly.

Perhaps you may know that where there is one termite MANY quickly follow! They begin flying about as soon as they hatch and they only come out at night. Thus, the reason our little hatchlings inside the door frame began to pour out as soon as our electricity shut off. Within 45 seconds or so, there were hundreds flying frantically about, but they were crowding out the mag light so they began flying across the dinner table to the computer screen, still lit by the battery. Yes, they were in our hair, crawling on our arms, down our shirts and I was desperately trying to keep them off Caleb. Hannah ran to the recliner, balled her legs up to her chest and began wailing. I was shouting orders at Dave to hurry and find the bug spray. Gabriel was laughing crazily and Elijah kept saying “Yuck! Yuck!” Dave was running around in circles trying to find the bug spray that wasn’t in its usual spot on top of the refrigerator. Then, he lit a candle to try to draw more termites to the light and off of us, but they snuffed out the flame within about 20 seconds. “Run to the bedroom with the children and close the door!” my hero said. Thankfully, the termites hadn’t made it back to that side of the house, so we were safe and picked off the few termites still on us. 10 minutes later David opened our door and announced that it was safe to come out. He had sprayed all the termites and swept them into a neat little pile outside the kitchen doorway. Excited to see the casualties, the children all ran towards the pile and examined the “ewwy” termites. (The power was, thankfully, back on by this point!)

I knew I had to get a picture because this is a night that will probably stick in their memories for years. I know it will in mine!

Third Culture Kids

2007-02-08T12:43:00.000-08:00

In case you've never heard this term, "Third Culture Kid" basically refers to a child who is raised in a culture outside of his/her own home culture. This child grows up "in between worlds". He is neither fully a member of his home culture (The US, for us) or host culture (Togo, for our family) and therefore is termed a "third culture kid". There's no way around it...as missionaries in a foreign land our children will grow up as third culture kids, part of a culture neither completely home nor host. This thought used to kind of bother me. Some parts of it still do. But mostly I've begun to see the advantages and even delights of my children being able to grow up in between cultures. First, and foremost, my children know in a more tangible way that they are truly wanderers on this earth, looking forward most of all to our true home in heaven. Another sweet advantage is the blessing of "realness". Knowing that one can not completely conform to one's host culture and not living in one's home culture, my children are more keenly aware of their true likes and dislikes, their interests, and what people are "really" saying, despite their words. They have more freedom to live and learn without the sometimes overwhelming pressure of cultural expectations (that may be either right, wrong, or neither one).

These pictures taken of Hannah and Elijah this week sing of their place in a third culture. Hannah had been saving up her allowance for the past month and a half in hopes of buying a wig at the open air market here in town. Elijah also had been begging for a trip to the market to spend some of his earnings. So we arrived at the market on Monday morning with our school teacher, Rachel, to do some shopping. After purchasing some material for Rachel, Hannah walked right to the wig stand and began musing over which one to purchase. Rachel kind of giggled and then really began to hoot when Hannah put one on. Then she caught herself as she realized Hannah was serious about this purchase as a beauty item! If women here can afford them, they own 2 or more wigs that they sport for more formal attire. Hannah has been noticing different wigs around town and decided she would like to try one for herself. This is the one she bought, pictured above. She wore it all around the market and got at least 6 genuine comments about how nice she looked in her new wig. She also wore it to school the whole next day and informed everyone her name was Zoe for the day. (Her alter ego?) Her head was sure sweaty when she arrived home after wearing that wig all day!

Elijah picked out a tie to wear on a date with me that night. It was a second hand blue tie with Loony Tune characters adorning it and he thought it would do nicely. Dave cinched it up and somehow managed to make it work over Elijah's green polo shirt and we had a nice date at a restaurant he thought was great, but was one most Americans would avoid like the plague. (Unless they were in Kara, Togo and were very hungry, that is!) We had a wonderful time and I went to bed smiling that evening deep down, knowing my children so individually and celebrating their uniqueness that I just can't miss or suppress in this setting. ...and I'm so glad I can't!!

As Christians, I guess we're all part of a "third culture" with different values, likes and dislikes, and perceptions of what reality is compared to the thoughts of the world. Give us eyes and ears, Lord, to truly follow you.

Recent Pictures of My Children

2007-02-08T11:42:00.000-08:00

Ok! I'm responding to "needs" from grandparents to see their sweet grandchildren and anyone else who is wanting to see recent pictures of our kids. Gabriel has been walking our fast growing German Shepherd around the yard on a leash, which is something he is very proud of. Hannah is holding Caleb after swimming in our blow up pool, and Elijah is climbing up the door frame to our bedroom! Check out the new video of Caleb from a couple of days ago at the bottom of the blog. Enjoy!

Caleb Joe

2007-01-27T03:44:00.000-08:00

Caleb is 5 months and 17 pounds! He enjoys laughing, sucking his thumb in a sideways manner, sucking his big toes when his big cloth diaper is off, riding on our houseworker's back, and of course drooling! He is pure sweetness! We miss all of you being able to kiss and love on him. Be assured he's getting plenty of love around here, though!

Creative Expression

2007-01-27T03:39:00.000-08:00

As I walked out to the office this morning to do some work on the literacy book I was greeted by these muddy, well-placed hand prints just outside the door. I think Elijah might have had the recently viewed Curious George movie in mind as there were 5 other pairs of handprints on the other wall, progressively lighter! Everyone always says I'll miss those dirty handprints on the wall in a few years, so I decided to preserve them here. They are pretty cute hands, I have to admit!

Girls' Party in Lieu of Safari

2007-01-27T03:26:00.000-08:00

Hannah struggled over whether to go on safari with the boys this last weekend. She ended up deciding to stay back if she could host a girls' party for some friends in Kara. Being that there aren't too many ex-pat girls in Kara at the moment she invited some ladies. We had tea and cookies, played dress-up, 20 questions, Hannah read a poem she had written about an Elephant, and we ate pizza and salad for dinner. Good idea, Hannah!! We had lots of fun!

A Guarded Heart and Mind

2007-01-23T13:22:00.000-08:00

"...and the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus." Phil. 4:7

I have had this verse memorized since elementary school and then wrote it on numerous pledge books, club signs and chalk boards for mixers during my club days at Harding, as this was the theme verse for our social club. For months now, I can't shake the question from my mind of what it means to have a heart and mind guarded by God's peace. What are they guarded from? There are the obvious things of worry or fear or a whole list of sins that are definitely the antithesis of peace. But, I keep thinking about the moments and days when I've felt my heart running away from me, either with emotional obsession or jealousy or hatred or the times my mind has been the fiercest battleground I could imagine...and I can attest that there is definitely no peace there, although my flesh seems to be mightily enjoying the distraction. These are the things I'm aware my heart and mind need to be guarded from. Is it the lack of God's peace that starts my heart and mind down these roads of sin? I think I've always thought of it the other way around. (My heart and mind are where they shouldn't be, and therefore I don't have peace.) And yet, this verse says that we can't understand God's peace and how it works. I'm asking the Lord to show me what he has in store to reveal to me about what it means for His peace to guard my heart and for his peace to guard my mind in Christ Jesus.

I'm thinking that the verse before that says "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer....." In everything by prayer. Have my heart and mind been running away? You can bet I haven't been praying when the thought or emotion first entered in. It reminds me of taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. Any thoughts? I'd love to hear your point of view... I hope there's more to come on this in a later entry.

Elijah is 6!

2007-01-15T06:39:00.000-08:00

My second child is now 6 years old! Although it is hard to believe, he has finally arrived at the age he has been looking forward to since he turned 4. He has had it in his mind for two years now, that 6 was the magical age when he would become a "big kid". He is pictured here on his birthday hike with his Daddy on some rocks just outside of Kara.

Elijah is bright, observant, determined, resourceful, tenderhearted, introverted, eager to learn new things, and loyal. Out of all of our children he reminds me the most of my wonderful husband David and I enjoy watching him grow physically, emotionally, and spiritually. The Lord is wooing Elijah to himself in different ways than he has wooed Hannah and it is beautiful to watch and be a part of. May He continue to grow into a servant for the Lord who is brave and unashamed of His God. Happy Birthday Elijah! How I love you!

Check out his birthday party on the media player!

Comments

2007-01-01T14:39:00.000-08:00

Oops! A couple of people have emailed me and said they couldn't post comments. I didn't realize I had accidentally enabled the setting that only registered blog users could comment. I've changed the settings so that anyone can comment. I love hearing from you!

From Where Do You Slide?...An Elephant's Backside!

2007-01-01T14:06:00.000-08:00

We've had a fun New Year's trip with the Ries family up to the country of Burkina Faso which borders Togo on the north. We spent two nights in the nation's capitol, Ougadougou, with our missionary colleagues to the Dagara, Andy and Melissa and Elijah Johnson. Then, we ventured over to the city of Dano in south-western Burkina where they, along with their teammates the Chankins, Carters, and Burks, live and work among the Dagara people. We had a wonderful, yet too short, visit with all of them and hope to return again soon.

Our son, Elijah, announced yesterday that he thought Ougadougou was the best city in the world because of the Faso Park we visited while there. It seems to be Ougadougou's equivalent of Disneyland. At the persuasive suggestions of Andy Johnson, the manager let our families in before business hours so that our children could play on the playground area for around 75 cents per child. We were initially impressed by the huge statues of an elephant and dinosaur and all of the other equipment. We saw the stairs that led up into the elephant's mouth and as the children began to climb them we walked around behind the elephant to see what this play equipment was and found ourselves laughing incredulously at the design of this slide!!! Out slid our children from the elephant's rear-end, one by one. Oddly enough, upon closer examination, a small metal plaque on the elephant's foot read "Made in Spain. 240 volts" We have been mulling over theories for what the voltage was/could be used for... What do you think?

Caleb is 4 months old!

2006-12-25T15:06:00.000-08:00

He is belly-laughing, grabbing toys, "mouthing" things, and contentedly laying his sweet little hand on our arms. He loves skin! He's sitting in the crook of the arm of the couch and begging with his eyes for food at the dinner table, as well as reaching out to grab our plates. We love our sweet little boy!

A Cup of Cold Water

2006-12-16T13:26:00.000-08:00

When we first moved to Togo, West Africa our learning curve was pretty steep. Among the many areas in which we found ourselves with insufficient knowledge and expertise was the area of entertaining visitors who would come ringing the bell at our gate. We came here with an overall suspicion of anyone who would ring our bell within the first year. We had been warned by more than one seasoned missionary in West Africa that all of the con men and crooks would come to our gate, as new missionaries, because we wouldn't know them from genuine people with needs.

Sure enough, within the first week of being in our house we had a man at our gate claiming his son had been bitten by a rabid dog and he needed money for all sorts of different medicines that were required to treat his son's condition. I remember David and I questioning our workers (who had previously been employed by other missionaries in town) if they thought he was genuine. I remember sitting in our living room at night going over the details of his story after having to struggle very hard to understand the French he spoke which we were still so new at speaking and understanding. I remember calling our teammates to inform them about this man asking for money and working to keep each other in the loop to see how much each of us would, or would not, give him. (So that he wouldn't get the full amount for medical costs from each of us.) I remember never knowing for sure if he was genuine or not and begrudgingly giving him a bit of money in the end. This was only the first of many similar situations to follow in the coming years. After living here in Togo for about 6 months or so I think we just started turning everyone away who came to the gate because we realized at one point that we'd given some money to a smooth-talking thief and didn't want to be taken advantage of again.

Gradually, over the past 6 years we've moved far past this point. It has taken time to spot the obvious con men who make the rounds of the foreigners' houses with the big stories and yet the now-obvious-air of something being "not quite right". And we still don't always know. But something much more significant has taken place in our hearts. The Lord has grown compassion there, again. This compassion trumps the need for self protection and I feel compelled to tell you a story about my husband that took place about a month ago.

This transformation of our hearts bent on self protection and concerned with the preservation of rights into hearts leaning towards compassion and following Christ has taken place first and foremost through the leadership of my husband. I remember about 2 and a half years ago a woman came to our gate asking for money for whom we had no way of corroborating her story. And David decided to give her what she asked for. I protested, asking David how he knew she was telling the truth and wouldn't just use the money for alcohol or drugs. And David, said, "I don't know, Becky. I have no way of knowing. All I know is that I feel God prompting me to give to her and I'm not going to ignore those feelings anymore." I am sad to admit that I went on in questioning his motives, asking if he felt compelled to give out of guilt or it just being easier. He responded that he was quite sure this wasn't the case as he didn't feel compelled to give to people who beg every time. He explained that many times he felt a confirmation that they were lying, but there had been definite times when he felt the need expressed was genuine. He also explained he had recently become aware that he had grieved the Holy Spirit by not giving when He had prompted him to give. I, somewhat skeptically, agreed with his thoughts and watched my husband display Christ's compassion in a gradually greater manner over the next few years.

As you know, we've just returned from the states a little over 2 months ago after having our fourth child. A couple of weeks back, an everyday event of someone begging at our gate pierced straight to my heart. I think having been away from Togo for four months and having a lot of time for spiritual reflection gave my heart the perspective it needed to see in a new way the holiness of asking and giving and receiving in the light of Christ's compelling love (2 Cor. 5:13,14).

I was sitting at the computer on a Saturday morning in a rare moment when my three older children were at school and Caleb was actually napping. The bell rang at our front gate. Our day guardian has Saturdays off, so David went out to answer the gate. I didn't pay much attention as he came back in the house, went into the kitchen and then returned outside. (Our bell rings on average of about 7 times a day with Christians stopping by to chat, workers coming to fix something broken in the house, utility men coming to hand deliver bills, the occasional beggar, and various other visitors.) About 5 minutes later he walked back inside with an empty cup in his hand and a look of joy that stemmed from a broken humility that I have trouble describing in words. My mind quickly began to piece things together as I asked, "Who was at the gate?" "A crippled woman," David answered with a break in his voice. My throat began to tighten with emotion as I could mentally picture the sad state of many crippled people here in Togo. "Did she have a cart?" I asked. (Many crippled people here who are fortunate enough to secure one, have a cart made out of old bicycle parts that they can maneuver down the road by turning the "pedals" with their hands, propelling their contraption forward and giving them a way to get around) "No," he answered. The picture in my mind switched to the even more pitiful state of a crippled person without a cart. These people have flip flops on their hands and "walk" by putting one hand on the ground in front of them and swinging the weight of their body forward, just managing to get their other flip-flop-clad hand around to the side of their body to maintain their balance. Their polio-ravaged legs usually hang limply to the side, dragging the ground. My eyes were full at this point as I gave him a questioning look. ("What was your response to her?" I was wondering) David's eyes were brimming with tears as he answered with raw emotion, "I gave her the money she asked for and a cup of water. She looked so thirsty." I stood up and embraced him for a long moment. The emotion which we shared was not the result of self pride at having served "the least of these". It was not utter depression at the sad physical state of this poor woman. It was the feeling of compassion for someone so utterly broken physically mixed with the holy awe of somehow Jesus Christ, himself, embodying this crippled woman, coming and knocking at OUR gate to allow us to serve Him. David pulled back from my hug and said through tears, "I could tell she was happy when I gave her the money, but when I came back with the cup of cold water she literally beamed." We both cried as we knew it was Jesus smiling at David, saying "Well done."

Oh, the privilege of seeing the Lord in this context of poverty! When the days feel overwhelmingly frustrating and my thoughts jump from blessing upon blessing of living in the states and I don't much feel like living here anymore, it's in these moments of seeing with spiritual eyes how Jesus actually came and knocked on our gate just a few weeks ago that sustain my heart. I know he knocks on doors and reveals himself faithfully in the US and anywhere in the world. But for now He has called our family here. And the tangible reminder that He knows where we are and will show us His face in a surprising person now and again is a grace that makes me want to obey him and love him and thrive where he's planted me. "Anywhere with Jesus I can safely go, anywhere he leads me in this world below......Anywhere without him dearest joys would fade... Anywhere with Jesus when he points the way." It's all worth it with Him. Without Him.......I'd have nothing to live for that really meant anything.

"I was hungry and you gave me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me drink; I was a stranger, and you invited me in....And the righteous will answer Him saying 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You drink? ....And the King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say unto you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.'" Matthew 25:37-40

Waiting...

2006-12-06T08:09:00.000-08:00

The very word used to make me anxious inside. I concede that much of this might have been due to the fact that I was raised in a culture where every measure is taken so that people have to wait as little as possible. I also think the lure and expectation of fast-paced thinking and existing was very strong for me as I grew up in the states. I still derive great satisfaction from accomplishing numerous tasks in one day and everyone knows that you can't get much done unless you "get going!" right? I also tend to be the pusher in our family.."Come on. Let's hurry and eat breakfast." "Come on. We're going to be late." "Let's go! Get yourself buckled." (Although as my parents could tell you they had much trouble getting me to leave anywhere when I was a teenager!) However, this practice of waiting is an area that the Lord continues to gently nudge me towards. Ultimately, it is about waiting on Him. I find, however, that if I am not in the practice of waiting on anything or anyone else around me, I have an almost impossible task of waiting on Him to sense His leading or hear His voice.

I've been making a conscious effort lately to patiently wait and give my children time to do what I've asked, or to wait expectantly (and silently!) while they get out what they're trying to say. In practicing this, I've realized that this "waiting" state of mind is one that only the Lord can foster. He's made my circumstances such over the past 7 months that I am physically "still" a lot. I'm home a lot. I'm listening a lot. I don't have nearly as many people to talk to or nearly as much to keep me "busy busy" as I have in the past. I have 4 small children to listen to and care for and a husband who comes home every day with great stories of what went on in the village. About every week or so I get teary inside and long to be back out in the villages at least once a week where I feel like I'm myself, talking and interacting and influencing. As Caleb gets bigger and we find room in our family schedule for me to be out and about in the villages again I am hoping this will come to pass, but I am content and thankful that the Lord is using this time to teach me how to wait on circumstances and people around me.

In this practice of waiting with surrendered heart, I am ultimately learning a little better how to wait on Him and listen to Him. I've found in recent months that hearing Him often takes a lot of waiting and sometimes His answer is in the waiting itself. I've also learned to listen to my husband for the Lord's answers and leading and know that God's answers are often revealed through wisdom He has given David. Having a husband who is a little more prone to waiting and watching has been a gracious gift in helping me to hear God through David's waiting.

I have found that because I am waiting before Him, I have more of a hunger for His Spirit to work powerfully through me. I have more of a desire to abide in His love and let it pour through me to others. I have more of a yearning to see Him do great things in His kingdom. I find myself recognizing Him in places and in people that I've missed before and I'm thrilled! Lord, if you want to "keep me waiting" I am overjoyed to sit and wait, contrary to the direction my flesh pulls. I'm looking for you and wanting you and my heart cries out with Isaiah "Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains would tremble before you! As when fire sets twigs ablaze and causes water to boil, come down to make your name known to your enemies and cause the nations to quake before you! For when you did awesome things that we did not expect, you came down, and the mountains trembled before you. Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him." (64:1-4) I want to wait for the Lord with surrendered heart and witness His glory among the nations as He is victorious over all of the schemes of the evil one and redeems people from sin! As I wait, I'm beginning to see in a fresh way what really matters...

Opposable Toe?

2006-12-04T07:55:00.000-08:00

First, just a note about the media player on my blog. It will hang out from now on at the bottom of the page. As I post new video, I will make note of it on the most recent post and you can check it out. Caleb's video is still available for viewing.

Ok, I know it's technically not opposable, but I don't know what else I could name it. This is a photo of Caleb's sweet little foot and I spend more and more time lately staring at his interesting big toe. Those of you who know me well, know that I have a thing about toes. This probably comes from my feeling of dissatisfaction with my own toes that has never completely gone away. My husband David's toes, however, are some of the nicest, well-proportioned and un-knuckly toes I've ever seen. (He modestly agrees with me on my assessment!)

I have no estimate on how many hours I've spent staring at toes here in West Africa as everyone is barefoot inside and usually wearing flip flops when outdoors. I love the variety and different sizes of all ten digits. Of course sometimes people only have 9 toes (like my father, who just had one removed last year) or one of the Christians here in the remote village of Poo Wayi who has an extra baby toe on her left foot which leaves her with 11! Anyhow, I've spent most of my toe watching time with my children from the time they are babies until the present day. With Hannah, Elijah, and Gabriel I can find a genetic similarity for each of their toes with either Dave or me or one of our parents, but this very different big toe of Caleb's has me stumped! I'm wondering as I stare at it throughout the day if he will have to have special shoes. Will his toe push against the top and give him blisters? I've noticed, however, that when he is deeply asleep that his big toes do relax coming almost in even line with his other 8 digits. So, perhaps the wearing of shoes will be therapeutic for him someday, forcing him to walk in a relaxed manner.

All of this is my seemingly useless speculations that I spend more of my days engaging in than I ever would have imagined before having 4 small children. I go through moments, hours, even days of feeling down that I haven't received more deep and profound spiritual insights because of my lack of time to spend searching the scriptures and engaging in intellectual spiritual discussions. And then the Lord gently whispers that He is revealing the deep and profound of Himself to me in the simplest manner as I engage with my children and notice the simple beauties of His creation around me. As for Caleb's toes, the scripture that has continued to come to my mind as I stare at all parts of him and has taken deep root in my heart is Psalm 139:13-14 "For Thou didst form my inward parts; Thou didst weave me in my mother's womb. I will give thanks to Thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Thy works, and my soul knows it very well."

Caleb is "Talking"

2006-11-26T14:34:00.000-08:00

We've finally figured out how to post video so here's a short video clip of Caleb last week. He is such a sweetie!!!

Pictures of My Sweet Kids

2006-11-22T12:18:00.000-08:00

I know many of you who check this blog are wanting to see recent pictures of our children so here they are! These painted faces of Hannah, Elijah, and Gabe are from the Harvest Hoedown at the end of last month and these two of Caleb were taken tonight. He is 3 months old tomorrow!!! Hard to believe... I'm soaking up his sweetness. He'll be big too fast!

Welcome!

2006-11-19T17:16:00.000-08:00

I'm so glad you've checked out my blog! I've given in to the pressure all around and decided to publish my own blog and join the crowd. I make the typical disclaimer of other not-so-scheduled-and-consistent people that I may not post every few days or even every few weeks but I will share newsy updates, post pictures, and share thoughts along the way as I walk with the Lord. May God Bless You!