Having a "Daughter"

Nearly 29 years ago, God blessed us with a child - a son.  I always felt that my second pregnancy in 1987 was a girl, but it ended before we could know.  I had hoped for a daughter or a special girl to come into my life with whom I could share my love of crafting. 

Last year we hosted a foreign exchange student, JJ, from Thailand.  It seemed that she bonded more easily with my husband and that we didn't share common interests.  JJ returned to us this year for another year of American schooling and the opportunity to learn English better. She has spent a lot of her free time of the computer, but recently complained that she was bored and wanted to do something else.  I suggested cross stitch. She is hooked!  It is so exciting to sit here in the evenings stitching together.  She has motivated me to get out my projects that have been sitting too long waiting to be finished. It was so fun to listen to her as she looked though some of my old cross stitch magazines finding all kinds of projects she wants to do. My heart was dancing with joy.

She has already finished her first project (above) and is now working on her second and more complicated one!

What a blessing to realize that God has answered a few of my desires that I hadn't thought of in awhile. I used to be sad that I would never be called "mom" by any other child aside from our son since we were not able to have more children. I've been given that opportunity again through having JJ here - I am "Mom" again. Also, I have that daughter to share crafting with.  Thank you, Father!

Another Year, Another Guatemala Trip

I've recently returned from a missions trip to Guatemala. One week in August and it was way too short! What a joy it is to see the families we met in 2009 and get to know them better.  We were able to visit various homes in the communities we work in during the afternoon.  We witnessed two decisions made for Christ and prayed for special needs the families have. Building these relationships is just as important as updating the information on the children who are part of the sponsorship program, and gives the trip more meaning.  

The opportunity to get to know the children and their families is one reason I love going to Guatemala. I am thankful for the time spent playing with the children, praying with their parents, watching their families grow, and seeing the children succeed in school when they had no opportunity for an education before the school and sponsorship program were started.

 Doing a devotional with some of the moms.

 Crafts with the children

 One of the families we visited

 singing "This Little Light of Mine"

 Diego & Linda working on a craft.  They both need a sponsor.

 Beautiful Astrid also needs a sponsor. She is cared for mostly by her elderly grandmother.

 Linda & Doris 

Jony - who can resist this face!! He is a real cutie.

Check out more photos at www.hishandsforguatemala.org

J-ME

A Book-a-holic's Story!

Aside from traveling/mission trips, working full-time at school, and working on ministry paperwork, I have been doing a lot of reading.  I LOVE books!  Since I was a child, they have been my best friends. My love affair with books began when my mother would take me to the public library to the children's room, and I would beg her to get Kiki books which were picture books about a little girl by Charlotte Steiner (Kiki Dances, Kiki Skates, Kiki loves Music).  I loved Kiki, but my mom got kind of tired of reading them!  My mom liked to read, too, so she was my role model.

Then she enrolled me in a book club when I was in 3rd grade and I can remember looking forward to getting a new Happy Hollister mystery book each month! She always allowed me to buy books from the Scholastic book club fliers that we received from school, so by the time I was in high school, I had quite a library of my own.  Books were my friends.  When we lived out in the country where I had no close friends, I had my books.  I loved going to the Bookmobile that came to my school in 3rd & 4th grades to find new books to read, or to my school library in 5th & 6th grade where I discovered Laura Ingalls Wilder's books.


In high school, I worked in my high school library before and after classes. I wanted to be a librarian, but didn't want to go to school for another 5 years.  I wanted to get married and have children, but college was my way out of a dysfunctional home life, so off to college I went studying child development/elementary ed.  I quickly learned the first semester that I could not read for fun like I had done in high school.  When I graduated from college, I thought again about becoming a librarian (getting my masters) but at that time, both the education and library fields were saturated, so I did not pursue it.

I could not find a teaching job, but I did find a job working part time at a city public library for a couple years and also worked as a substitute teacher at a rural school which led to a full time job teaching for a year.  

We then moved due to my husband's job and I was able to become a children's librarian in a small public library until our son was born. So, as you can see, books have always had a special place in my life.


Still, I am a book junkie!  Of all the things I own, getting rid of my books would be the hardest..... but I am getting better. I know of a couple of church libraries I can give them to after I have read and have shared them with teachers at my school who like inspirational books.


I am so enjoying my Kindle and find I have been able to get many books I am interested in for free, but still.... the feel of a book in my hands  - there is nothing that can match it!

looking forward to my next adventure in reading ~
J-ME

Thoughts of Christmas and My Trip to East Central Africa

This Christmas I am reflecting on numerous things. You see, I have recently returned from two weeks in Africa – visiting Kampala, Uganda -home to two million people and unbelievable traffic; Kabale, Uganda - beautiful, terraced hills of green in western Uganda; Rwankuba, DR Congo - a remote area that 2 years ago was under rebel control, a place where there used to be a thriving missions outreach, but now there remains a small hospital and empty buildings; Goma, DR Congo - a town that was overwhelmed with refugees from Rwanda in 1994, and then devastated by a volcanic eruption in 2002, a place where children play and families live in homes built on top of lava rocks; Kigali, Rwanda – a mixture of old and new, where the country strives to move on after the horrific genocide nearly 17 years ago, and where I looked at homes and people and cried – wondering how many family members died, how many are still refugees, and amazed that there can be reconciliation, where 50% of the population is under the age of 15 because nearly a million people were killed 16 years ago; Ggaba, Uganda – a poverty stricken“suburb” of Kampala, where we were welcomed by delightful children. Although each place was different, they were all the same in that the areas we visited were dealing with extreme poverty and difficulties. 

The purpose of the trip was to update and add children to the His Hands Support Ministries child sponsorship program.  (Please go to www.hishandssupportministries.org for more information.)  The emotions the three of us felt ranged from guilt, anger, amazement, joy, and peace, to a complete sensory & emotional overload – where we couldn’t even find the words to describe what we were seeing and feeling. 

I came back to America to homes covered in lights and Christmas decorations, to traditional celebrations, to Santa Claus, to commercialism and materialism, to all sorts of things that were not evident in our African travels – though I did see a white Santa Claus in one Rwandan store that looked extremely out of place!  It has caused me to think….. “What is Christmas?  Why do we do the things we do?” Because of that, other thoughts and reflections, and needing lots of sleep, I have been slow to put up decorations. 

As of today, December 23, I have a grapevine wreath on the door, a ceramic tree in the window, a couple of candles that happened to be out before I left, as well as some Christmas themed tins that I had forgotten to put away last year, and a small nativity from Guatemala.  Will I get out more?  I doubt if I will add much else. A part of me wants to, but I can’t face the abundance of stuff that we have collected over the years. I did find a quilted nativity wall hanging that I hung last night. Will we have a tree? Only if my husband decides he wants one and helps to put it up, but, if we don’t, it won’t matter because “Christmas” will happen anyway. We will have family and friends over and celebrate the day set aside to think of our Savior's birth.

The trip to Africa is hard to describe.  I found it difficult to even journal between exhaustion in the evenings to not being able to find the words to write.  I thought I had seen extreme poverty in Haiti, but now I have seen worse.  The border town we crossed through from Uganda into DR Congo tugged at my heart.  Children sitting in tattered, dirty clothes by the roadside. babies sitting alone on the ground, many men hanging around with seemingly nothing to do, women working around their homes, but it was all shades of brown and covered with dust.  Then once we were allowed to cross and miles later, we found ourselves in a lush remote area - though still poverty stricken, where some children had terrible oozing, fly infested sores on their legs and feet, some missing toenails - the worst feet the team leader has ever seen, even though there is a hospital and medical help available.  But... I suppose that takes money they don't have, or maybe they see their medical problems as nothing to be concerned with.

Rwanda was very emotional for me - both times I entered it. The genocide was utmost on my mind. We were able to visit the Genocide Memorial in Kigali.  It is hard to take in... just as the Holocaust Memorial in Washington, DC is.    Rwanda is a beautiful country - hills, and mountains and volcanoes, terraced fields, tea plantations. The children we visited met us at our car with handshakes of welcome.  They were so sweet.  Of course, many children hung around to watch what we were doing even though they were not in the program.  Whenever I would take a child to be photographed, a bunch would follow me outside and watch.  I had to be discreet when giving the child a piece of candy after their photo, but the others knew what I was doing.  Incredible, they never begged for me to give them candy too.  I wish I could have, but it was not possible.  They even got to where they would tell the child being photographed to smile or to do just what I wanted him/her to do without me saying a word!  They didn't understand my words, nor did I understand them, but they watched and modeled. There were some children here that I wish so much I could have found out more about - they seemed even more needy than others were.

Goma in the Democratic Republic of the Congo ... wow.... I had been told it was bad, and at first I thought, "What's so bad about this?" and then we got further into the city and saw the devastation of the volcanic eruption in 2002.  The roads are horrendous - rivaling those I have seen in Haiti, if not worse.  Then there are the piles of volcanic rock, made into walls, or just lying on the ground or jutting through the roads.  The children we met here delighted us with songs, imitations of us, cartwheels, games, and by just being themselves.  When I saw the church.... well, I have to admit I became angry at how much emphasis many American churches put on their buildings and building funds.... what is the church anyway?  I would have liked very much to have been present for a Sunday service at this humble little church.  One little girl here has a spinal problem.  When I first saw her, I was struck by her outfit; I liked the pattern and color. Little did I know, that this was the child God would place on my heart to sponsor.  Neema is now my Congolese "daughter".  After I took her photo and she left the house we were at, she came back in the back door and her mom came in behind her and we met - smiling and shaking hands though we couldn't understand each other's languages. Her mom had been helping some other ladies to prepare food - which I found out later was our lunch!  Delicious.

There are many other stories to tell, but I must go.  I will say that I am so glad that I obeyed my Father's call to go to Africa.  I still may not know the complete purpose for me to be there, but I know it will be revealed over time, just as He was preparing me for this trip over many years. 

 I will leave you with some photos.

The first view from our window in Kampala, Uganda.  Overwhelming!!!

At the market near our hotel

 

http://www.hishandsforafrica.org/pig_project.asp

 

Visiting widows who had been given a pig as part of The Pig Project 

Children at the Kigali church waiting to be seen

Children in Rwankuba, DR Congo

Goma, DR Congo

The church in Goma with dirt and volcanic rock floor.

Neema, in the middle, playing with other children.

The beautiful land of western Uganda.  Rwanda is similar.

How am I to Know God's Will?

I've heard it said that one needs to find where God is working and join Him there in His work.  OK, but there are many opportunities to do that. He is working in many ways and in many places. So, how do I know where I am to work?

Years ago, I would have said I never want to go to _______, but at this point, I can't think of anyplace that I would say, "I will NOT go to ______." I like to travel and experience new places, meet new people, and get a glimpse of what life is like outside of the US when I can.  Did you know that only a third of the world lives as we do in America??  Two-thirds of the world lives in ways most of us can't even imagine.  We are so blessed and take so much for granted.

I have been to Haiti four times and to Guatemala two times.  I will be returning there in less than a month!  I am anxious to see new friends, family, and the children at the school that His Hands Support Ministries supports. I had resigned myself to the fact that I would most likely need to focus mostly on Guatemala and limit my trips to there, even though I have have a heart for Haiti, too.

Now I am faced with another possibility of service..... someplace I have not considered because, well..., I just wasn't interested.  This morning I was asked if I would consider going to Africa for 2 weeks in Nov/Dec. I would like to see parts of Africa, but have not had the desire to go to where His Hands For Africa ministers. They go to Uganda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Rwanda. Nope.  No desire! Yet, when I see TV stories or pictures of others who have been someplace in Africa and seen the children's faces, I feel a tug on my heart to go.

It makes me think of the Scripture, "Seek your happiness [delight] in the LORD, and he will give you your heart's desire." (GNT).  I don't take that to mean that we get whatever we ask for, but that if we are seeking our happiness in God, he will put the right desires in our hearts.   ... is Africa His desire for me?

In a book I am reading, it said to earnestly desire to be used of God (I do), one must empty themselves of hidden agendas, dreams & desires.  Only in being emptied of self can we make room for what God wants to do in and through our lives.   It sounds as though perhaps I am being tested. Do I really desire to be used?

Of course my biggest drawback to going and my immediate response when asked was, "I can't go there! I can't afford it!"  No, I can't afford it; my Father in heaven can. He's proven it before with every trip I have taken.  Either He has provided the needed funds through others or He has given me the funds through other means. Why do I doubt?

It sounds as though I know what I should do, but I know I need to pray.  So that is the reason I am writing this - to ask my friends to pray for God's will to be absolutely, without a doubt, revealed to me within the next few weeks.  If you have any words of Scripture or if God gives you something else to share with me, please do.

Thank you for reading and for praying.
 
J-ME