A Box from Cajun Land!

What do Cajuns get really excited about getting on the mission field?  Take a look at this picture!

This box was sent to us from the Deaf group at the church BJ grew up in in Louisiana.  They know what to send a Cajun!  We are dying to try a crawfish boil over here in Kenya.  It will probably be the first one in the history of this country!  Ha Ha.  We have actually found frozen crawfish in one of the butcheries here, and I have made crawfish etoufee a couple of times.  Our goal is to find out where they get it fresh, and then we will celebrate! 

And here is the rest of what came in the box.

The little Cajun was happy about the books, coloring book, and crayons, as well as a puppet that a friend of his in Louisiana made for him.

We were overjoyed to receive a couple of fly swatters.  BJ and Seth grabbed them and immediately went fly hunting!

We have looked everywhere for a fly swatter over here to no avail.  The flies have been driving us crazy, buzzing around our faces as if knowing there was nothing we could do about it.  Well, that is about to change!  Flies, BEWARE!!!

And last, but definitely not least, my sweet interpreter friend there at Central Baptist sent me an interpreting shirt.  When interpreting for the Deaf, it is good to wear colors that contrast with your skin so that your hands show up well against the dark background.  Pale colors obviously do not work on me.  I have several tops that I rotate over and over each Sunday, so it is nice to be able to add a new one to my wardrobe.

They had asked us what we "needed" and the fly swatter and the crawfish boil seasoning had been on our list, but then they went above and beyond.  Thank you so much, dear friends, for making our day in Kenya!

A Little Missionary

I have been praying for wisdom lately with Seth as he has been experiencing some culture shock along with Mommy.

The last several weeks, we have been going to an area in town to witness and invite people to our church.  There are usually a lot of kids, and they get really excited to see a little "mzungu" (white person)!  The first couple of weeks, the kids (probably 40 of them) thronged Seth.  They wanted to touch his hair and feel his skin, and they wanted to hear his English.  In their excitement, they began pushing him, tickling him, trying to get a rise out of him.  They wanted to see his reaction, and make him talk.  Naturally, Seth got really mad!  He thought they were just being mean to him.

In our American culture, what they were doing to him would be considered mean and rude.  However, in this culture, they value closeness as sign of friendship.   Even in conversation they value interaction. If you are not constantly saying, "uh huh, yes, oh, I see" giving them feedback, they feel they have lost you.  This is especially important on the phone because they will think the connection has been lost!  It is something I have to force myself to remember to constantly make little noises and words to let them know I am still listening and attentive to the conversation.

Anyway, back to Seth.  Both weeks, my mind scrambled to think of a way to teach Seth in this situation.  How can I make him understand the difference in cultures?  How can I teach him to love them when it seems that they are being mean to him?  I went to praying, and I also asked some other missionary wives how they have handled it.  Finally, Seth and I had some talks.  I gently explained that they are not trying to be mean.  They are simply curious that he looks different.  They love the fact that his hair is so blond and smooth, and his skin is so white.  I told him that it is an opportunity for him to tell them about Jesus.  If he were to start talking to them about Jesus, without a doubt, they would all step back to listen to him.  It got him to thinking.

This last Saturday was a positive experience for him.  He met a couple of boys who became his friends.  (By the way, two people were saved as a result of this week's visitation!) 

Today, after church, we went to a restaurant for lunch.  After Seth had eaten, he wandered over to a big tree to play.  Soon, he was joined by some other kids.  He played over there for a while, then he came to me saying, "Mommy, I tried to tell those kids about Jesus."  My heart swelled with pride that he wanted to tell them about Jesus!  My little boy is beginning to see what is really important.  "Thank You, Lord.  Please mold this little life into a servant for You."

Riding a Camel

Ah, the perks of being a missionary kid in East Africa!  Today, Seth got to ride a camel!  We went for a family day to an outdoor sale where they have handmade trinkets, Kenyan beaded purses, and other things that are very interesting to look at.  Outside the tents, to Seth's great delight, they were offering free camel rides. 

I think you can tell from his face how much he enjoyed it!  He loved it when the camel would bounce them hard as he walked.  He kept telling the camel to bounce more and more!

BJ said it was a strange feeling being tilted in the air like that when the camel was kneeling down!

After the ride, Seth had to give the camel some lovin'.  Even Mommy petted the nice camel.  I think now Seth will be asking for a pet camel!

My Men Today

I've been lax about taking pictures lately, especially of BJ.  It seems he is always coming or going with something going on, so today I took a picture of him while he was sitting down.  My hubby loves to read, learn, and study.  He always has six or seven books going at one time.  He also loves homemade rolls.  So I spent my morning making homemade rolls and vegetable soup for lunch.  He thoroughly enjoyed it, and then took himself down to his office, so he wouldn't eat anymore rolls! 

And here is my little man.  He could hardly stand still long enough for a picture.  Too many other fun things needed his attention like bugs, dirt, sticks, trees, and sheep in the yard next to ours.  I love my men.

My Gentle Shepherd

"Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy right hand hath holden me up, and thy gentleness hath made me great."  (Psalm 18:35)

Gently He spoke to my heart and reminded me that He was a Missionary too.  He willingly left the glory and splendor of Heaven and came to a people of a different culture, a sin culture.  He Who knew no sin, Who had done no sin, came and walked among sinners.  What culture shock that must have been!  Why did He do this?  Because He loved us.  Yea, He loved us even as we killed Him.  Hanging on that cruel cross, He prayed, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do."  How sweet that He was in all points tempted like as we are (even culture shock), yet without sin.  And now, because He fully understands, we can come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.  (Hebrews 4: 15-16)

Gentle Shepherd

Oh, the Lord is my gentle Shepherd

Showing me the way.

Through the darkness, through the sunshine

He will never lead astray.

He is with me every moment.

He's in my heart to stay.

Oh, I feel His arms around me,

And I hear Him gently say,

I am the gentle Shepherd

Watching over you

I am the gentle Shepherd

And I'll surely see you through.

I have been where you're going,

And I know what you have to do.

Oh, I am gentle Shepherd,

And I gave My life for you.

If you're looking for a Savior,

Looking for a friend,

Oh, let Jesus be your Shepherd.

He will love you to the end.

The door is always open.

Come now and don't delay,

And He'll be your loving Shepherd.

He will guide you all the way.

He is the gentle shepherd,

Watching over you.

He is the gentle Shepherd,

And He'll surely see you through.

He has been where you're going,

And He knows what you have to do.

Oh, He is the gentle Shepherd,

And He gave His life for you.

Author:  Duane Nichols

My First Time Teaching In Swahili

Today, I taught my ladies meeting for the first time in Swahili!

I had done some intense studying this past week with my Swahili Bible, my Swahili-English dictionary, and my English-Swahili dictionary.  I read the story of Leah in Swahili over and over again to get familiar with it in this language.  I only had one page of notes, but it still took me a good 40 minutes to teach it because my Swahili comes out so slow and deliberate!  It sure was worth the effort though.  Many of the ladies from Olkeri, the new church plant area, do not know English well, and they kept thanking me over and over for trying so hard to teach them in their own language.  

 

I made a cream of coconut cake using the homemade cake recipe that I posted on here recently.  One of the other ladies brought some goodies too, and we had chai and coffee.  This month we had 18 ladies come!  They really seemed to enjoy the time around God's Word, the food, and the fellowship.  

I am planning to have a baking day soon with the ladies.  They are so excited about it!  Some Saturday, they want me to teach them how to make the homemade cake and several kinds of quick breads like muffins, scones, etc.  We are going to have so much fun together!  I can't wait!

Culture Shock--Is Anyone Exempt?

This is something that has been in my heart and mind for a while.  Yet, I didn't know if it would take the form of a post or not.  It is very personal, and usually when the thoughts pour from my inmost heart and soul, they only make it as far as my journal.  However, a part of me knew that it might possibly be a help to some other new missionary wife someday if I would be willing to bare my soul.  I told the Lord I would do it if He asked me to.  He did.

Before coming to Kenya, I thought or hoped that perhaps since I grew up in a different culture, I would not experience culture shock again.  But growing up in a culture is very different from being transplanted into one as an adult.  In many ways Kenya is similar to New Guinea, and certain aspects of their cultures are the same.  However, even I am experiencing culture shock.  I really don't think anyone is exempt from it.

People experience culture shock differently.  For instance, BJ is having to get used to the slower pace of life and the fact that it might take all day to accomplish one thing.  I was used to a slower pace of life and slid back into that quite easily.  Washing clothes by hand for a few months was no big deal to me.  The constant power outages and other minor inconveniences of life were no big shock for me.

So what am I struggling with?  The way people think, act, and react is keeping me constantly off balance.  I am fearful of doing or saying something wrong in my ignorance of their culture.  The reason for my fear is because I have done and said things that brought a negative reaction, yet in my culture it would have been fine.  That is not to say that my culture is better than theirs; it is just different.  I feel like a brand new baby learning to walk again, and I feel that floundering feeling of possibly falling anytime.  It is like walking on eggshells trying not to break them or walking on a tightrope teetering back and forth.

So what am I learning?  Mistakes are inevitable.  I will fall.  My fear makes me want to curl up into my shell to protect myself, to only interact with people who know me and understand me.  That way I won't fail.  However, the missionary part of me knows it is impossible to do anything for God in a shell.  We have to give of ourselves, reach out to people, and make ourselves vulnerable.  That is difficult while experiencing culture shock, but it is the only way to get past it.  It is the only way to learn their culture.  Sometimes we learn best from falling flat on our face.  For sure, we vow never to repeat the same mistake twice!  

God gave me encouragement today.  I went to a missionary ladies get together.  There were seven other missionary ladies there who have all been here much longer than I have.  One of them gave a devotion, and it was as if God was speaking directly to my heart.  The gist of her devotion was when we think we can't, we can.  Keep on trying.  We must do what we are called to do with all of our might.  Don't ever give up.  And then her last point was to comfort others with the comfort that God gives us.  She even mentioned that we could write a post to be an encouragement to others.  She does not even know that I have a blog!  I just stared at her incredulously, and then said, "Okay, Lord, I hear You.  I will write it."  So this is why it made it both to my journal and to my blog!  I pray that it will be a blessing to someone out there.  And by the way, please pray for me as I struggle to learn another culture!

A Typical School Day for Seth and I

I always love to read what other mom's have to say about homeschooling.  I love to learn more and more about being a teacher because I am just starting out as a one.  Actually, I will not have started the real thing until August.  In the meantime, I am just getting my feet wet with preschool.  With preschool, I have found myself being somewhat lax because . . . well, there is no pressure on us yet, right?  No, he is not being graded yet, but something tells me I need to start out right and form good school habits from the get go.

That being said, I made the decision last week to be more structured in our little "school."  If it "feels" like school, the kids and the teacher will treat it like school.  I was inspired by a homeschool mom whom I met on deputation.  She gave me a tour of her home, and I was especially interested in their school room.  It looked just like a school class room, decorated with maps, flags, posters, letters of the alphabet, etc.  And, let me tell you, this mom had her ducks in a row!  Her two little girls started school each morning, already dressed and fed, at precisely 8:00 sharp.  And the mom stayed in that school room being their teacher until they finished their lessons for the day.

So I decided to try to follow her example a little more closely.  Only I had to tweak a few things.  I am not quite the super mom that she is, so at least for now during the early years of school, I decided that 9:00 a.m. was an okay starting time, especially since his school work only takes about 45 minutes to an hour to get done anyway.  It is very difficult for me to wake up, get my personal devotions done, get breakfast cooked and on the table, have Seth dressed and his main chore done (making his bed) before 9:00 a.m.!

I do not have a school room yet, so our tiny living room/dining room has to suffice for now.  But Seth hauls out his little plastic desk and chair each morning.  He loves that desk, and it sure helps to have a desk his size when he does his writing exercises.

Yes, it is getting chilly in the mornings!

Then I had to write myself a program because I was forgetting things that I wanted to do with him each day.  I sticky tacked it to the wall above our memory verse mountain.

So our school day goes like this:

1.  First, we say our pledges to the Bible and to our American flag.  (I do not yet have a Christian flag, but that is part of the plan eventually too.)

2.  I do have a small Israeli flag though, so after our pledges, we pray for America and for Israel.  (BJ's suggestion, and I thought it was a good one!)  Seth prays one day, then I pray the next day, and we take turns.

3.  Then we practice our memory verses--both the ones he has learned in the past and Psalm 23 that we are working on now.  He loves moving those little animals up the mountain!  We are through verse 4 now, so they are a good ways up the mountain!

4.  Then he sits at his desk to practice tracing his letters.  I don't make him do even a whole page of this right now because I want him to take his time and "do his best for Jesus".  I have been amazed at how good his "penmanship" (can it be called that at this age?) can be when he is held to a standard.

5.  After that, we snuggle on the couch close together to practice reading.  He is sounding out words, and reading simple stories!  Yay!

6.  Then I read him a poem from a colorful, illustrated poetry book, and I read a chapter aloud to him from a children's chapter book.  Right now, we are reading about Fuzzle, an adventurous skunk in Janette Oke's Animal Friends. 

7.  After our time of reading, he goes back to his desk to do one page in beginning math and one page from his preschool book.

8.  Then if he looks like he still wants more, we play a learning game together, or I ask him to point me out places on the globe, or we do a craft together.  This last point is optional for us, and varies from day to day.  It is fun, though, to come up with new ideas to keep school interesting for him.


* The key for me has been to show excitement about learning new things everyday.  He knows that Mommy loves doing school with him.  My goal is that my love for learning will rub off on him!  Attitude is everything when it comes to kids.  They will become what they see!

* I also know that my life as a teacher right now is ideal because I only have one student, and I can focus all of my attention on him.  With more children, I am sure that more tweaking has to be done in order to make it work.  I hope to someday figure out how to do that too!

A Restful Sunday Afternoon

I love Sunday afternoons!  After the busyness of the weekend, we get back home, eat lunch, and relax.  Then after several hours of down time, we get to "watch" church together as a family.  I love it!  It is a family thing for us now--all three of us snuggled up together on the couch getting fed from God's Word.

But right now, I am basking in the quietness!!!  Seth is taking a nap with all of his animals.

Miracle of miracles!  I had stopped making him take naps probably a year and a half ago when it seemed he could no longer fall asleep during the day.  But lately, BJ has had the idea that it would be a good thing to teach him quiet time and discipline to make him rest for a while everyday even if he doesn't fall asleep.  Well, he is actually falling asleep, and I am getting some quality quiet time!  It is wonderful.  I think BJ did it for me just as much as for Seth, so that I can have some time to think, study, or nap if I need it.  Thank God for my wise husband who is always seeking to take care of me and to train his son at the same time.

So what did I do with my quiet time today?  I laid down for a little while to rest.  Then I studied my Simplified Swahili book (I wonder how those two words can go together--simplified Swahili!).  And now, of course, I am writing a post.  I have so many things that I want to do and accomplish.  I am also trying to fit about 15-20 minutes of practice time on my harmonica every day (when Seth is not napping).  BJ plays the harmonica pretty well, and he bought me one so that we can play together.  They are chromatic harmonicas, and they are beautiful when harmonized together.  We love playing hymns together, but I am so out of practice.  

Seth wanted me to take this picture of him the other day on his favorite stump.  Bless his heart, he is dying to climb trees at this age, but there are no trees with branches low enough for him to climb around here.  So he just has fun on his stump.

As I've said before Seth is constantly trying to make things.  The other day, he was trying to make a swing.  He tied a very small rope to the trunk of a tree.  Then he tied the other end of it to a barrel filled with water.  He found a big slab of wood and worked for probably an hour trying to tape his board to that piece of rope.  He had such high hopes for that swing!  Of course, when the weight of the board kept breaking the tape, he was not a happy camper.  "Hope deferred maketh the heart sick . . ."   Someday when we have our own place, I am going to see that my child has a swing!

Drawing Ever Nearer

I spent a little while the other day pouring over some of my old journals, reading entries here and there throughout my life. I had to smile at paragraphs written in a girlish hand when I was a young teenager in New Guinea.

But then as I skipped ahead a couple of years, I read of a young girl longing to draw ever closer to God, and my heart was convicted.   Where did that deep longing that I once had go?  What happened to that close, intimate walk with my Savior that I once had?  Have I gotten too busy to think of Him throughout the day, to long for Him as David did in the Psalms?  "As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: . . ."  (Psalm 42:1-2)  Unfortunately, I think somewhere along the line I relaxed and got comfortable.  I stayed faithful doing what I knew pleased Him, but I stopped pursuing Him. Does that make sense?  It probably had to do with a busy schedule in college, hectic days on deputation, and now being a full-time wife and mother.   But I want what I once had.  I want to daily draw closer to Him, to learn more about Him, to "hear" Him speak to my heart in that still, small voice throughout the day.  I realized that if I am too busy to daily walk with Him, then I am just too busy.  I need to rearrange my priorities, and put Him back at the top of my list.

Here is a quote I found in one of my journals by Jim Elliot, a missionary who died trying to get the Gospel to the Auca Indians in Ecuador.

"So many missionaries, intent on doing something, do forget that His main work is making something of them."

Yes, He wants us to reach souls for Him, but at the same time, He wants to mold us and make us into His image.  That can only happen through walking with Him.  I love this song!

I am Thine, O Lord,
I have heard Thy voice
And it told Thy love to me;
But I long to rise in the arms of faith
And be closer drawn to Thee.

Draw me nearer, nearer, blessed Lord
To the cross where Thou has died;
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer blessed Lord
To Thy precious, bleeding side.

O the pure delight of a single hour
That before Thy throne I spend.
When I kneel in prayer and with Thee, my God,
I commune as friend with friend.

Author:  Fanny Crosby

Pizza Pockets and Homemade Croutons

I tried this recipe for pizza pockets, and I was really impressed.  The only reason I decided to try it for lunch was because there was no rise time for the pizza dough, and I was a little behind schedule getting lunch on the table!  I didn't have much hope in the recipe to be honest with you.  I mean, pizza dough ALWAYS has to rise for it to taste good, right?  I've made no-rise dinner rolls before that just didn't cut it.  But I decided to give these super easy, quick pizza pockets a try, and my family and I really liked them a lot.  In fact, Hubby told me we'll be having these for lunch often!  They are so fun to make too!

By the way, if anyone has a good homemade pizza sauce recipe, I could really use one.  Every time I try to make it from scratch, it always turns out too strong in taste.  Today, I just used a can of already prepared sauce from the store.  

Also, if anyone has any good ideas or recipes for lunch meals . . . Lunch is my hardest meal to cook for because the options seem so limited.  My husband will eat soup, but not everyday, so we eat a lot of sandwiches, but that gets old after a while too!  I would love to hear from you about your favorite lunch meals.  I'm in desperate need of ideas!

Pizza Pockets

3 to 3 and 1/4 cups flour

1 Tablespoon (or 1 pkg) yeast

1 Tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup warm water

1 Tablespoon butter or margarine, melted

Pizza sauce

12 slices pepperoni (I used shaved ham since we don't have pepperoni here.)

Chopped onion

Grated Mozzarella cheese

1 egg, beaten

Instructions:

Combine 1 cup flour, 1 cup warm water, the yeast, and 1 teaspoon sugar.  Stir together, and let sit a couple of minutes to bubble up.  Add the rest of the sugar, the salt, and the melted margarine and stir together.  Add just enough flour to make a soft dough.  Knead on a floured surface for 4 minutes, adding more flour if necessary, until dough is soft and not sticky.  Roll dough into a 14-in x 10-in rectangle.  Cut with a 3-in round cookie cutter or cut around a glass with a knife.  Cut a total of 24 circles.  (You'll have to roll dough out more than once.)  Place 1 teaspoon pizza sauce and a slice of pepperoni or pieces of shaved ham in the center of 12 circles.  Place a very small amount of onions and cheese on top of the meat.  Top with 1/2 teaspoon pizza sauce.  Cover with remaining circles.  Pinch edges to seal.  Carefully use a spatula to transfer pizza pockets to a cookie sheet sprinkled with cornmeal.  Brush with beaten egg.  Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until browned.   Makes 13 pizza pockets.

 

And now for homemade croutons.  I made these this week too, and now I am wanting salads every day!

Homemade Croutons
2 slices of bread, cubed
3 Tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
2 Tablespoons Parmesan cheese 
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon celery seed or celery salt

Toss all together and bake at 350 degrees until browned.  Makes 1 cup.

Starting an African Violet

This has been one of my most interesting projects.  I love African violets!  I had my African violet in the kitchen window, and it did well there for a while.  But as the months went by, I noticed it drooping more and more.  It was not getting enough sunlight there anymore.  I was afraid it was going to die, so I took a leaf and decided to start another one just in case.  After doing some reading on the matter, I filled a jar with tepid water, but plastic wrap over it, and secured it with a rubber band.  Then I poked a small hole in the plastic wrap and put the stem of my leaf into the water.

I left it like that in my living room window for about 6 weeks, refilling it with water as needed.  It was really fun watching it grow!  After 6 weeks, it had quite an intricate root system and a couple of baby leaves starting.

A few days ago, I planted it in a pot and put it back in the window.  Now I am anxiously awaiting those new leaves to pop their heads above the soil!

African violets are actually native to the rainforests of Tanzania, so they thrive in a humid atmosphere.  Well, Nairobi is far from humid (for which I am thankful!), so I found that my African violets needed a little help.  Under both plant pots, I now have bowls with a layer of rocks and tepid water in them. 

 
The base of the pot does not touch the water, but I guess the moisture under there mimics the atmosphere they need.  My African violets are now thriving.  It has been a fun project for me as I learn how to grow my house plants.

How Am I Doing As A Mother?

This is the question that I've been asking myself yesterday and today.  Yesterday, of course, was Mother's Day, and I finished reading a book about Susanna Wesley.  It was a really good book entitled Susanna Wesley, Servant of God.  Reading about this woman's life as a mother really challenged me and caused me to do a lot of thinking on how I can be a better mother to Seth.  I know there are areas where I am lacking as a mother.  The biggest area, I think, is consistency in the constant training.  I know many times I let him slide because of laziness on my part when I should be using every opportunity that comes up to train him in righteousness.  How I want him to love God with all of his heart!  How I want my son to walk close to God all the days of his life!

As I read Susanna Wesley's biography, I was inspired by a decision she made.  She bore nineteen children!  However, only nine of them lived.  She determined to spend one hour a week with each one of her children.  Each day of the week, she took a different child and spent quality time with that child.  They talked about anything and everything that the child wanted to talk about.  It was a time of teaching, training, and bonding with Mommy as she imparted her love for God to her children by simply giving of her time to each of them.
This Godly lady raised John and Charles Wesley, two preachers who, together with George Whitefield, literally turned America and England upside down for God in the 1700's.      

I've also just finished a book on raising sons which gave me some good insight on what boys need in their lives.  It made me so thankful that my son has a daddy who takes the time to teach him to be man because obviously, I cannot do that!  One paragraph stayed with me even after I finished the book.  It said that "Failing to plan is planning to fail."  This book encouraged me to outline a plan and to jot down specific things that I want to work on with my son.  So last night, I did just that.  I firmly believe that time spent wisely will give me his heart.  Oh, may I be a Godly mother!

Gas, Guns, and God's Grace

BJ had quite an interesting day yesterday.  In the morning, he went to preach chapel at one of the Bible colleges in town.  On the way home, he desperately needed gas in the car.  We haven't been able to get gas recently because there has been little to no gas at the gas stations.  A couple of weeks ago, the oil companies here in Kenya raised their prices considerably.  Then a couple of days ago, they raised them again.  The government demanded that they bring the prices back down, but they refused.  To force the government to go their way, the oil companies have withheld gas from the gas stations.  Or they bring in limited amounts, and it is gone in no time.

Anyway, BJ knew he had to find gas somewhere in town on his way home.  As it turned out, only two gas stations in town had gas.  He pulled into one gas station where there were about 50 cars waiting in line plus about 100 individuals with gas cans wanting petrol.  He sat there for two hours, and when he was the 6th in line, they ran out of gas!  They made all of the cars leave the gas station.  While he was trying to decide what to do, he called me to ask me to pray.  He knew that he did not have enough gas to make it back to Karen, and the thought of being stranded on the side of the road was not a good one.  The gas station attendants had told him they were expecting to get more gas at 7:00 p.m., so he decided to pull into the Nakumatt parking lot and wait four more hours.

As he was turning into Nakumatt, a policeman on the side of the road opposite Nakumatt flagged him down ordering him to stop.  BJ did not see him because he was looking at Nakumatt as he made the turn.  A couple of armed policemen (as in AK-74 and SKS) followed him into the Nakumatt parking lot, stating that he had just fled from police and what was he trying to hide?  In Swahili, BJ calmly explained that he had not seen them, that they were welcome to search the car, and if by chance they found some petrol during their search to please let him know as he was in dire need of some!  Humor never hurts in trying situations!  They said that their boss was mad, and that BJ needed to go with them to the police station . . . unless, of course, he could give them some "chai".  (In this context, "chai" refers to bribe money.)  BJ said, "Look, I'm a preacher.  I don't deal under the table like that."  He offered to go with them to the police station, but told them they couldn't go in his car.  They'd have to go together in a "matatu" (public transportation) because he was out of gas.  The police didn't want to bother with a "matatu", so they finally decided to go back and tell their boss BJ's side of the story.  They promised to call him if he was ordered to come to the police station.  BJ called me to let me know what had happened and asked me to pray even harder in case he ended up having to go to the police station and to court.  They never called BJ back, so evidently the boss let him off.  Whew!

In the evening, the gas station still did not have petrol, and the attendants told him that they wouldn't be getting any until the next morning.  So, having no other choice, BJ started back toward Karen.  On his way, he found another gas station.  This one had gas, but also a long line of cars.  He waited in line again.  This time, he only had to wait for 15 to 20 minutes.  We both breathed a huge sigh of relief when he pulled out of that gas station with almost a full tank of gas.  I was so thankful that my husband could finally get home to me!  Thank God for answered prayer.  I couldn't help wondering why he'd had to wait at Nakumatt for no apparent reason at all.  But then I realized that God was just holding him there so that later he would get to the second gas station at the right time to get gas.

BJ has vowed to never let it happen again!  As soon as he can, he is buying two or three gas cans, so that we will always have lots of extra gas on hand for times like these!  There is truly never a dull moment living here!

Climbing That Mountain!

What's been keeping me busy today?  I spent the morning coloring!  After school with Seth today, I had a brainstorm, and I want to share it!

Seth is currently memorizing Psalm 23.  He enjoys putting it to memory almost as much as I enjoy teaching it to him.  With him snuggled up next to me on the couch, we talk about sheep, Jesus as our Shepherd, and what each new verse means as we learn it.  It is amazing how little people can grasp the Bible so easily! In just a couple of days, he has already memorized verses 1 and 2, and he knows what they mean spiritually.

This morning, I decided to make it even more fun for him.  Unfortunately, I am not the kind of teacher who can come up with ideas at the drop of a hat.  I have to borrow other people's ideas.  This one I borrowed from my first grade teacher, the lady who taught me to read years ago.  (I went to a little Christian school in Ohio for a couple of years before we went to New Guinea.)  Mrs. Brush was an exceptional teacher, and I remember things from her class crystal clear.  As she taught us Scripture passages, she had a picture of a mountain and a little man whom she moved up the mountain at an agonizingly slow pace!  At the top of the mountain was a picture of a giant chocolate chip cookie.  And on the table in front of her desk was a jar of the biggest chocolate chip cookies I had ever seen!  You talk about incentive for 5 and 6 year olds!

So I spent the morning drawing and coloring my mountain.

I am a pitiful artist, but thankfully, four-year-olds don't care!  Seth insisted that we needed water in the picture because " . . . he leadeth me beside the still waters."  So I drew him a lake on our mountain.  There was no way I could draw people or animals, so I cut out some little characters from Seth's coloring book.  I was just going to have one, but he wanted two.  Then he wanted to add a blue dog to the mix.  So here is our troop making their way up the mountain!

They are stuck on there with sticky tack so that we can move them up the mountain easily.  It was Seth's idea to use sticky tack, and I was so glad he thought of it.

When Seth found out that the orange circle (I didn't have brown construction paper!) at the top was a chocolate chip cookie and that we are going to make big cookies together after we learn the whole chapter, he immediately began trying to figure out how we could get to the top of that mountain quickly!  He told the three animals that there is a chocolate chip cookie up there . . . maybe to give them incentive to get moving?  Ha Ha  Seth is convinced that now the raccoon is looking up there at the cookie!

I am learning that I don't have to have loads of talent as a teacher.  If I am excited and enthusiastic about learning, it rubs off on Seth.  It thrilled my heart yesterday when he told me, "Mommy, I like school.  It's fun."  I hope he keeps that attitude toward learning his whole life.

One of My Favorite Kenyan Foods

is "matoke".  Want to know what it is?  It is unripe, peeled bananas boiled with chunks of meat in water and a little coconut milk.

Elpina adds some Kenyan spices, and it tastes so good!  She made this for supper tonight in her outside kitchen, and as she passed by my house on her way to hers, she dished me out some into a bowl.  So this is what I had for supper, and I loved every bite of it!  It has amazing flavor!  Matoke is more of a coastal food.  Highlands people do not eat this as much as "ugali" (flour and water mixed together to form what looks like very thick grits) and "irio" (potatoes, peas and corn mashed together).  Elpina and her family are from the coast though. 

I am working on a way to have a section on my blog for Kenyan recipes, but I'm not sure yet how I'm going to do it.  First of all, Kenya has some spices that I have never seen in America, and I am not sure what the equivalents would be in America for some of these spices.  And secondly, I have to learn to cook all of these dishes which is rather difficult because Elpina just throws everything together without measuring.  She cannot tell me how to make it or hand me a recipe!  I have to stand over her with a pen and paper every time I want to learn to cook what she is making.  I have done that a few times, so I do have some of her "recipes".  Everything she has cooked has been excellent.   Some of you need to come for a visit, so you can try some of the food here!

A Happy Boy in the Rain

At every meal, Seth prays for rain because we have had so little of it this year.  Well, yesterday it was overcast almost all day long, and finally in the afternoon, we got some sprinkles.  Seth was overjoyed, and ran out there to play in the rain.

Unfortunately, the sprinkles didn't last long, and he came back to the door with a long face.  "Mommy," he said, "The rain hurt my feelings because it stopped."  I had to chuckle at that, although I try so hard not to laugh at the cute things he says sometimes.  I told him he should pray that God will bring the rain back again.  That must have satisfied him because he went back outside to play.  I don't know if he prayed for more rain or not, but a few minutes later, the rain came back in torrents.  I looked out the window to see him smiling from ear to ear!  He was running around in that rain soaking wet and deliriously happy!  I love it when God answers little boys' prayers!

Missionary Kid Loves Sugar Cane!

I think this little guy has a growing addiction to sugar cane!  He came running to me this morning, exclaiming that Mama Arvin (Elpina) had just given us a stalk of sugar cane, and "Can we eat it right now, Mommy?"  So we did.  I grabbed Daddy's big knife, and we went outside to share some sugar cane sweetness together.  As I peeled the sugar cane for my boy, the memories came rushing back to me of another little missionary kid loving the sweetness of sugar cane after a long, hot bush walk.  Ahhh, one of the perks of growing up on the mission field!

 

Notice the look of pure enjoyment on his face.  Eating raw sugar and spending time with Mommy--two of his favorite things to do!