Thankful

The other evening, I was contemplating the things I was MOST thankful for at that moment. There are many things, obviously, but here are the things that came to mind yesterday:

1. I am thankful for indoor plumbing. We now have a toilet in the house – it has to be flushed with a bucket, but it works SO much better than the hole in the back yard surrounded by VERY tall grass and insects and ??????

2. A shower in the house – before we started using the shower, we were bathing in the back yard – either at dusk, with a big chance of being seen – with those very WHITE bodies, or after dark, when you were possibly washing beside snaky kinds of creatures.

3. I am thankful for a lady in town who is willing to wash our clothes by hand. I had to do a few things the other day and about died, I was so tired (shows how wimpy I am.) I am hanging some things on a clothes line, but most are hung of the stick fence on our backyard. We do have to be careful when putting on the clothes and watch for splinters (we are vigilant with those underwear!)

4. I am thankful for Brad, who seems to be able to tackle just about any job we give him – and does it well and without complaining. He has been a great addition to our family and we are thinking about keeping him forever. It has been fun to see his personality emerge the more he gets used to us (I hope he can say the same thing about us???)

5. I am thankful for my husband – who works tirelessly every day. The man just won’t stop. He is so great about thanking me for the work and so thankful to have us all together up there. He goes the extra mile and I am so proud of him.

6. I am thankful for my kids, who are doing a great job of adapting to a less than ideal school and living situation. They are troopers who are working hard to go with the flow in the midst of political unrest and the uncertainty that it brings.

7. Lastly, that day, I was thankful for peanuts. Peanuts, you ask? Yes, I have been receiving pans of peanuts as a “welcome to the community” gift. It is so fun to get to know people and I am touched by the gifts (even though occasionally I feel less thankful than I should since they keep coming and coming an coming.

The Blessing of Uncertainty

I must start by saying that I am generally a very organized person who likes to have things in a semblance of control in my life. For the most part, I confess, that I operate under the false sense that I have some control over things and I kind of like it that way, if we are being honest. I enjoy it when my life, my house, and my ministry are moving along at a smooth, even pace.

But, there have been significant times in my life, like when we were waiting on visas, or when there is unrest in the country or numerous other times, when I am hit squarely in the face, AGAIN, and reminded that I truly do NOT have control over life and that my only option is to rest in the hands of the One who does have control. I know this happens in many situations, not just mine. A dear friend of mine was just diagnosed with breast cancer. I know other people who have unexpectedly lost loved ones or get a bad diagnosis, and all of those things can make us feel like life is crashing down around me.

Over the last few weeks, as we have watched the situation here with some unease and a small, sick feeling in the pit of our stomachs, I have been reminded over and over again by the Lord that there are blessings to be gained in the midst of uncertain times. I wanted to share a few of them.

First, I think it does me good to remember that, indeed, I am NOT in control. Of course, I say with my mouth that I know that, but sometimes I act like I am the one in control. It is always good when the Lord humbles me and reminds me that He alone holds our future and our family in the palm of His hand.

The second benefit is that it tends to drive me to my knees in prayer. Daily, sometimes hourly – I am driven before God to beg for His intervention in the situation and for His protection and for an overwhelming sense of His peace! Interestingly, our lesson yesterday, in our missionary ladies Bible study, was about the time when Daniel faced the lion’s den. We are studying with Beth Moore and it could not have been better timed. She shared how in times of crisis, we can react in one of 3 ways – we can panic, we can be paralyzed, or we can pray. It was a good reminder that I need to choose praying always, because that is the only choice with a good outcome.

Another reminder she gave us was to pray with thanksgiving. And so that is what we have been trying to do. And it was great, because I had already come to the point where I could say, “Thank you God, even for uncertain times, because it moves me closer to you!” So, I know beyond the shadow of a doubt, that though I do NOT like those times of unease and stress, God is using them to make me into the person He wants me to be.

Mami Beri

I have a new friend – her name is Mami Beri. She is probably around 70 years old, though I am not sure she knows for sure. She is a cross between my Grandma Leinbach and Granny from the Beverly Hillbillies. She stands under 5 feet tall, but packs a whole lot into that body. She has just a few teeth, but a LOT of gumption. The first time I met her was when we visited the village here. When we were walking around, they told her that my name was Gulun-nga, which means twin mom. She was thrilled and began to dance around and hug me. We have been fast friends ever since. When I was still in Niaya and Jim was working up here, every day she would ask "Where is your wife? Where is my friend?" One time Mami Beri walked by when Jim had called us on the radio (which she calls a telephone) and so she heard us talking from Niaya. She loves to retell that story:“I walked by and Gulunibaba (Jim) was calling you on the telephone and I stood there, right there, and heard you talking on the telephone.”

She was very pleased last year to be able to meet my parents and still talks about them. She loves the kids. In fact she loves the whole family and was very excited the other night when we went to her house for the first time to visit.

You do NOT, however, want to get on her bad side. Often, we can hear her yelling or grumbling or cursing at her cows or goats as she tries to move them from place to place. And recently she laid a plaint on a man (took him to court, basically) who would not tie his cows up like he was supposed to.

She says she is too old to work anymore – but she spends her days caring for her cows out in the field. Sunday, she was carrying a big bucket of water out to one of her cows with a hurt leg.

Last night, I went to visit her and she walked me home. We arrived home to find Brad and the boys kicking the soccer ball around. They kicked it in our direction and she took off running. She kicked the ball back to the boys. It was great. She dropped me off and got ready to walk home and went back after the soccer ball. I was able to catch it on video.

I am hoping and praying that, because we are here, Mami Beri will have the chance to know Jesus and then you will be able to meet her some day in heaven.

Just look for the little fireball ordering people around or kicking a soccer ball and you will have the right one.