Monday, October 22, 2012

The Perfect Gift

The past few weeks I've been frantically searching Addis in my spare time for the "perfect gift."

Well actually more than one perfect gift. For at the end of this month, which is soon, my Mom and Sister are celebrating birthdays- and I wanted to find the perfect gifts to get to them...ones that would be meaningful and "on time." Timely gifts with meaning can bless so much.

One of my students made my day recently with a timely "gift." It was some sticks of sugar cane on a Monday when I was feeling stressed. The simplicity of it- and it's perfect timing, brought tears to my eyes...I was so touched.


I wanted in the same way to find the perfect gift  for my Mom and Sister. I had gotten them both many things from here before, so I felt I couldn't look in the "usual" places.

I wished so much to wrap up in a package and mail to them something like... a week of beautiful African sunshine, or a breathtaking sunset- that would warm their day and make them marvel. Or wrap up a yummy bunna or macchiato to warm them on a fall morning. Or what about a little kiddo...They both love kids. That would be a surprise and a treat. :-)


But how do you really adequately honor with a significant gift...from thousands of miles away... a Momma who has been OUTSTANDING....through YEARS, DECADES of schools, jobs, countries and crazy God calls on both of her girls. 

My Mom with one of her favorite Ethiopia gifts :-)
Or how do you really pay tribute to a barbarian twin- one who is in so many ways my hero and example of a true servant and passionate follower of God?

My sister-Noel with one of her favorite little friends
It's been surprising to me that in the stress of finding gifts, God has blessed me with a few of His own, reminding me that God is the ultimate giver of gifts. He loves to surprise us and wow us with His attention to detail and timely giving.

Matthew 7:11
If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him 
 
The past few weeks, I've not felt ready for school to start. I didn't feel like I had enough of a break and I was culturally feeling tired.  But God knew this and gave some perfect "gifts."

A big gift He gave me was:
  1. REINFORCEMENTS
Our English staff had all departed...back to the USA, Ireland and other parts of the world. I was on my own. Our staff housing nearly empty. The school year was fast approaching and I felt the enormity of it all. Then, God gave a gift... people...staff came from different parts of the world and even short term visitors- who filled our staff housing. There were God followers, fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, even a pastor. And a fellow teacher who had a masters degree in English, SWEET. Reinforcements had arrived. I felt my tired hands being lifted and the load shared. My burden lightened- God is good- His timing perfect!!!!

Exodus 17:10-13
So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset. So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
 
God also blessed me with the gift of some...
  1. Glimpses
God showed me glimpses of His strategy. He pulled back the curtains, parted the clouds just enough, so my hand covered my mouth in surprise. I saw the placement of me and now others- why I was here for another season longer. He was at work. His plan was playing out in greater ways than I could have seen and I was right in the middle of it where He needed me to be.

Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord... 

1 Corinthians 2:9
 No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him...

Isaiah 43;1-3
But now, this is what the Lord says—He who created you, Jacob, He who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior...

Isaiah 55:8
My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are my ways your ways...

He also gave me glimpses of Himself. He gave specific "words" for my days, this season. One of my students even gave me a word (Jeremiah 33:3) for the new Ethiopian year. God was with me. He was speaking and would show me the way to go. 

Jeremiah 33:3
Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’
 
Isaiah 43:18-19
Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.

God loves to give. May we give back to Him.  Bless Him with our time, our focus, our trust, our good management of our lives, our families, our relationships, our resources. May we worship Him- dancing like David and singing and clapping and woo hooing- because He's worthy.  May we share about Him because He's our heartbeat, our life breath, our joy, our peace, our hope, our love, our friend, our guide, our Father, our God. Our ALL.

And may we freely give to others as we are freely given to.  May we give His love and grace and mercy and forgiveness to others because it has given to us by our great God.

2 Corinthians 9:6-11
Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written: “They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor; their righteousness endures forever.” Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.
 
As I celebrate my Mom and Sister this- their birthday week, I give thanks. For them. How blessed I am for their lives and examples!

I also give thanks to God, who put me strategically in a perfect family for me. And for a God who knows what we need when we need it. One who helps us pass through all storms and swim all seas and climb all the mountains we face, even African ones. The One who carries us, watching our backs, healing our backs, and carrying us forward, holding us together. One who is with us in the fields, on the journey, all the way til Home. So grateful this- Him- the perfect gift!
Onward!

Prayer Requests
-School is IN SESSION.  Our sophomores have started and I currently am teaching two Communication-Presentation classes.  (each class four hours of time each week).  In a few weeks- we'll add in a new freshmen class- adding one or two more classes to my team's schedule.  Currently we have an English teacher named Lieske from Holland.  And an American named Mai-Kim.  Please pray for us as we work to manage the classes and be effective teachers.  Lieske and I have been partnering to chair the English and Cross-Cutting Department (which includes English-Math-Civics-Physics, all courses students have to take that do not fit under a certain department). Please pray for wisdom in that.
-Please pray for the numerous opportunities there to share with staff and students the love of God and good news.
-Continue to pray for my parents and sister- for a great and blessed and healthy fall season for them- in Ohio and the Czech Republic. Thank you for many of you who prayed for my Dad's back again this past week. The surgery procedure they want to do soon should not be complicated and should relieve his pain, thank you for praying for that and I will keep you updated.
-Please continue to Hunter Heck, a college student from my home church in Ohio, still recovering from a car accident, he is still in very critical condition
-Please pray for a friend of mine who has applied for a visa to the USA, that God may direct this young man's way forward
-Please pray for many still seeking work, that God will open up doors and that hearts will stay encouraged.
-Please pray for the draft of my book, that as I continue to write and things get busy with classes again, that I will still be able to write- it's coming along.
-Please keep Ethiopia and its leadership in prayer, as new leadership arises- that it may be blessed and favored by God.
Thank you for praying for me as I continue to pray for you. 

Blessed October- fall season with its changing colors and cooler weather, with its pumpkins and college football time. Enjoy! :-)

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

On The Road

As we travel "on life's road"- there is often MUCH to take in.  Daily my senses are overwhelmed with the sights, sounds and smells of life here "on the road" in Ethiopia.  The beautiful land and colors, the herds of animals, the sounds of street vendors, the smells of various spices, the gawking of huge birds, it's almost sensory overload.  There's so much that I can miss if I'm not looking.


Sometimes I think we get so busy or distracted with meaningless things, that sometimes we forget to look around and take it all in and enjoy each moment. We forget the brevity of life, how it's a gift to be embraced and lived well, for God's glory.

God has been teaching me, reminding me the past few weeks of many things...

Of the journey behind...what's in the rear view mirror of my life. There is value in looking back.

Of looking ahead. With more responsibilities on my shoulders at our school this coming semester- I've had to look ahead and plan.  I've had to PRAY over those plans.

And God has also been reminding me- don't miss all the present moments too.  Each day, each moment, to live fully.  God has been saying...I'm painting you skies, singing you songs through my birds and through the wind, I'm trying to make you chuckle...I'm displaying myself in my creation and I'm WITH you.  How can we miss our great and wonderful God each day?  But we do. 

It seems so often that we allow our circumstances to overwhelm us, our environment or home or workplace to stress so much....that we want OUT OF the present day.  So we look back to remember "when times were better"- OR we look ahead and dream. God has been telling me- you need to take it ALL in...the past, the present and what's ahead.  I'm in it ALL.

The Rear view Mirror
In recent days, I've been spending much time reflecting on my life. I've spent a good amount of time writing several chapters in my first book, which has been exciting.

I've remembered so much, looking back...moments I haven't thought about in years.


I've remembered times that have made me laugh- until tears poured down my face- making people around me wonder what was up with this weird "forengie" foreigner. Who wouldn't laugh remembering the "big hair" style days of the 80's- when I truly think my sister and I must have set a record for the biggest hair in the school. :-) There were also tons of funny things from growing up as an identical twin. 

Tears also stung my eyes for other reasons. Remembering times of a broken heart, the departure of friends. I've shaken my head remembering painful mistakes made and those hard lessons learned.

I've also whistled in wonder remembering the seas that parted and the ways that God worked- leaving me speechless, breathless and awe-struck. Stories of "deer in the woods" and crazy amazing stories of "evidence" of God's presence on the pages of my life.

I chuckled again at memories of myself living cross culturally in places like Haiti, Kenya and currently Ethiopia. And crazy jobs and "mission fields" God called me to- in radio, youth ministry, as a foot nurse, ESL teacher, writer, speaker, communicator. CRAZY- so crazy. God's sense of humor is unmatched!

On the road in Haiti
I found renewed encouragement from the rear view mirror- also a determination to NOT re-visit some places again. Sometimes God will allow certain things to come our way to teach us- often when we had passed that way before- and should have learned the first time.

I believe God DOES want us to reflect on our lives. At the end of every day to think about- how did I live today? Was I a good steward of my time, money, relationships, talents? What did I see? What did God say to me? This adds depth.

Deuteronomy 6:12
be careful that you do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 
 
Psalm 103: 1-6
Praise the Lord, my soul,  and forget not all his benefits—who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.

Deuteronomy 8:1-11
Be careful to follow every command I am giving you today, so that you may live and increase and may enter and possess the land the Lord promised on oath to your ancestors. Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years. Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disciplines you.

Observe the commands of the Lord your God, walking in obedience to him and revering him. For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land—a land with brooks, streams, and deep springs gushing out into the valleys and hills; a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing; a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills.

When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day.

Rear view mirrors for many people are often very painful to look through. Life is messy, relationships sometimes end in disappointment. Some people move, change jobs, change cities even for a fresh start- even an identity change in an attempt to forget the past- erase it.

If you look back for too long it does have a way of trapping you if you're not careful. Maybe you'll get depressed or angry. Or maybe you start to feel your "glory days" are behind you- when you had more of your body parts working and less aches and pains or had less responsibilities. Don't let Satan trap you in the past. Remember the lessons learned and move forward.

Looking in my rear view mirror, I see hugely the country of Haiti. I believe God took me to Haiti because for me it was a frying pan, literally. It burned my pride and brought me to dirt level. I can still close my eyes and feel the heat and smell the burning trash. Life there seems seered into my conscience- which has been for my great good. Many people for a long time- thought I'd go back to Haiti to live and work. When people asked me through the years, do you think God will call you back there? I always told them...if I ever forget what God taught me there- when He showed me I indeed was a sinner and needed a Savior- that I was NOTHING without Him, that my self righteousness was ugly to Him....- that if God didn't remain at the center of what I was communicating- if it became more about me and less about Him- He'd send me back.

I remember for the first time really seeing death in Haiti. Several children died while I was there. Even my dear friend Louisianne, only 23 years old, passed away. I remember being the only American-Westerner in these long lines going through the streets of our Haitian town- as people and families mourned and lamented for the life lost, as we carried the casket down the road. Moments like those teach you so much about where priorities should be and not be.  It's so much about loving God and others and taking time to serve the smallest and the least that God puts in our paths.

little Haiti friends
Looking in the rear view mirror can be good, if you allow God to speak to you about what you see there. To learn from the way behind.

As much as it's hard to admit, our past (good or bad) has had an influence on us. It's part of what has shaped us into who we have become. And I believe God can take your past and use it as a powerful part of your testimony. In Jesus' rear view mirror of life on earth, there was alot of pain there. But it became His testimony- and our salvation.  We can give more compassion to others in our "kingdom of priests role" by what we have passed through...

Hebrews 4:14-16
Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

1 Peter 2:4-5; 9-10
As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him—you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 
 
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Psalm 66:8-12
Praise our God, all peoples, let the sound of his praise be heard; He has preserved our lives
and kept our feet from slipping. For you, God, tested us; you refined us like silver. You brought us into prison and laid burdens on our backs. You let people ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundan
ce. 
 
Have you looked back recently- where have you been, what have you learned? How far has God brought you?  It's worth a look back to hear what God might want to say to you.

Windshield....Looking Ahead
Looking ahead, out the windshield of our lives, is also important. Where are you going? What road are you taking? Often here in Ethiopia- I'm mesmerized by the road ahead- the breathtaking glimpses of life on the African continent. Other times- I can't look. The windshield is dirty- and random and cattle and people are running in front of our taxi, I just shut my eyes.


It's easy to hit a bump that you should have seen. Or to easily get on the wrong road and not even realize it. It's important to stay aware and on course.

I remember one time we took a group of students to Cedar Point, a big amusement park in Ohio. We spent the day in long lines, then twisting and turning and spinning on rides of all kinds- and though I tried to smile- I was exhausted, totally feeling my age. :-) I was so excited for 11pm- our meeting time, and to get to our nearby campsite and SLEEP. Well, our campsite should have been about 10 minutes from the park. But the other adult leader and I got to talking and we missed our turn. Over an later, we saw signs for Toledo, Ohio- a city in a different part of the state. We were shocked. Luckily, all the students were sleeping. We turned around, headed back, and the those students never knew. It was a good lesson learned. Pay attention, CLOSE attention, on the road.

Look ahead, ask God's direction, and keep your eyes fixed on the author and finisher of our life journeys.

Hebrews 12:1-3
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. 
 
Philippians 3:12-14
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. 
 
Hebrews 10:35-39
So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For, “In just a little while, He who is coming will come and will not delay.”And,“But my righteous one will live by faith. And I take no pleasure in the one who shrinks back.”  But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved.

But we must also remember- we might not always be able to see ahead. Lean on God during those times. Don't worry, trust Him. He's got you!

Matthew 6:25-34
Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

On the Road...Living Fully in Each Moment
Here in Africa- I've had time to look back and to think about-pray about what is ahead.
And God has also been REALLY teaching me the value of also living in the present. Often people here don't plan ahead, the day has too much for them to think about. "Time" is thought of very differently. People here take time to live in each moment. They stop to talk with their neighbors, share each others' burdens, even if it's not on the schedule. Often even if it's on the way to work or an appointment, or to class.

I think this is the one that has taken me the longest to learn and to actually enjoy. Taking time to really OBSERVE- what or who I'm passing by on the street. To not be looking so far ahead or too far behind to miss the moments- in the present- to hear God speak or see Him work or use me in what He's up to.

I'd miss little cuties like these on the streets here if I'm not paying attention
May we live each day to it's fullest, not missing a thing! Today is the day to act, to love, to appreciate, to forgive! We're not guaranteed tomorrow!

Hebrews 3:12-13
See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. 
 
Proverbs 3:27-28
Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act. Do not say to your neighbor, “Come back tomorrow and I’ll give it to you”—when you already have it with you. 
 
Galatians 6:2
Carry each others' burdens ...

Romans 13:8-14
Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. The commandments...are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light...

On the road, may we look in the rear view near and not forget where we've been and how far God has brought us. May we look ahead and pray and keep on course.  And may we embrace each moment.  For being "on the road" at all is a gift.

Praying for you as you pray for me. Onward!

Prayer Requests
-Our staff reported to campus this past week. Very interesting already has been new opportunities to share God's love, not only to former students and staff, but new people as well. I have a new team of English teachers (two Americans and one from Holland)- and I'm acting as English Department head. Please pray I have wisdom to get us all organized. Registration continues this week, classes start tomorrow (Wednesday, October 10).
-Continue to pray for my parents and sister- for a great and blessed and healthy fall season for them- in Ohio and the Czech Republic. Thank you for many of you who prayed for my Dad's back appointment this past week. Please continue to pray for him as more tests are done this week.
-A college student from my home church in Ohio was involved in an accident this past week that broke his back in two places. Please pray for Hunter Heck, that God will give him a full recovery.
-For the new Ethiopian year, 2005, and my new "plan" for being at my best for God- which includes- physical, spiritual, financial, professional goals. Please pray I can put these in place in honor of our God
-Please continue to pray for a friend of mine who has applied for a visa to the USA, that this may be granted; and also for my sister who is in the process of obtaining a work visa for the Czech. She has an opportunity to teach at a high school and a work permit is needed for this.
-Please pray for many still seeking work, that God will open up doors and that hearts will stay encouraged.
-Please pray for our staff and students- for good health, strong families, and good focus
-Please pray for the draft of my book, that as I continue to write and things get busy with classes again, that I will still be able to write.
-Please keep Ethiopia and its leadership in prayer, as new leadership arises- that it may be blessed and favored by God.

Thank you for your partnership and prayers- on the road!