Getting Ready

One week from today we will change countries - from USA to Canada.

Two weeks from today we will arrive in another country - Cameroon.

That means that we need to start changing how we communicate - warning
friends to stop sending large emails until further notice (in case we still
need to use the short-wave radio to do email), setting up this blog so I can
post via email, etc., etc.

It's called regression in communication! How I will miss DSL....

Cold heat

Scottspiel

Quote from 5 year-old Kenneth, when he got into the stifling hot van:

"Dad, please turn on the cold heat."

Yup....

The Morning After...

It's the morning after ... a weekend speaking trip. We're all tired. The kids are in slow gear - or going backwards. I anticipate several "room times" for attitude adjustments. I wish someone would send me to MY room for an attitude adjustment! Our luggage is still in the hallway, still waiting to be unpacked.

And somewhere, someone may be wrestling with God about a call to missions after hearing our presentation. And the work in Cameroon may be able to go yet farther because God asked someone else to help financially, or to pray for one of the translators.

That's what it's all about....

Back to basics?

This morning I spoke to my ladies' group about Cameroon. Many of these have had a lot of exposure to people who have been overseas; but the general feel I got from the group is, "No way could I take my kids over there; it's just not safe". Too many pictures of spiders, bad roads....

It seems like the average North American wants things sugar-coated; yes, they believe that we need to tell others about the Good News of the Bible, but when it comes down to the nuts and bolts, are they really ready to do it themselves if it means inconveniences, hardship, and (horror of horrors) trusting God for everyday life? Maybe the non-essentials will be stripped away and the basics will come back into view again. But can the average North American live with that? Can they face themselves in the mirror without all the external trappings?

Not that I should judge; when things get tough, whether it's here or in Cameroon, I sure don't always have a good attitude and trust God for the outcome!

Sickness for health's sake

Ok, this title sounds weird, but bear with me. Right now Mike is lying down with a shivering, blanket-covered Kenneth, who has a relatively high fever (probably 102). This morning he also had a fever. And last night it was over 104. Why?? Because yesterday morning he visited the health clinic ... and had vaccinations. So now he isn't feeling well, in order that he WILL feel well in the future (at least that's the intent). Got it?

By the way, 5 yr. old Kenneth got 2 shots and is suffering with a fever, whereas 2 yr. old Laura got 4 shots and is eating and playing normally. Go figure!

Fire Engine Red

This one is specifically for you scientists . . . or moms who decorate cakes for their kids!

Kenneth wanted his birthday cake to be simply red and white; just a fire engine, with his name and age and "Happy Birthday" scrawled on it. As some of you might have guessed, the writing and even the rough resemblance of a fire engine wasn't the hard part; getting that bright red color was definitely a challenge.

Now when a daughter's birthday rolls around, things are pretty easy; you add that red food coloring, and the icing turns out pink, and you add more, and it gets a brighter pink, and eventually you concede defeat and pretend you actually meant it to be pink in the first place. But for a son, it's a bit harder to be flexible with that "not red" color.

So...back to my story. I added that red food coloring, trying two different brands in the hope that maybe it would make a difference; but pink it remained. Now I had to be creative, as Kenneth was looking at me very expectantly. I said, "Maybe we should make the fire engine orange." He readily agreed, so I added yellow to the pink . . . and the end result was a wonderful fire engine red! Of course, I knew that all along, right??!!!

250 Pieces of Popcorn

"Take one piece of popcorn. This represents one language - let's say the English language. Ok, now eat it... goodbye English! How about another one? .... How many pieces of popcorn would represent the number of languages in Cameroon? .... I have 10 "languages" (pieces of popcorn) in each of these baggies, and this plastic bag is full of little baggies, so that makes....? There are over 250 languages spoken in Cameroon."

So went my "spiel" 8 times today as we were part of a "missions fest" at Christy and Jenny's elementary school. How can you communicate Cameroon to these kids in a way that will grab them, and make them realize that they take so much for granted? You can't. You just do your best, and realize that God will use that for His glory in some way.

Pray for these future missionaries and the work in Cameroon every time you eat some popcorn....

Birthdays and Bunnies

Scene: Kenneth's preschool
Actors: 6 preschoolers, 1 teacher
Props: 1 pinata, lots of candy, Easter baskets, food, Rice Krispy bars with "Happy Birthday Kenneth" in icing on top
Occasion: Easter party and Birthday party

What a mixture! So Kenneth got an Easter basket full of candy for his birthday.... It's actually quite appropriate, as he was born on a Good Friday. But what a difference between the stark delivery room in Cameroon 5 years ago, and the well-supplied preschool room in Canada today! And yet isn't that appropriate too, as Kenneth was born on the day when the Christian world remembered a death. Hmmm....

Life is full of contrasts, isn't it!!!

Long time...

Well, it's been almost 2 months since I last blogged. But during that time I was in Calgary, Chicago, Philadelphia, Warrington (and lots of other places around there), Lancaster, Denver, Gunnison, and Crested Butte. And during that time lots of wonderful people took care of our 4 children for 2 1/2 weeks so Mike & I could have a great trip of business with a week of relaxation at the end.

But talking about a LONG TIME, that pretty well describes some of our delays in the airports. I'm not sure if it was just our particular carrier that was having a rough month, or if it is all the airlines, but I think 3 out of 4 of our flights had some delay. And when Mike came back this past weekend, he had an overnight delay. Oh well, time is all relative anyway, right??!!

Out of water

Well, isn't this quite a reminder of life in Cameroon! Here we are with no water coming from our taps, we're not flushing the toilet unless we really have to, and we're dipping from a bucket for essential washing. Yes, this is Canada, and yes, these things still happen. We're thankful for kids who know exactly what to do in this kind of situation!

Actually, we're very fortunate, because our missionary landlords had kindly alerted us to the possibility, and we DO have some washing water and drinking water stored up.

Ok, back to the Cameroon scenario. In Bekondo, if this happened, we might be out of water for 2-3 days or longer, depending on whether the "water fix-it guy" decided to push his low-salary agenda by going on strike or not. And eventually he and some other young guys would head out to the "bush", after coming to borrow tools, "rubbers" (to tie the pipe together again), etc. In the meantime, either we could catch rainwater from our roof, or we could get some of the village kids to carry water for us (or our house-help or yard worker would get it for us - they usually took good care of us!).

But here... you're talking -16 degrees Celcius (plus wind chill) and snow on the ground - yes, we're actually getting winter weather for a change! And there are men working on the pipes right now, and they will probably continue to work until it's fixed. So we only have the inconvenience of maybe 6-12 hours (it started around supper time). We're spoiled!

But it still makes us anticipate heaven, when we'll be with the Living Water, and never have to thirst or wash again!!!

A passage I love

Well, this is a bit late for Valentine's Day, but it is still true, so bear with me.

I John 4:18a (NLT) "Such love has no fear because perfect love expels all fear."

In context, this is talking about a fear of future judgement, which we as Christians do not have to worry about. Why? Because Jesus Christ has taken that judgement on Himself, and has already paid the penalty. Wow! What love!

On a more practical level, because we know that God is in control and LOVES us so much, we do not have to fear. Period. End of discussion. He will not let anything happen to us that He does not want to happen. Yes, this may mean that at times, something "bad" may happen, but He has a reason; we just don't have His perspective on the situation.

This verse really started "coming home" to us after armed robbers broke into our house in our village in Cameroon, less than a month after we had moved in (1998). While we watched, they stole a lot of our stuff, then tied us up and drove off in our vehicle. Talk about fear after that! It took quite a while for God's Word (and many loving people's comfort and support) to soak in. And yet today we can say that we KNOW this verse is true. While we are still human, and still fear at times, we can always come back to this promise - perfect love DOES expel all fear.

What greater love do we need?

Youth Group

Scottspiel
Hmmm...how do you define "youth"??

A couple of decades ago, I was in a "youth group" that consisted of high schoolers or college aged kids.

In Cameroon, "youth" can be anyone from 13 or so up to in the 30's.

And last night, Christy and Jenny went to a newly established "youth group" for kids in grades 5 and 6. Interesting. By the way, they loved it. It is an "inter-church" youth group (kids from all churches in town can participate), and it is a time when Christy can see one of her friends who is home-schooled (who she usually only sees in church).

It is so encouraging to see churches work together for a change - after all, are we not all the body of Christ? Tomorrow I, too, will enjoy this, as I will be attending an inter-church ladies' retreat :-)

Mouse Control

This isn't about the capture and demise of little furry rodents, although that probably still needs to happen in this house. Rather, this is about the manipulation of a computer pointing device.

Why talk about such a mundane subject? Because our youngest, Laura (2 1/2), was finally able to control a computer mouse enough to play a game (coloring) all by herself last night. What an accomplishment! That was the first time she had tried to use Mike's mouse, which is a wireless and smaller than usual, and that is what she needed for her small hand.

Now, this may be a moment of triumph for Laura, but I am ecstatic for another, more selfish, reason. This means that no longer do I have to sit down at the computer WITH her - she can play by herself!!! No, this doesn't mean I'll abandon her to the computer babysitter, but it does allow for some respite in hectic days.

So YEAH for mouse control!

Sleepovers

Another cultural experience is happening tonight - our two older girls are both having sleepovers. Christy is at Angie's house, and Amber is over here with Jenny.

One teacher told me a pessimistic view of sleepovers - it's a time when little girls tell each other secrets, and then spread each other's "classified" information all over the playground the next school day. Wow! I'd like to think that doesn't happen, but it probably does to some.

Regardless, we've decided that sleepovers are a great bonding time for kids, as long as they are old enough to avoid doing something extreme. You have to trust friends at some level, and sleepovers seem to be a good expression of that trust.

So... here's to hoping we get a decent night's sleep tonight :-)

Family Meals

How did you eat your last meal? Think about it. Ok, Sharon in Bekondo, you don't count :)

I've heard (and read) that the average North American family does not sit down and eat together at a table. Food is often eaten in the car on the way to yet another event, or grabbed on the run before heading out the door. Or, eaten in front of the TV.

Being out of North America for years at a time makes us unaware of how the average family functions (or dis-functions??), but this was vividly brought home to me tonight when one of Jenny's classmates came over after school. First, she and Jenny discussed over the phone who would go to whose house, and I recommended she come here, as I don't know anything about her family (we'll make an effort to meet them), and then I said she could come for supper if she wanted, but I didn't know if she liked tuna (tuna pot-pie was on the menu). She said she didn't like tuna, so she would bring her own supper. Ok. Well, when supper came, she sat down with the rest of us (we always have family meals, unless there is something else specifically planned, like a DVD movie). After a while, she politely asked, "Um, is this kind of, um, a tradition?" We were a bit confused, but she explained. "Is it a tradition for you to eat together as a family?" She said that her family never ate together; she always grabbed some food and ate while watching something on TV. Well, there's the proof; the books are right!

I think this is one "cultural norm" that we're not going to adopt as our own....

Tired in Three Hills

It is 2:10am, and I'm sitting at my desk, bleary-eyed, as Laura (2 1/2 yrs. old) energetically does puzzles, "reads" books, and colors. She can't sleep, and actually, I couldn't fall asleep either before she pulled me out of bed at midnight. Maybe it was something we ate?? So here we are....

Hey, maybe we're on Cameroon time. I think it's about 10am there.... We were at Mrs. Taves' house for supper tonight, and she was reminiscing about her years in Chad, so maybe our internal clocks reset.

Who knows. All I know is that I'm tired! Good night!

Stocking Up

The Christmas season has just ended, and we have had a terrific time with relatives and friends, and an over-abundance of food. In fact, I think I ate enough Christmas goodies to cover the years in Cameroon when we might be "deprived" of all this sugar and cream and chocolate stuff.

But I don't think there is ever a way to "stock up" on time with friends and relatives to cover that time away. For me, that is truly the one negative about spending time overseas. Some people might be surprised that I would say that, as on the surface I might not seem to care, but I do. And I think that is ok - after all, isn't life, isn't God, all about relationships? Shouldn't that be the core of our existence? (Yes, I think I've been in Africa "too long" - long enough to realize that the overworked, hectic American lifestyle that so many people lead is worthless).

So this is for my relatives and friends - thanks for so much, and I miss you already!