Star Trek?

               A few weeks ago I realized that I was a part of something. It is happening so gradually we don’t really realize it. During work I don’t always have work to do so I will read my Bible, play with my budget, look at facebook, and read blogs. I enjoy the blogs. There are two or three kinds of blogs that I like. One is about decorating one’s home. Now, I have no sense of style or what colors go together, but they are fun to read nonetheless and I know that most of what they do looks good. The other kind I like to read are about the Christian life, with devo’s and the popular “this is what Christian marriage/dating is like/should be” posts. And finally, I also like to read the blogs of my friends so that I can (be a creeper?) and keep up to date on their lives.

What I realized the other day is that I am part of the next generation of missionaries. It is really fun to read the blogs of all these friends from high school, plus a few from college. And not only are they the next generation of missionaries, but many are second (or third!) generation missionaries! I would like to highlight a few here.

From high school:

• ·        Ted and Karen: I went to school with Ted, and Karen grew up as an MK in South America, both are at least 2^nd generation missionaries. Ted and Karen are actually my co-workers. They are in their third year of teaching here at DA and their students love them. They are also both involved in coaching and they lend humor and friendship to our community. Their blog always offer a unique perspective about life here and are often thought provoking.
• ·        Ethan and Valerie: Ethan is another person I went to school with and is also at least a second generation missionary. Ethan and Valerie live north of Dakar and arrived in September. So far they have been doing intensive language training and are now starting to get more into their church planting work. I have only briefly seen Ethan since they got here, but I enjoy reading their blog and seeing how they are serving God and how I can pray for them.
• ·        Sabrina: Sabrina is serving in India for the next few years and is a second generation missionary. She has a burning passion to make God known which can be clearly seen through her blog posts.
• ·        Sadie: Sadie is in Germany, serving as an RA at a missionary school. This is something she has dreamed of doing since she was in the dorm here at DA. She is a second generation missionary and her love for the girls in the dorm and desire to glorify God shines clearly through her blog posts.
• ·        Jacob and Kacey: Jacob and Kacey are a young couple working in the Congo area. They were on a short missions trip to Guinea when they heard God call them. Their heart for God and excitement for their work is clearly evident in their blog posts.
• ·        Dana: (honestly, I feel weird using a pseudonym here because this is my older sister) Dana is not currently on the field but I wanted to mention her. Dana was here at DA for 5 and a half years before she felt the need to head back to the States, for a time at least. She has gotten settled in her new life, teaching at another Christian school, but she makes it clear on her blog posts that she knows God wants her overseas somewhere eventually again.
• ·        Dale: Dale is a actually a non-blog person – that I am aware of – but he is a another one of the new generation, and is a 3^rd generation missionary. He currently serves in Mali, but was recently in Guinea. Dale, a third generation missionary, is currently serving in Mali but has been following God around West Africa wherever God leads him. He doesn’t have a blog that I know of, but I see posts of his work on facebook from time to time.

Then there are a few friends from college who are both first generation missionaries:

• ·        Jody: Jody just finished a year in Cambodia working with women in unfortunate circumstances. Her blog posts were always interesting and touching.
• ·        Jade: Jade is working as an elementary teacher at an MK school in Honduras. She initially went for only one year, but now she has extended it at least another year. I enjoy reading her blog and seeing her pictures, learning about life in Central America.

As the writer of Hebrews in chapter 11 “And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about [Damion and Marie, or Magnus and Mable, or two of Mable’s sisters].” I also have friends working overseas, but I don’t know in what capacity. And then there are those of this next generation who are first generation missionaries.

               I look at the high schoolers we have right now and wonder what they’ll be doing in the next 5-8 years. The previous generation will be retiring in the next 10-15 years, will anyone be here to take their place? So far, yes. Some of these people – including myself – I had no idea would become missionaries. But God knew.

               We are the children in Philippians 2, “Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become pure and blameless children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life.” No, we are not pure, faultless, or blameless – but we are becoming so. As Paul says in Philippians 3 – “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on”. I don’t want to be part of the crooked and depraved generation, do you? I want to be set apart from them.

               Thank you, previous generation of missionaries, for the example you have set for us. May we follow the way you showed us – from wherever we are: in a foreign country or in our passport country – which for many of us in the real foreign country.

P.S. If you have a blog and don’t think you were mentioned here, let me know so I can start reading it and praying for you.

*Not real names, and I apologize if you are reading this and realize I am talking about you and don’t like the names I have given you! But since I am writing about you without your permission, I wanted to protect your identity. 

Neighborly November

November Edition

Hello random people that read my blog (and the non random people as well!), 

How are you? I hope this letter finds you well. It is almost November and I don’t have a clever intro.

-Mali: Things have been peaceful lately, praise God. Back in January the French brought in a lot of troops and things kind of settled down. But now they are gradually (or at least talking about it) taking their troops out. Please pray that as the troops leave that the Islamists will not make trouble once again. Pray that the new president, IBK, will have wisdom in knowing how to handle the situation.

-My parents: My parents are back! We have set up a time for us to skype every week, so that is nice.  What’s more I will get to see them at Christmas!! My first Christmas with them in 6 years! I am pretty excited and sometimes when I think about it I do a hop, skip, and a jump… When they arrived my dad hurt his back from carrying luggage. Please pray for health for him so that he can be as active as he normally is without feeling pain. In addition, he will be going back to Kayes sometime to pick up and move our stuff to Bamako – something that will be difficult for him with his back as it is (it is already difficult, my sisters and I did a lot of heavy lifting when we were doing the initial packing in 2012). My mom has been learning the ropes of an ESL ministry that exists in Bamako. Please pray that she will learn quickly and be able to teach classes soon. Pray also that she realizes that this is where God was preparing her to be.

-Missionaries: Well, I asked you to pray about this month, and soon after we received news. The people who threatened to shut down the ministry finally came. The Brazilians were out of town and got a phone call when they came. I mentioned previously that they were unable to leave the country – this is because their passports were taken away. We recently received news that the passports are supposed to be returned on November 19. Please pray that this happens! This has been a very stressful time for them and getting their passports would mean they can go to Brazil for a while and rest.

- Water situation: For almost a month the city of Dakar was experiencing a water shortage. The reason is due to damage, in two places, to the pipe that supplies water to the city from the Senegal River that defines the northern border of the country. This pipe supplies 40% of the city’s  water needs. There were Senegalese who would stand in line for hours to get just a bucketful of water. This damage is akin to if something happened to the LA aqueduct – if the got contaminated or somehow a large portion of the water was diverted away – LA would have a difficult time. For a few weeks things went back to normal but now the water has officially been cut off, from Tuesday to this Thursday/Friday/Saturday depending on who you listen to. The water is being cut off so water company can install a new piece that just arrived from France which is supposed to completely fix things.

I think that is all for now. We think that the weather has turned – the last few days have been rather cool. Go into November making a choice to be grateful for the little things. 

Ruthanne

Something Different

               People often question whether people working in support positions are “real” missionaries. Although I know that I am, sometimes I wonder. My parents are church planters. They learn the language, interact with the people, rely on their support, do Bible studies with the people, etc. I don’t really have to do any of that. There are many teachers who don’t learn the language. For many, the interaction we get with the people is the taxi drivers, Orange credit sellers, store people, and school workers (guards, custodians). Working at DA, we don’t have to raise support, we can rely on our stipend. Teachers don’t have to do Bible studies or any teaching to the people… “Isn’t that what the “real” missionaries are for?” (This could be a whole other blog post, but it does relate to this topic.)

Another thing I don’t have to worry about is housing. It is provided for me. And what’s more, it is very nice! I feel spoiled and sometimes I wonder if I’m  really serving while being here. I have a “plush” lifestyle and I am a place that I love. It is no trouble for me to live here in Dakar. Many people complain that it is not easy to live here and I’m like, “Are you kidding me??” For me, it would be difficult to live in the States.

And so, with all these thoughts going through my head I started wondering what could I do to serve God? To reach the people? I don’t know how quickly outreach came to mind, but it eventually did.

At first I balked, thinking, “No way!” But it kept coming up. So the question was, “Why not go on outreach?” It is a time when God uses us to help bring the Good News to the people. It is a good opportunity for students to see what their parents might be doing. It gives the students a taste of being a missionary. And it is a powerful thing, as Uncle Evan reminds us, to see that many teenagers volunteer to give up their weekend to go to the bush and work.

In high school I only went on outreach twice. I planned to go my freshman year but then circumstances made it so that I couldn’t. Even though I think that was a good thing in the end – I wasn’t ready – I kind of became bitter about outreach. I would scoff at it for the next year or so whenever it was mentioned. Eventually, for some reason or other I decided to go on outreach. But I don’t think I was really doing it for the right reasons, I was doing it because “every good Christian/person at DA goes on outreach.” So I went and I had a good time. So the next time here was another outreach I signed up right away. Then, I signed up a 3^rd time. But I didn’t go a third time. One of my good friends decided not to go and that struck me. I was like, “What? You can not go on outreach? Especially once you’ve already been on one?” So, a few days before that 3^rd outreach I went to Uncle Evan and backed out. One small part of my mind was thinking I would hang out with my friend, but the other part was wondering what my motivation for going on outreach was – especially if I didn’t want to go partly because a friend wasn’t going!

After that, the enxt time there was an outreach, I didn’t sign up. My friend did and when I asked her about it she said, “Of course I ‘m going. I love outreach. It was just that one time that I wasn’t going.” But I didn’t go, not on that one or any that followed while I was in high school. Do I regret it? No. I think my friend not going made me wonder what my true motivation was. After that, I was never sure why I wanted to go: to serve God, or to be with friends and to be a “good Christian.”

Fast forward five years and we are at the present day. I want to go on outreach because of that question that has been on my mind: “How can I serve God and the Senegalese people?” One of the reasons I hesitate is because I don’t want to spend three days in the hot sun wearing skirts and using squatty potties. But then I think, “Really? You are going to not go on outreach because it will be uncomfortable? Isn’t this what you are searching for? What is more important to you: serving God or your comfort?” I remind myself of Romans 8:18, “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” Will those three days compare to what can be read about in Hebrews 11:32-37?

Am I willing to serve God for a measly 3 days so that his kingdom can be advanced?  

Quiche

Quiche

A few weeks ago, some invited me over dinner. Even if I want to, I am always hestitant when someone asks me over for dinner because I am a picky eater (though I am slowly getting better) and I don’t want to offend the person by not eating their food. So I said yes. Before I went I prayed to God, thinking of all these food I don’t like (particularly, maffe (peanut sacuce) and taco casserole were at the top of my list) asking him for those things not to be served. I went to supper and they brought out the main dish – quiche – and I pasted what I hoped was a pleasant smile, or at the very least, look on my face. Quiche! How could I not think of this? Oh the irony! God does have a sense of humor! I ate it, and it wasn’t awful.  

For new staff orientation a few weeks ago, several of us “old”/experienced staff were asked to bring in a snack for the newcomers to eat when they went on break. On her day, one of my co-workers brought in Crustell Quiche. Evertime I walked by it my mouth would water (say it my way in your head ;) ) for some reason. I told the maker of it and she said to go ahead and try some. So I took half a square out, took a bite, and WOW! So good! It just melted in my mouth! I was especially surprised because it had (very obvious) spinach in it – a vegetable I really don’t like but would like to increase my intake of it (to once a week or so versus never – because it has folate in it, something I lack in my diet). A few days later I was happily given the recipe. I look forward to eating it every so often as part of my breakfast-for-supper cycle.

When I was in Ecuador, they served quiche pretty regularly. I did not want to eat it! They also served other stuff I didn’t want to eat, and my attitude became such a problem that I was put on probation. Soon after this, I was doing my devos and read Luke 10:8, “Eat what is set before you.” Well, I was convicted. When I shared this verse with the others I was with they all laughed because they knew my struggles. For the rest of the time, if I didn’t want to eat something, I would bring this verse to mind, and force myself to eat it and to have a better attitude.** Apparently when I came back from that trip I was so proud that I had eaten quiche – that is what my parents told me, but I don’t remember being proud, I was probably actually upset or something.

All my life I have struggled with the question of, “How do I know when God is talking to me or telling me to do something?” That time in Ecuador was the first time I knew that God was speaking to me – it was very clear. But before that and since then, it has not been so clear. At the end of high school I thought, “Okay, now I’m going to have to listen to God about a career choice and where to go for college… how do I do that?” In the end, for a number of reasons, accounting was an obvious choice and Bluffton was a decision I had to make one day during the summer before my first year. Did God tell me to go to Bluffton? I don’t know. After that, I was like, “Okay… just of sailed through that one, I guess I didn’t really have to listen for anything.”

Four years go by and I’m graduating from college. Again, I’m thinking, “Now is when I really have to listen to God – what job will I take? … uh God? How do I hear you?” That one was easy too. I flew to Senegal my little sister’s graduation, my mom told me of a possible opening, I had an interview, sent in the application, and 5 ½ weeks after graduating from college I had a job! “Wow! That was easy… wait, how am I going to know when to leave DA?” That last question is my current “okay now I’m going to have to listen to God”. For my older sister it was “easy” (I know it really wasn’t, Danielle!) – for her it was, “No more siblings? Okay, see you! Also, I have some loans.” For me, siblings are not a factor, if I budget right and live frugally for the next 6 or 7 years – loans are not a factor. At the moment, the only reasons I can foresee leaving are being fired, or getting married and my husband saying “Okay, let’s go.”  I am comfortable here, I love it. I love the people, the weather, the ease of shopping, seeing friends (adult and classmates) from high school, the Christ-centered atmosphere, and more. I can envision myself being here at least four years, so why am I worrying about this now? I don’t know.

A friend told me recently that listening to God  is like the “be faithful with little, and he’ll trust you with more” concept. The more you act on things you think God might be telling you, you’ll get better at hearing him.

This year I am learning to listen to God. There are a few things I think he wants me to do this year. I am afraid to tell you what they are in case I chicken out but I also think I need accountability. So I will tell you one thing. For the last few weeks, or maybe even months, I think that God has been telling me to go on outreach. To some of you this may not be a big deal, but for me it is. Why? Well, that another blog post – or I’ll tell you if you ask me.

I am tuning myself to God’s leading.

I’m here, God, listening…

**To my mother’s (and my) dismay, these good eating habits only lasted until I got home… and then they quickly stopped. 

Sanguine September

September Edition

Hello Friends,

How are you? I hope this letter finds you well. Ah, August. What an interesting month. It started with the arrival of the new staff and “old”/experienced staff and sorting through school supplies, “middled” with the start of school, and ended busily.

-Mali: Thank you for your prayers concerning the elections. They went well and we now have a new president. Pray that the new leader, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, will be able to help restore peace to Mali. Pray that he has good relationships with the other members of the Malian government and that he will use wisdom. Pray also that he will think of not only those in power when making decisions, but also – primarily – of the people. In addition, last weekend Bamako, the capital city, experienced some heavy rains and as a result has a lot of flooding and several people have lost their lives. In a time of instability, the Malians must be feeling the old adage: “When it rains, it pours,” what with famine, a coup, and now terrible flooding – all in just a 2 or so year time period. Pray that the life of the Malians will soon get back to normal. Pray that the problems they are facing will encourage them to seek the one true God.

-My parents: In a little over a week they will be flying back to Mali. Between now and then they will be packing, shopping, visiting churches, and visiting friends and family one last time. Pray for safe travels and for their packing – that it will not be overweight or too many bags, and that it will all arrive when they do. When they arrive in Mali they will be searching for a place to live, so please pray that they will be able to find a place quickly so they can get settled in quickly and move forward in their ministry. Please continue to pray for my mom as she seeks the Lord’s guidance in where and how she can serve him. There are many ministries in Bamako for her to get involved in, she just needs to learn which one God wants her in.

-Missionaries: For several months last year I asked you to pray for the release of two Brazilians who had been taken to prison on unlawful terms. While they have now been out for almost 5 months now, there are still legal issues that need to be resolved. They are not allowed to leave the country and they are feeling stressed about their situation – they need rest. In addition, some officials came to their organization a few months ago and threatened to shut the place down but they have not returned. They are once again in a time of waiting.  Please pray that they will have peace about their situation, peace that God will take care of them and peace despite their stresses. Pray that the people who are putting in this time of waiting legally will make some decisions and finally free them. Pray also that those who threatened to shut down their operation will come to realize the good work that it does and that it is teaching young boys who would otherwise be on the streets or starving how to live a better, life preserving way.

-Me: This may seem silly, but I know that God hears all prayers. My camera is missing and I haven’t seen it since June. And while I don’t take a lot of pictures, it is nice to have the option to do so. I also don’t know what pictures are on it – they may be ones I want. I have searched all over my apartment which wasn’t that difficult because painters were in it over the summer and at the end of the summer I had to put it back together. Please pray that I find it. Also, this weekend and the next few are our school’s annual handball tournament and for some crazy reason – I signed up to play. I am kind of nervous. Please pray that I will play to God’s glory. In fact, that is something that you could pray about for everyone involved – that we have good attitudes, that we don’t experience any really bad injuries, and that we have fun.

I think that is all for now. I now have 3 weeks of being the cashier in the normal setting and it has been nice – although I generally have a lot more free time than I expected, I can’t wait till container season, haha! Have a great day.

Ruthanne

Micah 6:8

Petit Poteaux

               Petit poteaux – or “tippy toe” as some elementary kids call it – is a game we play a lot here at Dakar Academy. I wrote this last night in a notebook after having just finished playing and had the notion to write. I don’t know why I am posting it on my blog, but I thought it was appropriate.

               The words “petit poteaux” are French for “small goal.”It has a special court which has walls about 4ft high – which the guys (and some girls) can just fly over! The actual game is very similar to soccer. I don’t really know what the technical differences are since most of the time I have only played for fun. On any given night you will see students and staff members alike playing the game.

               So why am I talking about this? When I got back last night I started thinking about the role it has played in my life. We have not always had the court. It was built in 2003 soon after ICA became part of DA. For those of you who are unaware, ICA was a sister school in the Ivory Coast until they had to be evacuated due to civil war. When the court was first built, I was not excited. This ugly mass of concrete was another example of the ICA invasion. ICA had to evacuate in September 2002 and in doing so they brought 90 students to DA. That was a difficult year. I was not happy. I did not like the ICA people: they were too sporty, I thought they were snobs, and they just changed everything. Then my family went on furlough and I kind of became fine with everything. For the next two years after furlough I carried a resentment of the ICA-ers. Finally, my junior year, I had these AMAZING dorm parents – who were originally from ICA. But God had done a work in me and I told them about my resentment and asked their forgiveness. With their help I was able to do the same with other ICA people who were just as gracious to me as my dorm parents were.

               Once again, you are asking where I am going with this. The petit poteaux court was once a visual reminder of my resentment toward a group of people who did not deserve my treatment of them. But now it is a reminder of my thankfulness to God for bringing those people here. They are wonderful people who are here to further God’s Kingdom – wherever he places them. I am sure that first year was difficult for them, too, but many of them stayed. Those people have now been my friends, classmates, dorm sisters, mentors, teachers, dorm parents, and more I am sure. They brought music, petit poteaux, outreach campaigns, and God’s love. Sometimes, Satan gets hold me and I get frustrated when I hear them talk about ICA: “Remember how it was green” “Remember how many soccer fields we had” “Remember the cafeteria” “Remember we had grass on the field?”etc. But then I tell myself that if the same had happened to me, I would still be remembering DA (but not the grass on the field part, haha!). They loved ICA just as I love DA.

               So now petit poteaux has wonderful memories associated with it. My dorm first started playing it once a week in 9^th grade and continued until I graduated, and even till now. Those first two years of high school were not easy and I had 4 things I looked forward to: tutoring, mentoring, handbells, and petit poteaux. My junior year has exceptionally good memories associated with petit poteaux – two stand out. Frequently throughout the year we have sports tournaments, including a petit poteaux one. I was sitting in study hall one day when a senior came up to me and asked if I would play on his team. He was asking because he needed another player on his team but I was shocked and touched that he would ask me: shy, insecure, behind the scenes, non sporty, socially awkward/inept me. I was looking for something in my diary today and found out that I said no and he put my name on the list anyway. So I showed up. I ended up having a really good time and my team actually won the tournament! The other memory makes me smile and laugh when I think about it. If you know anything about me, you know I don’t like hugs - J - except for special occasions: when I haven’t seen you for at least two weeks, if I won’t see you for at least two weeks, if you’re a guy I feel comfortable around (I know, I didn’t need to put that in there, but I am not nothing if not blatantly honest!), and (this is a new rule) if I feel like it. So one night I was playing petit poteaux with my dorm sisters, dorm parents, and four “brothers,” just having a blast when all of a sudden one of my dorm sisters yells “OREO!!!!” In my head I’m thinking, “What??” Suddenly everyone is running toward me, my brothers tackle me to the ground and everyone else piles on top in a giant hug. (Big smile on my face as I write this :D) This is a memory I cherish. That they would plan “Operation Oreo” so that they could give me a hug, wow.

               So in the last two weeks I have played petit poteaux about 5 times, each lasting 1 ½ to 2 hours. At the end of each night, one of the other players (our librarian) says “Already?” Which is exactly what I am thinking: “Why (stop) so soon?” Each time has been so much fun. I hope I continue playing during the school year for several reasons. 1) It is fun! 2) It is better exercise than walking around the track for half an hour. 3) I get to be around people which, I know: shocker, I enjoy. 4) It is an easy way to socialize (I dislike small talk – like the kind after church – I prefer “big talk,” aka meaningful, deep talks). Related to 3, 5) it is not as lonely as walking around the track alone listening to music even I can get tired of. And many more reasons I am sure. I am thankful to the dorm parents who kindly let me join in their dorm’s weekly game last year. And I am thankful to the person who invited me to play the game two weeks ago when I was to shy to ask to join in.

               What is my conclusion? Even though I have several bruises, have never scored a goal, I smell at the end of a game, and sometimes my mediocre defensive skills fail and the other team scores, I love petit poteaux. Thank you, ICA, for this gift.

P.S. I would post a picture but my camera is missing. Word says this is approximately 1,200 words, so this is worth a little more than a picture.

P.P.S. If there were any ICA people who I did not ask forgiveness of 6 years ago, I do so now. Y’all are wonderful people and I am grateful to have you in my life. 

August Already??

August Edition

Hello Friends,

How are you? I hope this letter finds you well. Well, I skipped writing in July thinking that since we are out of school there is not a lot to pray about – that God is not at work anymore. Well, obviously, that is so not true! Almost as soon as I consciously (as opposed to procrastinating on writing it) made the decision to skip I realized that was a bad decision. So now it is the end of summer. And what a long summer it has been, too long. Thank you for your prayers about babysitting – opportunities did avail themselves and I had a great time with each of them.

-Mali runoff elections: Well, Mali finally held their presidential elections on July 28 with the result being that there would be runoff elections on August 11. So next Sunday when you think of politics or Mali or presidents or coups or hot weather or something else that might jog your memory, please pray for the elections. Pray that they will go smoothly and that the new leader will be able to help restore peace to Mali.

-My parents: Well, last year they planned that this year they would go back to Mali at the beginning of July – but God has different plans than we do. Then they thought they would go back at the end of July after the Mali elections in case of trouble caused by the elections. But Malian officials and God had different ideas for that. So now they are going back toward the end of August, Lord willing. For years my mom has had a dream of teaching at a small, American Christian school in Bamako that is similar to DA, but smaller. But with all the troubles in Mali the school decided not to reopen for this coming school year. Please pray for my mom as she seeks the Lord’s guidance in where and how she can serve him. There are many ministries in Bamako for her to get involved in, she just needs to learn which one God wants her in.

-Beginning of school: Well (I need to learn some new transition words, huh?), in just a week and a half school will be starting. In that period, at least 100 people will be flying in from all over the place and the new staff members will be having orientation. Senegal recently changed its Visa policy and created all kinds of chaos for many countries. The visa people did not give very good information about who needed a visa, whether our residency cards would be effective, or even how to get a visa. It has been a confusing summer in that regard and so far no one has been stopped from entering the country – but what could they really do, leave them out on the runway (You have to know our airport to understand that – it is basically just 5 large rooms plus VIP areas.)? Pray that everyone will be able to go through passport control successfully, that luggage will not be lost, and for safe travels. Pray also for the new staff who are arriving or have arrived, pray that they will adjust well to living here and being a part of the DA community.

I think that is all for now. These days I am enjoying the heat, the rain, not the humidity, having people return, meeting new people, and getting back into the routine of things. Have a great day.

Ruthanne