And just in case I forgot that I live in Africa...

     Life at Sakeji has it's very Africa moments...sometimes they are few and far between...or either they just become normal, and the novelty of living in Africa wears off...who knows?

     This week however reminded me very much of that fact that I actually do live in Africa. 

     Apparently a man in the Congo is stocking his game park with animals from South Africa, and recently one of his lions escaped. It has been leaving a trail of killed cattle, goats, and chickens from the Congo to this area! A couple of days ago it was seen by one of the local men that works at Sakeji! For a day or two we tried to be very careful of letting kids wander too far, and I do admit that walking anywhere at night did make me a little nervous. 

     Last we heard though, the lion has been continuing to move south east, away from Sakeji and Ikelenge. While I'm happy to hear that it's moved away, a small part of me would have liked to be able to have seen it!  Please pray that this lion is caught soon, and that no one gets hurt in the process. 

Getting a parent's perspective

     I'm not a parent, but every once in a while I experience some perspectives and emotions of being a parent. Like today for example when I told my class that they needed to study their spelling words after they'd completed their math, as their spelling test was to take place in the following class period. After a few minutes the room grew a little noisy, and I called for everyone's attention, one little boy though was too engrossed in his "studying" to notice. Upon farther inspection I realized the reason why he was so engrossed was because he had cleverly hidden a story book inside of his spelling book, so as to look like he was studying while meanwhile he was reading. I didn't exactly know what to say at first, and decided to hold all punishments and discussions off until the end of the period when I could dismiss the other kids for tea.

     After the looking at his spelling test, I noticed that he had made some spelling errors...so maybe the studying before the test might have actually helped him. I told him that the reason I was upset with him was because he not only disobeyed me by not studying, but that he was deceiving me by his actions, and on top of that he didn't even do so well on his test. As I said all this, several big tears started to fall down his cheeks, and I nearly began to cry myself! He had to be punished for his actions, and although it made me really sad, I know that the life lesson and character building is well worth it. 

     Wow...it made me feel like such a parent, and it made me realize in a tiny way how God feels when I disobey Him, try to deceive Him, and then end up making errors and reaping poor consequences! How grateful I am for Hebrews 12:5-11. God disciplines those He loves, and He disciplines us so that we might be more like Him, and more holy! 

Learning to Die

     A very dear friend of mine wrote me the following in an email recently. It made a difference in my heart, and I'd like to share it, with the hope that it would do the same in yours. 

...lately the Lord has been dealing with me in the area of dying to myself. Sometimes when I find myself struggling with the same old sins again and again, I have the tendency to dismiss it. "Oh, that's my thorn in the flesh!" Do you ever do that? Recently though, it seems like He's telling me, the reason I still struggle is because I am still too alive. When I die, then will I live. It is a hard thing to lay down on the altar and see the knife ready to come down on you. God spared Isaac. He did not spare His own Son. Just because the punishment has been paid for me on the cross for my sins does not mean that He will spare my death either. Not because it is the recompense for sin, or that it does anything for my spiritual destiny, but because it is only after I have died that I can have true life. Still, it is scary, because it is more than letting go of things. It is complete and total death to them. I want it though. I want it so deeply. But still, I am scared. Thank God that He is patient and merciful and kind. It reminds me of that Keith Green song where he says, "Help me, O help me, please help me, my Jesus. Save me from sins that I thought were all gone. Kill me with kindness and break through my blindness. I know 'til I'm dead, I can never live on."

Back to School

Today was the first day of classes, and for me at least, it was a very good and smooth first day back. 

Although the kids would deny it, they seem to be very happy to be back at school. :)

Here we come third term!

2nd Grade Class

3rd Grade Class

Meet my newest roommate, Jessica

Do We Remember?

Do we remember that horrible day

Where in one moment thousands were whisked away?

Do we remember the shock and the fear

And the realization that our end could be near?

Do we remember the tears that we cried

When we found out the amount of people who died?

Do we remember those who gave their lives

And stood up for a cause which never dies?

Do we remember the things we all learned

And when faced with a nightmare to Whom we all turned?

Do we remember to honor the brave

The heroes who fought for their country to save?

Do we remember, has it sunk in yet

Do we live any different, or did we forget?

A Good Reminder

     Third term is fast approaching, this morning we had teachers' meeting, and tomorrow will be the staff meeting. It is good to be getting back into the school side of things. 

     In the meeting this morning, Phil, the head teacher, gave a little devotion from 2 Corinthians 9:6-8, and 13. 

     "6 But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work." "13...while, through the proof of this ministry, they glorify God for the obedience of your confession to the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal sharing with all men..." (NKJV)

     He talked about how easy it is to reap sparingly due to tiredness and such, and how by sowing sparingly with the kids we will also reap sparingly with them. Each term that we have them is another opportunity to sow in their lives, and as each term ends, with that so do some of our opportunities. By going all out and sowing bountifully I am not only sowing seeds in my own life, but also in all of the lives of my students, fellow teachers, and everyone else around me. 

     Vs. 7 tells us to give cheerfully...so often that could mean money or material things, but here giving cheerfully of my time. Being always ready to spend my time with others, putting their needs and time concerns above my own. 

     And such a great reminder in vs. 8 "God is able"....He alone can give me the grace that I need to serve and deal correctly with all those around me, again, not only my students (with whom I definitely need God's grace to deal with properly), but also my roommates, fellow teachers, and everyone I am in contact with. In the same way, He alone can give everyone else the grace needed to deal with me! :)

     And as always, the whole purpose and reason behind all of this is given in vs. 13 "they glorify God". Wow! How incredible would that be if my actions and sacrifices would end up giving God glory! May that be the end result of my life....and may I finish out this third term with as much of a burden to live this out as I hope to begin it! 

My Blue Prince

     Somewhere around four years ago I was learning Spanish in Mexico, and I learned the phrase for "Prince Charming" which is "Principe Azul" (directly translated "Blue Prince"). Around the same time I also did what most silly girls do and wrote a list of what I wanted in my future husband, my Prince Charming, or my Principe Azul. 

      It's a pretty long list, pretty detailed, and pretty specific, and it is titled "This is the Man I'm Waiting For, Mi Principe Azul". Little did I know at the time that four years later my prince was really going to be blue, Chris Blue in fact. 

       You may be asking, "How is that going to work with you in Africa and him in college??" The answer is simply, God's gotten us this far, all we have to do is stay focused on Him and He'll work out the rest. He's such a good God!

Christmas in September!

     Today was a mini Christmas as I received my first box off of the container! For those of you who don't know what I mean (because I didn't know before I came out here) let me explain. 

     Twice a year several generous churches back in Canada ship containers full of dry goods in boxes for the missionaries  here. Since I'm fairly new out here and an American I wasn't ever expecting to receive a box...but today I got the best box ever packed by my old roommate, Sarah Peat! 

     It was full of goodies, homey things, inside jokes from living together, and things that I needed, and I was almost in tears as I opened it! This one box packed by someone who knows me so well and knows the things that will make me laugh and cry is better than fifty boxes of anything else! 

    So, thanks for making my day Sarah! God bless you! :)