June 16, 2006

• Some of you had problems with the bus question.  This, of course would be an American bus, so the driver would sit on the left side front.  The doors are opposite the driver at the right side front.  Preschoolers are always fascinated by school buses, and they can not wait to ride one.  (As a former student who rode buses for 12 years -- and then was blessed to ride "yellow dogs" ten billion miles to and from extracurricular events all during that time as well as for the next 30 years of my high school education, I guarantee those of you who have not had this pleasure that the allure of the school bus is oh-so-fleeting, and it fades faster than Roberto Duran during his "No mas" match...

  
  

  It is amazing, isn't it, how attentive we are to things that fascinate us -- but how jaded we become when the fascination lessens?  All of us have seen school buses a million times during our lifetimes, but they become so commonplace that we really don't remember any of their key details and most of us that answered the pre-school question had to really think about the question, whereas the pre-schoolers readily knew the answer.

  
  

  Several years ago, Lorena and I were talking to a Muslim friend who was describing the intricacies of her marriage arranged by her father and her husband's father.  She had never even met her husband until the wedding.  Lorena and I both voiced our personal reservations about (and even disagreements with) arranged marriages.  The friend looked at us as if we were crazy and said, "We had not known each other before we got married, so we had to work really hard to make our marriage work.  You Americans spend so much time and energy and money on the chase, on getting to know your spouse -- and then you don't spend any time on making the marriage work!!!  Then you get divorced, and you hurt the children.  Which way is crazier?"

  
  

  In far too many ways, I took Lorena for granted.  I dedicated myself to much to school, to "making a living for us", to my other interests, to others.  I "recognized" Lorena, but I did not remember the things that fascinated me about her, that made me want to spend my life with her.  I made a good living for her, I never was unfaithful to her, I knew I always wanted to be with her, but I did not revel in every moment with her as I should have.  I am ashamed of how much I took her for granted.  We were always going to really start seeing and doing (i.e. living) when she finished her schooling.  Then this happened.  I "recognized" Lorena, but I realize now that all too often I did not realize which direction she was going...  I am sorry, Lore.  That is another reason you must work hard and get well.  I have much atoning to do...

  
  

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  I received an update from K, my exstudent, Lorena's and my friend, and my hero, that I am going to post on here.  For her protection, I have eliminated some names of people and places, but I would ask that you pray for K and her mission.

  
  

  Oh, the sounds of Africa...

  
  

  I go to sleep with the screeches of the donkeys which live in front of our house. It sounds like something is dying. There is usually some sort of rhythmic thumping coming from somewhere in town as the women pound the grain they use in almost every meal. Several times a day the Muslim call to prayer echoes out from the mosque, a personal reminder of my own call to pray for these beautiful people. Music blares out from an abandoned house next to ours where the local teens meet to dance--the sounds of “Barbie Girl” and Cher’s “Believe” intermixed with African pop music and reggae. The little children who call out to us “toobaboo” (the word for foreigner) as we walk down the street, as though we needed the reminder. And my personal favorite-- the occasional thumping of a few djembes (drums) that, to me, embody what Africa is supposed to sound like...

  
  

   

  
  

  Answers to prayer:

  
  

  ~ a friend from our people group who has been a constant companion and taken us under her wing in helping us adjust to the culture

  
  

  ~ the last few weeks of successful language lessons (it’s slow going, but at least its still moving…)

  
  

  ~ that both of us have maintained our sense of humor towards some of the less than humorous situations

  
  

  ~ our cell phone works! Both of us have been able to speak to our parents from our house.

  
  

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  Please pray for…

  
  

  ~ the Lord to show us what village we should live in (we hope to be living in the village in a few weeks)

  
  

  ~ rapid language learning and eagerness to study (blah)

  
  

  ~ God to go before us and lead us to those who will help us tell the stories

  
  

  ~ open hearts and lives of the people to hear and believe God’s voice

  
  

   

  
  

  Though there is a church service in our town that we can attend, it is in the trade language, and we have not wandered over there yet. So for now our church consists of the two of us and our friend, who I have decided to call Sarah, and who it seems feels the need to join us every week though she speaks no English. We set aside time every Sunday for us to sing praises to God together and to pray together. One of us tells a story from God’s Word and we discuss between the two of us what God is saying to us through it and how we can obey. All the while she sits with us, watching us as we sing to God and pray and talk about His Word.

  
  

  We cannot tell her yet how Jesus turned a small snack into enough food for 5000 men or that He is the Bread of Life and the Living Water. We cannot explain to her why it was far greater for Mary to sit at Jesus’ feet than for all of Martha’s worrying and busyness.

  
  

  But she hears us as we sing to Allah (God), and she has joined us as we thank Him for the food we eat, and she has watched us as we pray in Jesus’ name and try to live like Him everyday.

  
  

  Pray for Sarah and our other new friends who have not heard yet what we want to share with them. Pray that they will see in us what we don’t know how to say yet. Pray that God will speak to Sarah and explain to her some of the things she sees in our lives and make her hungry to know more.

  
  

   

  
  

   Thank you all for your prayers and your support.  Lorena's miracle continues.  To God be the glory!!!

  • 1:36 pm
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