Showing posts with label home. Show all posts
Showing posts with label home. Show all posts

Sunday, 18 May 2014

One of Them

The people who help you up
And the people who hug you till your tears are dry
Are the people who feel you -
The people who burned with you when the match was struck;


People who are burned already.

The truth is that ache is unavoidable,
But ache is what gives us power.
When you’ve fallen, you haven’t lost;
Not nearly as much as you’ve gained.
Those who fall are those who will fall over and over again
Everyday with their friends who suffer beside them.

Yes – everyday.
Every friend who feels the repercussions of divorce,
Every soul that wastes away slowly under the increasing pressure of depression,
Every child who’s been left without a mother,
Every mother left without her child,
Everyday and everyone.
The tears of an angel harvested
By the man who promised her the stars,
The sweat of a child, terrified
Of the sound beating he knows is coming,
The sleepless weeks of a mother
Who misses the son she lost to tragedy,
The dark circles on a good heart
Whose hands are tied as they watch their house fall.
You know them all -
And all of them personally.
You know their ache and the sound of their breath
When it hitches, even though they’re too tired to cry.
You remember and you feel it -
Like the slit never healed,
Like the devil never left,
Like the shadows never fled,
Like the coffin never closed,
Like the bruise never changed,
Like words are still ringing,
Like the blow is still stinging,
Like the orphan is still waiting,
And the gates are still locked shut.

But every time you fall with them
(And fall with them again and again),
You remember;
Cuts do close!
The devil grows tired.
The sun chases the darkness over the far, far horizon.
You can silence the words.
There are good people in the world
Who will come and save us from abandonment ,
Who come and lift us from tragedy,
Who can feel with us and breathe with us and pray with us
Until the locks fall and the gates crumble -
And you remember,
You are one of them now.

Wednesday, 19 March 2014

The Ultimate Care Package Guide


This post is for those who want to know what to send to missionaries or other people overseas whom they support... or, possibly, for the many people who will wonder why my family is bringing 114,612 bags back to Africa with us when we go. I mean, more or less that amount. 

The truth is, my family is hoarding for their next two years in Namibia, where they will be isolated from all the little luxurious things that the average American takes for granted; not us, guys. Here is a list of the many little American things that we treasure like Gollum and his juicy, sweet fish. (Oh, sorry ... a little too creepy?)

This is not me begging for anything -I promise. In fact, our family has enough, thanks to the provision of God - I'm trying to encourage readers who aren't quite sure how to bless people that they know overseas.


Candy from passport country 


Americans overseas love to receive Twizzlers, Skittles, M&M's and just about anything involving peanut butter or chocolate from back home. If the people you support are from countries other than the States, I'm sure their cravings will be much different, but those who sorely miss The Land of the Fat (also known as these-here United States of 'Murrica) would love for you to send them a carefully wrapped and taped package of glucose, carbs and cocoa madness. Please do.


Specialty foods 

Learn their health issues - is anyone in their family or on their team sugar-free, gluten-free, or otherwise on a special diet? (Our family, for example, appreciates gluten-free or corn-free mixes or pasta.) Small packages of dry things don't cost too much to send and are more easily preserved. If you need any further help thinking of things to send, consider bags of light-weight sugar-free candy, gluten-free brownie mix, milk or egg substitutes, protein powder, artificial sweeteners or even medicine they might need.


(Instant) Tea or coffee 

This one is especially for Starbucks fans, but the honest truth is that you can find lovers of tea, coffee or hot chocolate in any culture/ country of the world. It's safe to assume that the person you are sending this care package to will enjoy some kind of instant drink. Also, tea bags are really light and easy to send. Boom! Everybody wins.


School Supplies 

In case the family you support has not begged you for school supplies yet, here you go; they most likely want - no, strongly covet the school supplies you are about to send them. For those people across the globe working with children, pretty pencils, some Elmer's graft glue, colored paper, stickers and coloring books may very well sound like heaven. They probably wonder where all their erasers and pencil sharpeners have disappeared to and would love for you to save them from an eraser-less-pencil-sharpener-less fate. Please, have some compassion on the tired teachers and missionaries across the world.


Kid's movies 

Any kind of family friendly entertainment will likely do the trick, actually - particularly family films, educational shows or, generally, any entertainment with a wholesome message. Think Frozen, Barney, Narnia, Meet the Robinsons, etc. You might also send ministry movies (even if they're generally for an older audience) to help them further their cause; To Save A Life, Veggie Tales, Indescribable, the Jesus Film - ask the missionaries about their audience and what they could use for their ministry.


Letters

A  letter from an old friend I haven't seen in ages? Ooooh, please, yes. This is just as good as anything else you could send. You never know who may need a word of encouragement or a reminder that their friends haven't forgotten them! Send a little love.


Spontaneous Items

 Think of unique, mail-able things that could brighten anyone's day. Even if it's from the Dollar Store, it could be an incredible blessing to the people you support. Think fun sticker sheets, glow sticks, tubes of glitter, card games, magazines, silly putty, yarn, chewing gum - if you include bubble wrap, then hey! Some of us consider that a gift in and of itself.






Thursday, 30 January 2014

My Africa

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNBFzqC6k3lqAjW8ta1uicNFkq3eYmUTcjIQqle9KNnAJJ4z6AqTarEco1QlsWB1nwfgpqeGUojx8vJL5taPUU320zG9mAxbMYofFYb9T6yQBpRKmzVsDWHA4ELG2sTB2UtR-cZ1k_QUc/s1600/My+Africa.jpg




 I found this poetic and real. It's a good description of the place I miss! This isn't much of a blog post, but I don't think I need to add anything else.

Originally from this website:  http://www.afrostylemag.com/ASM9/

Thursday, 20 June 2013

The Question

As of today (Thursday) we have a week and four days till we leave Otjiwarongo. Our trip back to America starts July 1st (driving to the capital, then spending the night there) then arriving at Dulles on July 3rd. My room is a wreck of half-packed clothes, makeup and miscellaneous items. Anyone want a denim Bible case? A pair of size 3 [US s6] heels? A box of random craft stuff I've never found the time to use?

A week and four days.
AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAHAHAHAHAAAAHH!!!!!! OH MY GOODNESS.

This is the weird part where I say good bye to people in Africa (who have become my entire teen-hood) and say 'See you next year!' and go back to the people that, in a certain way, I left behind with my childhood (not that I've forgotten you - I love you, my Americaners!) - this is the part where I see what remains of the friendships I've been (not-so-diligently) keeping alive through letters and Facebook since I was twelve years old. For those who don't know, we're going on six years since we moved to Africa.

Returning to our old churches, Co-ops, dance classes and Youth Groups, we'll likely face warm welcomes and bear hugs. On sabbatical, like any other missionary, we'll go to friends' houses, "need-to-catch-up" meetings at restaurants and visit our supporters' Churches. The missionary goes from volunteer work in hospitals, schools and growing churches on the mission field to suddenly adopting the job of 'Nomadic Socialite' on their trip to the Motherland. Yep. My job (and that of my parents) is to talk to people.

Oddly, in the middle of that, I will likely face the Alien-sensation; take that however you want. The MK (oooor military brat, exchange student, immigrant, etc.) who faces their childhood home again will probably find it odd to be back ... and feel like the world has moved on without them. And depending on how different their other culture is, they may also feel like they have a third eyeball growing in the middle of their head.

 It's great to have friends greet you with enthusiasm and ask you questions about your life in Africa (or wherever). Even better is the look on their faces when you speak as fast as you can in some crazy foreign language that they've never even heard the name of. All that is fine and dandy - in fact, most of the above mentioned are pleasures enjoyed solely by Third-Culture-Kids.

But there's something huge missing. Let's return to the phrase above - which, by the way, I completely made up - Alien-sensation. I remember how I felt like a foreigner in my own country. Yep. I said it. I was surrounded by friendly people, but down in my spirit I knew very well that I didn't belong. My clothing, the things I said, and my social awkwardness didn't help me much. (This second-go-'round, I think I'll be better at all of that.)

But something else separates the American-African that isolates them in a crowd of Westerners. Honestly, there are emotions and situations that very few single-culture people understand - this can lead to a deep loneliness in those separated from their mission field. (Interestingly, studies have shown that MK's from completely different countries tend to feel at home in each other's presence. We share 'the commonality of our differences'.)


 Of course, the loneliness is not the worst of it! There's one thing ... one terrible, awkward, heart-wrenching question that Americans and other Western non-travelling citizens use to terrorize their poor, victimized missionaries on a regular basis. And by a regular basis, I mean just about every single day. *deep breath*  (I can hardly type it).



                                                How's.        Africa.



That's it. Just plain ol' 'Hey, how's Africa?' from a friend or relative is destructive to the Missionary's view of said person. You have lost about ten brownie points. Did your I.Q. level just drop? Did you just get 3 inches shorter? Now that I think of it, you kind of smell. And your brow is protruding ominously over your eyes.


I'm just kidding. I started that paragraph trying to make a point, but then I couldn't stop my nasty facetious personality from taking control of the keyboard. Do understand, there's no one I look down on that much. Especially not someone who unknowingly walked into the Danger Zone of a sarcastic, talkative, I-know-everything redhead. Really though, roughly half of the MK's in Africa you'll come across will be annoyed by this question. And practically all of the ones I talked to found the question very hard to answer.

My response is usually a smile with a connotative 'All kinds of stuff. How's the continent of North America been lately?'



The Part II of this post is coming up where I will provide solutions for the problem I have brought up. Mean while, do refrain from asking the question.


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