Rejoicing in Christmas

Since coming to Mozambique, this is the first Christmas that we don’t have something “extra special” planned.  This year there is no visitors or no trips.  This year it’s going to just be us, here at home.  We have a couple of boxes from family and friends in the states and a couple heading our way so we have something special.  But this Christmas looks so different.  No holiday gathers with family, no Christmas eve carol singing (We did ours here at the beginning of Dec when people are still around).  Yes, Christmas looks different this year. 

Since Christmas is my FAVORITE holiday I was feeling a little sad about not having more “excitement” planned.  Then the Lord spoke to my heart reminding me that Christmas is a time of rejoicing and being thankful.  Being thankful and rejoicing are a choice. It’s not based on what is happening or what is not happening; it’s a choice to rejoice no matter the circumstances.  So I choose to rejoice.

While I miss my family during this holiday season, I choose to rejoice and celebrate the friends that God has given me here.  While I will miss the snow this year, I choose to rejoice that the rain has come to quench this dry land.  The rains of life replenishing the ground so people can grow gardens and have food to eat.  So I will praise God for the rain.  While I will miss the “Christmas feel” the states offer, I will choose to rejoice in the fact that God is anywhere in the world.  While I will miss the beauty of everything done up in lights, I will treasure and rejoice in the Christmas projects my kids do and decorations in my living room. 

Alissa's Nativity that she made this year all by herself.

  Because Christmas is about Jesus, the best gift ever.  So I will rejoice in the greatest gift ever.  I will be thankful for my many blessings and rest in the fact that I know I’m exactly where God wants me right now. So I will rejoice in celebration of my Savior's birth, Christmas, this year.

School Day Fun

This year we are home schooling due to health concerns of our son.  While it's been an "interesting" adjustment and is a lot of work, there are days that we get to do really fun activities to add excitement to school.  Here are some pictures for recent school days.

Dress Up Day

Justin was suppose to dress up to represent a letter of the Alphabet.  Of course the girls wanted to join in the fun.

Justin: Court Jester

Alissa and Kayla: Princesses

Later Justin decided he wanted to be dress like a King.  He also wanted to show off his crystals that he made in this picture.

Cave Paintings

In Social Studies, we have been studying about people leaving their stories on the wall of caves for future generations.  The project called for acrylic paint, not something that is easy to find here.  But red dirt is all over.  So we mixed up red dirt and water and started our painting.

Starting to work on their "cave paintings" on crumpled paper bag

Painting different scenes from their life

Baseball Mozambique Style

I hear them playing outside.  This is what I saw.  It made me smile.

Sunday Evening Carol Sing

Well, the weather outside is frightful

And the heat is so spiteful

Since we have no place to go

Turn the air con way down low

Ok, so that is not exactly how the song goes, but well, here it’s hot.  With sweat a constant companion and one must constantly be drinking to stay hydrated, it’s hard for this Midwest girl to really believe that Christmas is just around the corner.  There are no signs in town yet of Christmas coming, although I’m sure soon there will be a few places with decorations. Yet, the calendar doesn't lie.  The calendar says that in just 14 days it will be Christmas.  So even though it’s hot and it just doesn't “feel” like the Christmas season, we have started playing Christmas music.  Hopefully this week our decorations will get put up.  We did have a very special treat last Sunday night at the English Fellowship.  It was a night of singing Christmas Carols.

   Conrad has agreed to lead the worship part to the English Fellowship service every week.  I usually help out some way, sometimes it’s playing violin and other times it’s running the power point.  It’s a way that we feel we can bless others. I remember the first Sunday here and being able to sing in my heart language (English) after spending 10 months worshiping only in Portuguese.  Tears flowed down my face.  The words were familiar and I could just worship without making sure I knew what was being said by translating everything in my head.  Recently, we heard of a young man between 10-12 ,who has asked his family to come every Sunday night so he could worship in the language of his heart too.   So we do believe it is filling a need here among the English speaking Christian community.  Since Conrad is in charge of music, we decided to do one night of carol singing this year.  Originally, the carol sing had been planned to be right before Christmas.  But since we wanted to have another missionary who plays piano join us, this last Sunday was the only Sunday this month that worked for both of us.  So we planned an evening of singing Christmas Carols with the Christmas Scriptures read amongst the songs.   I put up a few Christmas decorations to help “set” the mood inside the room.   It was such a special night as even in the heat, we could celebrate the birth of our Savior and the reason that we are all here.  Without Jesus’ birth, there would be no reason for me to be in Mozambique. 

   While the weather outside doesn't remind me of Christmas, Christmas is coming.  Christmas is a time of celebrating the birth of a child named Emmanuel that changed the world forever with His sacrifice on the cross 33 years later.  So even in the heat I will hang my Christmas lights, put up the tree, work with the kids on memorizing Luke 2, and be thankful that God was willing to send His only Son to the world to save me from my sins. 

As you entered the room

This was in the front.  Alissa helped put the decorations on the tree and set up the nativity.  She was soooo pleased with how it turned out.

Thanksgiving

While the calendar says that it’s Thanksgiving, I have a hard time really believing it here in Mozambique.  Here it’s hot and dry.  There are no signs of Thanksgiving.  No pretty napkins in the store, no corn candy to buy, no signs talking about it, no specials on turkey, yet the calendar still says it’s Thanksgiving. 

Celebrating a very “American” holiday in a culture that doesn’t is always a little interesting.  But as I look at this particular American holiday, I feel it’s important to pass on the art of being thankful.  No matter where you are living, you can still be thankful.  On Sunday night at the English Fellowship, we were reminded that being thankfully is not just an American idea due to a holiday.  But it’s all through the writings of Paul.  While we live in a culture that isn’t taught to express thanks to others, I will teach my children and practice it myself.  Why?  Because God instructs us to be thankful in all situations. (1 Thes. 5:18)   

So even though the weather was seasonably hot, culturally it’s not a holiday here, and there was not turkey for the meal, we gathered with a small group of friends and celebrated.  We did have some American treats though with stuffing, green beans with mushroom sauce, and pumpkin pie.   We even got to watch some American football, thanks to a previously recorded game and a projector.   It was a special day and I’m so thankful for the many blessings God has given me.

the kids' table

the fellowship

the location

the entertainment: American college football

the hosts

While the adults watched football, the kids had a great time playing outside.  The meal was hosted by a family living on the Wycliffe compound.

Justin enjoying the good climbing tree.

Playing in the fort that a number of missionary kids are helping to build.

It is very important that you sweep your dirt here as a way of keeping the place looking nice.  As I was walking back from the "fort", these sweeper marks in the dirt caught my attention.

Things I’m thankful for:

• Knowing that God loves and cares for us no matter where in the world we are
• An amazing husband that loves me just the way I am, even with all my uniqueness
• Our children that God has blessed us with
• Christian family in that states that bless us to serve here even though it’s a sacrifice for them too.
• Friends that are a special part of our life here in Mozambique
• That I’m part of something bigger than myself, I’m part of what God is doing in the world.  Since He is the creator, He also never makes a mistake and I can rest in Him.

Twists and Turns

This last week has had a number of times when we had faced twists and turns.  Let me share a few highlights from this last week.

On Monday, my “little” girl turned 8.  She was super excited to have a friend from school come over to play.  One of the things she misses the most about going to school is seeing her friends every day.  So the promise of having a friend over to play was a major reason for excitement.  She was up very early (before either parent was out of bed) and counting the hours.

   All morning the girls played happily together.  All seemed well with the world.  We had a lunch of pepperoni quesadillas (thanks to pepperoni shipped from someone in the states).  It was time for the cake.  I had made her a doll cake and like requested the dress was white and pink. 

I light the candles and started snapping pictures as we merrily sang “Happy Birthday”.   Somewhere around the second “Happy Birthday” I noticed something unusual in the viewfinder of my camera.  It appeared as if the hair of the doll was on fire.  Sure enough, the hair WAS on FIRE.  With some quick blowing, things were calm again.  I moved the offensive candle.  We relight the candles, sung again, and Alissa got to blow out her candles this time all by herself.

It was 4am.  My eyes are firmly shut as I was studying the inside of my eyelids.  I hear somewhere in the distance, “Mom, Mom.”  I shake my head trying to figure out what is going on.  I hear it again, “Mom”.  As I crack open my eyes, I see Alissa standing by the bed.  “What”, I croak.  “Mom, we lost of phase and I’m hot.  Can you help?”  “How do you know?” I ask still confused.  Alissa response with, “My fan isn’t working but the living room and bathroom lights are working, so we much have lost a phase.”  “Lost a phase” my mind searches for understanding.  Then it dawns on me.  The way our house is wired here we have three different phases of electric that enter the house all are suppose to be bringing in 220 volts.  When all three phases work, everything in the house works.  When we lose a phase, certain outlets and light will not work, but other parts of the house has electric.  I glace at our air-conditioning and sure enough it wasn’t working so that meant phase three was out.  I know that phase three also has the kid’s fans on them, which explained the "I’m hot."  I sleepily drag myself out of bed and head to the kid’s room, by this time Conrad is also awake.  We round up some extension cords, getting the fans running again.  From each bed we hear a small, “Thank you.”  And we head back to our room, rig up a fan so we can sleep a little longer.  With fans in place, we all get a few more hours of sleep.

Wednesday was election day here.  Due to some unrest that has been happening in the south of the country (very far from where we live), we had no idea what would happen.  We prayed for peace, had others praying, and trusted the One who is ultimately in control.  It was decided that we would stay at home that day.  So for us it turned into a work day.  We got the front porch painted, a faucet in the kitchen fixed, the first coat of paint on the doll house, some sorting, and a few other things done.  The day was peaceful and quiet.  While in our city, the voting will have to be done again due to errors on the ballot, I thank the Lord for bringing peace to us on a day that had so much potential for harm.

What the porch looked like before

The finished project

I would like to introduce you to the newest member of the family.  

Ok, so maybe it’s not a member of the family but it has made my life just a little bit easier.  Our electric situation here is not very good.  Each phase is supposed to have 220 volts but most times if we see 200, we feel it’s pretty good.  There are times when it dips even lower than 180. This fluctuation in electric is very hard on electric appliances, especially air-conditioners.  Our main air-conditioner has had to be fixed three times in the last month, all due to problems caused by the poor electricity.  Due to our son’s allergies to dust and mold, it’s important that we keep our house as dust free as possible.  Currently, we are in the dust season and the air is full of dust, so we have to use the air-conditioner to help lower the dust in the house.  Friday, Conrad was able to take a couple of hours and find this voltage regulator.  He then hooked it up to the phase that runs the air conditioners.  Up to this point if you had the air on you had to always be listening to the fan and if it started to make “bad” noises, you must run and shut it off and hope it hadn’t ruined anything.  Then you would wait a little and hope the electric was better and try turning it on again.  Since having the voltage regular installed, it has been such a huge blessing to not have to worry about the electric as it keeps the output at somewhere between 205 and 222 volts. Maybe someday we will get the whole house “regulated” but for now I’m so thankful for being able to use the phase three without worry.

As I reflect on the things that have happened this week, I see a thread over and over.  Life here takes flexibility.  Whether it’s a birthday cake fire, a phase of electric  going off, or unrest in the culture, flexibility is a must.  But through all the things that have happened, I see the hand of God caring for us and giving us peace.  As I thought about the voltage regulator, in some ways my God does the same for me.  Life here constantly is throwing us twists and turns.  Causing us to improvise and be flexible. But if our trust is in the Lord, He will keep things manageable.  The moment that I try to handle things by myself, life starts to fall apart.  But as I trust in my Lord, He is the one who will give me peace, flexibility, stability, and the ability to continue on with life.  But more importantly all twists and turns much first go through Him and He will NEVER give me more than I can handle.

A view from the cockpit of the 210 Conrad was flying.

Caterpillars

  I watched in amazement at the excitement my children displayed as they showed me the caterpillars they had collected at the Wycliffe base.  When I had first suggested that they consider taking a jar to collect caterpillars, they didn't think it sounded like a good idea.  But upon arrival at the Wycliffe base and learning how intriguing caterpillars could be, even my very girly girl was into collecting them. 

   We brought them home in a glass mason canning jar with a lid that had nail holes punched in it.  The children then went to work dividing them amongst themselves.  This is when my youngest got into the act.  In her excitement, she stepped on one of the poor creatures.  Oh the tears that flowed down the face of my little boy.  His little heart was just broken that one of the caterpillars had come to such an untimely end.    As his tears calmed, this sisters and him divided the remaining caterpillars.  The jars were lovingly stuffed with leaves and branches.  We spent the rest of the evening receiving updates on whose caterpillar seemed to be enjoying the leaves the most, whose caterpillar wasn't looking so well, whose caterpillar was crawling on the lid, etc.  The excitement filled the house.

   As I watched my children intrigued with the caterpillars, take ownership in the project, and delight in the creation of our Heavenly Father, my heart was touched.  In the craziness of being a mom, wife, home school teacher, correspondent with supporters, living in a country that is no mine own, etc, I had become tired.  In my weariness, I had forgotten to take pleasure in the little things.  I had forgotten to take time to see the world through the eyes of child.  I was no longer looking for the beauty and adventure of what life was bringing my way, but resigned to just putting one foot in front of the other. 

   As I thought about experience more, I came to the realization that this adventure with the caterpillars went so much better since the children had a jar ready to start the process when they got to the Wycliffe base.  Even so my Heavenly Father has equipped me for the adventure that He has me.  He has given me the “jar” that is needed.  But how do I respond to the adventure He has given me?  Am I too tired, to enjoy the little pleasures?  Am I too weary, to see His Hand guiding my path? Am I too discouraged, to hear His voice through my day?  Is my focus on the “normal” things, so I forget to listen for His voice and see Him in the unexpected?  Or am I embracing this adventure with the eyes of child?  Am I delighting in the new discovery, allowing myself to grieve over the heartbreaks, but be resilient to once again find a way to enjoy the excitement of life?  Do I trust my Heavenly Father enough to know that He has given me the “jar” that is need?

   So for tomorrow, I will try to take the time to see the world as an exciting place.  I will try to take time to pause, reflect, and enjoy the adventure of my life here.  I will try to effectively use the “jar” that I find in my hand.

Has the time for change come?  I'm looking at a way to easier upload pictures due to our internet here and not have to make tons of new picture folders on my comptuer.  So only time will tell if this is the right move or if the move should happen.

So who am I?

I'm married to a MAF pilot and live in Mozambique, Africa.