For my family and other interested friends:  I realized that I haven’t posted many pictures lately of the children, so here are some from the last month.  Enjoy!

2008 Harding/Abilene Interns

Well, I”m just finally coming down off of the incredible conversational and activity-filled internship with 11 Harding Students and one ACU student…enough to actually have time and presence of mind to write a blog post!  This summer was….I can’t find enough words.  Philosophically and spiritually stimulating, full of testosterone (8 of our interns were guys), deep at times, surfacy at times, crazy, and just spinning around and around and about me.  Ben nicknamed me Aunt Becky and a couple of the girls joined in.  I kind of liked it and I did feel like an aunt to many of them.  Over the past 5 days I’ve been helping get myself and 2 of my children and 1/2 of our interns down to the capital city to fly out while Dave had already left for a conference in Zambia and then making my way back to Kara via the Baptist hospital in Tsiko to have Elijah’s ear checked.  I was very thankful for the help of many of the interns and Dave Pritchett who rode with me and helped with the children and in the doctor’s offices (thanks Dave).  I’ve finally mostly caught up on sleep (I think) and have instituted Martial Law in my home…somehow my children weren’t ready to be back into any kind of a routine with any kind of responsibilities and have all been trying out attitudes on me.  (There won’t be much game cube time this weekend at our house!)  Things are better by this evening though and I’m still so thankful for God’s provision and the many people who were praying for me in the long 3 day trip to the south of the country and all of the driving.  And I’m thankful for God’s provision for Hannah and Gabriel here in Kara with Andrea (thank you, friend) and David in Zambia.  The Lord has been so gracious towards us! 

I could write many stories about this year’s intern group but I haven’t much energy left so for now I’ll just leave you with a picture.  May many of these young men and women grow to love and serve You in the ways and through the dreams you have placed in their hearts, Lord!

For a great short video of one of the neat things going on here in Kabiyeland, check out my friend Matt’s blog.  He and a one of the elders in the N’djei church are seen renouncing Satan and embracing the light of God’s faithfulness.  Something sweet that happened just the day after they publically made a stand against the powers of darkness is that the rains that have been so sparse in coming this year flooded!  The village elders had been asking people for weeks to make more sacrifices to bring the rains.  This was a witness to so many Kabiye people proving that God is in control and is not manipulated by the demands of the spirits for sacrifice.

If you haven’t checked out my husband, David’s blog recently please consider visiting to get an update on the progress of the well work that he is heading up here in Kabiyeland.  God is really blessing this ministry and I am enjoying watching David be a part of it!

This past Friday Hannah and I drove out to Lassa Tchou to help bring a baby who Christianne (one of the Christian ladies in the village) said needed to be brought into town to the hospital.  When we arrived the grandmother brought out the skinniest, weakest, most emmaciated baby I have ever seen.  I choked back an immediate reaction of tears at our first glimpse of this malnourished little human being.  Little 9 month old Jacque’s mother had died a week and a half before from unknown causes and he had eaten and drunk little over the last week.  It was obvious to me, however, that his malnourishment had begun long before her death.  Amazingly, he could still weakly grip with his fingers and his deep, needy eyes could focus on mine.

We drove the 15 or so minutes to the SOS hospital here in Kara.  A frustrating next few hours evolved as the lady in charge of admitting patients was busy for 20 minutes handing out cleaning supplies to the staff.  After I had to be pushy and force her to see his serious condition she began the process of checking him in.  After a very long time of asking a lot of questions about his past and history, directed at his grandmother and other male family member who had accompanied us, they tried to take blood in the laboratory.  He was so dehydrated that they couldn’t get any blood out, even from squeezing a prick on his finger.  They then proceeded to give him a concoction of vitamins and antibiotics.  3 1/2 hours after our arrival it was approaching lunch time and Hannah and I returned to the house to finish lunch preparations for our household and visitors, along with our houseworker and to bring some food up to the hospital for Christianne and Jacque’s grandmother and uncle.  As we were about to leave a little after 12:15pm Christianne arrived at our door to tell us that the little baby boy had died.  Our return to the hospital was to retrieve his body and take him back to the village.  Two of our summer interns, Dustin and Ben came with me along with our house helper, Aimme, and we drove back to the family’s compound where we had picked the baby up only a few hours earlier.  Neighbors were quiet and came into the courtyard area to give brief condolences to the grandmother and thank us for the effort in taking the baby to the hospital.  I asked Christianne if we could pray.  We asked the grandmother to come into the room with us and Aimee and I both prayed for the grandmother and for the older siblings of Jacque (who were at school) and for God to bring comfort in our sadness.  I cried all through my prayer in Kabiye, which is very counter-cultural, but instead of stuffing my emotions I felt as though they were a better witness to God’s love as Jesus wept at the death of his friend, Lazarus. 

The sadness and compassion that I felt that morning sent shudders and burning sensations through my body as I was near him.  I will not soon forget the eyes of this small baby boy.  He probably was HIV positive, he had been neglected at least in the last week if not for weeks or months before, he was completely helpless and so very in need of someone to save him.  All of this was present in his gaze that could only focus for seconds at a time.  I know without a doubt that I will see him someday at the end of time, and I look forward with much hope to hearing him testify to the words about Jesus in Psalm 72:12-14

“For he will deliver the needy when he cries for help, the afflicted also and him who has no helper.  He will have compassion on the poor and needy, and the lives of the needy he will save.  He will rescue their life from oppression and violence; and their blood will be precious in his sight…” 

Please pray for the Christians in the village of Lassa Tchou as they seek ways to bless the family of this little boy and his mother who have died.  May they find that Jesus is the answer to all of the unanswered questions of their hearts and may they find life in Him.

Our wedding anniversary is June 4th.  I can’t help but smile from deep inside as I think back over the 14 full and beautiful years that David and I have been married.  Any of you who know me know that I’m a pretty big sap when it comes to romance and this state of happy bliss being married to an incredible man who loves God and loves me is a blessing that I do not deserve and still find hard to believe that God has been so sweet to me to give me David. 

These years have been full.  These years have been hard.  These years have been beautiful.  These years have been everything and more, which is what Dave promised he would give me, by God’s grace, when he asked me to marry him.  I love that God is glorified mysteriously through our union and that even when my emotions drift away or I find myself not fully engaged with him, that God’s Spirit within me anchors me to my dear husband and I find abiding satisfaction that somehow our marriage speaks mysteries about Christ and the church to the world and to all who watch in the spiritual realms.  We are a part of one another and have been a part of the creation of the lives of each of our children. And we are a part of the biggest and most glorious union of Jesus with His bride, as we somehow model it to all who see. 

 It is no epiphany to me that Satan attacks marriages because they display the splendor of God and his union with his bride…Even when we don’t feel satisfied and have our needs met, even when times feel so hard that we think we could just use a break, even when we wonder if things had just been a little different….Even then God is being glorified in the oneness of a marriage.  I think especially then, He is being glorified. 

I am so thankful for the times of bliss and ease and sunny days with butterflies, flowers, and soft music from the birds in marriage.  They come and they go and they come again.  And the blustery stormy days come and go and come again.  And they all bring glory to God if we stay one together.  I love that no stormy or beautiful day is exactly the same as the one before.   Still new things to discover…still new things to enjoy…still new ways to grow…still new wonder to behold.  Thank you, God, for David.  How I love him…

“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.  This is a profound mystery-but I am talking about Christ and the church.”  Ephesians 5:31-32

I guess I’ve been putting off writing this post and as I begin I’m not so sure I want to write this!  Emotions flood and information sends my brain into overload.  How can I do justice to the years of friendship and togetherness that I’ve shared with the Ries family in a blog post?  The obvious answer is that I can only scratch the surface of what I love and will miss about my dear friends.  My hurt is driven deeper as I watch the mourning of my children for their close friends.  I’m a little surprised that this profound feeling of hurt in myself on behalf of them is present.  With every family who has left the field from our team the shock seems a little less, but I guess the feeling of deep loss will not just simply cease to exist as we learn to accept the way our lives are full of so many hellos and goodbyes.

I, for one, miss them already.  I guess I thought it would take time to sink in….but it hasn’t.  It doesn’t feel like they’re just on furlough.  It feels final and I feel sad.  However, in my attempt to bounce back into my “half-full cup” bent I want to focus on just a very few of the many things I have enjoyed and loved about living in such tight community and life with the Ries family.  (At this point I feel tempted to try to explain to any readers who haven’t lived as we have how so very very interconnected on practically every level our lives have been for over a decade.  But I will save that discussion for another post someday.  Suffice it to say that I know each of them more deeply than I can describe without a lot more words.)

What I will miss experiencing in daily life with Bryan:  consistency, diplomacy, steady undercurrent of conviction and passion, the remote possibility that he might turn into handicapped Bryan, emotional Bryan, dancing Bryan, or Esowedeu (his alter Kabiye ego), logically  and insightfully thought out (while talking, which I love) conclusions in spiritual discussions, witnessing steady support for Tracey, his loyal and accepting friendship with David, his desire to use things well and long past the time most others would, stewardship, consistent work ethic, a heart that wants to please God

What I will miss experiencing in daily life with Isaac:  his new interest in me as a person, his loud “Come on guys!” to whomever will follow him, his spaciness when he’s thinking about something else besides what’s going on around him, witnessing his budding faith as He has decided to be a life-time follower of Jesus, his asking “right?” after most statements, his shy, wide smile when you pay him a complement

What I will miss experiencing in daily life with Graham:  His deep whole-hearted laugh, his delight in Elijah, his persevering effort, his ability to laugh at his mistakes, his strong conviction about spiritual truths, his pure, deep love for God and righteousness

What I will miss experiencing in daily life with Owen:  His sweet charming side, watching him run as fast as lightening around the school house,  hearing him shout Gabe’s name over and over at the same moment Gabe is shouting Owen’s name over and over as they’re trying to get the other one to listen to them  (it makes me laugh every time!), Owen asking me to open his fan yogo in preschool, (even if I’d already started, he still wanted to say the words every day)  Watching his quiet creeping smile when he thinks something is funny or entertaining, watching him get “outfitted” with his swords or lightsabers, or gloves, or guns for whatever he is about to play

What I will miss experiencing in daily life with Tracey, dear friend:  watching her get in there with her kids and playing hard with them, talking about clothes or makeup or hair, seeing her beautiful smile towards others or me, talking to one another without words with only a glance, being asked things so directly, talking about things and getting down quickly to the black and white and nitty-gritty of the issue, sitting on the school porch watching our kids run and tumble at recess, deep conversations that change me forever, confided in and confiding in with such a long history of trust, easy invitation and participation in any part of her life, shocking statements now and then that make me laugh, depth of conviction that comes out in everything, laughing at one another without threatening the other, reassurances that the other is doing well and that we are beautiful and whole and wonderful in Christ, watching a life continue to be conformed to Christ’s image on every level, never leaving a stone unturned, being inspired…I miss you dear sister and friend. 

That heaven is not far off…only at the end of this breath that is my life…in this only can I rejoice.  All hellos.  No more goodbyes.  Finally perfected.  Together with the Lord forever.  May our life breaths become ever sweeter aromas to the Lord as we live out our years, dear friends.  How I love you!  Until we meet in community again…

My 3rd child keeps me grinning throughout the day and often gives me much reason to laugh.  Here are just a few of the things I’ve written down over the past couple of weeks that have kept me laughing:

Gabe to his buddy Owen: “Owen, I found a part of my body and I took it off.  See?  It kind of didn’t really hurt.”  (about a dried piece of skin on the sole of his foot he had just peeled off!)

“Mom, I really like this bikini bread!”  with a chuckle “It’s called zucchini bread, Gabe.”  “Oh yeah!  Can I have another piece of bikini bread?”

Me: “Gabe what do you want to be when you grow up?”  Gabe:  “A daddy.”  Me:  “Oh, that’s sweet!  But what do you want to DO when you grow up?”  Gabe:  “Have kids.”  Me:  “But what will your job be?”  Gabe:  “A dishwasher….at night!  I’ll make lots of money and play with my kids in the morning.”

Gabe:  “Mom, when will it be time for launch?”  Me (with puzzled expression)  “What did you say honey?”  Gabe:  “When will it be time for launch?  I’m hungry!!”  Me:  “Do you mean lunch?”  Gabe:  (giggling)  “Oh yeah!!!  LUNCH!”

Gabe as he is trying to play quietly with a hot wheels car in church on Sunday morning, “Hey mom!” in a whisper.  “I really like this hot wheels car because when I try to make it stop it skittles.”  (I think he meant skids!)

I got this idea from my friend Mike Miller.  I love names so this is WAY fun to me!  (I left the stripper name out because even though I’m not offended, I think I might offend someone else.)  Here it goes:

YOUR ROCK STAR NAME (first pet, current car):
Pepper Land Cruiser

YOUR GANGSTA NAME (fave ice cream flavor, favorite type of shoe):
Mint Chocolate Chip Teva

YOUR NATIVE AMERICAN NAME (favorite color, favorite animal):
Blue Dog

YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME (middle name, city where you were born):
Diane Puyallup

YOUR STAR WARS NAME (the first three letters of your last name, first two of your first name):
Ree Re

SUPERHERO NAME (2nd favorite color, favorite drink):
Red Lemonade

NASCAR NAME (the first names of your grandfathers):
Dale Emmett

TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME (your fifth grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter):
Mary Anne Minneapolis

CARTOON NAME (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now):
Apple Purple Shirt

HIPPIE NAME (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree):
Toast Eucalyptus

How about you?

When I take a step outside my life it seems that there is a constant colliding of worlds.  But inside this life it is simply my world…a third world or third culture, to be more semantically articulate.  Here’s a slice of the last 4 weeks of my life combining:  Family, Kabiye Ministry, Team, Kabiye Church, and School.

Family:  We celebrated the passover together as an annual family tradition

Kabiye Ministry:  Dave has been digging wells in the villages of Kacaade and Lassa Tchou.  They have begun their 5th test well this week.  I have been teaching from the book of John on Thursday mornings and two of the women leaders in two different village churches (Christianne and Mazalo) have been coming to town to study.  Last Thursday the mother of the children that had been neglected and abused (click here for what was happening a year ago) came, too, and I watched Christianne and Mazalo encourage and minister to her.  It was a beautiful thing to witness.

Team:  Hannah hosted a friendship tea party at our house.  The next week I went with the team ladies to the capitol city of Lome’ to celebrate a farewell trip for my dear friend, Tracey.

School:  For the end of the year we had an open house night one week and then a couple of weeks later celebrated the last day of school with a team disco.  All of our team kids dressed up in their fancy clothes and we had some great celebration time!

Kabiye Church:  This past Sunday the village of Soumdina Po Wayi dedicated their new church building and we had a wonderful worship time and meal together.  Some of our boys enjoyed playing soccer while they waited for worship time to start.

Yes, my “worlds” collide, but I love this life and its flavor.  This is what makes me feel “different” sometimes.  My culture isn’t only American or only Kabiye.  I live in and out of both worlds and what results is a life that is sometimes difficult to explain.  My family and teammates and I truly live in a third culture.  I think my children feel this even more acutely than David and I do since they are raised in this in between world.  As one of our professors told us in our missions preparation classes before we ever left for Togo, “Right now you are American.  You are ‘blue’.  When you get to your mission field those people will be ‘yellow’.  For awhile you’ll still be blue and then try to become yellow, but one day you’ll look in the mirror and realize you’re ‘green’ and you’ll never go back to blue.”  I’ve found this to be true and I am thankful that God has called us to be green, though it isn’t always simple being a different “color”.