flotsam and jetsam

I was reminded of a beautiful passage in Isaiah in which God says, "I will also hold you by the hand..." I decided to look for His hand in mine this week. And I was strengthened by all the His-hand-in-mine moments I discovered along the way.

• This week was full of heart-connecting conversations with our interns. Humbling and strengthening all at the same time.

• Thursday mornings are so good for me; my missions class is the highlight of my week. This week we spent over 30 minutes digging into the rich truths of Micah 6:8. 30 minutes on one verse, with ferocious note-taking and lively discussion---it was fantastic.

• Someone I've never met emailed and said, "Keep on writing...you're a very good writer."

• A friend asked me to send her some prayer requests so she can continue being a "rope holder" for me. Months ago she'd written and reminded me of how Paul's life was saved because some people helped him escape danger by lowering him in a basket through a wall. The people who held the ropes to let him down to safety made a huge difference in Paul's life and ministry. My friend offered to "hold the rope" for me by standing with me in prayer for personal needs. Her email this week reiterating that meant a lot to me.

• I received a package in the mail from a friend. It had two flavors of Vitamin Water for me to try out (and it's the best thing I've found for masking the disgusting taste of my uncoated penicillin tablets!), cookies, and a webcam. Mostly, though, it was filled with love.

• One of our previous interns sent me an email about how impactful last year was, and how much my input transformed her life. I read it over and over so that the words would soak into my heart.

• I've enjoyed the myriad of feedback, suggestions, advice, and encouragement about cutting my hair. If you haven't voiced your opinion yet, please do!

• I am oddly comforted by the fact that my loved ones back in the States moved an hour closer to me yesterday.

Look for the unexpected ways God's hand is in yours this week.

happiness is...

...a reason to get out of the office.

cherry on top

Quite a few people have been interested in why I moved my blog over to WordPress. There are several reasons, the biggest one being the more professional look their templates offer. I'd still like to have my own unique site someday, but in the meantime this is definitely a step-up from what it was. WordPress has a lot of great qualities that I love, and today I discovered the cherry that tops them all off. WordPress lets me see what people Googled that landed them on my site. The list of odd searches had me laughing.

• styrofoam sheets
• medicated grit
• banana and ocd
• children neck pillow
• nicknames for cherish
• yacht for god's glory
• few things are worse than being in a hug
• impeccable french accent
• almabrilho mindie

I don't quite understand how these searches resulted in visits to my website, but hey, I'm not complaining. I'll take any and all traffic I can get, even the accidental kind. I do apologize to any disappointed Googlers out there. I hope you found something worth reading even if it had nothing to do with what you were looking for.

flotsam and jetsam

Some snippets from my week:

• My assistant flew back to the States for a furlough trip. ::cringe:: You're missed, Charlene.

• When I left for Hope House on Friday, I had absolutely no energy. I ended up holding Nkosi, a teeny-tiny one-year-old, who seemed equally energy-less. He lay on my chest as I lay on the grass for a good portion of the afternoon.

• We had some pastors from the States with us this past week, and they came over for dinner one night. I'm not a very good cook and tend to stress out when I need to cook for people I don't know very well. But all went well, and they seemed to enjoy my sauce and meatballs. Phew...

• Because I was gone the week before, I taught a double-header missions class this week. I went into it hoping that 2 1/2 hours wouldn't seem to drag on for the interns, and knowing they were probably hoping the same thing. We ended up having some incredible discussions and even went over our allotted time. We finally stopped three hours after we started, and the interns couldn't believe so much time had elapsed. Soooo good.

• Yesterday I did absolutely nothing. I stayed in my pj's all day and lounged around the house. It was my first day off in over 3 weeks, and I fully embraced the spirit of nothingness.

• I've been taking nasty uncoated penicillin tablets three times a day for the past two weeks. Sadly, my tonsils don't seem to have noticed. I've got a month longer to go, and I'm holding out hope that the pills will work their magic.

flotsam and jetsam

I got home this afternoon after 7 nights away. I wish I could say it was a vacation or at least spent on a beach, but... Nope. I was in the capital city for a training conference. At least it was hotter than Harrismith is, and I even swam once. (Quite a big deal for me, with my aversion to water and all...) So I've got some stories for you. In addition to our crazy shower escapade, Kelly and I managed to have some other crazy times. (Can you believe it?!)

We stalked the national bird of South Africa, which is quite a formidable creature. Of course, by "we", I mean Kelly.

During a break between sessions, we walked over to our guest house to discover that the front door was locked. Since we only had keys to our bedroom, we hung around in the hopes that someone else had the front door key. Each person who approached asked why we were outside. "The door's locked," we'd explain. No one had the key. As we started making phone calls and trying to figure out a Plan B, another pastor wandered over. He asked the unavoidable question and received the inevitable reply, but his response dumbfounded us. "Oh my God," he said, his eyebrows furrowed and his eyes forlorn. It was hard not to laugh at his oh-so serious-ness. I really wish you could read his statement the same way we heard it -- with his thick African accent that I've been mimicking ever since.

There was only 1 other woman attending the event--"Bishop Esther". And Kelly and I were the only whities. It was like Cross-Cultural Differences 401. We laughed at things they thought were serious, and what had them doubled-over in giddy laughter, we just didn't think were funny at all. Women weren't invited to get their meals first; ironically, we were graciously shown our place at the back of the line. Since it was someone's birthday, I was approached and asked to lead us in song because that's a woman's job. I kindly declined, knowing that was the lesser of the two evils; eventually a pastor took the lead. He had us all join hands and then he led us in a chorus of "Happy Birthday". I looked over and Bishop Esther was only holding hands with one person. Her free hand was lifted high in the air, her eyes clamped shut. For "Happy Birthday"?! I just had to shake my head and smile...

Sadly, several of the pastors visibly looked down on females, and snubbed us openly and publicly. During one session, a pastor who was involved in hosting the event, went through the room and split everyone into small groups, and sent them outside for discussion. He skipped over us entirely. Giving him the benefit of the doubt, we thought maybe he was saving us for last. When the whole room had emptied except for us and Bishop Esther, his intentions were a little more obvious. "Is that everybody?" he asked. Someone pointed out that the women were left. "Oh, Bishop Esther, I'm so sorry..." and he told her which group to join. Then he started to head outside to his own group, with Kelly and I very noticeably the only two people left seated in the room. Someone again pointed it out. "What about those other ladies?" To which he so perfectly replied, "What ladies?"

"Oh my God."