Christmas Day 2011

I have to say that this Christmas was one of my favorites. I felt like in some ways we got to participate in the story of Christmas as we traveled to a village outside of Koutiala.

On the way we saw the wise men, though Dawson said it wasn't them since there were four, not three. Regardless, it was pretty cool to see these camels walking down the road.

Just so you can see how tall they are- here's the view from inside the car.

Inside the church building

Dawson started taking pictures so the next few are his. For some reason the kids started making this motion.

This is the church.

I like the artistic look to this one. Don't think D was trying to do this, but regardless, it's cool.

The only time the kids left us alone was when the camels passed by the church.

Our car was used to get people to and from the baptism after church. It was packed inside and out.

Best shot of a family picture.

Dawson wanted to take the whole family picture so here we are minus D.

21 people were baptized. How neat to have it done on Christmas. What a great way to celebrate!

Lily pads in the water. D had actually talked about wanting to be baptized. When we got to the "pond" D was less excited about it. He asked, "do you have to be baptized in that kind of water?" I told him no. He said, "maybe I'll just wait and do it at the pool one day." :)

This is the chief's son of the second village we went to that day. His son had swallowed a caustic substance that burned his esophagus which then scarred. He couldn't even swallow his own saliva when he came to our hospital. We were able to dilate his esophagus and now he is doing really well.

In Soun, we found this baby sheep that had no fear of people. It walked up to me as I was sitting talking with a family we treat at the hospital (not the chief's family) and I was easily able to pick it up. Dawson wanted to hold him. So here is our shepherd!

D with one of the kids we treat at the hospital.

One of the neatest things of the day was seeing Dawson in the village. He did so well. Since we were visiting several people, our car was at one house and we often were in another place. He would run back and forth as needed. He seemed genuinely happy. I was proud of how well they all did. I want them to be happy and comfortable with life here so it is encouraging to see them feel at ease. Another proud moment for me was hearing Dawson run out of the church full of excitement to tell Kenan that they had yellow rice for our lunch (which we ate at 4pm). Kenan wasn't overwhelmingly excited about the rice because he had just fallen out of the car and landed mouth first into the dirt. oops. Once his mouth was clean, though, he enjoyed his "favorite snack" as he said of the rice. (The rice is a special Malian meal served for weddings, holidays and other special occasions).

After our visits we went to pick up grain for our neighbor who has fields in the village where we were. They loaded three 100 kilo bags onto our car. Brett said they should add more, thankfully they didn't because as we drove away and hit our first bump, the roof rack broke. Apparently our car can support 660 lbs extra but the roof rack can't. Thankfully we made it to the church again before it damaged a lot of the roof. We moved them to the back of the car and finally headed for home.

It really was a fun day. The kids did really well and it was fun visiting patients in their homes. My parents being there really made a difference as well so that it was four adults on three kids. More hands always make life easier, as long as though hands are adults hands and not more kids. :)

Christmas Eve

Since we spend a lot of Christmas day at church or visiting others, we usually celebrate our family Christmas the day before. We had a wonderful day with family and friends (the Gilillands joined us for the morning). We enjoyed an awesome breakfast- eggs, grits, biscuits and BACON (a special, special treat thanks to precooked bacon bought by Margy and Chip). John brought his espresso machine so we also had cappuccinos for breakfast. The boys loved all their toys and spent all day playing. This allowed the adults to play some games as well. It was a nice, restful day. So much fun to spend it with family.

As I watched the kids open their presents I kept thinking about how fun it was just to watch them. I needed nothing but just enjoyed seeing their joy. It reminded me of how the Lord delights in us and wants to give good gifts to His children.

Working with Grandpa to put together one of the lego sets that they got.

Kenan showing off his Green Lantern game that he had been asking for.

Caroline enjoyed Christmas as well, at least when the house was quiet again.

Thanks to New Hope Alliance Church in Angier, NC for the rocket set; First Alliance, Raleigh for the Wii game; and Friendship Alliance Church in Moultrie, GA for the Wii controller!

Christmas Eve's Eve fireworks

We got sparklers and other fireworks at the white elephant party so we decided to use them the night before our Christmas (which was really on Christmas Eve).

The boys enjoyed themselves (as did the adults).

Brett liked the bottle poppers.

The boys didn't.

But they provided a cool picture. :)

Our closest attempt at getting a heart made. We didn't know how to change the shutter speed.

Even though fireworks for Christmas is out of the ordinary, it was quite fun and I kind of hope we do it again next year.

A lesson from Advent

Since I am behind on my posting, I can now post our finished Jesse tree Advent pictures while also recounting one day in particular.

Our finished product. Maybe not the prettiest looking thing but I enjoyed seeing the boys' pictures each day. There are mostly two of each story as both Dawson and Kenan drew something each day.

Up close of the first few days. 1-Creation 2-Adam and Eve 3-Noah 4-Tower of Babel 5-Promise to Abraham 6-Sodom and Gomorrah (will not include this next year) 7-Abraham and Isaac

8-Jacob's ladder 9-Joseph 10- Moses and the burning bush 11-Passover 12-Ten Commandments 13- David 14- Elijah and prophets of Baal 15-Isaiah 16- Wise and Just King 17-Exile 18-Jonah 19- Waiting on the Lord 20-Son of Righteousness 21-Baptism 22-Mary and the angel 23- Joseph

24- Journey to Bethlehem 25- Birth of Jesus!

so my lesson came from the day on David. That week I had been told through a long conversation with Malian nurses as I was sitting in the Labor and Delivery room with my friend, Sabi, who was about to give birth to my "netoma" (the baby's name is Sheri), that Brett could REALLY speak Bambara and they asked if I had studied Bambara. Ouch. Now I get this often because the truth is Brett has the gift of languages. I don't. This is something I have had to come to terms with. God made my mouth. He knew I'd be overseas. If he had wanted me to speak well, He could have given me that gift but He didn't. So I trust in His wisdom and (most of the time) rest in the truth that His glory is made perfect in weakness. For some reason, however, this conversation really bothered me. Maybe it was because I was having a moment with my friend and they were ruining it by telling me how poorly I spoke. Or maybe it was because instead of being just a passing statement they made it a conversation with examples and questions as to why I couldn't speak like Brett. Or that I was going to Sikasso that week for an HIV conference which always make me feel insecure and over my head. Or maybe it was also that I knew the next week I was having to give the morning devotion at the hospital which I would be doing in Bambara. Regardless the reason, the statements got me down. As I drove to Sikasso later that week I was praying through all this and discussing my discouragement. I stopped at the toll to pay and waited for the guy who was talking to the truck in front of me. I realized I knew him as he was the husband of one of the ladies I follow. He came to greet me and told me that he would be bringing his newborn for his vaccinations the next day and wanted to make sure I'd be there. I didn't pay the toll any of the four times I passed through that week because the guys knew I was friends with the boss there. I'm not saying I advocate not paying but this whole situation encouraged me. So I may not be able to speak like Brett or others here. I may be most of the time over my head in HIV treatment and cancer treatment. I can still love on people and show them that I value them and care for them. That can speak more than any words could. So 30 minutes outside of Koutiala I was encouraged by simply knowing the guy at the toll. It truly changed my whole attitude.

How does this relate Advent you may ask? Well, that night was the story of David. He was chosen not because he was the first son or second or third but because he was the last. 1 Samuel 16:17 "The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart." As I recapped the story with Dawson I asked him why God had chosen David to be king. "Because he fought Goliath," he said. I told him no, that the Lord had chosen David before he had done anything, whether good or bad. He chose him because of the heart He knew he had, not because he would be able to defeat Goliath. God didn't send me to Africa because I could speak well and I understood medicine well. Nope, not at all. He sent me simply because I was willing and because I was a weak vessel through which His glory could shine.

From "Jesus Calling" December 17th-

Come to me with your gaping emptiness, knowing that in Me you are complete. As you rest quietly in My Presence, My Light withing you grows brighter and brighter. Facing the emptiness inside you is simply the prelude to being filled withe My fullness. Therefore, rejoice on those days when you drag yourself out of bed, feeling sluggish and inadequate. Tell yourself that this is a perfect day to depend on Me in childlike trust. If you persevere in this dependence as you go through the day, you will discover at bedtime that Joy and Peace have become your companions. You may not realize at what point they joined you on your journey, but you will feel the beneficial effects of their presence. The perfect end to such a day is a doxology of gratitude. I am He from whom all blessings flow!

Christmas Cantata

I'm a bit behind in blogging so here's hoping that today I can catch up.

The Christmas celebrations began last week with the long awaited arrival of my parents (YEAH!!) and our team Christmas party which included the kids' cantata. The kids worked on it at school with Ms. Anna and Silas and Kenan were able to join in as wise men for the actual play. I know I am partial but I haven't seen wise men any cuter than the three I saw that day. They were adorable.

Here they are being funny which they like to do more often than not for pictures these days.
Dawson had several lines in the play and he did a great job. After his meltdown at his end of the year play at the french school last year I was a bit nervous that he would fall apart for the performance. He didn't and remembered each line while also keeping watch over his brothers. Here he was as the clapper boy, telling the crowd when to clap or groan.

The three wise men.

The silly wise men.

More silliness...

Coming to worship baby Jesus. (The pictures were taken during the dress rehearsal so I could walk around and take any angle I wanted which is why there is no audience.)

He directed his brothers throughout the play.

Showing Kenan baby Jesus.

The curtain call at the end of the real performance.

We had a wonderful night after the play. The kids did secret Santa and each received a gift and the adults did white elephant gifts.

The next day we also enjoyed our hospital Christmas party that I unfortunately got no pictures of. This year we had more of a carnival type game system that worked really well to help with crowd control. A fun day was had by all, even my parents who had hit the ground running by attending one party after another as they also tried to get over jet lag.

Thankful

I woke up Thursday morning not even knowing it was Thanksgiving until Brett mentioned it after reading emails. Thursday was a long and crazy day at the hospital. We did have a Thanksgiving meal as a team on Friday.

One of the things I love most about Thanksgiving is sitting down and thanking the Lord for anything and everything I can think of. I leave with a sense of immense gratitude for His work and blessings in my life.

I'm thankful, of course, for my Lord and Savior. For his faithfulness and patience with me. I'm thankful for his grace and the hope He gives. I'm thankful for His Spirit that lives in me.

I'm thankful for Brett, my soul mate, and to be able to walk through life with him. I'm thankful for my boys. They are full of personality and energy but they are sweet, sweet boys. They make me feel loved each and every day. They are simply wonderful.

I'm thankful for my extended family that supports us and loves us. I'm thankful for our church families who love us as well. I'm thankful for my friends who are with us in Mali and those who are in other places. I'm thankful for those the Lord has brought into my life.

I'm thankful for the hospital and for all the people that has brought into our lives. I'm thankful for the opportunity to be here in Mali.

This year more than others I was really struck by the amazing gift that God gives to us as His Spirit lives in us. Wow. God in us. Simply amazing. I was also impressed with how He calls people to Himself. I thought about Mamine and how He spoke to her and called her to Him even as she was suffering. He opened her eyes to see truth. He does that time and time again. He makes the blind see. The deaf hear. He opens hearts to see His truth. So thankful for a God that is not distant but very present. He is loving and wants others to know Him. He gently calls His children and shows grace a mercy to everyone. Simply amazing. Thankful that he doesn't leave us on our own but loves each of us so much that He grows to great lengths for us to know Him.

A day in the life

Last Sunday was an interesting one for me. I had to go into the hospital and give chemo to our Hodgkin's lymphoma patient. Things went fairly smoothly aside from the fact that he threw up a lot. Poor kid. He starts before we even give medicine. A sweet moment, though, was that he fell asleep on me as I was pushing chemo (you have to give it over 20 minutes so I was just sitting beside him slowly pushing the medicine). He hasn't really been into us at the hospital though his uncle says he is a talkative kid. It was sweet that he felt comfortable enough to fall asleep on me. Maybe it's because for the last few weeks I was giving him chocolate if he smiled or said hello. :)

I came home and a little bit later Jeremie called and said the diabetic girl living with him was unresponsive. I went to her house and couldn't get her to respond even with putting sugar in her mouth. We drove her to the hospital and started an IV and gave her dextrose (sugar water). Within a few minutes she woke up to find me staring at her. The nurses all laughed that I was the first person she saw and that she was afraid she had died and was looking at an angel. ha! Soon she was alert enough to eat and then we were able to leave. I LOVE working on patients with low blood sugar. They go from unresponsive to talking within a few minutes. It's like being a miracle worker. :) Anyway...

On the way home I got to thinking about my day and how I would have never thought I'd be doing what I'm doing now. Cancer treatment was never a thought in my mind. We talked about HIV a little in school. We talked a lot about diabetes- but type 2 more than type 1- and I just foolishly didn't think I would see a lot of that here. I am thankful for where the Lord has brought me. I am fully aware that it is not me who does any of this but it is the Lord. He is working in my weakness. I used to be a perfectionist. I can't be now because if I were, I couldn't function as I'd be so down on myself. Of course I try to do my best but I always make mistakes. Thankfully, the Lord has taught me to rejoice in my weakness instead of being shamed by it.

It made me think of Dawson as he was playing with connected paper clips. He was swinging them like a lasso. They would get stuck in various kinds of designs. One of which was two of the paper clips hanging perpendicular to the chain. He said it looked like a swing without a seat. I heard him later saying to Kenan, "God was helping me make things with my paper clips. He almost made a swing out of it!" With childlike faith he was aware of needing God in everything he did. He knew God was with him as he swung the paper clips. He also didn't see the "almost" as a problem but accepted it as God had done it and "almost"is what He planned. It was a great reminder for me in the light of my day that God isn't seeking perfection but a willingness to give what we have for His use, whatever that may be.

Field Forum 2011

This past week we had our annual field forum in Sikasso where all our CMA missionaries come together for a week of meetings and worship.

It was a fantastic week. The best field forum I've been to yet. David Lane was the speaker and he was amazing. He said he hadn't been given any info on where our team was at but it was clear that the Lord had lead him because his topics were so on target. His messages were so good that I took notes constantly (as did everyone else). Sometimes I wanted to shout out, "hold on!" so my hand could catch up with all the good things he was saying. He talked about rest and how work is not the enemy of rest but unbelief is. He talked through the temptation of Jesus by Satan and how Satan attacked Christ's identity, significance and security. So good. He also talked about how there will be things that we cannot do. Our job is to do what is before us, leaving the results to the Lord. Also, we can't do it all. People will die. That's not our problem. That is on the Lord's shoulders. He will give us the strength to do what He wants for each day. If that means some people don't get treatment, it means some don't get treatment. There have to be margins in life. It was just oh so good. On top of a great speaker, David was also compassionate and caring, humble and kind. He was such an encouragement to us. Thank you, David!

We also had a great worship leader, Beau Church. It is always such a powerful blessing to worship in our heart language. Each day was a wonderful time of worship.

Here is our team. We are in green, yellow, and red because those are the colors of the Malian flag.

The greatest thing I came away with from the week was a sense of gratitude and blessing for this team. I've often said that joining a team is like having an arranged marriage. You don't get to chose your partner but you have to learn to love one another. It isn't always easy, that's why team conflict is the number one reason people leave the field. Especially here in Koutiala where do everything together. We work together, go to church together, have Bible study together, spend holidays together. We live together. However, I can honestly say that this team is filled with wonderful people who each bring special gifts to the team. We are not perfect by any means (probably the greatest lesson I've learned on the field is that we are sinful, messed up people) but this is a good group. I haven't always been able to say that in my heart if I'm being honest. Praise the Lord that I can now. I think the first few years I lost sight of who I was and was afraid to be myself. Thankfully that has changed. I feel free to be myself with this team and accept everyone else to be who they are. That is an amazing thing. We are all crazy. :)

All the boys on the Mali field in their red shirts.

One day we had a scavenger hunt around town. We had to do various things with random people. One was drinking Malian tea. Here is Kenan drinking it (just pretending).

Being pushed in the pushcart by a Malian (Joliene is in the cart- a GREAT team member who took care of the kids). This is as good a time as any to talk about the team that came. They were AWESOME! The first day they came up to the boys and could tell them what their names were! They had prayed for our families and knew our kids before even coming to Mali. They were here to serve. Truly serve. They would stay with the kids at night so Brett and I both could go to the nightly activities with the team. What a blessing! I came back exhausted from staying up too late but I wouldn't trade it for anything! Thank you Jamie, Joliene, Molly and John for being such great encouragements to us. To have someone really love and care for your kids is one of the greatest encouragements a parent can receive. We were truly blessed.

Carry a baby on your back...she wasn't too happy about the random white woman taking her from her mom.

Had to have a picture in a moto taxi.

One of our team members, Carina, goes by the name Gnagalie Bah by people in the prisons she goes and visits. She saw the sign and we had to snap a picture. (Gnagali means joy- fits her perfectly. She is a woman filled with joy).

One of the gifts given to the boys by the field forum team. They were spoiled rotten!

The kids did a presentation at the end of the week. It was a story of a king whose children had been stolen by a dragon who had once been a close friend of the king. The dragon wanted to be kind himself and that is why the king sent him away. Knights came to flight the dragon in order save the king's family. Dawson was the holy knight. Kenan the good night. Silas was soft night or something like that...he had a pillow instead of a sword. There was also Monday knight with a football.

Here they are ready to fight. Silas wasn't into it so much...

until he got to fight the dragon. :)

Great week but it wore everyone out. Here are the boys on the bed (I slept on this bed as well). Two are on top of each other and then you can see the hand of Dawson peeking out from under the covers. Otherwise he was completely covered in the blanket.

And another night. Why sleeping boys looks so cute to me, I do not know, but I love it.