Retreat!!

For my first few days back to Africa I was blessed to attend the Africa Area missionary retreat.  The 30 or so active missionaries gathered from across the continent of Africa in Nelspruit, South Africa for a long weekend of fellowship, rest, and spiritual renewal.  Some of these missionaries were people who I have only met through email.  Almost all of them were strangers to me. But as the weekend ended I knew I was leaving having gained a whole new family. 

Our weekend was structured so that our mornings and evenings were spent in various sessions.  We were blessed to have three pastors from North Carolina come to minister to us and lead us deeper into our love of God and renew our vibrancy for ministry.  (Pastors Brian Matherlee, Phil Harrington and Doug Dennis) We also had times of discussion revolving around the book “When Helping Hurts” by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert which helped to enhance our perspectives of practical missions. (This is a book I highly recommend for anyone involved in missions on any level and no matter your age!)

Our afternoons were free to do what we liked, and I had two very notable afternoons.  One was spent exploring Kruger National Park.  This is a large (Rhode Island sized) section of South Africa which is protected from development for the sake of wildlife preservation.  It was the most untouched and natural part of Africa I’ve ever been in, and was truly an experience as we drove around for three hours searching for any animals we might see!  I added a few animals to my life list including Impala, Kudu, and Mongoose.  We also saw Elephants, Zebra, and Warthogs. 

The second notable afternoon was a group trip to the Shangana Cultural Village.  The Shangana is a specific tribe in South Africa, and this village has opened itself to the public for education and entertainment. After a tour of the village we spent the evening being entertained by a performance of dance and singing which depicted the history of this tribe beginning about 1200 years ago.  At intermission we were served a cultural meal of porridge, chicken stew, pumpkin and much more.  During the performance I was pulled from my seat twice by the dancers to join them in their dance! Several of us white folk (most of us Wesleyans!) had a good time pretending to dance J

Impala

Beautiful scenery!

This guy gave us quite the show!

Playing Games

The whole group!

The chief was looking for a new wife... our leaders had fun bartering cows with him for the few of us ladies who were single :) 

What a fun experience!

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Going Back!!

Well, its finally happening!  I've been given official medical release, as well as release from Global Partners, to return to Zambia!!  Praise the Lord!!

Since about the beginning of March I started to progressively get better, and have been feeling 100% for several weeks now.  My illness and recovery still dont have much of an explanation other than- "I was sick, and now I'm better." 

Things I'm praising the Lord for:
1- My illness wasn't any worse than it was
2- For his faithfulness in guiding me home where I could receive good medical care and rest
3- For all of the wonderful people (all over the world!) who have been praying for me and
4- That I'm better!

There are a few Frequently Asked Questions I've been getting:
FAQ#1 "Did they ever find out what made you sick?"  The short answer is "no".  And the long answer is that I probably had a virus and due to the extreme amount of stress my body was under, most especially from being treated for malaria 3 times, I got wiped out and took a good long time to get better!
 FAQ #2 "Aren't you worried you'll get sick again?!"  The short answer is, "Yes!!" However, there are a lot of things that make me hopeful it won't be as bad.
1- My immune system should be strengthened against whatever 'it' was.
2- I'm returning during a cooler season- 60-80 degrees should be easier on my body than 90-120!
3- The cooler season also means less bugs (lessening risk of malaria, or other bug-transfered diseases)
4-My first few weeks back in Africa will be spent in South Africa where I will attend a GP missionary retreat.  This adjustment to the time-zone in a less stressful environment should help my body transition. 
5- The knowledge that I was not sick with malaria is key.  This means I will be testing myself for malaria, and therefore knowing for certain if I need to be treated or not.
6- I'm planning to be hyper-vigilant about things like cleaning, food preparation, boiling water, hand washing etc etc etc!

Though I'm certain that I WILL get sick again, I'm hopeful that it will be comparatively minor and not prohibit me in such an extreme way from my ministry, work and life in Zambia.  There is still a year and 4 months left to my term, and I'm eager to soak up every minute of it! 
My journey back to Zambia begins on Tuesday the 17th when I will fly to South Africa for a three week stay for a retreat with fellow african missionaries followed by a longer stay with my area missionary directors.  Finally on May 7th I'll make the trip back to Zambia to begin the next term in Jembo!
Thank you everyone for your prayers throughout these last months! The Lord is our faithful physician and I'm so thankful he'll be with me as I head back.  Its been nice to be home with so many of you in Canandaigua, and I've been so blessed by many visits from friends and family. 

Thank you for your prayers during this transition!  This is the longest stretch of time that I've been home since before college (!) and we've all gotten pretty comfortable having me around. Please pray for peace for my family as I head back to the unknown in Zambia, as there is understandably more concern about my health this time around! 

Most especially, praise the Lord for his faithfulness and healing :) 

Smiles :)

Since returning home from Zambia there have been many faces, smiles, and laughter that are lingering in my memory.  These memories often cause a faint smile to cross my face, sometimes evoking the gut-wrenching longing that only comes when you are missing someone who has grabbed hold of your heart.  The knowledge that I will see these friends again soon has made it much easier to embrace these memories, and to look forward to many more smiles to come.  I thought I'd share some of these smiles with you today... :)


Westone, Canseh, Gary, and Mr Hamaliya- students and friends



Westone and Steven

My brother Timothy, celebrating his highschool graduation :)

Pezo, one of my students and also my good friend :)

Jetti :)

Mr Sitali and Mr Musanje

All the PWBC students and staff :)

Cindy and Mike :)

And many, many more :)

Forced Leisure

Being sick is no fun.   Sure, we’ve all had our days where life just gets so overwhelming that we wish we could have a sick day or two simply so we can skirt our responsibilities, goof off, and sleep away the day.  But when we’re actually lying there with our body aching and head groggy all we wish for is to feel better. 

The last few months have been sick day after sick day for me.  No energy to do much more than lie around watching extremely enriching television shows and movies (because tv couldn’t possibly be anything but enriching) and sleep.  Lots and lots of sleep.  My dream life tends to be far more exciting than my awake life as I regularly find myself back in Zambia on grand adventures only to wake up and be back home with my head feeling like it is going to explode.

Every once in a while I’ll have a day or two where I’m feeling pretty good and have a glimmer of hope which allows me to day dream about returning to Zambia soon, but most days I can’t allow myself to have that hope or to miss my friends and life there because it just gets depressing. 

Trying to pray through the confusion of the big question of “WHY?!” has this mission in Zambia been put on ‘hold’, especially after God has been so faithful over the last year and a half in preparing me for this journey.  Why. Why. Why. Haven’t I already learned the lesson of ‘trust’? I’ve trusted You to take me halfway around the world, now I have to learn to trust that somehow in the midst of this miserable illness that You’re gonna work out something good?  Please, please hurry and make this part of the story go faster.  I’m tired of being sick, tired of being tired, and tired of not doing anything with my life. Please hurry up so I can get on with living. 

The following devotional was given to me by my mom and spoke directly to my heart due to my current situation and past musical experience.  Hopefully it will speak to you too.

“There is no music during a musical rest, but the rest is part of the making of the music.  In the melody of our life, the music is separated here and there by rests. During those rests, we foolishly believe we have come to the end of the song. God sends us times of forced leisure by allowing sickness, disappointed plans, and frustrated efforts. He brings a sudden pause in the choral hymn of our lives, and we lament that our voices must be silent. We grieve that our part is missing in the music that continually rises to the ear of our Creator. Yet how does a musician read the rest? He counts the break with unwavering precision and plays his next note with confidence, as if no pause were ever there.

God dos not write the music of our lives without a plan. Our part is to learn the tune and not be discouraged during the rests. They are not to be slurred over or omitted, nor used to destroy the melody or to change the key. If we will only look up, God Himself will count the time for us.  With our eyes on Him, our next note will be full and clear. If we sorrowfully say to ourselves, “There is no music in a rest,” let us not forget that the rest is part of the making of the music.  The process is often slow and painful in this life, yet how patiently God works to teach us! And how long He waits for us to learn the lesson!- John Ruskin”

The point of this passage speaks for itself very clearly. I know many people right now who are in a time of “forced leisure” similar to mine who need to hear this encouraging message just as much as me.  

In my years of instrumental musicianship I had to learn the hard lesson of counting the rests.  My private lesson teacher could ALWAYS tell when I had been practicing a piece of music at home without counting the rests.  You just can’t get away with rushing the rests. The rhythm gets off and then the story of the composition is changed.  Some of my favorite flute solos to perform were without piano accompaniment.  The most beautiful part of those songs was not the musical phrases, but the silence in between the phrases where the previous melody bounces off the rafters and deep into the heart of the audience whose breathing stops in anticipation for the next musical lyric to continue the melodious story.  The composer has perfectly orchestrated these rests to tell the story the way his or her heart has been inspired to. 

We’ve all been in the audience of an orchestral concert where the piece of music has a trick ending of a long silence followed by a surprise repeat of the melody or a quiet resolution.  And then there is that awkward moment where the non-musicians in the audience start clapping when the piece is obviously not over.  How do we know the piece isn’t over yet? Because the conductor is still conducting.  His baton is at attention and all eyes of the orchestra are awaiting his instruction to join in at just the right moment to finish the piece. 

Keep your eyes on the Conductor.  This song is not over.  He wrote the song. He wrote the rests. And the rest is beautiful. Don’t rush it. It is there for a reason and it truly is beautiful.

“The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your love, O Lord, endures forever- do not abandon the works of your hands.” Psalm 138:8

Wildlife!

One of the first questions people, especially young people, tend to ask is "what kind of animals do you see?!"   and then they tell me, "Don't get eaten by a lion!!"

Where I live in Jembo its a pretty far distance from any major water source, meaning that large animals don't live near me.  However, we do have some fun wild animals we share the land with.  (Including guinea fowl which I haven't captured on camera)  And when we go to Victorial Falls (an excellent water source :) ) we get to see some bigger creatures.

These lizards live all over campus, and little babies even make their way in the house.
Dusty has a great time playing with them too :)

A not so wild monkey at a hotel near Victoria Falls

Hippos in the Zambezi !!

There are a lot of beautiful birds in Zambia, these ones are regulars :)

Gilbert :)

This is Titus the Tortois.  He lives under my front step and comes out for regular walks after the rain. 

Hiding :)

This is a deceased Spotted Genet we found in the Helvie's garden.  Wild cats are around! Thankfully they're little :)

Baboons at Victoria Falls

aww :)

Near Victoria Falls we came across this herd of about 60(!) elephants crossing the street!  

An unforgettable experience! 

Insects Everywhere!!

Bugs.  One of the main things I DONT miss about Zambia.  Rainy season arrived in full force about mid-November, and along with it the earth erupted with insects.  (Quite literally when it came to termites) 

Big bugs. Little bugs. Biting bugs. Stinging bugs. Bugs that carry deadly diseases. Bugs that are creepy. Bugs that are crawly. Bugs with far too many legs to count.  Bugs that go SPLAT when you squish them.  Bugs that swarm your lights at night. Bugs that make you itch.  Bugs that make you twitch.  Bugs. Everywhere.

I had more than one reason to stay hidden under my mosquito net at night.  Anytime you feel like something is crawling on you, chances are good there IS! (I had a spaz attack while I was home because I thought a bug was on me... my parents thought I was crazy.)

One day I had a black wasp, 2 inches in length, bite me and sting me at the same time in the same place.  At first I was just annoyed. Then the venom started sinking in and I began to cry like a small child. My whole hand swelled up and my veins started turning red.  Topical pain killers and benadryl only started to help after about 4 hours.  Unbelievably painful experience!

Anyway. Theres a lot of bugs where I live.  I've captured some of them for you on camera.  Enjoy!

This is what we like to call a "flat wall spider". We let them live in our house because they 1-eat bugs 2-don't make webs and 3-only spend their time on the walls. This one is a particularly large one of my 15-20 friends.  

I found him dying, but thought he was pretty awesome anyway.  

Spraying pesticides after my first bout with "malaria"

No words neccessary

The results of my wasp bite/sting.  OUCH!

I will call you fluffy and you will be my fluffy. 

Every morning I wake up to a carpet of termite remains on my front porch.  

He's just too juicy to squish... so I trapped him instead.  

Close-up of termite remains

Pretty sure this is a locust