Cabin Fever

After the string of single digit temperature days we have had, today it warmed up a little closer to freezing and the sun was out, so it made it appear a little warmer.  So I decided to get out of the house and go for a ride.  It isn't quite as enjoyable when you have to watch out for ice on the road, but it was nice to get out.

Things I learned in Senegal

The Senegalese reputation for hospitality is well deserved.

Senegal is in fact a very expensive country.

A large urban city can have streets made entirely of sand.

You can be in a room full of missionaries and be the only American.

South Africans really like to barbeque.  (and it is good)

You can not only buy bacon, but there are quite a few pigs roaming around.

Your horn may wear out before any other part of the car.

Pedestrians do NOT have the right of way.

There are people who think 60 degrees F is VERY cold.

Eating out of the same bowl as 6 other people is really not that weird.

You can sleep through the early morning prayer call.

Life takes a lot longer.
 

Home again

Saturday night I made it home safely.  It was a good week of meeting the members of the SIM Senegal team and getting a better picture of what life looks like in Senegal and the ministries that are up and running.
Unfortunately I am sick again for the 3rd time in three weeks.  Running a fever and body ache again is no fun.  Hopefully this time I will actually be able to get rid of it.

What not to do when your spouse leaves the country

I thought I'd do a follow up of my older post, "What to do when your spouse leaves the country."  I found that our life is very different with Darin is gone.  We spent our time doing different things which meant we also didn't do some things. Here are a few ideas of what to not do.

Don't do any cooking.  Who says you can't live off granola bars, chips and cereal?  Everything is enriched with vitamins anyway.  Include some peanut butter and you've got protein.  It also helps limit dish usage.  Why have I not tired this before? 

 Don't go grocery shopping.   I think I should take advantage of the empty fridge and clean it.  

Don't do laundry, just dig out what you need from the pile left on the floor from when your kids folded it.  Sad and messy, I know.

Praise God my husband is coming home tomorrow.  I can't wait to meet him at the airport.

Darin's arrival in Senegal

I arrived in Dakar late last night (1-10-13) after a fairly uneventful flight.  As I walked off of the plane onto the tarmac, I was hit by the smell of the city.  A combination of sea air and diesel exhaust.  The weather is actually quite nice, but it got a little stuffy in the airport terminal because there were so many people in such a small space.  I got through customs with no problems.  As I walked outside, it was dark and there was a large throng of people on the other side of the fence.  I didn’t know who was picking me up, so I didn’t know what to look for.  I walked out the gate and was immediately surrounded by men trying to sell me SIM cards, taxi rides, etc.  None of them were too aggressive, and they were all introducing themselves to me.  After about 20 minutes of looking through the crowd, I found Mark Tanquist.  He was still watching people exiting the terminal.  Somehow we had missed each other.

Mark drove me to the Koppendrayer’s apartment where I spent last night and where I will be tonight.  I arrived at their apartment at around 11pm and was pretty exhausted, so I went right to bed.  I was awoken at 5 this morning by the prayer call.  It was a stark reminder as to why we are coming here.  It started with one quite close and then many others started around the city.

I had a couple of mosquitos under my mosquito net last night.  I will need to make sure to have them cleared out tonight.

What to do when your spouse is in another country

If you've ever found yourself hanging around the house while your spouse traverses the world, here are a few ideas of what to do with your time. 

You can run at the track.  Note the shorts.  That means amazing weather for January.

You can pack photo albums that are not going to Senegal with you.  These will be stored at my in-laws.

You can visit the local DQ.  Yes friends, cookie dough is still my favorite.

You can prepare for the Ladies Retreat in February.   This is coming quick.

You can organize your French and Wolof language learning notebook.  I go through these pictures and practice what I am learning in French.  You know helpful phrases like, il a une pomme, which means he has an apple. 







 
  You can drop off the random items that are not being stored at the in-laws and are not going to Senegal with you.  My house is getting emptier every day and I am very acquainted with Goodwill's donation box.








As you can see there are many options for using your time, but the best is to pray. 
 
Dear God, please take care of my husband. Bring him home safely and give him wisdom as he learns more about where you have called us to serve.   Amen.

Paris

Greeting from cloudy, rainy Paris.  OK, so I'm not leaving the airport, but I have an 8 hour layover.  I found these computers with free internet in the terminal.
The flight from Detroit to Paris was pretty rough.  I was running a fever and couldn't sleep.  The fever broke after awhile, but now I'm left with a headache and I'm really tired.  I was looking around in the shops for something like Tylenol, but I couldn't read any of the boxes and I didn't want to end up with a laxative.

Where's my spoonful of sugar?

This was the last thing I had to take care of before heading to Senegal this week.  It has been a few years since I have taken any malaria medication.  So thankful for the little things we easily take for granted now.  It wasn't that long ago when missionaries would commonly die from malaria in tropical climates and there was little they could do about it.

God's Word makes me smile

This past year as I read through the Bible, a few passages made me smile.  I thought I’d share them and maybe bring a smile to your face.

“A young man, wearing nothing but a linen garment, was following Jesus. When they seized him, he fled naked, leaving his garment behind.” Mark 14:51-52 

            I smile because I have no idea why this in the Bible.  It’s random.

“One of the experts in the law answered him [Jesus], ‘Teacher, when you say these things, you insult us also.’” Luke 11:45 

            I smile because this man didn't realize that Jesus was more concerned about his eternal life than about offending him.  I sometimes miss Jesus' point also.

 [Jesus has spent the previous 29 verses explaining that he is God’s Son, the promised Messiah] “Why is my language not clear to you?” John 8:43 

            I smile because I’ve experienced similar conversations with my kids.  I spend ten minutes explaining how to do laundry only to receive blank stares when I assign them the chore.  I want to ask the same question, "Why is my language not clear to you?"

“Whenever I speak, I cry out proclaiming violence and destruction.  So the word of the LORD has brought me insult and reproach all day long.  But if I say, ‘I will not mention him or speak any more in his name,’ his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones.  I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.”  Jer. 20:8-9 

            I smile because I empathize with Jeremiah.  Sometimes sharing God’s word is difficult because it doesn’t always make people feel good, but ignoring the prompting from the Holy Spirit to speak God's word feels like fire in my heart that I cannot suppress.

“Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel went up and saw the God of Israel.” Ex. 24:9 

            I smile because God always has something new for me when I read the Bible.  Even though I’ve read Exodus many times, this year was the first time I realized this verse makes it clear that 74 people saw the Lord, and as the next verses explain, they lived. 

[God is talking] “Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them.” Ex. 25:8 

            I smile because God wants to be with his people.  That just makes me feel important. 

Reading God’s word encourages me in so many ways.  I praise him for it and I am thankful for the men who faithfully wrote each word.