I am that Marred Piece of Wood

This week's art lesson was looking at African art, which we know a thing or two about. So much of African art is stuff used in everyday life. It is hand-crafted, thus there is no other identical to it. The exercise for our children was to choose an animal with which they identify or admire for some reason. Then they were to sketch from all directions and views to prepare for sculpting said animal out of balsam wood.

The children quickly sketched their animals. Mariama chose a white horse, and William a panther. Though I would have liked for them to take more time on their sketches, they were both anxious to move on to the sculpting. Mariama began. The scraping was taking a long time. Mariama asked about using a knife. I was a little concerned about breaking too much off, but I let them anyway.

The two of them began chopping and laughing as the pieces flew around the room. I admonished them to be careful about getting too silly, for fear of them cutting away more than desired. We talked about how Michelangelo had to take his time in carving David.

The laughter was pierced by a groan and a tossing of the wood, followed by "It's ruined!"  William was in tears and utterly frustrated with the sculpture process. I asked him to step outside the school room with me.

We sat down, and he expressed his frustration with the project. "Sculpting is too hard. I am not a good artist." I refused to accept the statement that he is not a good artist.

"This is your first time to ever sculpt and you have never used balsa wood for anything. You do not know how it works."

I did ask if he was playing and being silly or staying focused.  He confessed that he had been silly, despite my reminder to be careful.

He was ready to be done with and throw out the project altogether.

Then from somewhere beyond me, words came out of my mouth. "God created us and had a specific picture in mind of who and what I would be. Because of my sin and selfishness, I do not fit that picture. Does God throw me away?  No, thankfully He does not. God continues to shape and mold me into the image that He has for me as a mother and wife."

I asked if he was ready to go back to the sculpture. He emphatically shook his head that he did not. I encouraged him to come with me to look at it again.

As we examined and saw where we could still shave off some of the body, he saw what could be the eyes of a cow. I asked if he wanted to change what he was making. He considered it for a minute and then said, "I am going to stick with the panther."

He scraped and scraped, until he was tired of scraping. I reminded him that he could be done for the day and finish tomorrow if he would like. Sometimes a new day brings new energy and new perspective.

I am that marred piece of wood, desperately needing to be shaped.

Jennifer's Story Continued

Jennifer is a friend that I have written about before several times. She is the friend who has struggled in her marriage relationship, and she was so touched by how Rich took care of me when my foot was broken. She is the one whose family was remembering the dead years after the fact. She is the one who begged to study, asking when she would get her chance to study.  I have been praying with Jennifer everyday that I see her, sometimes multiple times in the same day.

The other day Jennifer came to tell me that she will not be going with most of her family to a religious celebration this week. She said that it was because she did not want to leave her work. However, deep in my heart I sense that there is more to the story. Could it be wishful thinking? Sure. Could it be that she has become so disenchanted with the religious rituals that have failed to bring her peace that she sees no point in going? Yes. This is my prayer. Praying that she is above all things seeing that there is more than one road, is seeking the Truth, and that soon she will realize she must choose only one road. As we often say, you have two feet but you can only walk one road.

I told Jennifer that we would definitely study, since she was not going to be going out of town. Pray that I will share with her what she needs to hear. Pray that she will feel loved and valued by her Heavenly Creator. Pray that she will know the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

The Woman at the Well

Last week, I began a new study by reading Desperate Women of the Bible. The first chapter was the story of the Samaritan woman at the well. She came to the well to draw water in the heat of the day. As in the culture where we live, the women of that day would have normally gone in the morning or in the evening, when it is cooler. By going at noon, we see that this woman was an outcast and was trying to avoid the looks of others. She was a woman desperate love, and yet she had yet to feel satisfied in this area. We get more details of this as Jesus addresses this issue with her.

What I found interesting about this story was a line I do not think I really ever paid attention to before. Early in the story, it says that Jesus had to pass through Samaria. Why? Why did he have to? Plenty of others Jews found a road around the place that so disgusted them. Was it because Jesus was in too big of a hurry to get to where he was going to take the long way?

I don't think so. I believe that Jesus had to go there to seek out this woman. The woman was desperate for love, and Jesus was passionate about loving God's chosen. Jesus had a divine appointment. Jesus had to meet this woman.

This woman would in her hurry leave her water pot, the very mundane task that brought her to the well, to call others to come and see the Promised One. She was not exactly the one that most of us would have looked to when starting a church. However, The Lord does not choose the wise things of this world, but rather He chooses the foolish things in order to shame the wise.

Where we live, there are so many women hungry for worth, hungry for value, hungry for love. Some of them are married and hunger quietly. Some young women hunger openly and get a bad reputation. Some young men and women find value in the eyes and arms of foreigners, usually Europeans, who come here for "extracurricular activities" and then hope for a visa out of the country with said foreigner.

Sometimes human trafficking does not mean around the world but maybe only a few hours away. January is human trafficking awareness month. Praying for those in groups like Purchased who are going to seek these women who are hungry for love and value. Praying to convey that same value on the women where we live. May we feel that same urgency that Jesus felt when He had to go to Samaria.

It's Tough Being a Chief

As I had visited a nearby neighborhood last year, I began making a special effort to visit the chief. We had a couple of good conversations. Once, I was able to tell the story of creation and fall. Another time I was able to share with him that being a leader is a position of great responsibility in which God places people. I prayed with him to have wisdom to know how to lead and solve the problems of his people. When the team came to visit, the formerly open chief was less open than he had been in the past. As long as we did not share from a road other than the way he knew, he was ok. Then he shared about being concerned about his aging and inevitable death, as well as his concern over whether his sons would be ready to take over the tasks of chief. These thoughts weighed heavy on him. Our team left feeling saddened that he was unwilling to listen to the Way, especially in light of facing death. He was confronted with something, but he refused it. He had a choice to make and he made it. Thankfully though, this chief has not closed the door to the Good News for his village.

Another chief from another village made a choice as well. Several years ago another volunteer team went to a village. They made relationships and eventually had an audience with the chief. That chief could have refused to have the team return to the village, not wanting to have another way disrupt what they thought they knew. However this chief was open to having teams come to visit and even went so far as to invite them to stay in his compound whenever they came to town. After several years of working there, the chief was blessed by the teams financially and had many opportunities to hear the Good News. Unfortunately he also saw strife between the believers, which is never good. One of these teams was out before the end of 2013. A week after they left, the chief passed away. We do not know yet who will be the next chief. I do not know if anyone knows where this chief was in his heart's relation to Jesus.

Lift up the sons of these chiefs that the Word will come in power among their people.

The story of Ike

As in the story of Eve and Hannah, we had a volunteer team come out as 2013 came to a close. Hannah invited us into her courtyard and Eve sat as near as possible to hear every Word. Whilst in the midst of storying, Ike showed up. He is a tailor in front of Hannah's house as well as a driver of a motorcycle taxi. Ike and another woman were talking and being disruptive to our stories. We paused for them to finish their conversation. The woman to the market, and Ike sat to listen.

At first, I did not know how Ike's presence would affect our time. Ike listened a while and then asked a little abrasively if we were trying to force them to change. Hannah quickly responded that we were just here to teach those that want to learn but that no one was being forced. He listened more. He saw and began thumbing through the books that I had given Hannah. He would read a title of a story from the book of Mark and ask for us to retell it.  I was not sure what his purpose was, maybe to test us. After a few stories, he admitted that he could read it, but "if I ask you to tell it, then everyone can hear it."

What a blessing to be invited to tell more stories! Hannah could read, but I knew Eve could not. I was unsure about the several other women sitting there, and I felt confident that the children surrounding us could not. Ike was opening up doors for others to hear, but more than that. His countenance changed as he listened. There was a softening of his heart to what he was hearing.  I hoped that he would have time to listen to the story of the brother who was with us that day, a story Ike would have related to well.

Unfortunately, the woman with whom Ike was talking at the beginning returned. She was agitated and tired. She proceeded to give Ike a hard time about continuing to sit there listening when there was work to be done. He apologized for having to leave but gave some of the team his contact information.

Lift up Ike and ask that Word sown in his hear would produce great fruit.

Hannah, the Name-giver

Hannah is woman of great vibrancy. She will grab a hold of you literally when you come into her presence. She loves having visitors and has such energy. She instantly wants to sit and visit. Hannah's family lives on a main road at the entrance to the village. She seems to know everyone.

A young woman who served on our team had often shared with Hannah. At times, Hannah's attention would ebb and flow. The young woman introduced me to
Hannah before she left so that I could continue to meet with Hannah. At times I have found Hannah distracted as well, but it is hard not to have those moments when their lives are full of such hard work. Other times I would instantly be seated with Hannah close by my side, and she would beg me to teach her. She has heard much Truth from the Word.

When a volunteer team came in 2012, Hannah gave the team their local names. As 2013 came to a close, one of the men from that team returned with a couple of ladies. The man wanted to go greet Hannah and her family. Almost as soon as we entered, Hannah brought benches for us to sit and began begging for a story.

One story lead to another. And another. And another. A young man happened by where we were studying and at first seemed to be disrupting what we doing. Soon he asked if we were forcing what we were sharing. Hannah was quick to defend that it was not force at all but if anyone wanted to learn. We told more stories.

After a time, Hannah needed to get up to begin preparing lunch. As she did so, she made a very clear statement to us that she and others wanted to follow
The Way. Unfortunately, the door was not open again to share as much as we did that day before the team left.

I went back a few weeks later to check on Hannah. She was struggling with some cultural issues regarding marriage. We discussed the passage from
Ephesians 5, which I had previously shared with both her and her husband at separate times in the past. I went on to talk about what God expects and requires of us as women in Titus 2. She said that someone had taken the books I had given her the last time and asked for new books. I gave her new ones and a lady who had sat with us asked for one as well. At one point, her mother in law came beside us, which made me nervous, but the Father gave me the words to speak.

Lift Hannah up as she continues to grow in knowledge and that she will commit fully to the Way of Truth. Lift up others who Hannah continues to influence.

The Story of Eve

The Story of Eve

Once upon a time, there was a young woman named Eve. She met a young woman who tried to teach her about The Way. Eve told the young woman that she was too stupid and uneducated to be able to learn. The young woman insisted that God had created everyone, including Eve, with a mind to learn about Him. The young woman taught several things and spent several weeks teaching John 3:16 before the woman was expected to move away. The week before Eve left, she recited this verse for the young woman. Eve moved away and was not heard from again for two years.

A volunteer team came out in 2012 to share the Good News and were given local names at one house. As 2013 came to a close, one of the men from that first trip returned with a couple of women and wanted to visit the home where the first team received their names. The team found the woman who had given them their names as well as Eve. I had the pleasure of being with the team this day and getting to meet Eve. Almost as soon as we arrived, the name-giver began begging to hear stories.

The team told one story after another, and the name-giver asked for some booklets to replace ones she had lost. A young man came upon where we were talking and began asking lots of great questions. He eventually had to leave and yet seemed very interested. The name-giver informed us that she too wanted to follow the way but then had to leave to do chores. All the while, Eve sat transfixed, hanging on every Word. It was shared with her what she needed to believe and pray in following the Way. She heard a testimony of a brother from her home town and background.

She prayed. She was ready to go swimming.

Since the brother who was with us was not local, we decided to wait until a local brother was available to meet with her and could help with her swimming. Two days later the local brother met with her and that afternoon took her swimming. It was a blessed time!

The joy Eve displayed the next day was evident. A woman who thought herself of little worth became a woman of great price.

A few weeks later I went to check on Eve. Because her belly was "big", she went to live with her sister in a town several hours away to be cared for by family. We are seeking how to get in contact with her so that she can continue learning. Lift up Eve and this precious baby that will be born in the next month or so, as well as Eve's husband to be own over by her faith.