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Smol tok nomo |
Since returning to Vanuatu I have only seen a handful of our students from 2011. Some are married, some hae moved and some are living on a different island all together. That is why when I was at spiritual renewal week out at SBTC I was excited to learn I was talking to a cousin of my old student, Roger. "Oh where is he now, will he be at church tonight? You must tell him to come tomorrow, tell him Teacher Jennifer really wants to see him!" "OH no, he lives on top now, it is too far " she replied. I strugged my shoulders some in disappointment, I had so hoped upon return I would see him. Roger was a bit of a trouble maker the first few weeks of school. He got caught in the middle of some situations that we had toyed with the idea of expelling him over. My heart was so heavy for this 12 year old boy who wouldnt make eye contact most of the time. He was the tough guy, but there was alot of pain there and call it a teacher's sixth sense or more accurately the Holy Spirit but I just knew he had it rough at home. He knew a few of his letters but could not read having already gone through the fourth grade in the public school system. I am no doctor but I suspected he was dislexic. I am not gonna lie I had a soft spot for Roger - everything inside of me was cheering for him. Every once in a while, he would meet my eyes and I saw something there, I saw hope, just a spark but it was all I needed because it brought out the Momma bear in me - I was ready to fight for Roger. We didnt expel Roger and as the days went on he did learn to read. He would smile a little more, I would "jikim" or "tease" with him. I didnt have kids yet, and this was my boy! I invested in him I poured in him. I had hard, strong talks with him in those early days, talks that went like this, "why are you here Roger? Why even come to school if you dont want to learn? I want to help you but no one can do it for you, you have to want it for yourself!" I helped Roger memorize scripture and when we got three more new rowdy boys half way through the school year Roger quickly let them know not to be giving his teacher a hard time. I had won his heart and how desperately I wanted to win it to the Lord! I have not had many opportunities to teach yet with having young kids of my own now, but last week my husband, Nathan, fell sick and I had to substitute for him. It was not until first break was over that a girl from another class came and told me Roger had come but he had already left again. I finished with my lesson and at the end of our school day the girl came and got me and out beside the school there stood a tall young man that vaguely resembled my boy Roger! He told me had been there since early morning. Still almost impossible to meet his eyes, but when we talked about old school days his face would light up. He said he had not been back to this school in a long time. I explained how sorry I was that it took us longer than we thought it would to get back here but that I thought about and prayed for them often. I begin to inquire about his life and how he had been, we talked about his class mates that were married now, and I begin to tell him that God had big plans for Roger. I begin to tell him that we never really know what God wants to do with us until we surrender fully, but that I, his former teacher, was quite sure God had an eye on Roger. For those who are not familiar with our ministry here, originally this first school was meant for the children of the Bible school students only, it was never meant for the Rogers from unsaved homes and villages. Our ministry was to train those already in the fold, but to be honest I never liked that and was tickled pink when we got to open the doors wide for the Rogers. Thing about it is, God does all things well and he opened the door for Roger to come to school. He orchestrated Roger stopping by on one of the rare days I go to be at the school (I was his teacher Nathan did the yonger class), and there was one more thing God was orchestrating on Roger's behalf. As I was talking to Roger about this plan God had for him that was greater than anything he could imagine, I heard the music strike up in the distance as the SBTC students gathered for Chapel. Without even thinking it through I said " Hey Roger why dont you come to Chapel with me. " He looked down at his shirt (which only had two buttons left on it and the sleeves torn off) and he mumbled something about his shirt and I said "dont worry I am wearing a shirt I got a thrift store in town." He smiled, no doubt remembering the same pushy teacher that forced him to learn to read, took his hat off and started walking towards the Chapel. Shortly after we entered the Chapel Missionary Bryan Webb took the pulpit and talked about how God's plan for salvation could be found in the Bible from Genesis to Revealations. He said it is not a story that is over, but it is a continuing story and we can find ourselves in it, that God has a plan for us! He repeated in a much more eliquent way all of the things I had told Roger. All I could think was God I love Roger so much and you love him even more than me, only you could orchestrate this day for my Roger! Roger's story is not over. I told him there is no reason why you couldnt some day be one of these students right here at this Bible Training Center, Nathan and I would love to help you get here. I prayed with Roger before I left and went away with a lump in my throat completely overwhelmed at how God was putting things in place for Roger. This story is to be continued but please all who will pray for my Roger!
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Ok, most people know I of all people am not the one to be writing a blog about this. I am that woman who sees someone pull up in the drive and has to decide rather to pick the laundry piles up and throw them out of sight, or wipe down the toddler drawing in her pb&j on the table before the visitor reaches the door. Don’t get me wrong, the Proverbs 31 woman is my hero I just don’t always resemble her in my feeble attempts to wear a million hats. Some of you can relate to the stress of that moment, but this isn’t advice from the organized Mom you should be taking advice from. This is just some recent tips I am finding help me in light of the intense amount of house work in a different culture than my own. Attitude Change. One thing I have learned in the midst of an intense amount of house work, it has to be done so why not change my thinking? I can dread it and ultimately hate my existence or embrace it and take joy and pride in making my home nice, being able to transform my families mess into a sparkly clean habitat. It is kind of like a super hero when you think about it, right? Pray About It. This one seems odd, but if you are like me and you struggle with getting it all done, ask God to help. If He is concerned with our lives, I know He would care about us and that feeling we get as women when we feel “ we aren’t quite measuring up.” I know stay at home Mom is not really where my talents lie, but this is the season I am in and He is there for every season of life and wants us to thrive in our role. Spruce It Up. Let’s make house work fun! Ok, if you are like me that sentence alone made you “LOL”. Seriously, if you like music, play music. With my two toddlers they love to dance around while I get stuff done. Challenge yourself to a race, try to beat your own times. Think up what your acceptance speech would be if you became President, I don’t know, whatever works for you! Your mind has time to roam to a happy place when your doing mind numbing repetitive cleaning. Use It As A Time To Pray. I am not saying every woman’s calling is to have a family to care for, but I am convinced it is well pleasing to the Lord. Let’s face it the amount of humility and servanthood that goes into the Mommy and Wifey role is more than a little. There is such a blessing for those who serve others, and some of my best prayer times have been while washing a load of dishes or laundry. Just “Let It Go”. Yes, I am referencing an over played Disney song. Part of my intense hatred for house chores in the past has been my ridiculously high standards for myself. High standards? Didn’t I just say I have piles of laundry and sticky kids!?! The problem is I over reach then get discouraged and want to quit when I don’t feel I am measuring up. Which can lead to a bag of Doritos and a good book that helps me not have to think about what a failure I am. You really get that Dramatic about house work? Yes. I do. For me it is like a guy who needs to fix a car or has something to prove. I am less than a woman if I can’t do it all. Therefore, my husband coming home to Doritos breathe and pajamas is going to make me feel better. You see the logic? There is none. So that is why we must “Let it Go.” Sure set a to do list but set realistic goals, AND if you don’t finish measure your success by the fact that you didn’t give up and you aren’t eating Doritos on the couch, or for me in Vanuatu, some coconuts I guess since we have no Doritos. The bottom line is do your best and let go of the rest. See why these aren’t tips from a seriously organized "Good Housekeeping Magazine" Woman? These are steps for those of us who ARE NOT making home made soap while rocking our organic fed little ones to sleep. For those of us who are wondering if all the older ladies see right through us or fear that we would be seen as a fraud if anyone ever seen that one closet. You may still have Doritos days, but in those times go back to tip #2. God is not there to whisper (or scream) “FAILURE!” in your ear - that is somebody else. He wants you to succeed in something as honorable as taking care of your family. Your house may not always be perfect, but your example of having a good attitude and working at it anyways is what others will remember most - not the laundry pile. Let Him in to every area of your life even your house keeping! This goes for single ladies and working ones too. And yes, sometimes Doritos and a good book are necessary for your sanity, just don’t take up permanent residence on the couch :) Washing clothes here where I live is quite the feat. Of course it is nothing compared to the hand washing when it was just Nate and I but interestingly different just the same. Clothes washing for me starts nightly around eight or nine (and sometimes ten) o’clock. The small washing machine with all its labels in Chinese is about a quarter the size of my washer back home, however, it is a coveted item in the apartment complex where I live so all day long the washer is otherwise occupied. I am not a very aggressive person, so for me it is easier to wait until others retire for the night to begin my washing process. Which begins by basically hand washing most items. To describe to you a normal load, I would say I can fit three towels and two wash cloths… that is pushing it a bit. At first it was a little crazy because I would go and just push buttons in ignorance and frustration since I cannot read in Chinese nor have I ever used a washer that had to be reset for every process (a total of five trips to the washer in the washroom per one rather small load). An old washing machine similar to the one I use. So it begins with me carrying a flash light, my tiny load, and my detergent into the pitch black wash area (apparently the light blew?) and trying not to run into any of the giant mutated cockroaches. I then have four different buttons that have to be set just right for it to begin (all instructions in Chinese) then I have to turn the water spicket to the far right of the washer on and return home. I then wait about five minutes for the washer to fill and return to the wash room (flash light in hand) to turn the spicket off so it does not over flow, and return home - again. Apparently we are a little dirty because I am not too sure on the actual rinse cycle, but about 30 minutes after that I return to push buttons and drain the washer and you guessed it, return home! Almost the last trip, I go back to set all four buttons in place for the eight minute spin cycle. The nightly mystery is rather it has actually spun or if, as sometimes is the case, it has a little water in the bottom of the tiny washer and all items will need to be rung out by hand. I then come back to the washroom again and by flashlight hang all of my clothes on the line often ringing them out as I go. Usually the clothes are either soapy, still completely stained, or have a funky smell, but occasionally it all works out. So there you go, all of this for three towels and two wash cloths.
I don’t mind so much doing it at night. In fact, I have come to realize if the clothes dry in the hot day sun they are hard and crispy (as clothes should not be) but if they dry in the cool kind wind of the night they are much softer. The largest issue I have is with only doing three loads a night tops (not counting nights I am away an unable to do anything) I have come to the horrific realization that I will never actually be done with my laundry. There is no way with four peoples daily clothes in high summer temperatures plus towels and sheets, ect, that I can ever be on top of my laundry. However as strange as the process is I find myself thankful that I am not hand washing every item and basically spending my entire life for the purpose of clothes washing! Another awesome factor is that my apartment is the closest to the washroom…always a silver lining. |
AuthorWife, Mother, Missionary, Teacher, Friend ... just a few of the many titles I gladly wear. Never dreamed this is the journey God would take me on. Archives
July 2022
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