I am thankful for...

Everything is making me a little bit annoyed today. I don’t know if you’ve ever had those days, but when I have them, it is usually safest for everyone if I just don’t see people. Being in language school, not seeing people is not really an option, and the people here are so nice that I can’t help feeling happy around them. But when I get home I have to surround myself with comforts like Christmas-y essential oils in the diffuser, Christmas music, cinnamon rolls rising on the stove, and thoughts that remind me of the blessings in my life. This is mostly to convince me that the wet disgusting rain/snow outside is nice. I’m still not convinced, but at least I’m not complaining as much as I probably would be.

Since I can’t share the cinnamon rolls, essential oils, or Christmas music with you I thought I would at least share my thoughts so that maybe, if you are having a bad day too, you can be reminded of the things for which you are thankful. Yes, they will probably be different than mine!

I am thankful for…

God’s never-ending, never-stopping, never-giving up love.

Friends who are excited about meeting with us weekly to help us learn French.

Being surrounded during this time, by older-wiser missionaries who can give us sound advice.

Having the opportunity to formally study French instead of being thrown into a new country with no formal language training.

Candles.

Where we have come from, how Jesus has changed our path, how God has given us the free gift of salvation through His son, Jesus.

Family who helps us buy tickets to fly home for Christmas.

Time in the morning to spend with God, soaking up His goodness and crying out our sorrows.

Children who like to read books so we can have quiet time in the morning.

Birthday cards from the same person each year for as long as I can remember.

That God is constant in the good times and the bad.

The ability to understand more of the sermons each week so that we can be spiritually filled in another language.

The testimonies of missionaries who have gone before us, and the encouragement of those who have gone through this transition before us.

God’s provision in 95% of our monthly support and more being added to our launch costs each week.

Lazy Saturday mornings to spend as a family.

Kids who are healthy and happy and well fed and have adequate care.

So many people praying for us and encouraging us daily.

May we never forget to be thankful for all that we have!

When Giving Goes Against the Norm, When It Looks Foolish

I have wrestled with whether I should write about generosity and money. Part of the reason it has been so hard for me to get up the courage is because my husband and I have been in a season of support raising for our ministry. I was afraid of what people might think if I would share my thoughts. Maybe they would think that I just wanted money for myself and my ministry. Maybe they would think I was trying to manipulate people into giving to us. Now I see how selfish those thoughts were. As if the entire world revolves around us and what we are doing. God is bigger than the things we say, and he can work through the foolish things we say, as well as the wise things.

Another part of me that didn’t want to write it, is that it is so against what most people think of when it comes to generosity. A lot of people adhere to the 10% tithe, but few go above and beyond that and give everything they have to Jesus in order to follow Jesus. More importantly, I think few, including myself, understand completely that it is the heart that matters not the amount. A third reason I was scared of writing about this is I felt that maybe I wasn’t wise enough on this subject. I’m sure there are people who know more about this subject and who have studied it more than me and are better Bible scholars (or they are actually Bible Scholars). That is true. There are people better qualified to talk about this. The mistake I made for months is that with all of these reasons I let my anxiety rule ahead of the Holy Spirit’s leading to write about this. Even now I can feel myself worrying about what people will think when they read this.

The truth is, I have learned a lot while support raising and it wasn’t all easy and I wasn't always graceful. We started the process saying that we wouldn’t judge people for what they did or did not give. Although it is something good to strive for, I think we forgot that we are only human when we said that. I have seen people who give without abandon, even though I think that they maybe cannot afford it. I have seen people give nothing, even when I think they can afford to give more. Honestly, I have made a lot of assumptions about people that I realize are hypocritical. I had a plank in my own eye, while I was judging others. First of all, I would like to make an apology for those thoughts. I realize now that I have not been living in complete abandon to God with regards to my pride. Sure, we are selling our house, we are going to sell our car, we sold or gave away almost all of our stuff, but my heart was holding on to things still, holding on to pride about this issue, and I was not following God with complete abandon.

One thing that caused the wheels to turn about this matter for me was a discussion my husband and I had this morning. We were talking about generosity and giving and the different ways that missionaries raise support. Without going into too much detail about our discussion, we ended up looking up some statistics about giving to missions and the unreached (people who have never heard the Good News of Jesus Christ and do not have the opportunity). Here are a few of the most eye-opening ones we found:

• WHAT CHRISTIANS EARN: 

Annual Income of all Church Members: $42 trillion.

(Annual income of Evangelical Christians is approximately $7 trillion.)

• WHAT PEOPLE GIVE:

Given to any Christian causes: $700 billion.

Given to Missions: $45 billion (only about 6.4% of the money given to Christian causes of any kind)

• HOW CHRISTIAN GIVING IS USED:

Pastoral ministries of local churches (mostly in Christian nations):  $677 billion (96.8%)

"Home Missions" in same Christian nations:  $20.3 billion (2.9%)

Going to Unevangelized Non-Christian world: $2.1 billion (.3%) *This is different than "Unreached"

Money that goes toward Unreached Peoples: *Estimated $450 million

         *In 2001 only 1% of giving to "Missions" went to unreached - if that trend holds true today it would be $450 million.

The $450 million going toward Unreached People Group's is only .001% of the $42 trillion Income of Christians.  For every $100,000 that Christians make, they give $1 to the unreached.

(http://www.thetravelingteam.org/stats/)

I wanted to make this list more concise, but I feel like the statistics speak too loudly to do that.

Why is the church giving so little?

I am not sure where these numbers came from, but even if they are only somewhere in the ballpark of accuracy, they are extremely convicting to me. One of the quotes in the article explained it very well: “Until recently, Americans gave less money to reach the unreached than they spent buying Halloween costumes...for their pets.”

Something is wrong with how much Christian’s give.

The main passage that has been very convicting for me the last few weeks is below. It is so counter-cultural. Safety and security in finances is the culture. People think it is foolish to sell everything and give it to the poor. But Jesus said this type of devotion was needed to follow him.

And someone came to Him and said, "Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?" And He said to him, "Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is only One who is good; but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments."  Then he said to Him, "Which ones?" And Jesus said, "You shall not commit murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; Honor your father and mother; and You shall love your neighbor as yourself."  The young man said to Him, "All these things I have kept; what am I still lacking?" Jesus said to him, "If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me."  But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property. (Matthew 19:16-22)

I once told a group of people that I thought it was right to “give until it hurts.” The response I got back was a lot of silence and some uncomfortable looks. I don’t know what they were thinking in that moment. But the response caused me to think about what I said more. Do I truly believe that it is wise to give until it hurts? The answer I came to was no. It is not wise. At least, it is not wise if you are thinking from a perspective that adheres to the culture we live in. In fact, it looks foolish to give up all my earthly possessions. To put the poor and the Good News of Jesus Christ before yourself and your family looks foolish. It may seem foolish to give up all I have. But I was never promised that following Jesus would look wise to those around me.

For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength. (1 Corinthians 1:25)

This foolishness is the foolishness that goes way beyond the 10% tithe. Jesus blessed a woman because she gave out of her poverty, while those around her only gave out of their surplus.

And He sat down opposite the treasury, and began observing how the people were putting money into the treasury; and many rich people were putting in large sums. A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which amount to a cent. Calling His disciples to Him, He said to them, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury; for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on.” (Mark 12:41-44)

I have wrestled with this: Is there any balance between security in finances and giving up everything for Jesus? Should we really give everything we have to follow Him? What about my family? Isn't it my duty to make sure they have food to eat? Jesus seems very clear to me on this matter, he takes care of even the sparrows, so he will not let my family starve if I give up everything for Him. It is not my duty and has never been my duty to provide the food that we eat. It has always been God taking care of us. I have never been able to control a steady income in my family. We could have been fired from our job(s). I wouldn’t have had control over that. Yes, the basic duty for my husband and I is to care for our family and work at our jobs, to get the food for our family once God provides, but ultimately He is the provider. So why not give up everything I have to follow him? If I truly trust Him, that He will take care of me and my family, then I can truly trust that He will provide.

Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? (Matthew 6:26)

This looks like complete foolish abandon to me. Abandon that is willing to give up everything in order to follow Christ. This is abandon that starts with a change of heart and is unafraid of the future that may involve a lack of finances. It is foolish to us, but this is what God calls us to do and to Him it is wisdom.

One of the last driving points that I would like to get across here is that we are just stewards. All of our money, our possessions, all of it, is already God’s. It is from Him that we have received abundance, and if it all is His anyway, then why not give back to God? Like the poor widow, why not give back to God out of our times of poverty as well as our times of abundance and still trust that he will provide?

And so I ask myself, and anyone reading this, who are you like? Be honest with yourself. Are you more like the rich young ruler, who went away sad when Jesus told him He must sell everything to follow Christ? Or are you the poor widow who gave all she had in complete devotion to God, despite any worries that she had about putting food on her table? Are you willing to give up everything to follow Jesus? Are you willing to give until it hurts?

We are rich. I can guarantee, that if you are reading this post and you have had a meal today or are planning to have a meal or have the means to have a meal and you are going to sleep under a roof tonight, you are a lot richer than most people in the majority world. So today, I leave you with this passage which Paul wrote to Timothy and I ask you to consider how this principle applies to your life.

Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed. (1 Timothy 6:17-19)

The Tears are Flowing

I’m a little bit sad today. Okay, I am actually a little bit crying right now. We are leaving. We are really leaving. I look around and see bins of stuff. I am thinking about the small list of things we have to put in bins for the move tomorrow. Clothes; dishes; toiletries; toys; computers; food.

My kids are eating lunch in this home for one of the last times.

Zach left for work from this house this morning for one of the last times.

I made coffee in my house this morning for one of the last times.

We played outside in our yard this morning for one of the last times.

We talked to our neighbors here for one of the last times.

We took a walk around the block this morning for one of the last times.

Reading back over what I just wrote, it sounds like we’re dying. Really, a season of our lives is just ending.

We are just leaving stuff behind. Just a house. Why is it so bittersweet? Because this is our home, and it has been for 2 years.

This is the home we were in when we first found out we were having twins. This is the place that we spent hours working on, through sweat and sore muscles, to make it our own. This is the first place we brought our babies home to. This is where they learned to crawl, and where they took their first steps, and where they learned to talk. This is where we learned what it meant to be exhausted to the point of tears, yet still being able to love the cause of that exhaustion unconditionally. This is where we first started to learn to communicate with each other when our babies, and jobs, and schoolwork seemed more important. This is where we became the family we are today.

This is one of those bittersweet times in life where I don’t think I should be crying, but the tears are flowing. Where I am excited for the days and weeks and months ahead, but the tears are flowing. Where I can’t wait until tomorrow, but I am sad that yesterday is gone, so the tears are flowing. Where I am soaking up every moment we have left in this home, but the tears are flowing. When we are really leaving, so the tears are flowing.

I don’t have a profound point today. I don’t really have an object lesson in this post. This is just a part of my heart, laid out for all of you to see.

Because the bittersweet tears, of the end of this season, are flowing.

He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart, yet so that man will not find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end. - Ecclesiastes 3:11

Transitions to my big kid bed

I’m trying something new with my kids’ nap-times. We’re transitioning. They have been in their own cribs since they were 3 months old. Now they are 17 months, and as our family is beginning to get ready to move, I have placed their mattresses on the floor. We are trying something new. We thought we would see how it would work to let them roam free in their room, and crash on their mattresses when they find themselves sleepy. I don’t think it’s working.

I heard giggles 5 minutes ago. 10 minutes ago, one of them was banging on the door trying to get out. Thankfully, they haven’t figured out door handles. 20 minutes ago, one was crying. 30 minutes ago, I heard one of them messing round with a cord and realized that I had forgotten to put outlet covers on. I ran in to fix the problem. So much for nap-time.

And now? Right now, they are knocking on the door. At this point, I am certain of only one thing pertaining to this experiment.

They are not sleeping. It’s not working.

But some things take time don’t they? Transitions take time to get used to. So maybe we just need to give it more time.

If we gave up on transitions as soon as things didn’t work out, we wouldn’t be in a good place. We’d be stuck. Never moving on, only scared of the future, scared of failing. We’d stay where we are.

But then we don’t grow. We don’t learn how to branch out of our comfort zone. So maybe we are used to staying in our crib. It’s safe in our crib. We know our crib and we know the way of life in our crib. We don’t have to learn anything new here. After a while, we know that it’s time to sleep, and it’s easy because we know what to expect. Sometimes we need to step out and transition anyway, even if we are comfortable where we are.

Outside of our crib is more exciting. Mattresses on the floor? Why would we sleep? So much to play with, so much to see. But now it’s time to sleep. It’s scary in a new place. We can see our crib, but we can’t climb inside and snuggle up. We can’t just crawl into our safe place and sleep. No, we need to find a new way to sleep. A new rhythm. When there is so much to do and so much to see, this is hard. We want the old safety. But it is gone. We must move on. We need to grow up. It’s time.

As we are packing up the life we have known for three years, we are starting a year-long transition. We’re moving, and moving, and moving again. We’ll find a comfortable way to sleep, a comfortable way to be. Then we’ll transition again, from toddler beds, then into bigger beds.

Each time we move, each time we transition, we’ll be finding a new normal. We might be restless. It’s okay. We might be able to sleep the first time around. It’s okay. We might not be able to sleep the first time. It’s okay. We might never be fully settled into our new beds, our new place. It’s okay.

Transitions are hard. Sometimes they may seem fruitless. But we’ll make it through. We’ll be in our big kid beds soon. We’ll be able to rest, knowing that the crazy transition years have ended. Then we’ll have a new normal. When we get to the other side, we’ll be grown. Maybe not in the way we expect, but we’ll grow even in a small way.

Change is hard. Saying goodbye to what we are used to, the people we are used to, is hard. But through change, comes growth. A type of growth that may not happen any other way. Then one day, we can look back and see how far we’ve come. So, here’s to growing this next year: as we meet more friends, as we discover new things and new places, as we learn more, as we grow closer to Jesus who is one of the few constants in our life, as we transition to our big kid beds.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18: Therefore, we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So, we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Sahel Academy

I always think it’s funny when people try to write about or describe a place where they have never been. Little did I know that one day I would be that person. I am going to attempt to write a little bit about the school that Zach (and possibly myself, on occasion) will be working at.

Many of you may have heard this information, if you have met with us personally, so I am adding in pictures to make it more interesting.*

Road to Sahel Academy

Located in Niamey, Niger, Sahel Academy is a K12 International school that teaches primarily in English. The School was started in 1987 as a school for the children of missionaries. However, they open 30% of the enrollment to students from the community or other students whose parents are not missionaries.

National day at the school

Sahel is one of the few schools in the country that teaches in English, so parents may send their children there in-order-to give them an education in English. There are 30+ countries represented at the school of over 150 students.

High school building at Sahel Academy

Zach is excited for the opportunity to serve here because he will be able to get directly involved in educating students through computer classes, and assisting missionaries in their IT needs. There will also be the opportunity to train some local Nigeriens in IT, helping them learn a vocation.

A student working in the computer lab at Sahel Academy

I (Aliya) am personally excited to serve near the school because there are many opportunities for outreach in the community. I look forward to possibly getting involved in teaching young girls to sew, so that they can sell what they make in the market. I would also like to encourage mothers with young children in practical ways such as through nutrition programs, or by just having an open home and a listening ear. But I digress, because I realize this is not about Sahel Academy.

All in all, we are excited to assist and educate the next generation. It is a privilege that we do not take lightly. We hope to go in with a humble spirit, listening to wise direction as we follow our call to live in Niger.

Let us know if you have more questions or if you would like to hear more about what we are going to be doing.

Aliya

Acts 20:24 - But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God.

*Thank you to Randal Potratz for taking these pictures and allowing us to use them.

Reflections on the Passover and Why it is so Important to Our Ministry

A few days ago, I was reading a Bible story to the kids. This story was about the Passover. For some reason, this story has stuck with me for several days. I have been reflecting on it in my free moments. Today, I was so curious about Passover that I googled the date. I had to look twice, but sure enough. Today, April 10^th, 2017, is the beginning of Passover in Jewish culture. This story ties so well into the Easter story and it encompasses the “why” of us being in full-time ministry.

Passover. What is it? In the book of Exodus, Moses was appealing to Pharaoh to let the Israelites be freed from slavery and go to their homeland. Pharaoh’s heart was hard. He did not want to let his slave labor up and leave, after all! So God sent plagues on the land of Egypt. He sent plagues of frogs, locusts, turning the water into blood, and many more. But Pharaoh would not let the Israelites go. The plague that finally changed Pharaoh’s heart was one in which God vowed to kill the firstborn of every house in Egypt. This swept from Pharaoh’s son to the firstborn son of the cattle in the land.

But God made a way for the Israelites to be saved through the sacrifice of a lamb. The lamb had to be spotless and carefully chosen. After the lamb was killed, anyone who believed in God was supposed to put some of the lamb’s blood on their doorpost. Then God would pass over those houses and death would not reach them. The people were to stay inside and cook the lamb and eat it, not leaving their houses until morning. The lamb was sacrificed so that the people would not die.

The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. – Exodus 12:13

God passed over those who had given the sacrifice of the lamb.

This story shows the wrath of God, His judgement. It also shows His mercy for those who believe. 

This story precedes a later story in which the spotless Lamb of God, Jesus, was sacrificed on the cross. His sacrifice, and His blood, caused God’s wrath to be averted. God passes over our sin, if we believe in Him. God has made a way for sinners to be saved by the blood of a Lamb a second time. A final time.

He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit. - John 19:30

This is why we are called to full time ministry. God has called us to tell others about Jesus death and resurrection. God has called us to tell others, that Jesus has taken the wrath of God against our un-holiness, and He has put it upon himself so that we might be saved. If we only believe in Him, and rest under the bloodstained doorpost of His grace.

Can we save anyone? No. God already did. We must tell others about this good news. That Jesus saves. That Jesus has saved if we believe.

Could God accomplish cross-cultural mission work without us? Could God tell people in remote parts of the world His goodness? I have no doubt that He could and He can. We are merely His instruments, which He is using to carry out the task of spreading His word and showing His gift of Salvation to those who have never heard His name and have little means to hear His name.

By working at a school whose focus is to educate the children of Missionaries, Zach will have the opportunity to keep other missionaries on the field, and to continue the work that God has called them to. The school also has local children enrolled, which gives Zach the opportunity to witness to children who may not be followers of Christ.

By working in IT, Zach is helping missionaries spend more time in ministry and less time fighting with technology.

By getting involved in sewing outreaches I will have the opportunity to directly interact with those who have never heard of Jesus.

By living in a community that has very little knowledge of Jesus Christ, Zach and I hope to be used by God to show those who have never heard of Jesus, what He has done for them.

 For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. - 2 Corinthians 4:5-10

By supporting us financially, you are also God’s vessels to keep us on the field and able to work in full time ministry.

But when Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul began devoting himself completely to the word, solemnly testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. - Acts 18:5

By supporting us in prayer, you are a part of our ministry and the work that God is doing around the world.

Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. - James 5:16

Christ’s death on the cross and His resurrection showed His love for a broken world. His death showed His desire that none should perish, even though the wrath of God is great. The sacrifice of the Lamb of God, was enough that God’s wrath be averted and God’s mercy displayed for all who believe in Him.

That is why we do what we do. God made a way for all to be saved. We want to tell the world. The part of the world that God has called us to tell, is Niger.

Where has God called you?

Third Culture Kids: The Experience of Growing Up Among Worlds – Book Review

While reading Third Culture Kids: The Experience of Growing Up Among Worlds by David Pollock and Ruth Van Reken, I found that I had many similarities to a third culture kid, even though I am not one by definition.

In short the book defines a third culture kid (TCK) as

a person who has spent a significant part of his or her developmental years outside the parents’ culture. The TCK frequently builds relationships to all of the cultures, while not having full ownership in any. Although elements from each culture may be assimilated into the TCK’s life experience, the sense of belonging is in relationship to others of similar background.

As I was reading, I discovered a lot about myself and tried to discern why I felt strangely connected to TCK’s. Was it because I travelled a lot as a child and experienced different cultures and subcultures? Was it the subculture of conservative Mennonites, which I came out of that made me feel as if I was a TCK? Or was I just imagining how my children will feel growing up as true TCK’s? All-in-all, I don’t know if it was one of those factors or all of them mixed together, but I was able to strongly identify with the thoughts and feelings the book portrayed as natural to a TCK.

The authors of this book wanted to have an overview of all types of TCK’s. This included those who are TCK’s through adoption, or those who grow up in a subculture that is significantly different than the main culture of their passport country. I think it is very important that they took these factors and others into consideration.

Some points that I found especially useful in the book are as follows:

•          TCK’s can all identify with one another, despite the differences in the culture they grew up. Most TCK’s identify with the feeling of never quite fitting in to their passport culture, but also never fitting into the culture they live in. They are between worlds, and that is what they have in common.
•          When a TCK enters a new culture, it is important that they have a mentor who can show them how to operate well in the new place.
•          It is important to allow a TCK to grieve the loss of their old culture when they move to a new place. As a parent, one can comfort the child and even share their own sadness about leaving, which validates the child’s grief and shows them it is okay to grieve.
•          TCK’s can often seem unpatriotic or arrogant to their fellow citizens. This is because they often have been able to interact with people of more cultures and have a different worldview. They may feel torn between loyalties to their passport country and their country of residence.
•          Parents must allow and help facilitate children to learn at least one language deeply enough to think in that language.
•          Children need to come to a place where they understand who God is on their own, and not because they have been in a culture that tells them how to think about God.

 This book was very useful and I would have to say that the only qualm I had with it was that it began to get repetitive after the 5^th or 6^th chapter. I felt as if the authors did not have new insights, and I started to get bored with it. This is not to say that the entire book after those chapters was a draw, but I felt as if they could have been condensed.

I would recommend this book to any child of an expatriate and to parents raising their kids in a country that is not their passport country. As a soon to be parent of TCK’s, I found the information to be very useful. I also gained a lot of insight into the things my children will be thinking and feeling simply because they are growing up in a culture that is separate from their passport country. 

Aliya

Lessons I Have Been Learning: Spiritual Vitality

We have been going through some training for our future ministry. One of the very first sessions was on spiritual vitality. I cannot think of a better time to learn about spiritual vitality than when I am feeling drained, tired, worn out, and sad. Yet, going into ministry, this is a time that I need to be vital because the devil is prowling around, waiting for a chance to get a hold of my life.

1 Peter 5:8 Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

In any type of ministry, cross-cultural or otherwise, it is easy to end up at a place that is less than vital in our spiritual life. Usually, it sneaks up on us too. It starts with thoughts like these: “I am doing okay. In fact, I think I’m doing great. No one has convicted me of a catastrophic sin lately. I am consistently feeling as if I am in tune with God. I am at a point where I think I can take on the world for the sake of Jesus name.”

And then it hits me. Maybe it starts with pride. Maybe it starts with boredom. Maybe it starts with anger. Maybe it starts because I’m tired. But when it hits me, I am far past just one of those things. Usually, by the time I feel spiritually and emotionally drained, I feel all or more of those things at once. I wasn’t on guard, so one at time they slithered into my life. They climbed into my home, and my emotions, and my spiritual life, wrapping those creeping tentacles around my soul.

And then they squeeze. They squeeze everything good out of my life. It oozes out at first, in my angry interactions with my husband. Then it explodes, and I crash in exhaustion. I don’t want to do anything. I don’t want to be anywhere. I feel useless. I feel helpless. I feel hopeless. I feel tired. I feel as if I have nothing left to give, because I have allowed the devil to gain a foothold in my life.

Then I allowed him more, and more, and before I knew it, it seemed as if it was too late. But as you may know, that is not the end of the story, because God heals and restores. While this is important to know, it is not the main point of this post, albeit it is a very important point.

Instead, I am writing to identify what we can do before that creeping happens. How can we be on our guard against being spiritually and emotionally drained?

First, we must know what it means to be spiritually vital. In our training, we have learned that spiritual vitality takes two things. It takes 1) knowing the Spirit is with you, and 2) living it out.

Galations 5:25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.

“Our activity for God can only properly flow from a life with God.” Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, Peter Scazzero

Second, we must know how to identify why a lack of spiritual vitality happens so we can combat it, before it seeps into our lives.

In our training, they gave us this acronym to help identify warning signs of low spiritual vitality (I have added my descriptions to them to make them easier to understand):

Hungry – are you hungry for God? Are you hungry for something else? What are you yearning for?

Angry – Do you find yourself getting angry easily? Maybe at others? Maybe even at God?

Lonely – Are you consistently feeling lonely even when you are surrounded by people?

Tired – Are you physically or spiritually tired? What about both?

Sad – Are you sad? Maybe just consistently low. Maybe even to the point of depression or suicide?

Bored – Are you bored? Do you find that your life should be about more then what you are doing now? Where are you seeking excitement? Is it in sin?

Scared – Do you find yourself overly fearful of the future? Are you not resting in God’s protective hand over your life?

When I saw this list I was shocked that I identified with 5 of them. There are only 7 and I was feeling 5 of them! I thought I was doing alright. My pride was telling me that I was just fine, and I was as vital as ever. But I wasn’t. I had come to the point of being okay with where I was. But I wasn’t okay. I was hungry for the wrong things, I was angry, I was lonely, I was tired, I was sad. I realized that I have so much more growing to do.

But now I was stuck. I didn’t know how to come to a place of being close to God, and vibrant in my ministry because of that. I had listened to my heart, and I didn’t know how to get out of that habit.

“Don’t listen to your heart, preach to it.” Tim Keller

Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is more deceitful than all else, and is desperately sick; Who can understand it?

So we come to the third way we can be on our guard and move to a place of renewal. We must understand best practices towards moving back to spiritual vitality when we are at that place of being drained.

As I don’t consider myself an expert on this matter, I will have to speak from personal experience. The important thing to remember is that God created everyone unique, and so what works for me may need to be tweaked, or be completely different for you. Ask yourself: What are some things I have done in the past to move back toward spiritual vitality? What are some things I can do now?

For me I have narrowed it down to three things.

1. Get in the word.

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

To help focus my reading and meditating I can ask: What is the theology I am living out? Who do I believe God is? What is my relationship to Him? As a reminder, I can go back to a time when I saw God’s faithfulness. Reflect on a past journal, ask God to remind me of a scripture showing His faithfulness.

2. Find prayer warriors to pray for me and with me.

Let people know that I am struggling. Ask them to pray that I would be renewed and refreshed. Surround myself with people who can help me identify a lack of spiritual vitality, and those who will also go before the Father with me, and on my behalf.

John 15:7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

3. Identify that there is hope.

This third one is important to me because when I am not spiritually vital, I often find myself with little hope. Sometimes, God renews my hope by bringing a song or a hymn to mind. Other times, God directs me to a passage of scripture that has given me hope in the past. One scripture that has been especially helpful to me is one that I will leave you with today. In all of this, I want you to remember that God wants us to be close to Him, but we have to do our part in drawing near to Him.

Aliya

As the deer pants for the water brooks,
So my soul pants for You, O God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God;
When shall I come and appear before God?
My tears have been my food day and night,
While they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”
These things I remember and I pour out my soul within me.
For I used to go along with the throng and lead them in procession to the house of God,
With the voice of joy and thanksgiving, a multitude keeping festival.

Why are you in despair, O my soul?
And why have you become disturbed within me?
Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him
For the help of His presence.
O my God, my soul is in despair within me;
Therefore I remember You from the land of the Jordan
And the peaks of Hermon, from Mount Mizar.

Deep calls to deep at the sound of Your waterfalls;
All Your breakers and Your waves have rolled over me.
The Lord will command His loving-kindness in the daytime;
And His song will be with me in the night,
A prayer to the God of my life.

Psalm 42:1-8

Recipe Corner: Nigerien Street Food

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and I intended to have more pictures for this post, but since I don’t, I guess I will have to just write 10,000 words. Just kidding. You can keep reading, it’s okay.

Last month, we had dinner with a couple who has lived in Niger before, and they worked at the school we will be at. They surprised us with the most delicious Nigerien street food you or I could imagine. Even better than the surprise, was finding out that they had come up with the recipe by themselves based on memory of the food. That in and of itself is a huge feat that I’m pretty sure I would fail at, so I cannot take credit for this recipe. It was their hard work that made it possible for me to write about it, and after asking their permission, I decided to try it out.

Upon receiving the recipe, I began planning when to make it. I added the ingredients that I needed to my shopping list. I even planned the night I would be making it, and warned our guests for the night that they would be guinea pigs.

In my mind, I imagined writing this post with step by step photo instructions using professional looking pictures of sizzling meat and chopped vegetables that are very strategically placed to be aesthetically pleasing. This was mostly just a dream for me because I actually have next to no talent with a camera, even if all the pictures look fantastic in my head. But of course, as the weekend drew on, one thing led to another, and nothing went as planned. Sunday night, we arrived home from a long weekend away just 10 minutes before our guests arrived. Thankfully, this is a super quick 20-minute meal so they didn’t have to wait long, but I also got absolutely no life-like pictures of my immaculately clean kitchen, or a nice shot of garlic sizzling in a pan in such a delicious manner that one can’t help but crave lightly browned garlic. And let’s be real, my kitchen was not immaculately clean.

So, anyway. Here are some instructions for you all in case you would like to repeat this delicious recipe, which our friends who created it call “African Sub.” I personally have never bought this food and eaten it in its natural habitat so I cannot take credit on whether it is authentic or not. However, I trust the taste buds of those who compiled this recipe, so I’m not too worried. I can get back to you on that once I have had a chance to eat it myself.

I started out with 3lbs of ground beef. Lean meat would definitely be more authentic, but as you can tell from this jumbled up post, I planned too poorly to search for lean ground beef in any stores. Consequently, I just used what I had in my freezer.

I defrosted the meat in superfast mode (not an actual microwave setting, in case you were wondering). While the meat was defrosting, I diced the green pepper, onion, and tomatoes. After plopping the meat in a large frying pan and turning it on medium-high heat, I added the garlic and diced vegetables. Covered and stirred occasionally until the meat was browned. Once the meat was browned, I added the dry soup mix, chili powder, and salt (if desired). I added about a tsp of salt, but the recipe would likely be good with less. I may have rushed things a bit and added in the seasonings before the meat was fully browned. But, shhhh. Don't tell anyone. Once the meat was cooked through, I attempted to drain any extra grease (does this make it more lean? Ha), and then my meat was finished! Ta-da.

Cut your French rolls in half and stuff with whatever amount of meat you think is appropriate. We then topped the meat with mayo, yellow mustard, and Worcestershire sauce (This was our attempt at substituting Maggi Seasoning). I can’t remember if the condiments we added were what we had at our friend’s house, but the finished product turned out delicious. Unless our guests were just trying to make me feel good, I can say that they also enjoyed this meal. And, always a bonus, my toddlers gobbled it up.

Of course I took absolutely no pictures last night when we tried the recipe, so I was excited to heat up some of the leftovers for you guys to visualize the deliciousness. Let’s be real, I also really wanted to eat this again.

So yeah, it basically looks like sloppy joes, but has a different taste, so don’t let the looks fool you.

I fully intend to come back and edit this post once I have had a chance to eat some of the street food in Niger for myself, but for now, I was overly pleased with my first attempt at making a food we are not really sure how should taste. If you have any input on this recipe, please leave some feedback!

We are excited to try this recipe again, and hopefully we will get a taste of Nigerien street food in Niger soon.

Aliya

Sentiment Corner: When You Have to Say Goodbye

I know it is months away, but this is something that has been on my heart since I first realized fully that we would be moving. Moving across the ocean. Not just moving to another town, or another state, but moving across the ocean to another country. Sure, there is Skype and phone calls and Facebook chat for when you miss people. And unlike 200 years ago, I don’t have to wait to hear from loved ones for months at a time. But being apart from your family is still hard.

Just to get this out of the way, I don’t intend for this to be a pity-poor-me post. I am excited about going to a new place and meeting friends and learning a new culture, but that doesn’t take away the feeling of loss that comes with saying goodbye when you move.

As an independent person, it is hard knowing that places will change and we will have to navigate somewhere new.

As a friend, it hurts knowing that people will move away and I won’t always be able to see them when I come home.

As an adventurer, it is bittersweet knowing that the start of a new adventure can mean saying goodbye to those you love and old adventures.

As a sister, and grandchild, and child, it hurts knowing that when I say goodbye, it could be for the last time in years, or ever. This is always the case, but it becomes more emotional when I know I can’t just come back and say “hey” whenever I jolly-well please.

As a mom, it hurts knowing that my children will not grow up near their grandparents and great-grandparents.

These things all weigh heavy on my heart as we begin to evaluate the logistics of moving. Things that, before now, we have taken for granted are now so precious to us. Soon we won't be able to stop in to see family and they won't be able to stop in and see us. And this is what we are choosing to do? Take our twins, and only a few possessions, to the other side of the world to live? Of our own free will? We must be absurd. We are probably insane. And as our Psychologist put it, "you guys are just crazy enough to do this." I've come to the understanding that it takes someone crazy to follow Jesus. 

I look at Matthew 10:37-39 in a new way now that I am physically leaving my family and friends for the unknown.

Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

While this command will not present itself exactly in others’ lives as it has in my life and the life of my family, it has become very real to me. In order to find my life [Jesus], I will lose all that I have known. In losing my life to Christ’s will for my life, I will find life. So yeah, it sounds a little bit crazy.

Jesus never promised that saying goodbye to family and close friends would be easy or even natural, but He did say that in losing all that we hold dear, we would find Him.

And so we are going somewhere new, leaving behind all that we know in order to enthusiastically serve the Lord in the ministries He has called us to. We're saying goodbye, and it's crazy, and there's emotional pain, but in the end it takes losing ourselves to follow Jesus. We are willing to take that risk.

Let Me Tell You About Where We’re Going - #3

Continue reading for info on Niger and a rabbit trail about mac and cheese.
This post will be the 3^rd and final post in the series with info about Niger. In the last 2 posts, I touched on the demographics and location. In this post, I will be writing a little bit about government and a little bit about the economy. I will possibly add in some other random facts that I found interesting.

Government:

So, to start off, the full country name for Niger is actually the Republic of Niger. The country was named after the one main waterway that passes through it, the Niger River. In 1958 the Republic of 

Niger was founded, and in 1960, the Nigeriens officially declared independence from French rule.

The system of government in Niger is a semi-presidential republic. What does that mean? Good question. Before I used my handy-dandy fingers to peruse Wikipedia, I also had no clue. After a few minutes of perusing I nearly found out how mac and cheese is processed, so I had to click “back” a few times and get on track again. Well, really I didn’t make it that far on Wikipedia, but I did get sidetracked by other interesting articles more than once. Anyway, a semi-presidential government, specifically that of Niger, has a prime minister appointed by the president, a cabinet who is also appointed by the president, and said popularly elected president.

The flag of Niger is orange, white, and green, etc, etc. Here’s a picture because those speak louder than words. Fun fact: My husband bought our own Nigerien flag about a month after we knew where we were going. It is currently hanging three feet from me, and I have to say, it adds a certain amount of fun to our living room.

Economy:

I could give you numbers about the Nigerien economy all day. No really, I looked up Nigerien economy and my screen was flooded with a lot of numbers, and it looked like a lot of math to interpret them all and make them more interesting for you. So some of the simple numbers of the 

Nigerien economy are as follows:

•          90% of the active labor force works in agriculture. The other 10% in industry and services.
•          The unemployment rate as of 2015 was 5.1%.
•          63% of the population is living below the poverty line. This was an older statistic, but from what I have heard, it is still relatively accurate.
•          In 2016, the exchange rate was 605.7 CFA Francs to 1 U.S. dollar. Their currency is backed by France and is used by 14 former colonies.

Random fun facts to finish off our time:

•  Only 2.2% of the population have access to Internet. For reference, in the United States 74.6% of the population have access to internet. If you just said “wow,” then we both said the same thing.
• Out of the 18,949 km of roadway, only 3,912 km of it is paved.

I hope you weren’t bored out of your guard by reading all these fascinating facts. I know I wasn’t, and as a bonus I got to do some extra research on mac and cheese. Okay, still joking about that one.

Until next time!

-The Thunders

Psalm 46:10 - He says, "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."

All written facts on this post were derived from the CIA World Factbook, unless otherwise mentioned.

Let Me Tell You About Where We’re Going – # 2

In my last post, I wrote about some basic location and environmental facts of Niger. This is building off of that post, so if you would like a refresher please see the last post in December. Today we will be diving into some fun facts about the demographics of the country.

Population and Language:

Niger has a population of 20,658,000 with 36 people groups. Of those groups, the most predominate are the Hausa and Zarma/Songhai. A majority of the population is also under the age of 25.

Since the 1960s there has been a steady emigration of Nigeriens to other West African countries. The lack of adequate arable land and water, cause people to leave for countries with a more stable economy where they can find work.

A farmer examining once arable soil, that is now mostly useless after a drought in 2005.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niger#/media/File:Niger_Farm_sand_tv_16aug05.jpg

A sobering statistic I found in my research was that almost 40% of children under the age of 5 are underweight. My heart hurts when I hear this, and I long to eventually be able to help this statistic diminish in even a small way.

French is the national language, although I have been told it is a second language to most. Other widely spoken languages are Hausa and Djarma. Our family will be going to school to learn French, so that we can live in the culture, and engage with the local people. I am really stoked to be learning a second language, as I have always wanted to, but I never was able to practice any language enough to retain it.

Religion:

Islam is the largest religion in Niger at 94.3%. The other small percentage is made up of beliefs indigenous to West Africa and Christianity.

Literacy:

There is often a lack of adequate educational opportunities in Niger, which has led to a low literacy rate. 19.1% of the adult population is known to be able to read and write. 27.3% of males can read and write and 11% of females. Most students are only in school for 5 years before they look for employment or have to drop out for other reasons.

A primary school classroom in Niger.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niger#/media/File:Niger_primary_school_MCC3500.jpg

I realize completely that these facts may be far more interesting to me, then most of the people reading this. If you made it this far, let me just say that I am so proud of you! Way to stick it out. Finding out about new places fascinates me, and I am excited to bring you all along on this journey with our family.

Keep checking back for more updates and facts about where we are going!

-The Thunders

Matthew 12:21 - “In his [Jesus] name the nations will put their hope.”

All written facts on this post were derived from the CIA World Factbook and the Joshua Project