Music to My Ears...

Well, Christmas had come and gone and in case you haven't noticed...it was AWESOME! We spent plenty of time loving on, playing with and simply having fun with the girls. The week had flown by and seemed like mere hours not seven days. We had reached the day that we did not want to see...It was the day to leave. It was going to be brief morning there because our driver along with Samuel, Pendo, and baby Elizabeth would be there soon to pick us up and start our safari to the Serengeti. While we both were super excited about that adventure with our dear friends, we also hated that this adventure was ending.We got up, had breakfast with Chris and Jim, packed our stuff and began the "African wait." (Yeah, time is not an important thing in Africa!) We walked around the campus, took some pictures and spent our few last minutes with the girls.

We walked back to the guest house and sat outside with some of the girls and our luggage until the car arrived. We greeted Samuel and family, said our goodbyes to the girls, shed a few tears, and received many hugs. After a short prayer we said goodbye one last time and turned to climb in our car. As we turned we heard the girls talking back and forth then we heard what had grown to be a familiar sound to us..."milimani na bahari ni. Pendo lako la tiririka..." (Pretty sure the spelling is close!) We both stopped instantly and turned around. What were they doing?

They were singing...Singing a song Liv had taught them earlier in the week... They were singing "I Could Sing of Your Love Forever"...They were singing for us, but to Him.

We were slightly teary eyed while saying goodbye, but now we had full blown tear-age. As a matter of fact I took my sunglasses off the top of my head and put them on to cover my eyes. It was an incredible moment. I was speechless. It was music to my ears...

When they finished we thanked them for the treat, did another round of hugs and goodbyes and climbed in the car. As we pulled away Liv and I both opened our windows so we could wave and say goodbye to the girls one last time. The girls chased our car down the road waving and screaming at us. I'm pretty sure that most of our bodies were hanging out of the windows waving, crying, and screaming back at them...We didn't want to come back in...We didn't want to leave the girls...We didn't want to close the window...

Finally the girls stopped chasing us and we came back in the car. I stared out of the window just like the day we landed in Mwanza. I stared and soaked it all in. The past 7 days had changed my life and I didn't want it to end. I began to ask myself questions. "What is God doing? What are all these emotions about? Why am I not excited about going to the Serengeti like I was a few days ago? What in the world?!?" I continued to ride and stare out of the window for a few more minutes. As I stared I prayed a simple prayer that I pray often while on mission trips... "Lord don't let me forget this moment. Don't let me miss what you have for me..."

A few minutes down the road we all engaged in conversations about our week.

We were able to tell Samuel and Pendo about all of our adventures while at the girls home. We laughed, picked on each other and played with Elizabeth. As we drove I was able to get to know Samuel and Pendo a little better. I was able to hear their hearts, their passions, their vision and desires to help the street boys and I heard how God was working in their lives. I heard how they were willing to sacrifice what very little they had in order to minister to and feed the boys. I heard how they were willing to do whatever it took to be the hands and feet of Jesus. I heard a family who was truly giving their all, taking up their crosses and following Jesus. What I heard was music to my ears...

After a couple of hours of driving and a stop for lunch we finally made it to the gate to the Serengeti. By now I was pretty stinkin' excited! We stopped to pay our fees (and take some pics!) then headed into the park! We drove and drove and drove. It was awesome! We saw zebras, giraffe's, monkeys, an elephant and a whole slew of other animals. I was like a little kid going to the zoo for the first time. As I would see a new animals I would giggle, then shout out the name of the animal over and over again! Yeah, I loved it and Samuel loved making fun of me. After a few hours of driving it began to rain so we wrapped up our adventure and headed to the lodge. We grabbed some dinner then headed to bed so we could get up and see the sun rise!

****Time out for a funny story...or 2! We both were excited about a hot shower because we had gone over a week just taking a cold shower with green smelly lake water! I was the first to get in...I turned the hot water knob and nothing came out...The hot water was turned off at 9pm. It was 9:03. At least the water wasn't green or smelly! After we both showered we decided to phone home. The only spot we could get signal was on Liv's bed. We both were laying there and I was talking to my dad. I began to hear this low grumbling sound and I got tickled. I thought it was Liv's stomach and she thought it was mine! Needless to say it wasn't either of our stomachs and well, we really had no idea what it was. We laughed it off and finally went to bed. The next morning as we drove away from the lodge we figured out what it was...

A large pond full of hippos about 60 yards from our room...I guess they were hungry hungry hippos! :)

****Time in!

After a week in the "jail cell" at JBFC it was great to sleep in a real bed...Even though there was what seemed like hundreds on monkeys running on the roof all night long! We thoroughly enjoyed a great nights sleep and rose early to catch the sunrise.

We walked to the top of the lookout area just before sunrise and got our cameras ready.

It was a little cloudy, but as the sun began to peek over the horizon and I stood speechless. (And for those who know me well, that's not a common occurrence!)

It was an amazing sight...I didn't think anything else could top it. Ha!

After taking several pictures and soaking up the beauty of the day we headed back to the room to pack up and then grabbed some breakfast and headed out. We were blessed with an incredible driver named Vincent for our Serengeti safari. He is VERY knowledgeable about the animals and the land itself. He was constantly stopping to tell us interesting facts about different things. My favorite thing about Vincent is what I deemed as his "catch phrase." As we drove he would say, "What do you want to see now? I find it for you!" Let me just say, he did it. Whatever we named he found and it was awesome. Overall we saw 29 lions, 1 leopard, elephants and countless monkeys, zebras, and giraffes, just to name a few!

It definitely was an adventure. As incredible as it was tracking down the animals the most incredible moment of my day came at an unexpected time. We had just seen about 10 lions all over a rocky area and we had stopped to take a few pictures of the incredible view. Liv was snapping pictures right and left and I was peeking out over the top of the car soaking in the view. I decided to turn all the way around and capture the moment in my brain. In the brief 360 degrees I saw zebras, monkeys, a giraffe and a incredible view of the sun peeking through the clouds just above the horizon. It truly was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. I couldn't help but stand in awe of my God and His beautiful creation. I simply stood and had a moment...

I heard all the animals making noise, the wind blowing through trees, His children laughing and enjoying His creation...I heard ALL of creation praising Him. What an incredible God I serve that all of creation worships Him. It was music to my ears...

We finished up our safari and headed back into Mwanza for the evening before we flew back to Kenya the next morning. Two incredible days on the Serengeti observing God's beautiful creation and once again we both were a little more different...

My prayer is that I will never forget these three moments. These were three totally different moments that God used to change me. Three moments where what I heard was not only "music to my ears", but also music to God's ears. I can't help but think that He just melts when He hears those girls in Kitongo, Tanzania singing "I Could Sing of Your Love Forever." I truly believe that He smiles big when He hears and see the things that Samuel and Pendo do to further His Kingdom. I think He receives pure joy from His creation (rocks included!) praising Him. Unfortunately, I can't help but think about what my life sounds like to Him. Is my life music to His ears? Do the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart "melt" Him? Am I doing things to further His Kingdom that makes Him smile? Do I, His creation, bring Joy to Him through my praises?

Sadly I often fall short of these things. As I reflected on these three moments I was reminded of a song I heard a few years ago. This has become my prayer...May it be music to His ears...

Let my life be like a love song

Let my life be like a love song

Let my life be like a love song

To Your heart

Lord the love You give You give so generously

You were my sacrifice You gave Your life for me

And now I want to give just as I've received

To live a life that shines Your love for those in need

Let my life be like a love song

Let my life be like a love song

Let my life be like a love song

To Your heart

So let justice roll like an endless stream

Flowing through my life to the poor and weak

Let the things I do and words I speak

Reveal the awesome love You have shown to me

Let your life be like a love song to His heart...

Crazy Americans...

***Yeah, I know...I changed the look of my blog. Just trying something new. I like it...I hope you do too! :)***

After Christmas at the girls home we had a few more "adventures". On the 26th we started our day off with watching a cow being slaughtered...Yeah, first a chicken, then a cow...I thought I was going to be a vegetarian forever! Later that day we were present for the dedication of the new school at JBFC. 100's of people from the village came in to take part in the celebration and a celebration it was!

At some point on the 26th we had a little play time. The girls had received a volleyball net for Christmas and they wanted to play. The area that they would be playing in was a mixture of sand, fine soil, and a little bit of gravel. We decided that the only way we could get the metal poles to stay in the ground was to use concrete. Liv and I somehow decided that we could handle that task...HA! A few of the girls helped us begin to dig two holes. After a few measurements we decided that we had to dig the holes 3 feet deep. I didn't think we were ever going to make it!

Finally after the holes were dug, we had to mix concrete...Lot's of sand, water, laughs and a ton of concrete being slung around during the "mixing" later, we got it poured. However, we didn't realize someone would have to stand and hold the poles till it set. The girls ran off and well, Liv and I stood and held poles for an extended period of time.

As people walked by from the neighboring village they just kind of gave us a look. At first I didn't get what they were looking at. Then it hit me...Two random white girls...Standing outside...Holding poles...Yeah, I'm pretty sure they thought, "Crazy Americans..."

Sunday, December 27th was our last full day at JBFC and it was coming a flood! Needless to say that since the "church" was a tarp in the middle of a field, we didn't go! The girls (not to mention the two of us) were utterly exhausted from Christmas and the school opening so we took it easy. Like we got up, did a few things and took a nap all before lunch! We finally all gathered in Chris' house and had lunch together. The girls feasted on cow intestines from the slaughtering the day before...We had African style spaghetti! After lunch we all crowded around Chris' laptop and watched Madagascar! Let me just say it's rather entertaining watching a movie that's in English with 28 girls who understand very little. They watched the characters and laughed when we laughed! :) I then started randomly laughing just to see if they would laugh. A few of them did, but after awhile I think they caught on. Pretty sure they just looked at me and thought "Crazy American..."

Anyway, after the movie the rain had let up and we ended up having the best adventure of our time there. Before I start this story I would like to say that I do not recommend doing what we did. If we would have stopped and thought about it we probably wouldn't have done it, but hey...When in Africa, do as the African's do...Or as the crazy American's do!

We decided to walk with all the girls, Chris, and Jim (A fellow American in for the school dedication) the 1-2ish mile trek to the rice paddies.

We had walked down a few days before to observe the girls planting (pic on left), but Jim had not been there and wanted to check it out. The walk was interesting to say the least. It was mud puddle after mud puddle and about every 5 feet or so you would hear a girl scream from losing their shoe in the mud! As a matter of fact, at one point we thought Liv was going to lose her foot in a mud puddle...Quite the entertainment! We got to the rice paddies and what looked like well mapped out rice paddies a few days before now looked like a huge swamp! (Pic below)

There was a one ledge of mud that we could still walk on top of. We walked (or slipped) on the ledge over to the big paddy they had planted earlier that week. We were all standing on the mud ledge around the paddy which was now a big pond. Liv, Jim and I were standing together and Chris was across the way. I looked at Liv and mentioned how funny it would be if one of us just "slipped" into the rather large mud puddle. Jim said he would do it! We told Chris our plan and he got the girls to countdown from three. They had no idea why they were counting down since they couldn't understand us...

The look on their faces when he dove into the puddle was priceless! Check it out!

They laughed and laughed until they were crying! A moment worth remembering!

We began the trek back and came upon a large open area that was flooded and we were going to have to wade through. It was about knee high...Some might see it as an obstacle, but we saw a swimming pool! Chris was at the front of the long line, I was a few girls behind him, Liv a few behind me and then Jim was bringing up the rear. He yelled back and asked if we wanted to swim. Liv and I looked at each other and said "Yeah!"

Chris walked to the middle of the "pool" as if he was going to help the girls cross, but as they got to him he dunked them!

The girls caught on to our plan, began to scream and then began running towards Liv and I. We blocked them and began throwing them in!

We spent the next several minutes splashing and dunking each other. At some point Liv and I both went under the not so clean water. We called truths and began the very cold and wet trek back to the house. We were greeted with a not so nice look from the matrons who had to clean the girls up once they got back, but once they saw the smiles and heard the stories of the girls they just looked at Liv and I,

shook their heads and laughed! I'm pretty sure they were thinking "Crazy Americans..."

As we were washing off and hanging our clothes to dry Liv and I reflected on our actions and couldn't believe we did it. We then began thinking about all the things that could have been in the water and what kind of crazy diseases we could have contracted. Yeah, we wondered if we were going to wake up the next morning throwing up or having a extra arm grow out of our head or something! However, later on one of the girls came up and in her broken English she said, "I like swim. Thank you." Worth it? I think so! I was OK being the crazy American.

A crazy American...Yep, that's what I felt like the whole time I was in Africa. We definitely stuck out looks wise, but also by our actions. People couldn't understand why we came to Africa to see them, minister to them, and give them things. It just didn't make any sense. It was crazy. People here in America thought we were crazy too. Who would ask people to donate large amounts of money in the middle of an economical crisis so they could go to Africa??? Who would want to be in Africa living in the "jail cell" with no hot water??? Who would want to give Christmas away instead of receiving presents??? That's just crazy.

Well, I can honestly say that I am OK being crazy...It was well worth it. I can honestly say that God blessed two "crazy" girls more than we could ever imagined while we were at JBFC. It was a crazy, but life changing Christmas for us both....

I am a firm believer that as Christians we are called to be crazy.

- Love your enemies...Crazy.
- Pray for those who persecute you...Crazy
- Turn the other cheek...Crazy.
- Die to self and put our will aside...Crazy.
- Put others before yourself...Crazy.

This stuff is crazy! As crazy as it sounds...It's true. Liv and I dared to be crazy for three weeks and we definitely got some funny looks and a few laughs. However, the results we saw and heard because of it was well worth it. Crazy changed us.

Are you willing to be crazy? It's the crazies that are going to change the world...

TIME OUT!!!!

OK, so I know you are all (and by all I mean all 3 of you who read this!) dying for me to finish blogging about my Africa trip so you can know the last few crazy things we encountered. Trust me, I'm going to finish it and there is still some GOOD stuff that happened the last few days, but I need to call a timeout. I need to call a timeout and blog about something different for a moment. Something that is slightly attached to Africa, but yet deals with today. So....

TIMEOUT!

Happy New Year! It's officially 2011 and the resolutions have begun. I've never been one to make a "resolution", if you will. That's just not me. As a matter of fact I will be the one at the gym next week shooting death looks to all the "resolutioners" who are going to "get in shape" and all they really are doing is getting in my way! Just keepin' it real!

Anyway, I guess you can say this New Year's day I have something...not a resolution, but a commitment. While I rang 2011 in here in Pelham, AL a small bit of me is in Africa...In the form of a letter...In a binder...In a backpack...In the hands of a missionary...

My crazy, passionate, and ever talented best friend Liv, who was the Thelma to my Louise in Africa last Christmas, is in Africa as I type this. She left a few days ago with a friend for three weeks of ministering and planning. (Yes...I am jealous!) In 2009 she and I started something that I thought was a one time thing and well, two years later we're still doing it. In 2009 she was preparing to go to Africa for two weeks with a group from church (This was the trip that birthed the idea for our trip last Christmas!) and me being silly didn't want her to have to go two weeks without hearing from me (ha!) so I concocted a plan! I began to write her a small note for each day...The small note turned into a 2 page typed letter for each day she was gone. Yes, I like to talk! Anyway, as I was writing the letters I longed to make a point out of each days letter and not just ramble about non-important topics so I came up with a theme for each day. One word to focus on throughout the day. I called it the word of the day. (WOD)

Along with the letters I gave her a sharpie to write the word on her wrist so she

would remember it. I was here doing the exact same thing and every time I looked down and saw the WOD I lifted her and the team up in prayer.

(One of the WOD letter rules is that you HAVE to take a picture of the WOD written on your hand everyday! This picture is of mine and Liv's hands when two high school girls that hold a special place in our hearts were on a mission trip over spring break. We gave them WOD letters for their trip!)

It was pretty cool, but like I said, I figured it was a one time thing. Ha! A few months later I was boarding a plane for a 10 day mission trip to Uruguay...I boarded the plane with 10 envelopes each holding a WOD letter. Since 2009 every time either one of us travel doing mission work we leave with a packet of letters. As a matter of fact when we were preparing to leave for Africa last Christmas we both became sad when we realized if we were both going there was no one to write WOD's. Liv's mom caught wind of it and we boarded the plane with 19 WOD letters! She and I have also used it to minister to 5 other friends who have served on the mission field over the past two years. Over the years the letters have evolved from a simple letter with a word to a letter with a word based on a devotional we've written and a prayer for each day......As I was thinking about today I felt the urge to share January 1's letter and WOD that I sent with her:

Saturday, January 1, 2011

Woot-woot it’s a new year! As you are reading this it’s a new year and depending on what time you are reading this it might still be 2010 in Alabama…Crazy to think about huh! (Insert a bunch of small talk that none of you would probably care to read or understand!!!)

Check out Acts chapter 9. Look at verses 1-22…I’ll wait!

Yeah, I know #1 you have heard this story 1,000,001 times. #2 You might be scratching your head asking yourself “Why in the world does she choose to start the new year off with this passage? What is she smoking?” Well my response would be #1 I know is a familiar passage, but one of my favorite things in the world is to read a familiar passage and get something new from it! And #2 I’m not smoking anything…I’m doped up on cold medicine! :) Anyway, let’s look at this passage shall we. Saul was a horrible human being. I’m pretty sure that he did almost anything we could imagine. He persecuted the believers and threatened others. He lived years of horribleness. (Not really sure that’s a word, but work with me!) He was so far gone that I’m pretty sure others thought there was no hope for him. God had a different plan. God met with Saul in the middle of a road. For three days Saul pretty much did nothing. He couldn’t eat or drink, he was almost unfunctionable. (Yeah I’m pretty sure that’s not a word either!) I can only imagine what he did for those three days. If I had to guess, I would guess that he spent those three days reflecting on the years he spent persecuting people and reflecting on the encounter he just had with the God of the universe.

At the end of the three days Ananias went to him as the Lord instructed, laid his hands upon him, and Saul regained his vision. He immediately got up, got some food, was baptized, spent sometime with the disciples, and started proclaiming Jesus to everyone. Saul was soon to become Paul. Saul was DIFFERENT.

In my world, like I said, I would imagine that Saul spent his three days of blindness reflecting on his life and the years he had wasted. He had an encounter with God and he was changed. I could imagine that in those three days he thought of the way he was going to be DIFFERENT. He was a new person.

What does this have to do with you? Today is the beginning of a new year. A new start if you will. My prayer/challenge is that you spend today reflecting on last year and looking forward to this new year. Saul spent time reflecting and thinking on what he needed to do DIFFERENTly, it’s your turn to do it. Pray and ask God to meet with you today on your “Damascus Road” and show you what you need to do or ways you need to be DIFFERENT this new year. Is he calling you to be DIFFERENT … Is He calling you to do something DIFFERENT … Dare to spend 2011 being DIFFERENT. DIFFERENT for God…

Clearly the WOD for Liv today was DIFFERENT. I can honestly say that I am a different person now than I was this time last year. Some ways good, some bad. However, I also know that I still need to be a little bit more different. I am firm believer that God is always working on us to become more like Him. That means He's always working to make me a little more different. I like different. Over the last few weeks I had my Damascus road meeting...I know how 2011 is going to be different for me. What about you? I'm ready to face 2012 in 364 days more different than I am today...I can't wait to see what God does. Just know...I'll be different... Will you be different?