Expectations

This is Malawi, a rented household of some sort in the city of Blantyre will be my next home.
Right now we are at SIM USA headquarters in Charlotte, NC participating in SIM Sendoff and Security Training. This is our final real training requirement. The remaining to do list is a couple of online lecture based classes on theology for me and a list of books to read for both of us. Beyond that we wait the mechanizations of Malawian Government to process our temporary work permit. As soon as we receive that which could come at any point we can set a departure date and book tickets to depart.

All this means that I have started to think about what to expect in this new home. I am not really sure if I will be working a regular office schedule of 8 or 9 to 5 in my position as personnel coordinator.
I don't know what my new "house" will look like, space, furnishings, what it will take to make it a home. I don't know what my language training will look like. I know we need to learn some basic Chichewa, but not a lot about how it's going to happen, except that it's not a formal language school. I also have realized this week how important it is to learn a little more about the culture of Malawi before I get that. Is it appropriate to wear my hair down or is up more acceptable, how do you handle greetings, how do you act around people of the opposite gender. I have a few more things to explore beyond the wearing of long skirts.

This week I have talked to a few people who have visited Blantyre fairly recently. I got a few tidbits of information to add to my meager store of knowledge. One piece is that I will probably only have access to about 8 hours of electricity a day. I was hoping and believing it might be more like 20 hours a day. I can deal with that but it's an adjustment to my thought process.

I also am adjusting my thoughts about laundry. I believe I will have access to a washing machine. I have very minimal hope of a dryer. I have heard differing reports and am wondering what the true story is about bugs laying eggs in my wet clothes while they are drying. This is a real issue and they supposedly hatch and burrow into your skin. Not a pleasant thought. Some say drying clothes indoors prevents this completely, some say no no no you must iron everything to include socks and undergarments if you don't dry in a machine. Humm this seems like something I need to know.

Trying to wrap my mind around all this is a challenge. However this weekend I have been reminded that my identity is in Christ. Lacrae performs a pretty striking song about this. The chorus is

I'm not the shoes I wear
I'm not the clothes I buy
I'm not the house I live in
I'm not the car I drive, no

I'm not the job I work
You can't define my worth
By nothing on God's green earth
My identity is found in Christ, is found in Christ

However I have to dig deeper and rest more securely in Christ then just my shoes and clothes. . .
I have to define my whole self in HIM in a way that cannot be shaken by my new culture, my diverse work mates and team or anything else I come up against in my new home.

I'll Get By with a Little Help from my Friends

The refrain from this Beetles classic has run through my mind a lot in the past week or so. I need somebody to love and someone to love me. However I don't get high with my friends except on life.

I have been overwhelmed by the love and support, help and hard work of many friends and my practical and giving sister-in-law this past week. It seems that I needed a lot of support to get through the remaining stuff in my home. What do I really do with the 7 boxes of open kleenex throughout my home. Why did they even exist. How many potentially usable items can be thrown away when I know I am going some where, were there is little if anything available to waste. And how do I really cut down my belongings to a minimum and know what that minimum is?

Friday evening we were able to enjoy food and fellowship with many friends from our life and small group bible study which has evolved over the 20+ years we have been involved with hosting it. I truly felt loved and cherished by the people that shared food, fellowship, and prayers with us.

Saturday was to be the last day of our life in our home. 7 braves souls ventured to my home not knowing what they were getting into. I honestly thought that I had things in pretty fair order and not that many decisions left to make. Thought we could be done and out of the house by noon. These good friends worked hard to help us finish packing the final items from our home, cleaning a few more areas, washing out cupboards and often telling me to finish every last item in a random pile of things I didn't know how to decide on a fate for. Coming at 8 in the morning and working til 4 in the afternoon is a very very long day and I don't think I can even begin to express how very thankful I am for the service they did for us.

We made it to Sioux Falls around midnight last night. I was able to get a decent nights sleep, remarkably in my own bed which is now in my daughter's guest room. I was able to attend the dedication of my granddaughter Lydia this morning and enjoy church.

My thoughts and focus have not quite caught up with reality right now but I was challenged by  pastor Jeff Wheeler's sermon today which was profound enough to cut through my deeply embedded brain fog this morning. He preached on the story of Rahab the Harlot. How many years I have taught this story and the story of the fall of Jericho which follows this to countless Sunday School classes. I have never thought of Rahab as an evangelist before. Rahab believed in the God of the Isrealites. She put out the scarlet cord, but I have never considered that she had no real time frame of when the Isrealites would return to take Jericho. It could be in a day, or 3 days or 3 weeks. The pastor's estimation was three weeks.  She got her family there. She had to tell them coming to her house was the only way (like Jesus is the only way) she had to convince them this God she now accepted was for real and they must do as she bid.

I can think of this on so many levels and ways. My friends came at a time when my need was urgent this week. Jesus came to me when I was so lost in myself. God is sending me at a time when I feel there is an urgent need in Malawi. But the most urgent need of all is for people to know Jesus and God the father who sent him so that their lives might be saved into eternity.

No pictures today but picture someone you know who is lost. We don't know when Christ will come. Share with the urgency Rahab must have felt.

Sometimes It's hard to do everything or anything at all

4 days, just 4 days, that is how long I will live in my home now.
Wow. I can't even wrap my mind around this idea.

Our past few weeks have been a bit much.
We traveled from Ontario home via McHenry, IL and my sister's home.
The next weekend we were to go to a family weekend in Minneapolis, St.Paul, area of MN.
This was to be a refreshing break. Honestly it was in many ways but it was tainted with a great deal of sorrow as well.

My daughters and I planned to go to Newsies at the Chanhassen. Always a treat for us. My dear friend Chris was going to join us. Saturday we planned to attend a Twin's baseball game and join my friend and her mom for supper at her mom's apartment. She would cook for us. She went grocery shopping after work on Thursday and got groceries for her mom and our dinner that weekend. While bringing these groceries into her mom's place, she collapsed on the floor and died. She was but 55. Younger then I am.

Now there a lot of things that are good. She was a wonderful Christ follower. I know she is with Jesus. She is healthy again. I have been inspired by the strength and faith of her mother. My whole family was able to spend some quality time with her mom. We attended her funeral on this past Wed. I was able to spend some time with friends and to celebrate the good things in her life and catch up with what was going on in these friends lives.

However back at my Bismarck home I now was two days further behind. Now that is hard but because of this I now have to work hard but also have to ask for the help of others. I think this is good. I have been blessed because there are people in my life who want to reach out and help us.

So I am here at home working on homework tonight, having gone through reams more things through out my house today with the help of a good friend and later in the day my sister in law and tonight a visit from good friends here to pick up some random items that they wanted from my house and bring us a treat from our local Dairy Queen.

I need breaks now, I need cheerleaders egging me on to get the job done, and I need time with God to refresh my spirit. With a little help from God and my friends and family I am getting things done steadily even though it's pretty hard this week.