Keep Mali in your prayers

Mali may not be a “hot spot” on many news channels, but right now it is facing two major crisis.

1. FAMINE- In the Sahel region (area between the Sahara desert and the African jungles where most of Mali is located), there is drought and famine. This article explains the severity of the famine and just how many people are affected. Please pray that famine relief will arrive soon and be enough to supply the needs.

2. Rebel Violence- Northern Mali is a hot spot of rebel activity and it continues to increase. Foreign missionaries have been evacuated and foreigners have been advised to avoid the area at all costs. On Thursday violent rebel groups took over the city of Lere- on the border of Mauritania and the closest to Bamako to be taken over yet. In Bamako we are still considered safe, but are on alert. Please pray for peace the country.

Big changes coming up!

We are excited to announce that we are moving to Bogota, Colombia at the end of July!

We are going to be working at El Camino Academy- a Christian school with about 300 students. The school is established to provide English education to missionary families and Christian workers. Right now 70% of the students are Colombian, while the other 30% are from all over the globe. Ed will be teaching middle school math and Sarah will be working in the elementary school. We are excited to make this transition and gain experience at a bigger school. Sarah is also very excited to be back in a Spanish-speaking country.

We will be back in Oregon for about 6 weeks this summer before we make the big move. We are staying with TeachBeyond and will continue to live off the financial support of friends, families and churches. That being said, the cost of living is similar to Mali and our support need will stay about the same.

Loyalty

I have been mulling over this for a while- so cozy up with some hot coffee (since I hear Oregon is enjoying some snow) and ponder along with me!

Multiple times in the past month I have come across the topic of loyalty. Where do I put my hope? Where do I stand true towards under pressure? Multiple discussions and readings have questioned my ideas of loyalty, in a good way.

Over break I read a book about a Chinese boy who befriends a Japanese girl during World War II. She was sent to an internment camp while he was allowed to stay at his home in Seattle. The part that struck me the most was when the boy went and visited the girl’s family at the camp. He got in a discussion with the girl’s father about the recent draft- and the fact that Japanese were allowed to enlist even though they had been shunned.

Reading this, I would have thought the father would have scoffed at the idea of supporting the country who took away many of his rights. The opposite was true. The father wanted to join the army and support the country he called home. Even though the government had deemed him a spy and traitor, he was still loyal to the United States and wanted to serve his country of birth.

This baffles me. I could not imagine standing up and publicly fighting for a country that did not trust me. I would also be furious that my family was forced to leave they life they knew and be relocated in what was essentially a prison. That is true loyalty- believing and trusting even when it does not make sense.

Today in class I taught about Martin Luther King Jr. and the legacy he left. We discussed life in pre-civil rights America, and the changes MLK fought to make happen. As part of preparation I read the “I Have a Dream” speech and it floored me. Martin had a strong belief in the Bill of Rights and the Constitution. He envisioned a world where the government would provide and support every citizen-regardless of race. He spoke of a nation that would be free for everyone.

Again, I was baffled in MLK’s patriotism to the United States. In his time it was a place that looked down upon him and thought of him as a second class citizen. Still, he was able to stand in front of 250,000 people and declare his allegiance to his country. That is true loyalty.

With both of these examples, I cant but ponder what am I loyal to? Where do I put my hope and trust, even when times are complicated?

My first loyalty is to God- my Savior and creator. By putting my hope and my trust in him I know I will be held together. But what does that mean? In some cases I think it means standing up for the gospel even when it doesn’t seem easy. In other cases it means leaving things behind to serve others. There are times that are hard, where serving God doesnt make sense (I mean, I live in Mali- try to explain that to just anyone). But that is when our true loyalty shines through. It is easy to be excited about the easy things of life- but that is just a fad and will fade away. My true focus needs to be God- no matter the circumstances. That is true loyalty.

Second, I am learning to be loyal to my husband- He must come before me, his needs before my own. This can be easy at times and challenging at time (especially when I am grumpy). As we grow in our marriage I have the honor to going where he goes and serving alongside him. My focus must be on him and working to make our relationship be one that honors God together. Our relationship is a living example of God’s love for us and the church. By prioritizing our vows and each other, we are able to live a loyal relationship on earth.

Third, I am not really sure. I would say it is a combination of friends, students, and the ministry I am called to. These may change as time goes on, and yet still I am to uphold them and treasure them. There are times though, that I will be called to set those aside in order to focus on my first loyalty- God. When other things become more important- then they are idols and need to be cast aside. That is where the loyalty ends.

Loyalty is not half hearted. As a Christ follower, it is my honor and challenge to be completely loyal to God and the work He is doing on earth. When other things get in the way of this loyalty, troubles will arise. I find that frustrating, but at the same time is makes sense. One cannot have two masters- especially if they contradict each other. It must be one.

I guess what I have come away from this is that Loyalty is vital- as long as it is focused in the correct direction. It is hard. It doesn’t always make sense. And that is ok.

My kids are funny!

Humorous highlights from the week:

1. I teach a weekly session of health to all the elementary students and this week the 4-6th graders were learning about resisting peer pressure to do drugs and alcohol. At the end of the lessons I divided the students into pairs and had them role play refusal skills- with one child offering beer and the other saying “no”. After a few minutes of practice, I had them perform for the class.

The last group went something like this…

Boy- You want some beer

Girl- No thank you.

Boy- Are you sure?

Girl- No, I don’t want it

Boy- But it gives you a moustache! (at that point he places a ruler on his upper lip and tries to talk in an Italian accent)

I about fell off my chair laughing from such a random statement. Not only was it an African kid trying to talk with an Italia accent, but moustaches are not really desirable on females!

2. Since I brought it up to the older elementary students, beer and cigarettes have been a hot topic of conversation. One morning this week I walk into class to find several of my students with paper cigarettes. One even asked me to make them one…. I declined saying something along the lines of “cigarettes are disgusting” “I dont want to see them again in the classroom” and “do you really think this is a good idea?”

The response to that was “oh, well the fifth and sixth graders have started a business”.

YIKES! Didn’t expect this to be such a hit. It seemed to be a one-day only business however and haven’t seen them for a few days now. If only contractions were that catchy!

3. In my classroom we keep track of how many days of school we have been in session by writing it on post-it notes and sticking them to a long strip of paper. Last night one of the strips fell down and landed on some of the desks. In the middle of writing today I look up and one of my students is playing with the paper so I ask her what she is doing. She responds by sticking it to her chin and saying “Well, I am father time. You see, it’s how much time we have been in school”.

How are my kids so clever? By the way- today is day 70!