you bought that at a red-light?!

As we were sitting at a red-light (first of all surprised that they work & are followed) we noticed a guy selling a camping chair. You know, the kind that fold up with a cup holder. We watched him spot 2 ex-pat girls on a scooter and proceed to show them all this chair has to offer. He used his hands in Vana White fashion, opened the chair, sat in it, pretended to take a drink from the cup holder, and then show them how it could easily be folded up. Remember, I said we were sitting at a red-light while watching this. So were the girls on the scooter. It's amazing what you can buy here, straight out of your window while stopped for a brief amount of time. I decided to compile some pictures of things you can buy at a red-light and share them with you. I must say the only thing we've ever actually bought at a red-light is phone credit and maybe some snacks. But it's often that they have me drawn into their items and almost convince me... much like an infomercial.

soccer ball shaped mini-fridge, anyone?

our version of fast food

I've been needing a walk clock

this is product distribution at it's finest. meet the customers needs where they are... car seat & steering wheel covers.

grey parrot - who happen to live for about 50 years

in case your shoes break...

because everyone needs a passport cover & toys

good night!

she's just a kid...

When we arrived here, we were introduced to a young girl (mid-teens) who would be available this summer to help watch Chandler while I was doing language study. We'll call her "Frances." Frances is sweet. We cannot communicate with her because she speaks French, and at the time, we could only say Bon Jour! Over time we have gotten to a place where we can communicate with each other. Often, not in full sentences, but between her broken English and our broken French AND the little bit of Hausa we both know, we communicate. We've grown to love her.

We knew that she would soon be going back to school and we'd have to figure out something else during language so I can fully focus. We also knew that she is promised to be married next year. That's not abnormal in her culture. She's from an Islamic family and her people group is still very traditional when it comes to marriage. They typically marry young. Most girls don't go to school because they're learning what to do to be a wife & mother. Even though we cannot talk to her on any deep level, we've tried to show her the Love of Christ through our actions. She seems to enjoy hanging out at our house. And if the baby is sleeping, she really enjoys helping in our language lessons, even gets a good laugh out of it.

Yesterday, we got some news. One of our language helpers was talking with Frances' uncle and asked that he share the news with us. Remember, Frances is supposed to be married next summer. The news, you ask... she's getting married next week. NEXT WEEK!

My heart is heavy on so many levels. I know that this is cultural to be married this young. I know it in my head, but I don't understand it. When I look at Frances, I see my younger cousins. I love those 3 girls with all my heart. As they're enjoying high school and no where near thinking about marriage, a girl their same age on the other side of the ocean is having to deal with so many emotions. And even being cultural, I still see that she's a teenage girl. I don't like not being able to understand these parts of culture. My heart is heavy too because she's not a believer. There's nothing saying she still cannot accept Christ. She is definitely not too far from His reach, but marriage makes it much more difficult. She will be very very submissive to her husband. I'm not sure he knows that she works for and spends time with Christians. If he doesn't, I wonder how he'll react to that.

We've been invited to the wedding. Even asked to buy some of the wedding cloth (matching outfits for the Fondrens!). It's an absolute honor to be invited and included. But it is such a bitter-sweet moment for me. I'm thankful that we're making relationships here that allow us to be invited to important events and at the same time I'm heart broken for Frances.

There are so many things in this situation to pray for. Pray first for her salvation. And not only hers, but her husband's and her family's. Pray for her emotions. Many of us know what it's like to be married, but I cannot fathom doing it so young. Pray for her future, that her & her husband will have a relationship and it won't just be an arrangement. And pray for us, as we figure all of this out and attend the ceremonies. Pray that we will be able to not only know what this culture does, but understand it as well.

Kenya

We had a wonderful time at our meeting in Kenya. First, the weather was amazing. When we were in Burkina Faso last year it was incredibly HOT and I promised myself I would never complain about being cold again. Now, I don't like cold weather... at all. I'd rather be in a hot climate... but when it's sooooo hot, you make promises that you intend to keep. The retreat center we were at in Kenya is in the mountains. So while the weather off the mountain is  decent (70s-80s) on the mountain it's much cooler (60s-70s). It was funny at night. There are no heaters so we slept bundled up and had to wrap Chandler up too! During the day it was nice to wear a jacket for once in Africa!

We spent most of our time in meetings that focused on refreshing us. We talked about having a passion for our ministry and the people around us. We had other meetings that talked about ways to help our ministry. One of the organizations that can come alongside and help us is Baptist Global Response (you should check them out!). It's great to trade ideas with others in ministry and hear stories of how the Lord is working around West Africa and the world.

We had one day off and we decided to take a taxi into Nairobi. We went to the mall. This was an exciting day, since there aren't any malls in Benin. There's like 10 in Nairobi. We ate lunch at a restaurant comparable to Panera Bread. We walked into this 3 story mall and found a touch screen map. We were astonished. Trey went and saw a movie in the nice movie theater (the new Superman movie) with another friend and me and a friend went shopping at the Maasai artisan market that sets up in the parking garage. My best purchase from the day is a Christmas ornament made of banana leaves of Santa riding a camel. Awesome. We ended the day at a Brazilian steak house that serves "exotic" meats. Due to newer laws in Kenya, they are no longer allowed to serve zebra, giraffe, and things like that. However, we ate lots of beef, chicken, lamb, sausages, pork, etc. It was all you can eat and absolutely delicious. We really enjoyed our trip to Kenya, but were thankful to get back home and get our house set up!

Chandler Renee - 4 months

Every month that I sit down to write these blogs, it's hard to think back to the beginning of the month and see how much has changed. She celebrated her daddy on Father's day by giving him some Dunkin' Donuts coffee! Quickly becoming a running theme in Chandler's life is adventure. She is already a world traveler, with 2 visas in her passport at just 4 months old! This month she traveled to Kenya and went on a Safari! Not many American babies can say they've been held by a Maasai person in Kenya, or that her cries called the lions to us. She also attended her very first VBS! She's advanced :) A volunteer team from Oklahoma came to do VBS for the kids while the parents attended the meetings. She did a great job staying in the nursery all day and playing with the other babies.

Chandler continues to change daily! This month she started to laugh more. She also does a better job with her hands and reaching out and grabbing for things. She really enjoys playing with her feet and doing her best to get them in her mouth. We think she'll be quite the talker, since she talks most of the day as it is. And the day before she turned 4 months she decided to roll from her back to her front several times... she hasn't done it since that day, though :)

I decided to do my own measurements, since she wouldn't have a 4 month "official" check up. She's now 24.5" long, 14 pounds 8 ounces, and her head is 17.25" around.

Happy Father's Day, Dad!

Lessons Learned on Safari: The Body

We recently took a trip to Kenya for a meeting with others in our area. We decided to add a safari onto the end of our trip. I mean, when in Rome, right?! We took game drives in the morning and evenings. During the evening game drives we noticed many different species of animals gathering together to eat in an open grassy field. We asked our guide about it and he said that they gather together to protect each other from the predators. He explained how each species is good at something. One has a good sense of smell, the other good vision, the other can make a loud warning sign, and some can sense movement through their feet. As we sat there and watched, it became a beautiful picture of the Body of Christ.

"For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot says, 'Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body,' it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. And if the ear says, 'Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body,' it is not for this reason any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired."

1 Corinthians 12:14-18

We are each given specific gifts for the purpose of creating one body. God provided us with this visual while we were on the safari. It could not have been a more perfect moment. His Creation so perfectly displayed how we as a church work together to encourage each other, support each other, teach, preach, and share the Gospel among the nations. Praise God that we are not expected to do everything, but we can work together to get the job done.

Guest Blogger: Culture

It is an amazing thing in our world today that you can get on a plane; travel thousands of miles in a relatively short time, and step off into another world.  Yet, God has given us this great opportunity to see life not just from our perspective, but with His eyes.

So many times I forget that the rest of the world does not live like I do and in ministering to them we must meet them where they are. My trip to Nigeria opened my eyes to another culture, one in which I was the stranger.

As it happens, my first cultural experience outside of the airport dealt with food. After flying into the capital city, the next morning we set off for Jos. Trey assured us that as we left the busy city, we would find a place to eat. After a while, we came to a roll of shacks. Trey let us know this is where breakfast was. With some reservation, I followed my son as he led us past the first row of shacks to the shacks behind the shacks.  Trey proceeded to order an egg sandwich. The man pulled out a fresh egg and cooked it over an open flame.  Following a long trip and now a ride on a hot dusty road, I decided to drink my Diet Pepsi and wait. My son looked at me like “suit yourself” and we continued our trip. Actually, I didn’t go hungry in Nigeria and tried some new foods at different places. I was continually amazed at my son and daughter-in-law’s ability to adjust to their surroundings and meet people where they are.

There are many things that are just a part of daily life in Nigeria but completely different from my life in the United States. I like to think of myself as a person who can “rough it.” In my younger days, I enjoyed camping and hiking for days at a time. I have however, become accustomed to living my daily life knowing I can turn the lights on when I want, wash clothes, turn on the air conditioning, or use various appliances whenever I wish.  In Nigeria, the only thing certain about the electricity is that at some point in time it will go off. You might be sleeping in bed with the ceiling fan running and suddenly everything goes silent.  The silence may last a few hours or many days, but as if a surprise at Christmas suddenly everything will be running again. This inconsistency in electric power has influenced how people in Nigeria live their lives. They perform those tasks that require electricity when they can, not knowing how long it will last.  They aren’t particularly bothered or annoyed by it; it is just a part of life. On a daily bases, there are many things I have learned to rely on, but few of which really matter in task of carrying out God’s mission. They are simply things I have grown accustomed to. God asks us to meet people where they are not considering our needs, but their needs as we share God’s love.

Being from Arkansas, I am a great fan of Wal-Mart. Everything you need in one place. If you can imagine, the Nigerian marketplace is an even bigger economic/social gathering than Wal-Mart. It is a narrow, dusty road and crowded with wall-to-wall people all who have gathered to either sell or buy.  They were selling everything from raw meat to fresh milk and fresh milk is the hot item. Milk seemed to be a luxury item in Nigeria and is only sold in the market when available. The buyer must be at the “fresh market” at just the right time, if they want the white nectar and if they are fortunate to get some they get on their Nigerian network of communication to let others know. Trey and Kristen had made relationships with some of the locals and they were able to guide us through the marketplace.  I was definitely thankful for the help, but even more amazed at how these relationships had been formed in such a short time. In this culture, relationships are key to sharing the Gospel. The missionaries are strangers in a foreign land. God uses different relationships each day to work His plan in this crowded and sometime challenging culture.

Culture - The dictionary defines “culture” as “the behaviors and beliefs characteristic to a particular group.” That definition leads me to question the culture of “the church” today.  Do our behaviors reflect the belief that we believe Christ return is imminent?  Do we cross any barrier in the belief that that we must carry out the Great Commission? It is humbling to know God has called us to reach our culture. It is our turn.

Chandler Renee - three months & Owen Willis - one year

Today is a special day in our family, not only because Chandler is 3 months old, but because her cousin (our nephew) is one today!! We are so thankful that Owen entered this world one year ago today. We were in Vancouver at the time and patiently waiting his arrival announcement. One of the best things about being able to go to the states to have Chandler was meeting Owen. He wasn't too sure about Chandler in the beginning, but eventually warmed up to her. Happy Birthday, Owen!!

I am loving watching Chandler grow. This month has been a big one for her. We started using cloth diapers (check out BumGenius diapers!) and she loves to sit up in her bumbo. At 2.5 months, we got on a plane and moved back to Africa with her in tow. You wouldn't believe how much baggage a baby adds (ok, maybe you understand). Within 2 nights of landing, she had adjusted to the new time zone. She slept through the night here before we did. Chandler is really great with people. She doesn't mind being passed around and will give just about anyone a smile. She gets lots of attention here. I'm afraid of what will happen when she's back in the states and doesn't get that much attention. :)

This month she continues to roll over from front to back. She's started reaching for her toys on her bouncy & play mat. She's also started gnawing on her hands... which I read is NOT a sign of teething, but appropriate development for her age. Just yesterday while on her back on her play mat she rolled up on her right side. She's definitely strong! She's also started a real laugh that doesn't sound like a cough, but you may have to work for it.

Excited to get on an airplane!

First day in Africa