Thoughts from the other side of the world...

As you may recall Young Man is in Lesotho, Africa for 2 weeks and 2 days. Tomorrow marks the 1st week + 2day mark.

I often wondered how missionaries in the past, and their families, dealt with the separation that inevitably happens, not only due to distance but to a way of life that is entirely foreign. I am not actually speaking of the lives of those they come to serve, but the lives of the missionaries themselves. While up one night and hoping for an email I started reading update letters online from those with whom Young Man is currently serving. Such vivid pictures are painted with each sentence that you read. You see the want and need of the nationals, and you see the ache of the missionaries as they try their best to do the Lord's bidding.

I was speaking with a friend and former missionary who said, "You have to realize it's 24/7 while you're in the field. There's not really any time off." She also mentioned that she hoped he would experience some things that weren't so ideal. In other words, she wants him to understand the reality of it all.

Email makes these differences seem small. Short clips on TV make it seem as if the problems may simply be solved by tossing money to those in need. But, it's really not that simple. And, although Young Man has been able email to us and we can hear from him frequently, we are not there to see his face as he lands in Africa for the first time. We are not there to share his excitement and perhaps a bit of fear as he flies in the mountains for the first time. Nor are we there to watch the concern grow as the expected emergency patient they flew to transport never arrived. These are all things that he hints at in his letters, but we still can't understand.

However, I am thankful for the glimpses he gives us, his family and friends, of what he is doing to serve the Lord in Lesotho. I am thankful also for the few conversations we had before he left about why he was choosing MAF, at least at this time. These are all his thoughts from the other side of the world.

On May 28 we received our first email from him after his departure on May 24. This is what he had to say:

Hey Mom and Dad,Just wanted to let you know that I got here safely. I have already been able to fly once, watch one of the guys putting the wheel assemblies for one of the planes (which is undergoing routine maintenance) back together, help out with an oil change/filter change/air duct replacement/cowl resetting, we have started a project making a couple of metal step stools out of square metal tubing, and we have started on a project to pave the fuel pump area. We have dug and leveled and tomorrow we will begin setting the pavers. So far the food has been great and I've had no illness. Our first day we had steak and papa (a corn-based food similar in appearance to mashed potatoes but firm enough to eat with fingers) for lunch, and for dinner we went to Melvin's house and had a beef stew on rice and some cole-slaw. After that I enjoyed Ice cream at the Clark house, which is where I am staying, with Roger, his wife, and three children. The second day we had dinner at Mike's house, which consisted of roast, mashed potatoes, and a mix of carrots and onions cooked together. Afterwards we played Settlers of Catan. Tonight I ate at the Clark house (each one of us ate at the house where we are staying), it was taco night and dessert
was M&Ms, which they appreciate very much,along with the chocolate chips, and Parmesan cheese,which the kids refer to as "shaky cheese". I have learned a few words in Sesotho, and am able to greet people now. The weather isn't too chilly except at night, and although it has been dry so almost everything is brown, the mountains and landscape here are beautiful. I wish you guys had seen one of the runways we landed/took off of. At the end of the runway is a very large drop, so the plane doesn't climb so much as the ground just drops out beneath you. I had forgotten my camera that day, so no pictures of it, but we may end up there again. We'll see. I'll try to e-mail you again at some point,
depending on my schedule.Love,...

Shortly after he wrote that I found the email address to the family with whom he is staying. I wrote them and then asked them to give him a hug for me. He sent back the following email , joking about my lack of reply to him directly... funny boy. oh yeah..

I don't get a reply? :(We finished the pavers today and it looks great. One of the nationals who sometimes comes around the hangar helped us. He says some pretty interesting things. He says his name is Charles, but I'm not sure, due to some other things he says as well. Some guys at the hangar said he was walking around one day telling everyone that the airstrip was his and he had been there 900 years. He also told us that he was in the Royal Air Force and flew a Spitfire (a WWII propeller plane). Anyway, we got to talk with him and he helped us digging and finishing up some of our work around the pump. He was constantly singing "Play us some music, play us some R&B." and some other various snippets of songs. He's a pretty funny guy. We may have a chance to witness to him during some of our break time if he comes around again. I don't know what we're doing this weekend; we may be going on a hike and watching some of the guys fly their RC planes. Anyway, I may check my e-mail again in a day or two to see if I merit a reply. ;)Love,

And tonight we received this email. It may be his last while there. His scheduling and level of rest will decide that for him.

Hey mom,You can distribute this to the list if you would like.It's been great so far. On Saturday Justin and Amanda drove us students across the border to Ladybrand, South Africa, where we met up with Brian and Jason and his wife (whose name forget at the moment) and we then continued into the countryside, down some dirt roads, through some cow pastures, and finally arrived at a small cliff overlooking a field below. We made it safely, although there was one close call when we almost drove into a three foot deep hole hidden by brush, which Justin spotted just in time to warn Brian, who was driving. We hiked down to the cliff and had lunch, after which we flew some RC gliders which the guys had. One of them was missing winglets, and since we had forgotten cardboard for repairs, Brian and Justin wrapped tape around some crackers which we had brought, attached them to the wingtips, and were able to fly the glider in this manner. We then returned to Lesotho and ate at a place called Nando's, which serves various chicken dishes spiced with "Peri Peri" which is a hot
mountain pepper. We then returned to the Honakers where we competed on the wii
in tennis, bowling, boxing, and Mariokart. On Sunday, we visited the church which the Honakers, Hulls, and Clarks attend. It was amazing to see the energy and enthusiasm of the praise and the way in which the pastor spoke to the congregation. We met in a large tent and it was extremely cold. There were three space heaters along the center aisle, but only two worked, because one was out of fuel. After church, I returned to the Clarks' house to get ready for the "bry" (I'm not sure if that's how to spell it, but it's basically barbecue). We ate pork pencils, cheese grillers, pork wheels, and other various meats, along with chips, mashed potatoes, a coleslaw-like salad and some other foods. All the MAF Families and a few others attended. We played volleyball for a while before the students left to visit "Jewels of Hope", an organization which Barb helps to run, which is designed for kids who are living in broken or struggling homes, and who would have to leave school to support their families. They are divided into groups of twenty and are discipled as well as helped
financially. They are taught how to make jewelry and provided with materials. The jewelry is then distributed in various ways and the income returns to the kids. After this visit, we returned to the bry, which was winding down. A couple of families had left but several were still there. The kids (and some adults) were jumping on the trampoline and playing around for a while before we went inside and talked while the kids played Wii. After this, I returned to the Clarks' house for a dinner of popcorn, cheese, and apples while watching "Yours Mine and Ours". Today we extended the pavers by the fuel pump to make the area look more balanced, and then I was able to fly with Jason for a code 1 medical emergency. We arrived at the airstrip (which was at Mabetang Village if my memory serves me well) to find no one there. We climbed a short while up a hill which abuts the strip and looked down into the village below and saw no one except a few people carrying bundled wood on their heads into the village. We waited for around 50 minutes and no one came. So we are still not sure whether they were not ready or what had happened. We may find out soon if we are able to contact them again. Tomorrow Daniel and I will be flying to Bobete, where we
will spend a night at the clinic. We have been lent sleeping bags and have been warned to take extra warm clothing, since it gets even colder in the mountains then here in Maseru. I may e-mail one last time before I leave, but it will depend on time constraints and fatigue. Thank you all for your prayers!Love in Christ,

These are the thoughts of Young Man from the other side of the world. I am so grateful that we can remain in contact even though it is not the same as being nearby. I remember feeling this same feeling when Senior Son served in Rwanda for a few weeks. I wanted to be there to hear him, to love him, to pray for him and with him, but the truth is that as a mother I have to let go and this is what it looks like from this side of the world... love, joy, pride, peace, wonder, awe, thankfulness, surprise.

God is good. All the time.
Shalom, Kim

You shall mount up on wings, as eagles...

Well actually, it wasn't eagle wings, but it was the wings of a Cessna.

Guess we'll start about 17 years ago. This story is about Young Man. I hope to tell Senior Son's story in another post...

From an early age my boys were very different. One wanted to be in the dirt, under bushes, and up in trees, picking up every six legged creature he could find. And, to my "joy" he brought these in to share with me. Wasn't he a thoughtful boy? The other boy was a bit quieter, at times. As a baby he liked to bite noses, giggle, and eat. A Lot!

By the ripe old age of two he had made two determinations in life. You see, unlike his brother he was not interested in the bugs. He liked to watch planes fly. For big brother we would go to the state park and study every little creature we could find. We had all sorts of things to study. But, for little brother we would drive to our small local airport and watch the planes take off.

First things first. At the age of 2 we took little brother to a "Meet the Instruments" gathering at our library. One kind gentleman offered Young Man a chance to touch, hold and "play" the violin. That was all it took. He told us he wanted to play the violin. He was consistent and never gave up. By the age of 5 he was playing. And, in one of those purely "God things" it turned out that the man who introduced him to the violin became a family friend, church elder and a boss to both my sons. Isn't God amazing?

A while later... it might have been within a few months or even a year, while we were sitting watching the planes take off (and big brother was finding out what bugs live on an airport parking lot) Young Man declared he would fly a plane some day.

Now, I'm not sure how many of you would take these thoughts seriously, but we paid attention. From the age of 7 Young Man studied planes, engines, weaponry and the air force. He "knew" he was going to be an air force pilot. Alas, he learned that his eyes would not allow this and he was left in a quandary as to what to do. Now mind you, he was, at this point, merely 11 years old and in the 6th grade.

His dad and I, on the other hand, "knew" that he was called elsewhere. You see we had chosen his name with a feeling (or a certainty perhaps) that he would be called to the mission field. We chose his name for one who "came along side" of the one who spoke for God. And, when Young Man was determined to fly I had a strong feeling he'd end up as a missionary aviator. He, however, had no clue as yet. His teacher came to me one day and asked, "Do you know he's called to be a missionary?" To which I replied, "Yes." Then he asked, "Does he know?" "Not yet." A few weeks later another worker at his school came up and asked the same questions. We simply waited. One night Young Man came and asked what we thought about him serving as a missionary aviator... well, we sort of "knew" all along that God would call him. It was amazing to see the Lord's hand at work.

Time passed, Young Man finished his one year in an actual school setting and we continued homeschooling. We tried to gear his education to what he would need in his "chosen" field. During this time "At the End of the Spear" came out in both movie and book form. I thought this would be a good measure for Young Man to see what he might be called to do. First we watched "Through Gates of Splendor"... the documentary of the young men called to serve and who ended up being martyred for their faith. Later two of the wives returned and eventually God used this to bring these people to a saving faith. As I sat with my son and watched the movie and realized what God might expect, I began to shake and cry. However, Young Man looked at me and said, "Well, that made my mind up. " I figured he might have changed his mind. After all, who wants to die at the end of a spear? But, he informed me that he knew that was what God was calling him to do.

This past year was his first year in college. His program is Missions Aviation. He will graduate, Lord willing, with a pilot's license, the ability to do mechanical work on the planes he flies, an idea of how to serve as a missionary, hours of class work, mission trips, and now flight. You see, Young Man took his first solo flight. The dream he had 17 years ago came true on Monday. On runway 13O he took off in a Cessna and for one hour lived the dream of a young boy. In just 10 days he will be leaving for Africa where he will serve in his first overseas mission trip to the people of Lesotho, with MAF pilots, and 3 other students from his university.

Never underestimate the Lord. Some he calls early, some he calls late, but he has a destination and call for each of us, believers or not. I pray that you come to know the Lord of the universe as your own Father, that you may call upon the name of His son as your savior, and that He will give you a calling and purpose which will glorify Him forever.

Shalom,
Kim

A Timely Title

The blog title that is...

Changes are coming and I am having to daily lean on God and ask him to help me both trust and be joyful.

Small changes, or they seem small today, are coming in our homeschool set-up next year. After YEARS of co-oping (is that how you spell it?) with the same families we are stepping out of PART of co-op. MMH will be working on "Starting Points" with me at home, this is literature rich, but is more focused on knowing what/why you believe, then looking at how that affects what you read, watch, think, and do. We are both excited. Meanwhile Wee One and I will be working in "My Father's World" Creation to Romans. (I think that's the time period.) It means quite a bit more work in one way, but so much more joyful.

A bigger change is that Senior Son is moving back to town to become a "Bobbite"... he will be one of several young men who live with Bob who has CP, and provide all his daily care, including driving, cooking, cleaning, shopping, and "translating" to help Bob communicate with all of us. It's an incredible place to live, and Bob has been such a blessing to so many young men. We are praying that this next year continues to be a good growth time.

One of the biggest changes is that Young Man is going to Lesotho, South Africa to work with MAF for a week or so. Be sure to check out that link. I have spent a bit of time reading about Lesotho and these are things I learned this evening.

• smaller than the state of Maryland
• called "the kingdom in the sky" as it is so mountainous, the lowest point is over 4,500 feet above sea level
• the entire country is surrounded by South Africa, it is a "country within a country"
• 30% of the adult population has AIDS
• 10,000 AIDS orphans live in the mountain villages with little to no medical help
• more than 1/3 of the men have left the country to seek employment
• in 2007 1/5 of the population needed food aid due to drought
• less than 10% of the land is arable
• "Although some 90 percent of Lesotho’s population considers itself Christian, traditionalism and nominal Christianity is widespread with little understanding of the truth of the Gospel. "(see website: http://www.maf.org/lesotho)

All the above info is gathered from the MAF website listed just above. It is a great website with a lot of information about the country. For further information you may visit the following sites:

• http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0107714.html
• http://www.africaguide.com/country/lesotho/info.htm (interesting weather info)
• https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/lt.html
• http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_949.html

So, I would like to ask all of you to be praying for our family and these changes. And, should any of you wish to help support Young Man on his trip please contact me via the blog and I'll get him to send you a support letter. His trip will cost $1,800 roughly and that's a big chunk of change for someone still in college.

Thank you all!
Shalom, Kim