My friends,
The response to this blog has been unreal. A few ‘publishing people’ have contacted me about writing for them and sharing my experience here in Africa through a series of short writings – like a memoir. How crazy is that? I don’t write. In fact, it feels quite absurd to write out ‘my’ stories and personal thoughts and reflections and then post them for the entire internet world to see. The glory of it all though, is that it’s not about me. It’s about Jesus and expanding His kingdom through love. We’re rooted and established in love as Paul loved to write to the Ephesians…
Update on Eide – the three day celebration of goat, goat and more goat. On the first day of Eide, everyone gets dressed up to go and watch the men of your family kill the goat. I wouldn’t have minded doing other things during this blessed event – maybe sleeping, sorting socks, counting grains of sand, even cleaning the squatty potty, but the Saharawi are big on tradition and our family insisted everyone partake in being spectators. So I watched and squirmed and resisted the urge to scream as they slit the goat’s throat and blood squirted within uncomfortable distance from where I was standing and eventually, the entire head was off of the goat’s body. I’m not exactly sure what normally happens after an animal is killed, but the goat lurched and flopped around on its side (without a head, remember) and proceeded to look like a fish out of water. I turned around so I did not see the outcome of how they stopped the goat (that did not have a head, remember) from moving, and was waved over to our neighbor’s house across the street. I walked over and was just in time to see – you guessed it – our neighbor’s goat being killed, and as if that wasn’t enough, I was called across to the other neighbor’s house where they had already killed their goat (thankfully) but I had made it in time to see the gutting process and I just…won’t go into details. I left as soon as I was allowed, and exited the back way so I would not go down the front part of the street and witness beheaded goats…everywhere. No such luck out the back door – I saw two more goats being beheaded as I walked the 30 feet back home. With images of rolling heads and goat guts in my thoughts and the feeling of my stomach flip flopping already, I entered our tent to be greeted with a goat liver kabob and apple soda. Like I mentioned in the last blog, it is extremely offensive not to eat what you are given, so by golly I ate. Nothing like eating goat liver off a s’mores stick minutes after it was alive and functioning and washing it down with some apple soda…at 10 in the morning. Lunch was brought out a while later and we were served the testicles of the goat. Enough said. Later that afternoon, our family loaded up and headed to the sand dunes where we ran around like kids on sugar making sand angels and drawing Christmas trees and snowmen in the sand as we tried to get in the Christmas mood. The fam made tea and cooked more goat shish kabobs – this time the muscle and fat. I have a confession to make. I may have not eaten it all. There is a chance some was buried in the dunes of North Africa. I prayed about it though, so we’re good. Dinner was the most comical for me. They brought out a plate of rice with a huge goat rib hanging over either side. It was also served with a lovely side of goat stomach. I kept repeating this prayer all day, “God I put it in, you keep it in.’ From my lips to God’s ears apparently, because to my amazement, it all stayed in. I’ll save the details of day 2 and 3 of Eide for when I’m home. Please know that I respect and love all the Saharawi people I have talked about, but my stomach just isn’t a fan of what they eat. I do my best to always eat what is provided so graciously and would never want to offend them by making a face or joking about what is given. It’s a very meaningful celebration for them as they sacrifice one of their goats and ask each other for forgiveness.
One thing I can’t get over here are the bright, starry skies. I have never seen more stars in the night sky at once. A truly awesome thought is that the stars are always present in the sky, but only when it’s dark enough, can you see them. Whenever there are clouds in the sky at night, my mind imagines God dancing over us – they appear so lovely and graceful against the night sky. Every cloud seems to be hanging there effortlessly. The stars blanketed the skies last night as we saw the breathtakingly full, golden moon rise while walking through quite literally, the middle of the Sahara desert. Every night, God puts on a show.
Another memory I’ll cherish is walking home every day after my evening class is finished and rounding the corner to find a group of spunky young boys playing soccer. Only they don’t use a soccer ball. I’m not quite sure which part of the goat or camel they use - I think it’s the bladder…if you blow it up and tie it; it’s actually quite sturdy and able to get kicked around for a game or two of Saharawi futbol. Whatever the game ball may be, it doesn’t stop us from running around and giggling and trying to keep our footing in the thick Sahara sand. Once I make a goal, I continue on my way home feeling blessed and full of joy at the blessing of being able to communicate a little bit of love through immeasurably bad soccer skills. When your contribution enriches God’s reputation, your days suddenly grow sweet.
I have so much more to share, and cannot wait to do so…in person! I return to the states this coming Sunday evening. We have five days left in the refugee camps of North Africa. Where did the last three months go? I am ecstatic to return to home sweet home, but my heart is torn as we are preparing to leave our ‘home’ here in the desert. When I imagine not seeing the same people I’ve been seeing for the last three months every day, my heart tears a little bit, and when I think about the unknown of when I will see these people again, my heart tears even more. My time here has been rich in hospitality, grace and love. I hope to one day practice hospitality, be gracious to others and promote love like the Saharawi do so well, with so little.
Prayer requests:
- For team unity during our last days together, that we may use our time wisely and efficiently
- continued prayers for those going through the studies where we look at the common ground between the Bible and the Qu’ran
- smooth travel as we depart and head for home, we’d be grateful for no delays and a peaceful journey :)
The best is yet to come,
Sarah
Monday, December 7, 2009
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
love wins
What a whirlwind couple of weeks it’s been since I last wrote! The American team(s) are here and gone, and we English teachers are in our last days of finishing up the semester and our time here. I think I was starting to make up my own language with the little bits of Arabic, Thai and Spanish I know…so it was great to have the team here and speak English continually and fluently for about a week.
We all went out to the sand dunes where sadly, I was tackled into the sand with my camera in hand and now alas, it is broken. We also got to participate in the religious dialogues and the young women’s seminar. Both events have been held every year for the last 4 years. The dialogues are a time where Muslims and Christians gather and discuss commonalities and differences of our beliefs in an order to bring an understanding of love and peace to one another. The goal is to show that Muslims and Christians really can gather together and discuss these topics in a civilized manner. The young women’s seminar was a one day gathering in a large tent that discussed the topic of rape and identity. It was a powerful day for sure. The team also had the honor of being invited to the president’s house for lunch in another nearby refugee camp where we enjoyed lots of fresh fruit and (very) fresh chicken. One of my favorite parts about the team being here, is that some of the guys knew how to play the guitar…so we had ourselves some church up in the desert! We sang one of my favorite songs called love can change the world. The words in it are so promising – ‘May we never stop this dreaming of a better world, may we never stop believing in the impossible – God is love, our God is love, and Love can change the world.’ It was one of those moments you know you aren’t going to forget for a long time. Many other memories and stories about the team being here I will save for another time. Ohhh, and they brought chocolate…lots of chocolate.
For the two people that read this blog (hi Mom) – I need your help. We have had an ongoing debate for the last two months in the desert – is it TRAIL mix or TRAILS mix? I truly believe to the bottom of my heart it is TRAILS mix. All the almonds and cashews and peanuts and raisins and M&M’s come from many different trails, yes? In other news, I have fallen in love with the little packets of kiwi strawberry Propel mixes. After you pour the Propel powder in, the water stays clear. I forgot about that when I brushed my teeth a few nights ago…and when I washed my face the following morning. I smelled like a walking kiwi strawberry for a while after that shenanigan.
I have shared this with a few of you through some quick e-mails that I feel like God has and is using this trip to confirm my place back home, expanding His kingdom. I love being here, but Africa is not my thing. God must be thinking He’s pretty funny bringing me halfway around the world for three months to show me that. But, God will and is always using us wherever we’re at in our lives and walk with Him. We all have a crucial role to play in whatever community we’re in. Unifying the world through relationships and maximizing the redemptive potential of the community we’re in is the best way to love God and love people. And I’m thrilled to be a part.
Prayer Requests:
- ‘Eide’ is coming up here in the Sahara – it’s a three day celebration where you eat goat, goat and more goat with the lovely side dish of sandy bread. I have a hard time stomaching these things, so prayers would be most appreciated! The last thing I want to do is offend my host family by not eating (an extremely offensive action here). I truly want to enjoy this time with our host family and leave here on a good note, so what may seem like a silly thing to pray for, is actually vital for me this Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Thanks in advance, all my prayer warriors…
- Najla, Salama, Omar, Talib, Ghalia, Rhebab – all names of our Saharawi friends who currently are or will be studying the common ground between the Qur’an and the Bible with one of us on the team
- The entire Muslim community – in Islam, our friends believe that allah isn’t coming for you; that he’s watching to see if you can live up to his standards and you can’t. Let’s pray that they would come to know you can’t earn God’s love. He’s already crazy in love with us, we just need to accept that we’re accepted and commit to the One way, Jesus... ‘may we live in His love’. 1st John 1:4
- That we (you & me) as followers of Jesus would prefer honesty and promote love and do so in a way that seems ridiculous to the world, but not to Jesus
- May we really believe that God is Love and Love can change the world because after all…Love wins. :)
Thanksgiving blessings and love,
Sarah
We all went out to the sand dunes where sadly, I was tackled into the sand with my camera in hand and now alas, it is broken. We also got to participate in the religious dialogues and the young women’s seminar. Both events have been held every year for the last 4 years. The dialogues are a time where Muslims and Christians gather and discuss commonalities and differences of our beliefs in an order to bring an understanding of love and peace to one another. The goal is to show that Muslims and Christians really can gather together and discuss these topics in a civilized manner. The young women’s seminar was a one day gathering in a large tent that discussed the topic of rape and identity. It was a powerful day for sure. The team also had the honor of being invited to the president’s house for lunch in another nearby refugee camp where we enjoyed lots of fresh fruit and (very) fresh chicken. One of my favorite parts about the team being here, is that some of the guys knew how to play the guitar…so we had ourselves some church up in the desert! We sang one of my favorite songs called love can change the world. The words in it are so promising – ‘May we never stop this dreaming of a better world, may we never stop believing in the impossible – God is love, our God is love, and Love can change the world.’ It was one of those moments you know you aren’t going to forget for a long time. Many other memories and stories about the team being here I will save for another time. Ohhh, and they brought chocolate…lots of chocolate.
For the two people that read this blog (hi Mom) – I need your help. We have had an ongoing debate for the last two months in the desert – is it TRAIL mix or TRAILS mix? I truly believe to the bottom of my heart it is TRAILS mix. All the almonds and cashews and peanuts and raisins and M&M’s come from many different trails, yes? In other news, I have fallen in love with the little packets of kiwi strawberry Propel mixes. After you pour the Propel powder in, the water stays clear. I forgot about that when I brushed my teeth a few nights ago…and when I washed my face the following morning. I smelled like a walking kiwi strawberry for a while after that shenanigan.
I have shared this with a few of you through some quick e-mails that I feel like God has and is using this trip to confirm my place back home, expanding His kingdom. I love being here, but Africa is not my thing. God must be thinking He’s pretty funny bringing me halfway around the world for three months to show me that. But, God will and is always using us wherever we’re at in our lives and walk with Him. We all have a crucial role to play in whatever community we’re in. Unifying the world through relationships and maximizing the redemptive potential of the community we’re in is the best way to love God and love people. And I’m thrilled to be a part.
Prayer Requests:
- ‘Eide’ is coming up here in the Sahara – it’s a three day celebration where you eat goat, goat and more goat with the lovely side dish of sandy bread. I have a hard time stomaching these things, so prayers would be most appreciated! The last thing I want to do is offend my host family by not eating (an extremely offensive action here). I truly want to enjoy this time with our host family and leave here on a good note, so what may seem like a silly thing to pray for, is actually vital for me this Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Thanks in advance, all my prayer warriors…
- Najla, Salama, Omar, Talib, Ghalia, Rhebab – all names of our Saharawi friends who currently are or will be studying the common ground between the Qur’an and the Bible with one of us on the team
- The entire Muslim community – in Islam, our friends believe that allah isn’t coming for you; that he’s watching to see if you can live up to his standards and you can’t. Let’s pray that they would come to know you can’t earn God’s love. He’s already crazy in love with us, we just need to accept that we’re accepted and commit to the One way, Jesus... ‘may we live in His love’. 1st John 1:4
- That we (you & me) as followers of Jesus would prefer honesty and promote love and do so in a way that seems ridiculous to the world, but not to Jesus
- May we really believe that God is Love and Love can change the world because after all…Love wins. :)
Thanksgiving blessings and love,
Sarah
Monday, November 9, 2009
oh yes, God is on the move
Hi friends,
It’s been awhile. Even though I don’t write often, I sure think about you all a great deal. I can’t wait to get home and talk with you each personally and at length. You mean the world to me and I can’t thank you guys enough – my great, big, supportive and encouraging family – for how much you have helped me to persevere in running the race in these Sahara desert days. I have so much to tell you, but a limited amount of time to write, so I’ll share a few favorite stories of recent and some thoughts that have been rolling around in my head.
Every day, to begin class, I have my students journal. Not too long ago, I asked them to journal about their parents and the impact they’ve had on their life thus far. One of my student’s Mothers passed away 4 years ago. She shared with us through tears some stories and details that instantly made us all long to be with our Mothers, just hanging out and being in one another’s company. She told us of how she walks to see her mother in the cemetery every weekend, (quite a long walk) and started to cry as she said her mother never hears her or cares about her anymore. She said her mother was always the person she confided in and went to in troubled times, but now she does not have that person in her life anymore. I looked around the classroom and saw all my girls in tears – we all were crying out of a deep corner in our heart, a corner that knows the love of our beautiful Mothers, and a corner where we are not able to fathom our lives without their loving arms and gracious smiles. For that extreme loss, we cried and grieved with our sister. What’s beautiful about this story is that God used this time of sadness in our classroom that day. In the midst of the heat and sand and flies, God opened the door for me to be able to share of a time when I lost someone close, but how God has made beauty from that pain. I shared how if we trust in God and really believe He does know what He’s doing and that He really does love us with a pursuing, all powerful, non relenting love that will never end, that He is the one we can go to in times of need or trouble, that He can be our refuge and those arms of love and that gracious smile that we need on those days, that then, is when we truly can have peace, which leads to a life being lived in its fullest extent. Our class was interrupted that day – but beautifully interrupted – with one another’s stories, heartbreak, and the courage to share.
Have you ever thought about how much Jesus was interrupted in the Bible? Like in Luke 8 when Jesus is on his way to a house to heal a man’s sick and dying daughter – a woman who was also very sick came up and touched his clothes and Jesus took the time to stop and ask who touched Him…then He heals her and invites her to live a life of peace. Some of Jesus’ most sacred, powerful, and divine moments happen when He is interrupted. May our lives be divinely interrupted more as we work to bring a little bit of heaven to earth.
In other news, I miss going to church. Not having church here is tough. Growing up in the church (& I do mean literally, growing up at and in the church :) and now working in the church, it sure is a shock to go from ‘everything to nothing’ in the sense of worship celebrations, a community of believers, and the love of my New Hope family. However, my iPod is loaded up with many a Francis Chan and Rob Bell podcasts and even though they’re not good ol’ PJ – they’re making me wrestle, think and strive more and more to be like Jesus where ever I’m at.
My bug bites have ceased itching every waking and sleeping minute of the day and night. They itch every now and then, but no big deal. Thanks for all your sweet messages offering to kill all the blasted bugs in the western Sahara. And by the way, I feel great! Totally recovered and back to normal, which is such a blessing and due in large part to the prayers of you all. Would it be bad to pray for the bugs not to come back and bite us again? And while we’re on this subject, maybe we could ask for all cockroaches to be swept off the face of the earth?
Around 2:30 in the morning a few nights ago, I awoke to a cat clawing my back and quite possibly chewing my neck! I am not exaggerating, contrary to popular belief – I hit it off and it jumped over Kaylen and onto Sarah and continued its clawing escapade on Sarah’s face! We maybe freaked a little, ok, I freaked because I truly believe cats are straight from the pit of hell and satan spawn. (Idon’tlikecats) I full heartedly agree with Rob Bell’s theory that states, “God doesn’t remember making cats.” Anyway, we tried and failed at blocking our so called ‘door’ (a tin rectangle cut out attached by one hinge in blocks of sand) with our cases of bottled water and the cat still got in – repeatedly throughout out the rest of the night. This happened two nights in a row. Two nights of little sleep for the Sarah whose afraid of cats. Then the next night, our room had a huge resurrecting cockroach that I was sure we killed…the stories go on and on…
A special part about this trip, now that the ladies from Appleton are here and the large team from the states is due to arrive tomorrow night, is that Kaylen, is here and living with Sarah and I. Kaylen just graduated high school this past June and was a part of Crave for the past three years. It’s safe to say I’ve gotten to know her pretty well and have been blessed to watch her grow spiritually. She’s now done with Crave, and my hope as a youth leader, is that when seniors graduate, they take all they’ve learned in Crave and apply it to their lives and continue to live a life that is honorable of our Creator. Kaylen is allowing God to lead her wherever He wants her to expand His kingdom here on earth. It’s awesome to see Kaylen, a graduated Craver, continue to live her life in awe of the author and perfector of life. Mother Teresa once said, “It is very fashionable to talk about the poor…unfortunately it is not as fashionable to talk to the poor.” It does my heart good to see Cravers living in a way that matches the words they speak.
One more story – I fell the other night – it was bound to happen, it was only a matter of time…the moon had yet to rise and the only light I had was stars that blanketed the sky. There’s probably one slab of concrete in all of the Sahara and I fell on it and banged up my knee pretty good. I went to sleep feeling like a 5 year old kid who fell off my bike, and awoke in the wee hours of the morning to the feeling of my knee getting stung repeatedly by bees. By the light of my flashlight I saw ants and other bugs crawling in and out of my bandages eating the blood and sweat and puss and dirt and sand and whatever else that had collected underneath. Pretty gnarly. That’s something to write home about.
Prayer requests:
-for my students, that they would feel God’s passion and burning desire as He yearns for them to find their identity and worth in Him
-the American team has safely arrived! Prayers that all of us would continue to speak and show God’s mighty words through humble actions and speech
-the entire Muslim population – to come to know that salvation is here and they can have life and life to the fullest extent -John 10:10-
-prayers for Westerners (myself included) to learn what it means to take a Sabbath and allow one day for God to heal you and put you back together, that a Sabbath is a day when we rest and our work is finished – even if it isn’t.
It’s been awhile. Even though I don’t write often, I sure think about you all a great deal. I can’t wait to get home and talk with you each personally and at length. You mean the world to me and I can’t thank you guys enough – my great, big, supportive and encouraging family – for how much you have helped me to persevere in running the race in these Sahara desert days. I have so much to tell you, but a limited amount of time to write, so I’ll share a few favorite stories of recent and some thoughts that have been rolling around in my head.
Every day, to begin class, I have my students journal. Not too long ago, I asked them to journal about their parents and the impact they’ve had on their life thus far. One of my student’s Mothers passed away 4 years ago. She shared with us through tears some stories and details that instantly made us all long to be with our Mothers, just hanging out and being in one another’s company. She told us of how she walks to see her mother in the cemetery every weekend, (quite a long walk) and started to cry as she said her mother never hears her or cares about her anymore. She said her mother was always the person she confided in and went to in troubled times, but now she does not have that person in her life anymore. I looked around the classroom and saw all my girls in tears – we all were crying out of a deep corner in our heart, a corner that knows the love of our beautiful Mothers, and a corner where we are not able to fathom our lives without their loving arms and gracious smiles. For that extreme loss, we cried and grieved with our sister. What’s beautiful about this story is that God used this time of sadness in our classroom that day. In the midst of the heat and sand and flies, God opened the door for me to be able to share of a time when I lost someone close, but how God has made beauty from that pain. I shared how if we trust in God and really believe He does know what He’s doing and that He really does love us with a pursuing, all powerful, non relenting love that will never end, that He is the one we can go to in times of need or trouble, that He can be our refuge and those arms of love and that gracious smile that we need on those days, that then, is when we truly can have peace, which leads to a life being lived in its fullest extent. Our class was interrupted that day – but beautifully interrupted – with one another’s stories, heartbreak, and the courage to share.
Have you ever thought about how much Jesus was interrupted in the Bible? Like in Luke 8 when Jesus is on his way to a house to heal a man’s sick and dying daughter – a woman who was also very sick came up and touched his clothes and Jesus took the time to stop and ask who touched Him…then He heals her and invites her to live a life of peace. Some of Jesus’ most sacred, powerful, and divine moments happen when He is interrupted. May our lives be divinely interrupted more as we work to bring a little bit of heaven to earth.
In other news, I miss going to church. Not having church here is tough. Growing up in the church (& I do mean literally, growing up at and in the church :) and now working in the church, it sure is a shock to go from ‘everything to nothing’ in the sense of worship celebrations, a community of believers, and the love of my New Hope family. However, my iPod is loaded up with many a Francis Chan and Rob Bell podcasts and even though they’re not good ol’ PJ – they’re making me wrestle, think and strive more and more to be like Jesus where ever I’m at.
My bug bites have ceased itching every waking and sleeping minute of the day and night. They itch every now and then, but no big deal. Thanks for all your sweet messages offering to kill all the blasted bugs in the western Sahara. And by the way, I feel great! Totally recovered and back to normal, which is such a blessing and due in large part to the prayers of you all. Would it be bad to pray for the bugs not to come back and bite us again? And while we’re on this subject, maybe we could ask for all cockroaches to be swept off the face of the earth?
Around 2:30 in the morning a few nights ago, I awoke to a cat clawing my back and quite possibly chewing my neck! I am not exaggerating, contrary to popular belief – I hit it off and it jumped over Kaylen and onto Sarah and continued its clawing escapade on Sarah’s face! We maybe freaked a little, ok, I freaked because I truly believe cats are straight from the pit of hell and satan spawn. (Idon’tlikecats) I full heartedly agree with Rob Bell’s theory that states, “God doesn’t remember making cats.” Anyway, we tried and failed at blocking our so called ‘door’ (a tin rectangle cut out attached by one hinge in blocks of sand) with our cases of bottled water and the cat still got in – repeatedly throughout out the rest of the night. This happened two nights in a row. Two nights of little sleep for the Sarah whose afraid of cats. Then the next night, our room had a huge resurrecting cockroach that I was sure we killed…the stories go on and on…
A special part about this trip, now that the ladies from Appleton are here and the large team from the states is due to arrive tomorrow night, is that Kaylen, is here and living with Sarah and I. Kaylen just graduated high school this past June and was a part of Crave for the past three years. It’s safe to say I’ve gotten to know her pretty well and have been blessed to watch her grow spiritually. She’s now done with Crave, and my hope as a youth leader, is that when seniors graduate, they take all they’ve learned in Crave and apply it to their lives and continue to live a life that is honorable of our Creator. Kaylen is allowing God to lead her wherever He wants her to expand His kingdom here on earth. It’s awesome to see Kaylen, a graduated Craver, continue to live her life in awe of the author and perfector of life. Mother Teresa once said, “It is very fashionable to talk about the poor…unfortunately it is not as fashionable to talk to the poor.” It does my heart good to see Cravers living in a way that matches the words they speak.
One more story – I fell the other night – it was bound to happen, it was only a matter of time…the moon had yet to rise and the only light I had was stars that blanketed the sky. There’s probably one slab of concrete in all of the Sahara and I fell on it and banged up my knee pretty good. I went to sleep feeling like a 5 year old kid who fell off my bike, and awoke in the wee hours of the morning to the feeling of my knee getting stung repeatedly by bees. By the light of my flashlight I saw ants and other bugs crawling in and out of my bandages eating the blood and sweat and puss and dirt and sand and whatever else that had collected underneath. Pretty gnarly. That’s something to write home about.
Prayer requests:
-for my students, that they would feel God’s passion and burning desire as He yearns for them to find their identity and worth in Him
-the American team has safely arrived! Prayers that all of us would continue to speak and show God’s mighty words through humble actions and speech
-the entire Muslim population – to come to know that salvation is here and they can have life and life to the fullest extent -John 10:10-
-prayers for Westerners (myself included) to learn what it means to take a Sabbath and allow one day for God to heal you and put you back together, that a Sabbath is a day when we rest and our work is finished – even if it isn’t.
Monday, October 19, 2009
the month of sickness
Hey friends,
If you haven’t heard, I got pretty sick a few days ago – throwing up quite a bit which eventually led to an IV. I was a little nervous at first, because things are just done differently here and when you’re far from home and incoherent, your imagination can take off quickly. I am feeling much better and am grateful to just be sitting upright and not vomiting. I still feel lightheaded standing, so I am teaching my classes sitting down and getting rides from our awesome driver at the school. My students were so sweet while I was sick, offering their homes, beds, what little medicine they have, offering their time, and of course offered that classes could be cancelled for as long as it takes for me to feel better. Ha, nice try. Being sick in a foreign country far away from home was not a whole lot of fun, but I am eternally grateful for Sarah, (my roommate and another one of the English teachers) who so courageously found me in the classroom vomiting and shaking and far from beautiful…she held my hair while I threw up and cried when I cried and prayed for me as I was sick and vomiting over and over. She stayed by my side all through the night listening to my moaning and groaning, held my hand as I got an IV and whenever I did something as little as coughed, she asked me what she could do or get for me. As if we weren’t bonded before, we definitely are now. It doesn’t matter how old you are when you’re sick, you always seem to want your own bed and your mom, but Sarah was the next best thing. We’re still not sure as to what I got sick from, but there seems to be something going around the refugee camps – as I said in the last blog, October is the month of sickness. I hear many people are sick back home in the valley, I guess we’re all in good company. It’s hard to bounce back quickly here, due to not being able to drive to a convenience store and buy vitamins or medicine and whatever else I need to get back on track, so prayers for a speedy recovery are most appreciated. I want to give my all being here, but I know I need to be rested and well in order to love well.
No new chicken stories, plenty of bug and cockroach stories, but I’ll spare those of you who read this today. I am still covered in bug bites from head to toe...and have discovered it doesn’t matter where I sleep – inside or outside, I still get bit. It’s actually quite impressive how much these little suckers bite. Every morning Sarah and I wake up and find new ones. Sarah was smart and got all her shots – I on the other hand, did not. Our host sisters, who often times sleep with us have not gotten bit once. It’s the craziest thing. The heat is still here and making us feel sluggish, but we are hanging on to Jesus and knowing He’ll see us through. A team of ladies gets here next week from Appleton and we are all so excited to have them join us and bring goodies from home!
Jess and I have been going through some studies with Najla – which are just studies that compare and contrast the similarities between the Qu’ran and the Bible…it has been going really well. All three of us ended up in tears at the last study we had. I am wrestling with what I hear Islam is and is not and with what I know God is and what He is not. I want to see the people of the Sahara free – and in more ways than one.
I hope these next two months speed up and I hope they go by extra slow, as I want to get home and see all of you and celebrate Christmas, but I also want to stay and keep building these relationships and loving the Saharawi. God’s compassion is here – His grace and mercy fails us not.
Someone…anyone, please have a Starbucks for me!!!!!! Or a mocha blast from Baskin Robbins – those are the two cravings I have had so far!
Love wins,
Sarah
Prayer requests:
All those who are sick – here in the camps and back home in the Valley
Najla – that she would come to know Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior
The staff here at the English center – for them to be loved and to come to know our one true Love
Our host family, the students at the English center, & the whole Muslim population – they know part of God, but not all of Him, prayers that maybe God would speak to them through dreams or people or words and they would come to know Him as Messiah
All these bug bites!
If you haven’t heard, I got pretty sick a few days ago – throwing up quite a bit which eventually led to an IV. I was a little nervous at first, because things are just done differently here and when you’re far from home and incoherent, your imagination can take off quickly. I am feeling much better and am grateful to just be sitting upright and not vomiting. I still feel lightheaded standing, so I am teaching my classes sitting down and getting rides from our awesome driver at the school. My students were so sweet while I was sick, offering their homes, beds, what little medicine they have, offering their time, and of course offered that classes could be cancelled for as long as it takes for me to feel better. Ha, nice try. Being sick in a foreign country far away from home was not a whole lot of fun, but I am eternally grateful for Sarah, (my roommate and another one of the English teachers) who so courageously found me in the classroom vomiting and shaking and far from beautiful…she held my hair while I threw up and cried when I cried and prayed for me as I was sick and vomiting over and over. She stayed by my side all through the night listening to my moaning and groaning, held my hand as I got an IV and whenever I did something as little as coughed, she asked me what she could do or get for me. As if we weren’t bonded before, we definitely are now. It doesn’t matter how old you are when you’re sick, you always seem to want your own bed and your mom, but Sarah was the next best thing. We’re still not sure as to what I got sick from, but there seems to be something going around the refugee camps – as I said in the last blog, October is the month of sickness. I hear many people are sick back home in the valley, I guess we’re all in good company. It’s hard to bounce back quickly here, due to not being able to drive to a convenience store and buy vitamins or medicine and whatever else I need to get back on track, so prayers for a speedy recovery are most appreciated. I want to give my all being here, but I know I need to be rested and well in order to love well.
No new chicken stories, plenty of bug and cockroach stories, but I’ll spare those of you who read this today. I am still covered in bug bites from head to toe...and have discovered it doesn’t matter where I sleep – inside or outside, I still get bit. It’s actually quite impressive how much these little suckers bite. Every morning Sarah and I wake up and find new ones. Sarah was smart and got all her shots – I on the other hand, did not. Our host sisters, who often times sleep with us have not gotten bit once. It’s the craziest thing. The heat is still here and making us feel sluggish, but we are hanging on to Jesus and knowing He’ll see us through. A team of ladies gets here next week from Appleton and we are all so excited to have them join us and bring goodies from home!
Jess and I have been going through some studies with Najla – which are just studies that compare and contrast the similarities between the Qu’ran and the Bible…it has been going really well. All three of us ended up in tears at the last study we had. I am wrestling with what I hear Islam is and is not and with what I know God is and what He is not. I want to see the people of the Sahara free – and in more ways than one.
I hope these next two months speed up and I hope they go by extra slow, as I want to get home and see all of you and celebrate Christmas, but I also want to stay and keep building these relationships and loving the Saharawi. God’s compassion is here – His grace and mercy fails us not.
Someone…anyone, please have a Starbucks for me!!!!!! Or a mocha blast from Baskin Robbins – those are the two cravings I have had so far!
Love wins,
Sarah
Prayer requests:
All those who are sick – here in the camps and back home in the Valley
Najla – that she would come to know Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior
The staff here at the English center – for them to be loved and to come to know our one true Love
Our host family, the students at the English center, & the whole Muslim population – they know part of God, but not all of Him, prayers that maybe God would speak to them through dreams or people or words and they would come to know Him as Messiah
All these bug bites!
Friday, October 9, 2009
the month of the flies
The month October is known as the month of the flies here in the desert, and I can certainly attest to that. There are flies everywhere – the hum of their buzzing wings is a consistent background noise growing stronger with each day that furthers October. I told my English students that the flies will often fly right into my eyes. They said it’s because these flies have never seen blue eyes like mine and so they fly right in to check it out. I laughed – they’re gonna have to come up with a better excuse then that for me to like flies. Apart from the flies, there aren’t too many other bugs here except for these little white lizard looking bugs - which aren’t even worth freaking out over, because there’s nothing we can do about them anyway. I have only seen one cockroach (it was on me!!!) – probably because I refuse to go into the squatty potty at night after the stories I’ve heard of creatures that lurk in the dark. I have however, seen mice! I think they fly. I saw one go into the kitchen at the English center on one of my first days here and flipped just a little. Now the cook, Laharag, and the driver, Sidahmed, love to yell mouse in Hassanyia or ‘el cook a roch ah’ and throw things or sneak up behind me so I think it’s a bug or a mouse. For those of you waiting for a bug story – I’ve got one for ya. I called home last Wednesday right about the time Crave was about to start so I could say hi to everyone. Apparently I was standing on a very large and in charge ant hill and discovered this when ants started biting my toes, feet and legs. I screamed and my host mother and the neighbor ladies came running with flashlights and started brushing them off and moved me off the ant hill. They then shook out my malifa and long skirt and ant after ant after ant fell out – it was painful, to say the least. And this one is too good not to tell – Jess and I went to have tea with Najla, one of my students, and there was a chicken running around outside of her house/tent. I was sitting with my back to one of the openings in the tent and saw the chicken run by...and then Najla’s brothers run by. I continue to watch them as they throw the chicken up in the air and ‘accidently’ not catch it! The chicken spazzed and came flying, gobbling and running (or whatever it is that chickens do) into the opening of the tent where I was sitting – it came flying towards my face – I yelled and it froze in its tracks and turned around and went out. After telling the story a few times to my friends here, it has now escalated into ‘Sarah got attacked by a chicken’ at Najla’s. I could do without these encounters, but I suppose this is how memories are made. :)
For the last two or three mornings, I have woken up to little Selma – my 4 year old host sister who is in serious need of a no sugar diet – by my side, waiting for me to open my eyes. Every morning I wake up and read my Bible, Selma must have observed this because she giggled and handed me my Bible and came to lay on the cushion with me. I will then read out loud whatever scripture I am reading and tell her that her Abba is very fond of her. She understands nothing, but smiles at me all the same. God is present here and His rain is coming.
I teach two English classes Saturday through Wednesday (the weekend here is Thursday and Friday, and we are 6 hours ahead of WI time), one class is in the morning from 10 – 11:15 and one class is in the evening from 4:30 – 6. I have 4 students in the morning and 5 in the afternoon. My morning class is advanced and my evening class is in the first level of learning English. The evening class is challenging to teach – it seems to be the hottest part of the day here, I have to talk very s-l-o-w-l-y, and there is often miscommunication happening because of our language barrier. Prayers please! They are precious girls and I love teaching them – & hopefully, as the semester continues, their English will improve and increase and the pace and clarity of my voice will improve and increase as well. I would hope to just love them well. My students are taking it upon themselves to do henna on my hands and feet, teach me how to make tea…Saharawi style, and how to correctly wear a malifa (the head to toe covering women wear here). We’ve already had great conversations and are getting to know one another quickly. In fact, two of my students and I have made plans to discuss the common ground between the Qu’ran and the Bible. And another student, Sidahmed asked me to go through the book of Proverbs with him after I wrote a note to him and quoted a verse in it. Some other students ask how many times I pray a day, because they usually only pray 5 times a day in the Islam religion.
Doors are being opened all over the place! If you have any suggestions on Proverbs for me to read with Sidahmed or any thoughts or advice at all on the above mentioned situations, please send me a message on Facebook or e-mail me at sprewitt@newhopeconnect.org. My CUW e-mail is not accessible over here. I think the server is too much for it to load on the small connection here. Better to have a small connection, then none at all! I wasn’t expecting to be able to access the internet this much, so it is such a blessing to have that capability and to see all the encouragement and love you guys have been sending my way. I really appreciate it – from the bottom of my heart, or the heart of my bottom (as my friend likes to say)…THANK YOU! If I haven’t responded yet, I will ‘enshallah’ (God willing) soon. Your encouragement is a large part of what gets me through these hot desert days. Much love to all my dear brothers and sisters back home. Miss you guys!
Love wins,
Sarah
Prayer Requests:
-for all those who are sick here – October seems to be the month of sickness due in large part to the flies that are everywhere, landing on everything and everyone
-for our host families – it’s hard for us to know how to relate to them since our cultures are so different – to know what’s acceptable and what’s not, to know what’s offensive and what’s not and for the language barrier to broken down little by little
-for our students – to prayerfully come to know the full extent of what God has for them
- for the refugees throughout Africa – to feel, know, and believe they are loved and that their Heavenly Father is very fond of them
-for our team – to stay walking in the ways of our mighty God and that we would build one another up in encouragement
- for me – the changes that are happening in me through the Holy Spirit and by being here in the camps, for God to grow my heart to be more like His and to love Him and these people well
For the last two or three mornings, I have woken up to little Selma – my 4 year old host sister who is in serious need of a no sugar diet – by my side, waiting for me to open my eyes. Every morning I wake up and read my Bible, Selma must have observed this because she giggled and handed me my Bible and came to lay on the cushion with me. I will then read out loud whatever scripture I am reading and tell her that her Abba is very fond of her. She understands nothing, but smiles at me all the same. God is present here and His rain is coming.
I teach two English classes Saturday through Wednesday (the weekend here is Thursday and Friday, and we are 6 hours ahead of WI time), one class is in the morning from 10 – 11:15 and one class is in the evening from 4:30 – 6. I have 4 students in the morning and 5 in the afternoon. My morning class is advanced and my evening class is in the first level of learning English. The evening class is challenging to teach – it seems to be the hottest part of the day here, I have to talk very s-l-o-w-l-y, and there is often miscommunication happening because of our language barrier. Prayers please! They are precious girls and I love teaching them – & hopefully, as the semester continues, their English will improve and increase and the pace and clarity of my voice will improve and increase as well. I would hope to just love them well. My students are taking it upon themselves to do henna on my hands and feet, teach me how to make tea…Saharawi style, and how to correctly wear a malifa (the head to toe covering women wear here). We’ve already had great conversations and are getting to know one another quickly. In fact, two of my students and I have made plans to discuss the common ground between the Qu’ran and the Bible. And another student, Sidahmed asked me to go through the book of Proverbs with him after I wrote a note to him and quoted a verse in it. Some other students ask how many times I pray a day, because they usually only pray 5 times a day in the Islam religion.
Doors are being opened all over the place! If you have any suggestions on Proverbs for me to read with Sidahmed or any thoughts or advice at all on the above mentioned situations, please send me a message on Facebook or e-mail me at sprewitt@newhopeconnect.org. My CUW e-mail is not accessible over here. I think the server is too much for it to load on the small connection here. Better to have a small connection, then none at all! I wasn’t expecting to be able to access the internet this much, so it is such a blessing to have that capability and to see all the encouragement and love you guys have been sending my way. I really appreciate it – from the bottom of my heart, or the heart of my bottom (as my friend likes to say)…THANK YOU! If I haven’t responded yet, I will ‘enshallah’ (God willing) soon. Your encouragement is a large part of what gets me through these hot desert days. Much love to all my dear brothers and sisters back home. Miss you guys!
Love wins,
Sarah
Prayer Requests:
-for all those who are sick here – October seems to be the month of sickness due in large part to the flies that are everywhere, landing on everything and everyone
-for our host families – it’s hard for us to know how to relate to them since our cultures are so different – to know what’s acceptable and what’s not, to know what’s offensive and what’s not and for the language barrier to broken down little by little
-for our students – to prayerfully come to know the full extent of what God has for them
- for the refugees throughout Africa – to feel, know, and believe they are loved and that their Heavenly Father is very fond of them
-for our team – to stay walking in the ways of our mighty God and that we would build one another up in encouragement
- for me – the changes that are happening in me through the Holy Spirit and by being here in the camps, for God to grow my heart to be more like His and to love Him and these people well
Monday, September 28, 2009
marhuba
Salaama lay koom!
(hello in Hassanyia – a dialect of Arabic, the language that is spoken here in the Sahara)
I have been in Africa for only a few days, and have already been hit with a graceful smack of how big God’s heart truly is. His people are not only white. His people don’t only speak English. His people don’t only sleep in beds in nice houses filled with nice things. His people sleep in the dirt, cold and shaking, His people speak in every tongue, every language, His people are of every race, every color, every tribe, every village, every nation, and what does He ask us to do? To love one another as He has loved us. He requires us to go and walk humbly, act justly and love mercy.
The Saharawi peoples of Smara have made a huge impact on me as I have adjusted to life here in the refugee camps. This place seriously looks like it could be straight up out of the Bible, minus the occasiona satellite dish and solar panels. When I read the Old Testament, this place is what I had always envisioned Jerusalem and other places Biblical events take place in, to look like. Because of that, Sarah (another one of the English teachers – I know, a team of 4 teachers, and half the team has the same name) and I decided to read through the Old Testament during our time here. I always read a Proverb a day, according to the date and I also have been spending a lot of time in Psalms – specifically the Psalms of David. God calls David a man close to His own heart…which is so breathtaking – how could you not want to read the Psalms of David? My prayer though this trip is that my heart would be made more like my Abba’s heart. He is the One who loves perfectly. What an example we have to follow.
We had registration for the second day in a row today at Essalam English center today. Jess (one of the other English teachers, who has been coming for 2 semesters every year for the last 4 years) registered almost 30 in between the 2 classes that she is teaching! I, on the other hand, have only 5 students signed up. Which is just fine with me – more time to develop lasting relationships and more opportunitiess for door to be opened to talk about our Abba. If I could teach only one thing, I would hope to encourage that their Abba or ‘Allah’ is very fond of them and furiously longs for them to be in His kingdom. He love each one of us with a crazy, relentless, all powerful love. What a gift.
When Sarah and I walked home for lunch today, I was greeted by my littlest host sister, Sellama (2 ½) who smiled that cute smile and planted a sloppy wet kiss on my cheek. Our host mother’s name is Embareeka and her other two daughter’s are age 19 and 21. Embareeka has many siblings and nephews who come to visit us and see the ‘foreigners’. In fact, Sarah and I have not been alone once yet…which is a little overwhelming but all the same, we feel loved. The food here is crazy. I think this may be my African fat camp! They eat breakfast…and tea every day around 8AM, lunch…and tea is anytime between 1 and 3 PM and dinner…and tea is anywhere from 11PM – 12:30 AM. Sarah and I have decided to keep track of how many cups of tea we have while here. With each tea, there are 3 rounds. Having tea here in the camps can take anywhere from 1 hour to 3 hours. Talking with the people here is a lot like playing mad Gab for me – I am always trying to guess what they are speaking. Just the other day, I met a guy who spoke a little Arabic, Hassanyia, Spanish and English – it was an interesting conversation to say the least.
I am talking with Omar right now – we just climbed up some sort of tower to watch the sun set…there is nothing like an African sunset…God is soooo creative. How can someone watch a sunset and not believe in our sovereign God? His hear t is so big for His people.
If you’ve read this far, thank you…and grace and peace to you,
Love wins,
Sarah
P.S. Omar asked me to teach him some new English words (he already has very good English), so I thought I should teach him some slang – he will now be using, bling bling, holla, up in here, and lawl in his vocabulary. A little harmless fun is going down ‘up in here’. :)
(hello in Hassanyia – a dialect of Arabic, the language that is spoken here in the Sahara)
I have been in Africa for only a few days, and have already been hit with a graceful smack of how big God’s heart truly is. His people are not only white. His people don’t only speak English. His people don’t only sleep in beds in nice houses filled with nice things. His people sleep in the dirt, cold and shaking, His people speak in every tongue, every language, His people are of every race, every color, every tribe, every village, every nation, and what does He ask us to do? To love one another as He has loved us. He requires us to go and walk humbly, act justly and love mercy.
The Saharawi peoples of Smara have made a huge impact on me as I have adjusted to life here in the refugee camps. This place seriously looks like it could be straight up out of the Bible, minus the occasiona satellite dish and solar panels. When I read the Old Testament, this place is what I had always envisioned Jerusalem and other places Biblical events take place in, to look like. Because of that, Sarah (another one of the English teachers – I know, a team of 4 teachers, and half the team has the same name) and I decided to read through the Old Testament during our time here. I always read a Proverb a day, according to the date and I also have been spending a lot of time in Psalms – specifically the Psalms of David. God calls David a man close to His own heart…which is so breathtaking – how could you not want to read the Psalms of David? My prayer though this trip is that my heart would be made more like my Abba’s heart. He is the One who loves perfectly. What an example we have to follow.
We had registration for the second day in a row today at Essalam English center today. Jess (one of the other English teachers, who has been coming for 2 semesters every year for the last 4 years) registered almost 30 in between the 2 classes that she is teaching! I, on the other hand, have only 5 students signed up. Which is just fine with me – more time to develop lasting relationships and more opportunitiess for door to be opened to talk about our Abba. If I could teach only one thing, I would hope to encourage that their Abba or ‘Allah’ is very fond of them and furiously longs for them to be in His kingdom. He love each one of us with a crazy, relentless, all powerful love. What a gift.
When Sarah and I walked home for lunch today, I was greeted by my littlest host sister, Sellama (2 ½) who smiled that cute smile and planted a sloppy wet kiss on my cheek. Our host mother’s name is Embareeka and her other two daughter’s are age 19 and 21. Embareeka has many siblings and nephews who come to visit us and see the ‘foreigners’. In fact, Sarah and I have not been alone once yet…which is a little overwhelming but all the same, we feel loved. The food here is crazy. I think this may be my African fat camp! They eat breakfast…and tea every day around 8AM, lunch…and tea is anytime between 1 and 3 PM and dinner…and tea is anywhere from 11PM – 12:30 AM. Sarah and I have decided to keep track of how many cups of tea we have while here. With each tea, there are 3 rounds. Having tea here in the camps can take anywhere from 1 hour to 3 hours. Talking with the people here is a lot like playing mad Gab for me – I am always trying to guess what they are speaking. Just the other day, I met a guy who spoke a little Arabic, Hassanyia, Spanish and English – it was an interesting conversation to say the least.
I am talking with Omar right now – we just climbed up some sort of tower to watch the sun set…there is nothing like an African sunset…God is soooo creative. How can someone watch a sunset and not believe in our sovereign God? His hear t is so big for His people.
If you’ve read this far, thank you…and grace and peace to you,
Love wins,
Sarah
P.S. Omar asked me to teach him some new English words (he already has very good English), so I thought I should teach him some slang – he will now be using, bling bling, holla, up in here, and lawl in his vocabulary. A little harmless fun is going down ‘up in here’. :)
Sunday, August 2, 2009
greater things have yet to come
I just returned from a two week mission trip to Thailand yesterday. It was incredible and profound. I'm still trying to find words to describe the experiences I encountered. God is so tangible in the darkness there. He's the God of that city, the God of those people and as the song, 'God of This City' so beautifully declares - "greater things have yet to come, greater things are still to be done in this city." That song was written by the Christian band, Bluetree, in Bangkok, Thailand! How amazing is that...only God. A memory from the trip that comes to mind is when I was counseling teenage girls who had come from a background of sex trafficking. We read Bible verses about how we are God's beloved, His chosen people, and how we are God's princesses. I told them that God is especially fond of them, that He is always holding them, loving them and will never let go. The best is yet to come. Those girls are an inspiration - they have been through so much in their young lives, but are still smiling and beginning to learn what love reaally is like and learning how they should be treated. Through these young, beautiful princesses of the King, I know more, care more, am inspired more, and now must do more. The kingdom of God is always expanding.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
whatever it takes, bring it on
As the end of 2008 crept closer and closer last night, I was filled with the feelings of excitement and wonder of the year to come. I couldn't help but think as my friends and I danced the night away in a warm yet cozy, overstuffed, downtown apartment, where I was last year at this time. I couldn't wait for 2007 to be over. It was a year filled with changes - moving to California, moving back from California, a brother being deployed and extended in Iraq for almost all of 2007, a summer filled with death and the ugliest of grief, a challenging, new semester at Concordia greeted with a week in the hospital, the articulate balance of God, classes, leading a high school ministry, work, family, and a social life?! I thank God for never letting go of me that year, because I was barely holding on. 2008 started with a dating relationship and God breaking my heart for his children overseas. This led to many conversations, prayers, restless days, being filled with awe and wondering where the Holy Spirit was leading me. I continued my college education and prayed like a warrior. The changes began again, Jared, my dear brother being deployed to Afghanistan, the high school ministry growing so much I wanted to put it on pause, two more hard semesters in school, filled in between with winter and summer classes, an end to a dating relationship, a close friend of mine moving to Italy, another friend leaving for mission work in the Philippines, friends getting engaged, and me with a restless feeling full of passion and hunger. As I type, I know God's got my back, and I know His love is strong. Oh, the blessings He gives - pours out to me every day! I have been blessed, now I want to be a blessing to others. Bring it on 2009, whatever it takes, I'm loving God and loving others down to my toes, with every fiber in my being.
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