Hat Day (Lots of Pictures)

A dinosaur, a fish, and a volcano.

A dinosaur attacking the fish.

Super excited about school Spirit Day!

He picked a blue shirt to match his fish.

He picked a red shirt to look like lava.

My favorite part of hat day was Matthew's volcano sound effects.

Caleb was amazed by Miss Leah's rather large hat!

I love that toothless grin.

Jacob wore his dinosaur shirt...the shirt was three inches too long at Christmas last year.  It was a 3/4 length sleeve shirt today.  These kids grow crazy fast!

Pain of Change

Mark's Reflections after a Mercy Ships screening

For those not in the know, Mercy ships general screening is something our organization does at the beginning of every field service.  It is usually a single day event where people are told they are to be selected for free surgeries.  The poorest of the poor show up.  Not to say they are all materially poor, but they are all poor in the sense that they are searching and hoping for healing they can not provide themselves.  I want to start with a story, a story about a man, a man whose name I don't know.

Photos courtesy of Mercy Ships photographers

This man stood in the line above all day to see if our ship could help him.  Behind that bandana is a physical disfigurement that he refuses to show this world and for good reason.  Most of us would not want to see it.  I want to look past the disfigurement as God looks past the disfigurement of us all.  Looking into this man's eyes I can see a weariness.  I will tell you I saw this man later, when his bandana had been removed and his shame was visible to the whole world.  The look in his eye changed from weary to hopeful when another man, a healer, touched him.  His hope was in man and that is a sad hope indeed.  I wish I could tell you this story has a happy ending, but this is a true story, a biblical story.  I do not believe our ship will be able to physically help this man, though I do not know for sure.  His physical condition will end his physical existence.  The only happiness I can offer is a hope, a hope that we share with this man.  Our hope is that we, the eternally poor, can receive a healing that we can not provide for ourselves.  Jesus Christ

I pray for the man above daily and I lament that I did not even get to know his name, but God knows his name.  God knows his pain.  I encourage you to pray for this man also.  The prayers of the righteous have power.  God's presence in Guinea has the power to save.  Pray for the harvest and the harvesters.

Our faith is a faith of hope, so I want to leave you with some encouraging images.  The day was not all pain and suffering.  There was joy and beauty in the Spirit, even here, among the disfigured poor. Many here will be healed by our ship.  Many will put off physical pain and suffering for a while longer and that should be celebrated as well.

Photos from Guinea General Screening.  Courtesy of Mercy Ships photographers

I will leave you with one last thought.  We are all the disfigured poor.  Were it not for Jesus, who came to save me I would be weary and without hope.  Are you ready to die to yourself and be born in Him?  You will see as He sees and feel as He feels, touching the disfigured, hopeless masses with a love so powerful it made the universe come into being.  To follow Jesus is to know the pain of change.  Are you ready to be holy?

Snapshots Of Our Week

The screening line.  Photo courtesy of Mercy Ship's photographer Michelle Murrey.

Screening Day:(By Mark) This was a powerful day, a GOOD day, but only in the biblical sense.  I would not label it fun.  Seeing the amount of human suffering that can be condensed in this place was heart breaking.  I can honestly say the only thing that got me through the day was the Holy Spirit.  In the end God's presence was there even among all the suffering.  I will continue in further detail in a future post.

Five Gold Star Days = A Sprite: I absolute love to see my sweet not so little anymore boy's  face light up when I bring out a special treat, and tell him that I am so proud of him.

Fire drills and lollypops: Lollypops are sticky!  I am so thankful for friends with baby wipes, and next time I need to remember water.

Colds, Coughs, and Earaches, oh my!:  I would call it a low, but we all seem to be recovering and are none the worse for wear.

Cuddles while reading dozens of stories: Caleb stayed home from school Friday, and slept until lunch.  We spent the afternoon cuddled on the couch reading stories.   It was special alone time with my sweet littlest boy.

As you can see he is now completely recovered.

Feeling alone while surrounded by people/ missing friends and family: You might wonder how one could possibly feel alone while surround by people, but it does in fact happen.  Luckily God sends special people who help to encourage me when I am feeling a little down.

Uplifting conversation arranged by God: It seems that when I am the most down.  Thinking about family and friend God never neglects to send someone who encourages me.  It makes me feel very blessed!

First Day of dental work & Sweet chubby cheeks on adorable African babies: (By Mark) Thursday 400 people showed up for the first dental screening. We began the day with a down pour and I joked with my team that this was God watering our little seed of a dental clinic.  With the amount of rain that came down I believe we will grow into a awesome, fruit-bearing tree that I hope will nourish this land long after we have left.  Not that our growth has been without pain.  There were problems, trials and persecutions to be overcome, but that is the way to the kingdom. Amen.

A grocery store: Saturday Mark staid home with the boys while I checked out a local grocery store.  I bought black olives, granola bars, mint tea, & chocolate cereal (yummy)!

 

Church in Africa together as a family: (humidity does a crazy number on my hair) We walked about a mile to church this morning as a family.  Church in Africa is different than our church in America.  The boys discussed some of the differences on our mile walk home.  The most pressing on their little American minds was the lack of air conditioning.  I for one was thankful for the two extra fans the church purchased since last Sundays service.  I enjoyed this weeks service and we even finished with one of my favorite songs, "Lord I Lift Your Name On High."  All in all it was a very pleasant Sunday morning.

First day of Karate...discipline here we come! (The numerous pictures are for the grandparents enjoyment.) I am so thankful for the amazing people in our Africa Mercy community.  There are karate classes offered twice a week, and the boys got their uniforms second hand.  Everyone is so generous with their time and their things.

So thankful to be serving together as a family!  We hope you all have an abundantly blessed week.

Screening Day

I really just wanted to take a moment to record Mark's impressions from his first screening day:

After screening thoughts: I think I now have a glimpse of how it will feel when I stand before my Lord and Savior and realize how insignificant I am.

It was like standing before a storm and there is nothing left but faith, love and obedience.

I was prayerful the pictures from past screenings were a condensing of the worst, but sadly it was the norm.

Perhaps this is how Jesus feels when looking at us. The image of His Father twisted in pain and suffering and only a dogged sense of just saving as many of us as He can.

No matter how bad it looked He was still there. Every Tumor, every growth, every blemish to be hidden from the sight of man. His loving presence was there. Abounding in loving kindness for many.

If you have have any calling to help 'the least of these'. Please don't hesitate. Answer His call. TODAY!

Sometimes, I get caught in the "nothing is going right today...am i really useful...what do I have to contribute...ickiness."  I have to remember that God has placed me here right now for a reason,  for his purpose, and that is enough.   I am so thankful that I am here to take care of my children, and support my husband so that he is able to contribute to helping 'the least of these'.  

Please continue to pray with us as Mark gets ready to open the dental clinic this Thursday, and finish screening tomorrow. 

Ice cream is good no matter where you eat it!

"Ice cream taste good in Guinea!"  Discovery made by three happy little boys today.  We had a wonderful little adventure this morning.  We visited the Muse National, Le Damier Patisserie, and the downtown market.  I bought an umbrella, and yes I did haggle over price.  The umbrella should be very useful as we still have a few more weeks of rainy season, and the weather just will not agree to be sunny on a Saturday.

The people here are so friendly, and so much fun.  Both Jacob and Caleb have received marriage proposals.  The boys are learning that walking in Conakry often means standing still and waiting while your parents try and carry on an English/French conversation.  Mark met a very nice man, Baldi.  He walked and talked with Mark for about 15 minutes.  In our americaness we wondered why he was walking with us for so long.  In the end it was because we were walking the same direction and when he got to his destination he said good-bye.  I pray that I can adopt this African friendliness as my own.   This lovely man just wanted to get to know us!  How awesome is that?

Jacob, Matthew, and Caleb standing in the rain outside the Muse National.

Jacob

Close-up

Mark, Jacob, and Ansumane ( our awesome tour guide for the day)

Conakry in the rainy season!

My new umbrella!

Caleb makes a heavy hat.