Baboon Poop/10 Things I'm Thankful For

I'm currently listening to Hanson's "What Christmas Means to Me" and other Christmas favorites getting so excited about coming home in 14 days!!!! I'm trying not to count down the days and fully live in each moment here but it's impossible not to think about home and smile because I WILL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS!!! Yes, I said Hanson- I always had a thing for that Taylor:) But I'm getting ahead of myself- before I reflect on Christmas, I need to conclude my "thanksgiving thoughts" which are way past due. Although I am longing for home, I am still remarkably thankful that God has brought me to Africa to serve and am daily reminded of His love for me and of His blessings. I began my "thankful list" in the last entry by mentioning the two things that everyone seems to say they are thankful for: friends and family and although it sounds cliche, I am soooo thankful for them. Here is my continued list of things I praise God for:

3. Health and safety. Isn't that usually the third thing people typically list in things they are thankful for? I'm really not trying to sound completely unoriginal but for the first time in my life, I am genuinely thankful for my health and safety. Past years I have taken it for granted- it's hard to worry about safety when living in Brea and I've never had serious health worries. Moving to Maputo however, makes me suddenly aware of God's provision in this area. I hope that in heaven one day we are allowed to see ways God answered prayers without us even knowing. I was walking just a few blocks home at night the other night and found myself literally asking God to send an angel to walk with me- I've never prayed that before. I don't think about angels that much but for a moment I was frightened on the dark streets of Maputo where people are mugged every night and I knew that if I asked, God would send one. I can't say that I saw an angel with me but after praying, I felt so much safer and made it home with no incidents, laughing to myself at how my prayers have changed since being here and how much my faith is increasing. Besides God's angels, I am also thankful for others who keep me safe: namely Gizmo, Wilson and really, really old guard. (yeah, still don't know his name but speaking of the devil- he just walked by my window) Wilson and really, really old guard rotate staying overnight at our house to prevent potential robberies. This can be a dangerous job considering the other night 2 guards were shot right by Lindsay's house. I am very thankful for the sense of peace these guards bring although I may doubt how much damage really, really old guard would do against actual robbers-especially considering he is partially blind- I guess the robbers don't know that though:) He usually wears the same giant green overcoat and pink beanie but one day he showed up in a suit and so I took his picture because he looked so cute. I am also very thankful that I've had no health issues while over here; no malaria, no major spouts of diarrhea (sorry to use the D word again mom but I thought I would be struggling with this more than I am) no fevers, not even a stuffy nose- that is definitely a huge blessing- especially being a teacher and around "snotty-nosed kids.

4. CAM. I am so thankful for my students and for the school. It is a radically different teaching experience than what I'm used to but I love it. I am thankful that the dress code is lax so although the kids wear their neat and tidy uniforms, I wear my filthy running shoes every day. (I have stomped through muddy puddles in these shoes, been dragged by Gizmo into the ocean while wearing them, and I have stepped in cow poop and baboon poop in them.) I love that I get to know each of my kids on a personal level and give them all plenty of attention. I am thankful for the other teachers and the directors (the ones you may have prayed for in the past- Dr. Meyers is the one who had cancer and thus had to come late to Mozambique.) Such a small school fosters more intimate relationships among teachers and students and fellow teachers. Lindsay lives with the Meyers so on Thursday nights I have dinner with them and sleep over and walk to school with them on Fridays. Quick story about the Meyers: this amazing couple has been married over 50 years and are super feisty- a few Fridays ago as they walked to school in the morning, a man tried to rob Dr. Meyers by sticking his hand into Dr. Meyer's pants pocket where his wallet was. Mrs. Meyers was a few feet behind and saw it happening and yelled, "Claude!!!" and Dr. Meyers grabbed the young man's wrist and together the Meyers frightened him away. (if you didn't figure it out, the picture is baboon poop)

5. SKYPE. My great Uncle Nick was a missionary in Nigeria and my mom talked about how they would get a letter from him once or twice a year. I applaud him and my grandparents for going to the mission field with so little possible communication with their families- I don't think I could have done it. For all the ranting and raving I do about my computer and Internet connection, I am extremely thankful for today's technology and especially for Skype. With Skype I can talk to others who have the free program (hint hint) via computers and since i have a web cam and my parents and Heidi do as well, we can see each other as we talk. This has been especially helpful in watching Vander grow. As a very proud auntie, I have to take pictures of my adorable nephew but unfortunately I can only do that while watching him on the web cam so here are a few:
Can you tell that he was watching me as Heidi changed his diaper? I can't wait to see this little guy!!!!

6. MY SUPPORTERS. I've wanted to teach overseas for a long time but thought I wanted to teach at an International School so I wouldn't have to raise support. I really dreaded the support-raising and it turned out to be an amazing blessing. Knowing that people are praying for me and genuinely interested in what is happening over here has created a special bond with my supporters that I didn't have before. If I wasn't relying on others to make it possible for me to teach here, I probably wouldn't be as motivated to update people and reflect as much on my experiences. I have loved e-mailing with many of you and have been so encouraged by you which has been an amazing blessing which I am so thankful for.

7. SHIPARANGO. This is the village I go to every other week for church. I love this community and although there is a language barrier, I have loved getting to know the adults and children and have appreciated learning life lessons from them: lessons about choosing joy and being grateful. This is how I pictured Africa: grass huts in the middle of nowhere- it's a always a great break from the hustle and bustle of Maputo. I'm actually going to Shiparango tomorrow so I need to hurry and finish so I can go to bed and not fall asleep during the service- nothing worse than fighting sleep when people are staring at you. I actually did this (the eyes closing and head bobbing in and out of sleep) at a faculty meeting which I felt awful about since there were only 10 of us, I think the others MIGHT have noticed. 8. AWKWARD MOMENTS. I love experiencing these and I love hearing about your awkward moments (please send them my way) and I am truly thankful for them. OK one quick awkward story: For a half hour each day I read with Mayalla, an 8Th grade Brazilian girl who speaks very little English. We've been going through a book of funny poems (Where the Sidewalk Ends- please tell me you've read these) and I explain about every other word to her. Of course she chose a poem that was about a boy peeing in the bushes. I was hoping no one was in the library to hear my explanation of what "peeing" is but of course Dr. Meyers just happened to be walking through to hear my explanation. (at least he didn't see me trying to act it out) He later asked me what I was teaching Mayalla.

9. MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS IN MOZAMBIQUE. (I take back what I said about the word "rhythm," miscellaneous is harder to spell- no wonder everyone abbreviates it) Fanta ananas, mosquito nets, Mimo's buy one get one free pizza Tuesdays, fresh bread on every corner, tuna melts, Gelatin ice cream, pirated movies, top deck chocolate bars, indoor plumbing and hot water, air conditioners, 10 different flavors of Doritos, samosas (triangle egg-rolls but with only meat and way better) spring rolls (giant pigs in a blanket), cheap coke, and Choco-kit cookies. I hadn't intended for that list to be all about food but apparently I am hungry right now and I really am thankful for the new junk food I've discovered.

10. GOD'S FAITHFULNESS. (despite my unfaithfulness, complacency, and tendencies to doubt his promises) I always find such comfort in Philippians 1:6 "being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." He won't give up on me- I feel sometimes like He should- if I were Him I would give up on me- but He doesn't. I'm bumbling along on this path, trying so hard to live a life that will please Him but continually failing and continually having to relearn the same lessons over and over again. I could try to blame it on my American culture that has taught me to be self-reliant but I need to take the blame as well. I can't make myself righteous despite all my measly attempts- this is a lesson God has to keep reteaching me and I am so thankful that He doesn't give up on teaching me although I can be remarkably thick-skulled.

In When God Writes Your Life Story, it says, "Many of us are confident in ourselves. We feel, if given the chance, we can prove our quality and scale God's Everest on our own. But as long as we have faith in ourselves, we can't have faith in God. So ask God to help you lose confidence in your own ability to imitate Him. Allow Him to prove to you how desperately you need a Savior and a Helper to complete His course. The sooner you stop trusting in your own ability, the sooner God will be able to begin working in and through your life."

I read that and thought, "OK, stop relying on your own strength Katie- you can't live like Jesus by your own might and need to start relying more on Him to work in you." but then a few days went by and I forgot and still had a self-reliant mind-set. God knows that I can be a bit forgetful so the next book I picked up was Lee Strobel's God's Outrageous Claims, and I read the following: " My first reaction in a crisis is to try to get through it by myself, because I don't like to depend on anyone else. But here's the thing: we can't be filled with the power of God until we first empty ourselves of the pretense that we can get by on our own. We need to admit that we can't get through this tragedy, we can't resist this temptation, we can't mold our character, without some outside intervention. So often in Scripture- from Moses to Paul- we see people humbly admitting their weakness first and then God filling them with his power. In fact, Paul said, "But the Lord said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.' The longer we stubbornly resist the obvious- that we're ultimately powerless by ourselves- the deeper we sink into the mire. After all, we we can't reach out and cling to God's strength if we're too busy straining to clutch our own self-sufficiency. ' Nothing so furthers our prayer life as the feeling of our own helplessness. It is only when we are helpless that we really open our hearts to God.' "

After reading this I felt like saying, "Dope" in my best Homer Simpson voice and hitting my forehead- "Duh Katie! How many times do you have to learn this lesson?" I confess that part of the appeal of moving to Africa was knowing that I would have trials which would force me to rely less on myself. I know it sounds a bit strange but I haven't had many tough trials in recent years and although I should have been counting my blessings and rejoicing in God's goodness, instead I grew more self-reliant and and convinced of my own abilities. God has continually been showing me how pathetic my own abilities are and I've been so thankful that He is patient with me and will teach me this lesson again and again. It has been a humbling experience but so great to have a better understanding of my intense need for the Holy Spirit to work in me.