Family News

This last two weeks has been very busy for our family, but it has been a lot of fun also. Carey has finished kindergarten. Starting in August she will be a first grader. Since she finished K5 our family decided to have a little graduation for her. Patty made her a nice graduation hat. She also received a certificate of completion. Not only that she was first in her class! Which is not to hard since she is the only one in it.

The following our little graduation ceremony the family had a nice opportunity to relax. I decided that we would all play a super fun game that I used to play in college. When the guys would have to much energy we would sumo wrestle. In the dorm we would tape a circle on the ground, then everyone would stuff about 4 to 5 pillows in his t-shirt, then all out sumo chaos would ensue. It was great! So, our family decided to sumo. Our floors are a little hard here, so we had to cover the floor with couch cushions, but the girls loved it. Her our a few pictures of us with our sumo bellies!

Ella's 3rd Birthday

On the 15th of December 2009, our youngest turned 3 years of age. She is now about the age that Carey was when our family was in the States for furlough. It seems as if with each child the Lord gives a person the faster that they grow up.

So for nostalgia sake, and Ella someday, I want to record a bite of what Ella is like at three years old:

1. She loves to act like a 'big' girl. She is very independent and wants to try things on her own, of course this does not include jobs or chores that she does not like to do, which she is happy to try and get her big sister or parents to do for her.

2. She is quick to try new things, but acts shy around new people.

3. She loves to laugh and make noise. Her favorite sounds to make is something like a hyena laugh mixed with a raptor squawk.

4. Now that she does not suck on a pacifier, she loves to talk. Her biggest frustration about talking is people not understanding what she is talking about.

5. Somehow she has discovered burping! She loves to burp in-front of her sister. (To tell the true she is rather loud in this regard at times).

6. Ella does not like: to eat at meals, if we would let her she would eat snacks ALL day long! Ella does not like: when her mommy leaves the house without her, eating vegetables (most days), wearing only one pair of clothes in a day, talking to people she does not know well, or being treated like a 'baby'.

7. Ella likes: Playing with Carey (most days), dancing in circles or like a crazy monkey, to eat breakfast first thing in the morning, even if her parents are not awake. She likes swimming, singing songs over and over and over again (but not to be annoying). She likes new shoes, hair ribbons, tormenting her sister at times, playing in the mud, running, jumping, wrestling with Daddy, helping cook and baking with Mommy, and all around being a active three year old.

Some memories-

1. Going to the zoo with the girls. Ella's eyes lite up like fire-flies when she was able to feed the monkeys bananas. At first she was sacred a little bit, but after the first one she loved it.

2. Watching Ella in the classroom. She has a little desk and stole that she sits on. She loves to play at school, while Carey works with teacher. There are tons of puzzles to work on, and photos to match with colors.

3. Ella getting malaria. Ella was the first person besides me, to get malaria since our family arrived in Ghana six years ago. But, she bounced right back after getting her injections. (I need to add another thing to the list of things Ella does not like: SHOOTS!!!!)

4. Ella stopped sucking her pacifier. One day she walked up to Patty and said, "I am a big girl, here" and handed her the pacifier. After that no more pacy. Also she is totally toilet trained. It took a few months of getting candy after each time, but she has been diaper free now for six months.

Overall Ella's third year of life has been Great!

Giving Thanks!!!

This past week has been a great time to remember and be thankful for all that the Lord has done for us. Though Thanksgiving is not a Ghanaian holiday, we try to celebrate the holiday anyway. Our family believes that it is good to teach people to count their blessings. So each year we invite people from our new Ghana family.

Here are a few things that have been a blessing this last week. I am going to mix in a few of our Thanksgiving pictures so that the reader can see our Thursday activities.

1. This last week we had the blessing of leading two people to Christ. Mensah has been attending our Bible study for about six months. On Saturday of last week we where able to led him to Christ. Also on Tuesday of last week, Pastor Andrew and I where able to led a young lady named Mary to Christ. She has attended for about three months. This was very encouraging, and was a great way to start the week of Thanksgiving.

2. Water Supply- The longer that we have lived in Ghana the better the electricity has gotten, but that is not true of the water. Most days our water flows from about 2:00am until 9:00am. That is of course on the day that it does flow. Because of these facts we have become quite good about our water consumption. We have 5 buckets that we fill twice daily. They are used to flush the toilets, put water in the sinks for washing dishes and bathing. Each adult gets one bucket and the girls split one. But, this last week we had a great blessing given to us! Our landlady decided to put two large water containers on the roof. (Each one holds about 2,000 liters of water each). We have one outside, which is wonderful, since even if the water is off for a week, we can still get water from this outside tank. But, since our landlady put these tanks on the roof, we have constant water in the house. We can flush the toilet after every use (YAH!) and even take showers. (I have learned to like cold showers here). Basically while the water is flowing, these tanks refill each night, when the pressure is good. They hold enough water that once the water is off again (normally for 4 to 5 days), we still have water in the house. We are very happy. Now we have almost constant water!

3. Little blessings- Since we have moved here, we have learned to really enjoy little blessings. Things that would be normal or even go unappreciated in the states, become exciting here. This is one of the perks of the mission field. Here are three, OK, four blessings. A. Ritz crackers. They never have these here, but a few weeks ago Andrew and I walked into a store while out visiting, and what do you know, there where boxes of Ritz crackers. They where even fairly cheap. So we snagged a couple of boxes each. They where great with my wife's broccoli casserole that she makes for Thanksgiving. (That is another blessing, a farmer has started growing broccoli here, so we do not have to buy expense imported broccoli now!) B. Stove Top stuffing- a small shop had three boxes of Turkey Stove Top stuffing this year! We bought them, and have been able to use two so far. The Ghanaians loved it at the party! C. Summer Sausage- My sister sent this to us! Not sure how she fit this huge thing in the box, but she did. We are very happy to get to eat this little blessing on New Year's Day. D. Last but not least our Turkey! It is a blessing to be able to buy a local turkey that was large enough to feed all those people and still have leftovers!

4. The Thanksgiving Part- We had a great time! We had a total of 12 people at the party. It was the best party that we have ever had. It was so much fun to eat together and share the meaning of Thanksgiving. After we had games and Pumpkin Pie! (Yes, this is another blessing- they grow here only during the fall months, and Patty makes a WONDERFUL homemade pie!)

These weeks have been filled with blessings! And today I want to say to God, Thank You! I hope that all those out there had a great Thanksgiving weekend too.

The Week in the Life of Two Missionary Girls

I come from a family where girls where the majority. My father and I where out numbered 3 to 2, but this did not bother me so much, since I spent most of my time outside in the mud. Growing up the majority of the time I spent with my sisters was used trying to rescue my G.I. Joes from them, since they where using them for husbands for their Barbies. All the other times where spent when they came outside with me and played. This outside play would always lead to mud throwing, ruff housing, or occasionally people being shoot with a BB gun, but that is another story and I digress. So, even though I grow up around girls and have become quite close to my sisters, I was not prepared for the new world that I would enter when the Lord gave me two little girls.

When my wife and I married, we knew right away where each other stood. My wife is a very activity athletic lady; she likes sheik modern lines and elegant feminine charms. There where no lace, pink, or home school jumpers. This sat quite well with me. My wife and I have the same ideal concept of a woman, which follows the line of Audrey Hepburn and Jackie O, not Paula Dean! So, we both assumed that when are girls where born that they would seem to gather these same opinions through our genes. But, then we both entered the World of Little Girls.

Now, don’t get me wrong. Our girls are not spoiled princesses, that pouter their faces all day long, or are more worried about their clothes then getting in the mud. They can get ruff and tumble and are tuff, but they are ALL GIRL! We love them and have learned to love their intense female interests.

It is quite funny having a five year old going on six, and a two year old going on three. I have learned more about girls in the last few years than I ever knew was possible. Life is full of little girlie things, and little girlie ways. How does one describe a little missionary girl? I figure I should just sum up the weeks activities.

What happens in a week: Ten tea parties (bottled water included, if they can sneak it past mom radar), three different outfits a day, necks covered with every necklace of local beads ever made, dress-up shoes clomping through the house, dried tears from a scrapped knee caused by the concrete yard, little voices singing on the top of their lungs in two languages, toy baby dolls being feed and carried on their backs, questions about why people bath outside, half day school in the home school room, making the girls takes bath underneath the water storage tank after covering themselves with mud after they make ‘food’, long walks to the gas station with dad for plastic sachets of ice cream, Daddy letting girls put barrettes in his hair and beard, imaginary fufu and other local and foreign foods being prepared for Mom to eat, pacifier searches, and add on top, pink, princess, smiles, dancing, hugs, bows, and two pairs of blue eyes that look to their parents for love and comfort.

I am not the only that has had to change some routines since having girls added to life. Patty had her scrap booking and other ladies activities, but she had no idea what these little ones would bring with them. She has since learned how to pack purses for little girls, with just the right amount of coloring books, dolls, extra bows, and lip gloss. Patty never carried purses before having children, but now she is the master of fitting 10 tons of child care products into a tiny purse. Patty has even learned to have tea parties… yes, tea parties. Not water in plastic cups around a small table in the kid’s room, but a real tea party. The girls and Patty make little muffins and hot chocolate (since she does not like tea), and brake out the Blue Willow tea set. The hardest lesson seems to have been allowing the girls to have their own dress style, to a point. For Carey the choice is easy, if it has pink and twirls she like it. If it is Ella, if it has buckles and is shiny she like it. All together the ladies have meet together and found a happy medium where everyone is happy.

These little girls have come to stay and have truly changed us along the way. They have brought their girlie ways and bags of accessories, but we would not have it any other way. So to all those out there that have little girls in their life, enjoy! God gives these little gifts wrapped in pink paper and bows to remind us of all that is sweet and beautiful!

Christ or Family... You Choose?

Matthew 10:36-38 And a man's foes shall be they of his own household. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.

Most of people in the United States have little to no understanding of this verse today. The States is a place of tolerance, where even Muslims give way to the Western mindset of tolerance. But for many Christians around the world this is not true. Some lose home, jobs, and even family, and have the great privilege to suffer early for the Lord Jesus Christ.

Sunday was Resurrection Sunday, but to my surprise Inusah did not show up for either morning or evening Bible studies. When I went to check him on Tuesday, I found out why.

Very early on Sunday morning, before the morning prayer calls for the Muslims here, Inusah's family called him for a meeting. The Imam was there, and I think a few others from the mosque. After the family and men prayed the tasbad, (this is the daily prayers of the Muslims five times a day, facing Mecca) they called a meeting.

They told Inusah that they had heard that he had become a Christian, and that he was no longer a follower of Mohammad. (If the reader has every worked with Muslims or known others that have, this is the hardest question that a convert from Islam ever faces). I am very glad to say that Inusah did not yield to fear. It sounded from the conversation with Inusah that God gave him a lot of grace and boldness.

They asked why had converted. To which he replied, that he had be a Muslim his whole life, and it had never changed him, it would never change him or help him, and he had found that change and it happened by coming to Christ. He told them that the Qu'ran says that if a person has questions they are to go to the People of the Book (this is Christians for those that do not know Qu'ran lengo). He told them that there was only one way to Paradise. The two thieves on the cross both had a choice to make, one did not trust in Jesus, and went to Hell. The other trusted in Jesus, and was told that when he died he would be in Paradise with Jesus. Inusah told them that he had chosen Christ.

The Imam told Inusah that the Bible was full of lies, that the white men changed it, and it was not to be trusted. Inusah told him, if it was not trustworthy, why did Mohammad praise it in the Qu'ran. He told them that the ten commandments give no hope, a man can never be good enough to gain heaven, and that Jesus was the only way. The Imam said that Paul lied and just spoke of his own dreams and ideas. Inusah said that the Bible says that no one can take away or add to the Bible without Gods punishment upon them.

They told him that Jesus never died, but Allah put the face of Jesus on Judas, and they killed Judas. Inusah told them that that was not true, and that even in part of the Qu'ran, it says that Jesus died. He told them that he was a follower of Jesus and would not be turned.

So after a long time, and not being able to attend church in the morning, the family left Inusah for a while.

That night, when they knew that he would go to night-time Bible studies, they called another meeting. The Imam, told Inusah that he was confused. He had been so faithful, (In the past Inusah would call people to prayers over the loud-speakers, and round-up people to pray), he told him that he even still wanted him to go out and talk to people about Islam with him. ( I think this was just bait, to try and win him back by compliments and money). But, we praise the Lord that Inusah was obedient to the faith. Inusah quoted from the Qu'ran and Bible, trying to witness to them. The Imam said that he had never heard those verses before. Inusah said that if he would get him a English Qu'ran he would read them to him.

Overall the meetings went well. I think that Inusah gave a strong testimony for Christ, and in the end the family did not cut him off. This is very amazing to me. I am not totally sure why they have not. One thing I know is that they know Inusah is stubborn and influentially. I think that they fear if they totally cut him off, that he will be somehow made a hero or martyr. Inusah was very influential with a the young men at his mosque and I think that they fear that he might somehow get more of them this way, they all seem to have a little rebellion in them.

Please continue to pray for Inusah. He seems to be growing. Pray that his future is as bright as it appears at this time. Coming from Islam he has a amazing ability to memorize, pray that these abilities will be yielded to Christ and used for His Glory.

Also pray for our future witnessing. Inusah and I will starting visiting soon on a weekly bases. He is interested in starting to learn how to evangelize. Pray for us as we also seek other opportunities here in Kumasi in the future to work in some of the larger Muslim areas in the city.