Saturday, December 30, 2006
Updates on Carters
Since the Dutts are out of town, Jane and I are coordinating the information flow. She is calling Paul and Kate several times a day and we're typing up a prayer e-letter. If you would like real updates, contact us and we'll put you on the mailing list.
Friday, December 29, 2006
Please Keep Praying
I found a better photo from a week ago. Emma is in the back on the right. Abigail is in the front on the left. As you can see they felt good enough to be with us for the UWM Christmas gathering last Thursday, though they weren't feeling 100% at the time.Abby was alert, though very sick still and needing a transfusion, when they left. Emma continued to be in a coma, though her vital signs were all good. We are praying for them to live and to come through with no neurological damage.
And we're praying for Kate and Paul as they deal with this nightmare testing of their souls.
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Please pray for Emma and Abby
The girls have not improved and the doctors involved have encouraged Paul and Kate to evacuate them to a hospital in Europe. That process is moving forward today. It looks like they may go to London.I found a year-old photo. My apologies to the Carters. Emma is the young lady in the upper left. Her sister Abigail is in green in front of her.
I'll not give you details of their medical condition, in deference to the family and to avoid passing on incomplete or untrue information. I'm getting everything third-hand. Clearly, though, this is very serious and life-threatening.
Please remember Paul and Kate in this midst of this nightmare. Not only are they worried for their children, but they are having to deal with all the complications and frustrations of doing anything in Africa.
Pray also for Melissa and Jackson who are staying with family friends and must be missing their mom and dad and sisters.
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Emma in the Hospital
If you read this today, please pray for Emma, Paul and Kate's daughter. She is in intensive care at a hospital downtown suffering from dehydration and an advanced case of malaria. Her sister, Abby, was admitted, too, for observation to make sure she is not dealing with the same thing. The family has had a rough Christmas this year with several sleepless nights and the fear that comes when your child is ill and getting worse. Apparently Emma got so bad she was delirious. You can imagine the trial that was for her mom and dad and siblings. When it was finally clear that they should get to a hospital, Paul had to fight the worst traffic jam of the year. It took him 3 hours to fight his way downtown. I can't even imagine the nightmare that that must have been, just he and delirious Emma in the car.As of last night around 11:30, however, she seemed to be doing much better. An IV is a quick way to rehydrate someone! The malaria medicine, on the other hand, will take a little while to make a difference. Still, by this afternoon I suspect she'll start feeling that, too.
Speaking from experience, being that sick with malaria is a wild ride. When I went through it a year ago, I got to the point where I made my peace with the Lord. And then things got really incoherent! Emma won't ever forget this experience. Nor will Kate and Paul!
Jane is down at the hospital this morning with another missionary friend, relieving Kate and Paul so that they can sleep a little. Please pray for them all.
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
A Quiet Merry Christmas
Gretchen spent the night with us. Jonathan woke at 5:30, but is old enough to have mercy on his elders. He let us sleep until 8, I think. Then we had a very quiet Christmas for the first time in years. The church in Ouakam decided to limit the celebration to Sunday morning and some cake and soda afterwards. We had no marathon worship service in order to stay up until midnight this year. Hurray!! And we also had no Christmas day obligations that cut short our family time together. Our girls had a few church-oriented, instead of family-oriented, Christmases growing up. That is hard on the kids and hard on Jane and I, too. So, thank you, Lord for a break this year. We opened presents and played Jonathan's new PS2 game and watched movies and read books and feasted on baked potatoes and some of the last of the frozen chicken from Europe. Best of all, we got to talk to both Allison and also Anna and Frankie.Of course, I am not saying that a family-oriented approach to Christmas is some kind of biblical mandate. A church-focused day would be a fine way to celebrate the Lord's birth. In fact, it might be a better custom than gift-giving gone mad!
Not that we had a huge pile under the tree this year. A couple of packages from the US will show up in January some time. As will ours coming in the other direction! We were not very organized again this year. We had stockings up on our mantle above our fire-less fireplace (perhaps the only one in Dakar!), but there were no gifts in them this year. I'd make resolutions about getting on top of Christmas shopping next year, but at this stage in life, I'm coming to accept my own nature and learning to rejoice in the reality of today. From that perspective, it was a marvelous day filled with fun and family!
Sunday, December 17, 2006
Jazz Clubs and Laughter around a Campfire
At least at Christmas time we have a song!
Sorry, that comment doesn't reflect a thankful heart, does it?
In fact, we have been busy. Last night was the DA Staff Christmas dinner. We ate at the Hacienda Hotel, which is not far from the school, off the
Apparently they had had an adventure while we were out. The power was off at the school and they had a gas lantern running at the dorm. Something went wrong and it caught on fire. Fortunately Davin, the high school guy who was babysitting the boys, kept his cool. He somehow grabbed it and got it out to a balcony and threw it to the sand below. No one was hurt as far as I know. Well, not by that. The chasing games with fireworks earlier caused a few casualties, our son told us!
Friday night we stretched way out of character. Jonathan had his Christmas program at school. It was a musical presentation by the elementary and middle school students. They sang and did a few skits / presentations and even poetry recitals. Jonathan ("Jony") had a solo on one verse of a song. He did well. His classmate, a Ouakam neighbor with a beautiful voice, had the next verse. Unfortunately, she had the horribly embarrassing experience of blanking out on her words. I was very proud of how he encouraged her as they left the front of the stage to go back to their places.
Going to see Jonathan, of course, was not a stretch. When we got home in the taxi (the car was in the shop once again!!!!), it was not even 10 PM yet. But that is when the night began. John D was waiting for us. We had promised to let him take us out to eat and he was to leave that night on South Africa Air. So off we went, up to the Blue Note. That’s a jazz club a mile up the road. We had wonderful food and shouted to each other across the table for a couple of hours. And Jane bravely kept from falling asleep onto her plate by pinching herself repeatedly. Well, not really. But it was way past our bedtime! The jazz band (a bunch of middle-aged French guys with the leader playing flute) was very good, even if the acoustics in our side room were not very helpful for conversation. We had a great time talking with John. And the music was a treat for me. Though I love jazz, the place is a bit too pricey for us to go normally.
All of that sounds like playing and enjoying life, you say. That’s not busy. That’s a full, rich life! You’re absolutely right. I repent of my complaint. God has blessed us. Though Jane has been obsessing on getting her grading done and though I still haven’t finished the Board minutes from the beginning of November, the Lord keeps forcing us to take time to enjoy. Praise Him. He is good and all good things come from His hands!! Including jazz clubs and laughter around a campfire.
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Men in Black and Jonah
Boy, not having a camera is inhibiting my blogging. Sorry.
Or maybe it is the fullness of life.
Sunday I preached on Jonah again. This time it was in English at the church meeting at
Of course, preaching to my peers and facing a significantly larger group than the 15 usually at Ouakam both distracted me at times before hand. It's that old worry of failure, of not being liked or respected or whatever. And there is always the rush of just straight out irrational fear that comes in the minute before walking up front. Once I was up there, though, the Spirit gave me a real liberty to just talk. I actually enjoyed it a lot.
This is a new insight, really. I don't know that I've ever realized it before, but I get pleasure from talking to a group. At least I do when I feel like I am connecting. It must be what actors feel when they are doing live theater. I am still thinking it through. I can't figure out if it is a good thing or a bad one or just neutral. Is this an ego thing? Is this just human relationship stuff? I don’t know. I’m sure it would make a really bad prime motivation for preaching! But as a little icing, as an encouragement for the ego risk involved in standing up in front and revealing your heart, as a benefit to balance out the hard work, it’s probably just fine. If God asks me to preach, of course, I’ll preach. If He makes it enjoyable, I should probably just say thanks!
One nice thing about preaching in English is that things just come to mind as I’m speaking. Funny things. Insightful turns of phrase. You know. Sometime that happens in French, but it’s rare.
Sunday I was talking about Jonah being swallowed by the fish. Now, this is no kids’ story. That is really a gross image, being trapped in the stomach of a fish for days, covered in intestinal fluid. I had just seen "Men in Black" with Jonathan a few days before. I reminded folks of that Bug, the monster cockroach, and Tommy Lee Jones, agent K, getting it to swallow him. He shoots the thing from the inside and emerges alive and victorious, but completely covered in goop. The congregation includes many, many high school kids! I figured they had the scene memorized and would see Jonah much more clearly with that image in front of them!
Anyway, the Bible story goes on to talk of Jonah’s repentance. From the depths of darkness, he turns to God and finds himself forgiven and rescued. He prays: "Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs." God sends the fish to land. It vomits him onto the shore.
There stood Jonah, covered by grace........................................... and slime.
Sunday, December 03, 2006
Rambling at 5:30 AM
I preached last Sunday. My preparations led me to Jonah, again. I'm afraid I may have given almost the same sermon some time in the last few years. It felt familiar to me. I'm getting older. I tell the same stories over and over to my friends and family, too!Jonah is not really about the fish, you know. Nor is Jonah a hero. The whole point is that God loves the wicked, evil city. His people, like Jonah, tend toward the human (sinful) attitude of love your neighbor and hate your enemy. As Jesus taught, "Love your enemy" and you'll be like God. For a country boy like me, loving this crowded, dirty city of 3 million Muslims (mostly) is not natural. But it isn't natural or easy for anyone. So, I challenged our little congregation to love Dakar. More specifically, I asked them to love their neighborhoods, to know people, to care, to be courageous enough to talk about Jesus, as well as be kind, to live lives of integrity in the midst of the chaos that is city life.
Friday, after his massage John stopped by Dakar Academy. We were there for a Movie Night. The Seniors offered corn dogs, chili dogs and hamburgers before we watched "Cars" under the stars. John ate and chatted with a bunch of folks, but headed home when the movie started. He was there long enough, however, to decide that DA would be wonderful for his daughter. If they come, of course, he and his wife have to figure out schooling options for their teens. There aren't many options in Thies. Homeschooling is certainly possible. These days through the internet you can do distance-learning anywhere. Also, there is a small WEC mission school that uses the British system within commuting distance. But for teens, any move is tough and the need for the social side of things is pretty high. Seeing the DA community with its "hair down" helped him visualize his daughter being there and being happy.OK. It's still dark, but the mosque is calling again and the stray cat is howling at the window and I want some coffee. I'll settle for this post for now. It's not picturesque, but it will have to do!
(OOOO. I figured out how to cheat! I added clip art and other people's photos! I hope you like it.)
