Engaged...

Best news of the year?  Trevor asked Karly to marry him :)  She said yes, and our whole family is smitten...     (Above, the two of them in Loita last year.)

Back at Karly's for a little surprise party after the ask...

On their way to Tanzania in 2012...

I forget whose wedding this was...

At Sam and Susie Eldredge's wedding...

(See S&S in back left?)

                                           At Jesse and Annie's wedding :)

We are SO happy.  You did good, Trevs.  As Heather would say, "Proud of ya, Joosh."  Indeed...  :)

                                                                                   

Jesse and Annie :)

Jesse and Annie were married on Sunday, December 9th.  It was an incredible weekend.  I'm not sure when my heart will catch up, or maybe slow down, or be able to express herself.

In the mean time, Annie's brother (in law) has captured it well over on his photography blog.  I love his photos and his words about our time together.

Follow this link to Enjoy the celebrations...

First Photo

This is my first photo with my new camera.  It was just a quick, "Hey, line up!" point and shoot on the automatic setting, but I like it :)

Some of you will know we were ambushed and robbed in June.  The one thing I've missed (just about daily) has been my Nikon D80.  Well, I am the delighted and deeply thankful owner of a new Nikon 3200.

Some people get their knickers in a twist regarding what make camera is best.  They get weird about it all, as if everyone has to agree.  There are a lot, A LOT, of fantastic cameras out there.  Personally, I've had a Nikon for the last 30 years and it's what I'm used to.  I am happy.

Happy.  Happy.  Happy.

P.S. Many thanks to long-time friends, Ron Luxemburg and Rogier Bos, for their excellent professional advice.

P.P.S. You might be able to guess that I'm not just happy about the new camera.  I'm also a little over the moon about being with Karly, Heather, Trevor, Colin, Annie and Jesse :)

Making a Book (Part 2)

It's been a l-o-n-g time since I posted the first part of this little story of how my book came to be. I'm not entirely sure why I never got back to finishing the tale but let's not worry about that.

(Find Part 1 here )

I left off after signing the contract and settling down to write. The wonderful thing about that window of writing in the summer of 2009 was that it was so life-giving. I thought it was going to be lonely because Byron and the kids left me at home in town while they ventured out with groups of visitors and volunteers for a few different stints. They left me behind in the (astonishingly) quiet house for a few little stretches of up to about 10 days at a time and, guess what--it wasn't lonely at all. I fell right into a routine of sitting at my desk every morning and writing for a good portion of the day. I had this orderly little centering exercise of tea and prayer before I launched into my day that helped to soothe my sense of total inadequacy. The inadequacy wasn't so much in regard to the actual writing. The inadequacy came in the face of the subject matter. I was settling down daily to talk about metaphors that might help us build relationship with God. Any shaking in my shoes or trembling of knees under my desk was well founded.

But, I loved it. Honestly, it was an incredible privilege to have focused writing time and, apparently, my joy showed. Byron said he'd never seen me so happy. I don't doubt his word, but I might doubt his memory. The arrival of each of our four children pretty much put me over the moon each time.

Happy Morning News

I woke up to happy news today. My friend and very published author, Mary DeMuth, had posted lovely things on her well-read blog about my writing and my book.

The number of books Mary has had published speaks volumes :-) about not just her skill as a writer but the significance of what she writes. Obviously versatile, Mary has published parenting books, fiction, instructive books on writing and getting published, as well as a deeply personal memoir.

But what really stands out to me about Mary is the contagious positivity and encouragement she offers. Mary has embraced a generous spirit that does not horde success. Instead, she celebrates every writing victory any of her friends achieves and I am blessed to be celebrated by her today.

Thanks, Mary! Hats off to you, my friend.

Read Mary's thoughts on Approaching God here .

We Gather (to dance?)

It's still dark in Edinburgh but my body thinks it's a couple of hours ahead of Scotland. Arusha time... I like that Africa wakes me up and says, "You may be somewhere else, but this continent is still in you."

I like seasons and rhythms. For the last 7 years, a significant happening in our autumn has been the global gathering of 24-7 Prayer. We've collected ourselves in some great places- Barcelona, Dresden, Seville, London and Amsterdam, to name a few.

But it's not where we are. It's who we're with. We're with friends who believe that prayer can change the world. And after prayer (or with prayer, or during prayer) these same folks roll up their sleeves and jump in to the crazy, messy world around them and start trying to be the answer to the prayers. Last night we heard from a man who has helped see 300 victims rescued out of human trafficking in the last 2 years. They've prayed and worked hard to liberate each one and they continue a supportive relationship with these who are now recovering.

And if when I say "people who pray" you get a drab image in your mind, allow me to burst your wee bubble. There's too much creativity, life and mischief in these hearts for drabness . Even with a grave awareness of the awful pain so much of the world lives with, there is unstoppable joy.

So imagine us here: Scottish men in handsome kilts playing fiddles like their lives depend on it while we, gathered from all over the globe, dance like madmen into the night.

Joy spills out because there is One who hears our prayers and responds.

A good Scottish caleigh seemed the only proper response :-)

Quiet, Happy, Full, Content.

Tehur is here :-)

Tehur is our 22yr old friend from Portugal. Born in the States to a Portuguese Angolan mama and a Brazilian dad, Tehur moved (home?) to Portugal when she was almost 3.

But we met her when she was about 13, I guess. She went to school with Jesse and Trevor in the cozy days of ICSC, when Mike Bushy was leading the school and the kids all felt like a family.

Somehow, through some trying times, Tehur started dropping by our house in Lisbon for a cup of tea. Our family has forever been the better for her friendship.

Te is here with us till 1 April because she wanted a little break from Portugal and because she knew I wanted a little break from home schooling. You should have seen Heather when I told her that Te was coming. She was dancing in the kitchen and running up and down the hall. This is the friend that used to sit and read poetry with Heather. Heath adores her.

My biggest beef with the curriculum Heather uses, (apart from it's rather alarmingly ultra-conservative sentiments at times and the dreadful singing of one of the teachers on the dvds,) is the lack of creativity. Well, let me just say that Heather's creative brain has woken up since Tehur arrived. She has spent this entire afternoon writing a fairy tale and I really couldn't be happier. Go, Heather! Go, Te! Go, writing and imagining and smiling at your work!

Besides this, Colin has just had a beautiful long weekend in Zanzibar with Hunter and Tait. They attended an African music fest and Colin was in a kind of djembe players nirvana. If you didn't know, Colin plays the djembe like a fiend. His hands are fast and soft and true. He free styles with grace. I'm his mom so you may take comments with a little pinch of salt. But not too much salt because it's all are true ;-)

We just picked Colin and Hunter up at the bus station. Tait flew back yesterday since she had to get to work. I'm excited to get my boy home. It was too much to have him AND the college boys gone all at once. I'm not ready for that quite yet.

The spaghetti sauce is on the stove and there is much laughter coming from the trampoline. It's dark outside and the giggles are thick.

Sweet!

Mud and Fire

Heather's long braid hangs down her back while loosened whisps fly around her face. She brushes them away with her arm, careful not to use her muddy hands. I like the splash of mud on her nose and the smile of endeavor on her face.

Sianna and Heather have been in creating mode. The rains have begun and the garden soil is soft and appealing. Dark mud-clay looks rich like chocolate cake and makes a great beginning pottery class. The ladies have been shaping pots and candle holders and leaving them in the (not as frequent) sunshine to dry.

The outdoor sink is splattered from their clean-up and they are on to new things now.

"Can we make a fire?" they ask with bright and hopeful eyes.

"Where?" I wonder in a suitably motherish way.

Satisfied that all is within reasonable (if vague) safety confines, I agree and off they go.

They proudly got their campfire going after many matches flamed out. Byron came home and offered a wee bit of coaching, which did help :-) They sauted carrots over the blaze and I promised to add their campfire veggies to our soup.

Mud and fire and girls with long braids... It's all so lovely!

Saying Goodbye

I've never been a big fan of goodbyes so leaving everyone tonight, as this crazy and full-tilt week with 24-7 Prayer came to a close, was a big drag.

I wanted to just take Susanna and Scott and Misty and Andrea and Helen and Valentine and Veronika and Risa and Krister (sp?) and just about most everyone else with me. Yea, that would be cool.

But then they wouldn't be doing the great stuff they are doing in the places where they are doing them.

I am fully exhausted and duly exhilarated and I really have to go to bed. We have a few short hours to sleep and 2 long days of travel still ahead of us.

Home--the gathering. Yes, it was great.

Home--my house. Yes, I can't wait.

We do Jigs and I Grow Up

As I said, little jigs all over the globe these days as our family moves toward Arusha.

The adventures of getting us home have been great. Nearly missed flights, fully missed flights, lost bags, telephones left on planes (and miraculously retrieved), mistakes in itineraries, low luggage allotments, charges for extra bags, hazardous roads with crazy drivers, forgotten health cards with the needed immunization records... All quite alarming for a family of well-seasoned travelers!

At one point, I was in Africa on Skype to my parents in LA who had Byron in DC on their speaker phone and the 4 of us were connected as we waited to see how things would resolve after the missed flight of one of our offspring.

Each little and big incident has caused some level of anxiety in me. And yet, I am thankful.

I am thankful to learn a little more about the kindness of strangers, the generosity of customer service reps, the merciful intervention of a caring God. I am thankful to learn how to look the issues dead on, do what we can, pray for help and then let them go.

I think I have grown.

"Mama, I love you!" I hear Trevor's morning greeting as I make breakfast and I think to myself that I would live it again in a minute to hear that.

There is one nomad still on walkabout: Jesse Boy. He arrives on 21st (and can I say that I'm looking for no more dramas other than the highly dramatic happiness we will feel when we see him.)

And the very next day will bring Darrelle. Darrelle is the college friend who has captured Trevor's attention. How fun for us that we get to have her in Africa with us for 3 weeks!

Blessed and blessed... That's what we are!

Real God... Real Life

I got a note from a young friend yesterday. She's someone I love and I love what she's learning.

I quote her anonymously to protect the privilege of being on the receiving end of her open heart...

"... We are all young and learning who God really is. Not Religious God but Out-of-the-Box God who meets everyone where we're at and sees us as his perfect creations. We are the ones that dwell in our guilt of sin and shame, but I'm learning to break free and stop worrying, and to start living and enjoying him. That's what he's been showing us lately--that it's ok to be happy Christians!"

Truth is often simpler than we think. I am thankful for friends who journey with me on this path of pursuing it.

communion

crack open the disaster
the rich raw red flow of this soul

dark colors turning,
dancing in the night

breath!
it comes in gulps of
shattering cold

(breaking death)

crack open the disaster
the sheer shelter sham of self

tastes, heavy like the dew of heaven,
pour together

life!
it comes surging
sure, strong

(unstoppable)

crack open the disaster

Grand Folks

My parents are here :-) They arrived at Kilimanjaro International Airport (and into our huging arms) last night. Hurrah!

Chocolate Covered Joy

It's 1:20am (Spain time) on Monday the 22nd of October, which means it is now officially my birthday.

Woo hoooo!

I am very happy that we'll be heading home later this day. We have a 9am train to Madrid, a metro ride, a late afternoon flight to Amsterdam, and an overnight flight to Nairobi before our hop to Kilimanjaro. We should be home by noon on Tuesday.

These have been wonderful days with the 24-7 Prayer family. I will have to talk more about that later.

For now I just want to quote Byron who said that finding Barbara at the international food fest on Thursday night was like "chocolate covered joy." Amen to that!

All is well. I need to get some sleep now...

45!

(PS And Happy Birthday dear Nancy!)

So This is Why We're Here...

As previously mentioned, last week was a wee bit frustrating with seemingly endless internet woes, meaning that check lists of things to get done via the net were left grumpily un-checked. There's nothing like a to-do list that doesn't bare sassy pencil marks signifying the completion of even one single task to make me grind my teeth.

Friday night's calm reprieve from all that was lovely and the weekend went on into busy this and thats.

Sunday afternoon we piled into the car and bounced down to Unga. Ltd. where our Nyota FC boys were playing in the final game of a local tournament. It was a tournament for the oldest team so Skyler Russell was on the field with the guys.

Wild Hope has adopted this team and you can read more about them here.

All of this is to say that after a kind of crummy week in some regards, Sunday evening was joy. Our team shone, winning a fine 3-0 victory over the neighborhood rivals. They were photogenic in the gorgeous African light and we didn't have any cameras with us! Two cameras were left at home and the one that was brought along was out of batteries!

So let's see... how could I help you see this?

Imagine a sloping field, rutted by rain and littered with garbage that blows off the heaps at the high end. Picture a depressed neighborhood where it's not too safe to be out at night. Picture 22 young men in smart uniforms running around the pitch, avoiding the ankle breaking ditches and holes and playing their hearts out. Picture a young bull wandering away from the dumped garbage to cross the field during the game. Picture a herd of goats doing the same!

Picture crowds of kids cheering and dancing with every goal. Picture them surging onto the pitch the moment the final whistle was blown. Picture our team dancing around with the big trophy over the heads. Picture the pride and healthy self worth in the eyes of every person on that team.

Picture us all crammed into a tiny space that they use as club house. Picture their laughter and revelry as we made plans for a party at end of the week.

We pulled away into the night, leaving them together with their Cup, their joy and their finely won pride.

I'm still smiling today as I remember it all. Honestly, if we only came here for this group of guys, it would be enough for me.

Little Boys Fly

I walked out onto the beach a few days ago and noticed Jesse and Trevor bending together over a tide pool on the reef. Jesse is 20 and Trevor is almost 18 but my brain instantly changed the scene to years ago when they were about 7 and almost 5, peering over tide pools and wearing the caps that I had sewn long flaps into to protect their necks from the equatorial sun. How familiar it was to see them in the midst of a seaside adventure.

This time they were coaxing an eel out of his hole in the coral and considering who would be the first to try to grab him. (In the end, they flipped him out onto the reef and danced around yelling as he squirmed rather violently between their feet and back into the water.)

Jesse and Trevor left Arusha by shuttle bus yesterday afternoon at 2pm. They got to the Nairobi airport at about 7pm and caught their flight at 11:25pm. They connected in Zurich (with a five hour lay-over) to Washington DC and will connect from there to LA. They will arrive at about 8pm California time.

That's the clinical side of what has happened. Real life is a little different.

Yesterday morning in bed I asked Byron, "If we don't get up, can we keep this day from happening?" "Yep," he answered and closed his eyes.

But we were wrong.

The sun came up and the boys put their last minute things in their bags and made sure they had their passports. When the time came, they boarded the bus and began the journey that would eventually be about 42 hours door to door.

It's SO good to see these boys become men. It's so fun to watch amazing paths opening up ahead of them. It so badly sucks that those paths take them 10,000 miles away.

We are truly excited for them and truly sad for us. Byron and I stood with Colin and Heather by the door of their bus, eyes all full of tears, and waited till they were gone before we moved. Much later in the day I asked Byron how he was doing and he said he wanted to be sick. I knew just exactly what he meant.

Colin says he feels really sad but peaceful about their departure. We all concurred. It's a good thing, the right thing, just a hard thing.

So little boys grow out of their caps with home-made sun flaps and big boys grow out of the need for their mother to be watching from the beach.

And I grow too.

As the dawn was rising yesterday and I tried my best to hold the day back, I kept hearing an Angels and Airways refrain in my head. It says,

"I cannot live, I can't breathe unless you do this with me..."

I don't even know what the rest of the song is about but that refrain has become my prayer. God beckons me on to growth through the circumstances I find myself in. I walk forward only because he walks with me.

And today, as I'm still achey from their departure, I am thankful that he is utterly patient with my pace. I feel him resting here beside me, letting me know we'll walk on only as I'm ready.

(Photo of Jesse paragliding)

Tuesday Last

I like this boy I've been married to for the last 25 years. Yessssirrreee!

(Photo by Jesse Borden)

Good Gifts

Being in England with the 24-7 team was a good gift to me.
Sure, it felt kind of odd to turn up in London just three weeks after landing in Tanzania but I adjusted :-)

Walking along the High Street in Guilford I thought about how the shops are going to be a problem after I've been in Africa longer. Yea, the lovely displays of attractive things will be causing me to stumble when I return after a much longer stay in TZ. There are book and stationary stores, a Lush, a Body Shop, a Marks and Spencers, a nice kitchen shop etc etc. And I don't even like shopping!

The real gift of the time, though, was just being with Pete Greig, Carla Harding, Billy Kennedy, Brian Heasley, Andy Freeman, Jon Peterson and Ian Nicholson.

Then there was the cute little hat that Brian Heasley bought for Heather. We were poking around in the charity shops (thrift stores) with Billy at a lunch break and he found this cute hat and had to buy it. Heather loves it :-)

When I arrived home I found that Jesse (who was just in Portugal) had brought me olive oil from Barbara. I have a jar of oil pressed from olives harvested at the peaceful plot of the Shanti Pilgrim ! I think it's cool and wildly prophetic to have olive oil from there as we pursue community and look to settle a piece of land together here.

Well, the hurdles and hassles of moving, shipping and settling linger on but that's normal. Last night our family gathered to pray and Byron listed a bunch of the stressors before the Lord. "We don't know what to do about these but we do know this," he said. "Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so."

We sat and sang that over and over for a little while. Ups and downs, stressors and times of joy... In it all there is that Jesus love. Now there's a good gift.