tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15099577433662099802024-03-13T15:44:29.672-04:00I can take the heat...I love God. I am a cook, traveler, musician, photographer, movie lover, nerd, friend, tarheel, trivia buff, classic car fan, introvert.
You really want to know what's important in life?
Love God and Love people, everything else is just details.BAMboozlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11954583507623481595noreply@blogger.comBlogger118125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1509957743366209980.post-33146948395909481312012-12-15T06:26:00.000-05:002012-12-15T06:26:05.328-05:00Not of this world...<br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">“This world is not my home, I’m just a passin’ through, if this world was my home, then Lord, what would I do? The angels beckon me to Heaven’s open door and I can’t feel at home in this world anymore.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">There is so much on my mind lately. But after seeing some of the news updates online last night I feel a little overwhelmed by the fact that this world is hopeless. Seeing article upon article and picture after picture of the tragic events that took place at an Elementary school in the States is just....upsetting, to say it lightly. My facebook newsfeed was filled with status updates relating to it. I just can’t fathom....</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">20 children </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Gone. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Not to mention 6 adults and the person that allegedly did all the shooting himself. So many thoughts flood my mind in the darkness of this tragedy. How on earth could the idea to go into an elementary school and just open fire on children even enter into a person’s mind? How in the world are the families that lost one of their precious children going to ever live through the holidays? How are the children that survived ever going to get over the fear of just going to school? How could the media be so heartless to want to interview little children in the wake of this tragedy, making them relive a nightmare. What would I have done if one of those children was my child? I wonder how many parents in that area (or in the whole country really) needed this tragedy to happen so they would truly cherish their children for the wonderful blessings that they are. But the strongest feeling I have right now is this;</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">THANK YOU GOD, that this world is not my home!</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I’m not going to lie, I am not ready (for some admittedly selfish reasons) to leave this world. I am due to have a baby any day now. My actual due date was yesterday in fact. As horrible as this world can be, I want to be here long enough to enjoy my daughter and watch her grow and learn and become a wonderful woman of God. I got married in February. I want to live here and enjoy many more years of marriage to the most wonderful husband in the world and hopefully, have more children. I haven’t seen some of my family and friends in the U.S. in years. I want to be able to go back to the States and “catch up” with them and let them know how much I love them. I want to take my Ghanaian husband, who’s never traveled more than a few hundred miles, to the States to meet my family (which is now also his family) and introduce him to all the places and people that are so near and dear to my heart. So in a way, I’m not ready to leave this world. But at the same time, I am SO ready. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><strike>It seems like there is no hope for this world</strike>. Scratch that, there IS no hope for this world. The only hope in this world is Jesus. HE is the hope of the whole world and for some reason, that I just cannot comprehend, people reject and even ridicule HIM and HIS followers. I pray sincerely that HIS true followers, especially in the States right now, can utilize this tragedy to really show HIS love and real character. I’ve already seen some of my “friends” (acquaintances?) on facebook remark about Christians getting on their soapboxes and how this is not the time for that. I agree whole heartedly. This is not the time for Christians to lecture about why bad things happen in this world. This is a time to mourn with those who are mourning and try your best, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to say the right things at the right time so that a seed of God’s truth will be planted in the freshly tilled grounds of some broken hearts. I shudder to think that some people will be turned off to Christ due to the way people that claim to follow HIM will respond to this event. I rejoice to think that some people will be drawn to Christ due to the way HIS true followers will respond to this event. I’m so glad that, as a Christian, I don’t have to mourn over those children the way the world does. It is tragic and sad that they have been taken away from their families and I know that their families are suffering a kind of grief that I am not personally familiar with. But it is so wonderful to know that those children will never have to suffer any grief or pain or fear ever again. They are all sitting around Jesus’ feet and probably even in His lap in the throne room of Heaven right now. That is the only comforting thought in the midst of this tragedy. I pray that the parents, friends and families affected will be able to find that comfort. I pray that true Christians around them will lead them to that comfort and help them to live through this holiday season when all they will feel like doing is letting go of all hope. I pray that the thought of being able to see their child again in heaven will spur some of them (all of them!) to embrace Christ and to repent and be immersed into HIS kingdom of light and love. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The quote at the beginning of this post is from a hymn I learned after I came here to Ghana. I don’t actually like the music that much (its’s kind of old country church style) but the lyrics are one of the first things that came to mind when I read about the shooting. Upon searching for the lyrics I realize that I have not remembered them correctly, but I’m leaving them that way, because when the song came to mind, that’s how the words came out. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I just can’t feel at home in this world anymore. </span></span></div>
BAMboozlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11954583507623481595noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1509957743366209980.post-44030083330023514662012-09-29T14:13:00.003-04:002012-09-29T16:43:31.443-04:00<br />
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BAMboozlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11954583507623481595noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1509957743366209980.post-63526628444759684342012-09-29T14:12:00.003-04:002012-09-29T14:12:26.003-04:00This time it's personal..<br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> I have posted some personal things in this blog before, but I usually try not to let it get too deep because frankly, I’m uncomfortable with just anyone being able to see that deep into my mind. But today, I’m going to share one of my biggest fears....and I just realized it in the last year.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I got married in February. In April we found our we’re expecting. Yesterday I found out that it’s a girl. All of these things are exciting and wonderful things. In the midst of all these happy occurrences I realized one of my biggest fears. I am terrified that I will have a child that grows up, like I did, as the “fat kid.” For some reason the fact that I’m having a girl makes this realization stronger than when I was hoping for a boy. I think it’s because I’ve seen a lot more overweight little girls than I remember seeing overweight boys. I don’t know why that is....maybe boys naturally get out and play more...maybe parents make the boys go play more...I don’t know. But I do know that I grew from the fat kid right into the fat (obese, actually) college student and adult. I’m 30 years old...and I’ve been fat since I was 8. It’s sad that I really can’t remember ever not being fat. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I worked REALLY hard in college and made a significant dent in my weight problem...I lost about 90lbs in about 2 years. Sixty of those were in the first six months when I got really serious about eating better and exercising. Once I came to Ghana I didn’t gain any weight....I probably lost some more but since I had started weightlifting it didn’t really show on the scale. I’m still obese. I’ve been ashamed of my size/weight nearly my entire life. I am absolutely terrified that my future children will have this obstacle to face. I’m afraid that I’ve already put this obstacle in their paths. I am scared that I won’t know how to make sure they’re eating right and exercising enough.....How could I know when I’m overweight and out-of-shape myself? </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Growing up that way was nothing short of miserable. Thankfully, I wasn’t a miserable, depressed kid....but I had my days. There were times when mom would take me to get some new clothes and in the midst of trying things on and finding nothing even remotely fashionable (unless I was a 50 year old woman) I would just start crying. I got made fun of at school CONSTANTLY. Children can be really mean and really creative when they want to be. I’ve always felt like being fat was MY fault and that I’d never overcome it. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I CAN NOT let this happen to my children. I want my kids to be healthy, active, happy children. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I have to be the one to stop this problem for my kids. I HAVE to overcome it. I can’t very well lose weight while I’m pregnant. But after the baby’s born I plan on kicking things into high gear. I do not want my kids to grow up with a fat, out-of-shape mommy that can’t run and play with them. The only way for me to ensure that they don’t.....is for me to get into shape and lose weight. I have to. They say you should face your fears....but I don’t think that means you have to experience them. I am facing this fear, admitting that I’m terrified of it. So what am I going to do about it...</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">So I’m depending on this for encouragement</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.” Romans 8:37</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Now, I know that this verse is talking about persecutions and tribulations that Christians will face for the sake of Christ. BUT, if He promises that we will conquer those things with His help...what’s a little weight problem to Him? And my favorite part is that it doesn’t just say we’ll overcome these things or that we’ll get through these things...it doesn’t even just say that we’ll conquer these things. It says we will OVERWHELMINGLY CONQUER! I feel like saying Amen!!! when I read that. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">So this is my own personal challenge to myself. With the help of God, who created everything and has control over every single atom in existence, I can and will conquer this problem. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Overwhelmingly!</span></div>
BAMboozlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11954583507623481595noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1509957743366209980.post-54646592852814446372012-09-28T18:19:00.002-04:002012-09-28T18:19:24.100-04:00speechless...So, today I saw the baby for the first time. I realize that at 7 1/2 months pregnant it's a little late to be seeing the baby for the FIRST time...but I don't live in America..haha. Anyway....it was amazing to see the baby on that little screen during the ultrasound. AND I found out that it's a girl! That's the part where I'm speechless...I don't know why, but I feel like I just have no earthly idea what I'm going to do with a girl.....even though, I'M a girl. So...there it is....She'll be here sometime early in December. My original due date is Dec. 14th...during the ultrasound today I noticed the date they gave me is December 3rd...but I've heard from several moms here that the original date is usually more accurate here at least. I keep thinking ..."wow.....a girl...."BAMboozlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11954583507623481595noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1509957743366209980.post-45269852831033765252012-07-30T10:05:00.002-04:002012-07-30T10:05:50.272-04:00Baggage...<br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I have always hated airlines’ baggage weight limits. I weigh my bags at home but inevitably find out that my scales are, apparently, not accurate. More than once I have found myself kneeling on the floor of the check-in shifting things from one bag to another trying to balance out the weight. Once I even bought and entirely new suitcase at the airport because it was cheaper to pay for a single extra bag than to pay the fee for my two overweight bags. Heavy baggage is something airlines don’t like...I can understand really, the workers that load baggage on and off of flights must move thousands upon thousands of bags every day. The weight limit means that most of the bags they move are about the same weight. Having relatively equal weights helps cut down on injuries to the employees. I understand that an airplane has to have a specific weight limit in order to fly correctly. I understand. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">In life, most everyone has baggage of some kind. These days, my baggage is WAY overweight. In the airport, when my bags are overweight sometimes I just have to take things out, forget about them and leave them behind. I wish it was that easy with my life’s baggage. There are things in my bags that are so heavy. There are painful memories, disappointments, struggles and moments of doubt and fear that have been hanging around in my luggage for years. I wish I could just open up my bags and say, “ok, I’m taking you out, leaving you here and forgetting you.” Done. But it seems like every time I think I’ve dumped something out of my bags, it somehow jumps back in when I’m not looking. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Reading a friend’s blog this week (<a href="http://networkedblogs.com/kxjCD">Mama A</a> strikes again) I’ve realized, again, that I don’t have to feel this way. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. take <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. </i></span><i>For My yoke is easy and My <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>burden is light. Matt. 11: 28-30</i></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>Casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7</i></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Jesus, is more than willing to take on my extra baggage. And yours too, by the way. He specifically asks us to let him have it. No bag is too heavy or awkward for Him to handle. And <b><i>He doesn’t have a weight limit</i></b>. He can and will take ALL of our bags for us. If I ask Him and trust Him, He’ll even get rid of all the bags that He knows I don’t need. The bags that are just weighing me down. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">But here’s the smack in the face that Mama A’s blog frequently offers. In order for Jesus to take my baggage for me, I have to STOP THINKING I DON’T NEED HELP. I have to stop telling myself, “oh these bags aren’t <i>that</i> heavy. I can handle it...” Reality check, they ARE too heavy and I CANNOT handle it myself. There is a reason professionals load baggage onto airplanes. If the luggage doesn’t get loaded properly, bad things happen. The bags shift around, things get broken, it can even crash the plane. When I think I can handle my own baggage, bad things will happen. Things will shift, get broken and I might even crash. Once again, pride needs to take a backseat (actually, pride can just take a hike) and let humility take the lead. I DO need His help. So, I’m checking my bags. This time I’m gonna leave the heavy lifting to Jesus. He can handle it and He enjoys helping His little sister out. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">BamS</span></div>BAMboozlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11954583507623481595noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1509957743366209980.post-78746648152649335962012-07-22T08:48:00.000-04:002012-07-22T08:48:00.511-04:00Not MY kid...<br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">This post is somewhat inspired by the truly amazing “Mama A,” you can find her blog <a href="http://networkedblogs.com/kxjCD">HERE</a> always do what she says :-)</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Thoughts on parenting by an unexperienced Mommy to be.....</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Ya know, now that I’m going to actually BE a mom, I have a tendency to look at kids (and there parents too) a little differently. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Now I know what you’re thinking, “who are you to judge parenting. What do YOU know about raising a kid?!” Ok, ok, hold up, wait a minute. I’m not judging you or anyone else’s parenting. I’ve just been making some observations about how <b><i>I</i></b> think we should raise our child (and future children). No judging going on here. Happy? </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I’m actually hoping this post will bring some helpful advice from people who DO know a thing or two about being parents. Anyway, some observations, complaints, questions about parenting techniques and fumbles I’ve noticed. <br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I will not let my kid be THAT kid that no one wants to babysit because Jr. behaves wonderfully for me but somehow has not learned that he needs to behave when someone other than mommy is caring for him...no no no.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I will make sure my child learns how to listen when ANY adult is talking to him/her. It’s so annoying to hear a parent speaking to their 5 year old and the kid responds with “huh?” Not gonna work in our house.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">If my child is mis-behaving I will not hesitate to to give them a spanking. Now, I know a lot of people (especially 20-30 something Americans) don’t like spanking. But let me ask you this...Didn’t you get spankings when you were a kid? No one that I know of personally, has suffered severe trauma from a spanking they got when they were a kid. ‘Nuff said about that. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">If my child mis-behaves while at home with me, I will not say “You just wait until your father gets home.” I will discipline then AND tell Eric when he gets home and let him discipline them again if he thinks it’s needed. Kids need to know that Mommy’s got the moxie to discipline them and they need to know that Daddy won’t accept them disobeying Mommy just because they think she’s “soft.” </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Ok, this is kind of a big one to me....mostly because it really annoys and distracts me personally. At church, my child will NOT be that kid that makes noise and doesn’t understand that this is NOT playtime. If my child gets too noisy or playful during a church meeting, we will not just sit in the assembly and let them keep distracting others from the preaching/singing/teaching. We will go outside and get a little bit of discipline or we will go to the nursery where they child CAN play and make a little more noise without distracting others. Kids need to learn that Church assemblies are special and important. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Now, I’m a southerner, though you might not notice it that much if you meet me now days. I swear it’s in here y’all. So, in honor of my heritage, my child will learn that “yes ma’am, no ma’am” and “yes sir, no sir” are good ways to respond to adults. They will also learn “please, thank you” and all those other polite words that so many children’s vocabularies seem deprived of these days. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Finally, an observation for those of you that are already parents. Every parent (as far as I can tell) wants people to like their kid. Guess what, if your kid is an indisciplined brat, PEOPLE WON’T LIKE THEM! And no, it won’t matter how cute they are. Person A (no relation to Mama A) will say “Oh, Jr. so-and-so is such a cute kid.” and person B will say “yeah, but he is a real brat.” to which person A will respond, “Ugh, I KNOW!” They won’t like your kid and they won’t respect you as a parent. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">One thing I’ve learned from observing different parents (some I think are great and some not so much) is that when it comes to discipline and children, we need to be consistent. And our children will need us to be consistent too. It’s almost painful to me when I see a child being disciplined by a parent when other people are around but I KNOW that they don’t get disciplined, for whatever it is, when they’re at home. You can see the confusion on the child’s face. If something isn’t acceptable for a child to do/say in public, they shouldn’t be allowed to do it at home either. And if some particular behavior is unacceptable, then the child needs to be disciplined for it EVERY time they do it. They will need to learn that they can’t fool Mommy and Daddy. They can’t get away with it sometimes. It’s really not fair to the child to be inconsistent. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I do want people to like my child, but not because of how cute he/she is (because he/she will definitely be adorable.) I want them to notice how well my child behaves. I’d rather have someone say “Wow! Jr Sarpong is such a good boy” than hear them say, “ya’know that Sarpong kid is really cute.” Being cute won’t get my kids into heaven....but if they learn to listen and follow directions and do what is right, eventually they will be able to follow God’s direction and Listen to God’s word with understanding. And frankly, I’d rather have them win the Crown of Life than win a thousand cute kid contests. </span></div>BAMboozlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11954583507623481595noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1509957743366209980.post-40026083795459348892012-04-08T11:58:00.000-04:002012-04-08T11:58:29.408-04:00scars...I have plenty of them. They are interesting things to me. Constant reminders of some distant pain. Working in a kitchen for 3 years gave me plenty of scars from being burned. Then there's the one on the end of my thumb where I slipped chopping onions and took the very very tip of my finger off. There's this odd scar on my leg that I've had as long as I can remember and I have no idea how I got it. And the one on my arm from playing with the dog when I was a kid and her paw came down and swatted my arm, hard apparently. Faint and faded, but they all carry some story with them of some injury in my life. <div><br />
<div>Lots of people have scars and they all tell you something. Here in Ghana it's very common for people to have scars, especially on their face, that are sort of tribal markings. Some of those scars were also thought to protect particularly beautiful children from juju. I noticed a scar on someone's shoulder and I asked him how he got it. He said when he was a kid he didn't do something that his aunty told him to do and she took the knife she was using to turn something that was roasting on the fire and she sort of pressed it against his shoulder, burning him. Both of my friends named Esther have scars on their faces, one from tribal markings, the other from some medical procedure she had as a child. </div></div><div><br />
</div><div>Another thing I find interesting about scars is how different people look at them. When I first came to Ghana, seeing scars on so many people's faces was really shocking to me. I had a hard time not staring at the scars, wondering how they got them, how old they were when they got them etc. But now I hardly notice them. I've gotten used to seeing them. My friends that have scars, I'm not even sure if I could tell you who has scars and who doesn't because I've stopped seeing them. In America,most people, ladies especially, are so afraid of getting scars on their faces because we (Americans) think it makes a person less beautiful. But Esther and Esther are both beautiful ladies. Many beautiful ladies and handsome men in Ghana have scars on their faces, it doesn't make them any less beautiful. </div><div><br />
</div><div>I've realized in the last few years that God has given us this physical world in order to demonstrate spiritual things to us in a way that is easier for us to understand. I have a lot more invisible scars than visible ones. I have so many emotional scars....Years of being picked on and made fun of at school really cut me up, so to speak. Years of having a father that wasn't as kind and gentle and loving as a father is supposed to be....more scars. Some of my scars were even self-inflicted, because I started believing the lies people told me about myself when they made fun of me...so I joined in with their attacks telling myself how worthless, ugly and stupid I was. Self-inflicted wounds. The invisible scars take a lot longer to heal than the visible ones. There's no bandage or ointment to help them heal faster. But eventually they start to heal and fade away too. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Thinking about this, and this being resurrection weekend made me wonder; What did/do Jesus' scars look like. What do the scars in His hands and feet and side and on His back really look like? Or what about the scars He has from working with His father Joseph, doing carpentry? If I asked Jesus how He got one of His scars what would He tell me? Would he show me the ones in His hands and say "well, you gave me these..." Constant reminders....but HIS scars are not constant reminders of pain like mine; HIS are reminders of HIS love....for me and you and all of mankind. </div>BAMboozlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11954583507623481595noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1509957743366209980.post-50574927712178388252011-11-12T08:04:00.000-05:002011-11-12T08:04:27.771-05:00it's about time...Well, I haven't posted here in a long time. Sorry. I have had lots of ideas in my mind for a new post over the last month or so....but I never got around to posting anything. A lot of things have happened since that last post. I had to make a totally unexpected trip to the States. I had some problems with my visa and making a quick trip to the States was the best way to fix it......for now. I got engaged! Yeah that one is BIG new...haha. If you've known me since before I went to Ghana then this little piece of news might really shock you. But it's true :-D After I decided that I was coming to the States for a visit my mom's brother unexpectedly died. Praise God that I was able to be here (physically here) for my mom during the funeral and such a difficult time for her. The trip here was looooong. I got on a bus in Kumasi around 12:45 on Thursday. We got to Accra around 6:45 or so. My flight was at 10:15 so we figured we had plenty of time. WRONG! The traffic in Accra is amazingly horrible! It is recommended that you get to the airport 2-3 hours before an international flight. In the U.S. I am comfortable with getting there 2 hours before....but in Ghana....I know there can be unexpected delays at the airport so really wanted to get there 3 hours before. That means that I needed to get to the airport by 7:15. Well....I wasn't even at the airport at 8. The taxi driver had to stop and totally turn around 3 or 4 times because the way he was going was at a total standstill because of the traffic. Praise God I got to the airport and thru immigration in time for my flight. As I was going through the last section of immigration they were calling for passengers on my flight to please make their way to the gate. So......11 hours later I land in DC. Go through immigration again and get on a short flight to NC. When I landed at RDU I was greeted by my mom, step-dad, dad, brother and sister-in-law. When we stepped outside my first words were "oh my gosh it's SOOOOO cold!" We went to mom's so I could get a shower then we went to my uncle's funeral. It was so hard seeing my mom and grandma and aunts and cousin hurting so much. It was hard listening to my brother do the ceremony knowing that it was the first funeral he's ever done and that he and our uncle were kind of close when he was younger. It was a cold, rainy, miserable day. So with that I was welcomed back to the U.S for the first time in about a year and a half. I'll post more about the engagement later. This was just a quick, kind of "catching up" post for now.BAMboozlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11954583507623481595noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1509957743366209980.post-36241942269708906012011-09-18T10:32:00.003-04:002011-09-18T10:32:14.253-04:00This is how it is....<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I’ve had to carefully consider my words in this post. I don’t want to offend anyone (especially my family) and I don’t want to come off as whiny, complaining or ungrateful. So this is my “this is how it is” post....here goes;</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">This is how it is to be a missionary. You leave your family. Your home. You move somewhere far away and are surrounded by unfamiliar things. You (probably) can’t communicate too well with the locals because they speak a different language. You are constantly in uncharted territory. Everything is new and exciting and maybe even a little bit intimidating. At first, you probably call or email a lot. Maybe even every week. Slowly you begin to mentally “unpack.” As you get acclimated to your new surroundings you start to form a new family and a new home. Your circle grows as you make more friends and learn your way around. The frequent communications from you probably start to decrease. This is how it is (for me at least.)</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I never was good at keeping in touch with people. When I was in college my mom called me at least once a week. My brothers would occasionally call me just to talk about nothing important and see how I’m doing. I knew that my mom would call.....every week almost without fail. That was how it was. </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">When I decided to go to Ghana, after much thought and prayer, I was worried that my mom wouldn’t be able to take it very well. I decided to go anyway....she would have to just accept it. The first year I was in Ghana my mom actually ended up meeting someone and they got married when I visited “home” the first summer. This was a blessing for me because now I didn’t worry about mom being alone. It’s been a while...but I think she only called me once or twice that first 9 months. She didn’t have a way to call internationally....3 years later she still doesn’t have a way to call me. I guess calling me isn’t really high on the priority list. </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I have been in Ghana nearly 4 years now. I LOVE being in Ghana. I love my friends. I love my students. I feel like the work we’re doing here at the school is of utmost importance. I’m confident that God placed me here. But, sadly, I have to say that I have been disappointed in the efforts made to keep in touch by some of those closest to me. I already admitted that I wasn’t the best at keeping in touch even in the U.S. where communication is ridiculously easy. Here, communication is just more difficult. My internet connection is unreliable. Posted mail takes weeks to get to and from anywhere. My phone is decent now, but it’s only recently that I’ve gotten a phone that is somewhat reliable. But still I feel as if all the responsibility to keep in touch has been put on my shoulders. I try to just say “hey” and find out how people are doing on Facebook. I try to call, especially on holidays and birthdays. I think I’ve called all my family on all their birthdays, or within a day or two, since I’ve been here. I try to just send messages on Facebook or email just to encourage them sometimes. But, why is it all my responsibility? I think I could probably count the number of phone calls I’ve gotten from family since I’ve been here. They are all there, in familiar, comfortable territory. They have each other. Can’t any of them make it their goal to keep in touch with me and encourage me? Everyone says how proud they are of me for coming here. They miss me but they know that the work here is important and not everyone would be willing to leave the comforts of the U.S. to live in Africa. I don’t know....I guess it makes me a little bit sad. People can post all kinds of mindless, pointless things on Facebook or other websites, but they can’t find the time to just send an encouraging note? I feel forgotten. Then, when I say something like this people all start telling me how much they love me and they’ve not forgotten me etc. It’s kind of like when a kid gets in trouble and they’re told to apologize. Yeah, they apologize....but the weren’t going to. It’s like no one encourages me until I make the effort to say that I need encouragement. </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">If you’re praying for someone that’s far away; If you’re thinking of them....tell them. I know from personal experience that it will be encouraging to them. If you are in their family and they ask you for something small like pictures...can’t you get some prints made and mail them? Can’t you send them a letter or a Christmas card? Ok, I know packages are really expensive to send to Africa.....but honestly, if they were in the States they would be getting Christmas and birthday presents....can’t you use that money to send something small....just to encourage them? This is how it is.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">So, I feel invisible sometimes. And yes, it hurts a little sometimes. I used to be really tough....since I’ve been here I’ve softened up a little because I’ve grown and realized that God did not design me to be so tough that nothing affects me. I need encouragement. It would be nice if I felt like I could depend on my family for it. But I don’t know if I can......I feel like they’re all too busy with their own lives to ask me about mine. I’m sure they think about me....but it seems like it’s just a passing thought. Not enough of a thought to get in touch with me. </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">This is how it is......whether it should be or not.</span></div>BAMboozlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11954583507623481595noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1509957743366209980.post-73841689796669689462011-09-02T13:51:00.000-04:002011-09-02T13:51:33.739-04:00Tiiiiiiiiime is on my side.....NOT<br />
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</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">It has been said that ‘Time and tide wait for no man.” Time is something that everyone has an equal amount of. No matter how rich or poor you are. No matter where you live or what nationality or race you are. Every single person on the planet has the exact same number of hours in their day. We’re all bound by time. This week I heard some preaching that made me think. It’s not something I’ve never thought of before.....I was just reminded and thought of it again. God does not exist within the realm of time. There is no “time” for God. HE doesn’t have a past or a future. HE just IS. As a human, bound by time and it’s movement....this concept just makes my head spin. I cannot wrap my mind around it. I don’t know if humans even have the capacity to understand what it’s like to exist outside of time. Not only does God exist outside of time....he also exists outside of the confines of physical space. It’s such a mind-blowing thing to think about. God, in His infinite existence, is everywhere, all the time. People wonder where God came from....and the only answer is HE didn’t come from anywhere. HE just IS. </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The only way I can even begin to comprehend this concept is to relate it to something I’m more familiar with. My degree is in Audio/Video Production. In this field we have two kinds of editing; linear and non-linear. Basically, linear editing is when you have your master footage and you physically copy using a deck (like a VCR) from it to your edited product. So you have two monitors and two VCRs. As you watch your master footage play you physically copy it from that tape to the edited copy. Once you’ve made a cut you can’t change it back. You have to put them in the right order the first time or start over. The cuts must be in a line, hence the name “linear editing.” In linear editing, timing is everything. You have to pay very close attention to your time-code and you have to get your cuts right down to the individual frames. The other form, non-linear editing, is much simpler. In non-linear editing, it doesn’t matter what order you shot your film, it doesn’t matter what order you put your clips onto your computer. You can take them and shuffle them around and put them in whatever order you want. If you want to take a clip that you just filmed today and put it in front of a clip that you shot 3 weeks ago, you can do that. In non-linear editing you put all your footage onto a computer and use an editing program to arrange your clips and add transitions and so on. If you arrange things one way and decide to change them, you can. It’s basically like copy and paste. </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">So, this is kind of how I look at God’s existence and my existence. I know it’s so simple and watered down that it doesn’t even begin to fully explain His existence outside of time....but it’s the only way I can understand it. I live in a linear world. I have to live today and then tomorrow. Once today is over, I can’t go back and revisit it, likewise I cannot jump ahead to a future day and live it then come back to the present day. God on the other hand, can be in any day in the history of time whenever He wants to. He can see ahead to the future of time and He can see behind to it’s past simultaneously. </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdX3mTlqiGlzjUqhlaTtrkE6Vv0v-4hy_07CQJnrxZHgZNt56MKtA7uh9lv6bEsyxEdCggCJCPwfxqKGE0o8xst08zuzLhgPSfoNxPAIk3ScV3qSKqb9_5J6eI1-3uuL6elf15BirjIfA/s1600/tumblr_kwl06yntUY1qa5h7no1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdX3mTlqiGlzjUqhlaTtrkE6Vv0v-4hy_07CQJnrxZHgZNt56MKtA7uh9lv6bEsyxEdCggCJCPwfxqKGE0o8xst08zuzLhgPSfoNxPAIk3ScV3qSKqb9_5J6eI1-3uuL6elf15BirjIfA/s320/tumblr_kwl06yntUY1qa5h7no1_500.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">It’s amazing to me. It’s confusing to me. So what does it mean to me? It means that time is a precious resource. It means, that I better make sure I use the time God gives me wisely. The things I should do today, have to be done today. The hours and minutes that tick by will never come back. Some day my time, just like everyone else’s, will run out. When that day comes, I will be held accountable for all the hours and minutes I used here on this earth. I need to remember what it says in Ephesians; “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil.” Christians need to be aware of the time they use each day. We need to make sure that we’re not wasting the time that God has given us. When I stand before Him at the end of time, I don’t want to regret the time I had on this earth. So, make the most of your time. When you can do something productive for the Kingdom, do it. Don’t waste time. It’s not ours to waste anyway, God gave it to us to use wisely. So let’s be wise. </span></span></div>BAMboozlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11954583507623481595noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1509957743366209980.post-79447324904244871382011-07-23T17:00:00.000-04:002011-07-23T17:00:51.671-04:00Night of the living dead....<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I was never one for watching scary movies....My brother however, really REALLY enjoyed scary movies. He, being 12 years older than me, was a teenager in the early 80‘s; the zenith of scary-movie history. In my opinion, some of the scariest movies ever made were born in the 80’s....granted, I was a little kid then...but still; many of the movies that are probably considered “classics” in this genre were spawned during the 80‘s; and they were some of my brother’s favorites. I distinctly remember him having two (not one, but TWO) Nightmare on Elm Street posters in his bedroom..AND a Night of the Living Dead (or maybe it was Return of the Living Dead) poster. I, being 6 years old, was terrified of these posters. TERRIFIED. He also portrayed Michael Meyers (from the original Friday the 13th) for halloween one year....and was, as I recall, frighteningly convincing. He and his best friend even undertook the task of making their own slasher flick one summer.....while they were baby sitting me....I was told to “just stay on the deck for a little while” while they videoed in the woods behind the house. Hearing them pretend to kill each other in the woods was probably what kept me on the deck. </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">So, what’s the deal, you might be wondering.....Why all this talk about scary movies? Wow, Beth Ann has really gone off the deep end hasn’t she? Talking about zombies and Freddie Krueger and all this crazy stuff...No, I haven’t. You know one thing that most of those movies have in common......In almost all of them, there’s a point in the movie where the villain appears to be dead and then comes back to wreak more havoc on some poor unsuspecting victim/s. There are even whole movies based on the “living dead”...zombies. I was reading my Bible this morning and something I came across made me think of all this.(weird I know) You can find spiritual truths everywhere, yes, even in horror movies. </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px 'Arial Narrow'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>“For he who has died is freed from sin. “ Romans 6:7 <br />
</i></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px 'Arial Narrow'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>“Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey it’s lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.” Romans 6:11-13<br />
</i></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px 'American Typewriter Condensed'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Sometimes I think we forget that we’re dead to our old selves. When we sin, it’s like we’ve become Zombie Christians. That old man of sin is dead, but it’s just like in one of those movies when you think everything is fine the bad guy is dead and then suddenly he jumps out from behind a tree and attacks you. In these scary movies the good guy always has to figure out the way to defeat the villain. Some villains even have special weapons you have to use to defeat them....you know the old cliche’s; Silver bullets kill werewolves, a stake through the heart will kill a vampire etc. Well, Jesus is the weapon that kills the old man of sin. </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px 'Arial Narrow'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, But the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.” II Corinthians 10: 3-5 </i></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px 'Arial Narrow'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i></i></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">In all those horror movies, the villain is never just tolerated. He has to be destroyed. We shouldn’t tolerate “zombies” in our spiritual lives either. They have to be annihilated! </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">If a physically dead person climbed up out of their grave and started walking around harassing people we wouldn’t just accept it and say “oh....that’s just how it is.” “There goes Bob again....just don’t mind him.” When your old, dead, rotten self shows up, don’t accept him or tolerate him either. </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px 'Arial Narrow'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>“for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” Romans 8: 13-14 </i></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px 'Arial Narrow'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i></i></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The only way to defeat this villain is to KILL him. Once you’re immersed and your old self is dead and buried, <b>he should stay dead and buried</b>. When you see that zombie coming up, it should shock you. You should wonder how he came up out of the grave and you should do whatever it takes to put him back in his place. The wonderful thing is; God has given us all the tools we need to kill these “zombies.” In horror movies, you can always tell when the villain is around, usually the music will let you know. In your life, if you start to pay attention, you can normally see a pattern to your old self coming up. When I neglect my memory work or my bible reading or (especially) my personal prayer time....that’s when the zombie likes to show up. So...listen to the music. When you see yourself slipping, STOP. Regain your footing and don’t let the zombies come up out of the grave. </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKCfxLfzd8G0Bqn1X5pxE4e1rM-AgmilBWXUS_aBGy5IrphGjt-PsDmU_PAcH0acduM8afr2Qu1JocwN1pgE9qSnCkwtmiAcJulOHlP6OpOEiS6YxUstRrIpWcq4KqEWppz7TtKUZmLfs/s1600/800px-Sighisoara_old_German_cemetery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKCfxLfzd8G0Bqn1X5pxE4e1rM-AgmilBWXUS_aBGy5IrphGjt-PsDmU_PAcH0acduM8afr2Qu1JocwN1pgE9qSnCkwtmiAcJulOHlP6OpOEiS6YxUstRrIpWcq4KqEWppz7TtKUZmLfs/s320/800px-Sighisoara_old_German_cemetery.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br />
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<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Sorry this post was kind of strange.....I told you it came to me when I was reading my Bible and even though it’s a strange illustration, it makes sense. (to me at least) Until next time....</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Nyame Nhyira Wo</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">BAM</span></div>BAMboozlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11954583507623481595noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1509957743366209980.post-13764176778800360062011-06-01T14:46:00.000-04:002011-06-01T14:46:20.188-04:00<img height="640" src="webkit-fake-url://5610482F-DF86-4A4F-8A0A-F1C653630923/image.tiff" width="492" /><img height="640" src="webkit-fake-url://5E19C9B0-CFAB-453C-8E4D-20966583A0B8/image.tiff" width="494" /><img height="640" src="webkit-fake-url://D8B0DB41-FFF0-4A6B-A650-7594C92EC15E/image.tiff" width="494" /><img height="640" src="webkit-fake-url://2C57A9D3-2AFF-47BA-8730-AB205DE86A96/image.tiff" width="494" /><img height="640" src="webkit-fake-url://C989D1D4-77D8-4891-BDA5-471699718319/image.tiff" width="494" />BAMboozlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11954583507623481595noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1509957743366209980.post-42402164319922820692011-05-24T16:54:00.000-04:002011-05-24T16:54:50.439-04:00April May Newsletter<div><img src="webkit-fake-url://3015A1DF-87DF-49F3-9885-D664DA1B93EB/image.tiff" /><img src="webkit-fake-url://93F8114B-AE07-4050-BECC-BEE4A4BC416F/image.tiff" /><img src="webkit-fake-url://71A37E0E-F2CA-4C1D-B3B0-5FE8BDBC810A/image.tiff" /><img src="webkit-fake-url://91D03E16-81FC-4F9A-8193-32E8140A717B/image.tiff" /><img src="webkit-fake-url://1AF7C089-C93D-4AFC-8C5C-081B36478601/image.tiff" /></div>BAMboozlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11954583507623481595noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1509957743366209980.post-68706670030472825242011-01-04T11:24:00.000-05:002011-01-04T11:24:08.327-05:00Beauty in the breakdown<div style="font: 10.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">3/1/2011 11:05 P.M. Inspired by KB</span> -C</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"> </div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span>Beauty in the breakdown</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Sometimes I look at things in a strange way. Particularly since moving to Ghana, my view of life has changed. Oftentimes I find that there’s beauty in the breakdown. </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><a href="webkit-fake-url://41302545-44FF-4974-8676-D0F680FAA94E/image.tiff" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="webkit-fake-url://41302545-44FF-4974-8676-D0F680FAA94E/image.tiff" /></a><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The flickering light in the bathroom that refuses to stay on long enough to be of any use at all....off, on, off, on; reminds me that the true light of the world will never go out. The dripping faucet in the same bathroom reminds me that there is a fountain of living water that never runs dry. The family I have now that’s really a mix of people from broken families reminds me that “family” is so much more than biology. The dropped phone calls and unreliable internet access remind me that I communicate with my real Father anytime, anywhere without wondering if He heard me. The frustration of not being able to talk easily to some people because we don’t speak the same language reminds me that there’s never a language barrier with God. The toe that was broken in a fluke accident where it got caught in my sandal strap reminds me that every member of the body is important...even the third toe on your right foot that doesn’t even really have a name. </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">So many broken, run-down things are around me. Everywhere I look I can see something that is not the way it should be. They’re not really beautiful I suppose, but being able to find the beauty in those kinds of things is necessary in this life. The most beautiful thought of all is that I know that I serve a God who isn’t afraid of a broken-down mess. My God came down to this earth to be born to dirt-poor parents, in a barn. My God became a human and washed the feet of his closest followers. My God touched “gross” sick people and healed them. My God loves to take a broken-down, mess of a person, fix them up and then use them as an example to all the other messy people around them. My God sees my potential (and yours); who I really am, instead of a broken-down mess. <br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Yeah, there’s beauty in that.... </span></div>BAMboozlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11954583507623481595noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1509957743366209980.post-41498698141626034022010-11-03T18:10:00.000-04:002010-11-03T18:10:05.762-04:00American Idol(atry)<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">A big house with a white picket fence. Two car garage complete with two cars. Two perfectly behaved kids and a dog. People work themselves half-to-death trying to reach this standard....known as “living the American Dream.” Keeping up with the Joneses. Who created this standard anyway? You know what I think is sad? The so-called American dream mentions nothing about spiritual life. So you have all these things...you’re living the life. All the perks and benefits of those hours and hours of hard work you put in at the office. But your soul is languishing. You spend all your time and money and effort and thought on building your own little shrine to yourself and all “your hard work” until it’s so big that other people notice it and pat you on the back. “Wow, look at that house! You must be so proud. You must have worked so hard!” Guess what....that house is going to be gone one day. People who make idols will become like them....a house is just a big empty box. We put stuff in it, we live in it....but really it’s just a shell. Put all your blood, sweat and tears into building up that house....what will it do for you? In the end, you’ll be just like that house....empty. The American Dream is really a nightmare....it’s an idol. </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Here in Ghana (even more so in other African nations) you can see actual “idols.” Meaning what you would typically envision when you hear the word idol. If you go out to the village you might see an actual carved image or rock, or tree or whatever; that people offer sacrifices to and worship on a regular basis. Now, in the U.S. you’re not going to see people bowing down in front of their cars or their houses....You do however see people investing a significant portion of their time, energy, money and thought into improving their status. They might not physically bow down and worship their house or their job or their car or their hobby....but in their heart it’s the most important thing to them. Sometimes they don’t even realize it. It seems to me that Americans have a hard time recognizing their idols so we think they don’t exist. Americans have idols....they’re just packaged differently than the idols out in the villages of Africa. </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Anything that you devote yourself to can become your idol. Even (seemingly) good things can become idols. I bet you know a guy that spends lots of time working in the yard of your church building; mowing the grass, trimming hedges, even doing small repairs and things around the building. That’s great, maintenance needs to be taken care of....but if that same gentleman doesn’t ever do any outreach or personal Bible studies with anyone because he’s done “his part” working in the church...then the maintenance of the church building has become his idol. What’s more important, the stones around the church building or the living stones that God uses to build THE church? </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">People will never be able to fully submit to God and serve him until they recognize and eliminate the idols in their lives. We have to thoroughly examine our lives. Where do you spend most of your time and your money? What do you spend most of your time doing or thinking about? If our lives are not focused on serving God (even if you’re not working “in ministry”) then we need to seriously reevaluate our priorities. Maybe I’ll post more on this later....but in the meantime, remember, where you heart is, there your treasures will be also.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Nyame Adom</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">BAM</span></div>BAMboozlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11954583507623481595noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1509957743366209980.post-28141307470854705272010-10-09T10:33:00.000-04:002010-10-09T10:33:39.432-04:00Fearless...<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;"></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: small;"><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>“The Lord challenges us to suffer persecutions and to confess him. He wants those who belong to him to be brave and fearless. He himself shows how weakness of the flesh is overcome by courage of the Spirit. This is the testimony of the apostles and in particular of the representative, administrating Spirit. A Christian is fearless.” Tertullian</i></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i></i></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I really like this quote. It’s a very hard pill to swallow sometimes, but it’s SHOULD be true. Since I’ve been in Ghana I’ve gotten a lot more into the Word and I’ve started to understand some things that I never even realized I didn’t understand. Why are all those stories in the Bible in the first place? There are so many different occasions in the Bible where people displayed extraordinary courage or bravery in the face of certain death and doom. When I was younger I just enjoyed the stories like most children do. What child wouldn’t enjoy hearing such fantastical stories like Jonah, David and Goliath, Daniel and the Lions’ Den and so on? But as a child they felt like “stories” to me...like fairy tails. I know that I was aware that these stories were supposed to be different than other stories like Snow White or Aladdin, but I didn’t really understand until I got older. The stories in the Bible are not fairy tales or myths. They are historical documentation of the most amazing events to ever happen on this earth. David, Goliath, Noah, Joshua, Jonah, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego.....they’re all REAL people. Just like you and I, they were once alive on this earth. They had real families, real jobs, real problems just like we have now. So what made them so extraordinary in the stories that have made them so well known? It was their faith! They were courageous because they really believed that the Bible (at least what they had of it then) was true. They really believed that the Creator of the universe was involved in their lives. </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Now think about this.....they didn’t even have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit like Christians today do! We have the potential to have SO much courage. We don’t just have the occasional help of the Holy Spirit in extreme situations...He lives inside of us all the time. The same Sprit that enabled Daniel and his friends to excel in their training, and to withstand being burnt alive in a furnace LIVES inside of me. The same Spirit that enabled Noah to be righteous when literally the whole earth was unrighteous and to build a boat for a flood even though he’d never seen rain, lives inside of me. The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead....<b>THAT Spirit LIVES INSIDE of my body</b>!</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Now, I don’t know about you, but to me, that thought is very complex. It’s comforting to know that I have this tremendous source of power. It’s also a little frightening. Why? Because, God knows my true potential. So He knows if I’m living up to my potential....It’s also a little frightening because it’s just SO much power. Sometimes it freaks me out to think about what God could use me for if I just totally let go of myself and submitted to HIM in every aspect of my life. Look at Paul, God used him to do amazing things....God also allowed him to suffer extensively. Could I withstand suffering like that? Could I do amazing things like Paul did? I have to believe that I could if I really lived by faith and by the direction of the Holy Spirit. Power can be a scary thing. But the amazing thing is that the power of the Holy Spirit doesn’t have to be scary to us. In fact there should be no fear at all of this power. God loves us and there is no fear in love. The power of the Holy Spirit is to enable us to serve God fully. He gives us the power to do extraordinary things and to have extraordinary faith! What an amazing gift that is! </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><br />
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<div>Nyame Adom (by God's Grace)</div><div>BethAnn</div>BAMboozlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11954583507623481595noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1509957743366209980.post-1465893187470485832010-09-26T11:36:00.000-04:002010-09-26T11:36:31.983-04:00Greetings from Ghana!Well, I'm finally back in Ghana! I've been back since September 1st. I'm so glad that I got to visit the US this summer and see most of my family and friends. It was a great visit. I'm glad that I got to speak at several different places and share about the work we're doing here in Ghana. I had an adventure getting from Accra to Kumasi. Mr. H sent me an email to tell me that they couldn't come & pick me up so I needed to get a flight from Accra to Kumasi at the airport when I landed...unfortunately I didn't ever get that email. So when I got to the airport I was waiting patiently for someone to pick me up...no one came...To make it a little more complicated, my phone wasn't working (the battery got messed up) so all the calls that Mrs. H made to me never got to me...Finally after about an hour and a half of waiting two guys that I have never met in my life offered to let me use their cell phones to call someone. Mrs. H told me I needed to get the flight that leaves at 4:30 so I ran to the desk and what do you know...it's 4:35 and the flight is taking off (on time?!!! no way) so I had to switch to Plan B. The two guys helped me get my luggage to the taxi stand and I took a taxi to the bus station (after giving the two guys some money, for helping me, that's WHY they were helping anyway...but I was thankful none the less). Got to the bus station and got everything squared away to take the bus. Finally got home around 11:30-11:45 P.M. that night. I was SOOOO thankful to see two of my friends waiting for me at the bus stop! It was a little bit of an adventure traveling like that with no one else to rely on. It helps me to remember that even when things aren't going as planned...God is still in control. <br />
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Youth Camp started the following Monday. It was a BLAST!! A whole week of diving into Scripture with 15-19 year olds. Playing games, competing in lots of different competitions, singing and just enjoying the company of friends. The team that I was one of the leaders of actually ended up coming from behind and winning! Everyone was surprised. I'll try to post some pictures soon.<br />
The Monday after Youth Camp we had cleaning day at the school and Tuesday classes started! I have 9 students so far. They're all 7-12 years old. They're great kids and I'm excited to see them grow as the year goes on. <br />
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I'm sure there's more I could add here....I've already had Malaria once since I've gotten back....I've eaten lots of Ghanaian foods that I'd never tried before....There have been two new babies born (Chloe Wonder and Jedidiah Akola). Weightlifting is still going on...Life is just going and going right now!<br />
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One thing I do want to mention is that the mission is really having a hard time financially right now. A lot of our support has decreased or even stopped in some cases because of the bad economic situation in the US right now. I implore you to please remember that if YOU'RE doing bad financially....imagine how bad it is for missionaries that rely on the gracious donations of faithful Christians to keep going. A lot of people here have been affected by this. If support for the mission drops then the mission has to make really tough decisions about how to best use the money that is coming in. People have had to find new jobs because the mission can't afford to support them anymore...jobs are extremely hard to find here. Please, please consider making a sacrifice to help the work continue here. If 10 people would sacrifice $10 a week then that would be $400 month....in a year that would be nearly $5000! $10 a week is basically like giving up two fast-food meals a week. I hope that people are willing to make a small sacrifice like that so that people here can continue to have the chance for Christian education for their children! I KNOW that any sacrifice that is made to grow the Kingdom will not be a sacrifice made in vain...it will be remembered and repaid in the end! <br />
I hope you're all doing awesome in the Lord! <br />
Nyame Adom (by God's Grace)<br />
BABAMboozlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11954583507623481595noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1509957743366209980.post-9072272328804483882010-08-21T23:01:00.000-04:002010-08-21T23:01:16.197-04:00home is where the___________ is...So, the old saying goes, "home is where the heart is." But I think that home can be a lot of things to a lot of people. There are some things that just make me FEEL at home. So here are some of the things that really make a place feel like home (to me);<br />
>Great friends, no matter where I am, if I have some friends with me, I'm home.<br />
>Family, sometimes family makes me feel at home, but sometimes they make me feel crazy ;-)<br />
>Knowing my way around, a town, a friend's place, a kitchen, if I don't feel lost, I'm at home.<br />
>Hot weather, I don't always like it, but I'm from NC, it's hot there a lot so I'm used to it.<br />
>Sentimental stuff, you know your favorite trinket from childhood, for me it's a stuffed UNC ram that I got when I was about a week old.<br />
>Pictures, now, for some people, pictures make them long for home, but for me, they remind me of the people that I love so I feel more at home when I have pictures of my friends and family.<br />
>Music, I'm very musical so just hearing a few notes of a song can remind me of all wonderful people that I associate with that particular song.<br />
>Food, I love to try food from all different places, but sometimes just digging into one of my favorite foods will make me flash back to the place that food reminds me of.<br />
>A beautiful sunset/rise/starry night sky, anywhere in the world you can see them no matter the locale.<br />
....I'm sure there are more things that would remind me of home if I really put a lot of time into thinking of it....but I'm not going to do that right now. I've realized in the last few years that, for me, home is not so much a physical place as it is a state of mind. I really can feel at home anywhere. <br />
Wherever I am, there I am. <br />
Cape Diem<br />
BABAMboozlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11954583507623481595noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1509957743366209980.post-47612551732023946902010-08-21T12:58:00.000-04:002010-08-21T12:58:09.660-04:00Mac Attack...So, I got a Mac. Finally. I've wanted a Macbook Pro for about 8 years. I wanted one when I was in college because that's what we used for all our editing in class. After some very generous donations, which I've already talked about here, I finally have my Mac. I still kind of can't believe it's really mine. I think it's really cool how I've wanted one for so long, but never could get one and now that I want it to use for the mission I have been able to get it. It's actually a little bit scary. I mean, God provided this laptop for me, through the donations of people I know. That means God is expecting me to use it for HIS purposes. And THAT means I better make some videos for the mission. <br />
I guess I am a little worried that I will make some videos and people will see them and think (or even say to me)..."you mean this is all you can do with that fancy expensive computer?"....I have to keep telling myself that it's the devil planting that thought in my head. I know that I can make good quality pieces. I just need to have confidence in my ability. God must have some confidence in my ability or I suppose he wouldn't have provided the computer would he? I know people are expecting good things now...so maybe I'm feeling a little pressure to produce good stuff. Then again, maybe the pressure is coming from within. <br />
I'm working on transfering files and things from my PC to my Mac....and then I want to re-vamp my newsletter and get a good looking template for it set. Presentation on Sunday at Stoneybrook...excited about that! SB is one of those congregations I think anyone can feel at home in. There are some people there (quite a few actually) that have known me nearly my whole life so I guess I feel closer to SB than to some congregations. I'm excited to tell them about Ghana in part because I know they're excited to hear about Ghana. <br />
I feel like I have lots to get done before I leave for Ghana again. There are some things I need to buy for myself and for others. There are some things I need to get organized, luggage, mailing lists, addresses of friends etc. I have a photo journal on line that I want to get updated and completely squared away so people can look at it before I go. There's at least one trip to the beach planned in there. I would like to see my grandma and brothers again before I go. It feels like the time is flying now....at the beginning of this visit it dragged on day by day...now it seems like the days are just here and gone! <br />
I am really ready to get back to Ghana. I sort of feel bad sometimes because of the people I know, most of them when they travel, they really miss their families and "home." But I can't really say I've missed the US that much. There are some people that I've missed....but not in the way that other people I've observed do. I've never really felt homesick or missed family and friends so much that I wanted to leave Ghana. Maybe it's because I lived alone for a couple of years before I went so I was already used to being away from people somewhat. Maybe God just designed me this way because in His infinite wisdom He knew I'd be in Africa someday and it would be better for me to be one of those kinds of people that can be at home just about anywhere. In all honesty, I feel like Ghana is home. And I feel like NC is home. I know that neither of them is REALLY home...<br />
Planning a post in the near future about "what makes me feel at home"<br />
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for the time being...<br />
BAMBAMboozlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11954583507623481595noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1509957743366209980.post-80233655399176257492010-08-14T01:21:00.000-04:002010-08-14T01:21:19.153-04:00Overwhelmed...That's what I was last Sunday morning. There was a specific event that caused this feeling...but I'll get to that after some backstory. <br />
When I first got back to the US I sent out a quick update just to let all my friends/supporters know that I was Stateside. In that email I mentioned that I was hoping to try to purchase a new laptop this summer. Not just any laptop, a Macbook Pro. I explained that I want a Mac so that I can start doing some good quality videos for the Mission (I do have a degree in A/V production after all) but that I know Macs are very expensive and if I'm not able to get one, it's just fine. <br />
I was at one of the congregations that I call "home" here in the US last Sunday. For Sunday School I got to hear a great message by Mr. Hammer (from Togo) about how he grew up and how his family got to Togo. In between Sunday School and the Preaching one of the elders from the congregation that I've known since I was a little kid and who was the one that organized a trip to Ghana/Togo 3 years ago that was my first trip, pulled me aside because he wanted to talk to me about something. We went into an old, un-used office and he said "did you get your new computer yet?" I told him I hadn't and he pulled a stack of credit cards out of his pocket and started explaining to me that he'd gotten them through work (freqent traveler points kind of thing) and that each one has $100 on it....there were 11 of them! Then, as if that wasn't enough, he handed me a check to take to the other congregation I call "home" to my forwarding agent. I didn't even look at it because I was too busy telling him how much I appreciate him and how he's the only one that responds to my newsletters and what an awesome, encouraging man of God he is. <br />
O-V-E-R-W-H-E-L-M-E-D<br />
When I sat down next to my mom I was telling her about it, and that I didn't look at the check & she said "give it to me...I'll look at it!" After she looked at it she said, "I think you need to look at this check.." It was a personal check from him for One Thousand Dollars! once again O-V-E-R-W-H-E-L-M-E-D<br />
All during the singing and praying I was just feeling this sense of awe. I even had a hard time singing at one point because I was trying not to cry. God is so awesome....<br />
After the service, a lady that is very supportive of my work in Ghana came up to me and handed me $25....she said "It's not much, but use it to buy yourself something....a splurge." This lady is pretty old...I'm not sure of her age but her husband is 92. She has told me more than once that she always wanted to go to Africa to work as a missionary so she really admires me. They don't have a lot of money, so that twenty-five bucks is probably actually a sacrifice for her. Then a lady, who happens to be the generous elder's daughter and was also on that first trip to Africa with me, handed me a check for $100 and said "use it for your Mac." <br />
O-V-E-R-W-H-E-L-M-E-D<br />
I don't want to say that I can't belive it....because nothing that God does should surprise me...but I was shocked. Unfortunately the generosity of people is surprising sometimes. Living in Ghana and seeing the great poverty there, the real need for things that are NOT luxuries...food, clothing clean water, safe housing...then coming here....sometimes it kind of makes me sad that people are so selfish. But it's people like these 3 (and many many more that I haven't talked about here) that give me hope about America. True Christians are not selfish, they're generous....so I guess it shouldn't surprise me when they are generous to me. <br />
I guess I'm getting a Mac :-) I'm already excited thinking about different types of videos I can shoot for the mission and yes, for fun too. <br />
On a different note; <br />
I'm planning on posting here more regularly. I've been thinking about schedules a lot lately and I think if I actually schedule a blog post on my calendar every 2 weeks then I will do it. I've been terrible about keeping my supporters updated it seems. I'm actually pretty ashamed of it. I feel like I have a responsiblity to let people know what they're supporting and I don't think I've done such a great job this last year. So I'm working on a schedule in my head (to be put on a calendar later). Updates, blog posts, even notes and emails are going to all have a place on it. I know that I have a hard time remembering to keep in touch with people...it's something I'm working on changing. My schedule for the next 3 weeks is going to be busy. Every Sunday and Wednesday starting this Sunday I have a presentation to do about Ghana. I'm nervous and excited about that. I hope I can get the things across in the presentations that God wants me to get across. The important things. I hope my supporters will see that their sacrifice is not in vain and I hope that maybe I'll gain some new support. Well, I gues this post is quite long enough....so I'll end it here. I hope you're doing great by God's Grace<br />
AkoBAMBAMboozlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11954583507623481595noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1509957743366209980.post-31614444387052775752010-08-10T22:55:00.000-04:002010-08-10T22:55:03.029-04:00Consistency...Consistent: adjective <br />
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1.agreeing or accordant; compatible; not self-contradictory: His views and actions are consistent. <br />
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2.constantly adhering to the same principles, course, form, etc.: a consistent opponent.<br />
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3.holding firmly together; cohering. <br />
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4.Archaic . fixed; firm.<br />
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I have been thinking about consistency a lot lately. In almost every facet of life being consistent is the key, as far as I can tell. I know that personally, every time I have tried to change my eating and exercising habits, the only time I saw any real results were the times when I was really consistent. I don’t have any kids, but I’ve interacted with a lot of different kids from a lot of different backgrounds and I can see a clear difference between the kids that have had consistent discipline and those that have not. In just about anything I can think of, prayer, bible reading, memory work, learning to play an instrument ,learning a new language, learning just about anything for that matter…consistency is key. We see in the bible that Jesus and his disciples were noticeably consistent. It was Jesus’ “habit” to go out alone and pray in the early morning or late evening hours. It was the habit of the apostles to go into the temples and synagogues to teach. So why am I thinking about this? Well, I think that consistency is something that humans really struggle with. We get lazy, we get tired of doing the same thing over & over again. But this is something that have to remember is that living a consistent life, a life that is in the footsteps of Christ, is something that we CANNOT get tired of. It’s just something we have to choose to do. So whatever you’re doing…work at it as if working for the Lord! Be consistent in everything for God’s glory. He’s consistent, we should be too.BAMboozlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11954583507623481595noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1509957743366209980.post-47272703341446767782010-06-20T11:57:00.000-04:002010-06-20T11:57:39.642-04:00Fathers Day...<em>“Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” Ephesians 6: 4</em><br />
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<em>“If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!” Matthew 7:9</em><br />
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<em>“Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.” Galatians 4:7</em><br />
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So, today is Fathers’ Day. I have very mixed feelings about this day….earthly fathers are not all what they should be. So for me this day could easily be a reminder of some very unpleasant times in life. Since I’ve come to Ghana I’ve started to realize more and more that it doesn’t really matter what kind of father you have….God is my Father. It is good for children to have Godly, righteous, loving protective fathers that really have their priorities in order. But not all children have this. In fact it is increasingly rare to find kids that have a stable family-life and Godly parents. I’ve learned though, that a less than ideal home life is no excuse for anything. <br />
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If you had/have a bad dad, remember that you’re not the only person that has to deal with this problem. BUT also remember that if you’re a Christian then you have been adopted and GOD is your real Father. And HE is the perfect father in every possible use of the word. He will protect you, discipline you, provide for you, comfort you, give you gifts, encourage you….anything you will ever need, He will give you if you ask with the right motive. He will never leave you. He will never let you down. <br />
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If you are a father, please remember that the way you treat your wife and your kids really will have a significant impact on them. A father that is too critical or judgmental or argumentative will cause a child to be scared to try anything new for fear of failure. A father that wants to be a “friend” to his kids instead of a parent will most likely have kids that are spoiled, undisciplined brats. So, dads, step up and be the fathers your kids need you to be. Don’t give them everything they want…give them what they need.BAMboozlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11954583507623481595noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1509957743366209980.post-21303913801188922462010-05-30T11:47:00.000-04:002010-05-30T11:47:35.706-04:00Leaving on a jet plane....yeah, I know it's not a very original title for a blog about traveling....but I've been busy this week so give me a little grace this time. So, as you can figure out from the title, I'll be traveling this summer. I'm planning on leaving Ghana on July 19th to come to the US for a visit. Then I'm planning on coming back to Ghana before school starts back sometime in mid-September. I havne't been very good in the communication department lately...sorry about that. I had my latest report ready to send out and my computer did something crazy and the whole thing got erased. So I have to redo it from scratch and I haven't had a lot of time to do it yet. I will get it sent out this week though, I promise. Things are going well here though. We're in the 4th quarter of school. 4 of my students moved up to the next class level and I got 3 new students that have never been in an ACE school before. We (my monitors and I) have been busy making sure that they know the rules and all the correct procedures for how we do things in the class room. I hope you're all doing great in the Lord as we are here. can't wait to see you in July and catch up & let you know how things are going here in Kumasi. <br />
In Christ<br />
BABAMboozlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11954583507623481595noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1509957743366209980.post-63369370380812908692010-05-04T17:42:00.000-04:002010-05-04T17:42:50.516-04:00normalcySo, things are pretty normal around here lately for me. I had Malaria about a month ago...but got some medicine pretty fast and was feeling better within a few days. We had a great ladies' retreat where we talked/learned all about time management and being good stewards of the things we have. This is the last week of the quarter for school here so my students are busy working like crazy (some of them at least) to try to get as many PACES completed as they can. I got two new students last week....since the ACE school system is self-paced it doesn't really matter that they're coming into class the last week of the quarter. They're doing ok I think....I have started the process of applying for my Ghana Residency Visa. That means instead of a tourist visa that I have to renew every couple of months (and pay every couple of months) I'll only have to pay once a year. It will probably save a lot of money in the long-run because the last 2 or 3 times I've renewed my visa there has been some sort of problem and I've had to pay the renewal fee AND an overstay fee which is more than the yearly cost of the Residency Visa. So, I'm excited about that. My nephew's 14th birthday was yesterday...I called him to wish him happy b-day and he said he'd been waiting for my call all day...I guess having an aunt that lives in Africa is pretty cool. Anyway, I can't believe he's 14. I was 14 when he was born...he'll be learning how to drive soon! My niece is starting school next fall and my other nephew is going to be 10 in December. They make me feel old sometimes. I'm planning on traveling to the US this summer...I'm in the process of getting my ticket changed so I can be there for my friend Sara's wedding in July. I'm a little excited and a little nervous about going back "home" again this summer....it's complicated. I know that I will miss Ghana A LOT!! I'm at home here now. Well, that's about all I can think of for now so until I see you all again.....<br />
Peace & LoveBAMboozlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11954583507623481595noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1509957743366209980.post-17933808950733207392010-04-13T12:58:00.000-04:002010-04-13T12:58:24.551-04:00it's a long post, this is your warning :-)Well my 2 weeks of vacation are just about over. We spent a week at the beach just like we did last year. The beach at Axim is amazing…my pictures last year were a lot better. At the beginning of the week I was still feeling kind of crummy from malaria but it only lasted a couple of days into the vacation. I cannot describe how beautiful the place is….you’ll just have to come & see it for yourself…but don’t come during “our” week….then there will be too many people on “our” beach. Haha. I joked that this year it was strange because last time if you saw a white person you knew they were with us…but this year there were LOTS of obrunis there. Everywhere you looked there was a white person. We always have a good time at the beach. I usually spend a lot of time sitting on the beach by myself at night. The beach is just so beautiful at night when no one is around and it’s all quiet….All you can hear is the wind and the waves. The stars are all out and there are millions of little twinkling lights in the sky. So, while other people are sitting in the room watching TV or playing video games, I sit on the beach. <br />
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All that sitting on the beach gave me lots of time to think. I think a lot, too much many of my friends say. I’m realizing lately that they might be right. I have a tendency to sit & think about my life so much that I end up worrying about things that I have no control over. I know better than to worry about life. I know that I can’t add a single second to my life by worrying and that in actuality, worrying will shorten your life. So why do I still do it? I don’t know. I have to say though, that I’m a lot better than I used to be. I think living in Ghana has done that for me. Seeing the faith that people around here has helped me to have more faith. I know that God has plans for my future, and I know that they are good plans; plans for prosperity and not for calamity (Jeremiah 29:11) so there’s no need for me to worry about anything. <br />
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I sometimes (ok, quite frequently) wonder what people who have known me for a long time would think if they could see me here without me knowing they were watching. A couple of my friends have told me that I have changed significantly since I came to Ghana the first time. I wonder what kinds of changes people have noticed. I think about my future a lot. When I look back over the last 5 years or 10 years even, I never would have thought that this is where I would be right now. But I still think and wonder where I’ll be 5 years from now. God has a way of surprising me. He’s so much more creative and surprising than I think I give Him credit for. Now I know how silly that statement sounds….I mean He’s THE creator….creativity is HIS invention but I think that I, and many others, have a tendency to sort of forget that God is not some gray old man sitting on a cloud just passively watching us go about our day to day existences. He has entrusted us with His most precious creation, The Church, so of course He cares about our lives. <br />
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Another thing I’ve been thinking about a lot lately is my own self-image and lack of confidence. For as long as I can remember I’ve hated getting compliments, especially about how I look or some talent I have. I have frequently debated with the person giving the compliment about how undeserving I am of said compliment. I’ve had a revelation here in Ghana. Who do I think I am to turn down a compliment from anyone? God created me to be the person that I am. I am “fearfully and wonderfully” made by the creator of the universe (and so are you by the way) so how can I say that I’m not good enough? As far as confidence goes, I need to remember that I don’t get my confidence from myself. I should be getting my confidence from God. Sure there are things I probably can’t do….but God can do anything and HE is in me! He can and will give me the ability to do anything that He wants me to be able to do. Anyway, that’s my big revelation for now. As usual, life is an adventure, but I’m starting to really enjoy the twists & turns. I know that God won’t let it get out of hand. I don’t know what the future holds and that’s finally ok with me. More than once here I’ve heard the phrase “let God surprise you.” I’ve never liked surprises….but life can be surprising sometimes so I’m getting used to it. <br />
that's all for now....<br />
BAMBAMboozlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11954583507623481595noreply@blogger.com0