All Form – No Function

We recently stayed at a guest house that had this sink in the bathroom:

 
Look at it closely.  If you observe carefully, you will notice that there are not faucets that allow water to flow in, nor is there a drain pipe to allow water to flow out.  The bowl itself looks good and, at first glance, seems satisfactory for its purpose or intended use.  But, upon further consideration, it lacks the elements necessary to perform the function for which it was designed.

This illustration reminds me of the words of Titus, who warned that in the last days there would be many who would live lives that were in direct opposition to the instructions for Christian living outlined in the Bible, yet they would have a form of godliness but would deny the power of God to live holy lives.  (2 Titus 3:1-5)  He further admonished followers of Christ to turn away from such.

I must admit that when I first saw this sink, I did not note its imperfections immediately.  It did not take long for me to realize that there was no way for water to flow in, but it wasn’t until I tried to pour fluid into it, that I realized there was no way to properly channel water out.  I was deceived by its form into thinking that it could perform its function.  I know some people like that.  At first glance, they seem to look the part of a Christian.  Some discrepancies to the contrary are easily noted while others become apparent with time. God does not require perfection of His followers, but He does require obedience to His precepts and mandates.  It is not enough to look the part.  We must also live lives of Christian character and conduct.  Otherwise, we deceive ourselves and others into thinking that we are fulfilling God’s purpose in our lives when, in fact, we are not.

As Christians, we must be sure that the living water has entry into our hearts and lives.  We must then be sure that we have an outlet whereby we can let living water flow out through our actions to impact others.  It has been said that the vertical beam of the cross represents God reaching downward to man; whereas, the horizontal beam represents man’s reaching outward to others.  In the same manner, we must allow God to, not only, flow to us but, also, through us.  Only then will we perform the function for which we were designed.

I Love Children

I met some really neat little kids at the Pleebo Bible school campus, and they spoke English.  How refreshing!  I told them I had a grandbaby named Kinsley and showed them her pictures.  Their response? "Your baby is fine-o.  She is fat."  Here is a message they sent to her.

 They also sang "Jesus Loves the Little Children" for me.  The little boy in the front who is smiling and waving is deaf; that is why he is not singing like the others, but he liked having his picture taken and being in the video.

They asked me if my hair was mine and told me that it was fine-o, very fine-o, and then a couple of them tried to pull it discreetly, while others were rubbing my arm and commenting that I had hair on them.  They observed that I had lipstick on but no finger polish.  I think I was the object lesson in cross-cultural studies that day.  Too funny.  I love children!

It IS About Me

As we were moving about town one afternoon, and I was endeavoring to adjust to the heat and humidity and the challenges of living in a difficult place, I silently reminded myself, "This is not about you." 

Almost immediately, I sensed the Holy Spirit speak to me and say, "But it IS about you. It may not be about your comfort or convenience, but it is about challenging you, teaching you, and stretching you."  2 Corinthians 12:9 recounts the words to the apostle Paul that God's grace was sufficient for him in his challenges and that His strength was made perfect in Paul's weakness.  May I resolve as Paul that when I am weak, I am strong through Christ.

Thank you, Lord, for loving me enough to push me from comfort of self to conformity to Christ.

New Tastes

Those of you who know me or have followed me in the past, know that I am game to try all sorts of new taste treats on this journey called missions.  I have posted photos of all sorts of insects, varmints, and fruits/vegetables with descriptions to match.  Some I know the names of, and some, I don't.  I have two such examples again today.

The first set of photos shows a plant with small green berry-looking fruit.  These are known as bitter balls.  The explanation I was given for the name was that they were little balls, and they tasted bitter.  Makes sense to me!

 

Gaylord does not normally venture very far from the familiar when it comes to new foods, but even he tasted a bitter ball.  The description is well-suited.  These can be eaten uncooked or added to soups and stews.  It is believed that their bitter taste keeps mosquitoes away and is good for the blood (or so I was told by the gentleman who thought I should taste this).

Next is a fruit that would be hard to describe without a photo, so please see below.  I am not sure of the name of this, but after cutting into it and tasting, I believe that it must be part of the litchi family.  The look and taste were virtually the same.

I am not totally irresponsible when it comes to trying new things, and sanitation is always a concern, but like I tell Gaylord when battling the traffic or standing in long queues or trying to make sense of the seemingly senseless sometimes, "You won't get this in America.  You need to enjoy now." 

And enjoying - I AM!

To Cover or Not To Cover

Yesterday we attended one of our local churches.  It seems that the pastor and congregation hold to some very conservative practices.  Among those are insisting that ladies cover their heads in church, and women are not allowed to wear slacks (or trousers as they call them here).  Our missionary colleague had told me that some of the churches feel this way and will actually give a lady a head covering as they enter the building if their head is uncovered.  She said not to worry because they do not extend this same requirement to the missionary ladies.

Someone must have failed to tell our usherette that we were missionaries because she handed us each items that looked like doilies and indicated that we should put them on our heads.  I think that my friend was more surprised than I was!  I chuckled to myself and proceeded to put on my “head covering”.  They took us to the platform for service, and there were large fans oscillating in our direction.  My little friend (aka head covering aka used doily) promptly flew off my head.  I retrieved it and used the bobby pin that was attached to secure it to my hair.  My colleague informed me later that hers blew off three times before she pinned it.

You know we couldn’t let this moment pass without trying to get a photograph, so Gaylord tried to discreetly position his iPad to take a photo.  I did the same with mine, thus the following:

                         

I genuinely love Africa.

What A Difference!

In a recent post, I commented on the events of our first week in Liberia.  Forasmuch as things can change in a week, the same holds true for a year.  We visited Liberia in February of 2012.  One of the needs at that time was reconstruction of the Bible school in Owensgrove.  I took photos at that time, noting burned out buildings and overgrowth of vegetation.  Thanks to partnership with the Liberia Assemblies of God, contributions from churches and individuals, just like you, and various AGWM ministries, such as Africa Tabernacle Evangelism, construction teams from the USA, and the oversight of resident missionaries, DeVane and Mary McGee, we now have a beautiful campus and students studying to become ministers of the gospel.

Sights as we entered the campus in 2012 compared to today:

Classroom building

Chapel

Dormitory room

Before

After

When you think that your contributions to the work of missions around the world do not matter, reconsider the work in Liberia.  Because of the faithfulness of God and His people, these Bible school students now have a place to train for ministry.  What a difference, indeed!

First Impressions

We arrived in Monrovia, Liberia, one week ago today, beginning a four-year mission assignment.  Already I can tell that life here is going to be different from anywhere I have ever lived before. It is rainy season right now, so it has rained a part of every day or night since our arrival.  The air is humid, and the weather is hot.

 

Liberia lacks most of the modern conveniences to which I have grown accustomed. I am adjusting to cooking with gas from a propane tank and remembering which tasks can be done with electricity and lighting, and which tasks cannot.  Just this morning Gaylord was commenting that the room we were in needed more electrical plugs.  Really?  I was thinking it needed more electricity!

 

 

DeVane and Mary McGee are the resident missionaries here, and they have graciously hosted us and assisted us in getting settled.  They have taxied us about town for groceries, telephone and internet connections, and introductions to some of our pastors and institutions.  They have done all of this while also hosting a gentleman from the states and regional personnel from our missions organization.  I am reminded of the scripture that speaks of the reward of giving a cup of cold water in Jesus' name. Surely there will be an extra star in their crowns for their hospitality, especially since this has been their pattern for the past 2 1/2 years of ministry in this country. 

The national church leadership of the Liberia Assemblies of God (LAG) hosted a dinner in honor of the American guests and the new missionary couple.  It was very nice, and we appreciated the warm welcome into their country.  We toured the new radio station and two of the Bible schools that have been or are being reconstructed/refurbished.  There is much to be done to assist in church planting and training of national pastors.  As one of the Bible school administrators stated, "Many of our pastors were killed during the war or fled our country; therefore, we need more pastors, and we need training for them. The time is far spent."  I think that puts in perspective the focus of training to fulfill the great commission as stated in Matthew 28:19,20:  Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.

So one week into this new assignment, I say thank you, Lord.  Thank you for the honor of your call upon my life.  Thank you for the opportunity to serve as you lead and where you lead.  May I extend to others the grace that has been extended to me, both by you and by your servants.  May I ever walk worthy of the life you have called me to live.