July 1: looking ahead

I can't guess whether I'll be blogging a lot or very little during the next month! We will be seeing sights that are very different than our everyday sights in Senegal, and seeing special people we don't get to see often enough! We'll definitely be taking pictures, and it remains to be seen how many and how often they will be posted here.

Dave, Jacob and I will travel tomorrow night to Miami, Florida and spend about two weeks with Danny, Leah and Leah's family before the July 18 wedding. Joey will be joining us on July 6, from England and N. Ireland. Did I mention we're excited??

Meanwhile, we need to pack (one of my least favorite jobs!) and get our household and pets in good order to be cared for while we are gone!

April 24: twitter updates UPDATE

So, I'm finding that I like doing updates on twitter. If you are following this blog in a feed-reader, you won't see the updates. But if you're interested, you could subscribe to the twitter updates on your feed-reader too! Here's the link to subscribe to my updates for this blog, DakarDeckers, and here's the link for twitter updates on my "lifesights(plus)" blog as well. (Note that there are different updates for each blog...)

April 20: Twitter Updates

So, less than a week after telling someone I didn't see the point of Twitter, I'm trying it out. I've set up a space in the sidebar of the blog for these micro-updates. That way, even if I can't take the time to edit and /or post photos, I can at least make notes about the reason why, and/or what else is going on! Twitter limits me to 140 characters. So I won't take a long time over these updates! Some how it feels less intimidating than that whole big empty space of a normal blog post... let us know what you think!

in meetings...

This week we're in council meetings each day, and the women's retreat is beginning Friday... Hopefully I'll be back after that with notes and pictures!

November 5

It feels very strange to be across an ocean from the U.S. on election day! I'm so thankful to be a citizen of a country where we are allowed to vote, and to voice our opinions freely. Now that the election is finished, I'm praying that we will move on, trusting God's sovereignty.

" I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth." (1Timothy 2:1-4).

I really appreciate Justin Taylor' s words today

No matter who you voted for--or whether you voted at all--it's important to remember that, as President, Barack Obama will have God-given authority to govern us, and that we should view him as a servant of God (Rom. 13:1, 4) to whom we should be subject (Rom. 13:1, 5; 1 Pet. 2:13-14).

• We are to pray for Barack Obama (1 Tim. 2:1-2).
• We are to thank God for Barack Obama (1 Tim. 2:1-2).
• We are to respect Barack Obama (Rom. 13:7).
• We are to honor Barack Obama (Rom. 13:7; 1 Pet. 2:17).

His entire post is worth reading.

October 30

Ghana conference: I was thankful for time to consult with others involved in the "people care" aspect of living overseas. I was thankful for time to consult with skilled and trained counselors, with coaches and encouragers. I was blessed to be able to take pictures of ocean-sunrises for five days. I enjoyed sessions of learning more about depression, anxiety, healthy sleep and other topics-- and am looking forward to integrating the material into my life and work here. I was blessed with reunions with long-time friends, and developing relationships with new friends. I'm more encouraged and motivated for the work of the days ahead! Thanks for your prayers!

Note!

My time in Ghana was very special. I'll write more in the next few days, but meanwhile, I've been posting some of the pictures on my "lifesights(plus)" blog if you are interested! May God bless you with His peace and joy today!

September 24: endurance

“Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.” (Hebrews 10:35-36)

My sister-in-law Tracy pointed out today's verse, a good follow-up to yesterday's! We needed endurance today at school, where the power was off ALL day... oh my goodness.

God's words sure are encouraging, what a blessing to think He gave us words like these that help us hang on through days or seasons where it seems like too much!

By the way, internet access has disappeared for some of our friends and colleagues, we are praying and hoping that we will continue to have our access... but we are learning to be ready for anything!

Tuesday September 23: Rejoice in Sufferings

“More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,” (Romans 5:3-4)

That was today's "verse for the day" and it made me chuckle a bit. In the grand scheme of things, our sufferings are pretty small.

Nevertheless we are finding it fairly stressful to be in the midst of the hottest and most humid time of year in Dakar, with only sporadically working electricity! It's discouraging when the things in our refrigerator don't stay cold... and it's difficult to sleep without the benefit of air conditioner or strong fans. (and in answer to Kristen's question from the mosque picture-- we do wake up when we hear the call to prayer-- perhaps the only benefit of not having electricity is that the mosque IS a bit quieter!)

It feels like suffering sometimes to be far away from family-- from my Mom, and Dave's Dad, from our university-aged sons Danny and Joey, from our sisters and brothers and nieces and nephews. We are sad when we can't be on hand to celebrate the arrival of new babies, and birthdays, or to offer assistance with some of life's difficulties. We miss them.

May the Lord use these small sufferings to produce endurance, character and hope in us today! May He give us the grace we need to REJOICE in these sufferings.

Saturday

I returned home from Liberia late Monday night after a long trip, having been re-routed via Casablanca. I'm very tired, very thankful for the airline taking good care of me, thankful to be home!

Wednesday was the first day of school at Dakar Academy, and for this semester I'm resuming my role as part-time counselor. It was great to see kids and staff returning, great to meet new students and staff as well. Wednesday evening was the Open House time, and as Jacob's parents we got to meet his teachers and follow his daily schedule (in 10 minute increments.)

My laptop is not yet working, but we're hoping that it will be able to be repaired this weekend, please pray for that!

This weekend we are spending time with friends, watching a bit of the Olympics, hoping to get to the beach, hoping to get more photos from Liberia up!

August 2

This week has been a bit too busy. I wanted to post pictures and a few notes from our conference. I'm still hoping to do that but meanwhile I've been finishing work for a class and preparing for a visit to our colleagues in Liberia! I'm scheduled to travel tomorrow to Cote d'Ivoire and then on Monday will fly to Liberia for the first time since February 2004! Please pray for me as I go, and Dave and Jacob as they bach-it in Dakar for 8 days!

note

So, why did yesterday's devotional reading seem so helpful to me?

• It helps me so much to be reminded on a regular basis that GOD is God and I am not.
  
• HE is the giver of all good things.
• I am ungrateful if I thank Him for good things, but fail to trust Him in difficult providences.
  
• I need to know every day that He gives and takes away, and that He grieves with me when I grieve.
  
• He knows we will have troubles in the world, AND He truly has overcome the world! I know this, but I'm quick to forget.
• A daily reading like that helps me to focus on what the Bible tells us is TRUE.
• And I am content and joyful when my focus is on the truth!

daily light

The words from this daily devotion really fit my need today. I love it when that happens!

a needed reminder

Jeremiah 32: 17 Ah, Lord God! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.

This is a reminder I really need, as I am looking into travel arrangements and possibilities for visiting members of our team in another country. It's not far geographically, but flying there seems next to impossible! But with God, nothing is impossible, so I need to believe that if He wants me to go, He will make it possible.

Jesus said, “... All things are possible for one who believes.” [and my response] “I believe; help my unbelief!” (from Mark 9:23-24)

thoughts on choosing a focus.

For every picture, the photographer has a choice about where to focus the camera. The same scene looks very different when one focuses on the background instead of the foreground. Something stark and bleak can look beautiful in a well-composed photo, when a skilled photographer has captured the scene. And I'm reminded that it's true for how we perceive and interpret situations in our lives as well.

Depending on where we choose to focus, the same event can be viewed as a tragedy, or as God's providence.

I've felt so sad this week at the death of Ben, an M.K. in Kenya, but so appreciated that in the midst of their grief, his family has kept their focus on God's trustworthiness.

They've helped the many people worldwide who followed Ben's sudden illness and prayed for him to trust that Ben is in the hands of the all-powerful God who loves him-- and grieves with them as well.

Here's an article, Why God Doesn't Fully Explain Pain from our home church pastor which has really helped me this week.

And for a "change of focus", here's a link to pictures from our recent days at the beach. I enjoyed experimenting with the camera... and the reminder of how focus changes the picture was a timely one for me.

June 5 quick note

Dear friends and family--
We're a bit overdue for an update, and I will write one in the next few days! But in the meantime, would you please pray for our electricity and water situation? We have had significant outages in the past few days, as much as 12 hours out of 24, and at completely unpredictable times. It gets a bit stressful when our reservoir is not filling, and we have no water... and I do worry about things in our refrigerator! I know in many locations it is always like this, but at this point we're not real-well set up for it here! Please pray for "enough" water, "enough" electricity, and "enough" cold for the fridge.... Update will follow!

With love,
Mary
for the DakarDeckers

packing up...

What goes with us for seven months in the States? What gets stored here for when we come back? What gets given away, sold or thrown out?

June 6: update...

It's been feeling a little hectic around here! I posted this picture on my other blog, feeling like we are climbing "the cliffs of insanity"! (Watch Dave's all-time favorite movie to understand the allusion if you don't... oh, you don't know Dave's favorite movie? Not sure what to tell you then.)

Yesterday was Jacob's last final, and this morning was the school awards ceremony. Ask Jacob to tell you about his awards! And tonight is graduation, to be followed by the traditional all-night party for the seniors, and our own traditional party on the roof with some friends who will not be together again for quite a while!

And in five days... we will be boarding the airplane for the States!

Sunday May 27

Today Joey flies from N. Ireland back to the U.S.—tomorrow evening he will fly back to Minnesota. We are looking forward to hearing more about his trip!

My Mom is traveling right now too, enjoying time in Scotland, Wales and England. They can compare notes when she gets back.

We are entering into the end-of-year round of activities at the school—Fine Arts Festival, Open Houses for graduating seniors, finals, senior reception, awards ceremony, graduation… it’s kind of a whirlwind.

As always at the end of a school year we feel a mixture of joy and sadness… celebrating with the seniors, while knowing how much we (and their families) will miss them. Some families will leave at the end of this school year, for home assignment—some planning to be gone 3 or 6 months, some a year or two years, and as always there are several who will not be returning.

thoughts on Psalm 136

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.
Give thanks to the God of gods, for his steadfast love endures forever.

So begins the psalm, 24 verses long, which I won't print in its entirety today. But when I consider the love of the one who made the heavens and the earth, the sun, moon and stars, and yet remembers us... I'm overwhelmed.

And so today, my response is:

though water is exiting from the refrigerator and covering the kitchen floor,
and the bathroom sink leaks,
and some of the wires in our house are crossed
so that we sometimes get shocks when we touch things;

though our colleagues in Liberia are being plagued with "rogues"
and there is much work to be done but not enough people to do it;

though we miss living close by our older sons,
and our friends and other family members;

I will give thanks to the God of our salvation, who alone is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!