As Summer Hits Us...

...Winter Hits Lesotho!

What Will It Be Like?

What will it be like in this land God has called me to?  To these people He has always loved whom I never knew existed until recently?  I am thrilled to have my country assignment, but in my excitement, I  can't help but wonder...

What will they be like?

How has this land shaped their hearts?

Maybe they'll be hilarious like so many of my friends here...

 I'll undoubtedly have much to learn.

What new things will I learn about Him who loves me and them so that He sent His own Son?

And here in this town where I'll live, I pray that He'll grant me a love for their souls and the discernment to know when I'm hindering and when I'm helping them and myself to know Him more.

Tempered by the unknowns.  Propelled by His love.

"I am under obligation both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and to the foolish. So I am eager to preach the gospel..."
The Apostle Paul

When You Kiss Him...

"What does Daddy taste like when you kiss him?", she asked, 8 years old.

Hmmmm.  What does Daddy taste like when I kiss him?

Mmmmmm.

Beautiful Girl of our Union, Daddy tastes like Safe and Secure.  He tastes like Brave and Strong.  Daddy tastes of Adventure, Fun, Excitement, and Wild Love all bundled together.  He tastes like Honest and Vulnerable.  Daddy tastes like Pure and Good and Integrity.  He tastes like Faithful and Humble.  Daddy tastes like Gift from God.  Daddy tastes like Honor, Valiant, and Respect.  Daddy tastes like Hero and Comfort.  He tastes like Everything Will Be Ok.  He tastes like Home and Wonderful.  He tastes of Gentle, Trust, and Sincerity.  He tastes like Man of Prayer and Selflessness.  Daddy tastes exactly like the man God made him to be.  He tastes like CrazyFun and Laughter.  He tastes like Kind, Peace, Patient, and Mature.

Sometimes Daddy tastes like Sad and Tired.  He can taste like Anxious and Worried.  He can taste like Confession and Repentance and Forgiveness all at once.  Daddy can taste like Human and Troubled.  He can taste like Sorry and I Love You.  Sometimes our kisses are sad when he tastes like Growing Pains and sometimes they are glad when he tastes like Being Sanctified.

However Daddy tastes, which is different on different days, he is the taste God gave me.  He is the taste that I prayed for.  He is the exact taste that I love and that I choose.

You see, Beautiful Girl, Daddy's taste comes from Refinement by God, which is the very best taste.

His taste of Gentle comes from 1 Timothy 6:11.  His taste of Strong comes from 2 Timothy 2:1.  Daddy's taste of Kind is because he pays attention to 2 Timothy 2:24.

God made Daddy to taste like Pure from Titus 1:15-16a.  His taste of Respect comes from Titus 2:2 while his Integrity comes from Titus 2:7.  God is refining Daddy's taste of Peace and Humility through Proverbs 19:20, Jeremiah 9:24, and Titus 3:2.  God can make Daddy taste like these things because His Word is living and active in Daddy's heart.  God says so in Hebrews 4:12.

From Hebrews 6:1, Daddy gets his taste of Mature.  God stirred in some James 1:19-20 and Psalm 37:8 when He wanted Daddy to taste like Patient and Humble.

Sometimes Daddy's Sad and Troubled tastes come from Romans 7:14-25, but Daddy believes God can work in his heart, so Daddy also tastes like Man of Prayer, Confession, Repentance, and Forgiveness from James 5:16.  God added a measure of James 3:17-18 so that Daddy's taste would be Sincere. Daddy tastes Redeemed because he believes that Romans 3:23-24 and John 8:34-37 are true with all of his heart.

Daddy tastes like Honor because he pursues what God told him to in Proverbs 21:21.  Daddy tastes like Trust because God scooped some Proverbs 16:3 and Psalm 54:3-4 into his life.  Daddy tastes like Everything Will Be Ok because he pays close attention to God's words like Proverbs 4:20-25 tells him to.  Daddy tastes like Home, Adventure, Wild Love, Excitement, and Gift from God because of Song of Solomon 3:4.  He tastes like Safe and Secure because I believe Song of Solomon 6:3 to be true.

Daddy tastes exactly like Anna Danforth's Chosen One and God's Gift because God is making him that way.  Beautiful Daughter, when you look for a man, make sure that his taste is one Refined and Redeemed by the Excellent One, the Father of Heavenly Gifts.  Make sure that when your own Beautiful Daughter asks you this priceless question, that your God-given man you leaves your mouth full of answers that bring your heart joy at God's handiwork when you look into her eyes and tell her what her daddy tastes like when you kiss him.

Orientation at MAF...

MAF's staff does a phenomenal job of preparing us pre-fielders for life on the field.  We have completed Orientation, which is two weeks of training on life on the field.  Sessions ranged from culture shock, team dynamics on the field, spiritual warfare, managing stress, proper forms of communication with your team, marriage building, a closer look at Islam, child safety, and learning to say meaningful goodbyes.  Outside of the classroom, we also had the opportunity to visit a farm and get some hands-on time with butchering and cleaning two goats and a chicken.  We are thankful for MAF's professionalism and foresight and bringing in highly trained and equipped instructors for each of these sessions.  We learned so much and we know that God will use these tools in our lives for the effectiveness of our testimonies.

Orientation class led by MAF staffer Deb Scheuermann.

Orientation Class

The "Draw How You're Feeling" session.

Indonesian Meal

The kids were in classes each morning learning about what it means to be a TCK (third culture kid), about MAF,
 and about processing differing cultures, and about their respective country assignments.

Training outside of the classroom.  Food Provision.

Chicken processing

An Africa "Brai" (BBQ) with the Africa pre-fielders.

This has nothing to do with Orientation, but on our time off, we refined some of those outdoor family skills :)

A necessary skill for a Danforth MK :)