We spent the night here in Port Harcourt and will head to Susana Homes soon!
We are glad to be here and thankful for your prayers! I will write more when I have the opportunity. God Bless!
Saturday, February 23, 2013
We Made It!
We arrived in Port Harcourt and were greeted at the airport by a school bus load of beautiful children. We connected with our friend, Wanda, the nurse from Sarnia , Ontario in the Frankfurt airport and had good flights on into Port Harcourt. We made it with 23 checked bags - and seven or eight other carry-on bags. Whew!!!
We spent the night here in Port Harcourt and will head to Susana Homes soon!
We are glad to be here and thankful for your prayers! I will write more when I have the opportunity. God Bless!
We spent the night here in Port Harcourt and will head to Susana Homes soon!
We are glad to be here and thankful for your prayers! I will write more when I have the opportunity. God Bless!
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Susana Homes, Nigeria - For the Children!
In just a few days (five to be exact) I will leave Atlanta with six others to travel to Susana Homes, an orphanage and Christian school in southeastern Nigeria, directed by Dr. Chi Ekwenye Hendricks. We will spend two weeks at Susana Homes - observing, learning, leading, serving and encouraging Dr. Chi (or Mama Chi as she is known), the children of Susana Homes (about sixty), the children of Right Steps Christian School (about 300), and the women (and men) who attend the annual Ladies Bible Lectureship - March 1 and 2 - (about 3000 this year).
I was so blessed to travel to Susana Homes in 2008 and it has been my honor to serve on the board of directors for Right Steps, Inc (www.rightsteps.org) for the last four years. As you might imagine, I am looking forward to seeing the children - five years later - and witnessing first-hand the progress of this mission.
You may wonder why I have become so passionate about this work when there are many places in the world that would be easier to get to and easier to embrace. After all, isn't Nigeria the land of e-mail scams, bribes, corruption and violence? Isn't Nigeria the one country in the entire continent of Africa that possesses not one single tourist destination to attract the world to visit? And, isn't Nigeria dangerous - with kidnappings and muggings and ethnic and religious clashes? Yes - all this is true.
So why, you may ask, are you so passionate about Nigeria and Right Steps and Susana Homes?
Here's why - these smiling children!
These children are some of the 160 million Nigerians - the most populous nation on the African continent - who live in a crowded nation the size of Texas.
And, I happen to believe they deserve to have this kind of joy - not just as children - but throughout their lives. I think they deserve to get an education and even go to college. I think they deserve to have reasonably decent healthcare so that when the young girls in this picture grow up and become mothers - one in five of them will not have to die giving birth. I believe they deserve to know that God made them - each one with a unique personality, with talents and abilities, and that he loves each of them so much that he gave his son, Jesus to die on a cross - just for them. And, I really believe they each deserve the opportunity to become a part of the mission to change Nigeria for good and to offer the peace of Christ to their fellow Nigerians.
Yes, I suppose there are easier, less dangerous places to get involved. And I'm sure there are countries where it is much more convenient to offer relief and to do good. I wish success to every effort around the world which seeks to provide hope and relief and a better life to children - wherever those missions exist. But, I am passionate about these kids and their future.
So, I have a question for you. Will you pray for us and for these children over the next few weeks? We'll be six hours ahead of you (Eastern) so - if you will - say a prayer for us if you are up at midnight - when we'll just be rising. And, say a prayer for us at 4 pm each afternoon - when we are headed to bed. Pray that we'll be safe, that we will be a blessing - accomplishing what God desires for each day, and that we will learn from these children what it will take to help them grow just like Jesus.
2008 Ladies Bible Lectureship
I was so blessed to travel to Susana Homes in 2008 and it has been my honor to serve on the board of directors for Right Steps, Inc (www.rightsteps.org) for the last four years. As you might imagine, I am looking forward to seeing the children - five years later - and witnessing first-hand the progress of this mission.
You may wonder why I have become so passionate about this work when there are many places in the world that would be easier to get to and easier to embrace. After all, isn't Nigeria the land of e-mail scams, bribes, corruption and violence? Isn't Nigeria the one country in the entire continent of Africa that possesses not one single tourist destination to attract the world to visit? And, isn't Nigeria dangerous - with kidnappings and muggings and ethnic and religious clashes? Yes - all this is true.
So why, you may ask, are you so passionate about Nigeria and Right Steps and Susana Homes?
Here's why - these smiling children!
And, I happen to believe they deserve to have this kind of joy - not just as children - but throughout their lives. I think they deserve to get an education and even go to college. I think they deserve to have reasonably decent healthcare so that when the young girls in this picture grow up and become mothers - one in five of them will not have to die giving birth. I believe they deserve to know that God made them - each one with a unique personality, with talents and abilities, and that he loves each of them so much that he gave his son, Jesus to die on a cross - just for them. And, I really believe they each deserve the opportunity to become a part of the mission to change Nigeria for good and to offer the peace of Christ to their fellow Nigerians.
Yes, I suppose there are easier, less dangerous places to get involved. And I'm sure there are countries where it is much more convenient to offer relief and to do good. I wish success to every effort around the world which seeks to provide hope and relief and a better life to children - wherever those missions exist. But, I am passionate about these kids and their future.
So, I have a question for you. Will you pray for us and for these children over the next few weeks? We'll be six hours ahead of you (Eastern) so - if you will - say a prayer for us if you are up at midnight - when we'll just be rising. And, say a prayer for us at 4 pm each afternoon - when we are headed to bed. Pray that we'll be safe, that we will be a blessing - accomplishing what God desires for each day, and that we will learn from these children what it will take to help them grow just like Jesus.
Friday, June 1, 2012
What Are You Made Of?
I heard a speaker say once, "you will never get to know yourself while you're eating ice cream." I have pondered that statement for a few years. I think he's right. His point was that you don't find out what you are made of when you are enjoying easy times. You have to experience the crucible of hardships to truly discover the strength of your character.
Recently I was back in Middle Tennessee and made a point of visiting my maternal grandparents house and farm near Unionville, TN. It had been years since I had been there. The home place was sold at auction after my grandmother died at age 87 in 1976. The place seemed smaller than I remembered and closer to the Nashville highway. But it still had that familiar dormer window and that front porch - although I did notice the porch swing and rocking chairs were gone. Since no one lives in the house I took my time and walked around and remembered. I remembered the peddler - a man with an old school bus converted into a rolling grocery store that came by and stopped twice a week. In the summer when we visited my grandmother - we called her Grandmama - we would sit on the porch and watch for that white bus and usually we would climb on and spend the nickel she'd given us on some bubble gum or Tootsie Rolls. My grandmother would usually call in an order and the peddler would have her box of goods ready - except for the cold milk and butter. After we had rushed on the bus and chosen our treats my grandmother would climb on the bus and check off the items in her box and - after the cold items were added from the refrigerated case - she would pay the bill. We'd hop off with our treats in our pockets carrying the box of groceries back to the house.
I remember sitting on the porch as the cars whizzed by on the Nashville highway. We played a game we called "cars". We would each pick a color and then count the cars that matched our chosen color. My older brother would usually pick black as his color and would usually win. But it was still fun.
As I walked around the old home place most of my memories were of my grandmother - Evie Wheelhouse Eley. She was short - probably not five feet tall - and thin and quite stooped by Osteoporosis. She was tanned and wrinkled by the sun from years of gardening and from decades of braving every kind of weather to manage 20 to 30 white-faced Hereford cattle. She got up very early - around 4 am - and would wait just as long as she could to start cooking breakfast for us. But, with daylight being wasted, around 6 or 6:30 she'd start cooking country ham and biscuits and gravy and scrambled eggs and by 6:45 she would be yelling up the stairs to wake us. As I walked to the side of the house and looked up at the upstairs windows I could still hear her yelling in her high pitched voice, "Heeeyyy - are y'all gonna sleep all day?"
My grandmother had a tough life. She was born in 1889. She raised eight children. When she was thirty years old she lost a baby - little Don Bright Eley - who died on September 30, 1919 after living just over two months . After my grandfather died at the age of 76 in 1961, Grandmama took on the work of the 100-acre cattle farm. She was already 71. In the winter she would go out and break the ice on the water troughs for the cows. She would climb the ladder to the barn loft and throw down hay to feed the cattle. In her early eighties, when it became difficult for her to climb the ladder up to the barn loft, Grandmama took her hand saw and some lumber and nails out to the barn and built herself some stairs to the loft.
She planted and tilled and harvested a large garden. Then she put up frozen corn and canned beans and tomatoes and okra and jams and jellies.
Grandmama was tough - a toughness proven in the hardships of life. Everyone who knew her would tell you that she was strong and tough and resourceful and one of the hardest workers you could ever meet. But she was not only tough and strong - she was also a godly woman with a faith that was demonstrated and lived out through all the hardships of life. And it was her undying devotion to God that was perhaps her most prominent quality. She read her Bible daily. She helped build the church building in her community. She hosted visiting preachers and cooked - I guess - thousands of meals for people during her lifetime. She saw God in everything - whether in the birds she fed in her handmade feeder or in the beautiful roses she grew, or in the changing of the seasons or in the smile of a grandchild.
As I get older I think more and more about trying to be more like Grandmama. I hope that if I have to face tough times in my future that I can do it with the same strength and grace which she demonstrated. I pray that I will always see God in the small beauties of life and that I will somehow live up to her legacy of devotion to God.
Yes - I know you can never know what you are made of until you face tough times. But it seems important to me to go ahead and work on these character traits before the test comes. I surely hope I will have the discipline and determination to be NOW who I hope to become when I face the trials of the future.
I remember sitting on the porch as the cars whizzed by on the Nashville highway. We played a game we called "cars". We would each pick a color and then count the cars that matched our chosen color. My older brother would usually pick black as his color and would usually win. But it was still fun.
As I walked around the old home place most of my memories were of my grandmother - Evie Wheelhouse Eley. She was short - probably not five feet tall - and thin and quite stooped by Osteoporosis. She was tanned and wrinkled by the sun from years of gardening and from decades of braving every kind of weather to manage 20 to 30 white-faced Hereford cattle. She got up very early - around 4 am - and would wait just as long as she could to start cooking breakfast for us. But, with daylight being wasted, around 6 or 6:30 she'd start cooking country ham and biscuits and gravy and scrambled eggs and by 6:45 she would be yelling up the stairs to wake us. As I walked to the side of the house and looked up at the upstairs windows I could still hear her yelling in her high pitched voice, "Heeeyyy - are y'all gonna sleep all day?"
She planted and tilled and harvested a large garden. Then she put up frozen corn and canned beans and tomatoes and okra and jams and jellies.
As I get older I think more and more about trying to be more like Grandmama. I hope that if I have to face tough times in my future that I can do it with the same strength and grace which she demonstrated. I pray that I will always see God in the small beauties of life and that I will somehow live up to her legacy of devotion to God.
Yes - I know you can never know what you are made of until you face tough times. But it seems important to me to go ahead and work on these character traits before the test comes. I surely hope I will have the discipline and determination to be NOW who I hope to become when I face the trials of the future.
Saturday, January 28, 2012
An Exceptional, Unbroken and Fruitful Vine
Jesus, speaking to his followers, (John 15:5) - "I am the vine, and you are the branches. If any remain in me and I remain in them, they produce much fruit. But without me they can do nothing."
I have always been interested in true stories of people who survived, against all odds, in the face of impossible physical circumstances. I recently read "Unbroken," by Laura Hillenbrand, ---http://laurahillenbrandbooks.com/ --- the true story of Louie Zamperini, an Olympic athlete who went on to serve in the U.S. Army Air Corps during WWII. Louie and his buddy, Russell, survived a plane crash into the ocean. They drifted in a life boat for 2000 miles over 47 days, and existed by eating raw birds they were able to catch when the birds landed on their heads. They were convinced they were finally going to be saved when they were spotted by a plane. But, their fortunes went from impossible to torturous when it turned out to be a Japanese military plane and, after being strafed with machine gun fire, they were eventually plucked from the ocean by a Japanese vessel and sent off to a Japanese interment camp.
The book chronicles Louie's two years of imprisonment, his numerous merciless beatings, and the countless humiliations he suffered at the hands of his captors. Somehow, (and you need to read the book to find out how) he emerged from this absolutely horrendous experience and remained "Unbroken."
During our trip to Italy, we saw many magnificent sights. We saw the breathtaking beauty of the mountains touching the sea in Cinque Terre. We stared in awe at centuries old art, painted by the masters of the Renaissance. We were mesmerized by views of incredible painted domes and gilded altars. And, in the midst of all this natural and man-made wonder I stopped to notice a simple vine growing up the side of a three-story house. It was an old and sturdy vine and it climbed up the wall of the home, delivering shade and flowers and fruit to the roof-top terrace. I was impressed. I had to stop and stare. For, as remarkable as it was that this vine had somehow survived and reached the top of the wall, what was even more remarkable to me was its origin. This old vine had grown from inside the house! It had its roots deep in some unseen soil in the footings of the wall. It grew inside in darkness for about eight feet, and then grew into the cement wall itself. It emerged from a small window and then continued its climb all the way, 30 feet up to the top, an unbroken vine.
And, since as I have already confessed, I like to find deep theological meaning in simple, unexpected things, I had to study this sight. As I did, I could not help but think about the words of Jesus, "I am the vine.....if any remain in me and I in them, they produce much fruit. If they do not remain in me, they are like a branch that is thrown away and dies."
This remarkable vine survived by remaining. It sunk its roots down, grew out of darkness, made its way out from under the weight of heavy obstacles, and just kept growing toward the light. It provided me with a living example of what it means to remain...to stay long enough to bear fruit.
The opposite of remaining is leaving, giving up, abandoning. Jesus told his followers to stay. He knew they would want to leave. He knew it would require sacrifice. He knew it would seem impossible. But he promised that if they would remain, he would continue to nourish their souls and that they would produce fruit.
No matter what obstacles we face in life, Jesus' promise still holds. If you happen to read Louie Zamperini's story, you will see Jesus' promise displayed in a powerful way and, perhaps, you may find the courage to hold on through your present darkness and the weight of your circumstances. But, if you're not a reader, then just study the picture of this remarkable vine and take heart. Persevere. Remain in Jesus. And one day you, too, will reach the top. And, in the process, you will share the fruit of your life as Jesus' follower with someone who lives there.
I have always been interested in true stories of people who survived, against all odds, in the face of impossible physical circumstances. I recently read "Unbroken," by Laura Hillenbrand, ---http://laurahillenbrandbooks.com/ --- the true story of Louie Zamperini, an Olympic athlete who went on to serve in the U.S. Army Air Corps during WWII. Louie and his buddy, Russell, survived a plane crash into the ocean. They drifted in a life boat for 2000 miles over 47 days, and existed by eating raw birds they were able to catch when the birds landed on their heads. They were convinced they were finally going to be saved when they were spotted by a plane. But, their fortunes went from impossible to torturous when it turned out to be a Japanese military plane and, after being strafed with machine gun fire, they were eventually plucked from the ocean by a Japanese vessel and sent off to a Japanese interment camp.
The book chronicles Louie's two years of imprisonment, his numerous merciless beatings, and the countless humiliations he suffered at the hands of his captors. Somehow, (and you need to read the book to find out how) he emerged from this absolutely horrendous experience and remained "Unbroken."
This remarkable vine survived by remaining. It sunk its roots down, grew out of darkness, made its way out from under the weight of heavy obstacles, and just kept growing toward the light. It provided me with a living example of what it means to remain...to stay long enough to bear fruit.
The opposite of remaining is leaving, giving up, abandoning. Jesus told his followers to stay. He knew they would want to leave. He knew it would require sacrifice. He knew it would seem impossible. But he promised that if they would remain, he would continue to nourish their souls and that they would produce fruit.
No matter what obstacles we face in life, Jesus' promise still holds. If you happen to read Louie Zamperini's story, you will see Jesus' promise displayed in a powerful way and, perhaps, you may find the courage to hold on through your present darkness and the weight of your circumstances. But, if you're not a reader, then just study the picture of this remarkable vine and take heart. Persevere. Remain in Jesus. And one day you, too, will reach the top. And, in the process, you will share the fruit of your life as Jesus' follower with someone who lives there.
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Nico's First Christmas
It has been a busy two and a half weeks since I last wrote. We were in the hospital with Lauren and Derek waiting for Nico Lisette Kamal to arrive. And she arrived - Wednesday, December 7, at 6:25 p.m. weighing 7 pounds, 12 ounces! Her mommy did a great job with labor and delivery, and her daddy was an absolutely wonderful supportive partner throughout the process. Needless to say, I am very proud of all three of them! 
And so, of course, I have also acquired a new role since I wrote last - I am now a grandparent! I haven't quite decided on my "grand" name but I can tell already that I am going to love the role. It seems to have a lot of the fun of parenting with a lot less responsibility. Yes, it's Nico's first Christmas! She won't open a single present or give a single gift and she won't even have the vaguest idea what it's all about. Yet - I can assure you that she will steal the show in a few hours at present-opening time. And the rest of us gathered as a family will agree that Nico is our best gift this Christmas! Merry Christmas!!!
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
A Mighty Fortress is Our God!
It is 10 AM on December, 7, 2011 and we are at the hospital with Lauren and Derek awaiting the arrival of our first grand child - Baby Girl Kamal. I am reminded of a Wednesday, 29 years ago when Susan and I were in this process - waiting on our first child to arrive. I remember that the process was beautiful but also nerve-racking. I guess anxiousness comes anytime you approach a significant life transition you've never experienced before. I remember when they took Susan into the delivery room (hasn't that become a much better experience with the labor rooms that also double as delivery rooms). The nurse sent me to get into my gown and mask and hairnet. I got all this garb on and made my way into a delivery room full of people all dressed in similar disguises only to hear, "Who are you and what are you doing here"? Before I could answer someone said loudly, "Get out!! You're in the wrong delivery room!" Un-com-fort-a-ble!! I was backing up, backing up...and after a bit more careful navigation I got to Susan's side for Lauren to be born.
Sitting here by Lauren's side I feel some anxiety and excitement but not quite like that!
But as I sit here the words to this song keep coming to my mind - A Mighty Fortress is Our God. This is an old hymn title that has been translated into English and sung by Christians since the 16th century. (You can read about it at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Mighty_Fortress_Is_Our_God.)
And while I love this old hymn, the words I keep re-playing are from a more recent song by this title written by Christy and Nathan Nockels - http://www.christynockels.com/. (You can hear it and see a beautiful slide show with this amazing song at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRQp1bUJkBE.)
I love the second verse and the refrain - -
Our God is, jealous for His own
None could comprehend, His love and His mercy
Our God is exalted on His throne
High above the heavens
Forever He's worthy...
We will keep our eyes on You
We will keep our eyes on You
A mighty fortress is our God
A sacred refuge is Your Name
Your Kingdom is unshakable
With You forever we will reign
Watching your baby have a baby is an amazing experience. And it is all made more beautiful with the knowledge that God's love and mercy for us are incomprehensible!!!
So...we will keep our eyes on You!!!
Sitting here by Lauren's side I feel some anxiety and excitement but not quite like that!
But as I sit here the words to this song keep coming to my mind - A Mighty Fortress is Our God. This is an old hymn title that has been translated into English and sung by Christians since the 16th century. (You can read about it at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Mighty_Fortress_Is_Our_God.)
And while I love this old hymn, the words I keep re-playing are from a more recent song by this title written by Christy and Nathan Nockels - http://www.christynockels.com/. (You can hear it and see a beautiful slide show with this amazing song at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRQp1bUJkBE.)
I love the second verse and the refrain - -
Our God is, jealous for His own
None could comprehend, His love and His mercy
Our God is exalted on His throne
High above the heavens
Forever He's worthy...
We will keep our eyes on You
We will keep our eyes on You
A mighty fortress is our God
A sacred refuge is Your Name
Your Kingdom is unshakable
With You forever we will reign
Watching your baby have a baby is an amazing experience. And it is all made more beautiful with the knowledge that God's love and mercy for us are incomprehensible!!!
So...we will keep our eyes on You!!!
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