Through the Seasons

What I will not miss about Tanzania when I’m in the States:

My house being saturated with the smell of burning trash.

Eww…  (cough, gag, wheez)

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I am by no means a tech junkie.  I am not up on the latest gadgets.  I am, though, thankful for technology.  I think back to when people serving overseas lived out in the bush away from all contact and wrote letters to family back home.  Those letters traveled by ship no less!

These days we’re on Facebook keeping up with our friends and on the internet keeping up with U.S. and World news.

It is a new way of living with many benefits.  I realize that we aren’t as up to date with things as we would be if we lived in the States but technology has really opened up some major lines of communication.  There is a lot of information people already know because they follow us either online or through newsletters.

I hope our partners feel as connected as possible although there will always be a gap.

That’s why I’m also thankful for furloughs. 

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(betraying my title “wordless” to tell you that this buffalo is being agitated by birds in his ears and on his face but they are hard to see in the pics…)

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This is a pizza I do quite often these days.  I got the crust recipe from a friend and the toppings from Pioneer Woman.  This is one of those meals that when we eat it we forget we’re sitting in Africa.

Crust  (this makes 2 crusts for us at the thickness we like)

Ingredients

1 cup warm water (1/2 boiling, 1/2 room temperature)

1 tablespoon yeast

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon oil

3 cups flour (can use half brown and half white or whatever percentage of each you’d like)

1 teaspoon salt

Directions

Dissolve yeast in water.  Add sugar and oil.  Stir.  Let sit for 5 minutes.  Once you see bubbles forming add salt and flour.  Knead on lightly floured surface for 7-10 minutes or until not sticky.  (Add flour as needed but it’s very important not to use too much.)  Lightly oil the dough.  Cover.  Let rise to double.  Punch down.  Rest 5 minutes.  Put oil in pan then cornmeal (to make non-stick).  Roll dough out, put in pan(s), folding over edges.

Toppings (put onto the crust in this order)

Extra virgin olive oil

Fresh basil chopped

mozzarella cheese

tomatoes, sliced

mozzarella cheese

sprinkle with parmesan cheese

Directions

Bake for 20 minutes in an oven preheated to 400 degrees F (204 degrees C).

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I was reflecting the other day about how much I’ve changed since becoming a mother.  I was brought to this moment of contemplation as I was crawling across the floor on my hands and knees for the purpose of sneaking up on Asher and tickling him.  I never thought I’d relax into motherhood that well.  It is not in my nature to do such silly (and dirty) things but the enjoyment of your child just seems to trump all those previous (and long gone) values.  What is important in life these days (most days anyway) is a whole different picture than what used to rule my thinking before Asher came along.  As I’ve started telling him lately, he’s a joy in my life!

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This morning I was watching Asher sleeping and thought I hope he never thinks that our love for him is based on his “merits”.  Asher is cute, sweet, smart, and strong.  But I never want him to think we love him because he is cute, sweet, smart, or strong.  He could be none of those things and we would love him the same.  During times of disobedience and discipline our love doesn’t diminish. Nothing at all could separate our love from Asher.

Then this verse came to mind:

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  ~Romans 8:38-39

And I had a lightbulb moment.  God loves me the way I love Asher!?  But that’s not even the extent of it.

Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!  ~Matthew 7:9-11

He loves us more!  Well this is hard to imagine!  But then we have this prayer of Paul’s:

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.  ~Ephesians 3:17b-19

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Don’t go around saying the world owes you a living.  The world owes you nothing.  It was here first.

~Mark Twain

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I just returned home from spending the afternoon with a friend.  For this I am thankful.  She has a 3 (almost 4) year old son who is Asher’s current hero.  He loves to watch him climb trees, run around the house, ride a bike…all the big boy things that Asher no doubt dreams of doing himself.  They play well together too I think because they aren’t in competition for toys and such.  Her son wanted to help Asher up the tree and I let them somewhat attempt it, secretly glad that he wasn’t able to lift him.  They are German but speak very good English so the communication is very good.  I think the boys’ personalities are similar as well which may help how easily they have gotten on.  The mother and I have similarities as well and besides that she is just easy going and nice to be around.  The grounds around her house are fun for the boys and beautiful for us.  It’s always a nice place to go for an afternoon.  I’ll miss these times when I leave but I’m not gone yet and I plan to enjoy them while they last.

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A friend of mine saw my post on Asher saying ‘no’ to me and gave me some advice.  She is a wonderful mother and I value her input always.  She suggested I correct his ‘no’ to ‘yes mommy’.  There was more to what she said but that’s the gist of it.  I went right to work putting it into practice.

It didn’t take me long to realize that since he has never put “yes” and “mommy” together that he couldn’t be expected to just rattle it off.  So my first lesson with him was actually saying the sentence, “Yes mommy.”  After a couple tries then a couple uneasy “ye-es……mom-my…”’s he had it.

The next few times I told him to do something and he responded with “no” I told him to say “yes mommy”.  My sweet, obedient son would immediately say, “Yes mommy.”  pause.  “No.”

Ha!  So he had gotten the words but not the meaning.  But he’s getting it now.  I have now told him to say “yes mommy” then obey.  And I usually help him obey to teach him what it’s all about.

For example if I want him to come inside and he says “no” I ask him to “say ‘yes mommy’ then obey”.  He says it then I lead him in and tell him this is him obeying.  And he’s really getting it!  Of course he doesn’t always want to do what I am asking but just saying the words “yes mommy” is directing his mind to then follow through with my command.

Our next task will probably be to help him say “yes daddy” to Jonathan because right now if we tell him to “say ‘yes daddy’ then obey” he will sincerely look up at Jonathan and say, “Yes mommy.”

That’s my boy!

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