Small talk, Small Worlds, and Mysterious Ways

“So, what do you do?” 

It’s the basic small talk question in any group and most of the time, I dread it. I am often hesitant to tell people I have just met that I am a missionary because you can never be sure what kind of reaction you will get. 

However, the question is usually inevitable and, and as a missionary, it seems particularly sinful to lie about being a missionary. 

So my standard response goes something like this: “I’ve been art teaching at Lexington Christian for the past four years, but this school year, I am working there part-time as a sub [albeit this part is mildly misleading; I am there almost every day] because I am preparing to move back to Kenya, where I used to teach.” 

The questions and comments after this vary a bit, but most ask what I teach in Kenya, how long I was there, if it’s safe, etc. etc. Often people will mention other missionaries they know and often ask if I know them. 

(Once upon a time, I was tempted to laugh at this assumption that missionaries around the world all knew each other by name, until a gentleman I greatly respect asked if I knew some missionaries he had known decades ago who served in Indonesia--on the other side of the world from Kenya--and, as it turns out, I DID know them. Their daughter and her family were my upstairs neighbors in Kenya and their grandsons some of my favorite students. Since then, I’ve quit rolling my eyes.)

However, I think I cringe when telling people I am a missionary because I dislike what is all too often a sudden sense of awe and admiration. 

“Africa?! Wow!”

“That’s incredible! Isn’t it dangerous?”

“I could never do that!”

The truth is, any admiration for me is hardly deserved. 

I serve a great big God who has an amazing and mysterious plan far greater than anything I can begin to understand. And He lets me--little, flawed, absent-minded, stubborn, prideful, all-too-often impatient and critical me-- be a part of it. That’s all. And what’s more, I don’t do it alone. I couldn’t. Missionaries can be missionaries because people back home are part of the team. You guys are our prayer warriors, our encouragers, and our financial supporters. We are missionaries because you are, too. 

And for that, I am overwhelmingly humbled and grateful. Thank you.

(This post was something I have been thinking about for a while, but I read this article last week entitled "Quiet Heroes" and it got the wheels in my head turning a little more about people in ministry. Thought I would share. )

I realize this picture has little to do with the blog post, but I've always liked it and 
decided this post needed a picture. Isn't her smile beautiful?

What's in a name?

Why is the subtitle to this blog “My Life as an Accidental Missionary”? 

As a missionary, I talk to a lot of people about how I got where I am. I tell them about my call into teaching and about hearing all the missionaries speak at Asbury College when I was a student and the impact that had on me. But when it comes to exactly how I ended up here? I don’t know. This was not the life I had planned for myself. I never started out with the intention of being a missionary. 

The inspiration for the other part of the blog name.
That's the Great Rift Valley in the background.

My plan was to be a writer like my dad. I am an introvert at heart and after four years of shoving my way through the overcrowded hallways of high school, I liked the idea of working in solitude much of the time. It sounded so peaceful. However, when I was a senior in high school, God called me into teaching pretty clearly. It wasn’t quite what I had picked out for myself, but I rolled with it. I figured that, as a teacher, I could get a job pretty much anywhere. I envisioned myself teaching a year out in Colorado, Denver maybe, then a year in Chicago. I could move around for five or six years, get a taste of life across the U.S. Then I would settle down and have great stories to tell my future children about all the cool places I’d lived and the people I’d known.

So when my college roommate asked me to move to Virginia Beach with her after graduation, everything was falling into place. First cool city, coming right up. Then I hit a bump in the road. I found I out hated teaching. Oops. 

In reality, I was just a first year teacher who had no idea what she was doing with colleagues and a principal who were spectacularly unhelpful and a class full of children who, more than anything else in the world, needed something I could not give them: stable homes. I realized that a fourth grader really does not care about multiplication tables or the parts of a plant the day after he has watched his older brother get hauled off for dealing (again). And I realized I couldn’t really blame him. I had no idea what to do with that. 

So I left. To be perfectly honest, I was long gone before the school year was over. I planned to spend the next year working in a children’s home somewhere overseas and, soon, that first year of teaching would just be a distant nightmare. I would be there for a year or so and come back and find different work. Maybe I’d go back to school for a different degree. I certainly wouldn’t teach again, that was certain. I made it through to the end of that first school year--barely--and I didn’t look back. But, again, my plan was not working out. I had been accepted to World Gospel Mission, but none of the children’s home they worked with had a place for me. You know where they did have a place? A little school for missionary kids in Kenya. I took a deep breath and said yes. 

I thought I would be there for that school year, then come back and find other work in the U.S. It would be a good experience, nothing more. But then I hit another bump in the road. I loved that little school in Kenya. I felt like…I belonged there. I loved teaching those kids, talking to those parents. I didn’t want to come back to the US and I didn’t want to stop teaching. But after two years, I did move back and found that I could love teaching here in the US, too.

Fast forward five years (holy cow! Surely not that long?) and I have left a job I adored here in Kentucky and am headed back to Kenya for good. Because the Kingdom of God is more important than my comfortable life.

So right now, after a long series of decisions and baby steps I still don’t quite understand or believe, this introvert is traveling and speaking in churches, to camps, any group that will listen. When I am not speaking, I am calling people (most of whom I don’t know) to ask if I can speak. (Why is that so hard?! I sincerely dislike calling people I don’t know. There is something unsettling about not having any visual cues for their reactions.) Or I am talking to people I do know about money (a subject I have a pathological aversion to discussing).

When I get up in front of a group, I say many different things about the Tenwek MK School and the work of Tenwek Hospital, but sometimes, as I am talking, I am really thinking “Wait a minute! What’s happening? How did I get here?!”

By the Grace of God, really. This was not my plan. This is not the life I picked out for myself. But I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Five Things

Some days, change seems to be the only constant thing in my life. 
I have not written on this blog in ages. . . six months to be more specific. Why? Lots of reasons, actually. I have been busy. I have not had much to write about other than traveling. More than anything, though, I have had trouble coming up with a single, cohesive theme on which to write.
As a result, I have decided to do a list of several loosely related ideas. 

So, without further ado, here are five things that have changed in my life since I have written last.

1. I have a new job. Well, sort of. I left my full-time position as the primary art teacher at Lexington Christian Academy and am now substitute teaching part time as my schedule allows. I have even subbed in my old job for the new art teacher. The kids were mildly confused and thought I had returned and Mrs. Wolfe was now gone. Oops. However, it is wonderful to be back with the kids I have known and loved for the past four years, even if it’s not every day. In the rest of my time, I am focusing more on working with partners for my ministry in Kenya and traveling to speak at churches. If you would like to know more about that, let me know!
2. I have new roommates! After my cousin Ivey ran off and got married (not really--she had a gorgeous and well-planned wedding), her sister and I found two more friends to share our house. Jayne and Audrey are amazing and, surprisingly for four kitchen-savvy, opinionated women, we all get along really well. I am incredibly blessed by their friendship and their laughter. There really is no place like our home.
3. I have new students! I have recently learned there will be at least three new young families coming to Tenwek through Samaritan’s Purse and they all have kids. I learned that when I ran into a guy from Samaritan’s Purse at the Global Health Missions conference in Louisville about a month ago. Through my conversation with him, as well as numerous other conversations with parents who are interested in missions, I have a renewed sense of the need for more educators for missionary kids. It is one of the top questions parents have when they start feeling God’s call into missions and it is one of the reasons many families never leave the U.S. It’s also one of the primary reasons (many agencies will say the #1 reason) families leave the mission field and return home. Many times, they just don’t think they have enough educational options for their kids. If you are interested in solving that problem in Kenya, follow this link and support my ministry. Or ask a question in the comments section below. If you are a teacher who is interested in serving overseas, let me know that, too! I’d love to help you connect with ministries that could use your teachin’ talents.
4. I have a newsletter! I am trying to improve my communication with the people who want to be a part of the ministry of Tenwek Hospital, so if you are interested in receiving my monthly newsletter, email me. 
5. We lost a roommate. Back in February, Mari, a family friend, came to live with us while she recovered from brain surgery to remove a tumor and started chemotherapy. In short, the cancer did not respond to the treatments and Mari passed away on October 28th. She was young, beautiful, and creative and we miss her terribly, but know she is finally out of pain and at peace. Thanks be to God. 

Thank you all for you partnership--in prayer and resources. You all are a blessing to me.

On the Road Again

I left my home in Wilmore a week and half ago and spent a lovely week with my parents, visiting with family and hiking around some favorite places.

Sunday morning, I left for Taylor County Camp Meeting and have had a lovely time meeting new people (and future missionary colleagues!) and wandering the grounds. I am not the speaker here, but have set up my display and met some really wonderful people.

I leave Wednesday to head back to Rome for two days, then back to Wilmore. ( Three cheers for sleeping in your own bed!) Then it's up to Ohio, Michigan, then Indiana--and I will be speaking at all those places.
I am still in need of $2500 in our own bed!) Then it's up to Ohio, Michigan, then Indiana--and I will be speaking at all those places.I am still in need of $2500 in monthly support, as well as about $6000 in one time gifts. I am trusting and praying that God will meet these financial needs. If you would like to contribute to God's work in Kenya, you can give onmonthly support, as well as about $6000 in one time gifts. I am trusting and praying that God will meet these financial needs. If you would like to contribute to God's work in Kenya, you can give online here or send in a check. ( Send it to: World Gospel Mission, PO Box 948, Marion, IN 46952-0948 and designate it for account #125-15732). If you have questions about giving and how it all works, you can read more here or (of course) ask a question in the comments sections. I'd love to hear from you!
As always, I covet prayers not just for the financial needs, but also for safe travel and endurance for my car, as well as for myself.
I am adding my schedule down below. If I am near you, let me know! I'd love to come see you.

July 7-11 Taylor County Camp Meeting (Butler, GA)
July 15-21 Mt. Hope Bible Camp (Otway, OH)
July 21-27 Eaton Rapids Camp Meeting (Eaton Rapids, MI)
August 6 Chandler Holiness Camp Meeting (Newburg, IN)

Interested in more?

We are making great strides around here in our technological know-how (or at least pretending we are) and you can now subscribe to my monthly email updates by clicking on this link. If you would like to receive the updates through snail-mail, feel free to add your street address and I'll mail 'em to ya.

Please note that the email updates will be different than the blog posts, although you can subscribe to those, too, if you really like me. (See the link down on the right side.) There will be some overlap in info, but I will try to share new stories, pictures, and information with you each month in the newsletters.

I am also trying to come up with a pithy little title for my newsletters, so if you have any ideas, shout them out in the comments section. (My aunt and uncle have called their newsletter the "Lewis Ledger". I like the alliteration, but, so far, haven't come up with anything creative.)

On another side note, I had a root canal yesterday. (Oh, fun!) I share that with you not because I think everyone likes to hear the words "root canal", but because of the poster my dentist (endodontist?) had tacked up on the ceiling above the chair so that the patients could see it as he worked on their teeth. Underneath the picture of a purple-pink sunset reflected in a lake, it's said "What appears to be the end is really just a new beginning." It is certainly applicable to my life as I come to the end of my last school year here at Lexington Christian and start focusing more on Kenya. But I am not sure what how it would apply to other people laying in that chair. Does everyone having a root canal think it's the end of something?


On the upside, I have not had much pain--either during or since the root canal and am very thankful.

Meet the Family

If you are interested in learning more about the families and kids I will be working with next year, check out some of the blogs and pages below.
There's a lot going on around Tenwek!


The Bemm Family
The Chupp Family
The Crognale Family
The Galat Family
The Manchester Family
The Roberts Family
The White Family

 And there are more on the way!

All That I Can't Leave Behind

The fatal metaphor of progress, which means leaving things behind us, has utterly obscured the real idea of growth, which means leaving things inside us.  -G. K. Chesterton

Last weekend, when it was sunny and bright and warm, I headed out to the Kentucky River to hike and enjoy the weather. Wandering through the lovely fields in Shakertown, I realized how much I love that place and how much I will miss it when I move back to Kenya. And then I started thinking about all the other things I would miss, but the things that would replace them in my life once I was back at Tenwek. So here we are, in no particular order.

Ten Things I Will Miss

 1. My family
 Need I say more?

My cousin Emma, carrying a picnic blanket.

2. Shakertown
 I cannot count the Saturdays I have spent wandering around that place. My favorite place to hike is not actually around the "town" itself, but the land across the road, down by the river.
I've tried a few other hiking locations around here, but I always end up going back to Shakertown.




3. Contra Dancing at ArtsPlace
You can laugh if you want, but it's one of the best things to do on a Friday night.

4. My Church 
I visited First Alliance after a suggestion by a friend in Kenya, of all places. I cannot begin to tell you how much I have learned and been challenged over the past three and a half years.

5. Embrace United Methodist Kids 
Three years ago, my roommate invited me to come hang out on Wednesday nights at The Rock United Methodist on Wednesday nights with the kids. Wednesday nights have evolved a number of times over those three years--Miss Melissa, the former children's pastor, is gone and now the leaders who followed her have, too, and the church has changed names. We have different leaders and different activities, but the kids are still there. A little older and often a little mouthier. Or maybe that's me. Either way, it's always an adventure. I love those kids, even when they drive me crazy, and I will cry like a baby the day I say goodbye.

6. My Job and My Coworkers
I stumbled into Lexington Christian Academy because I couldn't fathom going back to public schools and no other private school paid enough for a single girl to survive. By the grace of God, they had a job--and a great one. I have finally gotten the chance to teach art full time and I love it. I play with paint and kids all day and get paid for it.
My transition back to the US was not pretty, but Lexington Christian gave me a wonderful place to go every day and helped me find my place in this country. It's hard to feel too sad when 15 first graders actually clap and cheer (yes, they really do) over painting.

7. Autumn
I can grumble and whine with the best of 'em when it comes to cold weather (high of 22? Is that even legal?!), but I love fall. The colors, the slight chill in the air. The apples and pumpkins and squash. The country festivals. It's wonderful and cheerful and bright.

8. My Car
In Kenya, I don't have a car. I was offered the chance to raise money for a car, but that would have doubled the amount of money I would have to raise, so I opted not to. It was a hard choice--I LOVE to drive and at one point declared vehemently that I would not live at Tenwek again unless I could get myself around. I was tired to depending on other people to get me back and forth to Nairobi and I wanted the freedom of having my own transportation. But we all have to face reality at some point.
    I can always take a matatu.  

9. Plenty of Hot Water
I will most likely not live in the same place when I move back to Tenwek, but in my old apartment, my hot water heater held between 10-12 minutes worth of hot water, depending on the water pressure. And hair did not come clean in the water from the faucet (tap water made it worse), so I would haul a big bucket of water from the rain tank into the house, warmed it on the stove, poured it into two large pitchers and carried them into the bathroom before I could shower.



10. Understanding language and culture around me. 
I don't claim to be to the most socially astute person in any room, but in general, I can pick up on most social cues here in America. It took me the longest time to realize that Kenyans laugh when they are embarrassed. So when tried out my Swahili with the kids in the neighborhood and they ran off laughing hysterically, it didn't necessarily mean I had accidentally said along the lines of "I like to eat cow poop for breakfast." They were just shy and embarrassed when spoke to them. I hope, anyway.
 But there are many, many more differences in customs and culture--and that means many, many more opportunities for me to misread and misunderstand the situation.

Ten Things I Look Forward To

1. My students
They are sweet and fun and energetic and goofy and enthusiastic. I love teaching them. I'll have mostly different students this time around, but a few of the same ones. They are a joy to teach.










2. The Tenwek community
It really is like a giant family. You live with 'em, go to church with 'em, eat pizza and play games on Friday with 'em. And go on vacation with 'em. Good thing I like 'em.

3. Mandazis
This would be the Kenyan answer to doughtnuts--minus the icing. They are triangles of fried dough, barely sweet. Once upon a time, I had a Friday afternoon tradition of walking up to the shops by the hospital right after my last class in the afternoon and spending 50 cents on a mandazi and a bottle of Coke. Why not start your weekend on a high note?

4. Kenyan Sunrises
We are only about 100 miles from the equator, with translates into straight 12 hours days, all year round. Sun comes up around 6:15 in the morning, goes down at 6:15 in the evening. That means it's dark by 6:45. And really, other than grading papers and lesson planning (most of which I did in the school room right after classes), there is not much to do other than visiting people and talking to family on Skype. So I often went to bed around 9. That meant I got up e-a-r-l-y in the morning--much earlier than my teenage self ever thought possible.
And, contrary to what I imagined, I loved it. My kitchen window faces due east and I would get up in the mornings and fix a cup of chai and watch the sun rise over the Kenyan hills. It was a lovely way to wake up.

5. Teaching a variety of subjects

I love teaching art--it's interesting to focus on one thing and one thing only. It's fun and has a different set of challenges, but I miss teaching all those other things. I love listening to kids sound out words and talking about science. I even miss those middle school science experiments. It will be fun to teach those things again.

 6. Bargaining in the Markets
I grew up shopping at yard sales and flea markets in the South, so bargaining was not a new thing to me. I loved it. In fact, the first time I bargained at a Kenyan market, the young man finally asked if I was from Kenya. I was proud. I did find out that you can't bargain in the Nairobi airport over baggage fees. And the lady behind the desk does not think it's funny if you try.
(Note about the picture: This is my favorite market picture, but technically, food prices are pretty fixed.)






 
7. Mangoes
I know you can buy them here in the US, too, but they don't taste the same. I would eat them with every meal. If my stomach would let me.

8. Warm Weather

As I have mentioned, I don't like cold weather. At all. I loved the warm weather all year round. Rainy season cools things off a little, but not too much. Certainly not like this. This was taken a few years ago in front of my old house in Lexington. I will gladly trade all the sledding and snow days to never have a storm like this again.

9. My Spot on the river
It took me a while to find it, but I found rock, a little ways off a walking trail by the river. Just enough to conceal me from people on path. Directly across the river from my spot is a little waterfall, tucked back in a crevice of the opposite river bank. The river, the hills behind it, and the little waterfall are a lovely view. On mornings when my friend Julie and I didn't go walking, I would take my Bible and walk down there.














10. Learning Swahili
My first two years in Kenya, I picked up a little Swahili, but this time around, I will actually go to language school. I will have to work at retaining what I learn. I teach American kids and talk to their American parents. Most of the Kenyans I know are MUCH better at communicating in English than I am at communicating in Swahili, so I will have to seek out places to speak in Swahili. I can't wait.



This is by no means a comprehensive list nor are the items in any particular order. As I was writing and choosing pictures, I kept thinking of new things to add to each list, but I stopped at ten. I am sure tomorrow when I read over this, I will wish I had left some off and added something new.
As always, I am searching for new places to speak and share about Tenwek MK School! If you have a church, small group, Sunday school, Bible study, or simply a group of friends who would like to know more about what God is doing in Kenya, leave a comment. I'd love to hear from you!