A Rejoicing Spirit

(Above: my front porch & witness to my neighborhood)

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This devotional was published in Pathways to God, Winter 05-06, p. 18 - Saturday, December 17, 2005:

"A Rejoicing Spirit" READ LUKE 1:46--55

“My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” --Luke 1:46-47

The week before Christmas in 1974, Mom slipped in and out of consciousness as she was about to lose her valiant battle with cancer.

Several evenings before Christmas, my sisters and I half-heartedly watched television and chatted after returning home from the hospital. As we viewed a dramatization of the nativity, my heart was awakened. “Hey, I can celebrate anyway! In the midst of all this heartache, helplessness, and weariness, Christmas is still here. Because of that event long ago, I have Jesus who gives me the strength and courage to face today's crisis and every day’s circumstances. “

Mom went “home” early Christmas morning. When I am tempted to indulge in a "pity-party" for myself, I turn my eyes to a nativity and ponder its meaning. From the depths of my heart, I choose to thank God for Christ's sustaining presence in my life.

Rejoice always in the presence of the Lord.

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I had the opportunity to share this devotional with University of Central Florida international students this evening at the IFM (International Friendship Ministry) Christmas Party after leader Dave Hedberg shared the Christmas story. I set out printed copies of the devo immediately afterwards and approx. a fourth of the group took a copy.

It is an enriching and broadening experience to observe Dave explaining basic things I've been taught since childhood to young adults, some for whom Christmas is a new experience. It was my privilege to share my testimony devo tonight and dialogue with students. A current local missions opportunity + good prep for foreign missions. I pray that my words tonight impacted hearts for Christ.

A surprise blessing was the offer from a French USF graduate student in Religious Students and pastor of the University International Connection house church to help me learn French.

Thanksgiving 08

The 7th Annual American – International Thanksgiving Dinner on November 21th 2008 was sponsored by Bridges International and Florida Int’l Student Hospitality (FISH). I took food, cut many pies, and served as a table host. At my table were two students from Morocco, three American University of Central Florida students, and a recent UCF graduate. I was deeply impressed with the American students at my table there to reach out to international students, their spiritual maturity and passion of several for missions trips. I thank God for the ministry of FISH (http://www.ifmusa.org/fish/) and Bridges International.

I experienced many blessings this Thanksgiving week.

What a delight to have both my sisters in Florida most of the week. It was great hanging out with older sister Pat from Kentucky and younger sister Juanita from Ohio for parts of three days. I also enjoyed times of fellowship with Juanita’s husband Dick and two other Ohio couples who came to the Turkey Run Street Rod Show. We three sisters pause (pic below) by a concrete shark on Daytona Beach Main Street Pier (Juanita on right, Pat on left).

“BIown away” was my reaction to an early Christmas gift from Pat to aid my ministry - a laptop computer less than a year old. Pat who has the "electronic smarts" in our immediate family diligently worked on my old desktop many, many hours during two Thanksgiving weeks, but finally gave up getting it to work properly. The used laptop I bought to take to Africa last October has multiple issues including literally falling apart and deteriorating…so this gift is a tremendous blessing just in time of need.

I deeply appreciate the lovely Thanksgiving card with notes of love, prayers, and blessings from Northern KY WCG, a “Living Link” partner. Thank you ladies for your encouragement.

In the mail came a paper copy of the Kentucky Church of God Ministries newsletter, Winter Celebrations 2008 . Check pages 4-5 to see article “Kentucky Native Commissioned as Missionary Apprentice to West Africa.”

Operation Christmas Child - Shoebox Party

Librarian friend Debbie Frank (turquoise shirt) hosted her annual Operation Christmas Child shoebox packing party November 14 at her central Florida home. After a light potluck lunch, we wrapped card board shoeboxes or put stickers on plastic shoebox. Next we packed boxes with toys, school supplies, hygiene items, hard candy, jewelry, etc. to be delivered to children in desperate situations around the world. (http://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/OCC/ - National Collection Week: November 17-24, 2008)

This year I was guest missionary sharing an opportunity to partner in ministry. I shared the story of my first trip to Côte d'Ivoire and return missions plans via PowerPoint and Q&A to a receptive audience. Thanks Deb for this opportunity and for your gracious hospitality.

Toastmasters

Toastmasters International is a nonprofit organization with nearly 235,000 members in 11,700 clubs in 92 countries, offering a proven – and enjoyable – way to practice and hone communication and leadership skills. Each speech and meeting is critiqued by a member in a positive manner, focusing on what was done right and what could be improved.

On October 1, 2008, I joined the Trailblazers Toastmasters Club that meets at 7:30 a.m. two Wednesdays a month in Orlando to sharpen my public speaking skills - desiring to be a more effective ambassador for Christ. My icebreaker/introductory speech was presented on October 29th, “Cloudy Challenges Have Silver Linings.”

H.E.A.R.T. - Missions Awareness Venture 10/08

The H..E.A.R.T. (Hunger Education And Resources Training) Institute is a unique interdenominational training center designed to prepare people to serve effectively in the Third World. In addition to practical and technical skills, participants acquire problem solving and coping skills that will enable them to adapt more readily to the challenges they will face overseas. Relief and development skills are acquired through "hands-on" experience as well as classroom training. Students and visiting groups spend time in a simulated third world village located in sub tropical Florida south of Lake Wales, adjacent to Warner Southern College. This is the only accredited facility of its type in the Untied States. (http://heartvillage.org/ & http://www.warner.edu/heart/)

For a H..E.A.R.T. Missions Awareness Venture starting Friday evening October 17-19, 2008, I joined with a devoted group from St. Petersburg Calvary Chapel (http://www.ccstpete.com/) who are passionate about missions and fulfilling the Great Commission. I appreciate the way they welcomed me into their group.

During a December 2007 tour of the village, it was mentioned that my assistance with H.E.A.R.T.’s library would be appreciated. With the county library where I currently work full-time closed on Fridays and desiring to “BLOOM WHERE PLANTED” this weekend, I went to H.E.A.R.T. Friday morning to see how I could be of service. I was asked to assign numbers to hand written card catalog cards, process, and shelf a box of books and file the cards, plus prepare another stack of books completely.

A challenge here was in using Library of Congress classifications since I have used only the Dewey Decimal subject classification system during 7 years in public schools, 14 years in county public library, and in setting up the West African Bible Institute library. LC numbers were secured by going online to worldcat.org at college library one mile away and original cataloging for three items by WSC librarian Cheryl H. Many thanks to Cheryl and also to three efficient volunteers from Calvary Chapel for book shelving and card catalog filing.

I was asked to look at the library and suggest improvements. I have made some recommendations for making the H.E.A.R.T. library more user-friendly. I plan to return to implement shelf subject labeling and process more books (hopefully next time doing catalog cards via computer). I find it very rewarding to combine my degrees and experience in library science and religious education, especially when the end goal is to undergird ministry and service training.

Missions Awareness Venture schedule included sessions:
- Village Orientation and Tour
- Group Dynamics and Community Living
- Problem Solving and Conflict Resolution
- Bonding with Nationals
- Concepts of Learning New Languages
- Mission Video
- Sunday morning worship at Haitian Church in Avon Park
- Morning and Afternoon Labs - Teams 1, 2, 3 rotating
~Animals (feeding goats and rabbits) ~ Garden
~Nutrition (preparing meals from scratch)
- After Meal Clean Up - Teams 1, 2, 3 rotating: ~Maintenance ~Dishes & Dining Room ~Outdoors

Personal reactions: I was relieved and delighted to discover that cold goat's milk is absolutely delicious...relieved since I do not remember seeing any cows in Cote d'Ivoire, but many goats. I got to feed the goats and even learned how to milk one.

We had curried rabbit for one meal...a emotionally challenging experience for me at first. I had to block out thoughts of my beloved dwarf "Peter Rabbit" back home the last 13+ years, remind myself that eating wild rabbits and other small game was part of my family's diet from Dad's hunting as I grew up. It was tasty (a tad tougher than chicken) and a good source of protein I'm told.

No electricity in the cabins; flashlights a must... thank God for an almost full moon! The "squatty potties" took some getting used to (but far superior to old fashioned outhouses experienced in past years). I was pleasantly shocked by how warm the solar-heated water was in shower house cubicle. Starting the weekend with an accumulated sleep deficit from several significant deadlines the previous week did not help my normal very poor sense of direction...but I finally basically got the hang of which path in woods led to what building...no signs in village and no map received.

I was on Team #3 who made breakfast Saturday morning...juicing oranges, dried cherry muffins and baked oatmeal. It reminded me of helping Kay Critser cook from scratch in Cote d'Ivoire...homemade tortillas for tacos, pizza, biscuits (I added garlic powder & something that resembled cheese to imitate 'Red Lobster').

Great learning weekend with a great bunch of brothers and sisters in Christ. Practical, helpful information. Inspiring testimonies of God's provision. What a blessing!

Florida ChoG Ministries Annual Mtg. 10/08

I was grateful for the opportunity to attend the ANNUAL STATE MEETING on Thursday, October 16, 2008 @ Orlando First Church of God. Keynote speaker was Jim Griffith; Denver, Colorado Author, Consultant, Congregational/ Pastor Coach (GriffithCoaching.com) on the topic "Common Mistakes that Pastor's Make and How to Avoid Them!" - relevant also for church leaders and missionaries.

Directly across the church foyer from my Côte d’Ivoire mission display was Dr. Steven Masood with his “Jesus to Muslims” (http://jesustomuslims.org/) display. Dr. Steven Masood (http://www.stevenmasood.org/) is an ex Muslim with more than two decades of experience of a Christian approach in Islam and outreach to Muslims.

A surprise blessing Thursday came from Dr. Masood in the form of DVD recordings of two presentation series at Village View Community Church in Summerfield, FL:

“A Christian Response to Muslims”
1: Islam and Post 9/11 USA. 2: Why are there 2 faces of Islam? 3: What do Muslims believe and practice? 4: Key Islamic Beliefs in comparison to Christianity. 5 How to respond to Spiritual questions Muslims ask. 6: Key Bridge points in ministering to Muslims.

“The Role of Women in Islam” - What the Qur’an and Muhammad say about the rights and responsibilities of Muslim women.

These DVD’s will be a valuable training in preparation for ministry in a country that has more Muslims than Christians: Muslim 38.6%, Christian 32.8% (https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/iv.html). At the end of my October 2007 Ivory Coast Christian Education seminar, I asked participants what needs/questions they would like addressed in the future. One issue raised by several teachers was how to reach out to and communicate with parents of Muslim children attending their church.
The second DVD will be helpful toward gaining greater cultural understanding in anticipation of joining with missionaries LeAnn Sellers and Kay Critser in women’s ministry conferences.

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I also thank God for the generosity last year of Dr. Lestor Fleenor in the gift of his book, God Almighty!: His Word for Christians, Jews, And Moslems. (Available from Amazon.com and Christianbook.com.) It was my privilege to visit with Dr. Fleenor and his wife several days last year in West Africa and receive encouragement in missions from them.

Fifty-five to 60 percent of the world's population believe in a Supreme Power of the universe & refer to him either as Almighty God, Elohim Kabeer (in Hebrew), or Allah Akbar (in Arabic). These adherents from the three monotheistic world religions (Christianity, Judaism, and Islam) are addressed in this book & asked to not only consider the concepts behind God's name but also to take a hard look at the practical implications of these concepts for their personal lives today. Makes an excellent small group study text with discussion questions at the end each chapter.

Return Journey: KW Missionary Ministry Description

Initial Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

- Gain language proficiency while studying in France
- Teach at IBAO
- Facilitate Theological Education by Extension (TEE)
- Coordinate the development of the IBAO library

(IBAO is the French acronym for West Africa Bible Institute, which opened it’s doors January 15, 2007. It is located in Yamoussoukro and is the first French-speaking Bible institute of the Church of God anywhere in the world.)

Milestone: Missionary Commissioning

A major milestone on this journey was the Missionary Commissioning Service held on Wednesday, June 25 at the 2008 North American Convention of the Church of God in Anderson, Indiana.

Baylor/Watts Commissioning Service 2008 on "YouTube":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mymnB8PvKtA

October 2007: Children’s Ministry

On my first Sunday in Côte d'Ivoire, I visited Platform village and sat in back of children’s church so I could observe their format and style before my seminars later that week. It was similar in many ways to American children's churches. They did lots of echo singing, prayer time, memory verse, Bible story, a contemporary story illustrating the memory verse, more singing/chanting including songs that affirmed applications of Biblical living.

I held a baby during children's church (1st pic) that a little girl around 8 or 9 had been carrying around on her back/side tied in a cloth, and fed baby a bottle. I could not talk their language, but continued to tenderly hold the baby - hoping that would communicate my love for children (not just a strange white woman sitting there gawking); the children later smiled at me holding the baby. I prayed God's blessing on that child, and felt impressed to pray that God would make her a mighty leader of children and trainer of children's workers. I mentioned my prayer to the mother after service who seemed to understand and nodded enthusiastically.

Twice I attended children’s church in Yamoussoukro, Côte d'Ivoire’s largest Church of God congregation. Without previous notification, I was asked to lead a chorus. PANIC!!! Not knowing French, the shortest song with the most repetition I could think of was "Hallelujah, Praise Ye the Lord" (2nd pic) with boys and girls sitting then standing on their respective phrase. The children’s church leader translated, a participant in my workshop a few days earlier.

Interesting observation – a part of every children’s church service I attended while in Côte d'Ivoire was the "Papa Abraham" with various motions. The culture shock of children’s ministry in the churches I attended was the simple furnishings – backless benches and a chalkboard. Singing was acapella, with clapping and sometimes dancing. Yet worship and learning with smiles took place.

October 2007: Christian Education Seminar

For the Christian Education Seminar on Thursday and Friday, October 11 & 12, I had been asked to share creative teaching methods (alternatives to traditional lecture) and ideas for discipleship with adults.

Pastors and CE leaders who are responsible for training others came from five churches around Ivory Coast. My foundational verse was the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). Among others things I explored the need to use varied and interactive teaching methods, and led the group in trying various activities for teaching Bible memory verses (see 1st pic). One person commented they did memory verses and games, but had never thought of doing both at same time.

Another big portion of the seminar was presenting section one of Group Publishing’s Disciple-Making Teachers “The Learner Outside of Class – What Is a Disciple?” Daniel, my workshop interpreter and speaker for the new French CBH radio program, had also worked with me to translate the acrostic into an outline handout. The material was very well received - several participants asked about getting the book in French, and I passed their request on to the publisher.

Both days I mentioned the scriptural pattern for teaching and disciple making. Jesus, the master teacher, taught and made disciples in both large groups (3000 & 5000) and in small groups (12 - his disciples, 3 – Peter, James, & John).

An interesting thing happened Friday morning that I did not expect. For devotions, I read 2 Timothy 3:16, then asked folks to share a favorite scripture and a brief story illustrating how it has impacted their life. Much of the sharing was not so 'brief'…it took 1 hour 45 minutes for 13 people to share, but it was a rich, precious time together.

I also presented an overview with scriptures of How to Lead a Child to Christ, along with discussion of home and church nurturing the child in preparation of a decision. I was told that one of the participants immediately started having family devotions after the workshop.

October 2007: Library – West African Bible Institute

My primary responsibilities in Côte d'Ivoire during October 2007 were providing assistance in the initial setup and cataloguing of library materials for the newly formed West Africa Bible Institute. Approximately 95% of the books there were in French, and with limited time I was asked to focus on just the French ones. What did that involve?

First task was to enter each book not already recorded in a master register log book (top pic above) and stamp books in several places.

Second a Dewey Decimal Subject Classification number for each title was determined. There are several Dewey Decimal versions; I was inclined to use a recent version, but ended up using a Dewey list adapted for theological libraries by a librarian missionary, Martina in Burkina Faso (country north of Ivory Coast).

Third, I entered data for each book into French cataloging software Papyrus 2000...with help of my laptop French-English dictionary and sometimes clarification from Sherman & Kay Critser. Data included author, title, publisher, date of publication, number of pages, condition of book, ISBN #, registration/accession number, copy or volume number if appropriate, and Dewey Decimal subject number, often entering a new one from the adapted list.

Fourth, came preparation of spine labels, checkout card/pocket labels, and old fashioned card catalog cards …printing done by Sherman Critser (I thank God for his computer expertise and patience!) Phone calls and emails with Martina and two consultation visits from Denise, an Australian missionary part-time librarian in Côte d'Ivoire enabled this project to be accomplished. God is faithful to supply necessary assistance.

It was a race against the clock. During my last week there, three Yamoussoukro church members came over to help with applying card pockets, labels, entered more books while Kay C. & I covered paperbacks with plastic laminate (see 2nd pic).

The process did not go smoothly and quickly, but neither is life smooth. It took Sherman literally hours to figure out a way to print old-fashioned card catalog cards from the modern Papyrus software via MS Word mail merge & Excel. There were a multitude of computer difficulties. An older computer intended for IBAO did not survive repeated reinstallations and downloading fixes from Internet. Constant double checking all my French typing for spelling and adding French punctuation marks was tedious.

I appreciated my Kay C.’s question one day when my energy was waning, "Is what you're doing going to make a difference for eternity?" I said "Yes!". She asked "How so?" I went back to statement in my brochure that library materials will help train and equip church leaders to fulfill the Great Commission – "…make disciples of all nations… and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." (Matthew 28:19-20). Helpful to keep tedious work in perspective. I shudder to think what my ministry over the years would have been without many resources! There is a shortage of French ministry resources and books in general.

My basic "John the Baptist" mission of 'preparing the way' for Denise to teach basic research skills in a November Bible Institute course – was accomplished with 80 books fully cataloged. 103 more books are pocketed and stamped; all IBAO library books to my knowledge are recorded in the log. I was rather disappointed I did not get more books done, but I was told the Christian Education seminar was important. The software plus printing of labels and cards was figured out and foundation laid for continued processing of resources, which took place following my departure.

Journey Invitation: Missionary Call Rekindled

You've got mail

A life changing email arrived February 21, 2007 from previous seminary classmate Kay Critser. I had hosted Sherman and Kay Critser, Global Missions Africa Regional Coordinators, in my condo several years earlier when they spoke at my church’s weekend mission’s conference.

Subject: recruiting to missions

… I came across your business card today! …it came into my view and immediately when I read MASTER OF LIBRARY SCIENCE AND MASTER OF RELIGIOUS EDUCATION, I said to myself, YES!

Here goes the situation here in Ivory Coast In January, we began our Bible institute, which consists of two modules in two weeks every other month. ... We are still in the starting up stage. One area where we are really behind is in setting up the library. Of course, all the books are in French, but the library method is the same I believe. Also, we could use your expertise in Christian Education.

So, Kay, would you please consider joining us in Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire) as a Special Assignment Missionary (1 - 2 years) with the option of becoming a Career missionary? If neither of the two options pleases you, we could still use your expertise even in a two week,
month, two months, etc. as you wish. Should you be interested after much prayer, for we do desire the will of the Father, drop us a line letting us know what you think.

WOW! This email indeed called for “MUCH PRAYER!” I confess there were a number of “Yes, BUT’s” …the biggest being I know French) but scriptures and many supports enabled me to take this humongous step of obedience out my comfort zone.

That email led to planning for “Operation IBAO LIBRARY” - my name for the opportunity to aid in the development of a library that helps train and equip church leaders to fulfill the Great Commission – “…make disciples of all nations… and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19-20). [IBOA = French acronym for West Africa Bible Institute]