The Beginning of a Journey...

Jonathan and I were married 7 years ago today. It was a beautiful, sunny, fall day - one of the best days of my life! It was the beginning of a journey - a journey that we are still on, walking day-by-day, hand-in-hand, together. It is the journey of a lifetime, and it keeps getting better every day!

THE KISS! . He swept me off my feet!

During the ceremony, we had a time of prayer and blessing from our parents.

If there is one thing we have learned on our journey together, it is this:

Keep Jesus at the center of your marriage.

No man or woman can ever fill our deepest need for love. Only Jesus can. .When that deep love, satisfaction, and fulfillment is found in Christ,

t.h.e.n...

...the love between a husband and wife is the frosting on the cake!

Lovely, delicious, beautiful!

Thank you for inviting me to journey with you, Jonathan.

I treasure every day with you.

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The Killing of the Fatted Calf

"Yes, we'd love to help out. Yes, we do have extra room in our freezer. No problem!"

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THAT is how it all began...
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The weekend before last was busy. The air was filled with a tangible excitement. It was Camp Meeting! All the Vie Abondante churches in Niger were gathering from the east and the west of the nation for a big weekend conference right here in Maradi. Dozens of villages and people groups would be represented. .The meetings would be interpreted into 6 different languages. .Over 700 people had registered for the event. Not only was this a time to be reunited with loved ones, it was a time to be nurtured with teaching from the Word of God, to rejoice together in praise and worship, and to receive prayer for healing, strengthening, and new impartation. At the end of the conference, all would be sent back to their villages, ready to continue shining for Jesus. The atmosphere was simply tingling with anticipation and excitement.

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We, too, had much to look forward to. This was our first Camp Meeting. We were hosting Pastor Ron and Jerry Childs, and we had not seen them since we lived with them in Niamey. We looked forward to seeing many friends from our time in Niamey, as well as meeting many new people from villages across Niger.

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The registered 700 people would camp, for the most part, in the church's compound. Meals were also prepared at the church to feed everyone. Since this is a special occasion, a cow was purchased to provide meat for the meals. We were asked if we would be willing to store the beef in our freezer and bring the allotted amount each day for the daily meals.

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We said, "No problem." We were willing to help out in any way we could.

The next morning, the fatted calf was killed.

4 hours later (after sitting in the hot African sun for a while), the cow (as it has become know as around here) was brought to our house. Oh, I know what you're thinking. You might be thinking of those nice little packages of meat you see in the grocery store - all nicely shrink-wrapped, cool, and collected. Nope! Not OUR COW!!! It came in a big burlap-type sack. Nope! It was NOT a waterproof burlap sack either. A second batch came in a big steel bowl.

The cow proceeded to make itself very at home in our freezer. Since it was already warm from its fun in the sun, it didn't really feel up to cooling down. Our freezer croaked and choked away, trying to do its job (FREEZE!), but to no avail. The fact that we lost electricity several times that night didn't help at all.

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Our whole family, and our dear guests, all woke up to the putrid smell of warm meat. What a way to start the day! Upon further investigation, we discovered the freezer was leaking - not water, but blood! All over the dining room floor! (Gag) It had done its best to try to freeze that 'ol cow, but it just couldn't do it. The cow was mildly cool, and the rest of the contents in the freezer were thawing.

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This all took place at about 6:30 in the morning. No COW was going to stop us from continuing our REAL mission - CAMP MEETING!!! We cleaned up what we could, plugged the drain hole to keep the leakage at bay, took out our first installment of the cow for meals, prayed that the decreased amount of meat would allow the remainder to freeze, then off to the 8:30 meeting went we, dressed in our African best! We were going to worship the Lord, hear the word, and spend time with other believers! Nothing would stop us!

Worshipping under the African stars with 700 other people - the first evening of Camp Meeting. What an awesome experience!

Me with my new friend, Rebecca.

Halfway through the meeting, one of the area pastors tapped Jonathan on the shoulder. Uh-oh. Can't be good. Nope! Indeed. It was not good. Seems as though old Bessie - uh, I mean, the COW - had not behaved itself yet again. When the cooks began preparing the meat that we brought that morning, they realized that it had started to go bad in the night (yes, IN our freezer!). It was imperative that Jonathan head home right away and bring the rest of the cow to the camp. It must be cooked immediately in order to salvage whatever could be saved.
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Off Jonathan went to save the cow! Upon opening our home, he and the African pastor who accompanied him were nearly blown away. There was blood all over the floor (oh! did I forget to mention that Isaiah had unplugged that drain hole that Jonathan had plugged?), and the smell had digressed from a very-warm-meat-smell to a very-rotten-meat-smell.

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No time for clean-up, however! Must get Bessie back to camp. The ride in our Land Cruiser must have been a little bumpy on the way back, because some of Bessie spilled on the carpet in the car on the way. Oh, yes. It spilled alright. And there were 500 flies ready to help us clean it up immediately! Add this to the dirty diaper Anna provided so graciously, and our car was the happenin' place to be! Or not to be - depends on who you are - fly or human.

Wish you could have been there. Misery loves company! :)

After the morning services, guess what the Bowdens had on their afternoon break-time agenda! While Isaiah and Anna napped blissfully, Mommy and Daddy gritted their teeth, rolled up their sleeves, and got to work. Jonathan dragged the freezer outside and took a hose to it! I got to mop up what seem like a gallon of blood! By the time we finished we were both exhausted, we had used more bleach than we cared to measure, and we didn't care if we EVER saw another speck of cow again!

My hero!

This was certainly, hmmmm, what shall we call it, a learning experience! It didn't dampen our Camp Meeting experience one bit, though. I suppose it actually enhanced it! This will be a Camp Meeting that we will NEVER forget! I told Jonathan after it was all over (several days over, and the trauma was slowly beginning to abate), "Well, no matter how bad it was, we all survived, didn't we!"

Everyone, that is, except the cow. .Sorry, Bessie.

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5 Things I Took for Granted...

I've come to realize that there are many things that I once took for granted. Here are just 5 of them!

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1. Water

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Water - you know, you turn on the facet, and voila! You have water. Ummm... At least that's how it was when I lived in Pennsylvania! On the few - very few - occasions that we weren't going to have water, the town borough would call several days in advance, "Hello, this is a courtesy call to let you know that the water will be off for one hour while we work on the lines."

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Well, THAT was in PA. Once we moved to Niger, I realized (very quickly) that I took running water for granted. Here, our water comes and goes. While it is on for the most part, we never know when we might turn the handle and - gurgle, gurgle, splahhhh... silence. No water. We keep large plastic containers in our kitchen and in each bathroom for just such occasions! One never wants to get caught in Niger without water. I never realized just how many things I used water for until I didn't have any!

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Here are only a few uses!

• Drinking (that's a given - a very important one!)
• Cooking
• Washing dishes (we try to clean them right away - they attract less bugs that way!)
• Cleaning (a never ending project in this hot, dusty climate!)
• Showers and baths (a necessity in 90-100+ degree weather)
• Toilets (obviously, also a necessity)
• Cute, chubby, grubby little hands and faces, covered with breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, sand, dirt, etc.
• My hands after cleaning up cute, chubby, grubby little hands and faces
• This list could go on, but for now, you can let your imagination run wild...

We love it when the water's working! Here's one way the kids love to cool off...

This small wading pool is in our back yard - we fixed it up and painted it a few weeks after we moved in. It's perfect for Isaiah and Anna!

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2. Electricity
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I love light. I love having light accessible at all times - especially when it's dark, and especially in my kitchen when it's dark! Again, as with water, we never know if we'll have electricity or not. Our house is located in the best area of Maradi for electricity. We are on the same line as the hospital and the governor's house, therefore, the town turns our electricity off last. Whew! I'm thankful for that. Still, we lose it for several hours a week on average. Sometimes it's better, sometimes, it's worse. If we don't have electricity, we don't have fans, we don't have Internet access, we can't use our computers, and we don't have light. Electricity is one thing I will never take for granted again! Whenever it returns, we all breathe a thankful prayer and a sign of relief.

3. Walmart

I say Walmart, but this goes for Target, BJs, Sam's Club, Aldi's, Home Depot, the Mall, you name it! ANYWHERE that has to do with shopping! I took the ease of shopping in the States for granted. It was so easy to run to the store and pick up everything I needed for two weeks. Wow! And what variety! Niger's stores are a stunning contrast. For example, we just found baking soda here in Maradi, after looking for it for several months. It was in a pharmacy, of all places! I was so excited to have it at last! Yessss! Now I can make cookies! Oh... no chocolate chips. Oh, well, we'll have peanut butter cookies instead! (you can make fresh peanut butter here.)

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Necessity truly is the Mother of Invention. I'm becoming a connoisseur of creativity. This week, I made my own ketchup and my own powdered sugar from scratch! It took more time and energy, but I did it, and I felt excited and grateful to have the supplies I needed to do so. We are also becoming good at substituting ingredients. Canned soups, for example (cream of mushroom, tomato soup, cream of chicken, etc), are nowhere to be found. Instead, we make a white sauce and add whatever we think might taste good to make it equivalent to a can of soup. Even though it takes more time and energy, we eat very well here in Niger!

Here I am in my kitchen. I may not have convenient sweet treats from a store, but I do have raw sugar cane! Mmmm! It's a fun, refreshing treat!

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4. Bugs

Previously, I enjoyed a life of blissful ignorance in the area of arthopods - i.e. bugs, insects, etc. I took not having to deal with BIG bugs on a daily basis for granted! We are just coming out of the rainy season right now, so everything has lots of water for growing. It's great for trees, plants, and crops, but other creatures take advantage of it as well! I shudder to think of the grasshoppers, locust, cockroaches, earwigs, mosquitos, and ants I kill on a weekly basis. We keep the house very clean, which cuts down greatly on their numbers, but still they manage to find their way in from outside on occasion. I try not to complain when one startles the living daylights out of me - I am living in Africa, after all!

5. English

Oh, how I love English! .It's rather hard to come by these days. I took for granted being able to converse, get to know someone, and catch up on what's new in my own language. I am so thankful to be learning Hausa as quickly as we are, though. With 3-4 hours a day in Hausa lessons, and fewer than 1/2 dozen people that speak English around us in Maradi, we are in the perfect environment for learning quickly. All sermons, all worship, all conversation is in Hausa. To help us learn faster, Jonathan has been taking Hausa Scripture verses and putting them to music, as well as transposing songs we know from English into Hausa. We are making flashcards, drilling one another, and speaking Hausa with the people as much as we can.

Here we are with our Hausa teacher, Rabi.

Today, our family went visiting! Visiting is a great way to learn Hausa. I sat on a low stool, under the shade of a large tree, chatting (yes, in Hausa!) with Goma, Pastor Hashimou's wife, for over an hour. While we talked, our children chased chickens and played in the sand! Everyone had so much fun!

Anna was fascinated - she'd never seen anything like it before in her life!

I took being able to communicate for granted. If I want to communicate here, I must learn another language - the language of the Hausa people! Both Jonathan and I have thrown ourselves into learning the language. We must! Someday, along with saying, "Oh, how I love English", I'll be saying, "Oh, how I love Hausa!"
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~*~

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As I ponder on these 5 things that I took for granted, I realize that I don't necessarily wish to have them back again. I enjoy the challenges of living on the edge, learning to prepare for challenges ahead of time, enjoying the thrill of finding something in the market that I've been searching for, and learning a new language. I wouldn't trade my experiences for the world. Well, I'd trade the bugs, but everything else, I'll keep!

One Special Little Guy!

We celebrated Isaiah's 3rd birthday yesterday! I not only celebrated his birthday, I celebrated who he is becoming. What a special joy our little guy is!

Isaiah is an encourager!

Isaiah loves to encourage people - just like his Daddy! The night before his birthday, I stayed up to decorate with balloons and set out some gifts. He, supposedly in bed, called me into his room at one point. He said in a low voice, "Good job puttin' up balloons, Mommy!" (Yeah, they were supposed to be a surprise!) We have a window opening in the wall between the hallway our bedrooms are in and the living room where I was decorating. I thought it was high enough to "hide" what I was doing, but apparently my son is growing taller. Or his jumping ability is increasing! He even proved that to me when I fained surprise, "Balloons? What balloons?" He, grinning, stretched his little neck as far up as he could, attempting to peer through the high window. "Those ones, Mommy!", jumping and pointing to the balloons I had just put up. I was caught! I had to laugh.

Balloons and Ribbons! Isaiah's special place at the breakfast table is ready!

Isaiah has a "Good job!" for every family member at the appropriate time. "Good job, Daddy, for fixin' that!" Good job, Anna!" It is usually accompanied by a huge grin, and a happy twinkle in those precious big blue eyes. Isaiah's had that spunky twinkle ever since he was born. I just love it! He is known to give compliments, too! "Aw, Anna! You looks so pretty!" The most endearing part about Isaiah's compliments is that they are straight from his heart. He means every word!

I made our family's special recipe for Sweet and Sour Chicken!

It's a birthday tradition!

Irmiya (center), who works for us as our-day guard, made Isaiah a special bean and rice stew to celebrate African-style!

Isaiah is very much, a little BOY! I see this especially now that I can compare between him and Anna (who is very much a little GIRL!).

Opening a package from Uncle Mark and Aunt Bri - what a fun surprise!

Just because you're all girl doesn't mean you can't be an adventurer! Anna mastered the dining room table on Isaiah's birthday! Good thing her big brother was there to say, "Mommy! Come quick! Anna's on the table!"

Isaiah loves BUGS.

This fascination has its advantages. Since moving to Niger, I feel like I have encountered more bugs than I had in my whole life combined before. I maintain a low tolerance for them, especially when they feel overly comfortable in my home. This seems to have been passed on to Isaiah as he is now the supreme "big killer" of the household. Shoes? Who needs shoes when you have two perfectly good bare feet?!! My new problem is that I have had to ask him to tone down the extent of the execution. "Ok, Buddy, one squish is enough. Just enough to kill the bug. W-a-i-t!!!" (Stomp stomp stomp stomp!) "There, Mommy, now I really got 'im!" Sigh... Makes for a messy clean-up job, but at least I didn't have to do it!

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Lizards rank pretty high on the fascination list too. Just a few days ago, Isaiah spent the morning shooting lizards with his squirt gun. Now isn't that every boy's dream-come-true?!!! And how many boys actually get to do it? Isaiah's living it up in Niger!

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Isaiah loves to worship Jesus!
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Jonathan and I have recently begun to hear a little voice, humming and singing Hausa worship songs. It's precious beyond words. When we go to church, Isaiah dances to the African rhythms and grins with abandon as he worships. Just the other day, I heard Jonathan ask, "What are you doing, Isaiah?" "I'm singin' to Jesus," came the perky reply!

Our little drummer! I can't write a blog about Isaiah without having at least one drum picture!
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I can't believe how much you can love a little person, especially a little person who you had no idea who they were or what they would mean to you just a few years ago. I'm so thankful for Isaiah... and Anna! They bless me every day.

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Happy Birthday, to my special little guy, Isaiah! I love you!

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Since when?

How is it that one day when you wake up, your baby is no longer a baby? It's officially happened to me. My Anna is no longer a baby - she's a little girl!

Anna Delight

Since when did you like having your hair done up with ribbons and bows, baby girl? Since when did you start begging to wear your prettiest dresses every day? Since when did I start to feel you pulling on my skirt, wanting me to put on your dress shoes? Since when did you smile like daybreak when I told you you were beautiful? Since when did you leave behind your babyhood? Since when did you become a little girl?

Here's the latest trend...

Anna brings me one of her shoes and begs me to put it on. She'll wear just one for hours! I think she likes the different sounds her little feet make, "Slap, clap, slap, clap, slap, clap," as she toddles around the house.

Grow up, one day at a time, little one -

It's what you were created to do!

Like a butterfly, spreading her wings, my Anna has started to fly!

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Bestest Buddies

I took a few minutes to sit back, watch, and listen as Isaiah and Anna played together today. I've found such joy in watching their little friendship as brother and sister unfold and begin to blossom.

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I'm so proud of Isaiah. He is becoming a fantastic big brother! I love hearing his little voice pipe up, and say, "Anna, you wanna come play with me?" When Anna's having a hard time he gently coos, "It's okay, Anna," (patting her on the back), "Shhh... Don't cry, it's okay."

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Over the last few weeks, Isaiah and Anna have jumped headfirst into experiencing that challenging season of learning to share, learning to put someone else first, and learning to enjoy another person's company. This season has moments that are precious and priceless, but is not without its times of frustration and difficulty. Day by day, I see them grow and mature just a tiny bit more. They are a constant source of joy to us.

Bestest buddies playing together on our front porch. Some matchbox cars and clothespins - what more could a kid want?!!

Today I watched as Isaiah tried to play with his favorite truck. Anna started to take it away, wanting to be included. Isaiah pulled back away from her and I saw that look flash across his face - the moment of decision - to push her away in frustration, or to choose to put her above himself. I knew what emotions were shooting through his mind. I've been there! :)

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I was so proud (and surprised!) when he patted Anna on the back and gave her his truck. Wow!

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Isaiah spotted a lizard today while we were outside today. Here she is:

We have dozens of lizards that run, play, and live in our yard! They range anywhere from 2in. long (the babies) to over 12in long (the males). This is probably a female. The males are bright purple and orange - very cool! Even better, they eat bugs for a living! As far as I'm concerned, they're friends!

Yesterday, I gave in to my craving for something sweet and chocolaty! I made chocolate pudding from scratch. It was sooo yummy! Anna thought so, too. We had some after lunch today, and here she is - "sweet" from head to toe!

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Thankful

So many things to be thankful for...

I'm thankful that the Lord provided us with a home that suits our families needs - perfectly!

I'm thankful that I am finally learning the Hausa language... sitting through a church service and trying to buy vegetables in the market are just not as fun when you can't understand a word that's being said!

I'm thankful that I have such a wonderful husband. Jonathan spent a lot of time making my birthday this past Sunday really special. He even found chocolate to give me as a gift! It, along with some other yummy goodies, were wrapped in lovely wrapping paper that he managed to find in one of the Maradi stores. He decorated my room with balloons and streamers (toilet paper streamers - that's ingenuity for you!), and hacked into my FaceBook to leave a special message on my status. Awww... I just love my man!

I'm thankful for my children. I feel as though I'm watching Isaiah and Anna blossom before my very eyes. Isaiah talks a mile-a-minute now, and Anna climbs fast enough to cause any young mother's heart to miss a beat as she's discovered - proudly standing on the highest surface she can master. They are settling in beautifully - especially since we moved into a home of our own. I could just hug 'em and squeeze 'em all day long!

I'm thankful for sunshine (110 degrees two days ago - how about that!) and I'm thankful for rain (it cools things down so beautifully!). I'm also thankful for the AC Jonathan and I have in our bedroom and in our Land Cruiser! It's a lifesaver!

I'm thankful for the opportunity I had to go out to a village with a visiting medical team last week. It was a dream come true! I realized half-way through my day there that I was actually living a moment I dreamed about over 10 years ago... A dream that, at the time, I thought could never come true. Wow! How good the Lord is to bring me step by step to this place.

I'm thankful for Jesus Christ, and the free gift of salvation that He has given us. I'm thankful for the freedom, the joy, and the peace that I live in because I gave my life to Him. Every day, I am surrounded by hundreds of people who have never walked in, or even heard about, this salvation, this joy, this freedom, and this peace. I was dumbfounded last week when I looked down one alleyway and realized I could see over a hundred people going about their daily lives - and that was just one small street. The thought hit me - "How many of these people have ever heard about Jesus?"

I am thankful for you. So many of you have lifted me up - encouraging me by calling, writing letters, emailing, FaceBooking, sending packages, and most of all praying. I can't describe how much it means. Thank you!

So many things to be thankful for! My cup overflows...