the gift of Gab

On Thursday my friend Tony and I went to see The Nativity Story. It was really well done and quite accurate with the exception of the Wise Men. In the movie, they showed up on the night of the birth. That made Harod's order to kill all boys under the age of two seem rather illogical. Over all though, it was historically and Biblically accurate (not a blond-haired/blue-eyed person in sight).

I especially enjoyed the very real emotions that came through. Some of the things we don't think about all that often are the fears and difficulties that both Mary and Joseph, as well as their families, had to deal with. For example, trying to explain to your fiancee that the child you are carrying is that of the Holy Spirit can't be so easy. And what about the looks and the gossip of the rest of the community? For the rest of their lives they were known as that couple that had the child out of wedlock and looked down on because of it. Knowing that you are carrying the Messiah for your people and all mankind would also be overwhelming and not so stress-free. All of those emotions, and many more, came through very authentically in the movie.

The most interesting thing to me was the credits. Not because of who was listed there, but because of the audience reaction.

Normally, when the credits start rolling, everyone in the theater gets up and starts heading toward the door. However, during these credits everyone was silent (even the couple behind us who had been having a coversation at full volume throughout the whole movie) and no one got up to move.

I'm not entirely sure why that happened. Maybe it was because the story seemed so much more human. Maybe it was because we really thought about the fears and struggles. But my hope is it has to do with the power of the true story of Christ's birth.

Posted by Gabi at 4:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

So I had a relapse into insanity tonight. Must have been the plate of crazy I had for dinner. I went out with the girls, then decided I needed to go to Wal-Mart for some more Christmas cards.

Now, I'm not a big fan of Wal-Mart, especially not a week before Christmas, however, they do have ganga deals on boxed cards. I figured that since I had already fought the parking lot traffic and found a spot only a mile and a half from the front door, I might as well buy a few other things.

I roamed around picking up what I needed. Rolled over a few stray shoes in the shoe department. Only got my cart knocked around a few times. Then I got into the "speedy checkout" line.

At Wal-Mart, the speedy checkout is a bit of an oxymoron. You're allowed to bring up to 20 items through that line. That already fills up most of the conveyor belt. To top it off, the girl running that cash register was anything but speedy. She carefully examined, then scanned each item. I was 4th or 5th in line, and it took me no less than 30 mintues to make it through the express lane!!!

I love Christmas for the gift of God's son and the promise of salvation. But I can't stand the retail craziness.

I can't wait for January!

Posted by Gabi at 9:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Michael's ordination was fantastic!! I am so glad that I was able to be a part of it. Michael is well on his way to becoming a priest in the Charismatic Episcopal Church, something he's felt called to do for a long time. He is obvioulsy loved and supported by his church family and seminary friends. And since we're so far away him, I'm very glad for him.

Michael and Joshua lying prostrate before the bishop as those of us in the congregation pledged to uphold the ordinands in their new positions

Deacon Michael performing one of his duties

The Deacon and the sister

All of us

Mom and Deacon "Mikey the Great" (as the Priest's children call him) at the huge celebration

Posted by Gabi at 10:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

My brother Carsten Michael is being ordained on Sunday. It's very exciting. Our whole family has been waiting for this for quite some time. So I'm headed out to LA for the ordination service. Mom and Dad will be there too.

Michael is being ordained in the Charismatic Episcopal Church as a Deacon. When he's a priest, he'll still be my brother. So what will I call him?

I suppose it will have to be Father Li'l Bro. But for now, he'll be The Reverend Deacon Li'l Bro.

Posted by Gabi at 7:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

On Friday, Gertjan and Janneke came into Lusaka. Janneke, a researcher at the Malaria Research center in Macha, was doing a presentation to a major Swiss pharmaceutical company in Lusaka that day. Gertjan came along to provide some IT help to Bryan. Bryan and Diane have been unable to get their Internet working at home and Gertjan had one last trick up his sleeve. Unfortunately, that didn't work either. Having Internet at home would allow Bryan to spend more time with his family and less late-at-night time in the office.

So I jumped at the opportunity and hitched a ride to the Wilson's house. This gave me a chance to spend a little more time with Diane. I would have liked to spend a little more time with her throughout the week, but that was pretty difficult since I was dependent on other people for rides.

It was great to quiz her on how she and her family have been adjusting to a 3rd baby, her husband's new job, an international move and just life in general in a new home. The babies were all asleep, so our converstation was much more relaxed and "grown up" than it had been earlier in the week.

Rainy season in Zambia officially starts on Independence Day (Oct. 24). However, it didn't rain until that Friday. It was a wonderful, cooling rain. The ground drank in the moisture and we rejoiced in the rain!! How refreshing. When the boys woke up from their naps, Diane (who is British) put on their swimming costumes (bathing suits) and wellies (rubber boots) and Toby and Ross ran into the puddles to play. It was little boy heaven!

Meanwhile, back at the Farm, Sue was planning on taking her two boys and our two short-term volunteers to youth group (12-20 year-olds) at their church in town. She asked me to come along to keep her company while we waited for the boys. All six of us jammed into the 5-passenger car and bumped our way into Lusaka.

After dropping off the boys, Sue and I drove to nearby Arcade Mall, the other western-style mall in Lusaka. We walked around for a little while passing a movie theater, high-end boutiques, a grocery store, an internet cafe, a food court, and a Subway sandwich store. They have basically the same sandwiches there for about the same prices as the Subways here.

We sat at one of the tables in the courtyard and swaped stories about how we ended up in Zambia. Sue's husband Joel is a missionary kid who grew up in Zambia and Botswana. Sue was an elementary school teacher in Michigan. They met in Ecuador on a short-term missions trip. The rest, as they say, is history. I'd hardly had a chance to speak with Sue all week. She homeschools her children and they were in the middle of Iowa Basic Standardized Testing - even there. I was very glad to have a chance to connect with Sue.

On Saturday, Rick drove me back into town where we picked up Tracy. Before taking me to the airport, they took me to a craft market that takes place on the last Saturday of every month. The Dutch Reform church puts it on as a fund raiser. Over a hundred local vendors were there selling a huge array of hand made crafts, clothing, furniture, plants, and food. The majority of those visiting the market are white ex-patriates. The word for white people in Zambia is Muzungu. It doesn't seem to have a negative connotation, but I'll let you know down the road whether that's accurate. Tracy called the market "Muzungu Madness." She wasn't far off. The stalls were crowed with people from many other countries. I couldn't even keep track of all the languages I heard there. The crafts were all wonderfullly made. I wish I'd had a much bigger suitcase to bring back one of everything. But I just stuck with flat things - small wall hangings, note cards, small bowls, etc.

After lunch, it was time to head back to the airport where I started my 48 hour journey back to Tucson.

What an amazing trip! I am so excited to get back there next year!

Posted by Gabi at 9:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)