Yesterday was my birthday and it was the best one I've ever had!! I had a meeting with Dave from WorldVenture. He was the final "gatekeeper" as far as my departure clearance was concerned.
At the end of the meeting, he gave me clearance to buy my ticket to Lusaka. So I came home and did.
I'm leaving on Sunday, December 7th at 9:20 PM from Phoenix! Wheeeeee!!!
Can you believe it! It's finally here. I am soooo excited!
If time really were in a bottle, I'd pour it out right now. This waiting is killing me. I'm no good at it.
About 4 weeks ago, I requested departure clearance. Since that time, I've checked and double checked to make sure that all requirements have been met (they have been). I've prayed to get the clearance quickly; I've begged and pleaded with God. I've sat on my hands and tried to be patient. I'm not that good at being patient.
I cannot buy my ticket for Lusaka until I get official clearance. I understand why that's important. It's no good to run off half-cocked. But in the mean time, I'm watching ticket prices go up. I'm unable to make plans for commissioning services and going-away parties.
Everyone keeps telling me that it's all in God's time. I know that. And I know that His timing is perfect. That doesn't actually make the waiting any easier. Have I mentioned I'm not very good at that?
Whoo Hoo!!! I'm all done with the required reading for WorldVenture!
For the past two years, most of my reading has been educational/informative. I haven't gotten to read many books just because I wanted to. I'm so looking forward to the stack of leisure books I've got waiting for me.
The October newsletter is here: click here
Recently, I was convicted by the Holy Spirit about focusing too much on the future. I've been so obsessed with getting to Zambia, that I haven't really bothered to live in the here and now. So I've started doing more things in my church. I was already involved with the choir/praise team and the missions committee. Now I've added being involved with children's ministries and with the Operation Christmas Child (Shoeboxes) as well as participating in a women's Bible study. I'm enjoying all of it and the people that I am getting to know better.
I try to justify my behavior by saying that I had two jobs (lawfirm and support raising). And to some degree, that was a good reason not to be as involved as I could have been. However, it really has more to do with being so single-minded and looking ahead that I forgot to remember today.
So now, I am enjoying today and all that it has to offer. And I am enjoying volunteering at the church during the week, as well as completing all I need to do for my departure to Zambia.
However, there are still days when I feel a little "homesick." Today was one of those days. I really am excited about to moving to Lusaka. One of the things I want to do most is dance at church! My body is German, my demeanor and my passport are American, but my soul - my soul is African. Always has been.
I want to be home. So, this evening, I allowed myself a quick glimpse. See for yourself. Who wouldn't want to be part of that?
The September newsletter is here: click here
You'll also find some archived newsletters in a new section on the index bar to the right. :~D
Whoo Hoo!! Support is up to 89.45%!!!
The past month has been pretty difficult for me. I realized that there's no way I'm going to be able to leave by the end of August, primarily because my support pretty much stalled. I was so certain that I was going to be leaving today.
Clearly, that didn't happen. Right now my support is only at 73%. WorldVenture requires that I have 100%. I agree with their rationale. They want me to focus on the work I've been called to do instead of trying to survive the day. It's a good rationale.
However, it doesn't make the waiting any easier. It doesn't make the questions any easier either. People want to know when I'm leaving: "I don't know. My support needs to be at 100%." They want to know what the hold up is: "I don't know."
What I do know is that God has a plan in place. He hasn't shared that with any of us yet, but I'm sure it will be great when He does finally reveal it. And I'm sure it will be worth waiting for.
Today, I sent off 14 packages. They were filled with all the things I think I want to have in Zambia ~ eventually. They are things I won't need right away, but will want to use over the course of my time there. The packages included things like a small Christmas tree, crafting and scrapbooking supplies, books, winter clothes, framed pictures, cooking utensils, and other assorted goodies, mostly sentimental stuff.
Getting this out has really been hanging over my head. I got everything packed up yesterday, and today woke up feeling so free. I feel like I really am one step closer to getting to Africa. Some of my stuff has already been there for a year now (shipped with another container in January 2007). Now the only thing holding me back is a lack of financial support. I know God has a plan for that as well.
I did all kinds of research to find the cheapest way to ship them. Turns out that FedEx Ground would get it to Michigan for the least amount of money. I was expecting to pay about $500 or $600, but after punching in all the dimensions and weights of my boxes, I was only charged about $275!!! Praise God!!
The Word Of The Day is Priceline.com. Once I realized that I'd be heading to D.C., I figured I'd better find a good deal on a hotel and not try to take my chances. I wanted something near the Smithsonian and all the other touristy places, but knew that a hotel there would be outrageously expensive. So I was able to find one within blocks of the Smithsonian for only $64/night (normally $329/night!!!) How cool is that.
I got there on Thursday afternoon (during the middle of rush hour traffic). I oriented myself to what I really wanted to see and then struck out for the International Spy Museum. Totally fun interactive exhibit where I was a spy looking for nuclear trigger that was about to be sold on the black market!!
On Friday, I must have walked close to five miles. I breezed through the Natural History museum on my way to the African Art museum which was holding a special exhibit of Sub-Saharan art. That was really cool. Most of the art was from West and Central Africa, but it was still a great exhibit. Then back to the "Castle" which is the information center for the Smithsonian so I could buy a totally overpriced lunch and a map. Then I walked down the Mall toward the Capitol building and continued North to the National Postal Museum where I got to create some postcard to meter/send directly from the museum. This museum would be a lot of fun for kids (and kids in grown up sized bodies). I had a great time. I used Saturday morning to catch up on some more thank you cards and other work (and really to rest my aching feet) before heading out on the road again.
Saturday afternoon, I arrived in Franklin, West Virginia, where I met some supporters I had never met before. Their daughter is one of my good friends! It was delightful to finally meet them after hearing so much about them. They have recently finalized the adoption of their two little foster children (2 & 3 years old). Those two were certainly full of energy and a lot of fun!!!
Along the way, I have been blessed to meet so many wonderful people (some familiar, some brand new) and hear their stories. God is certainly good. As of today, the official support numbers are at 70%!!!! Yay God!!!
Today, I am in Rodanthe, NC (on the Outerbanks) taking 2 days for vacation. I'm headed out now to find a beach to lay on and rest in God's goodness. There is a lot of smoke in the air from the wild fires burning just west of here. But I know the ocean will do my soul good.
I figure I better get caught up right quick. Internet on the road is a little hit or miss. Since my last update, I've been to New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Washington DC, Virginia, West Virginia, back through Virginia and now in North Carolina!! Whew!!! That's a lot of driving. So here's the speedy update!
Back in February, I met one of the board members for Flying Mission USA. He is an interim pastor near Buffalo, NY. He invited me to come to New York so that he could introduce me to some of his pastor friends and other interested individuals. That got me to thinking that I could make an entire road tour out of this.
So I spent 4 nights in Orchard Park with Dave and Pat K. and their son Matt. It was a whirlwind of activity. I was able to speak in Dave's current church several times and met some lovely people. Dave also introduced me to a number of his friends as well. I am very grateful for the time and energy that Dave and Pat put into this visit and into helping me get to Africa. What a blessing!! One of the things Dave is interested in is recruiting and fund raising for Flying Mission. So we were able to start working on a small video that he can send to churches and small groups as an introcution to FM. I'm still working on fine tuning it. Please pray that I will have time to complete it on this trip.
From Orchard Park, I drove to Walden, NY (about 90 minutes north of NYC) to meet with another pastor. I found out about this church through my Tucson chiropractor who used to attend this church!! Thanks Dr. C!! I had another lovely conversation with Pastor Ryan who agreed to take my information to the church council and promised that they would pray over it before making a decision one way or the other. I was so delighted to hear that. That's become an increasingly rare response these days.
After Indiana, I drove to Grand Rapids to spend a little time with Rick and Tracey – future co-workers. Rick is a pilot for FMZ and is working on getting mechanics license. They’ll be heading back to Zambia about 2 weeks after I get there. They are either moving to Macha or Mukinge, but aren’t exactly sure which one yet.
Rick’s birthday was on Thursday. Three other guys in his class have birthdays around the same time. So some of the wives planned a birthday party at a park for all four of them. All of the class participants are interested in mission aviation. I tried more recruiting, but to no avail. Most of them are already making plans to work with various mission aviation groups.
I got to pepper Rick and Tracey with questions about life in Zambia and specific questions about Flying Missions and its workings. It’s a beautiful thing to have access to that kind of information right now. I am looking forward to working with both of them.
Yesterday I drove to Plainfield, just outside of Indianapolis to see my friend Nellie and her family. I met her and her husband in Alaska in the fall of 1998. When I knew here then, she was pregnant with their first child. My brother and I stopped by to see her seven years when I was moving from North Carolina to Arizona. At that time she was pregnant with her second child. Now she’s pregnant with her third! Darrell says that I only come around when there’s another kid in the works. ;-) It really is just coincidental!!
I got to hang out with her boys who are now nine and six and a half. They are great little people!! It was very fun to get to know them. Of course, it was good to get to talk with Nellie again as well. Back when we both lived in Kotzebue, she was always my voice of reason. It’s something I’ve appreciated for many years. She’s always been a straight shooter.
Since Darrell is a pilot, I tried to some major recruiting for Flying Mission. It would be so cool to have this family in Africa with us. And I know they would be a grand success. Maybe we can all pray for God to call them there. ;-)
The visit with Joel and Phoebe was delightful. On Saturday evening Phoebe and I played a rousing game of Scrabble. She was kicking my tail for most of it. But at the very end she drew a “Z” that she wasn’t able to play. So I ended up beating her by 5 points!
It was wonderful to catch up with them and go to church with them. One of the interesting things I’ve been noticing as I travel the country is the regional differences that are still very much alive. In church, one of the leaders said something about enjoying your “meat and potatoes” at lunch. I kind of figured it was just a cute little saying. After church we visited some friends of theirs: Dick and MaryJean made a marvelous lunch. Scrumptious meat and potatoes!! Who knew!? :-D
Right after lunch I was able to do my presentation. It turns out that Dick had a screen and an amp with microphone so everyone was able to see and hear just fine! How wonderful.
So I got up at 5:45 so that I wouldn’t have to rush around before breakfast at 6:30 and departure at 7:00 am. I checked my e-mail, checked the weather to make sure we were out of the tornadoes and started moseying toward the shower. That’s when Audra called.
“How are you doing? Are you up?”
“Oh, yeah, sure. Just heading to the shower.”
Well, I ended up staying in Colorado for 3 more weeks than I had originally planned. I decided at the last minute to take another class called PILAT. (It stands for Programs In Language Acquisition Theories.) I am so glad I decided to stay! In PILAT I learned how to become an effective language learner.
We focused on two major areas: the first was on phonetics. In English we have 44 sounds that we use. However, there are thousands of sounds that people use throughout the world. So we practiced a number of those sounds - both how to hear them and how to make them. Imagine a group of adults sitting in a room practicing:
click here to see my group practicing voiceless fricative Ls: http://youtube.com/watch?v=Z4bhyDSiJSs
The video below is of our instructor, Dwight G, and another group of students. However, the exercises are the same as the ones we did.
Today was the first day of what I have now dubbed "The Perimeter Tour." It's really a support raising/good-bye tour. From Colorado, I'm heading north to Minnesota, across the top of the US, down the Eastern Seaboard, and back across the South to get back to Tucson. I'm looking at nearly five weeks and 8,000 miles by the time I get back to Arizona around the 1st of July.
Another family who also attended PILAT and SPLICE is driving to Minnesota as well. So we decided to caravan, at least until southern MN. It's nice to have their 9-year-old son in the car with me. He's quite an amiable little guy and I've enjoyed our conversations.
Right now, we're in North Platte, Nebraska. According to Google Maps, it should have taken us about 4 hours to get here. It took nearly 7. The biggest issue for us was the huge number of tornadoes running through Colorado and Nebraska. Thankfully, we didn't run into any of them directly. But we did decide to stop driving sooner than any of us had planned.
We're planning on leaving at 7:00 tomorrow morning and it looks like it should take about eight and a half hours to get to my next stop in Winnebago, MN. I'm assuming that with gas, food, and potty breaks, it may actually take 10 to 11 hours.
Here's hoping for a tornado free day! :-)
SPLICE was an amazing experience!
Initially, I thought it was just about avoiding stepping on toes when I get oversees. Turns out, it's much more than that. It really was much more about self-awareness. We discussed so many different topics with heavy focus on stress and conflict resolution. We also talked about keeping Rest and Sabbath, saying healthy goodbyes, and making smooth(er) transitions.
When I first got to SPLICE, we were told that by the end of the three weeks we would all have bonded very deeply and would be crying when we all left. Being the skeptic that I am, I totally scoffed at that.
We dug deep. We picked at scabs of hurts long buried. We allowed God's grace to wash over us and begin healing. Throughout the process, I learned so much about myself and consequently even more about God and His grace and mercy!
By the end of the three weeks, we had bonded so deeply that we all cried when it was time to say goodbye.
I am thankful for my time here. Over time, i will sort out some more of the emotions that I feel about it, and I will post them here. But for now, this is it.
Do you remember the old Chevy commercial? “See the USA in your Chevrolet”?
I’ve always wanted to do that. I didn't really expect to be able to before I left. But once again, God’s attention to detail is fantastic! Directly after this course is over on May 2nd, I will head out on a driving tour of the eastern USA. This will give me an opportunity to visit with more friends/supporters and meet some new churches. It will also give me time to commune with God is his glorious creation!! I’ll be heading through Minnesota, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, New York, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and Texas. If you live in one of those areas, or nearby, I would love to stop in and see you!
I love sharing the passion God has given me for Zambia and about what HE is doing in my life. If you know of any churches, groups, or individuals who might like to hear more about my calling or place of ministry, please let me know. :-D
No, it’s not that kind of date! It’s a date to leave for Zambia!
WOO HOO!!!!!
In the past, any date I gave was always tempered with: “I hope to leave by…” and “Once I have 100% of my support committed I’ll get to go, but I’m not really sure when that is.” Now that I have finally given my time line up to God, He has given me permission to set a real date. So AUGUST 30th it is!!!
That doesn’t change the fact that my support level still needs to be at 100%. Right now it is at 62%. Would you prayerfully consider helping me reach that goal? If you have any questions about the support process, please feel free to contact me.
Wow!! Everything is moving at warp speed these days, and I'm just trying to keep up!
So much has happened in the past three months, I can hardly fathom it all. I am constantly amazed at how God orchestrates the details of my life! To Him be all the glory!!
Since putting my house back on the market in February, I have 3 separate offers on it!! Since the housing market has gone downhill so significantly throughout the country, I am having to sell my home for less that what I owe the bank (called a “short sale”). So the bank will have the final say on which offer is accepted. Since I am current on my mortgage payments, they really have no reason to move quickly. Banks tend to deal with properties going into foreclosure first. However, we serve a God of miracles. Please pray with me that God will move in the bank employees to process my paperwork quickly and allow me to be released from this responsibility.
The workshop I attended in February in Vancouver, WA was a wonderful experience. Eight different missions agencies were represented at this conference. All were somehow related to mission aviation. The trainers focused on teaching us how to raise capital support for our various missions. Flying Mission will be able to use that information and the tools to raise the $3 million needed to firmly establish our new station in Zambia.
My house is back on the market. On Monday afternoon, my realtor put it back on the multiple listing site. He told me that in this market we should expect 1-2 visits per week. And 3-4 would be extremely good. So far this week, we've had 5!!!
We're doing a short sale which means that I'm trying to sell it for less than what's owed to the bank. Two years ago when I refinanced my house, properties were selling for about $70-80K more than what they are selling for today. So now, I'm upside down on my mortgate. Boo hiss. That mean that once we have an offer, we have to wait for my bank to approve it.
So keep praying for the right buyer and bank approval. I'm guardedly optimistic that we'll have something to work with soon. :-D
I can't believe it's already November. My birthday is next week and I had such great plans to be in Africa by then. Obviously, I'm still here. And I'm tired. My soul is tired.
I'm tired of keeping my house up so people can come look at it. Tired of making the bed every day. Tired of making sure there are no dishes in the sink. Tired of keeping the house tidy. It's been almost 3 weeks since anyone has looked, but "You never know!"
I am exhausted from living in this constant state of limbo. Never really able to make plans, desperately wanting to take a real vacation. Tired of being anxious and uncertain.
I am tired of being alone in my support raising. Not being able to share the load on a daily basis. Not being able to share the joys. I am tired of not really knowing what I'm doing in raising support. God seems to bring in a lot more when I just get out of the way.
I've decided it's important for me to be honest/transparent in my representation of missionary life. Growing up in missionary circles, I saw that "civilians" were happy to share in the victories, but didn't always want to hear about the heartaches.
I think part of it has to do with a perceived level of faith. The thought process goes something like this: "If the missionary has enough faith, then their life will always be good." Or, "If the missionary is depressed or struggling, then surely he/she is not relying on God enough."
Unfortunately, that logic is pretty faulty. God never promises that our lives will be all peaches and cream. He does, however, promise that He will always be with us. That means through the struggles, through the joys, through the depressions and all the victories. Missionaries are not "Super Christians" who have more faith than any other Christian. They're simply Christians who've been called to work in a different environment. And they grow in their faith just like other Believers do.
With that said, I intend to be as honest and transparent as possible. I know that it will scare some people and others will disapprove. But, I want to share the joys and victories as well as the struggles. And I want you to know me as I really am - growing in faith, experiencing the joys and disappointments of every day life.
My mom has published a book. It's about her call into missions and life among the Inupiaq of NW Alaska. It even has naked pictures of my brother and me!!!!! Yikes!
Anyway, the book is called "Whiter Than Snow" and is available for purchase. Check out the online site at www.seilerfamily.net/book or contact me by posting a comment or sending me an e-mail if you would like to purchase a copy for $15.
We are all very proud of Mom!
On August 10, 2007, I had my giblets removed, also known as a total thyroidectomy. It's taken me a little while to get this onto the blog. But quick summary is that it all went well and I'm recovering nicely!
On that Friday morning, Mom and Dad picked me up at home and drove me to the hospital. After signing in, we were handed a light-up coaster ~ the kind you would get at a very busy restaurant!! Turned out to be pretty handy. They used it to call me up to register. Then when it was time for me to get prepped, they gave the coaster to my parents so that they would know when everything was done. I kept waiting for the waitress to bring me my drink with an umbrella. She never did show up. Hmm.
After chatting with the doctor and his assisting doctor, and getting an IV plugged into my hand, the anesthesiologiest came in to bring me my cocktail. I had been told that I would begin to get drowsy and that in the operating room, they would ask me to get onto the operating table. Then she squirted in the juice.
I said goodbye to Mom and Dad and they started rolling me out of the pre-op room. Then I woke up in recovery. I don't even remember making it out of my little pre-op room!! Click on the picture below to see all the pics from recovery.
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| Thyroidect |
So my house is still for sale. My listing ran out and my realtor suggested that I try For Sale By Owner (FSBO) so that I could reduce the price. I've added a link to my photo album. If you know of anyone interested in a 3 bedroom/2 bath home in NW Tucson, please send them to this site! They can e-mail me by posting a comment on this blog. :-D
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| House for Sale |
I'm back in Littleton, CO, for more training. It's January. There's been much snow. And I'm getting training in preparation to move to Africa. Tee hee.
I'm spending a lot of time indoors. But since I did buy a coat specifically for this trip, I decided that I would need to go outside at least for a little while.
Our heads are getting stuffed with a lot of information again. All useful and applicable to all areas, regardless of where our final assignments will be.
The best part is seeing many of the people who were appointed at the same time that I was. It's like seeing old friends again!! Three of the women were pregnant in June. All of the babies (all girls) were born within a month of each other. I was so excited to meet all of little girls. They are all beautiful and adorable and generally content. I feel like an auntie!
Tomorrow, we move to a hotel in Aurora for Renewal Conference. Many of the World Venture missionaries who are currently on home assignment will be there. I'm looking forward to getting a chance to speak with some of those folks and get an "inside perspective."
Someone pointed out to me the other day that I only have seven months until I plan to leave for Africa. I about fainted when she said that.
SEVEN MONTHS!!!!!
There's still so much to do!! Still trying to sell my house. Still raising support (I'm hovering around 14% right now). Making sure that I send out news letters at the right intervals. Taking classes as part of the requirement for World Venture. Putting together a prayer team and a Barnabas team. And through it all, I'm still working full time.
So I've been a bit overwhelmed recently. It's been a struggle to make sure that I get everything done on time, especially when I'd love to just sit still for a while.
But last Monday, I was able to get all kinds of stuff done, including sending out my German letter. Yep, I’ve got to translate (with help) all of my news letters that go to friends and relatives in Germany. I had spent the night with my parents from New Year’s eve and all day Monday. Since my parents were working hard, I stuck around and did a bunch of my work too. Whew!!!
It was great to get so much done. Even though there’s still much to do, it was nice to clear some things off the to-do list and breathe a little easier. Now I seem to have a bit of momentum and can keep things going a little better.
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!
The primary function of Flying Mission’s existence is to support those who are already doing God’s work in rural parts of Zambia and Botswana. That involves a lot of flying of people and their stuff. I love flying in small planes. You’re far enough off the ground to get a great birds eye view of the landscape and not so far that you feel like you’re on a roller coaster ride.
So imagine my excitement when Bryan (FM Zambia director) told me that I could fly along to Macha while I was there. I was standing at the airstrip bright eyed and bushy tailed at 7:00 AM! Those of you who know me well know what a feat that is for me!
Macha is a village of about 200-300 people. It takes six hours to cover the bumpy dirt road between Lusaka and Macha during the dry season. However, we flew the distance in just under an hour in our six-seater plane. An airplane landing at the airstrip is quite an event! So a fair crowd had gathered in Macha to see who was arriving.
Many wonderful things are happening in Macha.
Wednesday started out pretty normal. However, as the morning wore on, I realized that I was starting to feel the heat and humidity. I was also getting a little tired of all the bugs. I worked in the office a bit in the morning and then had lunch with Rick and Tracy.
After lunch the three of us left for downtown Lusaka. Rick dropped Tracy and me off in a shopping district of town called Kumwala. The streets are lined with stores selling everything from rugs to appliances to household items. Many of the stores sold fabric used for the wrap skirts. They are called chitenge in the local Nyanja language. I bought several while I was there. They are quite comfortable to wear and incredibly versatile. The sidewalks in front of the stores were lined with vendors. Shoes. Tomatoes. Cell phones. Fish. Bananas. Whatever you wanted, you could find it. The streets in Kumwala were dusty and hot and crowded.
In order to sell her car, Tracy had to fill out a ream of paperwork. We found that at the police headquarters. Canadian imigration (for when she marries Rick) required her to get fingerprinted and a background check. We went to InterPol for that. The interesting thing about both of those places was the working arrangement. The offices generally just had several long tables and 3-8 people working in each office. There was no airconditioning, so the windows were open and everyone was hoping for a cross-breeze. I saw no computers anywhere and if there was a phone, it was one phone for the entire office. And somehow the work still gets done.
On Monday morning, I drove the 13 kilometers (about 8 miles) with Bryan to Chilongolo. It took us about 30 minutes because of the conditions of the road. Chilongolo is the name of the farm where the Flying Mission airstrip and office is. Makeni Road started out paved in Lusaka. As we drove out of town, there were more and more potholes. Eventually, it was just a very bumpy dirt road.
During this week, about 20 men were on the farm being trained to build with Hydraform blocks. The blocks are made with only 5% cement and 95% local soil (dirt). The soil is very clay-rich in Zambia, so all of the blocks were a beautiful shade of red. Hydraform blocks are interlocking and therefore don’t require any mortar. It’s a wonderful and inexspensive way to build in rural Zambia. By the end of the week, the men had completed a toilet/shower building for the new worker housing.
Bryan gave me a tour of the Farm and I met Roger and Sally Green, a lovely couple from England. Roger and Sally are in charge of the physical projects. Sally also runs a soccer ministry with the children in the area. We had lunch with the Greens on Monday.
Coming in to Lusaka was pretty incredible. The skies had been too cloudy for me to see anything along the way; however, at the border I was able to see a huge lake and then most of the way into the city. Lusaka is a very spread out town with some high rises in the center. Surrounding the city is a lot of farm land with smaller houses and even a lot of mud huts with thatched roofs.
I made it through customs ok. Getting a visa is now $100!!! Instead of the $50 is used to be. I guess, the Zambian government charges whatever the reciprocal country is charging. (So, for example, Germans only pay $25. I’m going to have to work on getting my German passport again.)
I flew in with Rick and Tracy (missionaries who met here in Lusaka two years ago – getting married in January) whom I’d met at the retreat near Jo’burg. They gave me a ride to Bryan and Diane Wilson’s home. (Bryan is the FM Zambia director.) On the way in we stopped for pizza. It was really pretty decent.
On Friday night at the retreat, we had a bonfire. It was huge! In fact, it was so big, that most people sitting near it had to move to get out of the heat. The general idea was to sing praise songs and share what God had been doing in your life. Mostly it ended up being a time to sing. A few people did share some wonderful insights.
Several of the songs we sang were in Setswana (the most common language spoken in Botswana). Obviously, I couldn’t sing along on those. So I listened, and soaked in the music.
Listening to the songs took me back to 1993 when I was driving down a busy road in Seattle. I heard a song on the radio called “O Se Baba” which means Thank You, Father in one of the Nigerian languages. It had beautiful African rhythms and beats and a fantastic chorus of African voices. It was at that time that I KNEW without a doubt that God wanted me to do missions work in Africa. However, I said NO and kept doing my own thing.
When Bryan first told me that I would need to attend the Flying Mission retreat in South Africa, I was a little skeptical. I wasn’t sure that I would enjoy meeting so many new people, most of whom work in Botswana. Since I’ll be moving to Zambia, I won’t actually get to spend much time with them.
However, the retreat was phenomenal! And the people were even better! I feel like I’ve come away with new friends.
In the morning we had worship time, then a speaker. The theme for this retreat was “Change.” The speaker focused first on personal change from a Biblical perspective (why, how, when, etc), then on corporate change (again, why it’s important and how to manage it).
After lunch, we had nothing on the schedule again until supper. This meant that I had several hours at a time to get to know other FM team members. It really was good to get a chance to meet so many of them. Now when I read the weekly e-memo or e-mail people, I’ll be able to put a name to a face!
The retreat took place at Stony Ridge Retreat Center about 45 minutes west of Jo’burg and belongs to Scripture Union. The accommodations were quite rustic. The beds all had springs to hold up the mattresses. Five of us “single gals” shared the room. So every time someone moved, the bed would squeak. It was also extremely non-supportive for anyone’s back. So I put my mattress on the floor. I’m sure it started out as a 4” mattress many years ago. It’s a little thinner these days. However, sleeping on the floor was certainly better than sleeping on the coil spring bed. And I’m sure my chiropractor will appreciate it also! ;-)
We had a swimming pool right next to the thatched-roof dining hall. The pool was extremely cold, but I got talked into swimming anyway. ;-) It really was quite refreshing.
Today I went to the Apartheid Museum. It is amazing what we will do to each other in the name of money and religion.
Officially, the political practice of Apartheid began in 1948. The hate and segregation was building up long before that. The simple version is that conflicts broke out over land and money (from gold and diamonds). The Afrikaans (Dutch decendants - white) got the upper hand in the 1930s and were able to pull it off. They remained in power for over 50 years.
Numerous anti-Apartheid activists were imprisoned, killed, or banned. In 1991, then president FW De Klerk, commuted Nelson Madela's life sentence and he was allowed to go free. Around the same time he also lifted all of the bans, freeing many other activists from their home-imprisonments and allowing anti-Apartheid movements to take place legally (they'd been taking place illegally for many years).
In 1994, the first fully democratic vote took place in South Africa. Apartheid was officially over.
The museum did and oustanding job on portraying the history of Apartheid and the events leading up to it. Well worth a visit if you are ever here. I spent about 2 1/2 hours there. The next time I come back, I'll probably go through it again. I'm sure there's stuff I missed on this visit.
Today, Blacks (completely African) and Coloureds (Blacks mixed with something else, or other minority races) have many more freedoms. South Africa has made much better strides in repairing race relations than has the US. It's really only been a decade. However, there is still huge disparity between the haves (primarily white) and the have-nots. It will be interesting to see how things change in the next decade.
Tonight Kathy took us to dinner at Dros. A very nice restaurant that serves burgers, steaks, pizzas and a few other items. We also invited Mark's two assistants: Siza and Rioleen. Two very lovely women. Rioleen ordered a cheese pizza with chicken livers. Pretty sure we'd never see that in the "good ol' USA."
At dinner I ordered the Monkey Gland Burger. I was told that the sauce is made from a gland taken from behind the monkey's ears. The burger was delicious.
South Africa has the highest crime rate (as an entire nation) in the world. For that reason, all the houses and shops have bars on them.
I'm not talking about bars just on the windows. Every window, every door has bars. Then the entire property is surrounded by a wall. The wall is either an iron spiked fence or a brick wall with iron spikes on top. Then on top of that is an electric fence. And still, people's homes are robbed/burglarized. People are routinely carjacked and held up at gun point. Sometimes the only thing the thief gets away with is a cell phone. Often these crimes happen in broad daylight. Yet everyone goes about their daily business.
So while the bars are a good thing, for the most part, they can also cause some problems. Nichole, one of the other World Venture missionaries here, told us that she was unable to get out of her yard today. Her gate remote (like a garage door opener) batteries had gone dead. It was 5:45 in the morning so no one else was awake. She had to wait for her landlords to wake up so she could get let out to buy new batteries. Yikes!
Yesterday morning I arrived in Johannesburg. Kathy Schaaf picked me up at the airport. (Kathy and her husband Mark are the Southern Africa area directors for World Venture. Unfortunately, I won't get to meet Mark on this trip since he is in Madagascar on business.) Before she arrived, I was able to confirm my flight to Zambia on Sunday and exchange some US Dollars for South African Rand. The exchange rate is about Rand 7.6 to $1. So I had a sandwich for lunch that was Rand 29, which looks like a lot of money at first. But I'm starting to work out the conversion thing.
When we got back to Kathy's house around 10 AM, I took a 2 hour nap, which was wonderful. I'd been moving since 7:00 AM Saturday morning. 10:00 AM South Africa time is 1:00 AM Arizona time. So I'd been on the move for 42 hours at that point. I did sleep some on the plane and in the London airport, but it's never quite the same as sleeping in your own bed.
In the afternoon we picked up Kathy's daughters, Sara and Katy from school. Both girls are delightful. We had great conversation around the dinner table. At dinner we tried to find as many different ways to say thank you as we could. I think we rounded up 15 - 20 languages between the four of us. Not bad.
Grey's Anatomy (yep, the one we get too) was just coming on around 7:30 when I decided it was time for me to go to bed. I was pretty pleased at having made it that far. And I slept good. Didn't get up again until about 6:30 this morning!! Yay!
This morning I went to Lawley with Kathy, who is a nurse. Lawley is a suburb of Jo'burg. It used to be an "informal settlement", which means it was just shacks. Now part of Lawley is a "formal settlment". So the structures in Lawley One are normal houses and quite sturdy. In Lawley Two, they are still basically shacks, and there is no running water at all. All the water is trucked in. All of the front yards are wonderfully clean, and most have vegetable and flower gardens in them.
I made it to South Africa. Praise God! Both flights were rather uneventful - which is just the way I lke them.
While I was sitting in the London Heathrow airport for many hours, I observed a number of things. Here are two of them:
Little girl in a denim dress
Sits in a red chair and giggles.
She tries another red one,
And then a green one.
And finally decides -
The best seat in the house is still
Daddy's lap.
Wow!! Only two more sleeps before I leave for Africa! I can't wait! :-)
And I've still got a lot to do and the next two nights will undoubtedly be very short. However, thanks to the help of some friends, it's starting to look a little more manageable.
The other day, I asked a handy-man to help me with some work around the house. He said he wouldn't finish installing the shower door because I had already started. (Note to self - never start a handy-man project if you can't finish it. None of them will touch it with a 39 1/2-foot pole.) Then I asked him to paint one interior door and 8 door frames/jambs. He thought it was going to take 5 hours (at $25/hour). I thought it was a little steep, but willing to pay because I needed to get it done. When he came back the next day to get started, he told me he had thought it over, and it was really going to take 10 hours. Apparently, he's a very slow painter. I told him to take a hike.
I've been feeling a bit stressed recently - working full time, taking two classes, trying to prepare for a two-week trip to Africa on October 14, and full-time missions in July of next year, AND getting my house ready to put on the market. Yeah, just a little on my plate.
God did make it clear he wanted the house on the market before I leave next weekend. And there are an amazing number of "little" jobs that need to be done by then. Every time I turn around I find something else.
One of the things I've been most concerned about is how little support raising I've been able to do. I should be much farther along at this point, but haven't been able to give it much attention. But God knows that I'm doing as much as I can humanly do.
God proved this with some wonderful encouragement.
Yee Haw! Only 10 more sleeps until I leave for Africa!!
I'm so excited I can hardly stand myself. :-D
My Bible has been found!!!
I can get back to thumping people with it. Yay!!
God has led me to put my house up for sale, specifically before my trip to Africa in 2 weeks!! So I have been spending a lot of time doing little jobs around the house to make it look fresher more "sellable." (hence, no blog entries.)
Last Saturday, I was blessed in the most marvelous way!! Eight adults and five children (most of them from my church) came to my house to help me with the many odd jobs. My brother even drove over from Los Angeles to help! Together we were able to get so much done - changing out sinks and faucets, updating light fixtures, pulling weeds, painting the kitches cupboards and more. At the end of the day, I was exhausted, but elated. I have just a few little jobs to finish up (painting door jambs and cleaning up the "junk room" and things like that), but I can certainly see the light at the end of the tunnel. Praise God for such marvelous people to come and help me!!!
A terrible thing has happened. I have lost my Bible!!!!
![chained_Bible_small[1].jpg](http://www.seilerfamily.net/gabriele/chained_Bible_small%5B1%5D.jpg)
Now, I am no expert in all things missionary. However, I'm pretty sure this is not good. And, in gereneral, this sort of thing is frowned upon! Oh dear.
Thankfully, I've got my back-up Bible. But the one I lost is the New Living Translation, which is my personal favorite. I've already done tons of highlighting and writing in the margins - you know, all the good stuff.
I'm not quite sure how a missionary wanna-be loses her Bible. Oh, woe is me! The last time I remember seeing it was at Bible Study Fellowship last week. I've been looking for it ever since. I was quite hopeful that I would find it at BSF last night, but to no avail.
Maybe someone who needed that specific Bible more than I has it now. I'll keep using my back-up Bible.
Flying Mission is trying to fill a 40-foot shipping container with items that will be useful in our Zambia office as well as for other organizations in Zambia. My church has allowed me to put a half-sheet announcement in our Sunday bulletin which has generated some interest.
Today I got a message from our church secretary that someone had dropped some stuff off at the church office. So during my lunch break I went over to pick it up.
Turns out, this gentleman left us a new Gateway laptop, a gently used printer, a UPS (universal power supply) and some publishing software!!! Way cool!!!!
God certainly is good in His provisions!!!!!!
Sunday was another relaxing day. Church in the morning – we had a series of questions to answer about the churches we visited. We were to look at each of our churches through the lens of an appointee since we’ll all be visiting numerous churches soon. I went to a large church with Kelly Jo and Jon and since it was a very depressing service, I won’t mention the name of it. We’re really hoping that service was the exception to the rule and everyone who knows the church seems to believe that was the case. In the evening, we all got together to discuss our churches.
Tracy and I took the afternoon for some down time by getting pedicures. Gotta love that!!! I’ll do everything I can to dispel that nasty myth about missionaries and their fashion sense. ;-)
After our meeting in the evening, we all got together to make sushi. Asa, a Japanese woman in our class, and Matt, one of the other guys in the class were the ringleaders. Asa brought her rice cookers from home and taught us all how to roll sushi. I even got to roll my own sushi! How fun is that!?!?!? Way cool!
Well, I did promise you an update on the remainder of my Colorado trip. So here we go – just the highlights!
On Friday morning we heard from the treasurer who explained to us a little of how our accounts will work and the options we have of accessing/maintaining them. He also told us about all of the other financial aspects that World Venture manages for us: financial commitments and support, gifts, healthcare, retirement, etc. Once I’m on the field they’ll even file my taxes for me! Talk about motivation to get to Africa!!!
Friday afternoon was nerd heaven, and I loved it! We talked about the World Venture websites and all that we can access through it, prayer letters (both on line and on paper), and a variety of web portals that will come in quite handy. Now, I just have to remember where to find them and then practice. Tee hee.
Well, it got crazy busy and I was depending on a computer in the common area. So I couldn't spend as much time as I wanted updating the blog. However, I promise, I will get you updated on all the wonderful events and details of training before the end of the weekend!
Whew! We've done a lot in the last two days. We've been busy from 8:00 to 5:00 each day and will be again tomorrow.
Yesterday we heard from a number of department heads. They shared with us their personal histories with World Venture as well as their current roles. Lots of organizational structure information and so forth - you know, all the stuff you have to learn when you first get to any new organization.
Today we started in on our personal introductions. We'll use them many, many times as we start talking in churches, women's groups, Sunday schools, and many other places.
So yesterday I had my debriefing with the psychologist. She went over the results of the tests I had taken about 2 months ago (personality bubble test and cross cultural adaptation test). We talked about strategies for coping with living in another culture and what I can do to prepare.
Overall, the tests tell me that I'm average. Who knew ;-) Not so crazy afterall.
By the end of the day, all of the candidates had completed their psych debriefing and interviews with the committee. Everyone made it through! Yay for God!! Very exciting!
I had lunch with the Internation Ministries Director of Africa, Glenn Kendall, and his wife Kathy. It was very nice and gave me some time to ask questions specific to my ministry in Zambia and South Africa. While I was at their house, the person I will be responsible to in South Africa called. Mark S. and his wife Kathy were also able to provide me with some more specific information and I was able to ask more directed questions.
Last night, a number of us all made stir fry together. One of the women is Japanese and brought her rice cookers with her. So we had a scrumptious meal!
I was so exhausted by the end of the two days of interviews and activity that I was falling asleep by 8:00 PM last night.
Today we start with orientation and classes. 8:00 - 5:00 for three days. More later!
Well, I survived the interview and I'm in!!!!
I've officially been accepted into World Venture. The interview went quite well, though I was very emotional throughout. The board members were all very nice and obviously want us all to succeed and send us out into the mission field.
At the end of the interview, they kicked me out for a few minutes to "discuss amongst themselves." When they brought me back in, they gave me an actual hard, magnetic name tag!! So I'm official now!
Woo hoo!!!
On the way down to the hotel lobby, a young couple got on the elevator with me and saw my folder. They asked if I was with World Venture. It was the other candidate couple. So once again - instant friends!
We all headed to a Covenant church just a few blocks away from the office. They were very excited to see us and asked one of the guys to talk about what the group was doing. Matt did a very nice job.
We all had lunch together and then began playing ice breaker games. The first one was "I Never." The one where one person stands in the middle of the circle and tells something they have never done. If you have done it, you have to get up and change seats. The person in the middle tries to get one of those empty seats. It was pretty entertaining and we did learn some interesting things about each other.
Well, I'm going to attempt to blog every day because there is so much happening. We have one computer available to us in the guest lounge.
I arrived in Denver on Saturday afternoon on a very bumpy flight. I really tried my best. But after finally making it into the DIA terminel, I sacrified my lunch to the porcelain gods. Eventually, I found the right luggage carousel, and thankfully both of my bags were on it. Then I found the bus I was to take to Littleton.
While standing at the bus stop, I noticed a girl who looked like she might be headed to World Venture also. I check the schedule that had been sent to me to see if I could figure out who she was. While I was looking, she got on another bus - so obviously not her.
So I'm getting ready to go to Colorado on Saturday for the World Venture interviews, commissioning, and trainging. I'm excited. But also stressed.
I'm trying to get as caught up at work as I possibly can (I'm perpetually 2-4 weeks behind) and work on all of the assignments I need to have completed for WV before I leave.
And, oh yeah, my brother Michael and his girlfriend Stacia will be here on Thursday and Friday nights. Whew!! Thanks goodness I like them both a lot! For the confused, Carsten and Michael are the same guy. Read more here on the name change. They'll be driving me to the airport in Phoenix on Saturday - nice kids that they are :D
My official interview is on Monday from 2:00 - 3:30. Please pray that God's will shines through for us all to clearly see in this matter.
I'll update again as soon as I can. :-D
I got an e-mail from Mom today. She and Dad are still in Nigeria. Mom said she was offered locusts and honey. And she ate them! Way to go, Mom!!!!
She said she was feeling a bit like John the Baptizer and, "They're not so bad if you don't look at them."
Oh, Dear Lord, I know I'm looking forward to living in Africa. But if there's any way to avoid it, I'd like to not have to eat bugs - of any sort - pleeeease!!!
You all just wait and see...that'll be my cue to eat toasted termites.
I live in a convection oven!
Today it was officially 105 degrees here in the Old Pueblo. Couple that with the 4% humidity and the wind, I could have been cooked in under thirty minutes!!
I am absolutely looking forward to going Colorado (for World Venture interviews and training), if for no other reason than to cool off in the 80 degree temps.
I've also been looking up average temperatures for Lusaka, Zambia. Turns out the average high is