Living Waters

“Come to me, all you who are struggling hard and carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest.
Put on my yoke, and learn from me.
I am gentle and humble.
You will find rest for yourselves.
My yoke is easy to bear, and my burden is light.”     —-Jesus.
 (found in Matthew 11:28-30, CEB)

What a gift to spend 24 hours at Living Waters Retreat in Delmar, MD!  The waters of Leonard Pond lap lightly at the edge of the yard, a piece of art looks like the Holy Spirit on the move, and there is a quiet nourishment in the calling of the birds and the sun glinting on the water.  Being gifted a time away during the Lenten Quarantine made us both feel a little guilty, as we know not everyone can have the same respite.  We are grateful for the rest and reprieve, even though our time was cut short by the governor’s new requirement to stay home.

Biked 12 miles through the DE-MD countryside!

  

Leonard Pond

Freedom

Freedom means different things in different settings.  We live in a country where normally we are free to go and come as we desire.  With mandatory “stay at home” orders from our governor, our freedom to move about is limited in order to better care for one another in the face of the current pandemic.  We can get angry about losing our freedom, or we can find that suddenly we have a new-found freedom to do things that we normally don’t make time for.

Araminta Ross chose her free name, Harriet Tubman, separating herself from the time in her life when she was a “Tasked”, as Ta-Nehisi Coates describes enslaved persons in his novel, The Water Dancer.  She was committed to freeing as many of the “Tasked” as she could, stealing them out from under the noses of the “Quality”, those who felt they had the power to “own” another human being.  Harriet risked her life multiple times, returning again and again to Dorchester County, Maryland to collect more and more family members and neighbors, guiding them to freedom in Philadelphia.  They had to pass through fields, forests and marshy areas without being caught by slave catchers.

Blackwater Refuge, Dorchester County, MD

They risked everything to reach a place where they no longer lived as the “Tasked”, but could make their own decisions about where to go and what to do. I am inspired by the courage and commitment exhibited by those who insisted that people do not own people.  Period.  

Jesus talks about freedom too....freedom which comes from the truth.  His listeners didn’t think they needed freeing, but they were mistaken.  (See John 8:31-41).  We all need to be freed from something.  Perhaps it is a negative attitude, or self-importance, or self-deprecation, or fears, or being a slave to our calendars, or ..... We all need to listen for the truth.  

In Awe

I am in awe of the skilled hands of Mojoko W. as she forms perfectly ROUND puff puffs.  I tried my hand at frying the delicious African dough today.  Mine did not come out very round, but have many little side “legs” and “arms”.  Flavor is still good and met with approval here at home!

My other project has been to alter a beautiful Nigerian dress gifted to me by a church member.  I am in awe of the gifted seamstress who originally made this dress.  With long distance help from my mom, I took it in and even learned how to tie a simple head wrap!  Woo 

hoo!

A Lenten Quarantine

As we learned in our family trivia game (thanks to Zoom) last night, the Latin root of the word “quarantine” comes from the idea of being kept isolated from others for 40 days.   Sound familiar?Lent is a 40 day period of preparation for celebrating the resurrection, often marked by fasting (separating yourself from something—food, chocolate, social media, maybe even other people!), prayer and study.

The idea of social distancing was used widely in Europe in the late 1300’s during the bubonic plague.  A 30 day period was practiced, and within about a century the isolation practice became a quarantino (Italian for 40 days).

2020 marks the year of the Lenten quarantine... a time when we all are forced to separate ourselves physically from one another to stop the spread of the coronavirus.  Unlike our ancestors in the 1400’s, we actually have multiple ways to continue to communicate and interact with those we love.  We have chosen to write and call friends and family we have not seen or talked to for awhile.  Some have taken the days to clean, organize or de-clutter (reminds me of our church-wide focus on Lent 2019—maybe we need to make that an annual task!).

In the midst of scary news around the world, a rush on basic necessities like toilet paper, loss of income and livelihoods for many, and interruption of educational and all other “normal” activity, we continue our journey through the Lenten quarantine.  Perhaps God is speaking to us all:  learn to cooperate, pay attention to the most vulnerable, spend your time on people you love, learn to walk without fear, but trust in the Lord for all things.

In these days we are getting a taste of what others in our world experience on a daily basis and we don’t like it!  Perhaps the experience of empty shelves in the grocery stores, the shortages of medical supplies for hospitals, etc. can give us a greater empathy for our brothers and sisters in nations like Cuba, where one never knows when a particular product may be available, where ingenuity and a “make do” attitude is a must due to ongoing scarcity of resources.  Perhaps when we find that “developed” and “less developed” nations alike are being brought to their knees, we see more clearly the commonalities among all of God’s children who share this globe.

The Jollof Debate

Jollof rice is a mainstay food of multiple African cultures, and there is ongoing discussion about where it originated.  Nigerians, Ghanaians and Senegalese all want to claim it!   Perhaps it’s roots are in the Senegambia region of West Africa (you guessed it, the area including Senegal, Gambia and parts of several other nations) with the Wolof people.  There are regional variations in Nigeria, Ghana and even in East Africa, in Kenya.  It is a delightful mix of tomato, onion and pepper with spices, and the grains of rice soak up the flavor as they cook.  It has similar characteristics to Cajun jambalaya.  Jollof rice can be adapted in many ways—keep it vegetarian, add meat or chicken or fish, serve it with plantains or veggies.  I could feel at home in Ghanaian, Kenyan or Cameroonian kitchens with my Jollof rice recipe. Delicious!

A taste of Kenya

Mary and Blessing

Mary Chege (a niece of Ruth Gachao) has a 15 month old daughter named Blessing.  They live in Central Kenya in the town of Karuru.  Mary is teaching Blessing the local language of Kikuyu for now, and she will be exposed to  English when she gets older. Mary works as a logistics supervisor at Tropical Heat, a spice company which exports globally.  I learned how to say God in Kikuyu:  NGAI.   

Ngai, shower your blessings on the world so full of fear...fill us with a spirit of cooperation instead of competition, so that all the Blessings of your global family will have a chance for health and hope. Keep those on the front lines safe and encouraged in the fight to control this virus.  Thank you Lord, Amen 

Trying my hand at making samosas, a filled fried pastry.

Filled with beans and onion and spices, including curry.

Samosas ready for frying.

Fry 3-4 minutes, turning over several times.

Yum! The Kenyan samosas remind me in some ways of the empanadas in the Dominican Republic.  Crossover threads from culture to culture. What else do Kenyans have in common with other cultures?  Still so much to learn.  Tonight Dan and I will watch “The Unknown Runner” from Kenya “with” Tim and Hannah (in Chicago) and then have a FaceTime discussion afterwards.

Patience Prescription

Healing from knee surgery requires patience, effort and determination.  Caring for someone healing from knee surgery requires patience, creativity and commitment.  We both are tired at the end of each day, but it is encouraging to see forward progress, decreased need for pain meds and reduction in swelling.  Thank the Lord for healing mercies.  And an added bonus: Dan and I are having a lot of  together time! 😊. I am thankful I can be here to accompany him in the healing process.
“Two are better than one because they have a good return for their hard work.  If either should fall, one can pick up the other.”  Ecclesiastes 4:9-10a

A taste of Ghana

The coronavirus is forcing us all into a sabbatical of sorts.  Terms like shelter in place, self quarantine  and social distancing have now become part of our daily vocabulary.
 I am unable to travel to Ghana and Kenya right now,  but I am planning to continue learning about and experiencing some Ghanaian and Kenyan culture.  Tonight I prepared ground nut stew from Ghana (beef, onions, tomatoes, peanut butter and spices).  Served over rice, we are well nourished.  God is good.
This prayer, found in Extending the Table (a world community cookbook by the Mennonites), was written by a child in Ghana:  We thank you, Lord, that was such a good meal.  The soup was good.  The meat was good.  The hot pepper and the yam were good.  O Lord, our stomachs are full.  Our bodies have what they need.  This is a new miracle every day.  We thank you for it and also for the good taste that lingers on our tongues.  How refreshing your water was! With this meal you gave us the strength required for the day.  Add to it your Spirit so that we might use your strength rightly.  Give us, besides food for our bodies, your heavenly food for our whole life.  Praised be you, merciful God.  Amen.

Ground nut stew with rice, sprinkled with peanuts!

Raleigh Mosaic

The little bits and pieces of our many experiences in life combine to make a beautiful mosaic....

“Now faith, hope and love remain—-these three things—and the greatest of these is love.”  Paul, to the Corinthian church (and to all of us!)

Spring is coming,

Learning from the Little Ones

As an older sister, I can connect with Abigail’s adjustment to welcoming in a baby brother.  I don’t remember it, but my mother tells me that for a time period I too pretended to give milk to my doll while she fed my brother! Abigail is a nurturer and a caregiver extraordinaire.  She pays close attention to detail and loves to arrange her stuffed animals around her little brother.  She brings much joy to her parents, and I know Paxton will just adore her when he gets a little older, absorbing her every move.
Today, Abigail and I “played” with cousin Pierce (in California) on FaceTime.  They loved showing each other their toys and we had a long game of hide and seek (thanks to adults with the cameras on either end).  What a delight to watch the two of them interact even though they are not physically present to one another.
As we all adjust to life with restrictions based on safety for all in the face of the coronavirus pandemic, we would do well to find ways to communicate with one another that will continue to bring joy, encouragement and hope even when we are isolated from work mates, friends, school mates or church family for a time.
Thanks for the lessons, Abigail!

A Love Receptacle

Paxton James definitely makes himself heard!

 (Abigail says:  “Baby sad.” when she hears him crying, but I think more accurate would be “Baby mad!”). The world revolves around him for right now.  Some day he will learn things like patience, trust and hope.  Right now he is the recipient of love from a family who welcomes him and cares for him.

Paxton is a love receptacle, plain and simple.  He reminds me that we all are recipients of God’s love, plain and simple.  Thanks be to God.

Dominican Mosaic

As I reflect on my days in the Dominican Republic, I would like to share a photo mosaic of images that struck me.  It is especially meaningful to me, as I have been following a Lenten devotional which has been using mosaics as its theme.  And this morning I worshiped at Mosaic Church!  Enjoy the mosaic....

Sidewalk mosaic, Villa Vazquez

Fruit stand, Villa Vazquez

Rafael Hiraldo (Carmen Harman's brother) and Dan, Puerto Plata

Sunset, Sosua

Bella Vista, view behind Carmen's home

Breakfast at Carmen's

Carmen's son Ediman

El Morro beach, Montecristi

View of El Morro, Montecristi

Francisca's grandsons

Knitting my way through the DR!

Pastor Rafael Soto (left) in the future new sanctuary for the IED, Sosua

Rice grains

Seen on the wall at the school in Bella Vista:  Let's be friends

Silvia, Carmen's sister, has a hair salon attached to her home

Playa Alicia, Sosua

Briana Figeroa on Independence Day!

View across the port from the Fortaleza, Puerto Plata  

at the Cathlic Church, Puerto Plata