Many "Firsts"

written by Laura Consford
We recently returned to the United States from Ghana for furlough. Our children are experiencing many “firsts.” Some of them are things that they have done before, but it has been so long that they do not really remember doing it before.
One day, I was out shopping with my five-year-old daughter and my mother-in-law. It was close to lunch time. Nana asked Bonnie if she wanted to go to McDonalds for lunch. Bonnie just looked at her. Then, it hit me that she did not remember McDonalds. After eating lunch there, she thought it was a pretty great place! The boys were upset that we went to McDonalds without them!
Our “first” trip to Wal-Mart was quite a shocking experience too. There are big super-market type stores in Ghana but none in our area. When we first walked in, Gilbert said, “It’s so big!” Bonnie said, “It’s so clean!” Danny wanted to make sure that there were plenty more of his favorite items still on the shelf. (In Ghana, if we see something that we really want, we have to buy it right away because it usually is not there the next time that we go back.)
Our children have been hoping for snow too.  They got their wish! They were up bright and early the next morning waiting to build a snowman.  It was only an inch or two of snow, but that was lots of snow for children who have been living in Africa! The snow melted before the day was out, but they did get a snowman built in the morning.
Another first was a trip to the dentist for all of the children. They were all a little leery of going to the dentist, but they decided that it was not so bad. My husband had to go to the dentist in Ghana; after the children heard him talk about his dentist's visit, they were not so sure about going to the dentist.
The children saw a bald eagle by the lake near our house. They were really amazed about that. They have also enjoyed spotting deer and raccoon and listening to the coyotes howl at night. However, they do not want to go outside after dark by themselves. "What if a coyote gets us???"
Seeing things for the “first” time through the eyes of our children is such a joy!  Until next week, keep your sunny side up!

Furlough Findings

written by Laura Consford

Well, it has been quite a while since you heard from me. Our departure from Africa went a little differently than we had planned.  Instead of the whole family leaving on Christmas Day, I left a few days earlier with Emily Aaron and their new baby Elise. Elise was born on December 15, 2013. A couple days after she was born, it was evident that she would need to return to the United States immediately for a surgery to correct a bowel problem. Because it was so close to Christmas, it was not possible to get a seat for their whole family on the airplane. There were only two seats available. I was able to change my ticket to fly back with Emily and Elise. This left our husbands and seven children in Ghana. They were able to take the flight on Christmas Day. For five days, the men were chief cooks and bottle washers. My husband said that with two men and seven children, basically all they did was eat and wash dishes. They came to the conclusion that being Mom is a lot of work!
Everyone made it back to the U.S. safely. Elise had surgery and is doing well.
It has been interesting to listen to the things that our children have noticed that are different here than they are in Ghana. Bonnie was two when we went back to Africa; so, she did not remember much about America. 
Danny was telling Bonnie all about the drinking fountain one day before we left Africa. He said, “Bonnie, at our church, there is a machine; you just push a button, and water comes out! You can drink it right out of that machine!” Danny was sure to point it out to her as soon as we got to church. The boys were helping her and showing her how it worked. That night when we got to church, Bonnie decided to use the drinking fountain all by herself. When she came to sit down, the whole front of her dress and coat were wet. When I reached inside her bag to pull her Bible out, it was wet too. I asked her what happened. She said that she had a little trouble with that fountain thing; she decided that maybe she still needed a little help.  
All of our drinking water in Ghana had to be filtered; we never drink water straight from the faucet there. That was an adjustment for Danny. The first couple days, he kept searching for water. He said, “Mom, I am thirsty, but I cannot find any water.” I reminded him that he could drink it right out of the faucet here. He looked at me a little sheepishly and said, “Oh, I forgot about that.”  
As we were driving along one day, Gilbert said, “It’s so clean here!” Bonnie said, “Mom, they don’t have baskets on their heads!” Danny wanted to know where all of the people were who should be walking along the side of the road. Bonnie said, “Mom, there’s no one selling snails on the side of the road either.” There are a lot of street vendors in Ghana. 
Someone asked Bonnie if it was nicer here or in Ghana. Bonnie said, “Well, there are no bumpy roads here!” She thought that summed it all up!
We were preparing to travel from Texas to Oklahoma. Danny asked, “Mom, do they use the same money in Oklahoma as they do in Texas?”
I am sure that this is just the beginning of our “furlough findings”! Until next week, keep your sunny side up!

Furlough Frenzy

We are counting the days until Christmas for more than one reason this year.  We are leaving for furlough late in the evening on Christmas Day.  Several factors weighed in on that decision; one of them was that the tickets were $200 per person cheaper on that day.  So, we will celebrate Christmas a little late once we get to Texas.  We will have a little something for the kids to open before the long flights though.

While the children finish up their school semester, I am in “furlough frenzy” mode.  Decisions, decisions – what to pack away, what to leave out, what to give away, what to take back with us, etc.

We have been talking to our children about furlough and things that are different in America.  Somehow we got on the topic of refrigerators that have an ice maker built into them.  Danny was having a hard time wrapping his head around that one.  He wanted to know how it worked, but he was excited about an endless supply of ice!  He is always disappointed when our ice bin is empty.

Our daughter was talking about the color of a certain cup.  She said, “My teacher calls that color ‘lemon green.’” I told her that in America, it is called lime green.  Here in West Africa, all of the citrus fruits are green, whether it is a lemon, a lime, or an orange. Bonnie had a hard time believing that the lemons in America are yellow.

The boys both remember things about America, but Bonnie was two when we left and does not remember much about it.  It will be fun to experience things through her eyes!

Until next week, keep your sunny side up!

Out of Focus

Recently, I had an infection in my eyes.  Everything was a little hazy and out of focus there for a few days.

Sometimes things are right in front of us, but we do not see them.  I am sure that every mother has heard this question and probably multiple times a day: “Mom, have you seen my . . .?”  I saw a quote the other day that said that if Mom cannot find something, then it is really lost.  Many times, if the children just focused a little, they would find those missing items all on their own; it is much easier to hit the panic button and call for Mom!

Many times, things become out of focus in our daily lives.  We get overwhelmed by problems or circumstances.  Instead of lifting our eyes to the hills where the source of our help is as is mentioned in Psalm 121, we try to fix the problems ourselves.  Things quickly become “out of focus.”  Many times we go to God with our problems as a last resort.  If He was our first resort, just think how much more quickly those problems would be solved.  If we start each day focused on God and we keep our focus there, we will not have to worry about the trials that we are facing.  We will still face trials, but we will not be overwhelmed so easily if we keep our focus on God throughout the trial.

Until next week, keep your sunny side up!

Zip, Boom, Bang!

Last week, I mentioned a story about a zip-line which would have to be told another time.  Someone asked about the zip-line story.  So, I will share it with you today.

One summer while I was attending Oklahoma Baptist College, I traveled in a singing group.  It was an ensemble made up of six young ladies.  We traveled with various staff members and their families throughout the summer.  At some point during that summer, we were up in Minnesota.  We were travelling with a couple who had four children.  We were in a fifteen passenger van with a luggage trailer behind us; there was plenty of room for everyone.

We arrived at a church early in the afternoon.  We did some exploring and found a zip-line out behind the church.  It was about fifteen feet high with sand underneath it.  Some of the girls were afraid to try it out.  So, I was going to show them how to do it.  I climbed up to the top, sat down on the edge, and prepared for take-off.  A couple seconds after I pushed off, the handle apparatus bounced up off of the track, and I fell straight down.  I was a little shaken, but I did not want to give up.  So, I tried it again and had the same results.  I zipped for a couple feet and then found myself straight down on the ground again.  You know the saying, “If you fall off a horse, get back on and try it again.”  The other girls were watching with wide eyes.  I had done nothing to help them not be afraid; that is for sure!  I decided to try it one more time only to fall straight down again.  By that time, everything was starting to tingle.  My hands were sore from having the handles jerked out of them.  My whole body hurt.  I said, “Three strikes, and I’m out!” One of the other girls tried it, and she was successful.  Another girl worked up the courage to try it, and she had the same results as I did – falling flat on her back.  At that point, we went to find the staff member who was travelling with us.  He said that he had never heard of anyone falling from a zip line.  He had his oldest son get up there and try it, and he rode it all the way to the end.  I do not know what we did wrong, but to this day, I have never touched another zip-line!

While we were singing at that church that night, my arms were going into muscle spasms.  That night, the other girl who fell and I ended up staying at the same house.  We were both quite stiff.

The next day, we visited the Mall of America.  I was not among those with their arms raised up in the air on the roller coaster that day; I could barely lift my hand to my mouth let alone above my head!

Until next week, keep your sunny side up!

Lessons from a Ladder

Recently, my husband traveled to another town and was gone for a couple days.  It seems like we always have some type of excitement when Daddy is gone.  The first day that he was gone, the power was off several times throughout the day.  I waited for about thirty minutes each time before I went outside to fire up the generator.  Sometimes, it is only off for a few minutes; other times, it is off for hours.  

One afternoon while he was gone, the boys had been playing outside.  They needed to borrow some of Dad’s tools for the project that they were doing.  When it was time to come inside, they put the tools away and locked the door. When Danny was bringing the keys inside, he was throwing them up in the air as he went. He must have thrown them quite high because he sheepishly came in and told me that he threw the keys up and that they had landed on the roof of the carport. The eave of the carport is about ten feet high.  Danny said, “How will we ever get them down, Mom? I’m going to be in big trouble with Dad!”  I was right in the middle of fixing supper.  I told him to wait a few minutes, and I would come out to see what we could do.

Climbing ladders is not my favorite thing, but I got some practice in that day. We have an eight-foot folding ladder.  I had Danny help me get the ladder.  (I am afraid of heights, which might have something to do with falling from a zip line three times in the same day once upon a time, but that is another story!) On the first try, I got to the top of the ladder, and it was too close to the edge of the carport to see anything. So, I got down, moved the ladder, and tried it again. I still could not see the keys. So, I moved the ladder out into the yard, climbed the ladder, and spotted the keys. They had landed just behind the only tree that is next to the carport.  It is some type of evergreen tree with heavy branches. On the next attempt, I climbed the ladder as I dodged tree branches only to discover that I was not in the right spot. So, I got down, moved the ladder, and tried it again. I finally got the keys!

Later, I got to thinking about climbing that ladder.  It is a picture of living by faith.  It is easy to sing about living by faith, but actually doing it is another story.  The Bible says in Galatians 2:20: I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

To get to the top of the ladder, one must go forward.  My son was down on the ground watching me.  He had no idea that it scared me to climb that ladder.  I could have just waited for someone else to get the keys down the next day, but it was an urgent matter to him.  I had to go forward.  Moses would not have parted the Red Sea if he had not obeyed God’s instructions.  (Exodus 14)  He wanted God to tell the people to go forward, but God told Moses to just do what He had told him to do.  

What “ladder” are you facing today?  

Until next week, keep your sunny side up!

“To Market, To Market…”

Going to the market circle in our town is quite an experience.  It is truly an adventure when the whole family goes!  Our children did not have school today.  We needed to get some material to have some outfits made.  So, we loaded up and headed to town.

The market in Takoradi, Ghana, is set up in a unique fashion.  There is a circle that is one mile in circumference.  All the way around the outside of the circle, there are little stores.  There is also a roadway that is off to the side of the road right in front of the little stores.  It is full of people sitting on stools or buckets selling their wares that include fruits, vegetables, dried fish, cooking utensils, cleaning supplies, cooking supplies, shoes, clothes, and just about anything you can imagine.  The people sitting on buckets or stools have not paid for a booth in the market; they are just “squatters.”  From time to time, the market police come through, and the “squatters” put their wares on their head and take off running. 

Inside the circle, there are many different rows of little shanty type stalls.  Walking through there is kind of like going through a maze.  You might pass the pigs’ feet on your way to get fabric.  Or, you might have to step aside for a whole cow that is being carried through. 

As we were driving around the circle today looking for a parking space, Bonnie said, “I’m going to pray that we make it out of here!”  She bowed her head, closed her eyes, and prayed right then that God would help us to get out of that circle.  I forgot to mention that there is also an open sewer ditch that runs along the outside of that roadway where the vendors sit on their stools and buckets.  The ditch is covered with cement, but there are big openings every few yards.  The smell is worse on some days than others.  It was a nice, sunny day today; so, the smells were quite strong. That was with the windows up and the AC on!

My husband and I were just praying for a parking space.  We passed several cars that were double parked.  The Lord had saved us a parking space right at the end of the parking area. 

We got out of the car and put the buddy system into play immediately.  My husband had a boy on each side, and Bonnie was my “partner.”  As we ventured inside the market circle, we had to form a single-file line to squeeze through.  We made it to the row where we needed to turn to head to see a lady who sells fabric.  After we got the fabric, she took us to the tailor.  He got the boys’ measurements.  Then, we went to see the seamstress.  All the while, people were talking to us in Fante.  When Bonnie greeted them in Fante and told them that her Fante name was “Yaa Baby,” they went wild.  Everyone wanted to talk to Yaa Baby after that.

Just as we got back to the outside of the circle, here came the market police.  Women were running in all directions to avoid the police. 

When we got back to the car, the parking attendant was there waiting to be paid.  She tried to make us pay double the price because we had been there “so long.”  When we told her that we had been there for less than thirty minutes, she took the fifty pesewas ($.25) like she was supposed to.  The cost is fifty pesewas per hour.

And thus we survived another trip to the market circle!

Until next week, keep your sunny side up!

Laughs from Little Ones

The other day, our oldest son was trying to encourage his brother to eat his peas.  He said, “Danny, they are so good!  It is like that song, ‘I’ve got peas like a river!’”  After we stopped laughing, we explained to Gilbert that the song says, “I’ve got peace like a river,” not peas!

At the breakfast table one morning, Gilbert said something to Bonnie.  She said, “Liar, liar, pants on fire!” back to him.  Gilbert said, “Mom, Bonnie called me a liar.”  Bonnie said, “I wasn’t calling you a liar, Gilbert.  I was just practicing!”  It is not a bad idea to practice what you say before you say it, but I do not think that was what she was doing.

Until next week, keep your sunny side up!

"Everyone Has Their Talents!"

One evening as I was making supper, my three children were all in the kitchen helping me.  I was giving them each a different job to do.  Danny, who turns seven today, is usually the one who makes the Kool-Aid, but he was busy stirring the meat.  So, I asked Gilbert, who is eight, to make the Kool-Aid.  Gilbert usually mixes up the powdered milk, but he does not make Kool-Aid very often.  He emptied the Kool-Aid powder into the pitcher first.  Bonnie, who is five, informed Gilbert that he was supposed to put the sugar in first because that is how Danny and Mom do it.  Danny said, “It’s okay, Bonnie. Everyone has their talents!”  I had never thought of making Kool-Aid as a talent before.  If that is a talent, then I have lots of talents!!

What is your talent? 

Until next week, keep your sunny side up!

Walking Like a Baptist

A couple weeks ago, my husband and I traveled to the capital city for a doctor’s appointment.  Another missionary family kept our children for us.  So, it was just the two of us.  We stayed in a guest house which is close to a main road that contains lots of little shops and restaurants; that area is called Osu.  There are also many souvenir vendors along that road.  The traffic is always very congested on that road.  So, we usually just park the vehicle at the guest house and then walk back to that main road.

As we were walking along the main road, the souvenir vendors kept commenting, “Oh, a family; how nice, how nice!”  I commented to Joe that a couple was not usually considered a “family.”  He said that it was just strange for them to see a white husband and wife walking together.  We also heard them saying “husband and wife” in a tribal language.  We caused quite the stir!

We were just enjoying our walk.  Unbeknownst to us, the pastor of the church which is right next to the guest house saw us as we were walking.  The next day at church, he said that he had seen us walking in town.  He said to himself, “Wow! A white couple walking together through Osu!”  Then, he said that he thought to himself, “They walk like Baptists!  I bet they will be in church tomorrow!”  He went on to say that if anyone wanted to know why we walked like Baptists, they could ask him after church.  I thought that was funny; I was tempted to go ask!

You have heard the saying, “Your walk talks, and your talk talks, but your walk talks louder than your talk talks.”  We were just out for an evening stroll, but people were watching us.  We did not say much to those whom we passed, but our walk was talking.

Ephesians 5:15-16 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. 

Until next week, keep your sunny side up!

Our Desire

The other day, my five-year-old daughter asked, “Mom, what does ‘desire’ mean?”  She went on to explain that her teacher says, “It is our desire…” every day when she prays in class.  I told her that to desire something means to want it.  After she considered that for a minute, she said, “Mom, I desire some crackers with salami and cheese for my snack.”

On a daily basis there are things that we desire.  It might be a desire for a certain food or a desire to speak to a loved one or friend.  We all have desires.

Nehemiah desired to fear the Lord.  (Nehemiah 1:11) Job’s desire was that God would answer him. (Job 31:35) In Psalm 27:4, the psalmist desired to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of his life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in His temple.  Paul desired fruit that would abound to the account of the church at Philippi.  In 1 Peter 2:2, we are instructed to desire the sincere milk of the word.

What is your desire?  The Bible tells us in Psalm 37:4: “Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” 

Until next week, keep your sunny side up!

Shedding Some Light

I did something for the first time ever this week.  I went to the dentist in Ghana.  My husband has been to a couple different dentists to try to find the cleanest facility.  He has made several trips to the dentist, but it was my first time.  It was quite an experience. 

We arrived and went to a seat to wait in line.  Everyone has to have a card to be checked in.  So that was the first step.  Since my husband has been there several times and had already made friends with everyone, they did all of the legwork for me.  I just sat and waited.  Just after we got checked in, the power went off.  This dentist’s office is part of the main hospital in our city.  You would think that the main hospital would be firing up a generator right away.  But, everyone just sat there waiting for the light to come back on.  We waited and waited some more.  My husband explained that the hospital did have a generator that was donated by another country, but they had no fuel to run the generator; so, it just sits there.  After waiting a while, we decided that we would leave and come back the next day.

The next day, the power was on.  We were first in line to be seen by the dentist.  As they were seating me in the dental chair, they were taping a flashlight to their overhead light.  Apparently the overhead light had quit working; so, they just taped a flashlight on to the overhead arm.  I got tickled when the dentist was saying, “Light, light!” to his assistant. She had to reach over and turn the flashlight on for him.  What a difference that little bit of light made!

Later, I thought more about that light.  Just as that flashlight made a difference in that room, what a difference the light of Jesus makes in a dark world.  How many people are just sitting there in the dark waiting for the Light?

Matthew 5:14-15 “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.”

Each time that a soul is won to Jesus, it is like reaching over and turning that flashlight on.  Are you shedding some light? 

Until next week, keep your sunny side up!

Hanging by a Thread

The phrase “hanging by a thread” is used to describe many different things – a loose tooth, a spider web, and at times even one’s sanity.  It is not a good thing when the only bridge in and out of your neighborhood is “hanging by a thread.” 

When the bridge was built, it was not built with the thought that big, heavy trucks would be coming in and out on a daily basis.  Over time, the bridge has become more and more unstable.  Last year during rainy season, the bridge shook when anything drove across it.  People were saying then that the bridge would not last much longer.  Instead of doing something about it then, the daily traffic continued – cars, taxis, tro-tros (public transport vans), buses, dump trucks, and other large trucks carrying heavy loads. 

We had a heavy rain this week.  That along with the heavy traffic caused a small hole in the middle of the bridge.  The hole was big enough to put one’s arm through the hole.  Instead of trying to patch the hole, the village people decided that if they made the hole bigger, the bridge would have to be replaced. (There is a Chinese factory out past our house; they bring a lot of big trucks in.  The village people are saying that the Chinese should build a new bridge, although there are many others who pass through with much heavier loads.) Meanwhile, they were not allowing any traffic to cross the bridge.  This creates a problem when that is the only way to get to your house.  They got busy with their hammers and made the hole bigger.  If anyone tried to cross the bridge, they were rewarded with a shovel full of water in the face. 

My husband was allowed to cross the bridge in the morning when he took the kids to school, but they were not allowing anyone to cross when he returned from the trip to the school.  He spent the day in town so that he would be able to get the kids from school.  They still were not allowing any traffic to cross after school.  So, they parked at a friend’s house a couple miles away and made the two-mile walk home from school.  We had received a package at the post office that day.  So, Danny, our six-year-old, was carrying the package.  He lost his footing on the trail and fell, spilling the package contents on the hillside.  They retrieved the items and continued on their way home. 

This was no ordinary two-mile walk down a nicely paved road.  It was a two-mile walk on little foot trails through the jungle.  It involved going up and down two rather large hills on slick clay.  More falling was involved than actual walking.  Everyone was a little tuckered out by the time they reached the top of our hill.

As soon as they got home, my husband had to make the two-mile walk back to the car to go out to a village.  When he returned from the village and had left our vehicle with another missionary for the night, he discovered that they were allowing cars to cross the bridge.  So, he went back to get our vehicle and finally made it home.

At this point, we do not know how long the bridge will be passable.  The hole is only going to get bigger. The bigger problem is that the main support beam underneath the bridge is cracked and shifts each time the bridge is crossed.  We tried to find an alternate route to the house.  There are a few little roads and foot trails.  Any road that might have made it back to our house has been blocked by debris in the road.  So, for now, we will just praise the Lord that they are still allowing vehicles to cross the bridge.  When the bridge is no longer passable, we will definitely be getting our exercise.

In times like these, it easy to let frustration and discouragement move in.  But, it is in such times that we must bring Scripture passages to mind and go on.  Psalm 118:24 “This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.”  We can always find something to be glad about if we just look for it.  Philippians 4:4 “Rejoice in the Lord always; and again I say, Rejoice.”

If you have a story that you would like to share with us, please e-mail it to me at lo@consfords.com.  Until next week, keep your sunny side up!

A Blessing or a Purse?

We recently had guests from the States.  Our pastor and my husband’s uncle came to Ghana for their first time; my father-in-law came too for his second time.  We had a great time with them.  Nine days goes by too fast when company is around!

We have a guest room, but it is in a different building separated from the house.  So, we decided to put everyone inside the house.  Our pastor ended up in Bonnie’s room; Bonnie is our five-year-old daughter.  As soon as Bonnie could get in a room with just her and our pastor, she told him that if he messed up anything in her room, he would be “sacked” and that Papa would get her room instead.  (The word “sacked” here is used instead of fired.)  We were a little shocked that she told him that.  He took it in stride and kept having her inspect the room on a daily basis.  When he left, he put one of her dolls on the floor standing on its head.

Our pastor got to preach in several different churches while he was here.  One night, he was preaching about things that belong to God.  He mentioned the tithe.  In talking about tithing, he asked people to raise their hand if they wanted a blessing.  Then, he told them to raise their hand if they wanted a curse.  Bonnie held her hand up both times.  Danny, our six-year-old, leaned over and said to me, “Mom, Bonnie thought he said ‘purse’ instead of ‘curse.’”  What girl would not want a new purse???

If you have a story that you would like to share with us, please e-mail it to me at lo@consfords.com. Please include the name of each family member, your field of service, and a picture of your family if possible.

Until next week, keep your sunny side up!

Fast Friends

Have you ever met someone that you just really hit it off with from the start?  My husband has never met a stranger.  He makes friends everywhere he goes.  The other day, he met his match.

Last week, he had to have a root canal.  After he finished at the dentist, he had to go to the pharmacy to get some things that the dentist had prescribed.  While waiting in line at the pharmacy, a little girl with Down’s Syndrome came up to Joe.  (Only a small percentage of black children have Down’s Syndrome.  They are such sweet, loving people.) Joe greeted her in Fante, the tribal language in our area of Ghana.  She was so surprised to hear a white man speaking Fante.  After she got over her shock, she gave Joe a big hug.  Then, she took Joe’s hand and held on tightly.  It came time for Joe to pay for the medicines.  She had his hand in a vice grip and would not let go.  He needed to get his money out of his left pocket; so, he had to reach around with his right hand to get his money out. 

Joe was ready to leave the pharmacy.  His little friend was still holding his hand.  The girl’s mother tried to pull her away, but she would have none of it.  Joe decided to walk out toward the car. He thought that if he just got in quickly and shut the door, she would have to let go.  Instead, as soon as the doors unlocked, she jumped into the back seat.  She was intent on going somewhere with her new friend.  After about thirty minutes, Joe and the girl’s mother finally got her to get out of the vehicle.

What a lesson in friendship!  We can learn a lot from other people.

Proverbs 18:24 

A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly;

and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.

If you have a story that you would like to share with us, please e-mail it to me at lo@consfords.com. Please include the name of each family member, your field of service, and a picture of your family if possible.

Until next week, keep your sunny side up!

All About Perspective

Have you ever revisited a place as an adult that you visited as a child?  Things are not quite the same as you remembered them.  As a child, everything seemed so big; but as an adult, everything is not quite as big as you remembered it to be.  It was all about your perspective! 

Recently, I turned thirty-eight.  I was not thinking of myself as being old.  My five-year-old daughter came to me and said, “Mom, you must be getting close to 101!”  To a five-year-old, thirty-eight seems light years away!  As a child, I remember thinking that forty was old.  Now that I am almost upon it, it does not seem old at all.

My daughter has been asking what certain words mean.  They have been very random words – compassion, concerned, survive, obstinate, servant, etc.  One day, she asked what “confused” meant.  I told her that it meant to be mixed up or to not understand something.  She said, “Oh, so it is not understanding technology!” I am not sure where that came from; she definitely had a different perspective!

Our children went back to school this week.  While they were on summer break, the children played outside a lot.  The other day, the boys were gathering sticks to make a fire.  I am not sure what it is about boys and fire. (I was scared to death of matches as a child.  Lighting a gas stove took some getting used to!  I actually had to practice lighting a match. It is still not my favorite thing to do; I love Aim-a-Flames!)  The boys are not allowed to light matches on their own, but they look for any reason they can find to be able to light a match.  Anyway, they came in the other day after they had been gathering sticks.  Gilbert told us, “That is hard work!”  Danny told us of his method for chopping sticks.  He said, “You chop on it for a little while; then, you sit on it to break it the rest of the way!”  I guess there is more than one way to break a stick!

At times, I find myself frowning upon another person’s perspective.  But, just as we are entitled to our own opinions, we all have our own perspective.  Looking at things through a child’s eyes will definitely change one’s perspective!

If you have a story that you would like to share with us, please e-mail it to me at lo@consfords.com. Please include the name of each family member, your field of service, and a picture of your family if possible.

Until next week, keep your sunny side up!

Lost and Found

Have you ever had that sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach at the thought of losing something important?  Charity in Asia shared a story with me recently that I thought you would enjoy.

Charity was at home with her boys while her husband Jason and her daughter Michaela had gone to run some errands – otherwise known as shopping for her birthday.  Charity’s phone rang, and Michaela’s name showed on the display.  Charity answered expecting to hear Michaela’s voice, but instead it was a young woman speaking very quickly.  Charity is still learning the language that is spoken there, but she was able to understand something about her daughter’s phone being found in the middle of a busy road.  Charity’s first thought was that Michaela’s wallet and phone were in the same place.

Charity could not understand where the woman said she was.  So, she tried to call her husband to see if he could figure it out.  But, she could not get in touch with him.  Charity called a friend, and the friend tried to help.  Charity called her husband again to see if he knew the location.  He answered and let her know that he was working on the situation; the woman with their daughter’s phone had called him too.

Later, Jason had the opportunity to explain the whole situation.  Michaela had put her wallet and phone in a zipper on the backpack, but she did not realize that it was just a flap and not a pocket.  The bottom was open.  They had ridden the motorcycle all around town before the wallet and phone fell out.  A few minutes after it fell out, they reached their final stop.  Jason’s phone rang.  He looked at the caller ID and saw that it was Michaela’s phone.  Michaela was right there with him; so, he knew that there was a problem.  He struggled to understand the location just as Charity had.  He asked his friend, the manager of the store where he was, for help.  They were trying to explain the exact spot to Jason when an older woman who spoke English well walked out of the store and insisted on helping.  She said that she would go with him and point out the place.  Michaela stayed with the store manager while the other two left to go get the phone and wallet.

When they arrived at the place right down the road, a group of women met them.  One of the women showed him that the wallet still had all of the money inside.  That is a miracle in itself!  When the lady opened the wallet, Jason saw the stack of gospel tracts that Michaela likes to keep with her.  The Holy Spirit nudged his heart.  In a closed country where evangelism is illegal, the Holy Spirit’s nudge is priceless!  

Jason thanked the ladies and even offered to give them a reward.  They refused the reward but graciously accepted the tracts.  By that time, a rather large crowd had gathered.  The ladies all wanted to know more information about the church.  Jason showed them the contact information for the church and the pastor on the back of the tracts.  Then, he wrote his contact information down for the lady who had found the wallet and phone.  Then, they all wanted the information.

A man observing the scene must have thought Jason was a “Thulo manche,” which means “a big important man.”  The observer walked up and demanded money, which is pretty common there.  Jason ignored him at first, and the women told the observer to go away.  Then, the man demanded that Jason give him whatever he was giving those women.  Jason had one more tract.  The man saw Jason giving the women his phone number and demanded that he get the phone number too.  When Jason gave him the phone number and the tract, the man was gracious, polite, and thankful.  The observer now had important information from a “Thulo manche!”  And he even had a phone number in case he had questions about the information.

God can even use a lost phone and wallet as a blessing in disguise!  Only eternity will reveal the number of doors opened that day.                           

If you have a story that you would like to share with us, please e-mail it to me at lo@consfords.com. Please include the name of each family member, your field of service, and a picture of your family if possible.

Until next week, keep your sunny side up!

More Blessings in Disguise

After last week’s blessing in disguise story, several ladies shared a story with me.  I would like to share a couple of those with you today.

Tom and Connie Robertson have been missionaries in Chile, South America, for almost thirty-two years.  Once Connie had to return to the States by herself.  She was driving through Florida toward Miami to return to the field.  She pulled into a gas station.  As she got out of the car, without thinking she locked the door. Her keys and her purse were still inside the vehicle. The gas station attendant called someone to come and help her. While the locksmith attempted to unlock the car, Connie was sharing her testimony with him.  The man was stumped as to why he could not get the vehicle unlocked. After he had tried for quite a while, Connie looked and saw that he just needed to press down on a button with his tool. Within seconds, he had the door open.  He did not charge her anything, and she went on down the road.  Not more than ten minutes down the road, she came upon an accident.  A semi had come across the median and was sideways across the two lanes on her side of the road.  The cars had to go off the side of the road to get around him.  Although it was frustrating to lock her keys in the car, it was definitely a blessing in disguise!

Our next story is from Althea Nordquist in Brazil.  Recently they were taking some of their church people to a meeting.  Her husband Jeff took the van with a load of people, and Althea took their car to pick up a family who lived about twenty minutes away from them.  Althea’s son was with her. About halfway to the house, the car started having a burning smell.  Within seconds, the whole thing just shut off.  She had nothing – no lights, no hazards, and a locked steering wheel.  She was on a curve and could not even pull to the side. The car rolled onto the side a little bit.  She tried several cell phone numbers of the people in the van, but no one had taken their phone.  She finally got a hold of their deacon.  He had the cell phone number to the mechanic, and they sent a tow truck.  There were people walking around the car; Althea was getting a bit frantic thinking that they were going to be robbed.  Finally, four teen boys came.  After they listened to Althea speak Portuguese with an accent, they asked her where she was from.  By the time she got done explaining who she was, the four boys decided they needed to stay and protect her.  She got to witness to them, and they asked her to always honk when she drives past their house.  A broken down car in an unfamiliar neighborhood – a blessing in disguise!

If you have a story that you would like to share with us, please e-mail it to me at lo@consfords.com. Please include the name of each family member, your field of service, and a picture of your family if possible.

Until next week, keep your sunny side up!

Hockey . . . African Style!

Last year, a missionary was preparing to leave the field.  He told us to come by his house because he had some things to give us.  He gave us four hockey sticks and two hockey pucks.  I thought that was a strange thing to have in Africa.  Street hockey is not really an option here because most of the roads are dirt roads.  I guess it would work if you had a cement slab or something. 

Anyway, one of those hockey sticks sure came in handy this week!  My husband had just left to take Gilbert, our oldest son, to the doctor.  The other two children had just gone down for naps.  I was going to take advantage of nap time too since I was up early that morning with Gilbert, our son who has been sick.  Just as I was preparing to lie down, I saw movement by the door that goes out to the back porch where the washer and dryer are.  The door was shut, but somehow a green mamba squeezed his way through.  Those snakes move very quickly!  It went under our dresser. I bent down to keep an eye on the snake while I yelled for Danny, our six-year-old son.  I told Danny he could keep an eye on the snake or go get Isaac, the guy who works in the yard.  He is no dummy!  He chose to go get Isaac.  I was hoping and praying that Isaac was still outside.  I told Danny to have him bring the machete or something.  Isaac came in with a hockey stick in hand.  I showed him where the snake was, and the chase was on.  It was moving so fast that he was having a hard time pinning it down to the ground.  After several tries, he killed the snake.  Praise the Lord that I saw the snake come in and that Isaac was still here to kill it!

Our daughter was standing there with a look of horror saying, “Mama! Mama! Mama!”  It is a wonder that anyone was able to take a nap after that!  Bonnie was hearing noises in her room for a few minutes, but both of the children eventually went to sleep.  I was wide awake!  Now I know a great reason to have a hockey stick in Africa!

If you have a language blooper or a funny story that you would like to share with us, please e-mail them to me at lo@consfords.com. Please include the name of each family member, your field of service, and a picture of your family if possible.

Until next week, keep your sunny side up!

A Tangled Mind???

Well, we are at the end of our “tangled tongue” stories until someone else passes some more along.  I just have a couple more for you today.

When learning Spanish, a missionary was trying to say, “Excuse me,” but kept saying, “Spit on me,” instead.

When playing a game of Uno, a missionary told the other player that they were very ugly instead of unkind.

Another lady was teaching a Christian charm course for young ladies.  She was telling them about face cream and how moisturizing can help keep from having wrinkles.  Instead of wrinkles she said warts.  Those girls were horrified!

My husband and I have been learning Fante, the tribal language in our area.  One of the major problems with Fante is that the same word can mean many different things.  It just depends on the tone of voice in which it is said and the context in which it is used.  For example, the word “dɔ” (pronounced daw) can mean 1. To heat up; 2. To love; 3. To be fed up; 4. To dive; 5. To swear by something; 6. To seek refuge; 7. Deep.  Forget tangled tongues; I have a tangled mind!! Just when I think I am beginning to understand, I learn a new meaning for a word.  I may never master Fante, but I will keep trying.

If you have a language blooper or a funny story that you would like to share with us, please e-mail them to me at lo@consfords.com. Please include the name of each family member, your field of service, and a picture of your family if possible.

Until next week, keep your sunny side up!