Dessert of the Month Club ~ Banana Pudding

I planned on making one dessert a month for my hubby for his Dessert of the Month Club gift.
Well, March went zooming by, and I suddenly realized that April was in full swing, and I'd not made his special dessert.
So I did his favorite.......for the first time ever.
That is probably really bad of me as a wife.
We've been married over a decade.
Well, all I can say is better late than never.
And you know what?
It was super easy!
Why hadn't I made this for him before?
I don't know, but I'll certainly be making it again!


Banana Pudding

1 cup sugar
3 eggs, beaten
1 pinch salt
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 c. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
3 -4 ripe bananas, sliced {American-sized!}
vanilla wafers

Whisk together sugar and eggs.
Add in salt, cornstarch, and milk.

Bring mixture to a boil over low heat, stirring constantly; cook until thickened.
Remove from heat; add vanilla and mix well. 

In serving bowl, layer the wafers, bananas, and the pudding.
Top with whipped cream, if you wish.

Enjoy!

 *A few notes:
I got this recipe from here.
The only difficulty I had was that it wanted to scorch if I raised the heat at all or stopped stirring even for a second.
We don't have Nilla Wafers here, but I found a local biscuit (cookie) that worked just fine!

Missionary Monday - Meet Our Contributors

Another Happy Monday to you!

This week, we are meeting DeeDee.

She has been writing a series on how to run an effective Vacation Bible School.

Hello! My name is Dee Dee Sterling. I have been married to the man of my dreams since 1996. In 1999, we left for the mission field of Siberia, Russia. Contrary to popular belief, we don't live in an igloo or drive a dogsled! After learning the Russian language and working for several years in an already established church in the city of Krasnoyarsk, we moved to a smaller village and began our first ministry. I have a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing, but my most important job of all is being a mother to our three wonderful children. I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Savior at the age of sixteen and have never looked back. My life verse is I Thessalonians 5:24, "Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it." I truly believe that the will of God will never lead you where the grace of God cannot keep you. His grace and mercy have been evident in my life, and I consider it a great privilege that He would use me as a missionary. You can read more about our ministry at Serving in Siberia and more about what it is like to be a missionary wife at my blog - Whither Thou Goest.

An Electric Proposal

Here in Ghana, our electric meter runs on a pre-paid system. If you use all of the units before refilling your card, the power goes off. When you have two days of credit left, it goes off to warn you that you are getting low. We usually try to get the card filled before we get to the warning. But, every once in a while, it sneaks up on us. The electric card is credit-card sized and has a chip in it. The more electricity you use, the higher the price you will pay for the next month's units.

My husband was explaining what happens each time he goes to get the card refilled. We do not have a refill booth in our neighborhood; so, he drives to the next neighborhood. He takes the card inside the booth and tells the lady how much he wants to put on the card. She asks him if he will marry her. He tells her how much he loves his wife and shows her the pictures in his wallet of me and the kids. They remark how white Gilbert’s hair is. After all of that, they tell him that their machine is “off-line” and that they cannot sell any units. So, then he goes to the booth in the next neighborhood and repeats the exact same process until he finds someone who has a machine that is “on line.” It would save a lot of hassle if they just told you that their machine was off line before the marriage proposal and all of the other idle talk! I never thought about being thankful for an electric bill that came in the mail until facing this situation. The next time that little bill comes in the mail, praise the Lord for it!

If you have a language blooper or some other funny story that you would like to share with us, please e-mail it to me at loconsford@gmail.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!

Fellowship Fridays

The Good Part

38 "Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.

39 And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word.

40 But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.

41 And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:

42 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her".

As we read the account of Mary and Martha, it becomes very easy to criticize Martha.  There she was "cumbered about much serving" while Mary was sitting at the feet of Jesus and "heard His word."  Martha was busy, too busy to take the time to sit and listen to Jesus, but she was not pursuing her selfish desires; she was "cumbered about much serving."  She was serving Jesus!  Everything she was doing was for the Lord!  She was busy, so busy, but her "busyness" was in the Lord's service.  Yet, Jesus rebuked her and said that Mary had "chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her."  

Are we like Martha?  Are we caught up with much serving?  Are we so busy serving the Lord that we don't take the time to worship Him?  Are we so busy serving the Lord that we don't take the time to sit at the feet of Jesus?  As missionary wives, it is so easy to get caught up in much serving.  There is always something that needs done and usually no one else to do it!  This ministry and that program takes our time, so much so, that while we are busy serving the Lord perhaps we are neglecting worshiping the Lord.  

No matter how busy our lives may be as we work alongside our husbands on the field, let's always remember what is needful and choose that good part that cannot be taken away from us.  Let's take time to sit at the feet of Jesus and spend time in His Word.  

How To Pray For the Missionary Wife

I understand that this blog is read by many women, not just missionary women. 

So this is for the church, those of you at home holding the ropes.

We are very grateful to you for your faithful prayers and support.

I asked other missionary women in our private facebook group on their thoughts for this post,

"How to pray for the missionary wife,"

and this is a compilation of their responses.

How can you better pray for us?

1. Pray for our relationship with God.

We are human; we are prone to sin; we struggle just like everyone else.  We have distractions that come into our life.  Pray that we stay close to the Lord, spend time in His Word and in prayer.

2. Pray for our marriage.

Satan wants nothing more than to destroy our marriage, and hence destroy our ministry.  Pray for us to have a strong marriage, for us to love, support, and encourage each spouse.

3. Pray for our parenting.

Satan also wants to destroy our children.  Pray that we have much wisdom and guidance in parenting our children.  Pray for God's faithful shield of protection on their lives.



4. Pray for our ministry.

Pray for souls to be saved.  Pray for lives to be changed.  Pray for doors to be open.  Pray for God to use us according to His will.  Pray also that we have wisdom in balancing our family and our ministry.

5. Pray for our health.

It seems we hear so often of missionaries returning to the States because of health issues.  Pray for our health and our family's health.

6. Pray for our finances.

Many missionaries are struggling financially.  Churches in America are struggling and in turn must drop their missionaries' financial support.  Most missionaries are unable to work to bring in extra income.  This adds stress to lives.

7. Pray for our homesickness.

Although we are happy and content where God has put us, we still miss our family and friends.  Facebook can be a blessing, but we can often get homesick seeing our families post pictures of events that we are missing.  Pray the Lord helps us keep our focus on Him.

8. Pray for our discouragement.

We often face times of discouragement.  Please pray that we will be encouraged and not grow weary in well doing.  As a side note to that, letters and packages from home always encourage us.  Take a few minutes to write us, to remind us that we are not forgotten.

9.  Pray for our safety.

Many of us live in dangerous areas.  Pray for the Lord's mighty hand of protection.

10.  Pray for our understanding of the language.

Language barriers can be very difficult.  Please pray for us as we learn the language - for clarity of thought and understanding.

Do you have anything to add to this list?  Please leave a comment.

Peanut Butter Noodles & Pork

Do you like Chinese food?

I personally love the stuff, but even if you don't, this recipe might change your mind!

Not only is it super yummy, but it also uses things you probably already have in your kitchen.

Tasty and easy!

It's real name is Szechuan Noodles & Pork, but my kiddos affectionately call it Peanut Butter Noodles!

Szechuan Noodles & Pork

12 oz. spaghetti

1 c. chicken broth

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

12 oz. ground or cubed pork

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes {don't worry, these don't add heat, just flavor!}

6 green onions, cut in 1 1/2 inch pieces

1 lg. carrot, grated

1 Tbsp ginger, minced

1 Tbsp. garlic, minced

3 Tbsp. creamy peanut butter

garnish: chopped cilantro or parsley {optional}

Cook pasta as package directs.

Stir together broth and soy sauce in a measuring cup.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.

Add pork and red pepper flakes.

Cook 5 minutes, until browned and no longer pink.

Add green onions, carrot, garlic, and ginger, cook 3 minutes.

Stir broth mixture and penut butter into pork.

Cook until peanut butter is melted and blended.

Reserve 1 cup pasta water.

Drain pasta, add to skillet, and toss to evenly coat with sauce.

{Stir in some pasta water if needed to keep mixture creamy.}

Sprinkle with cilantro or parsley, if you wish.

Enjoy!

Missionary Monday - Meet Our Contributors

Happy Monday!

This week, I would like you to meet Laura. She is our newest contributor.

She writes the Sunny-Side-Up Saturdays.

Hello! I am Laura Consford. I am thankful for the privilege of growing up in a Christian home. My dad led me to the Lord when I was eight years old. I surrendered to be a missionary at the age of fifteen at a youth conference. After graduating from college with a major in missions, I still did not know exactly where God wanted me to serve Him as a missionary. My pastor told me to keep serving at the church until the Lord showed me His will. I am so glad that I listened to my pastor.

Two years later, I started dating Joe Consford. We were married in December 2000, and hit the deputation trail immediately. We first visited Ivory Coast on our survey trip in 2001. After completing eighteen months of deputation and a year in language school in France, we arrived on the field in March 2004.

Due to civil war in Ivory Coast, we had to evacuate on three different occasions. In January 2011, God led us to Ghana, which is right next to Ivory Coast. The official language in Ghana is English, but many people only speak a tribal dialect. We are currently learning Fante, the tribal language in this region of Ghana.

We have three children, Gilbert (2005), Danny (2006), and Bonnie (2008). Our children presently attend a Christian school started by another missionary. Our children definitely provide entertainment and keep us on our toes.