Monday, July 22, 2013

Missionary Monday ~ Come Link Up Your Blog

Every once in awhile, I like to give you the opportunity to link up your blog.
This is a great way to meet other missionaries
and for them to meet you.
So, please link up your blog; then take some time to go say hi to the others.
Don't forget to leave a comment on their blog!
Oh, and it would be awesome if you would share our link.
(You can get the code in the sidebar on the right.)

Saturday, July 20, 2013

Tangled Tongues – Watch out for those Squirrels!

This week, we have another story from Rita Vernoy. She and her husband are missionaries in Paraguay.  She blogs at http://ritaloca.blogspot.com.br/.  They went to language school in Mexico for a year before going to Venezuela as missionaries.  They had to leave Venezuela due to political turmoil and are now serving the Lord in Paraguay.

When they first arrived in Venezuela, Rita’s husband took the pastorate of a church.  This meant that he had to prepare four sermons a week.  His Spanish was decent, but he still had to put a lot of effort into sermon preparation. 

One Sunday, he stood to preach on the subject of “Pride.”  He had a three-point outline and had put a lot of effort into preparing the sermon.  For thirty minutes, he preached about pride.  He told the congregation to search their lives for pride.  He told them that there is no place for pride in the Christian’s life.  It was a very challenging message.

The problem was that the congregation was not responding appropriately.  Many of the people had big smiles, and some were trying not to laugh out loud.  Some looked at their feet during the entire sermon. The adults kept their laughter contained, but the children were laughing.

Rita’s husband was so discouraged with the spirit of the congregation.  He knew that God had wanted him to preach on pride, and he did not understand the problem with the people.  Rita had to break it to him gently that instead of preaching on pride, which is “orgullo” in Spanish, he had used the word “ardilla,” which is the Spanish word for squirrel.  The mental picture that those people were getting would have been quite funny – Christians hunting out and killing squirrels, God hating squirrels, and Christians not having room for squirrels in their lives!

The following week, her husband did not even want to preach.  He was embarrassed about his sermon from the week before.  However, he was the pastor; so, he had to swallow his “squirrels” and preach anyway!

Thank you for sharing that story with us, Rita!

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!

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Holidays: Thriving, Not Just Surviving (Part 2)

(Holidays: Thriving, Not Just Surviving Part 1)

Our birthdays were one week apart; so we chose every year to celebrate them together. Jason's Mom and I even planned our own birthday get-togethers. We would conspire if we wanted a cookout or if we wanted to go out to eat. We chose the menu, the dessert, and location. Then we would pass the information on to the guys. It was their job to make our plans happen.


Sharon (Gramma) and I were quite a pair. And we loved sharing our special day together because we loved each other so much. I never had a reason to complain about my mother-in-law. She was amazing!

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Please Excuse Me... I'm On Furlough

Sometimes a person just needs a good laugh. Recently when I posted a question on the Baptist Missionary Women Facebook page, I expected a few giggles. Instead, I found myself with several good, long, deep, belly-rolling laughs. I also discovered that one little post can provide such joy to so many. So in order to keep the laughs rolling, I have compiled the original post and the replies. Clearly the ladies on that Facebook page share more than just laughs. We all need prayer, lots and lots of prayer for furloughs!

Enjoy!

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Breakfast {Or Snack} Time: Frozen Fruit Cups


Are you looking for a quick, make-ahead light breakfast or maybe just a tasty snack to have on hand for the kiddos {or yourself!}?
If so, this recipe is for you!
I found this recipe years ago in an old Midwest Living magazine my mom sent me.
The nice thing is that it works no matter where you are in the world ~ just as long as fruit grows there!

Favorite Frozen Fruit Cup

Simple Syrup:
2 c. sugar
1 c. water

In a medium saucepan, combine sugar and water.
Bring to boiling over medium heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved.
Boil gently, uncovered, for 2 minutes more.
Remove from heat, cool until warm.
Meanwhile, line twenty-four muffin cups with cupcake papers or silicon cupcake liners; set aside.

Fruit:
1 can diced pineapple, drained
1 small package frozen sliced strawberries, partially thawed
1 can apricot halves, drained and chopped
4 bananas, sliced
           OR
whatever fresh/frozen/canned fruit you have!
I often use fresh pineapple, papaya, oranges, and bananas.
Whatever you think will taste good together probably will!

In a large bowl, combine fruit.
Pour warm syrup over fruit, tossing gently.
Spoon fruit mixture into prepared cups, filling each almost full.
Cover with plastic wrap; freeze at least 4 hours or overnight.
To serve, let fruit cup stand at room temperature 10 minutes {or less if you live in a hot climate!}

Enjoy!

Monday, July 15, 2013

Missionary Monday ~ Grocery Budgets Around the World

I hope you enjoyed the series on Homeschooling Children for Ministry.  We are going to take a bit of a break from the series, but there IS more to come!
Grocery Budgets Around the World
Last week in our Baptist Missionary Women Group on Facebook, we discussed our weekly food budget.  I thought I would share it here on our blog.
Africa (Chad) - $125 (family of 7)
Australia - $220 (family of 5)
Bolivia - $100 (family of 3)
Brazil - $15 (family of 4)
Chili - $200 (family of 5)
Costa Rica - $55 (family of 3)
Dominica Republic - $125 (family of 5)
Ecuador - $90 (family of 2)
El Salvador - $125 (family of 5)
England (London) - $125 (family of 4)
Ghana - $125 (family of 5)
India - $80 (family of 5) 
           $100 (family of 3)
Indonesia - $100-$125 (family of 5)
Jamaica - $125 (family of 2)
Japan - $100 (family of 2)
Mexico - $50 (family of 3)
                $125 (family of 6)
                $150 (family of 4)
             
Panama City - $125 (family of 2)
Peru - $125-$150 (family of 5)
Philippians - $150 (family of 9)
Romania - $210 (family of 9)
Slovakia - $100 (family of 4)
Thailand - $140 ( family of 6)
Ukraine - $200 (family of 8)
Vanuatu - $75 (family of 1)
Did I miss where you live?  What is your grocery budget?


Saturday, July 13, 2013

Tangled Tongues - Part 3

This week, we have a great story from Rita Vernoy.  She and her husband are missionaries in Paraguay. She blogs at RitaLoca.BlogSpot.com.

They went to language school in Mexico for a year before going to Venezuela as missionaries.  They had to leave Venezuela due to political turmoil and are now serving the Lord in Paraguay.

Shortly after they had arrived in Venezuela, they went to visit a family who had visited the church.  The young couple invited them in for coffee.  As Rita sat listening, the woman was explaining about a documentary they had seen on television.  Rita thought the documentary was about chickens.  The other lady seemed very impressed with the subject.  Rita had some first-hand knowledge about chickens.  She decided to join the conversation.  She said quite proudly, “I have killed chickens myself.”  The other lady’s eyes got very large as she asked, “You???”  Rita went on to say that it was an easy but messy job and that her Dad used to kill dozens at one time.  The other lady looked at her husband with a look of disbelief and said, “Really???” 

By this time, Rita’s husband was almost rolling on the floor as he tried to contain his laughter.  Rita was getting a little perturbed.  She was from West Virginia, and raising chickens was not so difficult!!  Rita replied, “Of course!  It’s not hard!” With a disapproving look the other lady asked, “And how do you kill them?” Rita said, “Why, by grabbing them firmly around the neck and swinging them by the neck until it breaks!  It is quite easy to do if you know the method!”  Rita’s husband could no longer contain his laughter and burst out laughing.  The lady’s husband exclaimed, “You killed them by breaking their necks with your bare hands?!?”  Rita angrily said, “Yes!”  Through laughter the lady asked, “You can kill “WHALES” with your bare hands?!”  Rita said, “Whales? What are you talking about?”

Rita’s husband finally took pity on her and told her that the documentary was on “Whale Killing,” not chickens!  With a very red face, she realized the mistake that she had made.  She thought that the lady said “gallina,” but she had said “ballena.”  Since that time, that man has become a pastor.  Anytime that Rita is around, she is introduced as “The whale killer!”

Thank you for sharing that story with us, Rita!

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!