Prayer and Praise!

Forgive me ... I have been a terrible blogger! I did NOT think it would be this hard to motivate myself to blog, but apparently, that's what having a child and a life does after awhile. Thus, I am sneaking in this time to blog at 5:30 am, because I have a few minutes of silence ... so here goes!

I'd really like to keep this post simple ... although updates are lovely, I really want to keep this post focused on prayer. Here are some of the things on our minds or hearts in this season:

Praise:

• Wow! Praise God for this life we have here. Though it is not easy at times, the sense of purpose we have in being here in Angola is strong and the sense of peace during stressful or discouraging times carries us through.
• Praise God for great news in our families--Kelly's sister was recently married (and we Skyped in to the wedding) and various family members and friends are having children.
• Praise God for safe, successful flights and effective ministries over the last few months. God has been protecting us, the pilots, the planes, and the passengers!
• Finally, praise God for awesome staff here at MAF Angola. Daily, they inspire us with their prayerfulness, kindness towards one another, enthusiasm for MAF, and sense of hospitality and family.

Prayer:

• The situation in Angola continues to be tough for many Angolans. Pray for those who are served by MAF and our partner ministries--namely, patients of the various clinics and hospitals that are run here. Pray for financial means for them, for miraculous healing, for a sense of God's love behind each consult, for encouragement and hope despite sickness and death.
• Pray constantly for safety with our various flights. As safety officer and chief mechanic, this obviously weighs heavy on Marcel's mind, as he bears responsibility for these things. 
• Pray for the students in the international school, many of whom are young, spiritually immature Christians, or don't yet know Christ. Pray for their families, for their hearts, for their school work, and for us, the teachers.
• Pray for the medical staff we work with regularly, as many of them feel tired, overworked, and overwhelmed by the needs around them. Pray for more personnel ... as this is probably the greatest need right now. Pray for short-term AND long-term doctors, nurses, PAs, and nurse practitionners. 
• Pray finally for our MAF team. Pray for us ex-pat missionaries, pray for the national staff, and pray for our families. Many of the staff face daily struggles, yet remain so hopeful. Pray for unity. Pray for opportunities to be a light in this dark time. Pray for the children of our MAF staff who are studying English with me, that their minds may grow and learn! 

ESL with our staff's children.

A school class visits the hangar.

A Busy Week, Windhoek, and a Birthday Boy

Well, I was about to blog about this past week, when I realised it's actually been a few weeks since our last blog and A LOT has happened!

"Vacation" to Namibia

We were so excited to get away from Angola for a bit and go to Windhoek, Namibia for a shopping trip/vacation. I had to laugh ... when we were first getting ready to move to Lubango, I thought Windhoek was only about 6 hours from Lubango. HA! More like double that ... depending on road conditions and border crossings! At the very least, it's a two day trip.

First notable part of the trip was the voyage to the border. Approximately 3 hours on nice paved roads, and then almost 2 hours on a dirt road! Then, suddenly, you're at a border crossing! Not what I was expecting ... what qualifies as a "road" here is very different from Canada!

Once we were in Namibia, Marcel had to remember to drive on the opposite side of the road. We had to be careful of donkeys (there were SO MANY in northern Namibia!) and cows crossing the road. Driving next to Etosha National Park was beautiful! We were constantly on the lookout for elephants or other wildlife, and we spotted a few wild creatures--two separate giraffe sitings, warthogs, porcupines, and a Palanca Negra! For those of you that don't know what a Palanca Negra is, see here. The fact that we saw one is incredible, especially from our car on the highway--they are incredibly rare!

Windhoek was thankfully uneventful for us. Thankfully, because many friends of ours have had issues of theft there. Which is odd, because Windhoek appears very safe--very clean, beautiful, RICH ... but if you show up in an Angolan vehicle, you become a moving target for theft. This is because Angolans typically come down with lots of cash. Praise God, our friends (two women) that we were travelling with had a close run in with some bandits, but fought them off!

We did a LOT of shopping in Windhoek (although we didn't buy much, just spent a lot of time in malls). We went out to eat. We ate A LOT. It was overwhelming to be back in a city that would easily hold it's own in a first world country. The malls were so ... BIG. There were so many OPTIONS in each store. There were so many restaurants to choose from. Things were AFFORDABLE. There were traffic lights, and order on the streets ... All things that we used to take for granted.

It made my stomach hurt. Seriously ...

I was worried that I wouldn't want to return to Angola, but by the end of the trip, I couldn't wait to be home. There is actually something to be said about not having a million choices of restaurants and stores and food items and clothing ... something to be said about SIMPLICITY. You don't take things for granted. You treasure things that aren't material. And the people ... oh the people of Angola are so lovely. I missed them.

And that's how I know Angola can become "home" for us. We're not quite there yet ... whenever we reference home, it's still Canada. And maybe it always will be like this--two "homes", one in Angola, one in Canada. Both a mere shadow of real home--when we join Jesus in heaven.

A Birthday Boy

Of course, I can't write this blog post without mentioning that our little boy--Ethan--turned one on April 5! We were travelling back from Windhoek, but we celebrated with a birthday gift--some shoes and toy cars. We had a party with our other ex-pat friends when we came back, and another party with our MAF staff with cake and "Parabens!" Ethan is walking now (although it's really more like "toddling"--oh! That's where toddler comes from!) and his new obsession is the kitchen sink and climbing up on a stool to help mom with dishes.

A Busy Week

Well, on the business side of things ... that is to say, the ministry side of things ... it was a busy week last week! First, I'll talk about Marcel's work, and then our exciting week at the school.

On Sunday, Marcel received a call from another pilot, from a different company, who had to land his airplane in Lubango, and was looking for some mechanical assistance. The next few days were very long for Marcel--working on the MAF planes and helping this pilot troubleshoot his own airplane. However, it was an awesome opportunity to meet someone new and share the love of Jesus with him. He had never heard of MAF, so it was a cool opportunity to explain the ministry of MAF as well. It was also a blessing to us because he helped us with our Portuguese!

At the school, it was also a busy week as we had a school camping trip/retreat. Normally, the kids would camp at Tchincombe farm (three hours from Lubango) or the beach, but this year, we decided to just host the kids at the Mitcha complex where the school is located. This made logistics a thousand times easier. We also could use the pool, go for a hike at Tundavala, and take the youngest students to an equestrian farm in town for a pony ride. It was an awesome couple of days, with the highlights being the food (donuts!), Marcel's tutorial on American Football, and a few awesome devotional times with Aimee Heyer! The kids enjoyed the fellowship and relaxation, and it was so cool to spend time with them outside of a teaching context. They really are a GREAT group of kids!


Well ... with all that said and done, I would be remiss if I didn't include a BUNCH of pics after these busy but fantastic couple of weeks. So enjoy ... and maybe all these great pics will make you want to come visit us in Angola! *winks*

Windhoek Trip

Giant termite mound ... one of the first before many,
many hours of termite mounds!

What do you suppose this sign means?

Riding a rhino at Oppi-Koppi Rest Camp

Eating an awesome dinner in Windhoek with Audrey and Sarah, and our random
wooden friend!

Who knew Marcel had his own yogurt store!

Mugg & Bean! 

The birthday boy ... opening his presents.

The extremely rare palanca negra!

Other Photos (Mostly Camping)

Timna helping Ethan open his present at pizza night.

All the school kids on some sweet rocks on our hike!

At the viewpoint

While the older kids hiked, the younger one played in this cool sand!

Breakfast of homemade donuts ... oh my!

At the equestrian centre with Aimee and the younger school kids

All the kids got turns riding.

A Happy Angolan Easter!

This is Angola ... a beautiful land! Here's a few pics from this Easter:

Who knew banana trees had flowers? Beautiful!

Ran into this jersey at the market and had to snap a pick for all the "Ducthies" we know!

Yep, that's me trying a Mopane worm--an African delicacy! It was quite good, actually!

Not our fish ... but a fresh tuna delivery for our neighbour! Had to go check it out!

Building up the immune system, I guess! 

These are "loquats" a delicious fruit kind of like a plum. We have a tree in our yard, and Ethan loves them! 

The hikes here are always stunning!

Children's presentation on Easter Sunday at our church. Adorable!

Uncle Marcel being attacked by Jake.

Maybe a future as a dentist?

The Great Physician, the great physicians who serve here, and our encounter with malaria!

Oh the life-giving work of missionary doctors! This past week, my heart was full of thankfulness for our friends who work so hard as doctors here in Angola ... as we came face-to-face with one of the realities of life in Africa--malaria!

Last weekend, we noticed Ethan catching a cold, followed by a fever, vomitting, lethargy, shallow breathing and a rapid heart rate. Fearing the worst, we took him to CEML, a missions hospital here in Lubango, to get checked out by one of the incredible doctors that we are blessed to call friends. Sure enough, the malaria test came back positive--and we were admitted to the hospital.

Malaria is not difficult to cure if it found early and treatment given. Ethan made a quick recovery, and after only two nights, we were home, where I could give him the ongoing treatment. We were so thankful for CEML and particularly, our awesome doctor friend, OB-GYN Sarah Hudgins, from Canada.

Needless to say, this experience opened my eyes for the first time to the realities of life in Angola. Even though it was just a glimpse, as any parent can attest, seeing your child helpless and sick will never cease to break your heart. I KNOW this is the same for North Americans as it is for Angolans. So I can only imagine how much heartbreak the average Angolan goes through in their life--as sickness and death are so prevalent here. Does one ever get used to it? I don't think so.

We were blessed to have the finances and the ability to access quality healthcare. Not all Angolans do. Those way out in the "mata" (rural areas) may never see a doctor or any reliable source of medications. (Although MAF flies some doctors who do incredible work in these areas.) Even those in the city frequently lack the money or transportation to get to a good hospital or buy the needed medicine.

Hospitals like CEML are a huge ministry--delivering quality healthcare in the name of Jesus Christ. The doctors, who come from Canada, US, Europe, and Angola, as well as the nurses, other staff, and administrators, work so hard. They are fighting in a battle that frequently lacks victories. This rainy season has been particularly rough--malaria abounds, as well as cholera, yellow fever, and other illnesses. The economic crisis has limited the ability of people to pay for healthcare. This, on top of the regular everyday occurrences which bring patients to the hospital--motor cycle collisions, for example, or children swallowing coins, or the ever present problem of cataracts and blindness.

Thankfully, in this battle against all the terrible woes of life in Africa, we serve the Great Physician, Doctor of Doctors. Prayer is our powerful weapon. God sent His only son to experience the joys and pains of life on earth, and He is sympathetic to his people. He is capable of healing us physically, whether through miracles or modern healthcare, but more importantly, He is capable of healing us spiritually. Regardless of our present health, our bodies will perish, and the state of our spiritual well-being with God is what matters most.

So this week, I am thankful for doctors, and nurses, and healthcare professionals who serve in Jesus' name everywhere--in Canada, but even more so, in areas of great need. They are the wonderful hands and feet of Jesus. Please lift up the doctors here in Angola in your prayers, as they fight through a terrible rainy season, working as hard as they can with whatever resources they have available.

If you want to learn more, may I suggest a few awesome websites? The first is the incredibly interesting and insightful blog of Dr. Tim, one of the missionary doctors MAF flies around to rural clinics. His blogs are amazing! Here's the link to his most recent blog: http://kubackisinangola.com/2016/03/20/miracle-blame-two-men-purposes/ He is an incredible witness for Christ in some of the MOST isolated places in Angola. If you feel led, please donate towards medications--as the places he visits are in DIRE need of basic medications: donate here through SIM Project "Rural Health Care--Angola." This goes directly towards his flying doctor ministry.

Second, here is the link for CEML hospital here in Lubango. Get a sense of what our awesome colleagues and friends are doing and what life is like in Angola. Check out what they are doing--and if you really like it, donate or COME HERE TO VISIT! We can personally attest to the great ministry of this hospital.

Arrived at the hospital and got Ethan hooked up to some oxygen. 

Family bed and breakfast time. Ethan got really used to his carrier in the hospital,
as it was the only way to get him to sleep. 

Lovely nurses took care of us. Here, measuring his vitals.

Community building!

Hello! As I sneak in some blog "catch-up" while Ethan is sleeping, I am filled with thankfulness for the past few weeks. I am working on writing two very different blogs--this one, about our school/Mitcha picnic, and another about our recent run-in with malaria. I will post up both blogs today or tomorrow.

Last weekend, we enjoyed a wonderful picnic and friendly soccer match at the Mitcha compound. All the missionary families from the compound were invited, as well as the families from the international school, which is located on the compound. The goal was to foster community between those who live and work at Mitcha, and the families whose children attend the school. Myself and a few others collaborated to run the event. I must personally give credit to Graham Buchanan, our dear Community Connections pastor back in London, for always inspiring me to try and build community wherever we live. God has given him a great gift for community building--and I thought, "What would Graham do here in Lubango to build community?"

The picnic was a lot of fun--both kids and adults played, and the younger kids had the own giant soccer ball to play with. We had a great turn out--at least half of the school families, and most of the missionary families! We also enjoyed a dip in the pool! The school kids LOVE the pool, and even though it was raining, it was a party!

Here's a few pics from the event, thanks to our friend Isaline. Pray for the ministry of the school, as well as the ministries of the missionaries on the compound!

Guys this is AWESOME!

So, two weeks ago, MAF folks went crazy posting this video ... and for a good reason! I confess, I just watched it now (I, being Kelly) ... and I wish I watched it sooner. What a great way to explain the importance of MAF's work--and how anyone can use their "super powers" (aka. money, time, energy, abilities, gifts, opportunities, etc.) for good. MAF pilots and mechanics are awesome, and they really truly do some incredible flying and fixing--but so are the people that fly with MAF. In my opinion, they are the REAL superheroes. One of the greatest pleasures of working for MAF has been meeting some of our friends here who daily use their "superpowers" for good. Over the next few blogs, I'd like to profile some of them, as well as some of our MAF Angola staff, so you can get to know our friends here.

In the meantime, enjoy this video. It does a GREAT job explaining the legacy of MAF, why our flights matter, and if this doesn't inspire some of you to want to become pilots (or mechanics, wink, wink), I don't know what will!

I still have a lot to learn ...

This blog might be a bit scattered ... it's a collection of thoughts I have had the last few weeks, and after some contemplation, the only common theme I could find for them was: "I still have a lot to learn ..."

Disclaimer: if you're looking for an update about our life over the past few weeks, that is not what this blog contains. But I will update Facebook with some of those details!

National Crisis
Angola is going through a crisis ... it's all over the news, it's all that's on anyone's minds. As a country with a primarily oil-dependent economy, Angola has taken a huge blow this year with the drop in oil prices. Sadly, this has made life more difficult for a lot of people, particularly the poor. I struggle with my role in all of this: what does a "rich" Canadian do? What on earth do I say? It's easy enough for me to say "God will provide ..." but it doesn't seem genuine considering the crisis hardly changes much in my lifestyle. What is a missionary's role in such a time?

I still have a lot to learn ...

The Hardest Part in Being a Mom ...
Probably your immediate response to the above question was: you can pray. I know I can. But I've discovered something that perhaps many others have discovered: being a mom is hard. In many ways, but in one of the most challenging and underestimated ways: it's desperately hard on my relationship with God. Do any other moms agree? Or am I the only one?

My life is so "busy"--changing diapers, feeding the baby, working at school, finding time for myself ... that it seems like a task to make time for God. The love and time and energy that I once only spent on Christ and Marcel seems to be split three ways now. I have lost my first love--how my heart was so enthralled with Christ for all He is and does.

I get so caught up in loving my son, but fail to acknowledge that "every good and perfect gift" is from God--especially my son. My prayer life is weak--at best. And I'm a missionary! Isn't that my job?

I still have a lot to learn ...

Gratitude
Mercifully, God has been working in my life to experience more gratitude. The life of a missionary is one of paradox: amongst those who are poor, it is so easy to be thankful for all that I have (especially in this time of crisis). Yet, when I hear from home, when I scan my social networks ... I feel like we have so little compared to others back at home.

Thankfully, God has truly filled my heart with peace about being here in Angola. And there is nothing like inner peace to make you grateful for all that you have. I am so grateful for life here: the big and the small things. That being said, please always pray for our hearts to be full of gratitude--because life is still quite easy here ... and it may not always be this way, as those well acquainted with the mission field know.

I still have a lot to learn ...

Prayer
This I can truly say has always been one of my biggest struggles in life--to take time and pray. To spend genuine time talking with God. Listening to God. Lifting up my petitions to God. Thanking God. Being still with God.

In a time and a place where I have no idea what to do about a national crisis, how to be a good mom and love God, how to fill my heart with gratitude ... I know prayer is the answer. I WANT to pray. I know the power of prayer. And yet ... and yet ... it's somehow so very difficult to make the time, to focus my attention. I know I'm not alone in this struggle ... can I hear an "Amen"?

So here's my plan of action for this week ... just one little step. It just occurred to me now. It wasn't preplanned, it just came to mind as I was typing. I'm going to commit half an hour each day to prayer until the next blog. I need the accountability and I need motivation--so there it is. A push in the right direction. And who knows how God will work in this ... what little miracles I might see, what changes in my life might occur. At the very least, one very, very good thing will come of it ... time with God.

I still have a lot to learn ...

The "Daily Grind" ... the double entendre of those words seems
to perfectly describe my life.