I began at the end

Before I moved to Nigeria in 2003, SIM asked me to spend a month in Sebring, FL, working as a nurse at the SIM Retirement Village. It was one of the most powerful months of my life. The Village is a small neighborhood that is owned by SIM. All the houses there are occupied by retired missionaries and the staff who care for them. It's a gorgeous, yet simple setting. There's nothing pretentious about it, yet it exudes of royalty.

The 'Saints of Sebring', as I fondly call them, are ages 65-98 years old! Many of them spent 30+ years overseas. When they went overseas (many went by ship), they knew it was very possible that they would not return. These Saints were not able to have contact with their families except through a letter every couple months. During my month there in 2003, I spent hours in their homes, listening to their stories of God's faithfulness, of tragedy, and of humor. Oh, how they made me laugh!

I felt very honored by the opportunity to 'begin at the end', as I like to call it. God allowed me to kind of fast-forward 40 years and see where I could be living. He prodded me with questions of commitment, conviction and concern to live without regret. He showed me what I needed, in my flesh, to see: His materialistic provisions to His people who have served Him with their lives - The homes are cute, the cars are nice, the health care is available.... I saw first-hand how He takes care of His children until our last breath.

When I visited in 2003, I was so sure that I would spend 30+ years overseas. I am thankful for that commitment God gave me, as it helped me to totally immerse myself in my life in Nigeria. Over the past couple years, God has been refining me and asking me if I am completely satisfied with Him, no matter where I go or what I do. With my recent health challenges, I have been learning more and more what it means to live in daily surrender.

Back to present day... I recently had the blessing of returning to Sebring again. As soon as I drove into the neighborhood, tears started flowing (I am not one to cry easily). I felt His presence so strongly then and every day I was there. God used those few days to once again refocus my passions, desires, motives, and purpose.

Here are a few of my Heroes in the Faith...

Penny Pinneo. She contracted Lassa Fever as a young missionary in Nigeria. She almost died, but God saved her and used the antibodies in her blood to save many other lives, too!
A phenomenal book, Fever: The Hunt for a New Killer Virus, was written about her! 60+ years later, Penny still has effects from the Fever. Penny has kept in touch with me over the past 5 years and her faithfulness to the Lord floors me and causes me to evaluate my own devotion.

Ruth Grimshaw. She spent 30+ years in Nigeria, teaching at a small Bible school in the bush. She was a 'real missionary'. I've been to the area she lived, and even now, decades later, it is too rural for me! She spends hours at her typewriter, encouraging missionaries and keeping in touch with those she loves.

Combined years of missionary service overseas: 125+... These dear saints treated me to lunch at the Olive Garden. Penny had never been before! They also surprised me with an envelope full of money and told me to treat myself. :-) Wow, right? Mom and I used their gift to go see the Broadway musical, Mary Poppins. One of the most fun I've had in a long time. Lois, in black, sends me a donation every month. She also tells the funny story: Back in her day, the SIM Nigeria policy was that if a guy and girl spent time together, they had to have a chaperone and they had to have a lantern with them. Lois says, with a straight face, that nobody ever said the lantern had to be lit. :-) Oh, my, what good laughs we had.

Ray de la Haye. I think Ray spent over 40 years in Nigeria. His children are also in ministry. I met him in 2003. He was fluent in Hausa and French and read out of his Hausa Bible everyday. Hausa is the language in the area of Nigeria I serve in. He was the first person I ever heard speak in Hausa. Over the years, Ray would send me short, typed notes, letting me know he prayed for me every day. Late in 2008, Ray had to move into a nursing home. When I visited Sebring a couple weeks ago, I went to see Ray. It was really difficult to see a shadow of the man I had known. He was unable to speak very well, but he smiled when he saw me and grasped onto my hand. Ray seemed so close to seeing his Savior face to face and I felt overwhelmed with emotions: of thankfulness to see him once again, of desire to serve faithfully to the end like Ray, of reality that our bodies are wasting away each day, but that we can be renewed in our spirits, through God's work in our lives... I kissed Ray on the forehead and told him, through my tears, how proud I am to have known him, that he has finished well, and that he is one of my heroes.

Two days later, Ray left this earth and is currently speaking his heart language with the Father.

Magnify

I'd like to share with you something that I am learning and trying to put into practice each day...

If you're at a ballgame or at a play and your seats are in the back, it is difficult to see what is going on. You can use binoculars to help you see in better detail. The players or actors have not grown in size, but the binoculars magnify their size. A player you thought was skinny now looks strong. An actor you thought to be really pretty actually has a big pimple on her nose. The binoculars magnify everything and show you details that perhaps you wish would not have focused on and could have lived without.

Same with our thoughts.

The actual situation or issue may not grow in size. But the more we think about it, dwell on it, talk about it with others... the more it is magnified. The more its power over us grows. The more we magnify it, the more ugliness and imperfections we see - either in ourselves or in others.

But, if we focus on the Lord, if we think about Him, dwell on His promises and character, talk about Him with others.... the more He is magnified! The more power He has over us! The more of His beauty and perfections we see. The more we love Him... and love ourselves... and love others.

O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt His name together. Psalm 34:3

May Erin always be fat

In Nigeria, food is a luxury and health is not a right. Men like their women with meat on their bones. If the lifestyle did not demand so much physical labor and exercise, I think there would be a lot of very big people in Nigeria, because they love food! I love how they love their food! Many times I watched in amazement as our 7 year old boys would eat a portion of food three times what my stomach could handle. Because they are naturally a very active society: walking everywhere, carrying 30 lb buckets of water for long distances, playing soccer hours each day... they burn off all those calories and are really strong.

However, as they get older and have families, if the wife is a little (or a lot) overweight, to some tribes, it is a very good thing. To be overweight is to show that your husband is caring for you and is providing food for you. It is a luxury to have enough food that you are a little overweight. (I realize this may be a generalization, but this is what I have gathered from my years there.)

As a result, any time that a slender person should gain even a little weight, the Nigerians exclaim with glee and say 'Oh, you are so fat!', which, to a Nigerian, translates 'Oh, you are so healthy!'.
To an American woman, it translates as 'Oh, you are so fat!' :)

As a tall and usually pretty slender woman, my Nigerian colleagues and friends would notice if I gained a little or lost a little weight. I guess they felt that since I was slender, that I was not eating enough (which was sometimes true and also thanks to bouts of Giardia). And they also took it upon themselves to worry about me, since I don't have husband to do that.

During my 2006 furlough to Texas, let's just say I really enjoyed my chips and salsa. And was sick and pretty inactive for 3 months = some weight gain. Not fat by any means.... BUT, when I returned to Nigeria, OH how happy the kids, my colleagues and friends were! I cannot tell you how many times a DAY I heard "Oh, you are SO fat!", followed by hugs and laughter. I knew they were telling me they loved how I looked and were paying a compliment, indirectly, to the care my parents showed to me. :) My self esteem had to recover a bit, to be honest, but then I decided that it was a positive thing and sucked it up... and sucked it in.

All that brings me to last Sunday at The Moody Church. I sat down next to two lovely older ladies I have not seen in awhile. One of them remarked "You look like you are feeling better. How is your health these days?" The other one said "Yes, you look like you gained some weight."
Ok, now, how would YOU respond, ladies? I flashed back to all those hours I have spent in the gym the past few months, all those nutritious meals I have been eating, and then realize that, yes, I may have gained 5 pounds (of muscle, right?), but I FEEL great and am getting stronger and building my endurance.... so all that flashed in my mind in like 2 seconds... so I responded with laughter and said "Now, I am not sure how to respond to that. But I will say that in Nigeria, if a woman looks healthy, then people say she looks fat."

The dear old woman looked me in the eye and said with a straight face, "Well, then may Erin always be fat."

Amen.

Seattle!

Last weekend I flew to Seattle to meet Jamie Higbee. Jamie spent 6 months in Nigeria, but we never connected because I was in the states recovering from surgery while she was there. During her time, Jamie kept a great blog www.jamiehigbee.blogspot.com and I felt like I already knew her before we met face to face. She was a great host and I loved getting to know her and hear her heart for the Lord and her desire to serve Him in any capacity. We had gorgeous weather during my visit - sunny and in the 50's - which I am told is very unusual for Seattle. We took advantage of it and spent a lot of time outside. The picture of us above was taken at Pike Place Market.


There were lots of fruit and vegetable stands, which kind of reminded me of Nigeria, since they were outside. The big difference is that, as you can see above, the prices for each item are displayed. In the Nigerian markets, there are no set prices, so you have to barter for everything, which I actually loved to do.

I've never liked any seafood I've tasted, so when Jamie asked me what I wanted to do in Seattle, I mentioned eating some fresh seafood, since not eating seafood for all of these years has away a lot of fun and healthy options! Jamie likes clams (ugh), so I took this shot of her at the market. We did go out to eat for some INCREDIBLE seafood - I am now a fan of crab cakes and salmon. Jamie's kind fiance paid for our meals, so that made it taste even better. Thanks, Shawn!


At Pike Place Market is the first ever Starbucks Store. Of COURSE I had to go there. Notice the look of excitement on my face. It's on a boardwalk of sorts, and the inside of the store has very old wooden floors and counters. The place was packed and after the cashier took the orders, he/she would throw the cups across the store to the baristas. Very fun atmosphere. It was warm outside... 50 degrees!... so I enjoyed my first frappuccino in months.



Outside the Starbucks was this singing quartet (fourth guy stepped out of the shot), which added to the atmosphere.

Pike Place Market is famous for throwing fish. Seriously. The chaps who work at this stand (see one of them in the orange fishing pant thingys) sing out to one another and from time to time throw big fish to each other. We were able to be there when a couple of the customers ordered these big black fish and they volunteered to catch them. So the chap stood about 20 feet from the customer and tossed the fish and hey, the lady caught the fish beautifully and the man almost dropped it. I was impressed and proud at that moment.



There are lots of little islands around Seattle. Early Saturday morning we went on a ferry ride to one of the islands. It was a beautiful ride and perfectly clear morning. Jamie says that sometimes whales make an appearance. These huge ferries go back and forth every hour, carrying cars and people. It was a fun, cultural thing to experience.


When we arrived at the little island, we headed straight to this little crepe shop. Yum! If you've never had one, please do yourself a favor and eat one when you can... the best kind is with Nutella, strawberries, and whip cream. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!


Eating our crepe's!


The view on the way back to the ferry.

We did actually do some 'work' while I was there. :) We set up two tables in the sanctuary of her church. After each service, we were able to share with a lot of individuals about City Ministries. We also sold bags and pants that the widows in our ministry make. Below, Jamie is modeling how to put on the wrap pants - which is an interesting process, but the final look is great! Sorry I don't have a pic of the final look, though.



It was a really fun trip and it was so great to get to know Jamie better. I love seeing how God works, how He connects people and brings them together to accomplish His purposes.