I want my drop to count

 

Mohawks for Bible Translation

When I was first raising my funds to work with Wycliffe, one individual asked me if I was going to give an update every time I changed my hair cut…as all the copies in front of her (whether the live version or on paper) were all different. Consider this your official update on MANY (no not all) of the hair styles I’ve had since this journey with Wycliffe began.

Here are some of the first few hair styles that I had:

And some Cameroonian inspired styles:

The Mohawk. Oh the Mohawk. I can’t claim points for this being my idea – as I had never wanted or planned on having a Mohawk in my life. So how did such a thing happen? Coercion. The short-term trip participants with Wycliffe talked me into it as they’d seen cornrow-mohawk style on a few Cameroonian women (meanwhile these participants had all gotten long beautiful traditional braids…). My first thought when I looked in the mirror for the first time was, “I look like a Roman Centurian!” (oh, no!) If I thought I was stared at in Cameroon before, I hadn’t seen anything yet. But I felt comfort in one thing – I was heading home to Toronto. Toronto – a place where “everyone has tried everything with their hair” – so I’d blend in with the crowd and have nothing to worry about. Boy.was.I.wrong. Blend in I did not. People – for the most part – loved my hair and would tell me so on a consistent basis! So much for blending in.

But quickly I realized that this was a wonderful thing! The Mohawk opened up doors for me to talk about Cameroon, Bible translation, and Christ’s love for us! Conversations that never would have started if this Mohawk wasn’t around. May He be able to use any seeds that were planted as a result of the Mohawk.

So in February 2011 I attended a fundraiser for a participant in Race to 2025 – who creatively said she would shave her head if their teams funds came in by the end of the fundraiser. She impressed me – all I was doing to raise my funds for the 2011 “Race to 2025” was asking a few of my friends via Facebook messages.

This year (2012) I was once again participating in “Race to 2025”, this time the project was to help raise funds for literacy and Bible translation work among the East Apurimac Quechua people in Peru! The day before our team’s fundraiser I remembered this girl and her willingness to part with her head of hair to help raise funds….and so I thought about it and the next morning I made a decision, posted it on Facebook that by  12am EST THAT day I would shave my head for Bible translation if we raised all our funds.

13 hours later we emerged the night with three of us having had our legs waxed, 2 beards, my head and one set of eyebrows were shaved. We closed that night as a less-hairy group, deeming the night a success! Praise God! Thank you every who helped fund Race to 2025 – whether in 2011 or 2012! Two weeks later at “Race to 2025” we learned that we were the highest fundraising team! East Apurimac Quechua people group – we did this for you! May our contributions of hair, money, prayers and time help you know our Lord and Savior better!

Sometimes doing shocking, weird, interesting, different, or normal things can really open up doors to share about Christ. In this last year, I’ve found hair to be an awesome – UNEXPECTED! – tool to do this very thing!

Is there anything you’ve really found helpful in sharing your faith?

Mohawks for Bible Translation.
I kind of like the sound of that. Perhaps someone should start a group.

Spread the Word.
John 1:1-4

1 year anniversary

Exactly A year ago today myself and the rest of our Wycliffe short-term team landed in Yaounde, Cameroon!

As a team we saw God move powerfully and we all left with a deeper appreciation for His Word for us and His Word for us in our own first languages. We left with things He’d taught us through our time with the Oku people group and things we wanted to implant in our lives.

We each left Cameroon with “two words” to sum up what the trip was like for us. Some individuals “two words” were a “black and white rainbow”, “literacy restoration” or “colanut Juju”. I was recently talking with “B” one of the trip participants about what our “two words” are now with the passage of one year’s time. My words a year ago were “smoky intestines”…..but what are my “two words” NOW?

Two images are stuck in my mind.
Pastor Francis & “Rocky”

With those to images in mind my “two words” now a year later are:
Pushing Faithfulness

Perhaps I should explain.

Pastor Francis is one of the Bible translators for the Oku language people group. If anyone is the epitome of faithfulness, this man is. A man who is so passionate about God’s Word that he is juggling numerous roles to help His people have a greater understanding of our God – our God who not only speaks English and French, but ALSO Oku! Pastor Francis, is as his title suggests a Pastor, he’s on the Oku translation team, he teaches adult literacy classes so that adults can learn to read their language. The alphabet in Oku has only become available in written form in recent years so adult literacy classes are a big deal! Pastor Francis also hosts a 1 hour radio program twice a week – in which he is able to preach, talk about the scriptures to believers and non-believers! The radio is a powerful tool among the Oku as most homes continuously have their radio’s playing in the background. Ps. Francis also has a family and many other roles I’m leaving out. What hit me most strongly about his faithfulness is the fact that for him to go anywhere he walks. And in Oku walking is hard – you’re practically never walking on flat ground – you’re always either going UP or DOWN steep hills. He walks 1 ½ hours just to go to host the 1 hr radio show, and then has that return trip – another 1 ½ hours. He does a similar commute to his literacy classes and other commitments – rain or shine. And when it rains…you.get.muddy. The journey is longer than the radio program itself. Yet He knows it’s a powerful tool and believes His people need to know of Christ’s love for them and so he makes this sacrifice of time and energy. What a testament his life is to me. What things should I be doing that I’ve been thinking require too much work or don’t seem to be worth it? But really are worth it! What is He calling me to be faithful to? What is he calling you to be faithful to?

Pushing. Well in the Oku area, when it rains, the paths get muddy, the roads get muddy, your feet get muddy, homes get muddy, clothes become muddy…I think you get the picture. Which made things interesting, as we always traveled either on foot or in Rocky. Rocky was seemingly the easier choice – but often the journey didn’t quite look like what we had anticipated. Often the roads were too steep, or rocky, or slippery and so we had to get out and walk the rest of the way. And sometimes we got reeaalllly stuck. And so we had to push. Hard. And request help from passersby. And in the process become muddy, hot, sweaty, tired, and often this required a drastic change to our “program” for the day. These were definitely things we weren’t planning on having happen. We were in Cameroon for only 7 weeks – such a long-really-short time! We couldn’t afford for our schedule to be thrown off; the time we had to contribute was already limited.

How often does this happen in life? We are doing something we believe God wants us to do – anything – work, volunteering, ministry-related, spending time with friends or family – and something goes awry and our plans require altering. And suddenly our actions, or our jobs, or loving our family members doesn’t look like we planned. It becomes hard and sticky and sometimes just not fun and the cost not at all what we anticipated. Is this really what I signed up for we ask? Yet it is in the hard times or in the midst of our mistakes that the term “faithfulness” comes to be born. Well, it can be depending on the choices we make.

When things get hard and people challenge our faith, our work ethics, when jobs or school doesn’t go as planned, when God seems to have other things in mind with how our day unravels, when we sin – what do we do then? Do we decide to continue on with the hard or challenging or altered plans? Or do we give up because things are different and harder than we expected?

Sometimes for faithfulness to be part of our lives and faith, we just need to push. One foot at a time. One step at a time. And seek His voice for direction. Oh – and we need to be willing to get muddy. Because likely it’ll happen, whether we want it to or not. The question is, will we do it? Will we walk 1 ½ hrs if that’s what it takes? Will we “push faithfulness”?

So Cameroon eh?

It’s true. Cameroon bound. It’s just after 8:30. We leave for the airport at 2pm. We fly out at 6:10pm! I’m pumped!

So again with the ticking time. I don’t have much time to write, but wanted to provide you with a few details so that you might be able to be more informed and know how to pray with me during my journeys. Below is the picture with Jessica (far left), myself (center) and Kala (second row, red scarf, internship coordinator) with the 10 interns who will  explore some of the many facets of Bible translation, missions and our roles in it for the next 7 weeks.

 

We will be spending the majority of our time with a people group called “Oku” If you’d like to find out more details about this group please check out: http://www.globalpartnerlink.ca/images/projects/Oku/Oku%20profile%202011.pdf 

We’d appreciate your prayers!

Dogwalking and faith go hand-in-hand. Wait. What?

I had the special priviledge the other day of dogsitting. It’s like babysitting. Enjoy the dog’s presence (or baby’s) as much as possible for a short time them hand them back over to their owners.

I’m leaving for Cameroon tomorrow with my colleague Jessica and 10 Wycliffe interns for 7 weeks. Tomorrow. That’s crazy!

Picture this, I’m dogwalking in a city I don’t know with a phone that will soon die.

Praying for the Long-Haul?!? I. Don’t. Think. So.

Much of the time when I pray, I want answers.
Right.
Away.
Right.
Now.
Much of the time when I pray, God doesn’t provide the answers right away.
Let alone, right now.

Sarah + TEAMWORK = ???

So if you’ve been following some of my recent journeys you know that I planned on doing the Race to 2025…

I didn’t just plan, I did it!

-33* Celsius & lots of snow: A typical African Village.

-33 * C & LOTS of Snow – DOES NOT EQUAL –  A typical Africa Village ANYWHERE.
Let alone in Kenya.

But this weekend.
It did. 

“Rapunzel, Rapunzel let down your hair”

Well, the BIG news is that I’ve officially started with Wycliffe as of Jan 28th!

PRAISE THE LORD WITH ME! =)

What does 17 days and dropping even mean?

17 days until I’m scheduled to become an “official” missionary. 17 days. crazy.

So, what am I filling these last days and weeks doing before I’m an “official” missionary?!

The Beginning of the End

I said my first Goodbye last night.
When KF returns next month, I’ll be gone.
I’ll be an “official” missionary with Wycliffe! 

I said my first Goodbye last night.
We ate, read, prayed, and talked together.
It was so good. 
It was so hard.

I said my first Goodbye last night.
Aren’t goodbyes exciting?!
New adventures, stories and adventures are just about to be had.

I said my first Goodbye last night.
I’m scheduled to leave January 28, 2011.
That’s in 4 weeks minus 3 days!!!
I have 18% yet to raise before I go!

I said my first Goodbye last night.
Is it possible?!?
If everything goes according to plan, it is.

“Many are the plans in a person’s heart but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”
Proverbs 19: 21

Happy 2011!!
The Beginning of the Beginning.