Signs

Africa...doesn't that word cause a little flicker of excitement? Does it conjure images of giraffes and elephants  traversing a dusty, weedy sahara? Do you see little shacks and big snakes? How do you feel about traditional tribal garb?

Hmm. That's interesting. The first question is easy for me to answer...yes, thinking of Africa is terribly exciting, in a clueless, curious sort of way. I've never been and really don't know what to expect upon my arrival there next year, Lord willing. I do know that Todd and I will be living in a massive, modern (to an extent) city and are unlikely to witness much in the way of wildlife or native apparel.

I'm sure there will be plenty for me to write about after Todd and I find ourselves in our new home across the globe. Life will certainly be much different in many ways then, but it's actually much different in many ways now. I've discovered over the past 10 months that missionaries take on a "missionary" lifestyle to a degree before they ever depart for the field. Allow me to paint a verbal picture...

Last fall Todd's parents invited us to move into their (mostly finished) basement in an attempt to help us save the money we were paying in rent. We accepted. I will tell you, though, that even now when someone asks where we're living, it's kind of embarrassing to say "in my in-law's basement...but they invited us!" That last part...I make sure I point that out. It never occurred to us to ask to be moochers, but it would seem that we have no problem becoming moochers when the option is made available. :) In all seriousness, it has been an incredible blessing and we are so grateful for the generosity we've been and are being shown. This is hospitality at its finest.

So that would be the first indication that we are gearing up for the mission field...we don't have a home of our own. Within that distintive we find a subclass of others:

While we are not "living out of a suitcase," we are kind of living out of a microwave. Our lovely basement apartment did not come with a kitchen, but we do have our fridge plugged in and our microwave set up on a plastic table. When I need a stove or oven, I borrow the one upstairs. It makes for a lot of back and forth sometimes, but I just think of all the extra calories I burn going up and down the stairs to make soup. Same goes for the washer and dryer situation; we just borrow Todd's parents'.

That's the second and maybe most pervasive distinctive; we borrow. The following item in the description of missionary living might explain part of why borrowing is such an important characteristic.

Before Todd and I moved out of our rental house we went through it with a huge garbage can. We would find an object, evaluate it, and decide whether or not it was something we would take to Africa. Whatever didn't make the cut got chucked. It sounds easy and it was actually an incredibly...liberating, I suppose, experience. It felt good to be able to rid our rooms of the junk we'd been accumulating. As we conducted this purge, we would, at times, come across something that gave us pause, something we thought was valuable to us either practically or sentimentally. But when these moments of weakness arose, the one of us who could be objective (as it was not our object in question) would ask the other, "are you going to take that to Africa?"

Being faced with the knowledge that there isn't much we could take with us has helped us keep our "stuff" in perspetive. That's the third distinctive; missionaries can't hold on to stuff. Not all stuff, anyway. I expect another purge will be in order when we begin packing in a couple months. Each of us may take only two suitcases plus a carry-on, and our co-workers in Africa have suggested we bring primarily clothing. Oh, there are a few things we'll still take with us; I plan to tuck my cookbooks and a couple of treasured kitchen-ish things into my suitcase, and I will of course need my camera! These, among other small items will probably make the trek with us but for the most part, I will just have to learn to let go of stuff.

The last distinctive I'll offer is hard. The logical outcomes work their way into my conversation sometimes, but I don't know if it's really sunk in completely. It's just this: missionaries leave. And not only do they leave physically, they need to leave mentally, as well. This doesn't mean they don't regularly talk with family and friends or think of the place they grew up. But it does mean that they must make their new home home. Someone who is constantly pining for what they've left behind can't really be a part of where they are now.

It's so important that we plant ourselves in our new life, and try not to be overwhelmed with what we're missing...first steps, 4-year-old birthday parties, college graduations, engagements, births.Ok, so I've thought about it. I'm sure many exciting things will happen without me here to see them, so it will be important that I remember that obedience and faithfulness are what is required of me. I'll just have to celebrate from afar and not let the distance be a cause of depression. I know, I know...easier said than done, right? Well, I can trust that the Lord, who is my Lord, will supply all my needs, and will sustain me during the times when I get so homesick it's all I can do not to get on a plane.

I have a lot to learn. I pray He will prepare me for what He's called me to do.

Weapon of Choice

It was a rainy Monday late-morning in the fair kingdom of Overbeek when the lunch moster came creeping round my kitchen. I could have unsheathed one of my usual combat techniques: opening a can of Progresso Light series soup (an easy, tasty lunch I enjoy often), but I felt a more interactive weapon would serve me better. I decided, rather, to wield *pause for dramatic effect* the Chicken and Dumpling.

Of course, in order for this weapon to have been at my disposal at all, prior planning was required. That morning I'd secured a fine rotisserie poultry at my local edibles supplier, and was, at the moment of the attack, attempting to prep it for consumption. My fingers worked deftly, scavenging the little bird for the meat, discarding the bone and other less useful matter.

Having sufficient chicken in my possession, my next step was to compile the soup component of the dish. I wrangled open a can of Mr. Swanson's chicken broth, poured it along with some water over the meat, lightly salted and dry-onioned it, and ignited the electric stove, hoping a boil would quickly ensue.

Not one to usually fail me, the stove top did its work in a most prompt fashion, which kept the lunch monster at bay, for the time. The true test was yet to come.

As is always the case when I select this particular weapon, I saw that it was time to consult Lord Bisquick. A finer authority on the delicate art of dumpling making I doubt one could easily find. He was a tremendous aid in the speedy development of a fine batch of dumpling dough, which I dropped atop the boiling chicken soup in clumps of varying sizes. The only thing to do now was wait.

Once the dish was complete, I valiantly sparred with my recurring opponent, ultimately vanquishing it for the time...though, vast experience has taught me that it can never be completely overthrown. Even now, as I sit typing this account of tasty success, I can sense it approaching...

Here is the recipe for Chicken and Dumplings, as provided by Lady Overbeek (my mother-in-law). As you can see, the version I made was a little less involved as I used pre-cooked chicken that did not have to be removed from the liquid and cut up. Either way will work, but I like short cuts.

• 3 chicken breasts
• 2 cups Bisquick mix
• 5 cups chicken broth
• 2/3 cup milk
• Salt & pepper to taste

Boil chicken breasts about 20 minutes until done, remove from liquid and cut into bite size pieces. Return chicken to broth and bring to a boil. Mix together Bisquick mix and milk until soft dough forms. Drop by spoonfuls into boiling broth. Reduce heat, cook uncovered for 10 minutes. Cover and cook 10 minutes longer. 

Can you see the steam rising from that bowl?! I am a huge CnD fan, and this recipe is so terribly easy. I've been on a CnD kick for a little while. It's probably what I'll whip up again today to ward off the inevitable lunch monster :)