Kevin's Watch

Hey, Thursday at 5 is nearly Friday!! We volunteered at a vacation Bible school all week and I was with the preschoolers. Getting my little kid fix so it's been fun.

We are thoroughly ensconced in the church mission house for the remainder of 2017. Buck of the dawn is living with us while he looks for a job, and Fawn of the dawn has a job that provides housing at the college both kids just graduated from.

Stag of the dawn and I are having serious discussions about changing how we do what we do. Basically, we are sick of living with secrets. Like when we went to Ghana for a vacation last year we didn't tell anyone but family, didn't post any pictures on Facebook, because if supporters found out we weren't completely overwhelmed with suffering for the Lord, they would be envious and think us not worth supporting. Yesterday Stag was chatting with old friends and mentioned that he had to sell American dollars on the black market in Nigeria to make ends meet. They kind of freaked out until he explained that this was a normal, accepted part of life and that the government doesn't even try to fight it most of the time... basically we live in a fishbowl and he is sick of it. We have to withhold a lot of things we do because people don't get it.

It's also true that we inherited money from 3 different relatives in 2 years, and while we are not rich, we can actually retire in ten or fifteen years and maybe even own a house. That puts us ahead financially of many people who take an interest in our ministry. So we don't tell people we bought the house we live in in Nigeria now, nor that we are considering buying a place in the States to have a home base since our parents are not going to last more than a few more years.

It's a fact of missionary life that everyone who supports you, or goes to a church that supports you, feels they own a piece of you. And after 11 years, that gets old.

But who knows. Just feeling that right now.

Wow, never really though about the politics of missionary work before. Usually I just excoriate them for spreading Christianity and trying to impose Christian cultural values on people, y'know. (It's ok, I don't hold it against you personally Deer. )

My favourite little homily about missionaries in Africa is told by Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu:

When the missionaries came to Africa, they had a bible and we had land. Then they said, "Let us close our eyes and pray." And when we opened our eyes, we had the bible and they had the land.

(The Arch is an honorary atheist as far as I'm concerned. Awesome guy.)

Anyway, at least it's Friday.

--A

A happy heaping helping of Friday for everyone!!!!

Avatar wrote:Wow, never really though about the politics of missionary work before. Usually I just excoriate them for spreading Christianity and trying to impose Christian cultural values on people, y'know. (It's ok, I don't hold it against you personally Deer. )

My favourite little homily about missionaries in Africa is told by Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu:

When the missionaries came to Africa, they had a bible and we had land. Then they said, "Let us close our eyes and pray." And when we opened our eyes, we had the bible and they had the land.

(The Arch is an honorary atheist as far as I'm concerned. Awesome guy.)

Anyway, at least it's Friday.

--A

My first exposure to those sort of challenges clergy faced was when I read the Rabbi Small books by Harry Kemelman 40 years ago. I particularly remember a scene in a pizzeria. Rabbi Small and his wife are Conservative Jews, so eating dairy out in a regular restaurant was considered acceptable. However, a prominent member of their shul saw them there, accused them of eating treif, and caused them all sorts of trouble with the congregation and board of directors.

But then, you see the public lifestyle of TV evangelists such as Jerry Falwell back in the day...

*shakes head*

Sorus wrote: And you really do look like your avatar.

Yes, TOM, you look even more like it today.

Menolly wrote:

Avatar wrote:Wow, never really though about the politics of missionary work before. Usually I just excoriate them for spreading Christianity and trying to impose Christian cultural values on people, y'know. (It's ok, I don't hold it against you personally Deer. )

My favourite little homily about missionaries in Africa is told by Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu:

When the missionaries came to Africa, they had a bible and we had land. Then they said, "Let us close our eyes and pray." And when we opened our eyes, we had the bible and they had the land.

(The Arch is an honorary atheist as far as I'm concerned. Awesome guy.)

Anyway, at least it's Friday.

--A

My first exposure to those sort of challenges clergy faced was when I read the Rabbi Small books by Harry Kemelman 40 years ago. I particularly remember a scene in a pizzeria. Rabbi Small and his wife are Conservative Jews, so eating dairy out in a regular restaurant was considered acceptable. However, a prominent member of their shul saw them there, accused them of eating treif, and caused them all sorts of trouble with the congregation and board of directors.

But then, you see the public lifestyle of TV evangelists such as Jerry Falwell back in the day...

*shakes head*

For some time now I have wished to divorce my identity from "Christian" and just say, "I follow Jesus." For all the reasons alluded to here.

"Missions", unfortunately, has been used as a trojan horse in many places to gain control of resources and people. Which is not at all what Jesus meant when he said, "Go and make disciples" and "Preach the good news to every creature".

For us, it means telling people that the love of God was poured out in the spectacular, sacrificial act of dying voluntarily on the cross as payment for our sins, and blowing away death by means of the Resurrection. Practically speaking that means teaching children, having fun with them, helping them build life skills and learn to make good choices. It means teaching people how to attract people to Christ by making church an authentic expression of faith for children, not a place to lecture and control them.

We have no interest in the land or resources of Nigeria, except as a way to lift their lives up.

An African preacher told us that his Dad once told him that when he was a child it was nearly impossible to walk from Maiadiko to Kwang, villages located just a few miles apart, without being killed. That changed once the Church came to the villages. Now one could walk freely from village to village. (The only problem you may encounter is meeting with Fulani herdsmen, but they are not generally Christians.) That is exactly the sort of change Jesus wants the Gospel to bring to an area-- the Shalom peace and community where life and culture can thrive.

Menolly, interesting story. I am sure our situation is not new, it's just hard to find a venue to talk about it. It's not like we are using prostitutes or heroin, but people can just be so judgmental about small things. I would give back the money we inherited when our brother took his life in a heartbeat if it would bring him back, but since he's gone where money no longer matters, we may as well use it in a way he would have approved of. And that's what we did. But people are weird. Aren't we??

deer of the dawn wrote:
It's a fact of missionary life that everyone who supports you, or goes to a church that supports you, feels they own a piece of you. And after 11 years, that gets old.

That would drive me crazy.

Saying hi to everyone and anyone. It's been a long time gone.

I'm still in Lawn Guyland for the time being. I think the last time I posted was the Balloon fest. (which was great fun). I'm not in much contact with anyone except Uss from the site. After the Balloonfest he and I took a big loop around the U.S. and into Canada. I think we were in the car for 1 week before and 2 weeks after the fest. Lots of fun!

Going through some challenges after the big car accident and have had four surgeries on my back, neck and abdomen. Two more to go and I am done. I am more metal than skin and bone! I am starting to get my life back. I am starting to make jewelry again now that I have use of my left hand coming back to me. And I am starting to write again. Was a challenge when I had on feeling in my left hand 'cause I am left handed. Actually planted a garden this year but the bees have gone missing. I have to hand pollinate my zucchini.

I went to Ireland at the end March and arrived just in time to see a calf born! Learned how to milk a cow and bake brown bread. Uss and I will be meeting in England in mid September and we hope to catch up with Io. and anyone else interested. I am just hoping nothing gets in the way of the trip. I have a lot of legal and medical stuff pending. Hell of a way to start a retirement.

Speaking of hell, Helldog is still with me, though she is getting very old and stiff. Her body is very broken too. Her gray beard is so cute.

Anyway, that's my update. Will try to check in more often.

Hi lorin!

Hiya, Lorin. Good to see you back. Sounds like you've been through quite a bit. Glad you are getting better.

Nice to see you around Lorin. 'Bout time. And tell that Irishman we miss him too.

Yes Deer, we certainly are weird. Weird and judgemental and selfish and a whole bunch of other stuff. People huh?

Well, it's Monday. Meh.

--A

Avatar wrote:Nice to see you around Lorin. 'Bout time. And tell that Irishman we miss him too.

Lorin! And yes, what Av said.

Tuesday. Meh.



--A

Avatar wrote:Tuesday. Meh.



--A

Tuesday Afternoon

lorin!
I chime in with the chorus of people happy to see you.
I like hearing about your gardening efforts, bees failing you notwithstanding.
and happy you're getting back the writing and the jewelry-making.
yay for having your left hand back; sooo much surgeries.

I've been away from the Watch a lot this summer... I feel like I have to make my excuses - but I don't know what they are!
I'll just say that I've been piloting the neurotic little ship that is my life with varying degrees of competence.

Well, two more things I wanted to say to people from my time where I've lapsed.

SD and Menolly - sorry to hear of Menolly's health news.
Do treatments start soon / have they already started?

Sorus - I saw this and wanted to say congratulations about it:

Feeling somewhat vindicated, since the new inventory system thingy (technical term) that the company rolled out earlier in the week has my site in green and it's the only site in the district that's green across the board.

Nice of you to deign to join us Linna.

Half-way through the week and I'm not feeling any more motivated or up for it than I was on Monday morning. Maybe it's because we're more than half way through the year...not sure.

--A

When does a Wednesday feel like a Monday?

When its the first day of your work week.

So glad lorin is checking in! Hi!

Busy with family, plus migraines. Life.... Driving to VA today with Stag and Buck. Nothing says "summer" like creeping along a baking super slab counting orange cones...

But it is an exciting time of life because we're going to help Buck of the dawn get started on post-college life. And America is still breathtakingly beautiful!!

I feel like a zombie. As is typical for July 4th, last night sounded like the beginning of WWIII. And my upstairs neighbors, who were gone for a year, have now returned. That's good and bad - on the one hand, the ditzy individual they sublet the place to is gone, and I don't have to worry about them not calling a plumber if the place floods - on the other hand, they have a small and energetic child, and the general noise level is more than I have been accustomed to. I can adapt fairly quickly, but I am a very light sleeper and the adaptation period is not going to be fun.

I sleep like the dead personally. The GF however wakes if a bug breaks wind near her.

Big crises at work yesterday, and the designers are playing absentee tag, so we're falling behind on our schedules... Meh.

--A