Spring 2017 Reflections and Notes

1. Language study is a very slow process.

It takes so much repeating until I am able to remember. And even if I am remembering the word and it’s meaning that doesn’t mean that I am able to talk correctly. But it all counts.

As Emily said when she shared about the hardest part of everything: “All the work you’re doing towards that thing you’re doing, the tiny steps forward, the little bit here and there, the embarrassment of what feels like failure, the lack of recognition, the waiting and listening: it all counts. Nothing is wasted.

Talking to a friend in Berlin via WhatsApp, while having a cold coke and some chips in the shade of a tiny grocery store does wonders for a short break of language study.

2. I learned a lot about the Néré season 

The Nére tree produces beans which are harvested in March/April. I learned how the Néré seeds are processed to be a delicious spice put into a sauce. Soumbara it’s called when all cooked and dried up again. It’s hight in protein and very good for you but has a strange smell about it.

3. Food preparation in West Africa involves a lot of physical work. 

But it’s the Sport and some times even compares with Yoga. I described it here a bit. In the last several months, I’ve learned a lot from my neighbor ladies as I worked beside them. I have got a lot of respect for them. I admire their courage and their humor.

4. What it means to be a widow in Islam -

I got to know two young widows during their grieving time. They were sitting in their room with their mother and grandmother in law for 4 months; not allowed to go any where, wearing a white cloths wrapped around their bodies. It was so hard and I shared a bit more here.

5. In the light of eternity we are all the least

I was listening to Shannan Martin's book "Falling Free". As Jesus was mentioning "The Least" in Matthew 25,40, Shannan asked a very interesting question. What does that mean? If I am referring to some one as the least what does that make me? Us? Them?

The much better? The luckier? Fancier? Cleaner? What? 

Generosity is a condition of the heart not of the wallet. To losen my grip on my time, belongings, etc. To really listen and try to learn is truly following Jesus. God called us all His, it made us a family. As our circles widens our grip loosens.