Recent Gifts

Amazing how this choosing joy posture makes a difference. It's neither magic nor self-delusion. It's perspective. Eyes open. Willing to be surprised. It also helps with learning to be present and in the moment--particular challenges for me.

After all, how can one worry about bills, potential hazards to health, and global warming when one is counting 10, no 12, no 14, no way...15 monarch caterpillars on two swamp milkweed plants. Yes. It's true. I counted 15 of these brightly-striped beauties on two plants in my rain garden two weeks ago. And that same day I noticed a preying mantis perched below the mailbox (I moved her to the red twig dogwood to provide her better camouflage).

In fact, my little corner of human-made Eden here in the suburbs is full of late-summer activity. Most of it has occurred in the front rain garden.

First, a wild mass of cantaloupes ran rampant through the sedge grass and wild quinine. Their seeds must have been hiding out in the compost incorporated into the garden bedding. Sun and bees helped the vines flourish, and more than a dozen cantaloupes sprung out. Only a few had a chance at full growth, given their late start and their home in a "rain" garden! But they've been the wild bunch of joyous teenagers who fill your house with laughter while they raid the fridge. 

And of course, there have been monarch chrysalides (yes, that's a plural form of chrysalis) in the rain garden. I've been on time to see two brand new, hours-old butterflies resting and warming themselves, preparing for flight.

On sunny days the bees comb through the asters, packing on the pollen and filling up on nectar.

Everyday I go out and check the activity. Sometimes several times a day. Curiosity is a great excuse to step away from the computer screen. It's also a way to remind myself of the joys around me--small things to which I could so easily be blind. Causes me to wonder what other joys I'm missing and reminds me that only in choosing joy do I know it.

One of the topics yesterday at a weekly meeting I attend was on "taking care of self." It occurred to me that one way I am learning to "take care of self" is to choose joy.

Choosing joy (again) and gratitude

Here I am. Relearning (or is it reviewing?) lessons from the past. I've been wallowing in my own way lately, daily reminding myself to--

• "let go or get dragged" 
• "turn my will and my life over to the care of God"  
• "act my way into right thinking"

There are moments, even hours, of serenity and peace. But for the most part, I have to admit that I have NOT chosen joy or gratitude. So, yesterday I decided it was time to do so. Once again. Make the conscious choice. Take action. And see what happens.

And good things do happen. Joy does show up. It happened yesterday in the space of 15 minutes after making the choice:

• Decide to stop by the Wednesday, Westerville Farmer's Market. I don't really need any produce or meat. I do want something sweet and homemade--a cookie or brownie. There are several good bakers at the market.

• Walking up the street, I peek in the window at Captivating Canines (store for dog-lovers) and laugh at the doormat on display. Would be a fitting greeting when Jock is around. 

Sweet potato bird

• At the Farmer's Market Mike and Laura Laughlin (Northridge Organic Farms) have some HUGE sweet potatoes ("Yes, the first digging is always a surprise," Laura grins). Have to buy the bird! 

Last of summer peaches

• Branstool's Orchards has peaches. Yum! Coming down to the last, luscious week of fresh peaches. Fifteen bucks for a peck. I'm in. Rummaging through my billfold, I realize I only have $15 in cash and no checks. Edna senses my mild dismay and asks if anything is wrong. "No, I just had wanted to buy a cookie. But I don't have enough cash or any checks." Her response: "Can't stand in the way of a woman and her sweets!" and she gives me back a dollar.

• Off in search of cookie. Great choices at Batter and Bowl. Shoot! $2! I scrounge in the bottom of my purse, hoping for recalcitrant coins hiding in the folds. "Don't worry," Sara says. "Karma comes around. A dollar is fine." Can I really be so lucky? Again? "Yesterday I ran out of gas and someone gave me five dollars. We're just paying it all forward."  No brownie every tasted so sweet. 

And all of that in the space of 15 minutes after choosing joy. Life would be pretty good if I decided to choose joy and gratitude on a daily, breath-by-breath basis!

(By the way, joy showed up again today.)

For Jock

UCBC's First Graduation

From the veranda

Saturday, July 30, 2011, was a grand and glorious day in Beni. Fog from the night’s rain hung in the air, but spirits were high on the UCBC campus. A dais stood ready in front of the Academic Building veranda, orange and green tule draped across the railing behind. Chairs for graduates, faculty, and special guests filled the veranda. Facing the stage from a distance, the University Chapel and Community Center (UCCC) stood proud—a continuing work in progress. In the foreground, a dozen or more white tents created a shaded perimeter where more than 300 guests would be accommodated. The newly built stone wall in front of the Welcome Center proclaimed, “Université Chrétienne Bilingue du Congo” in fresh green and gold paint. Inside the Academic Building faculty and staff were dashing to complete final details for the graduation ceremony, about to take place. 

Graduates marching onto campus

Somewhere around 9 a.m. sounds of a brass band echoed, and those of us without assignments strode out to see the UCBC graduates march onto campus, heralded by this delightful vestige of earlier missionary activities.  UCBC Brigade served as honor guard. The students were in full graduation regalia: black cap and gown, white stoles declaring their faculty (major) in red and green. Some of the UCBC faculty were in the line. The group had earlier marched a route downtown. And now they were here…on this ground that only a few short years ago was little more than elephant grass, a vision, and a promise from God.

Faculty join the procession

Other faculty joined the procession along with UCBC leadership, members of the General Assembly (Congolese board), US board members in attendance, and other US guests. And for the next 10 or 15 minutes we marched a slow but grand procession for perhaps 30-40 yards to a brassy refrain with just a hint of New Orleans jazz.

At the Welcome Center, the procession halted for the raising of the Congolese flag and singing of the anthem. Next was the raising of the UCBC flag and the UCBC anthem—a praise to God and a call to transformation.

The procession from the flags to the veranda and dais, although in distance twice as far, took only minutes. We were smiles all around. I venture to say that for many of us, hearts burst with pride as if these students were our own dear children graduating from our alma mater.

Fast forward? No. The ceremony, complete with prayer, student speeches, skits, singing, recognitions, commencement address, conferring of degrees, more prayers, blessings, commendations, and awards, lasted another 4 (or was it 5?) hours. Time didn’t so much fly as it soared and lifted against the currents of Congolese exuberance, solemnity, and celebration.

Two moments during the ceremony stood as strong statements about the event and UCBC. First, David Kasali instituted a “Rectors’s Award for Excellence” at this graduation. David talked about the significance of leadership, excellence, and service—that these go hand-in-hand. He then proceeded to present awards to two staff people, two students, the Academic Dean, and the president of the US Board of CI. With each award, David described in heartfelt detail the ways in which the individual sets a standard of excellence which inspires and continues to serve and lead in this work that is UCBC.

Blessing the graduates

Near the end of the ceremony, having received their diplomas, the graduates gathered on the dais. UCBC leadership, representatives from the General Assembly and the US Board, and pastors in attendance gathered, and circled around the graduates. Collectively they laid hands on these young women and men and delivered a prayer of dedication and blessing as the rest of us reached out our hands in solidarity—both sending out and confirming that God continues the work of building up “indigenous, Christian leaders to be transformed and to transform their communities and the nation of DR Congo.”

Before the ceremony concluded, a harambee was held: a collection of cash and pledges for the UCCC. Students, guests, faculty, community members, and local leaders stepped forward in public and committed money and cement to the effort. Just as the graduates were blessed and sent, the community blessed the work of UCBC and said by their contributions, “We are part of this place; part of this work of transformation.”

Last day in Beni. Already?

The air was cool this morning, washed with a light rain. The morning song was a chorus of voices talking, singing or "oo-loo-laying," accompanied by a raucous band of chugging motos, neighborhood goats bleating, a late-awakening rooster, and the occasional beeping of a horn. Off in the distance a brass band played a familiar hymn. Sounds of households getting underway provided the harmony.

Tomorrow we leave Beni. I hate to resort to a cliche, but the time has flown. It has also been rich with conversation, music, prayer, celebration, work, fellowship, singing, and dancing.

Last evening was a meeting with the management committee of UCBC. Three of us rep internet resenting the USA-CI board, Danny, an assistant in our strategic planning process, and the four members of the CI-UCBC Management Committee met. In the busyness of graduation, followed by two workshops at UCBC last week, we've had to carve out corners of time to meet. Our attention last night was on looking ahead and moving forward.

CI-UCBC has just come to the end of its first 5-year strategic plan and is in a "bridge year,"readying to develop a strategic plan for 2012-2015. The US board will be developing a strategic plan, as well. Given the nature of the boards' relationships, ours (CI-USA) must support the priorities of CI-UCBC, not our own interests.

There is much to do here, as we look at the next 3-5 years. There is a community center to complete. There is a radio station to get online (with thanks to a generous grant from Eastern Congo Initiative). There are faculty to hire and train. There is a new curriculum and credit system to develop and implement. The needs remain great: need for faculty and staff, materials, buildings, books, faster internet, money, and time.

But there is much that has been accomplished in these few short years. There is a 1st graduating class. There are faculty who are becoming increasingly invested in UCBC, its mission, and its students. There are the beginnings of cross-institutional collaborations (Shalom University in Bunia and Uganda Christian University, for example). And there are many, many assets. In fact, during the faculty workshop this past Thursday and Friday, Paul Robinson reminded us that while we are keenly aware of our needs, we must remember that we have many gifts. We must look at those gifts, those assets, and discover how to use them to meet our needs.

In Entebbe

Restful day here in Bugongo district of Entebbe at the Sunset Motel Entebbe. There are views out both sides of the motel to Lake Victoria, and an accompanying gentle breeze. It was a gift to take a shower and sleep on a bed, prone, after 12+ hours on airplanes yesterday.

This morning after breakfast and a delightful conversation with Monique, a young Dutch woman heading to Bunia, I spent some time writing, thinking, going for a walk, and enjoying the gifts of this region:

Keeping watch on the water

Surprise

Birds and vegetation. Perhaps because they are unfamiliar, the bird species and their songs capture my imagination. I recognize pelicans and kingfishers (or their cousins). But there are other small songbirds that dart among the flowers and larger birds that swoop and call from rooftops and light poles. One bird, with the voice of a wooden-flute, sang a Gloria of repeating double measures in 2/4 time from somewhere down the road this morning. A tree shaded the table where I wrote. It's physique, spidery, yet thick, belies the beauty and fragrance of the blossoms. Only three or four clusters decorate its mass.

Yum

Tea. Is there anything to compare to spiced African tea? It's the color of almonds, made with hot milk and sweet spices. What a delight to sip my way through an entire thermos.

Gracious kindness of strangers. During my walk, a moto-driver asked if I wanted a ride. I thanked him and explained that I was out for a walk. When I asked him for the best way to get down to the water, he offered to drive me over a shortcut to the road. I explained that I didn't have any money on me, as I was just out for a walk. "No problem, Madame. Get on. I will show you." It was a short drive; but I wouldn't have recognized the shortcut on my own.

Contrasts. My American memory and perspective delights in what are, to me, surprising contrasts. For example, a large LG, flat screen television entertains in the dining area of the motel, and there is free internet here and at other guest houses and motels in the area. At the same time, laundry is done by hand and hung over the wall, and trash is collected and burned in open fires in each compound. Then there are the day and night. Literally. The sun shines bright and high during the day. Darkness lands suddenly and completely by 6pm, unabashed, requiring no defense against city lights.

Last night, landing first in Kigali, then in Entebbe, was an example of the contrast between light and dark here in this place. As we approached each airport, only scattered dots of light indicated the city below. Parallel orange lights, lonely in black night, appeared suddenly--the only visible marker of each airport. At Kigali, a car with lights blinking guided our jumbo jet to the terminal. Three portable passenger-stair trucks stood, sentinel-like, their headlights on, and illuminated our final approach to the terminal at Entebbe.

New ways of looking and seeing. Before my first trip to Congo in October, 2009, Paul Robinson gave  good advice that I continue to follow: Observe and jot down those observations. Refrain from judgment and analysis. Ask questions.

Ready to go?

It would be easy (especially for the judgment-inclined person that I am) to look at the paint peeling from what appears to be a sleek new hotel and think... Or jump to judgment about three heifers tied in an abandoned lot. Or allow contrasts to become questions. But my Congolese sisters and brothers have taught me to see with other eyes and refrain from judging actions and decisions in another culture from my American lens. (Tim Harford, in his recently-posted TED Talk, Trial and error and the God complex, seems to agree.) So, I take delight in the hot-rod towing a camper and cows amidst refuse overlooking Lake Victoria.

The ease of being present in the present. One of the gifts of Congo, and my brief passages through Uganda, is that it's easier for me to be present in the present. Perhaps it's the contrasts, the new ways of looking and seeing, being a stranger and a sojourner, or the sensual joys of sight, sound, taste, and smell; but it's easier to be present in the present here, in this place. It's easier to sit and to listen--first to the birds, the music, the lilting voices--and then to God.

Practicing patience

Schiphol Airport isn't a bad place to hang out. There is a lounge on the second floor with institutional chaises, shops to explore, a museum. It's clean and bright. The Dutch speak how many languages?

Yes, the start to this trip to DR Congo has not followed the planned schedule.

First leg: Columbus to Detroit. We arrived in Detroit on time, then sat on the Tarmac for 45 minutes waiting to get to the gate.

Second leg: Detroit to Amsterdam. The flight was delayed for hours for equipment repair. Of course passengers Re never told what is wrong with the equipment! Probably best.
Once we boarded, we had another, almost 60 minute delay. First there was need for additional mechanical review. Ten we had to wait for more fuel.my ticket allowed for 2 hours to change planes in Amsterdam, so I was reasonably certain that there would be need for a change once we touched down at Schiphol. I was just one of who-knows-how-many were going to miss connections, though.

Sure enough, landed at 10:40am; flight to Entebbe leaving at 10:45. And, of course, I was in 3rd row from back of plane.

So, my first experience with "self transfer" at Schiphol. When "passenger not found" showed up on the self-help screen, it was clear I couldn't "self-help."

Next was a 30 minute waiting in line for a number to GET help. When your number is "A181-Economy," you know it's going to be a wait. Service was being provided to A141, and then there were the "B" and "E" categories. And I don't think E stood for "Economy," as those numbers seemed to change rapidly. Oh well... Met a woman from Colorado heading to Budapest who leads camps for missionary kids--chance for them to get together, have fun, enjoy and share with each other.

And she helped me get onto the WiFi network.

So a 3-hour wait until my number was served, and I learned I would be spending the night in Amsterdam, and head to Entebbe the next day.

But, there were accommodations--hotel, bed, shower, and food.

All is well.

Pange lingua, gloriosi

Pange lingua, gloriosi  was the procession at last night's Office of Tenebrae, St. Joseph's Cathedral, Columbus, OH (Good Friday, April 22, 2011).

Sing, my tongue, of the battle of that glorious struggle.
And tell the noble triumph over the trophy of the Cross,
how the Redeemer of the world was victorious through his sacrifice.

When he had lived for thirty years, fulfilling his time in earthly body,
by his own free will, he gave himself over to the Passion for which he had been born.

The lamb was lifted up on the wood of the Cross to be sacrificed.

Lo, the vinegar, the gall, the reed, the spitting, the nails and the spear:
His tender body is pierced, blood and water pour forth,
and by this flood the earth, sea, stars and the whole world are washed clean.

Bend your branches, noble tree,
relax your tightened sinews, and let that hardness,
which your birth bestowed on you, grow soft,
so that with tender beams you might uphold the limbs of the King of Heaven.

You alone are worthy to bear the ransom of the world,
and as a sailor to make ready a harbor for a shipwrecked world,
you, whom the sacred blood has anointed, 
flowing from the body of the Lamb.


Poignant images and stunning contrasts--the glorious struggle, the trophy of the Cross, victorious through his sacrifice. Jesus is the example of a new way. He did not gather an army, seize the banks, introduce new economic models, establish a political party. Humility, giving over to something entirely different, showing us the sacrifice of dying to self.

Struck, too, but the concluding address to the tree. God's creation an actor in the story of redemption. A challenge to us in these times, as well?