attitude & language

Well it's a good thing I didn't blog Tuesday. Why you ask? Well let's just say it was one of those days where you realize how incredibly ugly you are on the inside...and then you beg for Jesus to come in and take over, becuase you are being rotten...ever have those moments, days, years? Ok here's the scoop.

Now Monday was supposed to be the first day of language, but Ama, the teacher, had to reschedule for Tuesday. I called Tuesday and we had to reschedule for 3pm instead of 2:30, that was fine, except Tatum wasn't going to be able to come to the first day of training....well I got to the University at 3pm and waited at the designated spot and waited and waited and waited some more. All this time I was trying Ama's phone that kept saying "this handset has been shutoff and is not receiving calls...this handset has been .." I seriously dialed it 45 times and no that's not a Margaret exageration comment! So then the more I dialed the more mad I got. Then I started thinking of all the other things I could have been doing for the past two months not to mention the past hour, I was mad that I have been here that long and not started language training, then the anxiety ball inside my stomach increased until I left the "meeting place" an hour later absolutely frustrated and for lack of better words "pissed." I got in my car and drove to the gas station across the road. They have two for Tuesday pizza and I was picking it up for our family. Not exactly like Pizza Hut, but hey it's pretty darn good :) Since it's two for Tuesday, you can imagine....EXTREMELY busy. I was waiting in line and someone butted in front of me. I was already mad, it was like he was throwing gasoline on the fire inside....of course the cashier lady's shift was over right as I got to the counter, so then I had to wait for the new person to come on and count her money. By this time I had prayed a little in the car but not given it over... so I ordered and went outside to wait. That was when i really started begging for Jesus's mercy and strength. And of course He provided. As I drove home I kept thinking, man it's good to know that I'm broken and need Him. I can get so anxious, upset, mad then curse yell and scream in my car and He still loves me. I then was convicted of truly surrending earlier in the process so that it doesn't get to the point that I"m so mad I could spit nails....so of course The Spirits still got lots of shaping to do...

Then on Wednesday afternoon we met with some other missionaries and had lunch to send off part of the Ghana team, the Jernigans, to London. They're going for medical training and will be back in three months. After that Tatum, Mary Kay and Charlie and I all went to meet Ama, for the third try. I didn't have my hopes up by any means. Now here's the conviction part, I had gotten so mad Tuesday that Ama's phone was dead and i couldn't reach her, then Wednesday my phone went dead. Yeah, kind of helped me realize I shouldn't have let that make me quite as mad as it did. :) Thank God for grace :) Then we met with Ama and she was GREAT. She's very nice and really wants to help us learn. Today was another great meeting, unfortunately the Jacksons (Mary Kay and Charlie) won't be able to come because it's too far (sidenote, please pray for their language training....something to emerge) but Tatum and I met with Ama and we went over the alphabet and tones today...as well as some pronouns. Tatum picks it up great...and is one of those really organized note takers....so I have to look onto her sheet :) I do have a hard time learning ...I just don't pick it up well....but I'm really not worried about it..i know the Lord's going to lead me...hey He knows every language on earth...which by the way is absolutely amazing in itself!

Also, something that has started in preparation for dry season is twelve hour shifts of power outages. That's right my friends, we are out of power from either 6a-6p or 6p-6a. The 6p-6a shift isn't that bad right now because it's really been cool here. The hotter it gets though....the less fun that will me. It's so interesting to have been getting e-mails about how hot it is in Mississippi and here it's been so nice. Well...the table is turning....around Christmas time here wax candles start melting :) Anybody want to come for a holiday? :)

Here's the big request I have. Gifty Sebugah, she's in the picutres on the left, is going through some hard times right now. PLEASE be in prayer for her and her family and for reconilation among some of them. There are people here who are called "traditionalists" they believe in a type of vodoo and animistic beliefs. There are spells, curses, etc. Please be in prayer that people would see God's truth in these instances and have great discernment against the devils attacks whatever they might be. it's a good feeling when you know you are where God has designed you to be, even with the toughest days, He knows right when to show you how much He loves you and what that looks like through others. Nicole, Kirk and I sat with Gifty last night for hours just being family. What precious time.

We leave for a little get away tomorrow. I haven't really been here long enough to deserve this type of treatment...but I do love the beach. We're going about five hours west of here to relax a bit. Kirk, Nicole, the boys and Gifty haven't taken anytime in the past year to go off for a long weekend, so looks like I got here just in the nick of time :) We're going to spend time within our community growing it deeper, which will be good. Pray for safe travel and for those people we come in contact with on the way!!!!

love you all
margaret