Wanting a Child

This week our teammate sent us a message with the prayer request: One of her island friends, ‘Amira’, is pregnant! Amira is childless and desperately wants a child.

An island newborn!

Lots of people all over the world can resonate with the desire for a child. We have asked for prayers on the behalf of childless islanders on numerous occasions. But even as many back home carry a weight as they try to get pregnant, on the islands we feel like wanting a child has an added weight.

We have told you before that once you have a child, your name changes. The island parents might have been named Fatima and Ahmed, but once they have their first child and name her Hadidja, they will then be called Ma Hadidja and Ba Hadidja. After a number of years, some people might even start to forget their given names. They have a new identity as parents. A childless person can be reminded of their state anytime someone calls their name.

Added to that weight is the fact that not having a child puts your marriage at serious risk. Having a child is the final validation of a marriage. I think many islanders would say that having kids is the whole point of marriage. A productive marriage is one with kids.

For the woman, not having kids means she fears that her husband will leave her. Maybe he won’t divorce her, but he could take a second wife, someone who will give him children. If he has kids with someone else, then even though she’s still married to him she will be lesser and have a smaller claim on her husband. For the husband, he may feel pressured to divorce or take a second wife, even if he doesn’t want to. His family may demand it.

They’d demand it because having kids is not only a social obligation, it is a religious obligation. Islanders believe that God demands that everyone get married and have children. Staying single and/or not having kids is not seen as an option if it is within your power to avoid it. For men, there is always the option of finding a new, young wife and trying again if your first wife didn’t provide you with children. 

So yes, being childless is a weighty problem on the islands. Our past blogs are littered with requests for islanders desperately wanting children. Even right now, I can think of several couples we know that are praying for children. There’s ‘Ndrolo & Mhodari’ who we have known for as long as we have been on Clove Island. They are educated and successful. They seem to have a happy marriage. But their lack of children looms over their heads. Ndrolo is particularly close to our teammate who has been helping them look into traveling abroad for IVF (something only possible for very rich islanders).

Most island brides/grooms hope for a baby right away

There is our good friend Ma Nadjma, who, though she has a child, hasn’t given her husband a child. He agreed to marry her and even raise her abandoned daughter as his own partially because it was assumed that she’d be able to give him children of his own (since she already had one successfully). Now after a few miscarriages, she is pregnant and very anxious to honor her husband with a child and thus secure their marriage.

There is ‘Uhaju’, who Tom has started to study with and who has encouraged his wife to study with one of our teammates. We are excited to see both a husband and wife open to studying and seeking, but this is another couple where childlessness and three miscarriages looms over their marriage.

This is truly only a small sampling.
Now back to the original request from our teammate. Some might think that Amira’s prayers have already been answered since she is now pregnant. But Amira is unique in that this is her 8th pregnancy and she is still childless. She has had seven miscarriages (more than one happening late into the second trimester). So the news of this pregnancy, while exciting, is still tinged with lots of fear. What will make this pregnancy any different than the other seven? We’re not sure, but one unique thing is that Amira knows that people are praying for her. While she does not share our beliefs, she knows that we say our prayers differently. Our teammate has shared about the power of the name in which we pray…

Kids are a blessing!

We pray for all these islanders seeking children because we know that having a child will change their lives in many ways, but we hope that when children do come that they would be able to see the Savior who has provided for them and that it would open the doors to even greater changes in their hearts and lives.

PRAYERS ANSWERED
We had three more weddings this past week— may our presence at these weddings deepen our relationships with islanders and allow so to speak into lives in the future. Tom finished his teacher training on the other side of the islands which had filled his Sundays this past month— we’re glad they are done and we are thankful that it worked out for him to go to the final training and also attend a wedding the same day (thankful for teammates who helped to make that possible). A group of us went with island brothers and sisters to give our condolences to our grieving island brother— it went well and seemed appreciated. Our island sister Elewa experienced a sudden, strange illness and asked our teammate to come and pray— when she laid on hands and prayed Elewa felt clear relief. We heard news that a new woman is planning on coming and join the work on the islands— still not sure whether she will be on the big island or our team, but we rejoice in more workers!

PRAYERS REQUESTED
Please pray for Amira and these others. Pray for successful pregnancies that result in healthy babies. Pray that they might recognize these children as gifts and that their hearts would be open to good news.  Both of Tom’s weekly studying times with islanders were canceled last week— pray that those studying times would happen this week. We have two administrators for our organization coming from the African mainland to visit the islands— pray for the complicated logistics of visiting all three islands, for a good visit from them and that they gain good insight into the work of the islands. Women should have their monthly big-group gathering on Wednesday— pray that some of the infrequent attendees would come. There is a plan in the works to gather as a big group on Sunday— we haven’t met all together with islanders in awhile, pray that it could be an encouraging time of fellowship and increase a sense of family among island brothers and sisters. 

On the Back of a Motorcycle

About a year or two ago, under the well-trained eyes of Chinese engineers, a road was completed on Clove Island.  The road climbs over a pass and down into the central valley called the “bowl” and then out over a second pass before winding its way down to the southern end of the island and the sea.  It essentially cuts the island in half, and is a marvel of Chinese engineering.  

New road

The road is steep and winding, but it is well built  and will hopefully hold up over time (though that is still to be seen).  As it slices and winds its way through the mountains, the majesty and beauty of jungle cliffs and forests surround you in their powerful ascents and cloud catching wonder.  It is simply breathtaking. 

For the past few weeks, I’ve had the joy of experiencing these views from possibly the very best place to enjoy them—the back of a motorcycle.  Although Megan has her motorcycle license, I, Tom, have never learned (although I’m starting to think I should).  So when I agreed to do a teacher training on the south-side of the island, the cheapest and easiest solution to get me there was to put  me on the back of a motorcycle.  It may not be the most comfortable place to sit for an hour and a half, and there are always safety concerns with a motorcycle (don’t worry, the driver is cautious, and I had a helmet). But there is nothing to rival the freedom from concern for the road (I’m not driving) and unhindered view like the back of a motorbike.  I’ve never experienced anything quite like it and it was splendid.

Ready to ride

More than once on this drive, I have been so struck by the beauty of these mountains I’ve felt like singing, praying and giving thanks to God for creating such wonders and allowing me to see it.  But there is, as so often is the way in this world, a darker side to this beautiful road.  The road cuts through the center of the island—through places that were once a long, hard walk on steep trails.  Now cars, vans and motorcycles can easily reach these remote, previously untouched places and the results have quickly become apparent. 

New farmland

One of the realities of life on Clove Island is that despite being a remote, tropical island there is almost no solitude.  Everywhere you go there are people.  People need food, so they grow on every available inch of land even at tremendously steep grades.  People need firewood for cooking fires, so they harvest wood wherever they can.  The weekends are the times when most people go to the fields, and my trainings in the south of the island have all been on Sunday afternoon, so from the back of the motorcycle I see them working the fields, harvesting crops, carrying firewood.  Men, women, children, working hard, resting by the road with a heavy load waiting for pick up.  I see the vans topped with firewood and fodder.  I see farmers loading up the backs of their motorcycles with huge loads and my heart breaks.  I cannot blame them.  They are feeding their families.  What choice do they have?  But I see the cleared hills that I know were once forest.  I see the hills too steep to climb being tilled and planted, and I wonder where it will all end and what can be done about it.

Why do so many things in this world have to come with a dark side?  Why can’t a road just be a good thing?  Why does exploration always seem to be followed by exploitation?  Why does tilling a field and feeding a family, have to come at the cost of something else?  It is the way of this broken world.  But on the back of a motorcycle, I can look at the clouds drifting over the mountain tops, hiding their peaks and then revealing them like some sublime game of hide and seek, and I’m reminded that there is something bigger at work; that brokenness can be healed; that it will not always be a zero-sum game; that there is still hope.   
 
PRAYERS ANSWERED
The busy wedding week went well— our teammates spent a lot of time helping with wedding prep and were able to be a good support to the bride. Tom’s training class has gone well in spite of the long motorcycle ride to get there each week.  A local brother’s wife (who has long been isolated from the local body) attended a recent meeting about childrearing— we hope this is just the beginning of her being more connected.


PRAYERS REQUESTED
Our medical teammates have finished the first two weeks shadowing at the hospital and so far have had the energy they’ve needed, but please keep praying for them. Pray especially for our one teammate who has been struggling with insomnia linked to her long COVID. One island brother lost his mother and a contingent will be visiting his family this week to give our condolences— pray that the visit could be a comfort to him.  Continue to pray for the men Tom is meeting with each week, that they would come and that the time together would be fruitful. A number of teammates had opportunities to pray with and for island friends.  May we see answered prayers and open hearts.

Losing Culture

They look like island kids. They play in the courtyard with all their cousins. They laugh and push. Their mother is there with their aunts and grandmother chattering away in the island language. She leaves for weddings and events in her traditional island finery like other mothers. But these kids are still different.

Saying goodbyes, heading back for France today

First you might notice that all of their clothes are a slightly higher quality and you’ve never seen those brand of shoes on the island before. But the most obvious clue is language. They are always speaking French! They stumble over the traditional island greetings and look to their mom or aunt when islanders address them, silently asking with their confused expressions for the French translation of whatever was just said to them.

They are our landlady’s two sons have been living downstairs for the past month. I’ve sat down with them while their aunts tell their cousins to speak to them in the local language. Even I have taken my turn in quizzing them, trying to expand their vocabulary and their ability to say the culturally appropriate things. But they are young boys and would rather rattle away in French. Their mom has been making an effort to do a bunch of ceremonies and events for them that would have been spread out over their childhood. There were some special prayers done that should have been connected to their birth and another one for their circumcision. You got the feeling that she was trying to maintain her status of “good island mother” by checking off all boxes of undone things. But she was born and raised here, so even if she has spent most of her adult years in France she knows how to navigate the culture and its expectations. But her sons…??

They are islanders by heritage but raised in France. Kids like them may have island passports, but many parents don’t bother since French nationality is more useful. Depending on their parents, they may speak some of the island language. They may have been exposed to island culture and customs to some extent. Some of these French islanders make a point of coming back to the islands every year or two, but a lot can’t afford that, so their children may only experience the islands a couple times growing up.

Tom was recently at a wedding where the groom was a young man who lives in France. When it was time for the groom to give his speech, he apologized but said he couldn’t give it in the local language and proceeded to give it in French instead. Afterwards his father felt the need to reassure the audience that his son “was not lost”, even though he couldn’t speak the island language well.

French-raised groom makes his entrance

But there is that feeling that they are being lost… that the islands have lost their claim on them. So much of culture is wrapped into language. These islanders raised abroad are losing touch not only with language, but with what it means to be an islander. They not only can’t share the experience of living and struggling on the islands, but they can’t even talk to their grandparents in a meaningful way.

Most islanders would love to go abroad. They want their children to study in France, find jobs there and eventually get French nationality. It means opportunity and can raise the fortunes of the whole family. But islanders don’t want to lose their children and grandchildren to lose their island identity. There is always a feeling of judgment and disappointment when they talk about island children raised in France who don’t speak the language and/or haven’t visited often.  

Growing up in America, we can relate, in part, to these kids.  Our heritage is not native to American soil.  It was our great-grandparents, or farther back who came to America, speaking a different language, with a different culture and different values.  But after a few generations, most of that has been lost.  Both Tom & I have little connection to the other countries our predecessors came from.  It is part of our heritage, but a small part of our identity.  What did previous generations give up in becoming Americans?  What did we lose in the process? 

Married 18 years!

In a couple days, our landlady’s sons will be back on French soil. They will probably always remember this summer vacation that they spent on the islands. It will be part of their heritage, but will it be part of their identity?  Will they think of themselves as Islanders or French?  What will be gained and what will be lost?  And who is to judge what is best?

PRAYERS ANSWERED
We were able to have a video chat with the family preparing to come to the islands. It is encouraging to see God provide for their needs! Today is our 18th wedding anniversary! We thank God for the years that He has given us and all the rich blessings they have included. Friends from the big island have been visiting— it has been nice to reconnect with them and for our kids to play together. Tom’s weekly studies with two men have been going well, strengthened by their meeting weekly with one of our teammates.  One of their wives has started connecting with that same teammate. Our sons are almost done with their end-of-the-year exams at the local school. We’re honestly not sure if our youngest will pass (his French is improving but still not really there yet), but we are thankful that they haven’t seemed too stressed about it. 


PRAYERS REQUESTED
We just got word this morning that Megan’s uncle in CA died. This was unexpected news. Please be praying for Megan and her family, especially Megan’s cousins and for her aunt with Alzheimers for whom her uncle had been the primary care-giver. He was a good man and will be missed. Our two medical teammates have begun their hospital internships— continue to pray for the energy levels and for good interactions with the other medical staff as well as patients. There is a woman from the US considering joining the work on the islands. She hopes to make a decision by the end of the month— pray for clear guidance for her. Tom was able to join a group of island brothers to pray for an island woman who has had significant difficulties— pray that their prayers would have a profound impact on her and her family.  This coming week is a busy one for many of our teammates as they help with multi-day weddings of close friends. Pray that the time spent would help deepen relationships and that they would have opportunities to spread love and light to these island families.

Representatives

We had spent a few hours hanging out by the beach, watching the English students play silly games, dance, sing and laugh.  Our kids, two teammates and I were the only foreigners and generally were just observers of the action.

English Barbecue (sans Tom)

 Tom wasn’t there, being busy on the other side of the island doing a teacher training course. Tom was the one that really knew these students and administrators.  Our friend Moro had originally asked Tom to come to this barbecue celebrating his center’s English program, but Tom couldn’t make it. Moro’s disappointment had been obvious when Tom told him the news, but then Tom let Moro know that the five of us would be able to go. Suddenly the disappointment was gone.

As we said goodbye, Moro came to us and said, “It was like Tom was here with us!” with a large and genuine smile on his face. I was surprised. I would have anticipated him expressing sadness at Tom’s absence even as he would have undoubtedly thanked us for coming. Instead he seemed to recognize us as having fully represented Tom at the event— no sadness at all.  

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Preparing for beach races at barbecue

Our friend ‘Sterehi’ always thinks big. One time he sent invitations to all the big government offices asking the biggest officials to come to his professional center’s graduation ceremony. Obviously the governor of the whole island was not going to come to something like this, but Sterehi was super excited that some underling (something like the assistant to the undersecretary of the governor) was sent to represent the governor’s office. The underling dutifully gave a speech and received accolades in the governor’s name. We thought it was a little awkward, but Sterehi was very pleased.

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At women’s events, women often represent their husbands and bring with them the honor and prestige that their husbands have. At the last wedding event I attended, both ‘Madame Directeur’ or ‘Madame Mayor’ were pointed out and recognized in speeches.  In the same way, I am often called Madame Tom, or sometimes even “Madame Mr. Teacher Tom”, by the people who know and respect Tom. Once, Tom’s students invited me to a women’s event (since Tom obviously couldn’t attend). I sat to the side not knowing many people, and was surprised when they called for ‘Madame Tom’ to make a speech about one of his students (as Tom’s representative) even though I didn’t know the student at all.

———

Perhaps the most bizarre form of representation that I have heard about on the islands is during wedding ceremonies. The groom doesn’t have to be there! Sometimes he isn’t able to come (usually because he is out of the country) and so he will be represented by a brother or other male relative. Yes, the groom can have a stand-in for the wedding ceremonies! And while it is not seen as the ideal, islanders don’t see a problem with this.

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Maybe this level of using representatives surprises us because we come from more individualistic cultures, where we want to only represent ourselves. While islanders view things more communally and are happy with individuals of the same group, representing each other.  But in other ways we have fully embraced the idea of being ambassadors or representatives here! We hope that we are representatives of more than just our families or our NGO. Islanders often want to paint us as ‘Americans’ but we resist being seen as representatives of our nationality (our group members are from several countries after all). Let the PeaceCorps represent Americans, we want to be representatives of something bigger than that— of a kingdom that includes every language, tongue and people, and of a King that laid down his life for us. We hope that when it is our time to leave the islands that islanders could say of us, “Having you here was like He was here with us!”

Blowing out his 9 candles!

PRAYERS ANSWERED
Our youngest son is 9 years old today! We thank God for his life, his smiles, his big hugs, his imaginative stories full of sound-effects and for all the ways he is growing and learning. We are thankful for the chance to celebrate with him this past weekend. The island sisters had another gathering this past Wednesday. One of the usual organizers was busy with sick kids and so we were encouraged when other sisters stepped up to make the meeting happen! We haven’t seen that level of ownership from some of them before, so we are encouraged. We were able to video-chat with a short-termer coming out in a couple months— we pray that the logistics of her coming would come together.  We are thankful for the way that it seems like everyone on our team is getting opportunities to share good news and to pray for friends in need lately.  

PRAYERS REQUESTED
One island brother feels that God has told him that something big is going to happen soon. Pray that all of us would be prepared for whatever God has in mind. We are meant to have a conversation with a family that is raising funds to join us on the islands— pray for good communication as expectations are set and for continued provision for them. Our sons are beginning their end-of-the-year exams at local island school. Pray that they would not be stressed about them but that they would be able to do their best and pass on to the next class. Our unit leader’s surgery went well, but the recovery is slower than she hoped. Prayed for good rest and complete recovery. Our medical teammates are beginning their internship today— pray that they would have the energy (both have histories with chronic fatigue), learn a lot and be building good relationships.

Showing Off

It is a little surreal to be in your old home as a guest. Everything is so familiar and yet you are just one in a crowd, waiting to be invited in and told where to sit.

New paint, new furniture, new TV on wall

Twice in the past few weeks we attended weddings in our former homes. We had rented and lived in each house for around 4 years respectively, so we knew every nook and cranny, every sticking door and finicky light switch. But coming into them now, we had to work hard to recognize them. Paint and furniture were new. New doors. New light fixtures. New decorations. One had a new TV mounted to the wall with the stickers and plastic still on it (proving that it was indeed brand-new). In the other, they had rebuilt the entire front entrance, had put wood paneling on the entire ceiling with recessed track lighting, and added a new backyard patio.

So much time and money to try to make them look as new, fancy, and beautiful as possible.

Now you might think that this is a great gift to the newly married couples— a nice home for them to settle down into, but here is the thing…in both cases, no one is planning on living in these houses. Having a wedding means having events at your home means needing a newly fixed up house. The brides and grooms in these cases don’t even live on Clove Island.  They will travel back to their actual homes in a few weeks and may not be back for years. All the money poured into these homes was for the sake of the wedding, so that everyone attending the weddings could see and notice how much money they had spent.

Check out the fancy new ceiling!

So basically— it is showing off. People are displaying their wealth. While “showing off” has a negative connotation in our minds, on the islands it is expected and even applauded. This is how a family bestows honor on the child that they are marrying off and gains honor in their community. If the family doesn’t spend enough in the eyes of the community, then there will be whispering. Perhaps they will be considered cheapskates or people will think that they don’t really love their daughter very much or that they are actually much poorer than they let on. Any of these scenarios would be disastrous—completely shameful.  People go to great lengths to avoid this shame.  Rich islanders who live abroad often import everything (furniture, decorations, presents), making their wedding almost foreign.  While this kind of showing off seems over the top, it is considered honorable, even expected. As long as the family is seen as generous to the community, then the extravagance isn’t resented.

Of course, not everyone has this kind of money, and there is a difference between poor and rich weddings. At the weddings of poorer islanders, you get the sense of them stretching to reach the minimum required by society for a wedding. The house has a new coat of paint, but perhaps not much else. There is new upholstery on the cushions but the sofa itself may be old. There are gift bags handed out to guests but they may contain the bare minimum number of gifts needed to be seen as acceptable.  They may be going into debt to achieve even this meager display.  Even what they are doing may be much more than their family budget can handle, but the alternative is unthinkable.  A wedding is meant to bring honor—not shame—and honor is expensive.

Bride and groom on their fancy imported thrones

Island culture cares a lot about honor and shame.  Wealth is a source of honor, and a wedding is one of the prime ways to flaunt it.  Moreover, weddings are a huge chance to gain honor.  It may seem strange that islanders are willing to go into debt and call in all kinds of favors to make sure that they put their best foot forward for weddings.  It may seem surprising that we were forced to move from the previous home we were renting because of a wedding, but islanders weren’t surprised.  A big wedding brings great honor and a chance like that is priceless!

PRAYERS ANSWERED
Our leader’s surgery was today and we’ve had word that it went well. Tom’s new plan for engaging the island brother that he is studying with went well. Our short-termer made it back safely to the US. The baby born last week is doing well and the delivery was smooth— the mother has been having some abdominal pain, so continue praying for her. Tom’s first trip to the other side of the island for teacher training went well. His study with the two men continues to go well. Our teammate made it back safely from the UK.

PRAYERS REQUESTED
Pray for our newly returned teammate— she still suffers from long-COVID systems. Pray for healing and energy! Our two medical teammates are meant to start an internship this week as an introduction to the medical system on Clove Island. It looks like it might not officially start until next week, but pray for their meetings this week that they would make good connections with their fellow medical workers. One of the men that Tom is studying with has agreed for our teammate to pray for his wife who has suffered three miscarriages. They believe the miscarriages are caused by a curse someone placed on her. Pray for our teammate as she prays for healing and a child for this couple. Pray that our unit leader will recover quickly from her surgery. We have a few short-term and long-term possibilities in the pipeline, pray for wisdom and discernment as to who should join our work here. 

Short-termer Impact

Tomorrow we will say goodbye to our intern.  Our intern came out 2 months ago for a short-term assignment with us.  He’s a young man in his 20s, from the States, going to college, interested in linguistics and this kind of work.  Having him here has made us reflect on the benefits of having a short-termer around.

Goodbye party for our intern

We prefer short-termers that can stay more than a month, because over that time there is usually some point where life becomes less exciting. It might be brief, but they get a taste of what “normal life” is like here on the islands.  This usually comes with a level of disappointment—realizing that even on a remote tropical island, the adventure eventually wears off.  It often comes with the sense that, they can’t do very much.  They don’t speak much language.  They can’t share with everyone they see all the wonderful things on their heart.  They realize that if they wanted to truly have an impact, the road would be long and hard.  These are important truths that are worth wrestling with.  But at the same time we like to encourage them with a wonderful truth:  they do make an impact.

Someone has said that most short-term trips have the most impact on those who go rather than on the ones they go to.  That is true.  Short-termers are given the opportunity to experience and see things they’ve never seen before.  Their cultural boxes are challenged.  Their ideas about the world and its people are expanded and God uses it mightily to awaken us to the opportunities, the wisdom and the needs of other cultures—and that is an impact that can often be of life changing significance. 

Helping with English Exams

But even as we invest in our short-termers and expand their horizons, we value their impact on our team, on our work and on islanders.  As a team, we greatly enjoyed having a fresh face, with new ideas and insights added into our team.  In practical ways, our intern has helped us with some tasks that needed an extra pair of hands, feet, and eyes on the ground.

Our intern/short-termer possesses a gift that that I think is key for anyone coming out to the islands: flexibility.  We promised him a few important things.  We promised to orient him well and to give him good support—multiple times in the week for checking in, prayer, rest, and study.  But beyond that he had a lot of freedom and could expect the unexpected.  That was certainly the case this summer.  Now we would have preferred to keep our short-termer settled in one place, but our own travels meant, we sent him off to the little island for three weeks, where our island colleagues graciously supported him. There he lived with an island family, experienced the small island’s unique culture, and learned their dialect and accent.  When he came back to us, he definitely had picked up a bit of the little island accent!  Back with us, we quickly sent him off to live with a Clove Island family.  Our short-termer took it all in stride.  One islander remarked, “that guy could live anywhere.” I think that is high praise in this line of work.  Flexibility is key.

When an island family agreed to take in our intern, they were agreeing to let a different sort of person into their house.  He carried with him a light and a love that they had possibly never known or experienced before.  They had almost certainly never had someone like this live so closely with them.  All their preconceived notions about how they thought people like us live, think and act were being challenged.  The experience of having a responsible, kind, loving, faithful young man living among them may change the way they think about people of the light and people of darkness.  And that may have a mighty impact indeed.

Sitting down to dinner at Fakhadi's

But beyond his own relationships with islanders, our intern has also helped to impact our friendships with islanders, by being a catalyst for deepening those relationships.

A couple of days ago, our friend “Fakhadi” (whom we’ve mentioned on the blog before), invited our whole family to his family house as a sort of going away dinner for our intern.  We’ve known Fakhadi for 7 years, but this was the first time he has invited us to his home and given us  the opportunity to meet his extended family.  This was no small thing and something that wouldn’t have happened if our intern hadn’t made friends with him and provided a reason for the invitation.

Now, we have only had a handful of short-termers in our years on the islands. It’s an investment to get them here and to support them properly without knowing exactly what the impact will be. But that is where we trust and celebrate because surely short-termers have an impact on the islands, and the islands will have an impact on them as well.

Could someone you know be our next short-termer???

PRAYERS ANSWERED
One of the men that Tom has been studying with has started to share the stories and things he has been learning with his wife— this is very encouraging. Pray that it would continue so they could seek and study together. We are thankful for the evening with Fakhadi and the chance to get to know his many sisters, nieces and nephews. May it lead to more interactions! Our teammate is on track to leave the UK and be back on the islands by the end of the week- we pray for her travels and are encouraged that her medical check-ups didn’t reveal any new problems. Our short-termer’s final week has gone well and we have been very thankful to have here this summer.

PRAYERS REQUESTED
As we were posting this blog, an island sister was in labor at the hospital. She had been very anxious about this delivery because her sister recently had a traumatic still birth. We just got word that the baby was born, but don’t know yet how it went or if everyone is okay. Pray for health and safety of both mother and baby and quick recovery! Another island sister has recently been confronted about her beliefs by her brother. She invited him to come and talk to her about it and she is still waiting for that visit. She has never had a direct confrontation with her family before— pray for peace, wisdom and the right words for her and for a softening of her family’s hearts (especially this brother). Our organization’s leader for all the islands is in Kenya and will have surgery at the end of the week— pray for a smooth surgery and quick recovery. Pray for our short-termer’s travels back home and that he would be a successful ambassador for the islands and get people praying! Tom is going to start an English teacher training course in a far village— meeting every weekend for the next month- pray for the logistics and that it might be a link to spreading light to that village. Tom is meeting with an island brother tomorrow to study— pray that it would go well as their first meeting a couple weeks ago was a little rough because Tom didn’t know ahead of time that he had a low literacy level. Tom has a new plan for engaging him, so pray that it goes well.

Island Karate

 “Ku-Sho-Dan!” We shout as we stand in the ready position for the first “kata”.  Then, in unison, we move gracefully through a series of steps, punches and blocks.  Next, our teacher pulls out a punching pad and we all line up to punch and kick the pads as hard as we can.  The kids and I are doing karate!  It’s a lot of fun. 

Practicing at home

We’ve been at it for almost two year now. And I think we’re getting pretty good—at least at katas. Our teacher looks on quite pleased.  “Sensei Brucelee” is a wiry, athlete who appears to be made of muscle and rock.  We think he’s in his sixties, but he moves like a much younger man and his passion is karate.  He doesn’t talk a whole lot.  As near as we can tell, he was trained by Japanese visitors with whom he had very little language in common, and so he has learned to teach karate in the same way.  Most of his instruction is wordless, made with gestures and alternating between correct form and incorrect form.  

His “dojo” is a simple room with concrete floors that is used for other purposes and is rarely swept or mopped. All it takes is a little karate and we have “karate feet”! But that doesn’t mean rock-hard feet that can crash through walls, it’s actually the black color the bottoms of our feet get from being barefoot on the dirty floor.  

So it isn’t the ideal context for learning karate. With concrete floors and no mats, we don’t do any take downs or falls. Sensei Brucelee is meagerly supplied with only a few punching pads, but he is so eager to teach what he can. He hasn’t even asked for a cent all these months, he just loves to teach, welcoming to anyone who comes in.

Its funny the things that get popular in a small secluded island nation, but martial arts are actually a pretty popular sport.  I wonder if it is connected to the fact that you really don’t need much in terms of materials.  Go to the beach on a weekend and you’ll probably see someone doing some kind of marital arts move (sand works well in lieu of mats).  I have been surprised to learn just how many of the men I know have, at some point in their life, studied martial arts.  

For example, we’re on the beach at a picnic, and unfortunately no one thought to bring a ball, frisbee, anything.  So I ask if anyone knows karate.  Soon enough I’ve got a couple of guys who have done it before showing me their moves. 

Sensei Brucelee works with our sons

“Go ahead, punch me,” my new found friend says, so I give him a nice easy jab toward the stomach. Before I know it he has flipped me onto my back and I am staring up at the blue sky with sand in my hair.  I’m not used to actually being flipped, since we don’t practice with mats, so I definitely appreciated the soft sand (although it could have been a little softer).

I have another set of friends who have taken to making martial arts videos.  They post them on facebook.  The story line might be thin, and the footage a bit amateur, but the karate looks pretty impressive.

So, we’re not at the “our hands are lethal weapons” or “make a martial arts movie” stage yet, but we’re getting pretty good.  It’s good exercise, helps us to connect with some people, and gets the kids some extra-curricular opportunities (which are few and far between on the islands). We have so much fun that we’ve managed to convince most of our team to join us! 

At the beginning of our karate adventure (end of 2018)

So now, it’s not just the kids, but 5 adults, punching, kicking and yelling “HA” at appropriate moments.  I’m not sure what it will all amount to, but we’re in better shape, more flexible, and maybe slightly more dangerous than we were before.  

PRAYERS ANSWERED
Our daughter was able to go to the big island this weekend to visit one of her best friends and practice some independence (it was her first time traveling alone). She has had a good trip and comes home tomorrow. Our teammate (currently in the UK) was able to get a quick repeat COVID test and was released from quarantine.  The new pair of men Tom is meeting with have had a couple of good meetings, lots of thoughtful answers and good engagement.  May it continue.

PRAYERS REQUESTED
This week there is a big religious holiday on Wednesday. This holiday isn’t celebrated as much on our island as it is in other countries, but pray that it will lead to good conversations and opportunities to share. Tom’s friend Fakhadi plans on taking Tom and our short-termer to visit his family on the holiday and has invited our whole family for dinner over the weekend. Pray that these overtures would lead to a deepening relationship and more opportunities with Fakhadi’s whole family. Pray for our short-termer— he has one more week on our island. Pray that he’d get opportunities to share with those he has gotten close to and that God would be clearly guiding his future. Pray for two our former teammates: first our teammates on the French Island are expecting a son in September and she has been put on bedrest— pray that the rest of the pregnancy would be smooth and that the baby would get into the right position and wait until after 37 weeks to be born. Pray also for our old teammates from our Chad days— one of whom has heard that a mole she had had removed is melanoma— pray for peace and healing as they wait to learn what stage it is and what the treatment will look like.