Penny Wars

The first summer that we moved to the States and I heard the letters V-B-S being talked about, I wondered if it was some kind of disease or something ... I had never heard of the term 'Vacation Bible School' before! As a result I was a little wary when I answered the request to get involved. Just what was I getting myself into?!

Three summers later, it all makes a lot more sense and last week our whole family were able to get involved in the fun and craziness of the VBS week at our church here, Coshocton Christian Tabernacle. The theme was 'Sky' and while it was a long week with late nights all round, it was such fun to be a part of and well worth it!

Each year there are 'Penny Wars'. Boys vs Girls each night. Who can bring in the most pennies, usually weighed and counted before the evening is out. This money goes to fund the following year's VBS, so that it can be free for the 120+ children that attend from the local community. This year from Monday to Friday they raised over $1,500 ... yes, in pennies! I'm glad I wasn't on the counting team, that's a lot of pennies!

On the first evening, they announced the mission they would be supporting in the final Sunday service's 'Penny War', when all the kids could bring their families to see what they had been up to during the week. I had been interested to find out who it would be as they had mentioned that this year it was going to be really exciting and being in our line of business, we're always interested in different mission news. Imagine the surprise to hear that we, The Beckwiths, were the mission! 

I had the chance to share briefly in the final service what we would be up to when we leave here in December. The response and giving yesterday was overwhelming and humbling, all at the same time. One of the biggest sacrifices for us when we started working with MAF, was totally relying on God, churches and supporters for our finances. Every step of the way God has been 100% faithful in his provision as long as we're faithful in following his pathway for us. Even now 3 years into the process, people's love and generosity is still just as surprising and overwhelming to me but without it we wouldn't be able to do what we're doing. Thank you so much to everyone at Coshocton Christian Tabernacle for surprising us once again.

My Little Cling-On

This week we've had an extra set of hands at home as my mum is visiting from the UK. Our church has also been doing it's week long summer bible school for local kids. It seemed perfect timing to have and be able to put to use our live-in baby-sitter, while Abigail enjoyed VBS and me and Mark got involved in other ways. Naomi on the other hand had a totally different agenda up her sleeve ... one that involved being even more attached to her mummy than ever before!!

Separation anxiety is par for the course when bringing up munchkins and it seems that, according to the babycenter website at least, at 15 months, Naomi is right in that painful window!

'Babies can show signs of separation anxiety as early as 6 or 7 months, but the crisis age for most babies peaks between 10 to 18 months.'

By attempting a couple of nights without her, VBS has now become a whole family outing which is just as fun and my mum has had a chance to see Abigail doing her thing there too. It seems that those first two nights have made Naomi all the more wary and every single time I leave the room at the moment, gets very screechy. Even at night time at the moment, if she wakes up she freaks out a little ... so while it's all been fun, it's also been a long and sleepless week and is likely to take time to settle down!

Like so many stages of parenting ... it is just a stage, if not an incredibly wearing one! My mum commented that it's not fun to have no time off day or night but I guess when you sign up to be a parent you just have to enjoy each and every element of it and enjoy the cuddles while you can get them! I'm sure in a flash, time will pass and I won't be getting quite so many snuggles but I am looking forward to not being permanently attached and getting a chance to see her being more independent just like her big sister has been this week ... loving every minute of VBS!!

Frustrations

Life is full of frustrations. I'm convinced though that how you deal with them is the most important thing. They can be big things in our lives which totally change our direction or just part of the little day-to-day stuff. Either way, we can face them head on, learn from them and not get too fussed, let it get to us a little bit but move on ... or completely crumble. For me, it often depends on how good a day I'm having (or how much sleep I was allowed the night before!!), which path I take.

Abigail can get easily frustrated with things and is at the stage where these frustrations can be a little explosive if not dealt with in a way she likes. The photo below fits the story perfectly ... but was actually taken just after she ate some sour sherbert and just before she asked for some more!!

Last week I had my own little series of frustrations. Our car went in for a service and to have something fixed and the following day having spent a little more money than we would have liked, was even less drivable than it was when we put it in, in the first place! We subsequently found out that in the repairs, a bolt or screw or something hadn't been tightened properly ... but in reality, involved us ringing round friends so we could borrow a car to collect my mum from the airport at the last minute!

Our weekly trip to the library wasn't straight forward either. There was a charge on my account from a library error which was meant to have been removed a week before and was still there and  then three books which I had returned the previous week and were actually sitting on the shelves in the library but were still on my account. Just an added something that with two little munchkins in tow you don't want to have to deal with!

The day my mum was due to arrive our tumble dryer also stopped working, something we use regularly. With no washing-line option in the summer or radiator option in the winter, it is integral to the daily comings and goings of our house! Thankfully with the help of a friend it was as I suspected just a fuse and actually in the house electrics and nothing to do with the machine itself! And bonus, free to sort out!

While each of these incidences were pretty minor in the big scheme of things, they came at an inconvenient time and were one on top of the other. Thankfully each was resolved quite easily and  with the help of good friends who have been placed in our lives while we're here! There were times when I really had to make a conscious effort not to get frustrated by it all and on at least one occasion I called Mark just to say 'Arrrggggghhhhh' to another adult!

As missionaries I have come across times when people think we're superhuman or super spiritual and that the little things don't phase us so much because we have a hotline to God. Well, newsflash ... that's not the reality of the situation! We are just ordinary people and the little and big frustrations get to us too and no, we don't always handle them very well either! We get the privilege of learning through each experience just like everybody else and relying on God not to mess it all up in the process!

Perfection

What is perfection? When it come to a a crafty project everyone's idea of perfect is slightly different depending on their artistic preferences. 

I love making cards, scrap-booking and other paper crafts. As with reading books and my more newly acquired craft skills, quilting and knitting, the amount of time I am allowed by the munchkins to actually do them while they are so young is minimal ... but that will change! I do like things to be 'perfect' tough and can spend ages over the smallest details so that they are just right.

I've been trying to pass on the craftiness to the girls and so far with Abigail she has been lapping it up. She loves having time to do some kind of crafty project, whether it be colouring, cutting, stickers or anything else remotely related. 

This summer we've been working on her first proper scrap-booking project with a kit we bought while we were at Disney just Easter. It was a day we will always remember as a family and something she absolutely loved ... and has been reliving over and over again as she goes through the photos and puts them in her special album. We only do a page or two each week, so it's going to take a while!

Here's the thing ... I love when things are 'just right'. If new stickers come, I want to use them for special projects, Abigail on the other hand just likes to use them. If there are kits to use I want to place matching bits together, Abigail just likes to put any bits together! 

There is totally nothing wrong with that, I just love that she really enjoys herself. I have to admit though, I do have to consciously make the decision not to be bothered and let her do her own thing without butting in and suggesting otherwise. Biting my tongue hasn't always been easy (and doesn't seem to get any easier with practice either!!) but on the other hand, I have yet to be disappointed by one of her creations and they really are hers and for that reason they are perfection, to Abigail ... and to me too!

No Fear

What's the usual reaction to fluffy bunnies, tiny little kittens and puppies, baby chicks? Aaahhhhh cute? Soooo gorgeous? Not for Abigail ... she wants to run in opposite direction screaming!!

Just before her first birthday an over-enthusiastic dog decided to lick her feet lots and ever since she's been really scared of dogs in general. Although there have been some gentle giants we've been able to coax her to stroke, albeit extremely timidly. When we go to petting farms and zoos, Abigail steers clear of all the cute, fluffy things that most little people her age gravitate towards. She enjoys watching them from a safe distance away but that's it!

The irony is, any chance she has to ride a pony or a HUGE working horse, she is inevitably at the front of the queue ready to jump up and jump on, again and again and again! On a couple of occasions she has even had the opportunity to stroke a snake and has absolutely no problems with doing that either! Where is the logic?

Earlier this week the circus was in town and we had the chance to go as a family. In spite of a big thunderstorm overhead, which ordinarily the girls would have hated, they were too interested in the spectacle of the show to even notice and we had lots of fun!

During the interval there was an opportunity to ride one of the elephants, something that is definitely on my bucket list of things to do! Where was Abigail when they announced this? Cowering in the corner? Or on the front of the elephant? ...

Absolutely no hesitation ... and when she got there, the first ride had just gone and so she got to sit right on the front of the second ride, with her friend and LOVED every minute of it as the elephant took a walk around the ring. Apparently, the elephants ears were flapping her feet and that was a little bit annoying! The hardships eh?!

I'm sure in time, Abigail will come to love the smaller, fluffier animals too ... but in the meantime we'll concentrate on the larger scarier ones and enjoy them instead!!

If you can't bake ...

During the hot weather we do less 'cooking' in our kitchen and subsequently Abigail gets less baking fun, in an attempt to keep the house as cool as possible! (Oh to have proper AC!) It's something she loves to do, so this summer I've found that a great alternative has been to make ice-cream ... which depending on the recipe requires very little or no heating at all!!

While we still make the butterscotch ice cream from my very first recipe blog entry back in September last year ... we've been branching out with different yummy flavours too. Yesterday we made a chocolate orange batch but have yet to sample it. (I hope it tastes good because the last 3 new recipes I've tried for family meals haven't been great, I don't want a fourth yucky recipe in a row!!!) Another one we love is Oreo mint. Recently I made that one for a pot luck lunch as one of the desserts and came home with an empty tub!! Just goes to show that it's not only my family's biased opinion that it tastes good!!

Those last two flavours some from the Ben & Jerry's, Homemade Ice Cream & Dessert book. Something I bought over 10 years ago and which has sat on my shelf until last summer when I finally opened it! Why did it take me so long? To be honest, I bought it as a present for a friend and it never quite made it to them! Oooooooops!!! When I lived in Tanzania I borrowed an ice-cream maker with another friend, who manage to lose the instructions manual including the recipe pages. I felt so bad about it that when we returned the maker (minus the instructions) I vowed to replace them with something special. The next time I was in the UK I found the Ben & Jerry's book and put it in a large envelope to send but never got round to actually putting an address or stamps on it! I guess subconsciously I thought I couldn't use it all this time because it 'belonged' to someone else!!!

So if you can identify yourself as the owner of that ice-cream maker ... I'm really sorry!!! Maybe if I put enough ice-cream recipes in my blog, including ones from the book it will in some way make up for it!! ;o) As Oreo's are very American, I thought I'd include the Oreo mint one today, while we still live in the States!! Enjoy ... this recipe makes a generous and very delicious 1 quart!

2/3 cup coarsely chopped Oreo cookies
2 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups heavy or whipping cream
1 cup milk
2 teaspoons peppermint extract

Place chopped cookies in a bowl, cover & refrigerate
Whisk eggs til light & fluffy, 1-2 minutes
Whisk in sugar, a little at a time til completely blended then about a minute more
Pour in cream & milk and whisk to blend
Add peppermint extract, blend again
Transfer mixture to ice cream maker and freeze
Once the ice-cream stiffens and just before you empty it into a tub in the freezer, add in the chopped cookies.

(Sorry the recipe bit isn't formatted as I usually do with bullet points etc ... 'Blogger' won't let me do it without blanking out the text for some reason today!!)

E-I-E-I-O!

Is the music to 'Old MacDonald' going through your head already?!! It's definitely a favourite in our house!! In fact, 'Old MacDonald had a Zoo' would be a more appropriate name for the song when we sing it ... as he happens to have elephants, monkeys, snakes and many other animals, in our version in addition to the original farmyard ones and it goes on forever! Probably quite fitting given where we'll be living next. (See Mark below when worked with MAF in Kenya for a month in the summer of 2006)

On the way home from church on a Sunday we inevitably have to pick up a little something from the store which is right opposite our church. In order for it not to take any longer than it needs to by all trooping in, Mark usually runs in and muggins here gets left amusing the munchkins. Currently a multi-verse rendition of Old MacDonald can get us through quite happily!

Naomi has even started joining in with certain animal noises too and while a dog makes more of a 'Ooof' than a 'Woof' right now and a cow is an 'Mmmmm' without the 'Ooooo' ... the sheep does say 'Baa' and an elephant noise comes with the hand motion of a would-be trunk. So we've started out well!

Now we're learning the animal sounds again, I'm back to the old dilemma I was in first time round with Abigail ... and thought I'd got away with!! Just what does a giraffe say, or a zebra, or even a bunny rabbit say? Some sounds are really obvious but I continue to draw a blank with others. While it really isn't the world's biggest problem that needs solving, sometimes in the life of a toddler it really is the only important thing that needs answering. I have on occasion been met with a very disgruntled looking face when the realisation sets in (already!!!) that Mummy really doesn't have all the answers!

If anyone could enlighten me so I don't disappoint my second daughter as well, I would greatly appreciate it! The joys of being a mummy!

Playing the Waiting Game

When I left All Nations in the summer of 2007, I had acquired both my diploma and a husband! After two years of mission focused study and lots of practical hands on experience, we were all trained up and eager to know what the next step for us as family would be. 

The only thing we knew was that we wanted one year in the UK as we'd only been married 6 months, to have a little time to cement our marriage relationship before embarking on the next exciting adventure. We just had to figure out where we would spend that year and what we would do from there.

Our parents were really supportive and we were able to stay at both their houses while we looked for work and somewhere to live. We began the summer full of anticipation ... the world was literally our oyster. Every night we prayed together that God would show us the right direction and every day we seemed to hit a brick wall ... a big blank. 

As the summer progressed we got less and less excited by the prospect of being able to do anything and go anywhere ... and got more and more frustrated with the lack of feedback we were getting from God! We were constantly being asked by interested family and friends what we were going to be doing, where we were going to live, did we have a job yet ... should we just do something/anything in the meantime. After a couple of months, what did we have to show for it ... absolutely nothing!

Back up to just before we left All Nations. A good friend of ours had been praying and told us she really felt God was asking us to wait on him. We were waiting ... of course we were ... but also pushing and being pushed to move forward ... apparently that doesn't constitute waiting! 

There was one particular week where we were almost at the end of our tethers, when parents were away and we had a house to ourselves, when we decided maybe we should 'just wait' and not try and 'do' anything related to our future and just hang out and have fun. Interestingly, on the Tuesday we both finally felt confirmation that we should apply to MAF UK, by the Thursday Mark had a job and on the Friday we had found a house. It seems that listening to God and actually obeying, instead of thinking we knew what we were doing, was all we needed to do. The rest they say is history!

This week some really good friends of ours (the Gettles, pictured below) just completed the apprenticeship programme here at MMS Aviation. We started here around the same time, in the Autumn of 2009 and as Paul had already accrued some hours in another hangar was able to finish a little bit ahead of Mark. All the Brits who come through the MMS programme are already signed up to serve with MAF afterwards. Typically the American apprentices often don't have a mission until nearer the end. 

In the case of the Gettles, in spite of pushing doors and visiting different missions, the next step isn't yet clear for them. After going through the training (just like we had at All Nations) and being eager and ready to serve, wherever God would have them ... there are no clear answers yet and they are now taking it one day at a time and trying not to give into the frustrations.

Following the adventure of a family in mission isn't always straight forward and can be incredibly frustrating (you can ask my hubby ... I am not the most patient of people!). The lessons we learn along the way can be tough and unexplainable, but help us be more effective further down the track. Whether it is just to testify that the waiting pays off to another family who are in the same position or something more. I'm just grateful that God has it all well planned out from his view point and as long as we're faithful to him, he'll look out for us and be faithful right back at us!

Jeremiah 29:11For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Internet Savvy?

Have you noticed how so much of life now revolves around the internet nowadays? Are you internet savvy? It's so accessible, although admittedly less so in parts of small town America ... even than in the 'wilds' of Africa!!! With laptops, tablets, smart phones it seems to be anywhere and everywhere ... right at your fingertips. With the click of a button you can find out how to make a recipe or remove a stain, get directions somewhere, download music and books, find out facts that you would have had to look up in an encyclopedia 20 years ago, keep in touch with friends, check the weather forecast, book flights .. the list really is endless! 

We have friends who are in their 90's now but in their 'prime' they were missionaries in the Congo. The journey to get there took 6 months by boat and then a letter to tell the family they had arrived safely took another 6 months to make the return journey. Imagine being the family back at home ... and not hearing anything for a whole year and knowing that when the news did arrive it was way out-of-date already.

We are doing the mission thing at a time where we can let family and friends know instantly that we have arrived safely and even post photos of where we are and what it's like straight away too. The internet has certainly changed the way things happen! With this blog and our family blog we are able to keep our family, friends and supporters up-to-date regularly. It means family and friends can see what we're up to even though we're not part of their day-to-day lives, as much as I know they would like and helps supporters get a feel of what life is like for us and pray more specifically.

Recently I also started a Facebook Page for Beckwith's Big Adventure to enable more instant and accessible updates for those who want them ... and for us not to get too out of touch with the way a lot of things are done today internet-wise as well!! In the first week we already reached 50 'Likes' which is great. If you're on Facebook and want up-to-date information about us as a family and our mission antics, find it and 'Like' it!

Many of my good friends have also embraced the internet in ways that we would never have imagined even 10 years ago. For example here in Coshocton, one friend has set up a photography business via Facebook, Beloved Images and another has a website, Cayton Heath Photography (you could even spot some photos of us on the 'Family Page' of that website, including the one above!!). Another really good friend, with her husband and another couple, have set up Ink Robin and make storybook apps for kids. It's really fun and Abigail loves the 'Will and Kate' one! Yet another friend from the UK, used some redundancy money, moved to France and set up her own internet business Writer's Block Admin Services with loads of online services including Ebook formatting which is keeping her really busy. It might sound a bit lame but I'm really proud of them!

The internet really does blow my mind sometimes and I would love to know what I'm doing more than I do (I know that some of you think that what I do is loads already ... but I honestly consider myself as a beginner!) I dream of being able to design websites (yes, really!!) both from my own creative mind-set but also to maybe help out smaller businesses or teach web design when we're in Tanzania and beyond ... which I'm guessing would be really beneficial for everyone in the current internet dominated world!!

A Wiggle and a Giggle

Music can put a smile on your face or totally change the mood of a situation (just think about the musical scores in movies!). It can be so powerful. Recently we've been transferring a lot of our CD's onto Itunes and our Ipods ... so that we have less bulk to transport when we move at the end of the year but can still take it all with us.

When I was little, I remember my mum singing 'By the rivers of Babylon' while cutting my nails as it took my mind off what was going on. Abigail went through a stage of wanting us to sing 'Somewhere over the rainbow' while she was brushing her teeth and would keep brushing til we got to the end ... a task Mark didn't relish too much!!

Just recently Naomi has decided there are a few mundane tasks that sometimes she would rather kick up a stink about than be compliant; including having her face wiped after a meal or having her nappy changed. It seems that if we launch into an enthusiastic rendition of 'The wheels on the bus', she gets carried away doing the actions and forgets to be upset. Abigail is very helpful with this and often starts us off as she doesn't like to see her little sister sad!

Already we can see that Naomi seems to enjoy music and dancing much more than Abigail did when she was this little. It's lovely to see her own unique character coming through and is hilarious! Any excuse for a wiggle and a giggle and she's there, as you can see from the photo below on the little slide in our paddling pool ... mid-wiggle!

Whether it's on the tv, music we're playing or just singing and being silly with, Naomi doesn't often pass up the opportunity to join in! Of course Abigail does as well now ... but it has appeared to be slightly more ingrained into Naomi from the get-go and puts a big smile, not only on her face but on ours too!

Water Babies

One of my favourite pastimes is swimming! I love it and find it totally relaxing and refreshing. It's my preferred form of exercise and something that I have always done regularly ... until I moved to the States.

Where we live, there are no indoor public pools ... only outdoor ones, where the emphasis is more on fun (which I have no problem with!), rather than actual swimming. They are only open from the end of May until the begin of September as well. All except the local high school where you can 'lane swim' between 5-7am ... yeah right, no chance! So I am very much looking forward to getting to Dodoma, Tanzania where there will be more than one pool nearby that I can use year round ... with one on the MAF compound itself.

Some of my American friends have found it strange when I tell them that it's not unusual to take our little ones to the pool regularly from as early as a few months old in the UK. Something we did with Abigail but unfortunately never had the chance to do with Naomi. Abigail has always been a total water baby and has never even batted an eyelid when she's had water in her face or been anywhere that involves water. More like squeals of delight and giggles of excitement! Naomi on the other hand isn't too sure about the whole thing but also isn't totally adverse to the whole water thing either!

Apparently when I was younger I wasn't too sure either ... and that has clearly changed. So I don't doubt that in time Naomi will come to enjoy it like me too!! After all ... Abigail loves it, I love it, my mum is a total water-lover and in her school days Mark's mum was also a school's swimming champion, even if she has swum much since then. The legacy is definitely there and once we're in Tanzania the lifestyle will be too.

In order to better prepare Abigail we enrolled her in some swimming lessons over the summer. When I was teaching in Dodoma (1999-2001), I taught swimming so could have done it myself but little people (and bigger ones!!) have a tendency to listen better when it isn't their own parent but a proper teacher telling them what to do! She has done 3 of the 8 sessions and ABSOLUTELY LOVES it!!! It's all she talks about ... her teacher is called Katie ... and I hear 'Katie this, Katie that'! She's definitely building up her confidence, going under water, diving for sticks, getting the hang of stretching out and kicking her legs, using a float and the highlight at the end of each session ... going down the big slide on her own!! (You may be able to make out the huge smile on her face in the photo below!)

It's been really fun to watch Abigail and see her excitement before and during each session. It also gives me some time to splash around in the water with Naomi and get her used to it all as much as possible too. The first time we took her swimming a few months ago she certainly wasn't a big fan but she seems to be getting the idea! Now I just dream of a nice long swim session of my own, I know it will come ... in time!!

Fourth of July

Today is the Fourth of July ... one of the most celebrated days in America. While I knew about it back in the UK, I never realised how HUGE it was here in the States! An excuse to hang out with friends and family, enjoy good food over the BBQ (or 'grill' would be a more culturally appropriate word!!) and typically watch a fireworks display ... as well as so much more!

Being such an event here, our American friends are often surprised when they find that we don't also celebrate it back in the UK. Let's think about it for a minute ... what is Independence Day? According to Wikipedia ...

Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain.

Did you get that? Independence from Great Britain! That would mean ... 'we' lost ... which would give us absolutely no reason to celebrate whatsoever! So  without wishing to offend anyone ... to the many many many American's that have asked us over the last 3 years if we celebrate the Fourth of July in the UK ... the answer would be NO!!!!!!!

Having said that, we have thoroughly enjoyed the celebrations while we have been living here and making the most of the day off that Mark gets from the hangar too. In fact, as Naomi was born here in Ohio and could be classified as either American or British, we plan on reflecting her American heritage (and our time here) by incorporating some of the US holidays as part of our own family traditions in the years to come. Including Independence Day and Thanksgiving ... although they will probably have a different twist to them when we do it!

I actually love the sense of pride that comes with this particular holiday here in the States. Not an arrogant 'we are better than anyone else' feeling, just a 'we are proud of who we are and are going to celebrate' one! Something that unless we're competing in a sporting event, I don't think us Brits are anywhere near as good at.

Although this will be the last year we get to celebrate Independence Day here in the States, it won't be the last time we get to celebrate it as a family. Happy Fourth of July everyone!

Getting to know you ...

Have you ever been at an event where there are ice-breakers at the beginning? I have to admit even the term ice-breaker makes me cringe a little but generally they do their job so I have to admit that for the most part they are extremely beneficial! On Friday night at the quilting evening, I had to describe my life in 6 words ... so after some thought wrote, 'Overseas adventurer ready for new challenges'. I don't think I'm going to be disappointed there!!

Have you played the one where you have to say three statements about yourself, two of which are true and one is false? Tonight I am sharing my testimony at our Apprentice Wives meeting. I did it at the beginning of our 3 years here but the group has now completely changed so it will be fun to share it again. As I've got to know many of the ladies ... some parts of my story won't be unfamiliar to them. So I thought I'd start with a little quiz and then build my story around the answers as they go.

While you won't get to hear the story or see the photos that go with them ... I thought I'd include the questions here to see how well you know me too! For each one, two are true and one is false. Can you work them out? (I will include the answers at the bottom of this post ... but not until later on in the week ... scroll down, they are there now!)

1. Childhood Church ...
a. I was taken to church by my neighbour aged 2
b. I was confirmed aged 11
c. I was baptised aged 13

2. I moved churches aged 16 ...
a. because a good friend also moved there
b. because of a boy
c. because I met load of the youth on holiday

3. At university ...
a. I fell for a big black rugby player
b. I worked three different jobs as well as studying
c. I tried some illegal drugs

4. God’s sense of humour ...
a. I didn’t study a language at university because of the year abroad
b. I swore I’d never study again after university
c. I didn’t want to go into mission until I had a masters degree

5. Short-term mission experience ...
a. I’ve dug a well
b. I have built a house
c. I have worked in a slum

6. Year as a Lay Assistant ...
a. The only time I’ve shared a room with anyone apart from Mark
b. I played my flute in the worship group
c. I had issues with my supervisor (the vicar’s wife)

7. Dodoma ...
a. I taught music
b. I taught swimming
c. I taught french

8. Travel - I have eaten ...
a. Crocodile in Kenya
b. Dog in Vietnam
c. Kangaroo in Australia

9. Animals ...
a. I have walked with chimpanzees
b. I have ridden an elephant
c. I have swum with dolphins

10. Adventures ...
a. I have stood on the top of Kilimanjaro
b. I have jumped out of a plane
c. I have white-water rafted

11. Randoms ...
a. I have heard a bomb explode
b. I have watched a plane crash
c. I have felt an earthquake

12. Working with asylum-seekers ...
a. We had to do self-defense in our basic training
b. I know someone who has met Saddam Hussein
c. I got to use Swahili and French at work

13. All Nations ...
a. I know someone who used to be in the Korean Mafia
b. I know someone who used to work with drug addicts in Australia
c. I know someone who used to be a child soldier in Uganda

14. Mark ...
a. I knew Mark was the one for me after 5 weeks
b. We said those 3 special words after 10 days of dating
c. We were engaged after two months

15. Pregnancy ...
a. I had post-natal depression with both girls
b. I cried over the death of an A-list celebrity while pregnant
c. I have cried over some chicken breasts while pregnant

16. MAF ...
a. I have celebrated my birthday on a MAF compound
b. I have swum in the pool of a MAF compound
c. I have lived on a MAF compound

The false statements are ... 
1b, 2a, 3c, 4c, 5a, 6b, 7a, 8b, 9b, 10c, 11b, 12a, 13c, 14c, 15a, 16b
How did you do?