Friday, December 30, 2011

Christmas in Cincinnati

Merry Christmas Everyone! Just wanted to share a few snapshots of our family's Christmas in Cincinnati.  Christmas in the Hanson (my mom's) side of the family is not complete without our hand stitched stockings.   I need to learn to sew so I can carry on the tradition!

Me and my Aunt Kathleen.  It was so good to spend quality time with my Auntie before my departure on Jan. 6th.

My Dad is clearly not thrilled with my Mom's holiday get-up.   The rest of us loved it, don't worry mom!

Big brother Carl and his girlfriend Steph.  We were so happy she could join us for Christmas! Carl is showing off his sweet gift - Monopoly, the Futurama edition!

Weird...

...Less weird.  Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and Happy New Year!

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Elections, Auctions and France

Lots to catch up on: Congo elections at the beginning of December were pulled off with relatively little violence.  There was fear of uprising in the capital, Kinshasa, but the city was heavily guarded by armed military and most schools and businesses were closed for election week.

This is the winner, Joseph Kabila.  He was re-elected after his first 4 year term.  Kabila is the first democratically elected president in the Congo's history.  He was running against Tshisekedi, a 78 year old military leader that served with Mobutu (former Zairian president) decades ago.  Kabila is now 40, one of the youngest president's in history.  Under his presidency the DRCongo has taken the very last place in the Human Development Index which measures literacy rates, life expectancy and education.

Yet, we have hope for the future of the Congo, and we thank God for peaceful elections and growing peace in DRC after decades of bloodshed.  Please continue to pray for peace, especially when we know that the people of Eastern Congo continue to suffer.

On another note, we had a great time at my concert/auction fundraiser in November!! My dear friend, Miriam Cameron's sister Anastasia (pictured above) is an accomplished soprano soloist and sang for the concert.  She is extremely talented and it was such a treat to have her perform! All in all, I raised nearly $4,500 through this event! I am so thankful for everyone who helped to make this a success and move me closer to my goal to leave for Congo.

At long last, I have reached my 80% fundraising goal, and will be on my way to Angers, France for language school on January 6th!!! I am thankful for the many many people who have partnered with me, supported and prayed for me to get to this point.  Above is a 13th century castle in the town I will be living in.  Did I mention I'm living at a monastery?  These coming months I will be living my monastic dream.  So looking forward to this.

Mont St Michel at night, a cathedral built on an island near Paris.  You know you want to visit me.  Just come.

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Moringa at ECHO


Belated post, apologies.

So, here I was at ECHO agricultural development training in Florida, and little did I know that this would be the most profound and inspiring few weeks of my summer! I learned about everything from vermiculture to permaculture to grafting to water purification.  With all of the challenges and setbacks that come with development work, ECHO is beacon of light.  They teach simple and practical technologies that save lives every day and will continue to do so by passing the torch of knowledge about conservation, soil health and improved land production.

Moringa was a tree that I was particularly excited to learn about.  This tree grows well in almost any tropical or semi-arid environment and is delicious raw in salads, or the leaves can be dried and crushed into a powder.

This diagram shows the nutritional content of moringa.  You can see why they call it the miracle tree!  Malnutrition is an enormous problem in the area we'll be working in and Moringa is part of a multifaceted solution by our Covenant Mission team to combat food insecurity in Northwest Congo.

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Sunset on Torch Lake

Every summer the Hanson crew heads up toTorch Lake in Central Lake, MI for a week of family camp at Hayo-Went-Ha YMCA camp.  It's fun to hang with the fam and enjoy a lake that a) looks aqua blue like the carribean b) has no seaweed c) no humidity and d) best of all, no mosquitoes!

I realize that I probably won't be home for the next two years of family camp because I'll be in Congo, so I particularly enjoyed sailing, swimming and hanging out with everyone this year.

One of the best parts of camp is watching the sunset out on the point.  I remembered my camera one of these beautiful nights.








Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Honduras

I've had a rather wild itinerary this summer, and a last minute trip to Honduras was part of my most recent adventures.  My Aunt Pamela has been a missionary in the capital city, Tegucigalpa for the past 6 years, and this was my first oppotunity to see her second home and meet many of her friends and ministry partners.



This is one of the churches that Pamela's ministry partner helped to plant in a rough neighborhood of Tegucigalpa.  Their church walls are made of tarp and old metal sheeting.  A beautiful house of God.


I'm sorry that this picture is sideways, but I had to include a picture of Pam and her namesake, Pamelita.  This little girl was named after Pamela because of her witness to this community of people.  Pretty sweet if you ask me.

And this is the church with Pastor Francisco standing to the far left in a white shirt.  These are the people that have adopted Pam into their church family.  It really was a blessing to see this authentic community worshipping with what they had and investing time and care into one another.


The preschool that Pam is on the board for.  Single moms often don't have affordable and decent daycare and schooling options for their little ones, but Casa de Luz is meeting that need.

Dancing with the kiddos to some kind of cowboy song!  Of course, I had to join in.

Learned to crochet this week too! Here is Patricia showing off my first hat and one that Pamela did.  Can you tell which one is mine?  Don't answer that.

Pam teaching in Spanish at the deaf school in Tegucigalpa.  I was so impressed by her teaching abilities, and it was clear that God was present in her teaching.  She had some great response from this material, and has been asked back to continue this seminar on understanding the impact of God harnessing our thoughts before they turn into emotions and reactions.  This was a great time of learning about life and ministry in Honduras, and a great time to hang out with my Auntie!  I am so thankful for the time we were able to share together.

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Vancouver, BC

I had a wonderful time in beautiful Vancouver for my CHE (Community Health Evangelism) Training.  BC is just as beautiful as everyone says, plus there is much more British culture than I expected! It was sort like travelling to Europe without having to leave the continent.  This was my training group - we had representatives from Canada, the States, Indonesia, Cambodia, South Korea and Wales.  It is always a blessing to learn and grow with others who share my heart for justice and international work.  I am very excited about the CHE model of community development and look forward to implementing the tools I learned in the not-too-distant future.  The model is centered on partnership, empowerment and sustainability in developing world communities.

This is the longest wooden tressel in the British Commonwealth, and was just recently built.  This was right down the road from our training, so we went to the opening ceremony.  We were a very international group, and some locals thought that we had travelled there because we were avid tressel lovers.  I never knew bridges could be such a big deal.  Sorry to disappoint, Vancouverites.

Our training was on Vancouver Island, so I had take a ferry from the city.  It was stunning! I couldn't believe that people sat below deck and missed the awesome view!  Some days you can see orca whales on this ride, but I didn't have that privelege.  Pictures don't do this scenery justice, you have to experience it in person.

It was great to see Keela,  my dear friend and former roommate in Kenya while I was in Vancouver.  We visited this fishing village with a modern art sculpture on the ocean front, and also took a cruise on Indian Arm, and hiked the Grouse Grind (it was tougher than I thought!).  It was a great week of learning, good friends and beautiful creation everywhere I looked.


Thursday, July 21, 2011

CHE in DRC

Today I am heading out to Vancouver for training in Community Health Evangelism (CHE) which is part of my preparation for community development work in Congo.  Thanks to my Aunt Pamela for finding an article about CHE at work in DRC. I have shared it below to give you an idea of what CHE is all about.  (article in it's entirety is at: http://lifewind.org/july_news.html)

How do economic hard times affect people in a place like the DRC?
These are hard times economically, and we all know something about what that looks like in the United States. High rates of unemployment, home foreclosures, failed businesses, and a colossal national debt are some of the realities that affect us, and we are one of the wealthiest nations in the world.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is one of the world’s poorest nations—only tiny Burundi is ranked poorer, and not by much. The average income of someone living in the United States is 260 times that of someone who lives in the DRC.DRC school children
So how do economic hard times affect people in a place like the DRC?
Let me explain with a story that illustrates both what is happening, and the big difference your gifts have made.
Ngandajika is a small town in south central DRC. Workers there were never treated fairly, but when the world’s economy was booming their work at least gave them something. They had food, and enough cash to pay the tuition the government schools required for their children to receive an education.
But businesses shut down, and there were no buyers for crops when global economic problems hit the area. The people went from having a little to having no income at all, and the effect rippled through their families and community.
Children and teenagers who used to be in school were on the streets all day long, with nothing to do. As a result, gangs formed and crime and prostitution skyrocketed. Life in Ngandajika started into a wicked spiral of destruction. Happily, however, the forces of evil were opposed.
Ngandajika is a community where a Community Health Evangelism (CHE) program had started before hard times hit. As a result of CHE, the community had a group of leaders who were trained to look at how to solve problems themselves.
The community leaders of Ngandajika, trained by CHE, quickly realized that having no school for their children was a critical problem. Their first move was to ask the government and school officials to lower the cost of tuition. Though this was denied, they did not give up.
They still needed a school for their children, so they decided to build and run one themselves. They had three types of resources that were locally available.
First, they had a little money (very little). The leadership group was able to collect $350 in voluntary contributions. But this was huge, coming from people who on average have to live on the equivalent of 57cents per day.
Second, their leaders had proved trustworthy. Without trust no action would have been possible.

Third, they had creativity and the willingness to work. They planned a three-room school, and built it out of materials they produced themselves—making bricks, and cutting wood and thatching material. Then they found qualified teachers and were ready to go.
In no time, they recruited 300 students from the poorest families in town, which the school could handle in two shifts of 50 students for each of the three classrooms.
Their hope exceeded the materials they had available, but it was more than justified. Children and youth returned to school, to learn instead of make trouble. The incidence of crime and prostitution dropped dramatically, and the government took notice.
Though unwilling (or unable) to provide funding for public education, government officials were happy to give honors for what the community had done on its own. But they wanted to know about the CHE program that seemed to be the key. “What is CHE, anyway?”
The community leaders said, “CHE is a plan for individual and community development through equipping that is both physical and spiritual.”
The government representatives asked, “What do you mean by spiritual?”  The people of Ngandajika said,
“We have met Jesus personally. Jesus has shown us what God is like and what he expects of us. Jesus has shown us what it means to love God, and to love our neighbor as ourselves. This changes our attitude to each other – it makes us ready to volunteer, to respect and help each other. But that is not all. When we pray, miracles happen. God’s power is what really keeps our school running.”
What I want you to know, as supporters of LifeWind/Medical Ambassadors, is that the first CHE programs started in the DRC twenty years ago. Those programs have planted hundreds of churches, some of which are now pastored by adults who first heard about Jesus through CHE programs of which they were a part as children.
The last time LifeWind/Medical Ambassadors placed foreign missionaries in the DRC was in 1997. Since then, Congolese leaders, with LifeWind/Medical Ambassadors support, have expanded the CHE program from 56 initial villages to over 500. What a return on investment!
How did this happen? The Congolese CHE leaders would not say they have done this on their own. What they have seen in communities like Ngandajika goes beyond good community development techniques. They know that results like this can only be explained by the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit, who enables individuals and communities to succeed amazingly, even when failure seems certain.

Monday, July 11, 2011

CHIC story


My CHIC story was posted on the Covenant Youth Worker blog, and I have copied it below.  Follow this link to read more about CHIC and other Covenant Youth Worker updates: 

http://blogs.covchurch.org/ywupdate/2011/07/06/chic2k/#more-1582


A Reflection on CHIC 2K “The Bridge”

Posted July 6th, 2011 in CHICEventsReflection and tagged  by ywupdate
CHIC 2K was a transformational experience in my life.  When I look back now, I know that God was orchestrating something great, and planting seeds in me that would bear fruit in the future.
Here’s my story:
I went to CHIC in Knoxville, TN with my youth group from Winnetka Covenant Church.  I looked forward to CHIC just like all of my friends – we had heard so much about it, I couldn’t wait to be there!  I had a feeling it would be a fun week, but I didn’t know then that it would change the trajectory of my life.
Two major things happened in my life that week:
1)      There was an emphasis on the importance of forgiveness.  A woman who had been a victim of rape spoke to us about the necessity of forgiveness as Christians for the sake of not only those who have hurt us, but for ourselves too.  That was POWERFUL for me.  I had been holding a bitterness towards someone in my family for years, and CHIC was when I first began the process of truly forgiving that person.  Forgiveness has given me freedom to live my life without the burden of resentment.
2)      Later that week I heard a missionary from Africa speak about her work with the poor and marginalized, and I clearly felt God calling me to the life of international missions.  And now, this past week, I have just been commissioned to work with Covenant World Mission in Democratic Republic of Congo! It’s amazing to think that what began eleven years ago, in a stadium with 7,000 young people is today leading to a life of tackling injustice and poverty in Africa.
From these two experiences, I learned that God is real, he is moving, and he cares about my life.  God might not be calling you to be a missionary in Africa, but he absolutely made you with certain gifts and talents, and he has a purpose for your life.  I challenge you to be open to listen and obey during your time at CHIC.  You might be surprised at how God shows up.
~ Christine Buettgen
Be sure to check out www.CHIC2012.org on Friday to see what you’ll find out about CHIC 2012!

Monday, July 4, 2011

Covenant Annual Meeting, Estes Park

I arrived home yesterday after a great week in Estes Park, CO.  I was commissioned along with other Short term and Project Missionaries for service through the Covenant Church.  Here is a video if you are interested in the service (our section starts at about 19min in the video): http://vimeo.com/25469164


It was great to see old friends and make new connections too.  I sometimes forget about the supportive church family that I have spread throughout the country and the world.  I was thankful for the opportunity to speak with so many people who have been in Congo and have a heart for the work there.  I had a Congolese flag attached to my name tag, and that's how I made a lot of new friends.  People would yell from across the room "Congo?!" and I would respond "Congo!".  Instant friends.  

Of course we were in stunning Colorado so I had to take advantage of the awesome hiking around us.



My friend KB and I at the top of Bible Point, Estes Park.  KB will be a missionary in East Asia teaching English.  

It was called Bible Point because there was a young man who died in an accident in the early twentieth century.  This mountain top was his favorite place to come and reflect on life and God, so his family keeps a Bible in the mailbox, and honored him by putting a cross at this site too.

Anyone could write their prayers on a notebook in the mailbox, so KB and I added our meditations. 

The last two days I spent in Fort Collins, CO with the Noren's.  Here is Karl with baby Michael near the top of Horsetooth Pass.

Ruth was a super trooper! She climbed one section of the mountain all by herself! Everyone we saw on the trail were very impressed with little Ruthie.


And here is the whole Noren family with Mama Mary.  It was a lot of fun to get to know them better through our hiking excursion.  They will be serving in Rainforest International School in Yaounde, Cameroon.

And our gracious hosts! David and Debbie Williams will be serving with me in Congo, so it was great to see their home and learn more about their community and family.  Their granddaughter Jayla was great to get to know too, I hope she comes to visit her Grandparents in Congo!

Monday, June 27, 2011

VBS

Last week I had a great time volunteering as a "tribe leader" for Vacation Bible School at Winnetka Covenant.  Everyone did a great job of organizing a week filled with activities that were creative, educational and fun. I know the kids had a great time.  One of the girls in my group told her mom "I wish I could go to Bible School for infinity!" Oh my. 

Another exciting part of the week was that my ministry in Congo was the cause the VBS committee chose to raise funds for! I had an opportunity to share with the kids about clean water and nutritious food, and how much of a struggle it is for kids in DRC to have both on a regular basis.  It was amazing to see how the kids repsonded to that, and how many questions they had.  I spoke with one of the Sunday school teachers, and she is interested in having me skype with the kids sunday school classes while I am in Congo so they can continue to learn about the differences and similarities between their lives, and the lives of kids in DRC.  I am passionate about bridging knowledge gaps between cultures, so this is something I am really looking forward to.  Maybe someday these Winnetka kids will have the opportunity to meet the kids in Congo that they have heard so much about!

Some pics from the week (thank you Jess Carley!):

Tie Dying Pillowcases

Loom Weaving with Miss Joan - This is a cool idea for an income generating activity in Congo too!

Planting seeds at the farm


Making clay beads


The total amount of money raised through VBS was over $800! I feel humbled and blessed to have such a wonderful community of support.  It was very rewarding to share about my work and generate interest in this generation for transformational development and social justice.

Friday, June 17, 2011

METE continued



Thanks to my new friends Josh and Lori, here are some more pics of our Covenant Missionary Training (METE) so you can have a little insight into the last two weeks of my life.  I really valued this time to connect with my new team members and to experience spiritual renewal.  Every morning we had solitude time built into our schedule, and I was reminded of the power of PRAYER.  When we take the time to be quiet before God incredible things can take place in our hearts.

This was one of our first nights out together - ECC President Gary Walters had us to his home, and we played a game that was a mix between charades and catch phrase.  This is one of my Congo teammates, David, acting cold?! We did not win this round:)



Mary (with Michael), on the left will be working at the International School in Cameroon, and Lori (with 9 week old Charlie) will be serving in Central African Republic (CAR). Lots of baby love in this group!
One of our learning excursions was a cultural analysis walking around Devon Ave.  Of course the best way to start conversation is by going to the salons! So we had henna done.  It was part of the assignment!

Lori had the Evangelical Covenant Church symbol done so we could discuss religious symbols and what they represent to us.  I've heard people say that this symbol looks like four guys in a hot tub...:)
Paul and Gretchen DeNeui had us over for a Thai dinner on our last night.  It was great to have so much opportunity to get to know the Covenant World Mission staff.  They are truly wonderful resources and friends for us.

It was fun to see everybody talking about where in the world they had been and were going around the world map.  We are a very well traveled crowd!
My country of service, DRC.
This is Paul, with one of my Congo teammates, Debbie.  It was a blessing to meet her and her husband.  We are going to share some exciting adventures together! 

We were taught a Thai string tying  ceremony  that has been adapted in the Thai church  from traditional local religion.  A beautiful example of contextualization done well. 
The whole group with our string blessings. I am thankful to know these folks, and am excited to see how God provides for us as we embark on our fundraising and missionary journey!