J'aime la Substance

I Like Stuff

One of the things about an experience like we are having is that we do lots of musing and processing – always looking for God and how He is working.  I came knowing that one of the ways God would be working would be on me!   That fact has hit home recently. 

I am a nest featherer!  I love to create a space for us – for our lives but also a welcoming place for others.  And to do that, I use “stuff.”  I like to “create” spaces – I like things to match.  I like themes.  So when in Africa, go African is my motto.  A whole new theme.  A whole new place to shop. Hey, I’m into it!

I believe God knows all this about me.  Take our place here in Niamey – when we arrived we found a small but freshly painted apartment with newly recovered furniture, new curtains and bedspread.  It looked clean and nice and welcoming – if a little sterile – but the kind of place I knew I could make warm, welcoming and cute.  God had definitely provided.

So I set out to make it even “cuter.”

One of my first purchases was a craft very typical of Niamey – the batik.  This one caught my eye as it had colors that would go in our new home.  The batik depicts three scenes very typical of life in Niamey.   For me it makes our place “warmer” – more home like.  I came home very happy with my purchase.

We also went to the giraffe park the first week here and since then I had my eye out for a giraffe as a reminder of that.  At the Musee I found a wood carver who carved one for me out of mahogany.  I really like it.   It looks very cute on the desk just like I thought it would.

Another craft that is big here is making things out of sheep, goat or cow hides.  I have purchased leather picture frames for the 3 family pictures I brought along.  I have all these items nicely displayed – again, very homey!

Okay, so what does this have to do with where I am seeing God at work on me?  I believe God is speaking to me reminding me of somethings I do know - that things are just things and things are not what life is all about.  I know we shouldn’t store up stuff for ourselves and I know we cannot take it with us.  However, I still like stuff!!  But the truth is I think God is saying – you don’t need more stuff.  (I think Elgin wishes I would listen to God.)

He is speaking to me through the missionary families here.   They are totally not into stuff and not into shopping!  I stick out like a sore thumb!  I think they find stuff unnecessary and a distraction – only something to clear of red dust and pack up and store for furlough moves.  They don’t seem to need stuff and they don’t seem to want stuff.

I am in awe of their choices in this regard.  I think God is trying to teach me to put much less thought and effort into stuff – but I am a slow learner! 

Another thing that is causing me to question my “need” for cute things in my life is the whole shopping process here.  I usually love to go “looking for cute things” and planning and thinking about what I want to purchase and for whom.  But shopping here is not really fun.  I don’t like being hassled and here they are all over you – “buy from me” – leisurely looking is impossible.  And then I have no idea what is the fair or right price of anything and I do not have the French vocabulary to figure all that out which means I have to take a non-shopping, not into stuff, missionary shopping with me.  Takes some of the fun out of it.  Frankly I’m finding it – well -  not as necessary as I once thought – which maybe is precisely what God wants!!

However, in spite of all of this, I do still look and buy and enjoy “stuff”.  God must want me to have my hearing checked.

I know I will come home with trinkets to share and trinkets as memories of our time here.  But I also know God is not finished with me yet.  Stay tuned!