God is Still on His Throne

 Psalm 11: 4-7

“The Lord is in His holy temple; the LORD’s throne is in heaven;

His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men.

The LORD tests the righteous and the wicked.

And the one who loves violence His soul hates.

Upon the wicked He will rain snares;

Fire and brimstone and burning wind will be the portion of their cup.

For the LORD is righteous, He loves righteousness;

The upright will behold His face”.

During language school in Kinshasa. March 1991

I loved reading this passage the other day because it brought back memories of September 1991 when I suddenly found myself evacuating with two small children and my husband far away.  I was asking God for some purpose in all this.  We had worked for years to become missionaries with Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF).  We had met at Moody Bible Institute and found that we were headed in the same direction to serve God overseas in order to be a part of building His Kingdom in this fallen world. We had all our training, had been accepted with Mission Aviation Fellowship, had raised support and had finished language school.  We had been at our new base, Tandala in the Equatuer Province, for six weeks and had spent the first three weeks painting our house and settling in.  Rod had spent another couple weeks flying with Dan Carlson so that he could fly to the remote airstrips around us.  Then Rod, Dan and all the other MAF pilots in Zaire had flown to Kinshasa for a Technical Conference.  He had been gone a week and that Monday morning they were headed to the airport when they realized that the mobs were out of control and they had to turn back to the Baptist guest house they had been staying at.

It didn’t make sense to me.  Why would God do this?  We were so ready to serve Him and suddenly we were being told that we had to leave the country.  As I prayed I turned to the Psalms and either this one or one similar was what I found.  God is still God.  God is still on His throne.  He is still in control and He is sovereign. 

The news was that Mobutu had not paid his soldiers and the looting throughout the country was the result.  Being new at living overseas I thought Mobutu was naïve and stupid to think his soldiers would be loyal even though he didn’t pay him.  Little did know that Mobutu knew exactly what he was doing. Later this would become known as Mobutu’s temper tantrum. The west was putting pressure on him to behave their way and he wanted their influence out.  By his soldiers looting businesses and homes and the population following suit, the expatriate community cleared out of the country.  Many never returned.  Others came back but when a similar looting took place in 1993 many more left. 

Emily's 1st Birthday November 11,1991

Yet God was on His throne and still in control.  For our family we were back in the states long enough to find out that our baby, Emily, needed medical help for her asthma.  She had to use a nebulizer three times a day to keep her lungs clear.  We eventually had tubes put in her ears to slow down the infections then we found a battery operated nebulizer and we were able to return to Zaire by August 1992.

Emily in the hospital January 1992

Other expatriates left and found God guiding them permanently away from Zaire for many reasons.  The church had to learn to stand or fall on its own.  They had grown to depend on mission agencies supporting them financially over and over again.  Suddenly, the church in Congo had to learn to stand without money backing.  For some church congregations this would mean falling apart and having no fellowship, for some it would mean keeping the name of Christianity but falling back into animism for their security, for others it would mean coming together and working together in unity to keep their fellowship, and even others it meant standing alone individually while the world around them became more corrupt.  There have been areas that a household had to take turns going to church because there was only one set of clothing to share between two people. Cults and other religions have come with money to share and many have latched on to the "economic" opportunity.  Yet we know that God has His remnant and His church still stands.

 

Thank You God for being on Your throne.  Your ways are not my ways, nor are Your thoughts my thoughts.  Yet I know that You are a wise God and when I stand still and know that You are God I have peace.

"Look at the Birds of the Air"

A favorite experience for me living in Congo has been the birds that I wake up to every morning.  We have cats that have kept a lot of them away but the past two years the bird population has increased.  Our cats have dwindled down to one old Grandma cat who would rather just hang around in the house than chase birds outside.
While I thoroughly enjoy electricity, there is an advantage when the electricity is out and the neighbor's generator is off, I can hear the birds in my yard.  I am not a bird expert but we have a great variety and I enjoy both hearing and spotting them.
We have a flock of African Greys that hang out from tree to tree.  They love to squawk and occasionally there seems to be a word or two that comes out as a result of someones pet that has been freed to hang out  with the wild.

A little snack for the cats.

There are also the cordon bleu who brighten up the bushes and grass all around.  Sometimes I think of them as God's ornaments to add color to the world.  At other times I think of them as little snacks for the cats who prey after them.  They make a slight snack and seem to be easy to catch.

Cheering me on as I go for a run!

Then there are the longed tailed brown birds that are related to the birds of paradise.  I believe they are the ones who sit under my porch ceiling and serenade us every morning.
A friendly egret has chosen our wall to reign over year round.  When migration happens the count goes up to around 5 but in the meantime our faithful friend watches as I do my workout in the yard or teases our old cat that she isn't quick enough to catch her anymore.

P.D. always longs to come inside and taste a little cat food.

There are other birds we have seen in our yard.  A neighbor's peacock escaped into our yard once. We have had a Kingfisher and a Heron.  Then there is P.D. (Patricia Desiree was added to the initials after we realized she came to stay).  She blew over the walls of our yard during a storm.  After asking all the neighbors if she belonged to them we settled on the fact that she had chosen us. She has become plump and fat in our yard and enjoys visits from the neighbors' scrawny roosters at times.
As I look at these birds I think of Jesus words, "Look at the birds of the air, they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not worth much more than they?"  Matthew 6:26 NASB  You can tell by looking at me that I don't need to worry about what I eat but I do need to remember not to worry about each event in my life or my children's needs.  God values us and has given us an amazing world that reflects His glory.  I so enjoy exploring both this world and the scriptures to know Him in a greater way.


Cordon Blues are very hard to photograph so credit goes to the following sight for the cordon blue picture: <dl id="foter-photo-figure" class="wp-caption foter-photo" style="color: rgb(136, 136, 136); position: relative; font-size: 11px; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; overflow: hidden; padding: 4px; border: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); border-radius: 3px 3px 3px 3px; width: 325px;"><dt class="wp-caption-dt"><a href="http://foter.com/photo/bloutjie/"><img style="display: block; width: 100%;" class="foter-photo mceItem" src="http://photos.foter.com/109/bloutjie_l.jpg"></a></dt><dd class="wp-caption-dd" style="padding:0;margin:0;"><span style="display: block; float: right;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hyper7/6241366578/">hyper7pro</a> / <a href="http://foter.com">Foter.com</a> / <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">CC BY</a></span></dd></dl>

Hochstetler Prayer Update January 2012

Dear Praying Family and Friends,

Enjoying a Congolese Meal on New Year's Eve!

We had a wonderful Christmas break with Austin and Emily both here with us.  We were able to get out of town for three days and enjoy some quiet fresh air with three other families.  It was a great time.  The kids (ranging from 9 to 25 years old) had an experience with a snake that joined them in the river for a while.  When they scramble out to get away from it the snake came out with them.  The oldest chose to behead it since it was showing aggressive behavior.  We don’t usually have run in with snakes so we now have an adventure to tell.   We also were able to enjoy some games together both while camping and at home.  We had several Christmas events at our house and Emily said that it wouldn’t be Christmas without having lots of visits with people.  We all missed Mitchell in a great way but continue to be thankful that he has a job.  We are praying for his future and what God has planned for him.

Now that they have left we are all feeling rather gloomy.  Rod was also gone all last week to visit Lubumbashi which is in the southeastern part of Congo.  As chief pilot he went to fly along with the other pilots to be sure they were still performing well in their work.  Both pilots did a great job.  Rod brought cheddar and mozzarella cheese back for us too.  One of the flights Rod was on in Lubumbashi was in support of medical or people displaced by fighting on the eastern boarder of Congo.

While Rod was gone I had a few stressful days and nights and slept VERY little.  I am amazed at how well I have slept the last two nights since he got back.   I am hoping I can learn to put things aside and sleep at night.  The problem is that I don’t even realize I am hanging on to something in my mind.  Please pray for peace for me.

Lydia is working diligently at raising money so she can travel back to America this next summer for a reunion with her many MK friends that have left here.  She is baking cookies and crackers to sell to raise the money and is about a third of the way there right now.  She is also in a musical at school, “The Suessical”.  She is having a lot of fun with that and will be involved in practices 2 to 5 days a week until the play  is performed the weekend of March 22^nd to the 24^th.

Facing the stress of my children leaving on a jet plane. :P

Austin’s appointment was very informative but as Austin says, “The problem with [this doctor] is that as a world renown authority on corrective jaw surgery he can charge whatever he wants.  That means $53,000...all of which must be payed before the surgery.”  That is only for the surgery, not the orthodontist and hospital too.  So Austin has chosen to find another surgeon and to possibly wait a couple of years. 

Emily is finishing up the last of her classes to get her Bachelor of Arts Degree.  Because her partner needs a little more time to raise support they are not planning to leave until March now. Please pray for full support and that God would prepare relationships and work for them ahead of time.

If you want to see photos of our activities please befriend me on Facebook.  I love posting photos and we have been having a great time with the youth group, other families, and just life around here.  We rarely can take pictures in public because the culture considers it a form of espionage.

 

Thank you so much for your prayers,

Love in Christ,

Valerie Hochstetler

Summary of praise and prayer:

Praise:

1)    Safety in flights both in travels for our family and in our MAF team’s flying

2)    We had a great time as a family over Christmas break

3) Once again we praise the Lord for our faithful supporters who provide for us financially and/or pray for us regularly.  We are overwhelmed at God's provision.

 

Prayer:

1)    Rod’s trip to America, for great learning experiences for him and peace for Valerie and Lydia here in Congo while he is away.

2)    Austin: for wisdom about his teeth and jaw, finding the right surgeon and knowing the right timing.

3)    Mitchell:  Guidance for his future.

4)    Emily and Janel:  They would receive full support quickly and that God would provide work and relationships ahead of time for them.  Ephesians 2:10

5)    Lydia: for time management and organizational skills as she works diligently with her business, the musical and school.

6)    Wisdom in our work here in Congo, dealing with government officials and passengers for Rod and students and parents for Valerie.

He Be a Hobbit

The Shire

My adventurous Hobbit is not here this week.  Rod is in Lubumbashi.  Just before he left he finished reading the book, The Hobbit to us.  One of his favorite sayings is, “It's a dangerous business, stepping outside your front door. You never know where you might get swept off to.”  J.R.R. Tolkien quoting Bilbo Baggins.  Well, Rod stepped outside again and has been swept off to Lubumbashi where he is playing the role of chief pilot.  Rod grew up on a dairy farm in Ohio that is tucked in a valley inlet surrounded by Amish settlements.  I call the farm the shire because two of his three brothers still live there with their families where they built and bought houses around his parents, who are also still there.  The third brother actually lives nearby and comes home several times a week.  One of the brothers must have gotten a little more of the Took blood since he lived out of state for about 15 years before settling down. 

Rod, stepped out his door for the first time to go to college in the big city of Chicago where he sought to study Missionary Aviation.  I met him there.  By the end of the first year after we met he escorted me home to California on a long 48 hour drive.  We were just friends but his adventurous blood was growing. 

When Rod takes trips like the one he is on now I get stir crazy and do things like take a mini vacation with my kids or buy a new pet.  One of the first pets I got after we came to Kinshasa was a grey kitten that I named Bilbo.   Another time I bought rabbits and the big gray daddy rabbit was named Thumper.  Rod became curious about me liking small, gray, fury creatures and I let him know that he will eventually get there too.  After all, he is a hobbit in disguise.

The back yard of the new shire.

Now that we have lived in Africa for 22 years (we have 3 more days until our entrance anniversary) Rod continues to be cautious and the Baggin’s blood keeps him steady and faithful.  God seems to have given him extra responsibilities where he now lives, no he is not a treasure thief, but he does give good counsel quite often.  In our own way we have made our own little Shire right here in the middle of Kinshasa.

Letting Go and Letting God

We just thoroughly enjoyed visits from our numbers two and three adult children, Emily and Austin. Our oldest, Mitchell, had to stay in America and work. From what I hear this is common after graduating from college, the freedom to travel becomes less than before.   It doesn’t seem to get any easier letting them go each time.

Emily is finishing school this month and then will head on to Thailand with the mission, Remember Nhu.  This is my daughter who easily slips in to being my right hand woman when she is home.  We accomplish amazing things together because she is such a hard worker and so willing to help me with my brain scheming ideas.  Over and over I kept reflecting on some parents’ comments as I was getting ready to go overseas with my husband 22 years ago.  So often we would hear the words, “My child could never go overseas to serve God because I can’t handle it.”  Oh, the temptation to tell my daughter that she needed to come and serve near me was on the tip of my tongue over and over.  We have similar needs as Thailand right here and we could use more workers.  But a still quiet voice kept saying, “You will bind your daughter from a great blessing if you hinder her from going.”  I would then remember a sermon I heard several years ago when a pastor compared parents who are unwilling to let their children go as missionaries to the Israelites who refused to go into the promised land when God had sent the 12 spies in to check out the land. They cried out, “Why is the Lord bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword?  Our wives and our little ones will become plunder; would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?”  Numbers 14:2.  As a result of their rebellion, the Israelites ended up wandering in the wilderness for 40 years while their children watched them die off.   And so, with my blessings I took her to the airport to fly away on Wednesday Evening. 

My heart is grieving for all three of my adult children today. Lydia, Rod and I are having trouble keeping back the tears.   I believe I will see the boys, or should I call them men, in a year when I go back for Christmas next year for Austin’s surgery but I don’t know when I will see Emily again.  It is an unknown factor which only brings a need to increase my faith in my great big God.  I am not afraid of never seeing her again but I just would like a date of some kind and looking at scriptures, God doesn't give dates.

The Avengers and US

 We found out that we are just like the Avengers today.  Before leaving for America and as we checked our luggage in we had to stop and have a Shwarma to celebrate that we were on an adventurous trip to see our family.

 We left from Kinshasa at 10 p.m.  At 33,000 feet in the air we saw the sun rise around 4:30 a.m.  I was sort of awake by then after a night of being waken to eat supper at 11 p.m. and seeing Lydia grab a drink once or twice as the flight attendant offered them.  I was too sleepy to care until 5 a.m.  There were lots of clouds over the Mediterranean or Italy and then we were able to see the Alps soon before landing.  This is one of the few times we have seen the Alps as we fly over.  I love their majestic beauty even from above. 

 Then as we descended into Brussels we could see more fluffy clouds which reminded me of way back when Emily was two and as we landed in France she saw the clouds and called out "Buuuubles".  So Bubbles over Brussels!

 In Brussels we relaxed and had some quiet time together before digging out the computer and continuing our addiction of watching a TV series together.  Of course we got surprised by a continuation which lasted through Philadelphia and on to our last flight.

 After two long flights over 8 hours each we finally touched ground in Philadelphia.  Our first choice in fast food was Chic-Fil-A.  We actually were looking for a Subway but we finally found this and they knew which of their foods did not have MSG.  I love restaurants that actually know!  Of course we enjoyed Dr. Pepper and Root Beer with our chicken meals.  It was VERY cold in the airport and as we stepped on the walkway to the plane we could feel the outside temperature, it was humid and hot.  I could have been so comfortable waiting for the plane there.

 Our last flight was 5 hours from Philadelphia to LAX but it felt like the longest.  No movies on the flight but we pulled out the computer and enjoyed more of our series until the computer died. 
Of course as we landed we were so excited and looked eagerly for Emily, Austin, Alice and Bill.  They were a few minutes late but we were so glad to see them when they walked through the door. We arrived at Alice and Bill's house at 10 p.m. 37 hours after we left our home in Kinshasa.  Mitchell had a play production so we had to wait until 11:30 p.m. before he arrived.

 I was glad to get up in the morning and enjoy the birds chirping and go for a run on the bike trail near Alice and Bill's house.  It was so fun to see all the people out riding, running and walking this morning.  I ran out of water about 3/4 through the run but NO PROBLEM there was a park nearby with a drinking fountain with water I could drink right out of the tap.  God has blessed America! 

I returned after the run to be spoiled by my sister and brother-in-law who gave us bacon and eggs with all the goodies in them.  Then again at lunch we had tri-tip barbeque with all the great side dishes.  Rod and I took the kids to see The Avengers this afternoon.  It was a great movie and we loved all the quotable lines throughout it!  Our was thrilled when Iron Man suggested they all go out for Shwarmas at the end just like us!

Congo is a Melting Pot

Alright, I am going to attempt to get serious about this blog thing.  My friend Nancy is going to help me on Monday to get started and to learn to format properly.  In the meantime I thought I would attempt to write something to get started.  We are finishing up a school year and getting ready for a quick trip to the U.S.  So I thought I would do my first blog posts telling about what we did this year.

 I am an Educational Therapist in training under in N.I.L.D.  so I worked with four students this year.   Two of my students are twins, Ammielle and Acharchelle.  Both names are found in Chronicles in the Bible.  I have found Ammiel but I have yet to find Acharchel. If you find her name don’t tell me.  I am enjoying the hunt.  It does make reading the Genealogies more interesting. 

Their father and mother are from Haiti. Their father was a pastor in New York City for 20 years before he followed God’s call the Congo to plant a church here.  They live in a very difficult area of town and drive a vehicle that looks like it could break down any moment. This has made getting to my house for  educational therapy difficult at times. They are a joy to work with and challenge me to stay ahead of them in their eagerness to learn. 

When the Haitian Earthquake happened this family lost a lot of their support because many of their supporters turned their prayers and money to Haiti.  Their parents have continued to work hard, praying and seeking God’s direction as they work here.  This has been a huge example of faith to me as I see them depend on God in many more ways than I do. 

They have two sisters that are in college back in Kentucky and are missed very much.  They have one other older sister, Ruchama (don’t you just love these Bible names) who is still here.  She will be going to college next year I believe. 

Ammielle and Acharchelle have also been meeting with me in the Middle School Girls Bible Study which I will blog about another time.