Rest and Reading

I had a slight cold this week and was forced to take a rest day.  Its been a long time since I have done this. Stayed in pajamas all day. Drank tea and chicken soup. and caught up on some reading.

Mama was a missionary by Charles Ludwig is a book I started reading aloud to Emily and Jon several years ago. It is a story about Twyla Ludwig a missionary to Africa from 1927 to 1961.

When I started reading this book I had no idea that I would become a missionary..

While reading aloud, I had to skip a few parts, due to the delicate and morbid descriptions of the abuse of women in Africa. We laughed about so many cultural differences and funny things that happened in the story. Their ministry was starting churches and schools, teaching the men and women to work and study the Bible, with extra importance on teaching the women home skills, like child rearing, sewing, and cooking.

At one point during my personal struggling with the Lord about going to the Philippines, I stopped reading this book. I felt I was a hypocrite. I couldn't read it for about 1 month.

At the point where we returned to the story, the Lord used a particular chapter to show me that all of my struggle is very normal and these missionaries had those struggles as well.
Charles Ludwig, the author, struggled at times, and wrote one chapter, what a coincidence!!! right where we picked up, about how in his teen years, he rebelled against his parents a bit. He tells of getting to a point where he was so SICK and TIRED of hearing about all of his parents plans for NEW Africa and the girls home, the girls home, the girls home.....ahhhhh
and his very sad and humble plea for a bottle of  REAL ketchup for Christmas.

It had funny moments where an African man, a Christian, in his quest to find a wife, chose one who was "Plump and strong and could work longer in the garden than any of the other girls" . we all laughed at that one.....

Mrs Ludwig died  Dec 15, 1960 of a cerebral hemmorage, She was 70  years old. On Dec 14, 1960 she had told the girls at the school, "We're building a new Africa with Christ! We must do our best!!"