Mary T. Lathrap (1838-1895)
A WOMAN’S ANSWER TO A MAN’S QUESTION.

[Written in reply to a man's poetic unfolding of what he conceived to be a woman's duty.]

Do you know you have asked for the costliest thing
Ever made by the hand above—
A woman’s heart, and a woman’s life
And a woman’s wonderful love?

Do you know you have asked for this priceless thing
As a child might ask for a toy,
Demanding what others have died to win,
With the reckless dash of a boy?

You have written my lesson of duty out,
Man-like you have questioned me;
Now stand at the bar of my woman’s soul
Until I shall question thee.

You require your mutton shall always be hot,
Your socks and your shirt be whole;
I require your heart to be true as God’s stars,
And as pure as heaven your soul.

You require a cook for your mutton and beef;
I require a far better thing.
A seamstress you’re wanting for socks and shirts;
I look for a man and a king.

A king for the beautiful realm called home,
And a man that the maker, God,
Shall look upon as he did the first
And say, “It is very good.”

I am fair and young, but the rose will fade
From my soft, young cheek one day,
Will you love me then ‘mid the falling leaves,
As you did ‘mid the bloom of May?

Is your heart an ocean so strong and deep,
I may launch my all on its tide?
A loving woman finds heaven or hell
On the day she is made a bride.

I require all things that are grand and true,
All things that a man should be;
If you give all this, I would stake my life
To be all you demand of me.

If you cannot do this — a laundress and cook
You can hire, with little to pay,
But a woman’s heart and a woman’s life
Are not to be won that way.

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My General Contractor? David Somerville!

That’s right. David, a talented graphic designer and friend of mine, has agreed to take my, ‘I have a dream blog…’ schpeel and turn them into a reality. So, it’s not that I’m saying goodbye to this blog…it’s just that I am waiting to make a new post when Phase 1 of my Blog Renovation is done!

Stay tuned.

What we need most is not to hear God say yes to our requests. What we need is to be filled with such deep confidence in the character of our Father that when he says no, we know he is doing what is right and good for us. What we need most is the faith to trust him.

Some claim that strong faith is defined by throwing our energies into begging God for a miracle that will take away our suffering and then believing without doubting that he will do it. But faith is not measured by our ability to manipulate God to get what we want; it is measured by our willingness to submit to what he wants.

It takes great faith to say to God, ‘Even if you don’t heal me or the one I love, even if you don’t change my circumstances, even if you don’t restore this relationship, even if you allow me to lose what is most precious to me, I will still love you and obey you and believe that you are good. And I believe that you, as my loving Father, will use everything in my life – even the hard and hurtful things – for my ultimate good and your eternal glory, because you love me.’ “

-Nancy Guthrie

…and I’m excited to inform you that a baby has gotten me a job! Read on for the explanation.

On August 2, I arrived home. And, forewarned of the current job market & economy, I anticipated a lengthy wait until I could find new employment.

So, not feeling too rushed or anxious about the job-hunt process, I headed out to Phoenix for 3 weeks. Here, I spent 20 wonderful days with my sister, Nora, brother-in-law, Travis, and niece and nephew, Kate and Grant, pictured with me below:

The days were filled with potty-training for Kate (2 years + 4 months), bottles for growing Grant (born May 13), and LOTS of coffee for the tired adults It was a neat time of re-connecting with my sister, seeing her life as a young, grace-filled mother, and also catching up with friends:

Overnight in Tucson with Timarie Lambros and Britt McKenna…gelato after 4 hours of repelling on Mount Lemmon…

The Two “Aunties” Double-Date with Kate

Overnight with the Nam Family, four little kids that I used to babysit here in MD who have all grown up into amazing, fun, godly kids!

Then, I came home on September 22, having secured some networking meetings and job leads in D.C., but no specific offers…

Well, as the story goes, a baby got me a job

Two days after I got home, I received an email from two different friends. They were both forwarding me the same e-mail from a particular lady who had posted a job notice on their Google Group (Thanks, Google! ) It came from a woman that was going on maternity leave this month, and whose job was opening up as a temporary position at FRC, Family Research Council.

I e-mailed this acquaintance, Alyssa Groen, expressing interest in the position. While I had been focusing my efforts on finding a job in the international non-profit sector, and this position was within an organization that does domestic public policy on Capital Hill, I thought I would check it out.

Through the course of a few e-mails, Alyssa and I realized what a small world it was. She and I had both spent time serving in Africa, had friends at RVA where I just spent this past year in Kenya, and both had connections to Africa Inland Mission. Even more crazy was the fact that she and her husband attend the newly planted church in Arlington called “Redeemer,” which is a church-plant off of my home church, Covenant Life! How ironic: I just so happened to be visiting the Arlington church THAT very Sunday, so we agreed to meet in person and chat more.

So, last Sunday, we met up at church and chatted for a few minutes about the position at FRC. As of that point in time, they had already offered the job to someone, and were waiting to hear back. So, I didn’t think it was going to turn into anything.

On Monday, Alyssa informed me that the person declined the position, and they wanted me to come in for a interview.

So, I interviewed Wednesday, received a job offer this past Thursday morning, negotiated the contract on Friday, and will start my training THIS Monday! FRC has graciously been accommodating of the fact that I had already planned a trip to Italy with my two girlfriends from Oct 5-16, so they are fine with me starting full-time when I get back.

So, what’s the position? I will be directly reporting to the VP of Advancement & Donor Relations within an administrative assistant role. However, this role will also include direct marketing for new supporters, grant/proposal writing and website copy writing, managing relationships with donors, and a handful of other responsibilities. Alyssa is on maternity leave, so the position is temporary for now, but will be re-evaluated at the end of January, with a strong possibility of it turning into full-time employment.

I am very excited about this opportunity! Not only am I going to have the opportunity to work with a great group of Christian professionals, but I also will have an up-close-and-personal look at the important issues that we are lobbying for on Capital Hill. Many of the core values that FRC is fighting to uphold within the government are ones that are near and dear to my own heart and convictions (and very possibly, yours too!), so it will be such an honor to represent FRC in this way.

So, thanks to Alyssa’s baby for helping create this opening for me!

For the moment, though…I’m resting from my Sprint Triathlon yesterday…

…and then I’m off to ITALY on Tuesday night!

Yes, I know, my suitcase seems to be magnet for packing. My two childhood girlfriends and I will be spending 11 days touring Venice, Florence, Tuscany, Cinque Terre and Rome between October 5 and 16th. What a treat. I can’t wait for the fun of traveling with people I have known for years and years…living/traveling within Africa this past year was awesome, but sometimes it was sad knowing that no one was ever going to be able to put it into context, in the same way that you can when you actually experience the same things TOGETHER.

So, back in a few weeks. Stay tuned.

PS. I am looking to do a major re-design of my blog. I can’t afford much, but if you are reading this, and you want some extra cash, I would be willing to hire you to help me re-design my header, text, font, etc.! Contact me at emilyjjansen@gmail.com if interested.

Though I am out here in Phoenix with my sister, and the hot, dry weather does not exactly conjure up that “tingle” in slightly snippy air, I am discovering some great reads. This is mostly due to the fact that when the kids take their “rest-time,” I NEED my own rest-time

So, here is a list of some of my favorite 2010 reads that I think you may enjoy, as well as a handful of books I am currently reading:

CURRENTLY READING

The Kalahari Typing School for Men
Alexander McCall Smith

The fourth installment in a series called “The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency,” this book is just as addicting as the first, second and third! Smith has created a witty series about a local woman from Botswana who receives a large inheritance after her father passes away and decides to set up her own detective agency in town. Each book provides mysterious “cases” of how she helps her fellow people to solve their personal, and often private mysteries. Not only do the stories, themes, dialogue, jokes, cinematography, and music resonate in my own heart after living in Kenya for a year, but the main character, Precious Ramotswe, provides a refreshing perspective of a single working professional woman in another country that I have never had before. I highly recommend this series to other ladies in particular.

A Praying Life: Connecting with God in a Distracting World
Paul E. Miller

There aren’t many spiritual books that I have read in my lifetime where I came away thinking, “Wow, this book has changed my life.” Well, A Praying Life is one of those special few. Never in my life have I read a book so helpful, practical, and uplifting for my soul. Miller sets out both biblical and theologically sound arguments for all the ‘W”s of prayer: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How. He uses personal examples. He provides simple testimonies of answers to prayer. And, I have truly benefited from applying this book to my personal, daily prayer life. It will definitely be on my list to read at least every other year.

“The Help”
Kathryn Stockett

It’s no surprise that “The Help” is the #1 New York Times Bestseller! Stockett must have surprised her readers (and herself) by being a first-time author, but she has no trouble setting the stage for a wonderful, ‘down-South’ story that follows the lives of three women (black, white, old, young, respected, shunned, privileged, poor, etc.) who couldn’t be more different than the way Southerners & Northerners each make their own BBQ and cornbread. I’m only on page 97 of 451, but am thoroughly soaking up each chapter…if you want a “feel-good” book in which you really get to know characters, their lives, and how people overcome racial injustices, you’ll want to pick this one up. It’s not only easy to read before you go to bed , but it will make you laugh out LOUD! (My Mom attests to that.)

“The Best of A.W. Tozer”
Compiled by Warren Wiersbe

No one can compare to C.S. Lewis. But, when I read Tozer, it’s like tasting a new, inspiring variation of some type of comfort food. Ok, so that’s a bad metaphor, but I can’t think of another one at the moment This year, I read my first book by Tozer called “The Knowledge of the Holy.” It is all about various attributes of God’s character, and how we as humans should respond to the knowledge of those attributes, both in awe and and gratefulness and obedience. This book contains excerpts from The Knowledge of the Holy, as well as The Pursuit of God, God’s Pursuit of Man, How to Be Filled with the Holy Spirit, I Talk Back to the Devil, Who Put Jesus on the Cross? and others! It is a rich collection, and one that keeps me on my toes through a combination of theology, philosophy, logic, and apologetic’s. Each excerpt is also perfect for a short devotional time, usually being being two and three pages max.

“The Path of Loneliness”
Elisabeth Elliot

Let’s face it. We ALL feel lonely at various points in our life, and through various seasons of trials and difficult circumstances. As I continue to walk through the process of re-entry back to America, and wade through a season of many unknowns, Elliot provides a very encouraging perspective in this book. She herself faced incredible sorrow in her life, losing multiple husbands and being made a widow multiple times. Ultimately, I think this book is helping me realize that I am made for one, perfect, all-satisfying relationship alone, and that is with Jesus Christ. So, whether you are single, married, widowed, divorced, a young mother, an empty-nest mother, or just feeling a bit lonely in life these days, I would encourage you to pick up this book and allow Elliot’s godly and inspiring perspective refresh your soul. Here is a quote from one of the earlier chapters:

“It is here (in loneliness), where we happen to be at this moment and not in another place or another time, that we may learn to love Him – here where it seems He is not at work, where His will seems obscure or frightening, where He is not doing what we expected Him to do, where He is most absent. Here and nowhere else is the appointed place. If faithd oes not go to work here, it will not go to work at all.”

READ THIS YEAR

You may also enjoy reading…

1. All of Grace, Spurgeon
2. Gift from the Sea, Anne Morrow Lindbergh
3. Stolen Lives: Twenty Years in a Desert Jail, Malika Oufkir
4. The Ishbane Conspiracy, Alcorn
5. Instrument in the Redeemer’s Hands, Paul Tripp
6. All Things for Good, Thomas Watson
7. Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell
8. Death in the Garden, Elizabeth Ironside
9. My Life in France, Julia Child
10. Grug: Ideas for an Urban, Organic Kitchen, Anna Lappe

The short answer is, “I don’t know.”

Yes, I have Ideas. Inclinations. Preferences. Interests. Desires. Interviews. Referrals. Resumes sent. Job searches conducted.

But, no clear indication (yet) of what God has in store for me “post-Africa.”

This has been an exciting, but nonetheless, scary process.

As I continue to come off the “highs” of returning from Kenya, and those quiet, silent, reflective, still moments come my way, it’s easy to want to stay busy and distracted and get caught up in activities, people and tasks. Why? Quite honestly, so that I don’t have to realize that I AM weak, dependent and a helpless child in the Great Potter’s hands.

So, it’s been quite a roller-coaster. Of emotion and prayer and continual surrender, all the while resting in the arms that are underneath. On some days, I am filled with faith-filled anticipation and a strong sense of confidence in God’s faithfulness and provision. My prayers are vibrant, my requests bold, and my joy full. Other days, I am restless, discontent and anxious. I feel lonely, I doubt God’s goodness, and I begin to strive to try and make things happen. But, on this roller-coaster, God has been gracious to remind me who’s in control. Phrases/scriptures keep coming to mind, bringing great comfort:

His eye is on the sparrow.

And my God will provide EVERY need of yours, according to His riches in glory.

If God is for me, who can be against me?

Plans to prosper me, plans to give me a hope and a future…

You hem me in, behind and before

Commit your way to the Lord, trust in Him, and He will act

Tonight, I also remembered an old, but very timely song that my Mom shared with my sister the summer before she got married. I have listened to this song many times, and it just also seems to quiet my soul whenever I am at a crossroads in life.

“Hard as it seems
Standing in dreams
Where is the dreamer now
Wonder if I
Wanted to try
Would I remember how
I don’t know the way to go from here
But I know I have made my choice
And this is where I stand
Until He moves me on

And I will listen to His voice
This is the faith
Patience to wait
When there is nothing clear
Nothing to see
Still we believe
Jesus is very near
I can not imagine what will come
But I’ve already made my choice
And this is where I stand
Until He moves me on

And I will listen to His voice
Could it be that He is only waiting there to see
If I will learn to love the dreams
that He has dreamed for me
Can’t imagine what the future holds
But I’ve already made my choice
And this is where I stand
Until He moves me on
And I will listen to His voice”

- Twila Paris

So, what’s next? I don’t know But, I DO know I can Trust Him.

Just call me Auntie Emmy for the month of September

It’s almost been 1 week since I arrived in Mesa, Arizona to spend this month with my sister, Nora, brother-in-law, Travis, niece, Kate, and nephew, Grant. Meeting Grant was the highlight of my arrival, but in some ways, I felt like I was “re-meeting” Kate, too. She has grown up SO much since I saw her last (on her 1st birthday in June, 2009) and is talking up a storm.

So, my parents stayed for a long weekend, and have since gone home already, but I am now settling into ‘family life’…it’s quite a simple routine: get up early, breakfast, play-time, early lunch, nap-times, more afternoon play-time and usually a trip to the pool, then dinner, bath-time, bedtimes songs and stories, and early to sleep. Last night, I went to bed at 8:30pm, and then woke up at 5am to drink some coffee and watch the beautiful sunrise!

In addition to regular life, Nora and I are potty-training Kate! I made Kate a Potty Chart, and if she gets 50 stickers for going 50 times on the regular toilet, her Mommy has promised her this special Mermaid Barbie. Whoa. What a treat. Nora and I NEVER got to play with Barbies Haha. On Day 1 (yesterday), Kate got 10 stickers, so she is a natural. Although, she DID decide to take her “long call,” as they say in Uganda, OUTSIDE in the back-yard Whoops. We had to teach her that that is where doggies go, not little girls. Our little homemade song is also a hit (set to the tune of “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.”

Tinkle, tinkle, little Kate,
Find the toilet, don’t be late!
Sit and wait until you see,
Poopy brown or yellow pee,
Then, wipe and flush and wash your hands -
Each day we’ll go back again!

Anyways, all is well here in Mesa. It has been so wonderful to not only play “Auntie Emmy” every day, but also to just be living life with my sister, Nora. She has become an incredible mother, and I am so proud of the way she is just so loving, patient, kind, and selfless. And, all the while, maintains a delicious menu for our dinners – last night was homemade Fish Taco’s (credit to Travis for the awesome fish-frying techniques!), green tomatillo salsa and lime chips, cilantro dip, limes, and cabbage salad.

But, even amazing mothers need to get OUT of the house So, tonight I am babysitting the two kiddo’s while Travis and Nora go out to their Bible Study group…and I plan to take Kate next week on a special day-date with Auntie Emmy to Anthropologie. Yes, shopping + girltime with the little munchkin Here, Anthro offers a special Wed. “arts and crafts” time for kids while mothers want to shop…so, I figured I would take advantage of THAT deal.

More pictures to come soon!

What is Amani ya Juu?

It’s an African boutique in D.C. that sells beautiful purses, clothes, and jewelry made by Kenyan women as part of a women’s stitching and peace-building project based in East Africa.

I found out about Amani when I was living in Kenya, because they have a local branch in Nairobi. I have LOVED the jewelry, shirt and purse that I bought from Amani, as well as a gorgeous quilt that now makes my bedroom quite bright and cheery:

What makes each quilt so amazing is that there is no replica’s of any particular one. Each one is made by one African woman who designs it herself, combines colors and patterns the way she wants, etc. I don’t know the name of the woman who made mine, but each time I get tucked up under it, I pray for her and ask God to continue to strengthen and provide for her.

So, if you are looking for meaningful gifts to give to others for birthdays, or the upcoming holidays…swing by 103 Pembrooke View Lane in Gaithersburg (my home) next Sunday, Aug. 29 between 2 and 5pm to purchase!!!