Flying through Stunts and War

Black Dove White Raven
By Elizabeth Wein
Genre: YA Historical Fiction 

"Emilia's and Teo's lives changed in a fiery, terrifying instant when a bird strike brought down the plane their stunt-pilot mothers were flying. Teo's mother died immediately, but Em's survived, determined to raise Teo according to his late mother's wishes-in a place where he won't be discriminated against because of the color of his skin. But in 1930s America, a white woman raising a black adopted son alongside a white daughter is too often seen as a threat. 

"Seeking a home where her children won't be held back by ethnicity or gender, Rhoda brings Em and Teo to Ethiopia, and all three fall in love with the beautiful, peaceful country. But that peace is shattered by the threat of war with Italy..." 

This was the first Wein book I've read, and it was wonderful. The intriguing dynamic stunt mother duo drew me in almost at once. What would it be like to have mothers who do stunt flying for a living? And during a touchy race time when you're of different races? Well, I won't ruin it, but it's both exciting and boring at times for the kids. 

I loved Emilia's character: she's snarky, brave, and terrified, sometimes all at once. She lightened up the tense, sad moments, and I wouldn't have enjoyed the novel nearly as much as I did without her brazen personality. The relationship she and Teo have is adorable, and Wein made it personal with little relational details that I won't spoil but that are so neat. 

Wein also did an excellent job of describing Ethiopia. I fell in love with the country almost as much as Em, Teo, and Rhoda did! I'm sure this was a complex story to write for many reasons, but Wein did a great job weaving and displaying the tension between the Italians and Ethiopians in a way that grips the reader and pulls them in. I can't even imagine suffering through some of the things the main characters had to deal with at their age. Wow! 

Wein pieces the tale together through different essays and stories the kids wrote, which was well done and gave me better insights into their personalities. The stories especially helped me be able to see the situations through the eyes of a child, since that is what the main characters are for the majority of the novel. The stories of Black Dove, White Raven, exhumes Teo and Em's thoughts and feelings so the reader can better see and understand what they are going through. How I miss Teo and Em! I will definitely have to visit them again in this book. 

The only problem I had with this novel was a moral decision that one of the characters makes at the end. But overall, I give it a 5 out of 5 and recommend it for 15 year olds and up. I will definitely check out some of Wein's other historical novels, so keep a sharp lookout for them here! 

What I learned: Life is about relationships and those we love. 

Come, and You will See

The following story is by a woman I met at a Wycliffe training (Equip) in Orlando, Florida last month. She is a sweet woman of God, and I am so glad I got to meet her and her beautiful family. And her story rings true with so many of my own experiences.

Alison first went to Tanzania with Wycliffe in 2006, serving as a linguist and literacy advisor. In 2012 she married Solomon Ngallaba, a Tanzanian. The Ngallabas are currently on furlough in the United States.

"It was December 2003 when I received a letter from Wycliffe Bible Translators accepting me as a missionary. As I reflect back on my calling into the ministry of Bible translation, I realize the Scripture God used to call me is just as relevant now as it was then.

Tanzania, Africa 

My journey to missions began in 2002 when I was working at Johnson University. I developed a thirst for learning more about the Bible. Even though I had a Bible degree from Johnson, I was excited about the Word in a new way and was thirsty for more. So I signed up to take Greek on my lunch break. One day a Bible translator spoke to our Greek class advocating for Bibleless people. I was shocked! I thought everyone had a Bible. (I grew up here in the 'Bible Belt,' after all.)

I kept thinking about the Bibleless people. I couldn't get them out of my mind. The Word meant so much to me; what would it be like to live without the Bible? But I didn't think I could possibly go.

This same semester, I attended Bible Study Fellowship on Monday nights. We were studying the Gospel of John. One verse captured my heart and convicted me, leading me into missions: in the first chapter of the Gospel of John, two of John's disciples saw Jesus pass by. They followed Him. Jesus knew He was being followed. He turned around and asked them, "What do you want?" They wanted to know where He was staying. Jesus' reply is what got me: "Come, and you will see."

Tanzania, Africa

Over the next nine or ten months, I thought of those Bibleless people. And I was filled with a long list of doubts and fears. "God, I don't speak any language except English." He replied, "Come, and you will see." "God, I've never lived anywhere but Tennessee. Can I really move overseas?" God replied, "Come, and you will see." "God, what if I get sick?" "Come, and you will see." "What if I miss my family?" "Come, and you will see." "What if something bad happens?" "Come, and you will see."

This continued until I finally said, "Yes, Lord. I will come!" I've never regretted that decision even for one day.

Now here I am, a decade later. I still find myself filled with doubts and fears. "God, what will it be like to live in teh United States for a year? I haven't lived here for that long since 2005." "Come, and you will see." "God, what will it be like being a mom and raising our daughter overseas?" "Come, and you will see." "How will we live in America on an African budget?" "Come, and you will see."

A silly photo of all of us from Equip

Just as it took me some months to say, "Yes, Lord, I'll come!" I find myself in that process again. I am slowly uncurling my anxiously clenched hands and letting God fill them. He is faithful and His words are true."

Amen. May we all come and see the goodness of God, the goodness that began before time, landed in a manger, and rose on a cross three days later. May we all come and glorify the Lord Jesus Christ.

Day 11: Democratic Republic of the Congo

 We're on our second to last stop-the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Here "Merry Christmas" is Mbotama Malamu (this is in Lingala, the language spoken in the DRC and some other African countries).

Christmas is a big religious festival in DRC. On Christmas Eve, churches have large musical events (some with even five or six choirs that sing), and they perform a play ofthe nativity. These plays last a long time-they start at the beginning of the last night of creation and the Garden of Eden, and last all the way until King Herod has sent out the order that all baby boys should be killed. People like acting in this play, and they often try to make it fun and exciting.

Then, around midnight, Jesus is finally born. After that the shepherds visit, the wise men arrive, and Herod's order is sent out. The play usually ends around 1 a.m, but after that they often keep singing until dawn, which makes for a long night. Another service for Christmas Day begins at 9 a.m. with even more singing, but then the rest of the day is spent quietly, and lots of people enjoy a long nap after such a fun and long Christmas Eve night.

The Congo River in DRC

Fun Facts: 
* Since Christmas is a religious festival, most people don't give each other presents. The day is meant to remember the story of Jesus' birth and all that happened before then.

* There aren't any fancy foods eaten on Christmas Day, but people usually try to have a better meal than they usually do if they can afford it. That means they might add some chicken or pork to dinner, which is a special treat.

*All of the above information has been taken from the Wycliffe-created characters, Kate and Mack. To sign up for more children activities or to learn about the book these characters feature in (Around the World with Kate and Mack), click on this link: http://www2.wycliffe.org/a-z. 

A Review: Arrow of God

Arrow of God by Chinua Achebe
Genre: Dramatic Fiction

There is no short description of what this novel is about, and I'm not exactly sure how to explain it, for I am not entirely sure myself, but I shall do my best.

In a part of early Africa, Ezeulu is the chief priest in his tribe for the god Ulu, just like the father before him. He is good at interpreting the will of the god and listening to the people, but he has a jealous enemy in another tribe who is determined to destroy him and his family. The white people nearby also change the people's cultural values and the meaning of their god and Ezeulu's position as a humble leader.

Okay, so that was a really bad description. Sorry! But I read this novel a few weeks ago, and even I didn't know what the main point of the story was; I should have paid more attention, but who wants to read a difficult book for a class next semester in the last few weeks of summer? (This novel was also for my World Lit class).

I think what made this novel particularly difficult to read was the major cultural differences to ours that I just didn't get like the moral stories, tribal history, and sacrifices. Once again, it will help a lot to have this story explained more in a class. Also, it was very challenging to keep up with characters because their names sounded so similar. For example, in just Ezeulu's family you have Obika, Oduche, Ojiugo, and Obiajeli. Whew!

I did enjoy learning about this culture and their ways. I liked this book much better than Achebe's book, Things Fall Apart which I read in high-school, because it was not nearly as depressing. But I think I need to read this book at least one more time to understand the importance of all that transpired.

I give this book a 1.5 and recommend it for sixteen-year-olds and up.

What I learned: "If my enemy speaks the truth I will not say because it is spoken by my enemy I will not listen."