Leftover turkey...or chapatis?

While leftover turkey sandwiches with mayo are a seasonal delight, missionary kids from Kenya--no matter where they are in the world today--would love to be eating a chapati more than anything else. Thank you to this Kenya music artist for bringing the good news of chapatis to us all, both in song AND in visual media!

Be sure to look for the guy who stuffs one in his pocket...

Thanksgiving Cartoons

Apparently we have a budding cartoonist in our family. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Forever hold your peace?

A little known but highly embarrassing fact about me: I like a fair amount of country music.

That said, one of my favorites is Taylor Swift. (Quit your smirking...) Her latest album--in case you were wondering--was called Speak Now. The title song is about an old girlfriend interrupting her beau's wedding to a less-worthy lady. She decides to not "forever hold her peace," instead speaking up and providing a romantic alternative for her long lost love.

Sitting in our local church last week, I was reminded of how Kenya's wedding custom differs from America. In Kenya, during the weeks leading up to a wedding, the church will announce the couple's intentions and state that anyone who objects to the union should speak up.

This system makes sense in their culture--a rural setting where legal documents are sometimes scarce or absent altogether and word-of-mouth discussion of reputation carries greater importance--but it makes sense in America's too.

Think about. How much do weddings cost these days? The dress, the food, the venue, the official--all roll the cash register numbers up into the thousands, if not tens of thousands. So, for someone to legitimately have an objection to the marriage at the ceremony is quite an extravagant interruption. People may indeed have objections to a marriage--for who knows what reasons--but no one asks. Not until, the exorbitant ceremony, the worst time to speak up.

Wouldn't it make more sense to ask people to "speak now" week before rather than the day of? I know "public opinions" aren't really welcome inside of connubial bliss in America these days, but Kenya sees value in society's input.

If Taylor lived here, she would never even need to make a scene at all.

Because I haven't blogged in a while...

No time to make you think. Maybe I can make you smile...