Road to Rwanda----A Wedding

  Last Saturday our dear household worker got married. Clementine had invited us to be her surrogate parents for the wedding, but we knew enough to say we could not do that! However, I ended up as the honorary grandmother.  At first she said we needed to arrive at 8. I questioned that and she finally said, "OK, 9".  And then of course, our part of the ceremony did not happen until 1.  Not unexpected.  I was put at the front of the procession of about 20 "bridesmaids" who carried in presents, etc. I had no idea what I was to do, but followed directions the best I could, leading the whole group down the white carpet to stand to the side to wait for the bride. (I put on my best wedding smile and led.  When I finally stood to the side and saw all those behind me, they were extremely serious...almost dour.  I tried to erase the smile, but by that time I almost had the giggles and had a hard time.  The bride was completely serious as she was led down th...

Road to Rwanda---Bread Machines and Friends

  Hahaha. This is a write up by a friend in Papua, Indonesia, Melinda McDonald Whited . I am the friend mentioned who used her bread machine. The funny part is I had used about one machine a few times before I used this one, and have not used one since! It was just a time the Lord used both of us to mutually bless each other. It thrills me that I could help someone like this....I am NOT a cook. (This is a mother of 7 kids. I taught 2 of them during my time at HIS in Sentani, Indonesia.) Some things I finally got around to making today… 3 kilos (6.6 pounds) of trail mix Homemade wheat bread Neither are difficult. The hardest part is having the ingredients on hand. Most of the ingredients are purchased from specialty retailers. I bought them this week. Trail mix: cashews, peanuts, walnuts, dried cranberries, and raisins. I roasted all the nuts in the oven (3 separate batches because some roast faster than others). The homemade bread feels like cheating because I use a bread ma...

Road to Rwanda---The Journey of Some Bibles

  Road to Rwanda----The Journey of Some Bibles   We arrived back in Rwanda last night at 10 p.m. after being gone to the US on Christmas break for 3 weeks.   It was a good and fulfilling and restful vacation, but that is often almost erased by the long, long, long trip back to Africa.   There are also all the complications that accompany such a trip. Does Satan work overtime to just pester us while we are packing etc.?   Especially when that packing involves bringing Bibles to gift to friends and acquaintances in Rwanda? Rick has begged Bibles off many people during this 3 weeks at home.   Reid Lehman, the former CEO of Miracle Hill Ministries, and friend of over 50 years, visited with us as we were preparing to share at Kathy St. Peters Jenkins church, Shady Grove Baptist, on Sunday night.   He immediately ordered 10 Bibles on Amazon to be delivered to Peter’s house before our leaving at 4 a.m. on Thursday. We waited on Tuesday when the books we...

Christmas Letter 2025

  MERRY     CHRISTMAS Dear Friends and Loved Ones, near and far, I was trying to frame in my mind what I wanted to share in my Christmas letter, and I realized that more than anything I want to invite you to be a part of two big things going on for us right now. First, our book is ready!   If you have enjoyed Rick’s teachings down through the years, these are his words on the Beatitudes. (In our 50+ years of ministry we have rarely asked for money, but ….) Please, we need you to purchase the book in order to offset the cost of publishing it. But more, we want you to be encouraged and enlightened by the psychological/cross-cultural applications that God has led us to share. If you could add our video on your media with a recommendation, we would also appreciate it.   Then, please, we also would love to have your feedback.   Any author understands how hungry we are to know how our words have been received. Thank you. https://www.youtube.com/watch...

Road to Rwanda---Former Student Greetings

  We were blessed this week by a message from a former student during our Panama years.  He was a very angry young man.  I saw his name on my FB birthday greetings and this is what I got in return from my birthday blessings to him. What a privilege it has been to teach all these many, many years. God is so very, very, very good.  Hello Mrs. Marklund hope you and Mr. Marklund are doing well. I was reminiscing on my past and what CCA did to my life. I remeber i was spiteful and full of anger when i got kicked out and I didnt believe in God. Its been a good amount of years and though it still feels like yesterday when i think about how much I have grown I realize I am sadly not 16 anymore. Its been almost a decade. I wanted to thank you cause younand your husband where some of the best teachers I ever had. I have a lot of appreciation for your husband and you because I feel like you guys really cared, and I’m glad God made us cross our paths. I was very empty and voided...

Road to Rwanda.....Mototaxis

 As I got off my mototaxi this morning after arriving at school, I paid him my 500 rwf (about 40 cents) and thanked him.  He then said, "God bless you."  This was a young Rwandan mototaxi driver blessing me.  I was touched. I realized that I have probably not explained a major part of why we can continue to live in Rwandan into our dotage.  Transportation is a major life challenge no matter where you live. If it is a car, you need gas, maintenance, insurance, place to park, licensure, safe driving venues, etc. (USA, Senegal, Zambia) If it is public transport, you need accessiblity, low price, frequent occurences, safety, etc. (Taipei, China, Panama) ( If it is a bicycle, you need parking space, safe driving lanes, reasonably close proximity to places for you to bike to, and if possible.....gears. (Beijing)  But in several places we have lived motorscooters and also mototaxis have been the best option. (Taiwan, Indonesia, Rwanda).   It means that I...