Bekah's Feast...

This is Bekah and she's 11 years old. It isn't easy to describe her.  It's complicated.  She loves babies and kittens.  And all things sparkly.  We got her a bedazzler for her birthday.  It was a no-brainer.  She likes to read and sew.  And yet...she's a realist.  Very pragmatic.  A few weeks ago, I took the girls to a matinee and I was so floored when one of my favorite characters in the movie was killed. I whispered to Bekah, "I can't believe he died!  I really liked him!" to which she whispers back in her most please-grow-up voice, "Mom, somebody's gotta die."  Who could argue with that?  (Truth be told, I could be just as happy at the end of a movie if all the bad guys die and all the good guys live.  But this isn't about me...)  She's thoughtful and generous.  While shopping for her feast, she says that she wants to get Paul a present.  I can't tell you what she wanted to get him because he might be listening.  Paul is 18 and has been living down south for about 6 months.  Apparently, she misses him because she spent every penny of her birthday money from her grandparents on his gift.  The mommy in me wanted to say, "Whoa there, missy, that's not what they gave you the money for,"  but then I see what joy she had in searching for just the right one, wondering if he would prefer this one or that one, finally picking up the one she thought he'd like the best and placing it in the cart... The biggest grin ever stretched across her face.  What else did they give it to her for but to be blessing to others?  And she is such a blessing to all of us. And we love her so much it hurts!

As you might can tell from the picture, the theme for her feast is, "Welcome to Africa!" She had a West African Feast and it was pretty incredible.  The internet is an invaluable tool, there's no doubt about it. She has been struggling with the 'flu for a week or two and, when I tried to get her to trade her feast day with Eva, she was crushed.  So I agreed to go ahead- under the stipulation we shop early so she could still get some rest in the afternoon.  She slept all the way home, and then curled up on the couch for an extended nap. She got her second wind and then worked very hard to prepare her feast. She greeted her guests wrapped in one of my favorite pieces of kente-cloth inspired fabrics and wearing one of the necklaces Mr. Phil brought back from Sierra Leone.  Doesn't she look like a doll?  Ok, I'll shut up my inner mommy.  She offered a cup of water to each of her guests as she invited them in- as a sign of hospitality and respect.  She decorated the dining room in bright colors- red, purple, yellow, orange and gold.  There were kerosene lamps on the table and a jar she had hot glued glass globs of blue and turquoise onto- with a candle inside. She had the tops of two pineapples and some coconut shells filling things out.  Each plate came with a map of Africa and there were crayons set in the center of the table to color in the different countries.  Her appetizer was a ton of fruit- oranges, grapefruit, pineapple, bananas, kiwi and coconut. And then there was the chin chin.  Chin chin is a West African treat that you have to taste to believe.  Imagine a sugar cookie.  Now deep fry that puppy.  Oh man!  Sooooo good! Her main dish was chicken skewers seasoned with spices.  We made couscous and divided it into four flavors- plain, garlic, parmesan, and mushroom.  Then we had a dish called Jollof Rice. Bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, cabbage, eggplant and rice all cooked together with a lot of spices- ginger, red pepper, thyme, etc. Orange juice was her beverage.  And finally, coconut cream pie for dessert.  I am beyond miserably full. Bekah made little bracelets with wooden beads for her gifts. So sweet.

Will read Acts 3-4:20. The story of the lame beggar being healed at the gate Beautiful.  How he was walking and leaping and praising God. How the people were amazed.  How Peter preached to them about the Jesus they had disowned and murdered.  About how they had done it in ignorance but they could still turn away and return to the presence of the Lord. How Peter and John were imprisoned by men who were hard of heart and refused to accept this One who would bless them.  These leaders, wanting to pretend that a miracle had not happened, even seeing it themselves, ordered Peter and John not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.  And how Peter answered and said, "Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge; for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard." 

...We cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard...

 ...We cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard...

 ...We cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard...