Art Is Used To Help the Congo.

 In memory of Congolese displaced women.  

 

    Today I am posting four paintings that will go to our church auction.  All proceeds go to World Relief Congo.  Violence and conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo have been prevalent for many years.  My church, Fellowship Missionary, has made a commitment for the last few years to come along side of World Relief and provide prayers and funding to help these troubled people.  We have been a part of training peace builders among the tribes.  By we, I mean the people at my church  and World Relief. We pray all 

year for the displaced women of the Congo.  Many of our members train for the Race for Peace and solicit funds from sponsors. The monies go to World Relief to provide more counselors for teaching ways of resolving personal battles and ministering to the tormented and abused women. Over five million Congolese have been killed and slaughtered since 1996. Seventy-five per cent of the population lives on less than $1 a day.  My heart is heavy and burdened for the people of DR Congo.

          As I paint Congo scenes, the women, the surrounding tropical trees, it is as if I am stepping into their land and seeing individuals that become real to me.  God has given me a dream  for three successive years and shown me what I should paint to raise funds.  This year was no exception.  He showed me three women praising, and hope rose as they praised and prayed. 

     I enjoyed painting a stylistic portrait of the three gathered in praise.  This is a different style for me.  Friends have asked me who are the ladies that I paint?  I don’t know how to answer. The ladies live in the canvas and when I apply paint and prayer, they appear.  Now, sometimes I have to repaint if I get a color wrong or a body part out of proportion, but I never tire of painting.  I am as surprised as the viewer with the end result.  God gives me the design and image, but I must create His vision on the canvas.  It is like living on the edge of paradise.  His call, his gift, and the Holy Spirit leading creates these images. Putting our gifts together for the kingdom of God is what Race for Peace and Create4 Peace is celebrating.

     The woman sitting alone at the graveside appears somber.  Yet, there is hope rising in her.  Mysteriously, the MP3 laid down their arms last year.  After four years of intense praying, we heard the news report that for an unexplained reason they would no longer fight.  The warmongers stopped raping and attacking after years of violence in the DR Congo. The woman in the painting has buried her loved one and is not being hunted or accosted by the MP3. As she grieves for her loved one, she is sitting quietly finding hope in her future.

     The two figures carrying something on their heads represent hope rising too.  Hope is slowly rising in the Congo.  Peacemakers hired and trained with our race and art proceeds are helping tribes resolve problems. Life journeys are still sacrificial and difficult, but hope is welling up in individuals.

     The small map is a prayer map.  The woman stands in the midst of the Congo. She sees a beautiful sky and knows that life is getting better.  The keeper of this prayer map is reminded to pray daily for the women of the Congo.  Pray for healing of memories, emotions, and losses.  This map was created on a small four by six canvas, so it can sit on a desk or table and be a daily reminder to pray for our brothers and sisters in the Congo.

     I submit these art pieces and continued prayers that my sisters in the Congo may know peace and hope. Pray with me that these art pieces will bring a hefty price at our silent auction.  These funds will be added to the funds of World Relief Congo.

     

     

REVIEW OF PRAYING UPSIDE DOWN

Praying Upside Down by Kelly O’Dell Stanley

Last week I finished a book and gave it away the same day.  I seldom give a book I love away, but this friend needed it more than I on this day.

I will buy another one for me and probably another two or three for others. Kelly O’Dell Stanley’s slant is showing the reader how prayer, its creative force, its intricate phases as we learn to pray, all paralleled with making art.  I was entranced because Kelly drew many correlations between the creative act and prayer.  At the end of each chapter she included a “palette of new ideas to try when praying.” 

The book would be inspiring for the new Christian as well as wonderful reinforcement to the seasoned Christian.  I have known Christ and prayed for sixty-five years, and this book kept me engaged and eager to read the author’s next life lesson she had learned from prayers and how God chose to answer them in crucial life events in her journey. 

Kelly was not pompous, authoritative, or even “ do it my way”, but instead she allowed the reader to discover with her what prayers worked for the season in which you are walking.  She leads the reader through a creative experience and gives passion and excitement to prayer. 

This book won’t disappoint you.  Instead, it will revive your prayer life and add depth to your relationship with God.  Her publisher chose one of my paintings to illustrate the last chapter.  This made me happy and the book gave me nuggets to consider the entire time I was reading it.  Love the book and the author, who made herself transparent through her hills and valleys of life.

Learning from a child.

Memories of the heart and lessons learned from a four and seven year old.

            For the last two weeks, we have been keeping our granddaughters, so Christine and John could enjoy a long deserved vacation alone in Italy.

            Meanwhile, I have had to resurrect my parental skills of bedtime rituals, packing lunches, and playing every available second of the day.  Sometimes my play is Uno, Barbie doing pretend ballet recitals, or creating art and doing craft projects. On sunny days, it is helping girls climb trees and walking in the park.  Every moment is utilized for fun if at all possible.  The day must stop for meals but other than that the girls have reminded me of the importance of play in life.

         I must admit I have a childlike spirit and enjoy play too.  My play usually is writing, painting, reading, or meditating.. Theirs is constant and changing. Diversity is important to their day. So, as I write this I am short of time but long in thoughts.  I am making a list of  a few of the  things these two gals have taught me in two weeks. 

          1. Do it now. " Mimi, let’s not wait one more minute."

         2." Can we have one more fairy story?" Creating a tale everyday keeps my mind writing and creating.

         3. “Well, let’s eat. You know Ava and I like different things.”

         4."Girls, settle down. Stop giggling and go to sleep." Older child says, " You giggle, Mimi."  Giggling is good for all of us.

         5. When everyone playing Uno gets beat by a four year old three times in a row, it is humbling. Little people need victories too.

         6. Ellie says, “I don’t brush my hair.  Curls don’t need brushed you know.” Appreciate the pluses of yourself.

         7. " Mimi, run, run, run fast as you can. Try to catch me."  Why walk when you can run to your next activity?

         8.” Stay focused, Mimi, stay with us when we are looking at these toys.”

         9. Art should be free spirited, fun, and your own interpretation. “Mimi, didn’t you know using all these colors feels good?”

        10.  “Mimi, put the remote back where it belongs and we all can find it.”

They have taught me so much more and blessed me beyond measure.  They have made a lasting heart memory and reminded me of daily steps needed in my journey. Life is good when you allow a child to lead you.

              

Winter Respite

Stump Pass on Manasota Key

  

Trail into the mangrove forest 

    Today is the last Friday I can write my blog looking at the Gulf waters. My respite time with the ocean is ending. I have grown accustomed to hearing waves slapping the sand, the rustle of the palm branches around my patio, and the high squeals of the ospreys in early morning. The rhythm of the waves has lulled me into deep sleep. I have been renewed by the salty waters and found countless seashell treasures. My walks through the mangroves have enriched my soul. I never tire of seeing tortoises feeding, osprey sitting on their eggs, and small crawly creatures darting out of my walking path. The smell of the salty sea and sweet mock orange bushes remind me of my childhood in Florida. Playful dolphins entertain me each day as they pass by the beach. Manatees move slowly through the waters and remind me how wonderfully God has created these mammals.  


    This winter respite awakens my creative energies and restores my soul. I am so grateful for this opportunity to live simply with so much less than I have at home. The “less is more” lesson reminds me how when there is not clutter, no crystal and pottery to dust, no stacks of magazines, extra chairs, or too many knick knacks, life holds “more” understanding. I have time to ponder, to reflect, and to understand God’s magnificent gifts. “Things” do not get in my way. Living with less enriches my daily life.

     This is a time where Denny and I become each other’s best friend again. We learn to live together and rely on each other in much the same way we did our first year of marriage. We play cards, take walks, sit on the beach, and read together. We look forward to $5 movie night and quaint cafes. This is our marital renewal time.

      However, it is time to return to others, to my gardens, to my neighbors of forty years, who need my support and meals. It is time to begin reaching out to others and sharing my refreshing. It is time to babysit the little girls, help older relatives, visit shut-ins, and give hospitality to others. It is time. 

     Morning memories of long walks and talks with God are stored in my heart. My soul is refreshed. Yoga on the beach has strengthened my body. Magnificent art teachers have helped me look more carefully, see more details, and understand perspective and motion in my drawings. Their teaching and mentoring have released new life in my creative endeavors. For all these things, I am so grateful. I thank God daily for this renewal, this opportunity, and this cleansing. Now, I ask I can retain these lessons and return home and use them.