Crick-ettes

As missionaries one of the questions we are sometimes asked is,"Do you eat bugs?"

This year at Momentum, the Grace Brethren youth conference, some youth and their pastors are enjoying the pleasures of Cricket and Meal worm Lick-its, Crick-ettes, and Scorpion pops. Each lollipop contained either a cricket, meal worm or for the youth leaders, a scorpion for those who like a little protein with their sugar. If bugs are just not your thing, Jalopeno flavor or hot pepper pops were on the menu. For those with more classic taste, apple, watermelon, cherry and cinnamon hit the spot.

Josiah and Caleb shared a box of crickets, and to show that she could do it too, I downed one very crunchy cricket.

All to remind them about the challenge of missions and taking the church where it is needed most - where it isn't.

So did your youth pastor take the challenge?

What's that?

Sleepily Josiah poured himself a bowl of cereal and added milk. He was really looking forward to the treat. It is not often we ate cereal in Brazil, it is costly and the types are very limited. Suddenly, a look of concern crossed his face, something was not right. He left the bowl on the counter an came to me.

"Mom, something is wrong with my cereal, it's making noise."

He really looked confused when I chuckled. There was simply nothing wrong with his cereal or milk; He simply had no idea that Rice Crispies say "snap, crackle, pop".


Caleb grabbed his dads arm and pointed to the billboard up ahead. "Dad, what's that," he cried.

Wayne looked up at the big hot dog with chili and cheese. "It's a coney.

"But, dad what's a coney?" Caleb replied.

Jacob came to me with a blank look on his face and an envelope in his hand one morning. "Mom, how do you mail a letter here?"

Every day we are reminded by little things that we are not all American any more; things that are so much a part of the culture we don't even think about them, our kids don't know, things that Wayne and I don't know because they are new or have changed over the last few years. Some days there is the vague (or not so vague!) feeling of being lost in a familiar world.