A Life in Exile

While Scripture is clear that the Lord equips us for every good work that he’s prepared in advance for us to do for his glory, this doesn’t mean we don’t have to learn anything to serve in the Kingdom. I had field experience as a single, I’d been to seminary and earned a Masters in Theology, I loved discipling new believers in the faith, but I was not a good cook.

Cooking—A Short History.

While my mother cooked very well by using recipes, it was not really her cooking that I grew up with. The youngest of five siblings, by the time I started kindergarten, my mother began working at the local public library. This meant that for all my growing-up years, she didn’t get home until 5 p.m. My dad, on the other hand, had long been working as an Electrical Engineering Supervisor at TVA, and went to work at 7:30 every morning, which meant he got home before Mama. Who cooked dinner for our family of seven? Dad. He was a good cook too, but did little to teach his youngest the tricks of the trade.

I cooked a little as I grew toward womanhood, but always with a recipe close by. I preferred baking over actual meal preparation, so cakes, cookies, and desserts were my wheelhouse. Even after spending two years in West Africa, I wasn’t any more proficient in my kitchen skills. I lived on baguettes and street food along with gracious meals from older colleagues. By the time I met and married my Egyptian-American husband, I knew I was in trouble and would have to step up my game. Thankfully, he was gracious and didn’t make food a huge priority in his life, so we survived that first year of marriage on my American recipes like tuna pie, chicken casserole, and hamburgers.

Cooking Meets Life on Mission.

While we did host a few people that first year in America, it was during our first long-term assignment in Syria that I was going to have to make some adjustments. I learned local meals from locals, while believing that rotisserie chicken is God’s gift to struggling housewives in the Middle East, and I did grow in my abilities over the next twenty years in five different countries.

I went to the field with three cookbooks: The Joy of Cooking (which is no joy, mind you), The More with Less Cookbook of the Mennonites (my favorite and most used), and the Better Homes and Gardens 1989 edition of the New Cook Book. I still have all three of these and go to them for my favorite recipes (even the Joy of Cooking, which has my scalloped corn recipe. But, it’s in the New Cook Book where I found my go-to dessert—Spice Cake.

My husband was always inviting people to our home, and thankfully, he emphasized with people that it’s not about food but about fellowship and spending time talking together. This lifted a huge load off my shoulders, for which I’m forever grateful. In my years in the region, I learned that American sweets were not among the favored flavors for our guests, and this simple spice cake recipe was always a hit. No icing required.

The Recipe.

Its page in my cookbook is soiled and warn, so I’ll share with you the recipe here:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 cup buttermilk or sour milk
• ¼ cup butter, softened
• ¼ cup shortening
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• 3 eggs

Mix first the dry stuff, then add the wet stuff, adding the eggs at the end (this is my interpretation of the recipe). Bake in a 13x9x12 pan at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or till the toothpick comes out clean. 

The Reward.

The greatest reward in making this cake is that you’re making it for people who are coming to your home. It’s meant to be shared and to add spice to the conversation (pun intended). It’s not hard, nor does it need to compare to store-bought cakes. It’s moist, flavorful, and easy on the stomach. Even for those of us who aren’t great cooks, it can please others and serve its purpose of providing something sweet in a pinch.

The true reward is that God’s Word is shared and enjoyed by those you serve:

Your words were found, and I ate them. Your words became a delight to me and the joy of my heart, for I bear your name, Lord God of Armies. Jeremiah 15:16

I pray your guests will talk more about the spiritual food they received in your home than any physical food you served. After all, that’s what it’s all about.

Grace and Peace

If you missed the last Mission Monday post, click HERE, or check out these posts on the topic of cooking: Cooking in Ministry, It’s Too Hot to Cook, and More with Less.