more specific update on what our wednesdays will look like this year to come soon. just now getting into the swing of the new schoolyear & as we've felt the Lord closing one door, He's been so faithful to immediately open another! :)
PRAY with us as we meet with a principal of one school tomorrow (thursday am) & a new teacher at another school on friday am. more details to come later!
Showing posts with label Updates. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Updates. Show all posts
july 23-27, 2012
this week, mon-fri, sarah & i will be attending an all-day workshop to be trained in a life skills curriculum that we incorporate into our lessons at each of the schools. since it will likely be the same deal everyday AND we're in the process of moving, i'm taking a daily update fast of sorts!
but, here's how you can join with me in PRAYer this week:
- that sarah & i would use our time wisely. that we would plan well & ahead of time for the following week!
- that we would be seeking open doors even in training sessions (whether for evangelism, national partnerships, or any other thing the Lord might lead us to)
- that we would continue abiding in the Word (john 15) even though we're in sessions all day
- that we would continue to learn how the Lord would have us leading together in this task
but, here's how you can join with me in PRAYer this week:
- that sarah & i would use our time wisely. that we would plan well & ahead of time for the following week!
- that we would be seeking open doors even in training sessions (whether for evangelism, national partnerships, or any other thing the Lord might lead us to)
- that we would continue abiding in the Word (john 15) even though we're in sessions all day
- that we would continue to learn how the Lord would have us leading together in this task
just for laughs...
tonight i got to spend some time with a sweet friend...who encourages me continually in every area of life. i so cherish that time we have together! got to laugh which was much-needed & it spurred me to share with you some of the ridiculous cultural mishaps from the last 4 months or so. enjoy (at my expense)! :) it's ok to laugh...i do...everyday!
from cape town:
- while sitting in church, the pastor made fun of americans. so, we joined in on the laughter...& then faked french accents.
- while getting my haircut, the hairdresser said in a south african accent (think british), "oh, you're graying." i rolled my eyes & though...gosh lady. i KNOW...i'm 26 & i have a few gray hairs but i wouldn't say i was GRAYING. so we proceeded to have a 5-minute conversation about how my dad had white hair at 30. only LATER, when she refused to cut my bangs did i realize she said, "oh, you're GROWING (your bangs out)." no. i am not growing them out. please cut them...& excuse my inability to decipher 'graying' from 'growing'
- yesterday, as i sat at a red robot (red light) the guy standing on the side of the road selling things looked at me with arms raised & mouthed, "what??" not unti then did i realize i was on the wrong side of the road. i high-tailed it into reverse & backed up a good 30-40 yards. praise the Lord no one turned. yes, i am american.
- today, when i asked the learners if they enjoyed camp one boy said no! when i asked why he said, "becuase there was no big foot!" i laughed & said, "what?!" 2-3 minutes later i realized he said, "because there was no big FOOD..." meaning we didn't give them "enough" food. he is one of the most animated kids i know & was simply trying to joke around...little did he know how funny the whole situation would end up being.
from 40/40 in zambia:
you remember you're in africa when...
- going to the "bathroom" involves required multi-tasking (aiming into a 5X7 hole all the while being greeted by bats who fly UP & bees who fly AROUND...& spiders which climb ALL AROUND.
- your favorite part of the day is showering under the stars...after hand-pumping your water from the well & then heating it in a kettle over a fire
- you've killed a snake in your shower by sitting a hot kettle on top of it, successfully frying it.
- you've been in a van with 8-10 people & wondered why it wasn't full yet
- you've made a kite out of a plastic bag & floss
- you've made a homemade mancala board out of dirt & rocks
- you've been hungry so you gnawed on sugarcane
- you've gone to the bathroom in a bucket inside your tent right next to a friend because there's a cow standing outside your tent & it's too dark to walk to the "long drop"/"squatty potty"/toilet
- you've drugged yourself so as not to hear the rats in the middle of the night
- you've had to de-worm yourself
- you've been in a church service where women were dancing/worshipping on stage & nursing at the same time
- you've gone to the bathroom on the side of the road...(do you notice a trend...)
- you realize you talk about going to the bathroom way more than you ever did before.
i'm sure there are more i've forgotten & i KNOW there will be more in the future...but here's a glimpse into the last few months of the journey! loving where the Lord has led!
from cape town:
- while sitting in church, the pastor made fun of americans. so, we joined in on the laughter...& then faked french accents.
- while getting my haircut, the hairdresser said in a south african accent (think british), "oh, you're graying." i rolled my eyes & though...gosh lady. i KNOW...i'm 26 & i have a few gray hairs but i wouldn't say i was GRAYING. so we proceeded to have a 5-minute conversation about how my dad had white hair at 30. only LATER, when she refused to cut my bangs did i realize she said, "oh, you're GROWING (your bangs out)." no. i am not growing them out. please cut them...& excuse my inability to decipher 'graying' from 'growing'
- yesterday, as i sat at a red robot (red light) the guy standing on the side of the road selling things looked at me with arms raised & mouthed, "what??" not unti then did i realize i was on the wrong side of the road. i high-tailed it into reverse & backed up a good 30-40 yards. praise the Lord no one turned. yes, i am american.
- today, when i asked the learners if they enjoyed camp one boy said no! when i asked why he said, "becuase there was no big foot!" i laughed & said, "what?!" 2-3 minutes later i realized he said, "because there was no big FOOD..." meaning we didn't give them "enough" food. he is one of the most animated kids i know & was simply trying to joke around...little did he know how funny the whole situation would end up being.
from 40/40 in zambia:
you remember you're in africa when...
- going to the "bathroom" involves required multi-tasking (aiming into a 5X7 hole all the while being greeted by bats who fly UP & bees who fly AROUND...& spiders which climb ALL AROUND.
- your favorite part of the day is showering under the stars...after hand-pumping your water from the well & then heating it in a kettle over a fire
- you've killed a snake in your shower by sitting a hot kettle on top of it, successfully frying it.
- you've been in a van with 8-10 people & wondered why it wasn't full yet
- you've made a kite out of a plastic bag & floss
- you've made a homemade mancala board out of dirt & rocks
- you've been hungry so you gnawed on sugarcane
- you've gone to the bathroom in a bucket inside your tent right next to a friend because there's a cow standing outside your tent & it's too dark to walk to the "long drop"/"squatty potty"/toilet
- you've drugged yourself so as not to hear the rats in the middle of the night
- you've had to de-worm yourself
- you've been in a church service where women were dancing/worshipping on stage & nursing at the same time
- you've gone to the bathroom on the side of the road...(do you notice a trend...)
- you realize you talk about going to the bathroom way more than you ever did before.
i'm sure there are more i've forgotten & i KNOW there will be more in the future...but here's a glimpse into the last few months of the journey! loving where the Lord has led!
40/40 is OVER!
the last month was, by far, the most challenging as well as the most incredible experience of my entire life! the stories are endless!! i have a ton of pictures & videos to share with you guys...but please be patient with me! getting back into the swing of things here after being gone for so long is quite overwhelming. we're jumping RIGHT back into ministry in cape town & trying to catch up on life at the same time. it's proving to be quite the challenge! more to come soon!
we made it!
after approximately 36 hours of traveling, 4 flights (if you include a stop for fuel & more passengers in senegal) & 3 airports, we finally made it here to cape town! several folks from our team welcomed us at the airport with signs, hugs & smiles...not to mention pictures. they drove us to our new flat (apartment) where they'd already left some other goodies. we are blessed by sweet family here!
the internet was already set up in our flat so i was able to send a few emails & skype for a short time with my parents. by the time we got settled & unpacked it was a little after 1am here. even though i'd slept a lot on each flight, i was tired!!
thankfully, our supervisor allowed us the morning to rest. i didn't set an alarm because every other time i've traveled overseas i woke up at 3 or 4 am because of jet lag. NOT THIS TIME. sarah came in my room the next day at 12:30pm to see if i was alive. no jet lag?? awesome.
we spent our first day (or what was left of it!) running errands - picking up things we needed to get by for the time being, attempting to get cell phones, seeing the city and eating dinner with a few others.
i have to say, i'm overwhelmed.
even though many speak english here, accents are strong & my ability to understand them is NOT! i cannot imagine being in a city where there are no english speakers & no team to help us out! we are very grateful for the people here. we did purchase cell phones...but, the don't work.
as the common phrase goes, "this is africa."
africa wins again.
BUT, i guess i can officially say...
i live in africa!
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| :) we arrived with ALL our luggage! :) |
thankfully, our supervisor allowed us the morning to rest. i didn't set an alarm because every other time i've traveled overseas i woke up at 3 or 4 am because of jet lag. NOT THIS TIME. sarah came in my room the next day at 12:30pm to see if i was alive. no jet lag?? awesome.
we spent our first day (or what was left of it!) running errands - picking up things we needed to get by for the time being, attempting to get cell phones, seeing the city and eating dinner with a few others.
i have to say, i'm overwhelmed.
even though many speak english here, accents are strong & my ability to understand them is NOT! i cannot imagine being in a city where there are no english speakers & no team to help us out! we are very grateful for the people here. we did purchase cell phones...but, the don't work.
as the common phrase goes, "this is africa."
africa wins again.
BUT, i guess i can officially say...
i live in africa!
 |
| sarah (far left) & me with the other j-girls (who are leaving in july) down by the waterfront |
training wrap-up: weeks 8 & 9
training is officially over & i'm spending the next 12 days or so in SC before i fly out april 9th! i'm a little behind on the updates so i wanted to hit a few highlights from the last few weeks in VA:
- AWESOME WEATHER!! even though it snowed 3 times & rained constantly during training, the last few weeks were incredible. if you know me at all, you know i was outside EVERY chance i got soaking up the sun!! :) sitting in sessions all day long was torture! so even though there was a ton of work to be done in the afternoons, we made do with what we had!
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| yes, we got in trouble for doing this...totally worth it! |
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| most of the ladies who lived in our building ready for african worship |
we met outside & worshipped in the grass with a ton of music & drums...& even more dancing. it was such a fun time that excited us even more for the journey ahead!
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| teaching about discipleship in the xhosa language |
our group of 8 (w/ 2 kiddos tagging along) ate at the habesha market - a tiny ethiopian restaurant that was INCREDIBLE! the locals (all obviously ethiopian as we were in an ethiopian district) stared in amazement as all the white people took over the place & dug in with our hands!
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| best lamb i've ever had! :) |
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| pray for "J" who works here in DC |
pray that the information that was left behind would be used to soften her heart towards the Truth of the gospel.
all in all, the DC trip was an incredible day :)
- FINISHED MY QUILT!! i have to admit, i wanted to give up. &, for a time, i did. but thanks to a few faithful friends (one in particular...you know who you are), it's done!! who would've thought!?
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| never doing that again...:) |
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| mom & dad's traditional pose |
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| my friends think they're funny! |
the daily grind: how YOU can GET INVOLVED NOW!
you just never know where the Lord may lead you if you're willing...that is for sure!!
want to do something tangible for the Body of Christ - the Church? keep reading...
a few weekends ago, a friend & i borrowed a car & headed off campus to run a few errands. as we drove, i picked up the phone to call my mom - which rarely happens these days with the hectic schedule! nonetheless, as i talked & my friend drove she randomly asked if it was ok to stop at a nearby, local coffee shop. i just kind of nodded & went on with my phone conversation.
praise the Lord for that leading of the Spirit.
long story short, we ended up talking with the owner for a few minutes & learning several things:
- about 4 years ago, someone walked into that same coffee shop & shared the Good News of Jesus with the husband - who was born & raised in Lebanon. he accepted Jesus as his Lord & Savior.
- as a result, his family of 5 accepted Jesus as well. just recently, their daughter was baptized.
- since then, they have begun to play Christian music in the shop & are really seeking to reach the surrounding community.
- a house church has been born out of that & they close the doors of the coffee shop early many times throughout the week so that they can meet during those times.
- while the Lord is using them as a light, SOME of those in the community have been responding negatively - writing bad reviews online & speaking words of discouragement to their faces.
- business has begun to suffer
my friend & i left & as we got into the car we sat in silence. we both felt led to do several things:
1. encourage this family SOMEHOW
2. come back an hour later & go to the Bible study they were holding that night
so, we did.
what an incredible time!
about 20 others attended - from 8 years old to some in their 60s...from various nationalities.
when my friend asked one chinese man if he was a believer, he responded, "almost."& he continued to faithfully attend. you can pray for "J" to come to salvation!
at LEAST 5 people knocked on the doors of the coffee shop while the Bible study went on. this family is turning away business because they recognize that what matters most is NOT that which will fade.
so, HOW CAN YOU tangibly get involved? there's a few options...OR you can do them ALL! :)
REMEMBER, we are called to edify the Body of Christ.
"...the parts (of the Body) should have equal concern for each other. if one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it" (i corinthians 12:25-26).
**click on the link below & send an encouraging email to this family:**
the daily grind (click here!)
LIKE their page on facebook:
the daily grind on facebook (click here!)
write a review online (by googling the daily grind!) IF you've been there!
take a minute & lift up this family in PRAYER...that they would not "not become weary in doing good" (gal. 6:9)
want to do something tangible for the Body of Christ - the Church? keep reading...
a few weekends ago, a friend & i borrowed a car & headed off campus to run a few errands. as we drove, i picked up the phone to call my mom - which rarely happens these days with the hectic schedule! nonetheless, as i talked & my friend drove she randomly asked if it was ok to stop at a nearby, local coffee shop. i just kind of nodded & went on with my phone conversation.
praise the Lord for that leading of the Spirit.
long story short, we ended up talking with the owner for a few minutes & learning several things:
- about 4 years ago, someone walked into that same coffee shop & shared the Good News of Jesus with the husband - who was born & raised in Lebanon. he accepted Jesus as his Lord & Savior.
- as a result, his family of 5 accepted Jesus as well. just recently, their daughter was baptized.
- since then, they have begun to play Christian music in the shop & are really seeking to reach the surrounding community.
- a house church has been born out of that & they close the doors of the coffee shop early many times throughout the week so that they can meet during those times.
- while the Lord is using them as a light, SOME of those in the community have been responding negatively - writing bad reviews online & speaking words of discouragement to their faces.
- business has begun to suffer
my friend & i left & as we got into the car we sat in silence. we both felt led to do several things:
1. encourage this family SOMEHOW
2. come back an hour later & go to the Bible study they were holding that night
so, we did.
what an incredible time!
about 20 others attended - from 8 years old to some in their 60s...from various nationalities.
when my friend asked one chinese man if he was a believer, he responded, "almost."& he continued to faithfully attend. you can pray for "J" to come to salvation!
at LEAST 5 people knocked on the doors of the coffee shop while the Bible study went on. this family is turning away business because they recognize that what matters most is NOT that which will fade.
the Lord is doing BIG THINGS through this faithful family.
but, discouragement is/was evident.
so, HOW CAN YOU tangibly get involved? there's a few options...OR you can do them ALL! :)
REMEMBER, we are called to edify the Body of Christ.
"...the parts (of the Body) should have equal concern for each other. if one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it" (i corinthians 12:25-26).
**click on the link below & send an encouraging email to this family:**
the daily grind (click here!)
LIKE their page on facebook:
the daily grind on facebook (click here!)
write a review online (by googling the daily grind!) IF you've been there!
take a minute & lift up this family in PRAYER...that they would not "not become weary in doing good" (gal. 6:9)
week 7 of training...
as i sat down to lunch at the beginning of the week, i was introduced to an older gentleman named sam james. i honestly thought it was a joke. surely that was not him...but it was. that name may not mean anything to you, but man - what a faithful servant of the Lord. among other things, he's served with the IMB since 1962. he helped to found the training center where we've been for 7 weeks. he served in vietnam for over 40 years - where he founded & served as president of a seminary all the while faithfully proclaiming the message of Jesus. when he was first appointed as a missionary, he signed an agreement that stated, "as far as i know, this assignment will be my 'job' for the rest of my life." it took him - & his family of 5 - 3 weeks on a ship in one room to get to his first assignment in hong kong. needless to say, the 5 of us who ate with him walked away from lunch feeling like we'd been with billy graham...& went back to our session to scribble down notes from things he'd said as quickly as possible! the lessons i learned from that 25 minute conversation are both priceless & endless.
- laugh at yourself...making mistakes often leads to incredible relationships
- remain in the Word always. check out psalm 91 - which he quoted from memory as a piece of Scripture to which he clung on the field. how much of the Word have you hidden in your own heart (psalm 119:11)?
- want to hear more? check out this video & meet him yourself! Legacy of Love
later that week SO much happened. here is a quick fly by view to hit the highlights:
- special meal #3 (indian food) = SO GOOD!
- shot clinic #3 which means NO MORE SHOTS! 11 total vaccinations under my belt!
- true love waits & AIDS education sessions for those of us working with students in areas of the world where AIDS is prevalent. i could write a book on everything i learned, but just chew on this with me:
on september 11, 2011 6,000 people died of AIDS in sub-saharan africa.
since then, 5,000 more died everyday.
since then, 7,000 more are infected everyday.
in a month, 190,000 people die in sub-saharan africa due to AIDS.
70% of the world's population of AIDS infection is in sub-saharan africa.
(22.5 out of 33.3 million people).
what concerns us more?
that weekend was absolutely incredible. my on-field partner & i got to skype with a few people on our team in cape town for 2 hours. a ton of questions were answered & the fellowship was sweet. we learned a few stats from that convo as well:
later that day, a friend & i had an incredible opportunity when we left campus & stopped into a nearby coffee shop. be on the lookout for an update called "the daily grind" for the full story.
heavy stuff!
sorry for the delayed update & the lack of pictures, but i promise there's a ton to come in the near future, including:
- a really incredible story on "the daily grind" coffee shop
- a amazing answer to prayer about "accountability"
- a ton of pics from the last 2-3 weeks
- a video of us killing chickens!! that's right...with our bare hands! :)
- laugh at yourself...making mistakes often leads to incredible relationships
- remain in the Word always. check out psalm 91 - which he quoted from memory as a piece of Scripture to which he clung on the field. how much of the Word have you hidden in your own heart (psalm 119:11)?
- want to hear more? check out this video & meet him yourself! Legacy of Love
later that week SO much happened. here is a quick fly by view to hit the highlights:
- special meal #3 (indian food) = SO GOOD!
- shot clinic #3 which means NO MORE SHOTS! 11 total vaccinations under my belt!
- true love waits & AIDS education sessions for those of us working with students in areas of the world where AIDS is prevalent. i could write a book on everything i learned, but just chew on this with me:
on september 11, 2011 6,000 people died of AIDS in sub-saharan africa.
since then, 5,000 more died everyday.
since then, 7,000 more are infected everyday.
in a month, 190,000 people die in sub-saharan africa due to AIDS.
70% of the world's population of AIDS infection is in sub-saharan africa.
(22.5 out of 33.3 million people).
what concerns us more?
that weekend was absolutely incredible. my on-field partner & i got to skype with a few people on our team in cape town for 2 hours. a ton of questions were answered & the fellowship was sweet. we learned a few stats from that convo as well:
in america, 25% of the population is under 25.
in south africa, 65% of the population is under 24.
we must reach this generation for Christ.
we make this our goal!
later that day, a friend & i had an incredible opportunity when we left campus & stopped into a nearby coffee shop. be on the lookout for an update called "the daily grind" for the full story.
heavy stuff!
sorry for the delayed update & the lack of pictures, but i promise there's a ton to come in the near future, including:
- a really incredible story on "the daily grind" coffee shop
- a amazing answer to prayer about "accountability"
- a ton of pics from the last 2-3 weeks
- a video of us killing chickens!! that's right...with our bare hands! :)
week 6 of training...
whew! i feel a little like a broken record, but every single week things here get more intense! so much has happened in the last week! it's been amazing! here are some highlights:
- the first half of the week (mon-wed) was contingency/security training. 3 days of absolute madness. ask me about it!
- monday night about half of those going to sub-saharan africa met in the home of our deployment consultant for an authentic western african meal experience. 20-25 of us crowded around 4 common bowls on the living room floor with bare feet & using only our right hands (no utensils). why? google "right-handed cultures" if you really want to know :) the food was absolutely incredible & the fellowship & discussion on african hospitality afterwards even more so. several of us, on the way back, commented that the more we learn about african culture, the more we realize we're just not made for america! what affirmation! :) one of the best pieces of advice from the night was this: "if someone gives you a chicken as a gift, don't get attached...just name it something like 'stew.'"
- thursday we had another session by tom elliff on maintaining spiritual thirst. so good! just some thoughts i took away from his session:
- friday we had our 2nd personal spiritual retreat. from 12-3 we all went our separate ways to spend much-needed time in the Word & on our faces in prayer examining our own hearts. i was lying under a tree until it started raining...dumb. but a great time of rest nonetheless!
- saturday we finally got somewhat of a break. all those going to sub-saharan africa are required to do a number of things. so as a group, we decided to knock a few things off of that list:
1. cook a meal from scratch without using an oven. i spent the afternoon learning to cook authentic indian food with a sweet lady who grew up in india. we made dal & puri - two of my absolute favorites from the 3 weeks in spent in india. dal is more commonly known as lentil stew. it's super yummy...& a great source of protein, especially when meat is too expensive or not readily available. puri is a puffed, fried flatbread.
2. spend a night (5-10pm) without electricity or candles. we had a blast! we'd been preparing the 2 kids in our quad all week by telling them we were camping out in the living room. so, right before 5 i set up a tent in our living room! they loved it! we ate dinner & dessert, practiced storying through Scripture & played games...all by flashlight! like we always say, "we're family!" it was a blast! more pics to come!
overall, it's been an awesome week!
- the first half of the week (mon-wed) was contingency/security training. 3 days of absolute madness. ask me about it!
- monday night about half of those going to sub-saharan africa met in the home of our deployment consultant for an authentic western african meal experience. 20-25 of us crowded around 4 common bowls on the living room floor with bare feet & using only our right hands (no utensils). why? google "right-handed cultures" if you really want to know :) the food was absolutely incredible & the fellowship & discussion on african hospitality afterwards even more so. several of us, on the way back, commented that the more we learn about african culture, the more we realize we're just not made for america! what affirmation! :) one of the best pieces of advice from the night was this: "if someone gives you a chicken as a gift, don't get attached...just name it something like 'stew.'"
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| mark your territory & dig in! |
"we can get so engrossed in doing the things of God
that we fail to focus on that which matters most."
"if you take care of the DEPTH of your walk,
God will take care of the BREADTH of your ministry."
"if you refuse to break up the fallowed ground of your heart,
your greatest days of service are OVER."
"if you haven't been broken by God, you're easily bent by others."
- saturday we finally got somewhat of a break. all those going to sub-saharan africa are required to do a number of things. so as a group, we decided to knock a few things off of that list:
1. cook a meal from scratch without using an oven. i spent the afternoon learning to cook authentic indian food with a sweet lady who grew up in india. we made dal & puri - two of my absolute favorites from the 3 weeks in spent in india. dal is more commonly known as lentil stew. it's super yummy...& a great source of protein, especially when meat is too expensive or not readily available. puri is a puffed, fried flatbread.
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| genesis 25 - esau sold his birthright for a bowl of lentil stew (dal) |
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| fyi: dal is made with mustard seeds |
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| rolling & frying puri |
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| the entire spread! |
2. spend a night (5-10pm) without electricity or candles. we had a blast! we'd been preparing the 2 kids in our quad all week by telling them we were camping out in the living room. so, right before 5 i set up a tent in our living room! they loved it! we ate dinner & dessert, practiced storying through Scripture & played games...all by flashlight! like we always say, "we're family!" it was a blast! more pics to come!
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| all in!! |
SUPER LONG week 3 of training...
it's hard to know how to fill you guys in on everything that goes on here. everyday is an absolute whirlwind. another journeyman described our days of training by comparing it to drinking from a fire hydrant. i laughed out loud...so true. here's a little of what this past week looked like:
- scripture memory is something that's really stressed here & we're all expected to commit at LEAST 6 verses to memory during our 8 weeks here. last weekend a friend & i decided to push ourselves even further. our goal is to memorize stephen's speech before the sanhedrin (acts 6:15-7:60).
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| notecards for days 1-7. we'll see how many weeks it takes! |
he pretty much brings it & stories through the old testament right before he's stoned to death. & at the end of it, Jesus - the ultimate high priest - STANDS (even though he's almost always pictured seated at the right hand of the Father - signifying that His work was done). so, we've really been pushing & quizzing one another everyday. & it's been a lot of fun.
- we've had a ton of sessions this week on everything from mosquitos & computer protection to discipleship & contextualization. finished a book called "foreign to familiar" which i'd HIGHLY recommend to anyone intending to do anything overseas. i want to read it again! started another one called "african friends & money matters."
- thursday was absolutely crazy as we chose one worldview workshop to attend the rest of the day. that day, i studied animism - which is prevalent among many tribal cultures. we shared our 2-minute testimonies with one another in class at the beginning...& then again at the end, changing it so that someone from an animistic culture would more appropriately understand.
as our leader for the day said, "you're not going to change a culture, you're going to change hearts. the message is ONLY as good as it is rightly received & understood. if they are understanding it through their own filters, they are likely misunderstanding. be careful to give the Message in a way that they understand. meet them where they are.”
at lunch we had our first cultural meal. borscht soup (an eastern/central european recipe made from red cabbage & beets). i thought it was pretty awesome...others, however, did not! the cook said every time he makes it, it ends up a different color.
after lunch we watched a video about how the gospel reached an unreached, unengaged people group in indonesia known as the taliabo. you can see it on youtube in 4 parts here - it will change your life: (click here to see part 1)
thursday night a group of us decided to watch the movie hotel rwanda - though most of us had seen it before. after shooting footage of the massacre going on in the streets, a rwandan man says to an american, "how can they see this and not do anything? don't they care?" (meaning those around the world) to this, the american says, "i think when people turn on their TVs & see this footage they'll say, 'oh my God, that's horrible,' & then they'll go back to eating their dinners."
this is real life. this was in OUR lifetime (1994). don't be numb to the realities of what is going on around the world.
- i like to refer to friday as the day we were poked, prodded & printed. SO MUCH happened. that morning we discussed results of our Myers-Briggs Personality Test (MBTI) & how different personalities could potentially help or hinder ministry on the field. could my partner & i be ANY more different? we joke that by the looks of our results, i have no personality & she's the queen of extremes. who knows...
later we had shot clinic #1 of 3. i had the first 3 shots of the 11 i will need. who knew you could be vaccinated for rabies?!?!
needless to say, there were a LOT of screaming babies. (if i haven't mentioned this before, there are over 50 kids here!!) maybe i was one of the biggest babies of them all...
the week ended well as i got to sleep in this morning. we got some snow this afternoon, got to get off campus for awhile for dinner & a few new friends stayed up late to wish me happy birthday at midnight even though we were all exhausted!
i promise, updates won't always be so long!!!! i guess i might just have to update more than once a week!!
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| from "african friends & money matters" - so, so true. |
- thursday was absolutely crazy as we chose one worldview workshop to attend the rest of the day. that day, i studied animism - which is prevalent among many tribal cultures. we shared our 2-minute testimonies with one another in class at the beginning...& then again at the end, changing it so that someone from an animistic culture would more appropriately understand.
as our leader for the day said, "you're not going to change a culture, you're going to change hearts. the message is ONLY as good as it is rightly received & understood. if they are understanding it through their own filters, they are likely misunderstanding. be careful to give the Message in a way that they understand. meet them where they are.”
at lunch we had our first cultural meal. borscht soup (an eastern/central european recipe made from red cabbage & beets). i thought it was pretty awesome...others, however, did not! the cook said every time he makes it, it ends up a different color.
after lunch we watched a video about how the gospel reached an unreached, unengaged people group in indonesia known as the taliabo. you can see it on youtube in 4 parts here - it will change your life: (click here to see part 1)
thursday night a group of us decided to watch the movie hotel rwanda - though most of us had seen it before. after shooting footage of the massacre going on in the streets, a rwandan man says to an american, "how can they see this and not do anything? don't they care?" (meaning those around the world) to this, the american says, "i think when people turn on their TVs & see this footage they'll say, 'oh my God, that's horrible,' & then they'll go back to eating their dinners."this is real life. this was in OUR lifetime (1994). don't be numb to the realities of what is going on around the world.
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| my results on top; sarah's [my on-field partner] on the bottom |
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| & that's just ONE arm... fun band-aids though! |
needless to say, there were a LOT of screaming babies. (if i haven't mentioned this before, there are over 50 kids here!!) maybe i was one of the biggest babies of them all...
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| SNOW!! |
i promise, updates won't always be so long!!!! i guess i might just have to update more than once a week!!
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| sweet friends :) |
want to get involved?
so check this out!
one life is an organization that hosts various projects around the world. one of those projects is one school: south africa. they are working hand-in-hand with the team i will be working with in the same schools we'll be in. don't believe me? check out my pics on facebook from my previous trip to SA last march...SAME UNIFORMS! :) read the project description below & you'll get an even clearer picture of SOME of what i'll be doing, too! all of it is ultimately for the purpose of sharing the gospel with these students (& their families), discipling them & connecting/training local churches to step in & take over...raising up a new generation of believers in south africa! get pumped! God's already doing BIG THINGS!
what's even cooler is that you can get involved in very specific ways & even send volunteer groups to join in!
*if you received this update via email & there is no pdf file/picture shown above, click on the "the journey continues" link below
one life is an organization that hosts various projects around the world. one of those projects is one school: south africa. they are working hand-in-hand with the team i will be working with in the same schools we'll be in. don't believe me? check out my pics on facebook from my previous trip to SA last march...SAME UNIFORMS! :) read the project description below & you'll get an even clearer picture of SOME of what i'll be doing, too! all of it is ultimately for the purpose of sharing the gospel with these students (& their families), discipling them & connecting/training local churches to step in & take over...raising up a new generation of believers in south africa! get pumped! God's already doing BIG THINGS!
what's even cooler is that you can get involved in very specific ways & even send volunteer groups to join in!
*if you received this update via email & there is no pdf file/picture shown above, click on the "the journey continues" link below
week 1 & 2 of training
i can already tell updating is going to be much more challenging than i'd initially thought! as i fell asleep last night (at 8:30...yes, 8:30 - i was EXHAUSTED!) i thought to myself, "i really need to write a week 1 update." soon after, though, i realized it's almost the end of week 2!!! time is absolutely flying!!
right now our days are packed FULL of sessions from 8-4 or later (one night i was in meetings until 10:30)! typical morning sessions consist of our studying through the book of acts - looking more in-depth at the rise of church "plants" in the new testament. afternoon sessions typically deal more with logistical/administrative stuff. after dinner many of us usually spend a few hours in the library checking emails & other things off of our massive to-do lists. on top of all of that we meet regularly with a small group, a group of others also serving in our region, our stateside supervisors, our ministry teams here at training as well as our accountability partners. oh, did i mention we had homework, paperwork & reading assignments, too? i'm only slightly overwhelmed.
sunday morning we had our first "house church" experience with our small groups. they're trying to acclimate us with the way things will be overseas in every area of life; church is just one of the many, many things that will be drastically different. we've got to get used to kids...[& animals?] running around without it hindering our ability to worship. my particular group consists of 11 people - ranging from 3-57 years old. with 2 young kids running around, it is definitely quite the change. let's just say, we were very grateful for stickers this week. they kept them somewhat occupied! & we all were COVERED after a few hours!
we had our required timed mile-run saturday morning. yes, i said required. the goal is to have an improved time by the end of the 8 weeks when we will run it again. moms jogged with strollers & the two older ladies walked arm-in-arm. one 77 year old lady finished in 21 minutes!! i was impressed!! it's actually pretty incredible to see ~200 people, all completely overwhelmed, but making time throughout the week & holding one another accountable to exercise & stay not only spiritually, but physically, healthy! rest assured, though, we are having fun! somehow we've made time for a volleyball tournament & several trips to wal-mart! we're all in this together!
right now our days are packed FULL of sessions from 8-4 or later (one night i was in meetings until 10:30)! typical morning sessions consist of our studying through the book of acts - looking more in-depth at the rise of church "plants" in the new testament. afternoon sessions typically deal more with logistical/administrative stuff. after dinner many of us usually spend a few hours in the library checking emails & other things off of our massive to-do lists. on top of all of that we meet regularly with a small group, a group of others also serving in our region, our stateside supervisors, our ministry teams here at training as well as our accountability partners. oh, did i mention we had homework, paperwork & reading assignments, too? i'm only slightly overwhelmed.
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| after church sunday am |
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| vball |