tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26579271078786483562023-11-16T06:20:18.223-05:00Global Mission Projecta year-long ministry around the world to serve, train and encourage youth and youth-workers (July '07-July '08)hopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00975154172153910163noreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657927107878648356.post-58804456173044194822015-09-29T15:54:00.002-04:002015-09-29T15:54:56.442-04:00bumps, joys, and perfect timing<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Much has happened since my last post 4 years. Unfortunately I
haven’t followed up about bumps in my journey, kept up with sharing some
life-changing joys, or stayed in contact well with the many people who took
part in our life-changing year! After this quick update, I plan to reach out to
people from our adventure to learn what is new in your faith journey and kingdom
work while inquiring who are the leaders and what are the leadership styles
which have influenced you most. I’ve designed this to be a part of my focus
during my last semester of seminary. I will be graduating in December 2015 with
a Masters in Theological Studies in Christian Leadership from <a href="http://www.gordonconwell.edu/charlotte/">Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary</a> in Charlotte, North Carolina!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Back in October of 2008, I had a health issue involving serious
vision problems and headaches. Turns out that the Neuro-Ophthalmologist was
wrong… the issue directly stemmed from my mountain bike accident in 2001. A physical
therapist diagnosed the problem: my occipital muscle was inflamed due to my not
fully recovering from the bike accident, therefore it was causing severe head
pain and pinching my optical nerve causing drooping and double vision. With the
help of physical therapy and the continued care of my chiropractor (especially craniopathy),
I’ve improved! I still get headaches fairly regularly but my vision is back. Thank you for your prayers!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Richmond Smith and I are celebrating our 5 year anniversary
this November!! It was an amazing community celebration consistent with my
out-of-the-box, experiential style. We have been incredibly blessed with a home
and our beautiful daughter, Iona Grace. She is named after a very special place
in Scotland. She is fun, smart, and amazing… not that I’m bias at all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">God’s timing is perfect which we often don’t see until
hindsight. I’ve been wonderfully blessed to spend the last 8+ months taking
care of Iona while I finish seminary. This wasn’t our original plan. After my
maternity leave from the YMCA of Western North Carolina in winter 2014, I
worked and took classes for 9 months until my position was dissolved due to
budget issues in January of this year. It’s made things a little tight,
especially with tuition bills, but it’s been worth it! I won’t get this
precious time with Iona back. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another blessing for where God has me right now is that I’ve
been able to spend more time with my parents who live in Black Mountain where I
lived for many years (20 minute drive). They retired in 2009 which brought them
back to North Carolina. Unfortunately, my mother has struggled with Chronic Lymphocytic
Leukemia (CLL) which returned this Spring. My father has also been struggling
with the beginning stages of dementia and major digestion issues which landed
him in the hospital twice this summer. Please pray for healing, restoration,
hope, and joy is spite of these challenges.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another change has been in my faith community. We’ve been
active with the <a href="http://haywoodstreet.org/">Haywood Street Congregation</a> which is best described as ‘holy
chaos.’ Haywood is a diverse community centered on Christ. I connect well with
the unexpected, relational, Spirit-led, unconditional love they exude! If any
of you ever comes to visit, I would <i>love</i>
to share this community with you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’m not really sure who all still receives these
blog posts. I’d love to hear from you if you do… <a href="mailto:hdeifell@gmail.com">hdeifell@gmail.com</a>. Thank you for your
love and prayers. I will be contacting many of you soon. I can’t wait to hear
about your journey these last 7-8 years.</span></span>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16044646395498036427noreply@blogger.com0Asheville, NC, USA35.5950581 -82.55148689999998635.181594100000005 -83.196933899999991 36.0085221 -81.906039899999982tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657927107878648356.post-29033158206989056192011-10-20T21:17:00.004-04:002011-10-20T21:52:34.352-04:00sharing my little part of the world<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB345cbMlw4TC5ORh34xc5HncSgjnP4WSdkb8hFfFJLWqgsYfoVdh5FSPVxu2-msGM3W1ryg5PSBlKEdJPz7SnBh14zd3yRqEcYMk9SYskGVrWoI9iROxNNeDxmehRDDPUAbACXi20W4o/s1600/IMG_10481.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB345cbMlw4TC5ORh34xc5HncSgjnP4WSdkb8hFfFJLWqgsYfoVdh5FSPVxu2-msGM3W1ryg5PSBlKEdJPz7SnBh14zd3yRqEcYMk9SYskGVrWoI9iROxNNeDxmehRDDPUAbACXi20W4o/s320/IMG_10481.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5665756765734089074" border="0" /></a><br />It's been over 3 years since we returned to the States after an incredible, life-changing, perspective-shifting adventure around the world! We've had a few friends visit from around the world... 2 Aussies blokes: Ivan from Sydney and Terry from Brisbane and then 2 Indians: Amongna from NE India and Anand from Chennai, India. But it's been a while... until this weekend!!<br /><br />Our friend Sonny will be here on Saturday. Unfortunately his family couldn't come with him. (Picture is Sonny with his son, Isaac.) But we're excited about sharing our little part of the world with him.<br /><br />He will be sharing stories about his part of the world at the Howerton Cafeteria in Montreat at 10am on Sunday. Come join us if you can!Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16044646395498036427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657927107878648356.post-58106665446060173722011-05-07T12:15:00.003-04:002022-12-07T15:48:47.429-05:00Pillars of the Saints: Burning Man projectMy sister Hope is involved with this project which will be constructed at an arts festival in Nevada. Please consider supporting her in this frontier of missions. <div><br /></div><iframe width="480" height="270" src="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/228872506/pillars-of-the-saints-burning-man-2011-art-install/widget/video.html" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"> </iframe>hopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00975154172153910163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657927107878648356.post-45884112565618065062010-07-14T10:54:00.000-04:002010-07-15T10:29:50.207-04:00changed & engagedIt's been a long time since I've shared anything on this site... almost a year & a half! I'm not sure who still reads this, but I thought I would put it out there. I haven't remained in contact with people from our trip like I desired and I really could give you all kinds of excuses, but I just haven't prioritized well. I apologize.<br /><br />Change, I've been told, is the only constant. Some people fear change, some embrace it. I'd like to say the I embrace it, but that's not always true. I have gone through spells when I've been almost addicted to change (i.e. moving around for years after college), but I guess I've settled down into life in Western North Carolina -- the only consistent "home" for me throughout my life. This is a beautiful place to build community, in which I'm very involved!<br /><br />Last October, I began working with <span style="font-weight: bold;">YMCA of Western North Carolina</span> and heading up a federal grant to establish <span style="font-weight: bold;">two 21st Century Community Learning Centers</span> at a couple middle schools in districts that have high poverty & drop-out rates. Basically, we facilitate a "community center" in collaboration with the schools which provide after-school tutoring & enrichment activities as well as services to the families including parenting classes and English as a Second Language classes.<br /><br />The YMCA hired me to facilitate the whole grant: run the programs; hire, train & lead staff; work with partnering community organizations; and manage the budget. It's quite a challenging job, especially in the first year when we had to establish everything from nothing. I've learned so much!<br /><br />This year, I have July and August off of work which allows me to participate in (and help lead) a <span style="font-weight: bold;">mission to Ethiopia</span> with our church's youth group. I'm joining a team that is going to serve with Jake & Sarah Wetzel -- long-term missionaries from my church, serving with Serving In Mission (SIM) in Ethiopia, who have been developing a camp which serves as a resource for youth workers & for youth from all over Ethiopia (much like how their camp in Bolivia is now being run by nationals).<br /><br />The Wetzels partner with youth workers who are soccer coaches with a sports ministry, called Sports Friends, which is closely associated with the International Sports Coalition (ISC) that Hope & I connected with all around the world! God continues to keep us tied to the ISC body. What a blessing!<br /><br />First, our team will be <span style="font-weight: bold;">leading a sports camp for Sports Friends</span> away from their village home of Camp Langano. Sports Friends works with 50,000 kids in Ethiopia, but they do not have the capacity for every kid to come to a sports camp. So we are taking the sports camp to them! We will work with our church-sponsored Ethiopian coach, who lives in the city of Arba Minch (meaning “40 Springs”), and help him lead a sports camp with about 80 kids. Apparently, we are the first church group to do this, and Sports Friends is excited about possibly opening up this idea for other churches.<br /><br />Secondly, we also will do <span style="font-weight: bold;">an outdoor Bible school for many of the children who live near Camp Langano</span>—a predominately Muslim community. Our team is planning 3 days of games, crafts, Bible stories, and dramas for the two camps as well as learning how to “be” Jesus with them when we can’t speak the language. Please pray that this will all come together. <br /><br />We leave Western North Carolina tomorrow to drive up to DC, and then we fly out for Ethiopia on the next day... not to return home until August 2nd.<br /><br />Oh, by the way, another BIG piece of news I need to share is that <span style="font-weight: bold;">I am engaged to be married!!</span> My long-time boyfriend, Richmond Smith, proposed to me almost 3 months ago, and we plan to "become one" just after our Thanksgiving holiday this year (the third week of November).<br /><br />Please pray for us as we move forward in planning for our marriage celebration (slow process right now), and please pray for me to find "balance" & rest in God’s provision... trusting Him with all my heart.<br /><br />One last thing — soon, you will be able to check our website for Summer Mission Project (SMP) updates, which will tell more about our church's mission teams that have gone out & are going out all over the world. Just go to <a href="http://www.montreatyouth.com">www.montreatyouth.com</a> and click on SMP.<br /><br />Thanks so much for being a part of our team, and thank you for your continual support through prayer!!Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16044646395498036427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657927107878648356.post-12044810134060758822009-01-05T11:30:00.005-05:002022-12-07T16:12:19.640-05:00The Adventures of Childlike FaithA trialogue sermon given at First Church of Christ Congregational in Wethersfield, CT, on August 17, 2008 between Rev. Dr. Jey Deifell and his two daughters, Heather & Hope. It's inspired by Michael Yaconelli's book <span style="font-style: italic;">Dangerous Wonder</span>, Ginny Owens' music, and the lessons & adventures of our "Global Mission Project" (a year-long journey around the world)... Risky Curiosity, Wide-eyed Listening, Daring Playfulness, and Dangerous Wonder.<div><br /><div><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/G3Wo_NgWwMo" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div></div>hopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00975154172153910163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657927107878648356.post-13049984180119768642008-11-03T11:43:00.000-05:002008-11-04T16:44:57.047-05:00prayer for healingWe're supposed to expect trials and suffering as part of this life, but considering them as pure joy?!? (James 1:2-3) <br /><br />About a month ago, I suddenly began having problems with my left eye. So far the doctors are only saying that it's a “partial 3rd-nerve palsy,” causing my eyelid to droop and my vision to double when I look up, to the right and down. I've also battled waves of headaches and severe neck, shoulder and back pain... mostly on the left side.<br /><br />I've seen a neuro-ophthalmologist who put me through several tests, including MRI/MRA, blood work and a lumbar puncture, the last of which kept me at home for a week or so to recover. During that time, I tried to take it easy, remain inactive, take medicine for the intense soreness in my back, be still, and feel His presence... I have "Come to [Him]" with my burdens & weariness... He is giving me rest.<br /><br />So far (and thank God) all the medical tests have NOT revealed anything serious (meningitis, Multiple Sclerosis, aneurism, tumors, inflammation of the brain, etc.), but the answers are still not definitive. The only hypothesis my doctor could give me was that it might be Tolosa Hunt Syndrome, so he prescribed an intense dose of a type of steroid, called Prednisone (30mg, twice a day for about a week or so). He said that IF what I have is actually Tolosa Hunt Syndrome, then the Prednisone should have a dramatic effect within a few days... However, it didn’t… So we’re basically back to square one -- not knowing what’s wrong with me exactly. <br /><br />In the meantime, I took a friend’s recommendation to try something a bit different... craniopathy, otherwise known as cranial therapy. After just 2 adjustment sessions, I felt pretty positive about the results. I plan to try a few more sessions… if not for my current eye issues, then for the chronic neck issues I’ve had ever since my severe bike accident & head trauma in 2001 (which, surprisingly, my neuro-ophthalmalogist doesn’t believe is related to my eye condition.) I pray that this alternative therapy is effective.<br /><br />So I'm not sure if or when we’ll know my diagnosis, but I'm hoping the doctors will have some answers instead of continuing to go through a long and EXPENSIVE process of elimination. The bottom line is that I need to minimize the quickly accumulating debt of medical bills.<br /><br />I have put my studies at Gordan-Conwell Theological Seminary “on hold” as much as I can. I have a group project due very soon that I can't get around. I'm praying about my scholastic future, though I’m confident that Father will provide if it's His will.<br /><br />Please keep me in your prayers and share my story with others. <br /><br />Please pray for healing, an end to this physical problem (whatever it is), protection from long-term or permanent damage, relief from the intense headaches, God’s providence for the financial burden caused by this medical condition, discernment for what this means for my future, and wisdom in general.<br /><br />Prayer is powerful, and "the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well."Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16044646395498036427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657927107878648356.post-22247229817541415942008-09-09T23:00:00.002-04:002008-09-10T00:12:57.485-04:00rustling of my heartThe challenge of coming home outweighs the challenge of traveling. Now I can sympathize with missionaries & volunteers who live overseas for years, become comfortable in their "home away from home", and then have to return to a changed community in a distantly familiar culture that cannot grasp their own shifted perspectives. I'm thankful that my "adjustment muscle" has been well-conditioned over our world journey but I didn't expect that coming home would rustle my heart so much.<br /><br />I said good-bye to Hope a few weeks ago, not knowing when I'd see her again (maybe late October). It makes me sad but I feel I'm truly blessed to have a sibling who is also a best friend & encourager of my faith.<br /><br />The last 2 months were filled with blessed reunions of family & friends (both old & new), some domestic travel, and times of sharing in North Carolina, Maryland, Connecticut, & Massachusetts.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizM0DahhJGa4cexNnoLcdHQKe1rly1xc57AqZs0T3etitMtUi5wTyMx8hduYX-Eq1FtRsUbERWRxIL6EBMaOQjXxYhLxff0no3q6FD6RyK6QAoQG1DzmWBH9kyx-YoKnwL26Qc64XeO6U/s1600-h/IMG_6286.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizM0DahhJGa4cexNnoLcdHQKe1rly1xc57AqZs0T3etitMtUi5wTyMx8hduYX-Eq1FtRsUbERWRxIL6EBMaOQjXxYhLxff0no3q6FD6RyK6QAoQG1DzmWBH9kyx-YoKnwL26Qc64XeO6U/s200/IMG_6286.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5243712299685675378" border="0" /></a>Our home in western North Carolina is called "Rest & Be Thankful" and this summer we often reflected & were thankful for family, God's creation, & community... however I wouldn't necessarily describe the summer as being restful. One of the many highlights was spending quality time with our family, particularly our niece, Madilyn. It was obvious that we'd missed a very formative year in her life.<br /><br />Connecting with old friends & community has been both wonderful & challenging, especially to be gone for a year - everyone goes on with life & has gotten used to my absence. After more than a month of family time & then a short, road trip to the northeast, I'm back home trying to unpack, involve myself in community, yet not "settling down" too much. Instead I'm hoping to keep my feet light on the ground, ready to shift as God leads me.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5eQrfTmG9HN9Mh-KjqnW1N20aqOy8Tndr8HNgvzZ3ObU49xWo3W8pVBwk5aIR1ORbuvpLj18xoq6IEtYbX8EDfxsVDs-236uQlY514reP4RdMvYo8gHnYLZpu1THpP2fVulti_NhBwmM/s1600-h/July-August+%2708+071.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5eQrfTmG9HN9Mh-KjqnW1N20aqOy8Tndr8HNgvzZ3ObU49xWo3W8pVBwk5aIR1ORbuvpLj18xoq6IEtYbX8EDfxsVDs-236uQlY514reP4RdMvYo8gHnYLZpu1THpP2fVulti_NhBwmM/s200/July-August+%2708+071.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5243707156068204546" border="0" /></a>Less than 2 weeks upon our return home we hosted our first visitor from our international journey - Ivan Kelly from <a href="http://www.logosdor.com/resources/News.aspx?page=3">Logosdor</a> in Sydney. The timing of his visit included wonderful conversations with our family, a restful retreat on our porch (with a gorgeous mountain view), connecting with other Salvos at my former place of work (The Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club), and even an authentic, American baseball game (although minor league). Just after dropping Ivan off at the Charlotte airport, we squeezed in a short visit with Terry Williams of Scripture Union who helped to host us in Brisbane, Australia & who happened to be in town visiting with the Billy Graham Association. We hope & expect to have many more visitors from our global journey in the future. We miss all of you!<br /><br />Our trip to the northeast satisfied some of my desires for continued travel & connection to the family of Faith on a domestic level. Hope & I continued to feed our interest in ministries by connecting with the Body of <a href="http://www.ashlandpc.org/">Ashland Presbyterian Church</a> (north of Baltimore, Maryland) and by visiting the <a href="http://www.hartfordcitymission.com/">Hartford City Mission</a> (who work & live incarnationally in the urban community in north Hartford, Connecticut). <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIqSnb77de7eCjFvcdBqjveRbpZrhYP9pOaPS_SMS5wTwhU4UiRbPhns_G95dCXvyTflFA4xlAVowBOdMsT7iq7xB-GVz1d1pgr7hlg2N0wJRz89E9v0v9z0MGfrCYNFTUrm55qvgMhps/s1600-h/July-August+%2708+545.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIqSnb77de7eCjFvcdBqjveRbpZrhYP9pOaPS_SMS5wTwhU4UiRbPhns_G95dCXvyTflFA4xlAVowBOdMsT7iq7xB-GVz1d1pgr7hlg2N0wJRz89E9v0v9z0MGfrCYNFTUrm55qvgMhps/s200/July-August+%2708+545.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5243709884463480066" border="0" /></a>I also helped to facilitate a "group" ministry visit (5 of us from Hartford area) to the <a href="http://kidsgames.com/">Kids Games</a> in Boston. I pray that the experience of observing a Kids Games event in action along with the discussion led by Dan Williams (Kids Games regional facilitator for the Int'l Sports Coalition) planted some seeds for future events in the Hartford area.<br /><br />Finally, we're extremely thankful for all the opportunities to share our experiences & lesson from our faith journey... especially by way of preaching a "trialog" sermon with our father at 3 different churches (with multiple services), a dialog sermon (just Hope & I) at Ashland Presbyterian Church, and an evening of storytelling with slideshow at my father's church in CT. You can check out an <a href="http://www.firstchurch.org/article80202.htm">audio file of our "trialog" sermon</a> given at my father's church (First Church of Christ): "The Adventure of a Childlike Faith" (08/17/08). Soon I'll be sharing through another evening of storytelling at my church in Montreat, NC on 6:30pm, in Gaither Chapel's Fellowship Hall. All these opportunities are very important in "processing" & keeping us in touch with the journey that is slowly slipping into our past.<br /><br />I'm continuing to practice what I preached by learning to trust God with childlike faith. I began classes again at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (GCTS) but I'm not sure how quickly the degree will come... I'm taking one semester at a time both financially & vocationally. GCTS is supporting my design of a creative "internship" this term which involves organizing & consolidating my research from this journey while converting the experience into "talks" to share with young people & potentially some articles. I'm also hoping to add some research/resources to the <a href="http://centerforyouth.org/Encyclopedia.aspx?id=47613">Center for Youth Studies website's "encyclopedia"</a>... so please let me know if you have any ideas or input to expand their world-wide database of information around youth issues, culture, studies, & work . Actually, I encourage people from all backgrounds & cultures to look over the topics ("information", "resources", & "action") to see if & how you may be able to contribute to this free online resource!<br /><br />Please continue to pray for Hope & I as we work through our "re-entry" of being "home". This process will take more time than our actual year-long journey 'round-the-world! We both seek to understand how God desires to use our unique experience and we're trying to keep our hearts in tune with His...continuing to stay open & flexible.Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16044646395498036427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657927107878648356.post-42198405731525612312008-07-05T13:00:00.001-04:002022-12-08T00:18:25.309-05:00reentry<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD9Btb5N7GDKECaLANK3MNCC8SYfPx8kAYqf1zWCGPcAX3BQUH5LSAJa2gPiie41jWpZQBGEDDYSGA6bVDIrdZF_L3a3hIrFTq3XRJTxDtZzgIoXxKX_9PyNcCvtqTO2uXbZNG5OqDLR8/s1600-h/IMG_6027.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5221480185779053170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD9Btb5N7GDKECaLANK3MNCC8SYfPx8kAYqf1zWCGPcAX3BQUH5LSAJa2gPiie41jWpZQBGEDDYSGA6bVDIrdZF_L3a3hIrFTq3XRJTxDtZzgIoXxKX_9PyNcCvtqTO2uXbZNG5OqDLR8/w200-h150/IMG_6027.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px;" width="200" /></a>
After 29 airline flights, about 15 cross-country bus trips, about 8 cross-country train rides, numerous minibuses (of all qualities), taxis, tuk-tuks, auto & manual rickshaws, motorbikes, bicycles, rented & borrowed cars (on the left side of the road), river boats, kayaks, motor boats, charter boats, subways, inner-city buses (some a bit scary), a camper van, the back of pick-ups, and even an elephant... we finally made it home. <div><br /></div><div>One definition of "reentry" is "the return from outer space into the earth's atmosphere of an earth-orbiting satellite, spacecraft, rocket, or<span style="font-style: italic;"> the like.</span>"<a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/reentry">*</a> From this perspective, we are "<span style="font-style: italic;">the like</span>" that has been orbiting the earth, and now we're trying to return to the atmosphere of our home. (Seems extreme, doesn't it.) Well, a new friend in Vancouver pointed out that our "adjustment muscle" has been working all year long, so it should be well-conditioned and ready for just about anything, including reentry. We've been preparing ourselves for reentry for several months, but we find that it's harder coming home than it was adjusting to the shock of new places, people, cultures, traditions, foods, and styles of communication. <div><br /></div><div>Just before our return to North America, a new Fijian friend told us about her challenges with reentry after returning home from extended service overseas. Although she wasn't in the Peace Corps, she shared how the Peace Corps prepares their volunteers for this reentry before they even go into their 2-year assignment. Their "Working Overseas Guide" addresses "Life After the Peace Corps" (section 6), touching on ways to prepare self & family, to deal with "reverse culture shock" & the change of a "new job culture," and to keep linked to your Peace Corps experience.<a href="http://www.peacecorps.gov/multimedia/pdf/employment/working_overseas_guide.pdf">*</a> We're in the midst of figuring this all out on our own... with God's help, of course, and with the support of our blessed parents & eternal Family. </div><div><br /></div><div>For example, my mom read <a href="http://www.missionsresources.com/product/325.htm"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Reentry Team</span></a> by Neal Pirolo before she gave it to us to read in New Zealand. Pirolo describes how the Church tends to avoid the reentry issues that missionaries go through upon their return home. He points out how we like to edit out difficult, faith experiences & instead use "warm, fuzzy" terms(19). There are only a few selective "reentry" programs in place for missionaries, but, generally speaking, very few mission organizations and churches seem to be pro-active about facilitating a smooth reentry process. I have heard of an effective reentry program, including a missionary's kids track, that some friends are participating in as they return to the States after 13 years in Cambodia. Fortunately, as they approach their retirement, our parents feel called to host missionaries on furlough, and their North Carolina home (a.k.a. "Rest & Be Thankful") is a perfect place to listen, nurture, rehearse and promote respite... as they've done with us upon our return home. </div><div><br /></div><div>Hope & I have actively "processed" things throughout our trip (observing, discussing, praying & seeking understanding), and we realize that we need to continue to be intentional about this "processing" as we reenter life here at home. It's especially challenging because finding quiet space is not easy in our family-filled abode... but we are SO thankful for them all at the same time. We especially treasure the quality time with our beautiful 3 1/2-year-old niece, Madilyn.
<br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5gENsxxnjcddOJuwqjmbdueSS0u9yAJBiDzi2t0BdUQ-tmNqpRD9j_SuJuJmtGr_pIY0UuYd3W8im-IPEcaSVwvYW0KZo3-sU5vVsaTuGyyRHTbFbQLBYIYIR5qf1OfKkeezG0UIiPno/s1600-h/IMG_5836.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5221480403749728834" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5gENsxxnjcddOJuwqjmbdueSS0u9yAJBiDzi2t0BdUQ-tmNqpRD9j_SuJuJmtGr_pIY0UuYd3W8im-IPEcaSVwvYW0KZo3-sU5vVsaTuGyyRHTbFbQLBYIYIR5qf1OfKkeezG0UIiPno/w200-h150/IMG_5836.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt;" width="200" /></a>To recap, the last two weeks of our year-long global mission trip adventure were spent in North America, namely in the cities of Vancouver and San Francisco. Vancouver, British Columbia (Canada), is an incredibly beautiful part of God's creation, flavored by an incredible diversity, strewn with people who are passionate about social justice... and not a bad place to reenter the continent. Our hosts, Rachel & Ed, were gracious enough to host us in their one-bedroom apartment for the week, and they even allowed my dear friend Ashley to come visit us from Seattle. Thanks to these old friends, our wonderful reception party lovingly embraced us, and we were able to spend some time processing with each of them. </div><div><br /></div><div>While in Vancouver, we connected with both old & new friends. I originally met Joyce Ress (formerly Heron) nearly 5 years ago when I visited Vancouver to check out Regent College... Have you ever had an immediate, deep connection with someone, finding yourself revealing intimate challenges & significant growth within the first hour of conversation? Joyce is that kind of friend, and we reconnected quickly once again. Our time with her was filled with anointed conversations, full of blessing after blessing. Our timing to reconnect was good as she was on a sabbatical from her role as Executive Director at <a href="http://www.jacobswell.ca/">Jacob's Well</a>, one of the ministries we visited during our time in Vancouver.</div><div><br /></div><div>We spent an afternoon with a <a href="http://www.crmleaders.org/about_us">CRM</a> ministry called <a href="http://www.crmleaders.org/ministries/nieucommunities/regions/vancouver">Nieu Communities</a> -- the same ministry we connected with in Pretoria, South Africa. My friend of 8 years, Amy Wilson-Roberts, directs this intentional, missional & discipleship-driven, community-minded ministry in the Commercial Drive district. She invited us to share our experience with the apprentices & staff, especially in relation to the gift of hospitality. During this divine appointment, everyone asked us very relative and thought-provoking questions.</div><div><br /></div><div>Next, we squeezed in a visit with 2 of my favorite people who were in town for only a couple days between a trip to Cambodia & a trip to the southeast of the States -- Sue & Johnnie Wilson. Sue recently graduated with an Applied Theology degree from Regent, and Johnnie works with CRM as part of the Staff Development & Care Team. They filled the evening with Spiritually-directed questions, and they facilitated some good reflection & processing for us.</div><div><br /></div><div>While in Vancouver, we also spent a couple of evenings with some intentional communities on the east side of downtown. Each neighbor group focuses on relational ministry with the marginalized, and they fight for local & international social justice. We joined the <a href="http://saintchiaracommunity.ca/about.html">Saint Chiara Community</a> one evening, checked out their music-centered after-school program at St. James Anglo-Catholic Church, shared a community meal with them, and let the Spirit lead us through a stimulating discussion with Lane, Jeff & Kathy. One other evening, we shared a meal with <a href="http://www.servantsasia.org/about.asp">Servants to Asia's Urban Poor</a>, and participated in their weekly "Creative World Justice Meeting." With them, we learned about & prayed for the plight of so many of Asia's poor who are caught in the snare of injustice (namely, the wake of the Cyclone amid the evil regime in Myanmar and also <a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=Y6kqvZx1Bzw&feature=related">the slave-like conditions of Singapore's maid trade</a>). Now serving as the International Coordinator for Servants, Craig Greenfield once led an innovative, community project with orphans in Cambodia. Interestingly, after reading my blog, he discovered that we have multiple mutual friends (again part of this 3 degrees of separation with the Faith) and commented, "... as if you have been traveling around the world visiting all our friends!" (in Cambodia, Australia & New Zealand)... I love being a part of making the world a little bit smaller!</div><div><br /><div><img alt="" border="0" height="150" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5221480865773546386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9so118iFAoBtvnyKRuAUZV6nj1mnmALOH3yhf21JyJXpYi5mGOAl6eV8yByKG6EUdJn7A0VKu2UjbZ2Jr9nbpWfJkpnK6s8XdpHURJlavwoGsdhsgqUtk58s5NMkOb3WY7JEGUXgEnQY/w200-h150/IMG_5701.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px;" width="200" />As I mentioned, we visited Jacob's Well, but I have to share the divinely-ordained timing of our visit. Every Thursday morning they come together for a time of worship, and when we came in to join them, we were excitedly greeted by 3 staff who were busily cleaning the kitchen. Apparently, the municipal health inspector called in a surprise visit for that afternoon, so with minimal staff & a lack of volunteers, they sang praises for our "incidental" visit & helping hands. We dove right in, cleaning out cupboards & drawers. We took a break from the cleaning for some anointed worship time and a healthy, spontaneous lunch, seasoned by candid discussion & personal stories.</div><div><br /></div><div>Before the end of the week, we fit in a short yet full visit with Rob & Iona Snair, who have over 20 years experience doing youth work. They lead an amazing & innovative program under Youth for Christ called <a href="http://www.lifeteams.ca/v2/index.html">Lifeteams</a> -- a school of youth outreach filled with "experienced-based, college-credited learning in a soul-shaping environment." They share a vision of discipleship & leadership training that speaks relevantly to post-modern young people.</div><div><br /></div><div>On Sunday, we attended both the <a href="http://www.tenth.ca/">10th Ave. Church</a> & the <a href="http://www.gcbchurch.ca/">Grandview Calvary Baptist</a>. Our new friend from Servants, Kevin, shared his powerful testimony before being baptized through immersion at 10th Ave. It was wonderful to witness his celebration. That evening, we joined the Grandview community of faith in celebrating Refugee Sunday, and we shared stories with some in the community at their fellowship potluck dinner. In between the two services, we squeezed in a short visit with Johannah Wetzel from my home church in North Carolina.</div><div><br /></div><div>Other highlights of our time in Vancouver include reuniting with our new Fijian friend Adriana (up to Squamish & back), hiking with our NC friends Rachel & Ashley in Deep Cove, and checking out Rachel & Ed's amazing community garden plots. Vancouver is a beautiful city, so it's no surprise it rates in the top 3 of the world's most livable cities. I can see why.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now, our official reentry to <span style="font-style: italic;">the States </span>was with our brother Tony & his wife Mardie in the Mission District of San Francisco (not to mention being picked up at the airport from a random old friend, Clancy). "The Mission" was Hope's home for nearly the 3 years just before this year-long trip began, so this visit was the beginning of <span style="font-style: italic;">her </span>true home-coming. Along with spending quality time with Tony & Mardie and catching up with old friends, we visited several communities in the SF area. The first ministry we actually heard about through a new friend in Paarl, South Africa, who used to live in the Bay area. She pointed us to <a href="http://reimagine.org/node/1">ReImagine</a>: "A Center for Life Integration," so we joined them for their Tuesday night "Seven at Seven" gathering. Each of these fellowship gatherings are a unique experience, and this particular night we participated in a gift-giving experiment which involved connecting with the surrounding Mission community by passing out cookies to neighbors. Later, we reflected on this experience of sharing Christ's love through cookies. That evening, we made some new friends, especially Sarah <span class="HcCDpe">Montoya and </span>Amy Ross.</div><div><br /></div><div>We also spent some time with <a href="http://www.crmleaders.org/ministries/innerchange/regions/sf/outer-circle">The Outer Circle</a> community in the Golden Gate Park area and the <a href="http://www.crmleaders.org/ministries/innerchange/regions/sf/communidad-san-dimas">San Dimas</a> Community in the Mission District. Both communities are part of <a href="http://www.crmleaders.org/ministries/innerchange">Innerchange</a> -- another CRM ministry and sisters to the Innerchange groups that we met in Pretoria, South Africa and Phenom Penh, Cambodia. These San Francisco InnerChange teams actively seek bridges between the Church and the Poor, claiming "in the spirit of St. Francis, for whom our city was named, we reach out in true solidarity and friendship with the marginalized, empowered by the love of Jesus. Gang members, drug dealers, 'gutter punks,' and the homeless are our friends, and have been God’s instruments in transforming our lives, even as we seek to be messengers of hope in theirs." It was powerful to hear their stories, witness the Spirit's work through them, and to connect with the apprentices, a couple of summerXchange participants, a staff member, and some of the wanderers/seekers that they journey along side (particularly at one of their weekly pancake breakfasts in the Golden Gate Park).</div><div><br /><div><img alt="" border="0" height="150" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5221482661729696130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxE-iCy16xY9pWG-4I59_YC0aZ-c17RmHNyVBRpmwRxnJRW8InQCQcgHK9P7jJFX6IfF1Zct8oGjLHvtGl-63FlSSTZmEoDscomK_9SoLastgul29sIpRWcEKufnX-B-wuVn_MbYEsdTk/w200-h150/IMG_6002.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt;" width="200" />On Sunday, we worshiped at <a href="http://www.doloresparkchurch.org/about_us.html">Dolores Park Church</a>, joined them for coffee after the service, and met a few formative members of this friendly part of the Body. Later, we joined the <a href="http://churchofthesojourners.wordpress.com/">Church of the Sojourners</a> in the evening for a contemplative, house-church-style worship service centered around community, fellowship, food & praise. One of my favorite parts of their gathering was the intentional time to affirm children & later a time to affirm the adults. What if all churches were sought to dedicate time to affirming one another?</div><div><br /></div><div>We are <span style="font-style: italic;">so </span>thankful for our flavorful reentry & visit to San Francisco, including all the quality time with Tony, Mardie, Rhea, Amy, Clancy, Chris, Leng, Hung, Annie & Megan, not to mention our home-coming party with a special slide show & story-telling presentation. (Tony & Mardie hosted a small gathering for us to present <span style="font-style: italic;">only</span> 20 pictures with specific stories, consolidated to share some of our experience.) Finally, for our very last evening of the trip, Mardie invited us to her cousin's very unique yet "incidentally" quite appropriate storytelling about her journey of faith back to her roots in Judaism. She intertwined her testimony with song & guitar in a creative way... Although I wouldn't share my testimony in the same manner, it gave me some ideas about how to share my own story.<div><br /></div><div><img alt="" border="0" height="150" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5221483218058742034" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0enJVaM4EffEkBi4zisWNd7jinfyMhm8x1-6tNB-3w5OklSwYcDlF8ddvnaIG4JJvbCm6iDoNEFNk6hzjDRG3NQtwPdNe9ooyMMtzdSlqdtnCzKWiu37_zx4OOjEdNJUTvVS4B8Gpinc/w200-h150/IMG_6037.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px;" width="200" />People have shared prophetic words with us throughout our trip, including just the other day -- about how this blessed journey is way bigger than just us... I'm still praying about God's intentions for & expectations of us, specifically how, when & where He plans to use us & our experiences. I know that's His business and that He'll reveal everything in His own time... I'm just continuing to pursue my relationship with my Maker.</div></div></div></div></div>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16044646395498036427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657927107878648356.post-9657908757425944532008-06-16T13:56:00.019-04:002022-12-07T15:52:23.617-05:00sega na leqa"No worries" ("senga na lenga") ... we learned this phrase very quickly at the beginning of our time in Fiji, and it set the tone for the whole visit.
Several times throughout our trip, I've described how we didn't intentionally plan the timing of our travel (with places, events, seasons, etc.), yet I continue to be amazed by how divinely-guided our journey has been. Once again, God surprised us as He prepared us to visit Fiji. We added this South Pacific island to our round-the-world itinerary at the last minute, but we knew then that we had no contacts & no plans there... However, now we have a family there through the Int'l Sports Coalition (one of the divine networks that we've been welcomed into throughout the trip).
While we researched Fiji a bit before our arrival, we had no idea that our year's experience would seem to culminate in just 12 days there... "Fijian time" is like "African time" (relaxed, perpetually late, unclear time-lines)... Fijians love music and blend harmonies like Africans... Fiji even reflects Madagascar's "island culture" a bit (independent, resourceful, and a blend of Polynesian, European, Asian & African ethnicities). There is also a very significant influence from India (culture, religion, food, people). Fiji's beautiful beaches reminded us of the beaches of Thailand (with amazing coral & marine life), except that they're generally more expensive. The in-pouring wealth & influence of "western" nations seem to set the prices of some resorts to well over a thousand dollars a night! Finally, as we discovered in other parts of the world, many Fijians Believers are faced with a significant amount of nominalism & mere "tradition" of a high percentage of "Christians" in this culture.
I'm extremely thankful that God designed our trip so that, before heading back to North America, we would be re-immersed in a non-"western" culture... where poverty is evident, family is highly-valued, faith is tangible, and our comfort zones were stretched once again. We had to smile when we first arrived in Nadi and a woman addressed our questions/concerns about logistics with "Just relax... you're in Fiji now... sega na leqa."
God's lessons "not to worry" continued throughout our visit in Fiji, and we found ourselves letting go (once again) of "western" concepts of time (restraints & schedules), especially as we began to stress about planning our "island get away" for a couple nights to an outer island somewhere... God broke us of that anxiety and opened a door through our "Fijian mother" and friend, Selina, who graciously helped us plan a low-budget visit to Mana Island. She also connected us with her 2 friends that work there: the manager of the backpackers that we'd looked into originally and the youth activities coordinator of a nearby exclusive resort. Through her, God provided an island experience within our budget AND connected us with an amazing yet small community/family of Fijian Believers while we were there... He never ceases to amaze me.
We spent our last morning in Fiji at Selina's church community which has a HUGE children's program. Again, God convicted me of my habit of worrying. The theme verse for the youth service was Matthew 6:25, ""Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear..." When they asked us to share, I had to admit my weakness to these young people, and I encouraged them to <em>really </em>trust the Lord... He <em>will </em>provide... just as He has for us throughout this entire trip... more than I could ever imagine!
So, to recap our time in Fiji, I'll start from the beginning... Arriving in Nadi the evening of July 3rd, we were welcomed with the smiling face & huge hug of Selina Sarasau. We were pretty sure that she'd be there, but we hadn't received confirmation before leaving Sydney. It was such a blessing to be greeted so warmly!
The very next day, we got on a bus to Suva (Fiji's largest city with about 400,000 living in this west coast metrolpolis of the main island, Viti Levu). After a beautiful 4-hour bus ride around the south side of the island, we arrived and were greeted by our friend Tom Tiko & his mom, Ula. The Tiko family graciously hosted us for our 5 days in Suva -- housing us, feeding us, letting us hitch rides with them, helping us connect with ministries, and including us in their family celebrations. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnb9xj5kfKvIkeQCl-X7CnF42gyVthTwY1kHJy8Qimc5FBYWXUpXuWdRHMwi-08qZ6MRl3NO0koh87w8A6gE6LwJwhvbqpftEA6ZxlVhah2zrpGeb3VUCTBEhB2FYzTBablta24y7xZU0/s1600-h/IMG_5111.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5213364739909557330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnb9xj5kfKvIkeQCl-X7CnF42gyVthTwY1kHJy8Qimc5FBYWXUpXuWdRHMwi-08qZ6MRl3NO0koh87w8A6gE6LwJwhvbqpftEA6ZxlVhah2zrpGeb3VUCTBEhB2FYzTBablta24y7xZU0/w200-h150/IMG_5111.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;" width="200" /></a>Tom also introduced us to Caleb Ludwig, the Director of Student Life at the Univ. of the South Pacific. (Like the Student Life that we connected with in Christchurch, New Zealand, this chapter of Student Life is an extension of Campus Crusade for Christ.) Caleb invited us to share at their end-of-term, student-led meeting, and we played a couple short "pairs" games before telling them a bit about our journey together, siting Mark 6. Shortly before this meeting, Caleb also introduced us to the Campus Crusade staff, including Jeff & Jennifer Lauer, who spontaneously invited us over for dinner & fellowship.
Also, while in Suva, we met up with Captain Kesoni & Merewalesi Qoriniasi from The Salvation Army, and we got to hear a bit of their story in serving for the past 3 years as Corps officers with the <a href="http://www.salvationarmy.org.nz/SITE_Default/SITE_about/corps/corps_fj.asp#0-11">Suva Central Corps</a> (church) that shares the campus of Fiji's TSA District Head Quarters. We got connected with them through their family friend (& our new friend) Darren Frazer from TSA-Winton, New Zealand.
That Friday night, we joined Tom & his fellow youth leader Lucy for a visit to Pacific Harbor (on the south coast of Viti Levu). After arriving a bit late ("Fiji time"), we joined a group of about 20 youth and were invited to share some of our experience... so I did it through my recreational/experiential-education style with an activity I call "Who are you listening to?" (one we've done a number of times throughout the trip). It'd been a little while since we'd been asked to lead activities for a youth group, so it was a lot of fun!
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOoCjhthUNtmJxmAz6l6MfVOfEt7ktq855vlRSuLQGIEq9W5PLFR6ytRNirdKWsoe-VShh8EJ3Mdskw-N0atrairaun85_fkaYCKjU1O99sXyAQnhy1KAqOvWQcUVjCxp4EHhm1yWUNZQ/s1600-h/IMG_5165.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5213363763311693010" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOoCjhthUNtmJxmAz6l6MfVOfEt7ktq855vlRSuLQGIEq9W5PLFR6ytRNirdKWsoe-VShh8EJ3Mdskw-N0atrairaun85_fkaYCKjU1O99sXyAQnhy1KAqOvWQcUVjCxp4EHhm1yWUNZQ/w200-h150/IMG_5165.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" width="200" /></a>
Saturday, we ventured into the Colo-i-Suva Forest Park -- a incredible, tropical rain forest with heavenly pools & waterfalls to swim in. Even there, God protected us... You see, both our hosts <em>and </em>the local park services guy warned us not to bring valuables due to the few muggings of the past there, but God provided an angel to go with us & keep us safe... Surprisingly, he came in the form of a new Western Australian friend named Mark. All along the way, we were amazed at God's creation and sang His praises all day long!
That first Sunday, we worshipped with two very different communities of faith. The first was with another friend from the ACE conference, Pastor Joe Mateiwai, who leads a Christian Outreach Center congregation called CenterPoint Church. This lively & spirit-filled service was held in their newly-acquired warehouse-type space, which now allows their congregation more room for growth & development. During the service, Pastor Joe spontaneously invited us to share in front of the entire congregation and later to meet with some of the young people from his church in the afternoon. After sharing with them, we attended our second worship service of the day... at the Tiko's church, <a href="http://wesleychurchcitymission.cabanova.com/">Wesley City Mission Church</a>, where we met several people including 2 women connected to YWAM-Fiji.
On Monday, we traveled back over to Nadi (on the west coast of Viti Levu), where we were embraced by Selina, her daughter (Tamarisi) and granddaughter/namesake (Selina). Immediately, we joined them in a fellowship/appreciation dinner for some leaders of their recent "Family Day" program. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRv0vOcjr71aCP-JcxxfjS5PAwPS799cV3w3wkWIQ8HF_sfMZHFfi7hb9-IwfOSy-_JXzu-PE-OAh8aIRWny4qeYa0MlkAv2VbvzBRTZ766eIlBsowQ4Sr6KM_J89rPPMZE6K25V6kzm0/s1600-h/IMG_5348.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5213365859129150146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRv0vOcjr71aCP-JcxxfjS5PAwPS799cV3w3wkWIQ8HF_sfMZHFfi7hb9-IwfOSy-_JXzu-PE-OAh8aIRWny4qeYa0MlkAv2VbvzBRTZ766eIlBsowQ4Sr6KM_J89rPPMZE6K25V6kzm0/w200-h150/IMG_5348.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;" width="200" /></a>Tuesday, we set off for our relaxing, 2-day "get away" Mana Island (mentioned above). We spent the days exploring the island -- from the 360-view mountain top to the coral-rich waters off the coast. Each evening, we spent in fellowship with local Believers who worked in the exclusive resort next door to our backpackers. Our new friend, Tu Villi graciously introduced us to his colleagues, friends and Family. In fact, one night Tu Villi & other Brothers serenaded us with beautiful harmonies of praise songs... amazing!
Back in Nadi, we reconnected with Tom Tiko's older sister, Adrianna, who took us out to Port Denarau and who we hope to catch up with in Vancouver as well. (She's a pilot for Air Pacific.) Then we went up to Lautoka for a day trip to stop by The Salvation Army and then YWAM. First, we met up with Capt. Ulamila "Mila" Vakawalebua from TSA in Lautoka (another friend of Darren Frazer from New Zealand). Although our visit with them was brief, we met her commanding officer, helped to "send off" their youth leaving for a Youth Councils retreat, and got to hear some of Mila's story & call to TSA. Then, we visited the <a href="http://ptcfiji.com/index.html">Personal Transformation Center</a> associated with YWAM, and we met Tress, Tina and a few others there. They are about to begin their first Biblical Counseling training course in July, so say a prayer for them!
Friday night, we were invited to lead the youth group meeting at <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaoY7HJdWElC1A5Vn4bXPMutKnKKpoTDDYNT34h0ooWEhkh59PzyhChleSICsd5sTL9kG_Xo22YXZIwOV3MdFuKQCImHdKymnRtwgiwTMFlPwUOlMq7zME3q204BSZJHohx2KlPyYs1BA/s1600-h/IMG_5504.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5213367117865715682" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaoY7HJdWElC1A5Vn4bXPMutKnKKpoTDDYNT34h0ooWEhkh59PzyhChleSICsd5sTL9kG_Xo22YXZIwOV3MdFuKQCImHdKymnRtwgiwTMFlPwUOlMq7zME3q204BSZJHohx2KlPyYs1BA/w200-h150/IMG_5504.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" width="200" /></a>Selina's church (the International Full Gospel Tabernacle Church). The gathering included nearly 80 young people ages 14 to 30+, and I managaed to successfully facilate 2 games & the "Who are you listening to?" activity, incorporating scripture & a bit of our story. It was so wonderful to share in such an interactive way with young people again, just like I did a lot in Africa & India. The evening was annointed by the Spirit, and the young people really seemed to hear God's voice through me... which is something I continue to give thanks for.
Before leaving Fiji, we squeezed in a few more authentic local experiences, including getting some Fijian dresses or "chombras" tailored (thanks to Tamarisi's help), exploring the Garden of the Sleeping Giant (with the younger Selina & our new friend Joe), and eating lots of authentic Fijian food like "palusami" (coconut milk-curd mixture wrapped in taro leaves) & "kakoda" (a raw fish/coconut milk dish with a little spice).
Finally, Sunday, June 15th was the longest yet shortest day of our trip -- boarding a plane in Nadi at 3:15 pm and then landing in Vancouver at 2pm the same day. We began the day in worship at the English service (8:30am) at Selina's church, which was followed by Sunday school for all ages and then a youth service for school-age youth while the Fijian service was going on for the adults. It was a packed morning! Afterward, we ran home to freshen up & grab our bags, and then our new friend, Eroni, joined us at the airport to send us off. When we met Eroni at the youth night on Friday, he shared his passionate story & call to work in spreading the Gospel & discipling new Believers in remote villages in the interior of Fiji. We said our goodbyes to him & our "Fijian family" through a group prayer -- praying over Eroni, being prayed over by Selina, and thanking God for His work through the three of us.
It's strange to be back in North America after 11 1/2 months. Fortunately, I'm currently reading a book my mom gave me about re-entry. It's written for missionaries' care/support teams (neither of which I have exactly, other than a few individual Believers) to learn & understand how to encourage & facilitate a healthy re-entry process for the missionaries they commissioned & sent out. I realize now that Hope & I will need to keep each other "in check," hold each other accountable, and support each other through the re-entry process... in hopes of avoiding shock, cynicism, detatchment, and/or avoidance. This incredible journey has effected us both in ways that many won't understand or take time to try to understand... But that's okay. Our Heavenly Father understands, and He will continue to shape our character to be more & more Christ-like through all types of experiences.
We're thankful & continue to be amazed by our extended eternal family all over the world, especially as we're connecting with such incredible Believers & friends here in Vancouver... But I'll save that for the next blog entry.Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16044646395498036427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657927107878648356.post-88380301407876696672008-06-03T08:08:00.001-04:002022-12-07T15:52:50.899-05:00what's your coping mechanism?<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/hdeifell/Australia/photo#5207287131306291954" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5201680143021655186" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/hdeifell/SEQADnj5cvI/AAAAAAAAFbA/-Nf_ClvU8E4/w200-h150/IMG_4710.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px;" width="200" /></a><div>Just the other day in Brisbane, we met with our wonderful friend Clayton Fergie, who we met at the sports ministry conference in Thailand with the International Sports Coalition (ISC). We were eager to reconnect & “process” our trip with Clayton, because he is very progressive & well experienced as the International Youth Coordinator for Scripture Union. Meanwhile, he was eager to meet with us, too, because he wanted to discuss the issues that we’ve seen are common to youth from the places we’ve visited around the world. Upon reflection, we touched on some of the same issues I wrote about in my last post: the void of contentment, the lack of foresight, the “escapism” found within youth culture. Clayton perceptively used the term “coping mechanisms” in reference to the many ways young people try to deal with the quickly changing world around them. I appreciate his observation.
We are on the cusp of a major turning point in history. With the invention of the printing press came the Enlightenment period, which carried individualism, free speech & modernization to the masses, among other things. I often wonder what this Information age will bring to the world or how the invention of the Internet will define it (or us, for that matter).</div>
<div>Young people today are dealing with a world that is changing at an extraordinary rate. Generations are changing within years, not decades (e.g. from the information sharing “web1” to the cyber communities of the “web2” culture). Young people from all corners of the earth are being fed the same information, often through the “western eyes” of “globalization”. The family nucleus is breaking down, in part due to the individualism & consumerism from the “western” world.</div>
<div>Youth are thirsty for community, and they’ll find it however they can: gangs, cyber networks, sexual relationships, etc. They want to have a sense of belonging in something… even if it’s illegal. </div>
<div>That’s why mere “programs” don’t work anymore. This generation is all about relationships. I’ve heard so many progressive leaders in the Body throughout Australia talk about “meeting people where there at.” This means getting out of church buildings and be intentionally engaged with the community around, for example through sports, the arts, schools, etc. Why is this so hard for the Church? Why do Christians stay in an isolated bubble or island away from the world? Jesus & the disciples engaged with people in the market place, in homes, around dinner tables, in the fields, and in the temples. Jesus could have become an Essene, who are characterized by isolated communities, but He didn’t.</div>
<div>Also just the other day, we met with a pastor of young adults (imagine that, I wish all churches had someone specifically serving young adults that way), and he pointed out the lack of discipleship within the Church. In fact, as we’ve been back in the “western” world, I’ve noticed that many other leaders share this opinion. We’re so focused on the conversion experience while we should be concerned about coming along side people as support in their “journey” or walk with the Lord. It’s not a matter of being “in” or “out” of the circle of Believers. Life is a journey of faith that’s not a straight line… it’s often diverging from the assumed direct path, looping around, going backwards at times, or even in circles… We just need to continue encouraging people to move towards Jesus, through our words and actions. That’s what mentoring is all about. Everyone needs to mentor, be mentored, or even better… both! That’s the best thing you can do for this young generation: walk along side someone, respectfully redirect them, consistently support them, carefully encourage them, and unconditionally love them.
As we go into our last month of this incredible journey of faith, we are leaving the “developed” or “western” world one more time to go to Fiji -- a beautiful part of Creation that is really struggling with a dichotomy of wealth and a tension between ethnicities. We look forward to our time there -- visiting with ISC friends, getting an authentic taste of Fijian culture, and hopefully taking a couple days to relax before we re-enter North America.</div>
<div>In these last few weeks, we have met so many incredible people of faith around the Brisbane & Sydney area. Terry Williams, another <a href="http://www.suqld.org.au/home/">Scripture Union</a>/ISC family member, greeted us at the airport & surprised us with unknown hosts for our first week in Brisbane: Owen & Gay Riley. The Riley’s are incredibly kind, hospitable & creative, and they are passionate about children’s education, particularly with Religious Education (RE), <a href="http://www.childsafetyaustralia.com.au/intro.htm">Child Safety </a>& <a href="http://www.kidsgames.com/">Kids Games</a>. During our first week, we met up several amazing people. Sarah Coleman is a young, vibrant woman gifted in working with young people in various ways, most recently with the <a href="http://redfrogs.com.au/hotelchaplaincy/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=13&Itemid=27">“Red Frog”</a> project, as well as writing books including <span style="font-style: italic;">Single, Christian Female</span>. We also spent an afternoon with the crew at <a href="http://www.yacmu.com.au/modules.php?name=Topics">YACMU</a> (Youth and Children’s Ministry Unit): Paul Yarrow, Michael Jeffery, Tom Kerr, & Colleen Castray, not to mention the numerous “drop-in” visitors who added to our conversations. The discussion was very engaged and filled with pointed questions, intentional reflection, encouraged processing of our experiences, & their keen observations of Australian youth issues. We squeezed in a lunch with Paul Catchlove to gain perspective of the youth work happening in the <a href="http://bne.catholic.net.au/asp/index.asp?pgid=11441">Catholic Diocese in Brisbane</a>.</div><div> </div>
<div>Over the weekend, we joined Scripture Union for an all-day training for <a href="http://www.suqld.org.au/camps/index.php?page=4">"Camp"</a> Directors on Saturday. Camps in Australia are best described as conference/retreats like we have in the States. We were thankful to gain perspective to the holistic approach of Scripture Union in complementing camps with school chaplaincy & community outreach. Our first Sunday in Brisbane we worshiped with the Riley's at <a href="http://www.loganuc.unitingchurch.org.au/">Logan Uniting Church</a>, an engaging service with a strong community focus, and later that day with Colleen Castray & her family at the youth service held at The Redeemer Anglican School.</div><div> </div>
<div>Early Tuesday morning we switched modes, saying goodbye to the Riley's then spending much of the day at the Scripture Union office north of the city. We squeezed in a bit of time with Wendy Strachan, SU's International Primary Coordinator, before she flew off to Europe & the U.S. to facilitate trainings. She generously lent us her car & apartment while she was gone! We also spent some valuable time with Brad Suosaari (Chaplaincy Manager) & Steve Forward (Chaplaincy Development Consultant) who have extensive experience with the <a href="http://www.suqld.org.au/chaplaincy/index.php">chaplaincy program in Queensland</a> and now lead this innovative program nation-wide. As an American involved in ministry with youth, I had to wipe my envious drool as I learned about this incredible opportunity: for the Church in Australia to minister to youth culture by placing Christians into public schools to facilitate RE and pastoral care for students of all ages! The next day at SU, we shared out testimonies at their weekly all-staff "Engage" meeting, and then Francis Kneebone & Malcolm Brown coaxed us into doing a podcast for their <a href="http://www.suqld.org.au/training/index.php">Youth Ministry Internship Scheme</a> (YMIS) website... another empowering training program. On Friday, we had an informative lunch with Mick Cross, a YMIS graduate & gifted visionary, who had spearheaded some unique youth programs around the Brisbane area & now leads the <a href="http://www.vetamorphus.com/">Vetamorphus</a> program which trains high-school-aged, Christian, youth leaders for vocational education credit in school.
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/hdeifell/Australia/photo#5207287629522498530" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5201680143021655186" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/hdeifell/SEQAgnj5c-I/AAAAAAAAFc8/26YzYyQUaDQ/w200-h150/IMG_4840.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px;" width="200" /></a>We also connected with some incredibly innovative, incarnational, community-centered ministries/networks like <a href="http://www.forge.org.au/index.php/2006062628/FORGE/Forge-Australia-Info/About.html">Forge</a> & <a href="http://www.waitersunion.org/aboutus.htm">Waiters Union</a>. Through our New Zealand friend, Lloyd Martin, as well as our new friends at Scripture Union, we visited with an incredible family affiliated with Forge... Steve & Felicity Turner & "company". We are so thankful to have a couple days with these wonderfully receptive, hospitable, & encouraging folks up on the Sunshine Coast. Back in Brisbane, we joined members of the Waiters Union at <a href="http://www.waitersunion.org/hope.htm">Project Hope</a>, <a href="http://www.westendnetwork.com/content/view/12/26/">Black Star Coffee</a>, & then their unique "<a href="http://www.waitersunion.org/activites.htm">community fellowship</a>". The founders of this amazing network, <a href="http://www.daveandrews.com.au/">Dave & Angie Andrews</a>, graciously met with us over a "cuppa" (hot tea), offering their humble perspectives on community development.
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/hdeifell/Australia/photo#5207287702536942626" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5201682531023471778" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/hdeifell/SEQAk3j5dCI/AAAAAAAAFdc/_77IspZ0UU4/w200-h150/IMG_4866.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt;" width="200" /></a>We took a quick trip down to the Gold Coast to visit the brother (Junior) & extended family of a new friend of ours from Auckland (originally Samoa), and to joyfully celebrate the beautiful baptism of their 8-month-old son. Our short time with their family was a very blessed preface to our Pacific Islander experience, because they shared their Samoan traditions, food & warm hospitality with us... Once back in Brisbane, we also connected with another Samoan (Josephine Aufai) and "shadowed" her as a <a href="http://www.suqld.org.au/chaplaincy/">SU school chaplain</a> at Woodridge State High School -- an area known as "the Bronx" of Brisbane. Although this school was wonderfully diverse, it was much more equipped & immaculate than a school in the Bronx would be. After our time with Junior & Leah's family and then our engaging conversation with Josephine, we decided we definitely needed to visit Samoa on our next trip to the South Pacific.
Before leaving Brisbane, we managed to fit in a number of other fulfilling visits with folks. We joined Owen Riley to help him lead a Primary school class in (Christian) Religious Education. We spent a morning discussing international youth trends & issues with Clayton Fergie (mentioned above). We visited the community-focused <a href="http://www.goywam.com/nav/aboutus">YWAM-Go Centre</a> where we gained incredible perspective from Director Dave Neibling & International YWAM staffer Jim Nightingale. Over this last week in Queensland, we were hosted by the wonderfully hospitable & extremely generous Terry & Marg Williams.
As you can notice, our time in Brisbane filled up so quickly, and we praise God for saturating us with His body of believers, who opened their supportive arms to embrace & encourage us. While there, we <span style="font-style: italic;">did </span>schedule some time for seeing a few sights around Brisbane with Hope's exchange student friend, Cate, who took us to Mount Tamborine, the <a href="http://www.brisbanepowerhouse.org/">PowerHouse</a> in New Farm, China Town & finally "the Valley" for a great funk show. We also joined our new friend Colleen & her wonderful kids for dessert up atop Mount Coottha to see the city by night.
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/hdeifell/Australia/photo#5207288076199097618" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5201680143021655186" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/hdeifell/SEQA6nj5dRI/AAAAAAAAFfY/Hf9A-_V5zHs/w200-h150/IMG_5044.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px;" width="200" /></a>We spent our last 5 days in Australia back in Sydney where we were graciously hosted by Sue & Aaron in Maroubra, Tara Toohill in Glebe, & by Pamela (Ivan's Rotary Colleague) in Black Town... all very different parts of Sydney! We also connected with the <a href="http://www.baptistyouthministries.org.au/about/">Baptist Youth Ministries</a>' Pip Almond & Andrew Palmer, who facilitate an innovative "gap year" program called PLUNGE. We served at a fund-raising event for the <a href="http://logosdor.com/">Logosdor</a> crew (including our ISC friends, Simon Hood & Ivan Kelly), which is producing some incredibly creative ministry tools available on-line for free! We attended the concert-like <a href="http://www2.hillsong.com/default.asp">Hillsong</a> evening youth service on Sunday. We met up with Peter Clarke, who has a wonderful perspective on youth culture within the Postmodern context (the young adults pastor mentioned above). We also managed to stroll along the coast at Coogee where we caught a glimpse of whales migrating north. We shared tapas with new & old friends in the city. We checked out the incredibly diverse Black Town festival & parade, and we spent a day on the Sydney Harbor with Ivan Kelly, his son & grandson. Finally, I reconnected with my former host sister, Shelly Dowling, who is part of our family of faith as well.
Our time around southeastern Australia was rich with so many relational experiences whether through reconnecting with old friends (from our Rotary exchange years, our affiliations through family, & our travels around the globe) or making new friends through ministry connections/families & friends of friends. It's funny how I began this blog entry focused on the need for relational ministries, and now I sum up our time in Australia as relational. I wonder how the Church would be perceived, if our focus shifted more toward relationships & community, rather than buildings & programs...
We are now in Fiji... it's wonderful to be back out of our comfort zones! Not long before we're home though... please keep our re-entry in your prayers.
</div>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16044646395498036427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657927107878648356.post-60670642388242087532008-05-16T08:00:00.012-04:002022-12-07T15:53:15.774-05:00the void of contentment among youth<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv40ZNohJRJYJS7IGm9Q0AQLXmpKnnumtuEcZdlJANcXWaESZeNj6E2YsCpu-RtwrbXmFtovSSElf_qTCo6GUuAt6loxZni5xAqtEKxikHPI44BWHGC7wDdPOzht1bcuL43GYsWRLQmgI/s1600-h/IMG_3817.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5201680143021655186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv40ZNohJRJYJS7IGm9Q0AQLXmpKnnumtuEcZdlJANcXWaESZeNj6E2YsCpu-RtwrbXmFtovSSElf_qTCo6GUuAt6loxZni5xAqtEKxikHPI44BWHGC7wDdPOzht1bcuL43GYsWRLQmgI/w200-h150/IMG_3817.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px;" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia;">I came to <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Australia</st1:place></st1:country-region> for the first time in 1991 as a Rotary exchange student at the age of 17. (That’s half my life-time ago. It's strange to revisit a place where I only have adolescent memories.) In Rotary, I lived with 3 families & attended "college" (year 11 & 12), even though I’d already finished high school in the States (it’s called a “gap year”). This year marked the beginning of my independent, adventurous, outgoing nature.</span> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">I have to be h</span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">onest… unfortunately I don't remember a whole lot... only a few places and some significant people. 1991/92 was pre-email so I haven't kept up with very many people. The little bit I <i>do</i> remember conjures up nostalgia as well as some discontentment. I bet most of us could say that when we look back to our adolescent years. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Recently I’ve found myself reflecting on what’s happened in my life over the past 17 years since my last visit — university, relationships, jobs, moving around, traveling, community, deaths, marriages, births. I've changed a lot since I was in <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Australia</st1:place></st1:country-region> last... thank goodness! I guess most people hope their lives don't look the same as it did in adolescence. (Wouldn't that be scary?!) <span style="font-size: 0px;"></span>Hind-sight is 20/20, so <i>now</i> I can see how God worked through many people & experiences to draw me to Him in a personal way.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">As one who adores working with young people, how do I express & inspire youth to have foresight in their decision-making? Moreover, how do I encourage & communicate to youth the importance</span><span style="font-family: Georgia;"> of long-term, forward, eternal thinking? Youth live for the here & now... as did I while “partying away” my high school career. This "gap" year spent in Australi</span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">a was one of many turning points... not because I wised up to the “sloppiness” of partying, but because I got fed up with trying to fill the thirst in my heart with substances that attempted to let me escape from reality. When I returned to the <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">US</st1:place></st1:country-region> after that year, my priorities changed which helped me to get much more out of my university experience. Unfortunately, that doesn't happen to every youth. Some have to hit rock bottom before they can start to <span style="font-size: 0px;"></span>put things into perspective.
</span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">One of the biggest issues for youth in the “developed” world is the lure of drugs & alcohol… but why? Maybe the youth of undeveloped countries don't have the financial resources that youth in developed countries have to pour into these lifestyle choices. Maybe the issues of youth in undeveloped countries are more life & death (poverty, AIDS, crime... cyclones & earthquakes). Maybe the structures of community & family play much stronger roles in the undeveloped world. Or maybe it’s a cultural issue. <span style="font-size: 0px;"></span>Both <st1:country-region st="on"></st1:country-region></span><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><st1:country-region st="on">Australia</st1:country-region> & <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">New Zealand</st1:place></st1:country-region> are known to be “drinking cultures” so, naturally, binge drinking has become a huge problem here (& not just among youth). Why do they go to this extreme with both alcohol and hard drugs? Is it cultural, escapism or peer pressure?<span style="font-size: 0px;"> </span>I learned that the son of a family I spent a lot of time with back in '91/'92 lost their son to a heroin overdose… so this issue pierces my heart. Maybe these issues arise among youth in the developed world because they tend to be so egocentric and seemingly invincible that they don't think outside their little world or realize how they affect those</span><span style="font-family: Georgia;"> around them. Maybe they</span><span style="font-family: Georgia;"> are attempting to fill the void of contentment that they don’t realize only Christ can fill.
I wish I had an answer for these youth. I know it's good for them to take any opportunity to branch out of their little world & gain some global perspective, but that doesn't mean they have to travel internationally. It could mean just going "across the tracks," to the "west-side," or even to the other side of the lunch room… but how realistic is that? How often do you see a young person seeking to get completely out of their comfort zone (which always involves a bit of fear)? It's rare. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">I'm thankful that over the last couple weeks, my <i>worry</i> about knowing God’s plan for the future has turned into <i>wonder</i></span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">. But just the other day Hope & I read a devotion which challenged us to desire & pray to be <i>surprised</i> by God. My prayers have changed.<span style="font-size: 0px;"> </span>I know He wants me to point youth to His Son as the answer for contentment, but how will God use me? Surprise me, God!
</span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Since my last post, we've visited <st1:city st="on">Sydney</st1:city>, <st1:city st="on">Canberra</st1:city>, <st1:city st="on">Melbourne</st1:city>, the <st1:address st="on"><st1:street st="on">Great Ocean Road</st1:street>, <st1:city st="on">Adelaide</st1:city></st1:address>, and as of now <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Brisbane</st1:place></st1:city>. <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Sydney</st1:place></st1:city> is yet another big city, although centered on a beautiful harbor. Our precious hostess Rosemaree Knight, who we met at the Int'l Sports Coalition (ISC) ACE Conferenc</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipAlLArZpQ8oZ9wMjww28tKhTkXRPwJTB5c_p_xRJfaG6HQV2axHLB6gjYK8GN6UHknCL4nLh7w1Sk3wp74LWQtyMaBYdufFogb_JlmbqBcbdGuE3xlrTL4hcMeWC0Q181E4nkCEkrttM/s1600-h/IMG_3664.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" height="200" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5201682531023471778" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipAlLArZpQ8oZ9wMjww28tKhTkXRPwJTB5c_p_xRJfaG6HQV2axHLB6gjYK8GN6UHknCL4nLh7w1Sk3wp74LWQtyMaBYdufFogb_JlmbqBcbdGuE3xlrTL4hcMeWC0Q181E4nkCEkrttM/w150-h200/IMG_3664.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt;" width="150" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia;">e in <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Thailand</st1:place></st1:country-region>, poured out nurturing love & support for us. Her call & gift is in</span><span style="font-family: Georgia;"> networking, and she does it well. While in <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Sydney</st1:place></st1:city>, we </span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">reconnected with another ISC friend, Ivan Kelley, who has an extensive backgroun</span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">d with unemployment programs with The Salvation Army (TSA) & youth </span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">work in local/regional Corps. He facilitated our visit with TSA's <a href="http://oasis.salvos.org.au/sydney/what_we_do.htm">Oasis Youth Support Network</a> program which holistically addresses the huge homeless issue in <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Sydney</st1:place></st1:city>. Ivan also helped us reconnect with Simon Hood, a humble visionary who we also met at the ACE Conference. Simon plays a critical role in the <span style="font-size: 0px;"></span>training & development of Global Community Games (Kids Games) and serves as the Creative Director of <a href="http://www.logosdor.com/">Logosdor</a> —"an innovative production house providing you with complete creative solutions globally" & a "cutting edge creativity for the children of the world"— with an abundance of free resources... check it out!! Finally, we also connected with the <a href="http://www.islandbreezesydney.org/">YWAM-Island Breeze</a> base DTS (<st1:placename st="on">Decipleship</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">Training School</st1:placetype>) and with the <a href="http://www.wesleymission.org.au/About/?ct_from=n">Wesley Mission</a> which "ministers to a community with real needs" in downtown <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Sydney</st1:place></st1:city>.
Next on our itinerary: visiting my old stomping grounds as a Rotary student — <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Canberra</st1:place></st1:city>. It was quite an experience to revisit the Tuggeranong community & to reconnect with several old</span><span style="font-family: Georgia;"> friends in the area (Pete, Ian & new wife Cat, Jennie & family, Roxana & Pam for me, a</span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">nd Lian for Hope). While there, I squeezed in a visit with Major David Terracini & The Salvation Army... "doing the most good" in the southern part of <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Canberra</st1:place></st1:city> including effective work with youth.
</span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Moving further south, we found that ministry in <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Melbourne</st1:place></st1:city></span><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on"></st1:place></st1:city> is filled with </span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">innovative u</span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">rban work. </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhul_gS17ZjeZDwfWlOpsEi6qT5qolJrvct231JVafygBRysNoKV73n4PvKBTvSlb2WH6mTha8Sh8UQTvS7Z9xUR1awlTck5-3Uw9y4EF22rcrZsGiRBZQafssDyGKJSvtxeyOjBnLs2RA/s1600-h/IMG_4134.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" height="200" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5201700621425722562" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhul_gS17ZjeZDwfWlOpsEi6qT5qolJrvct231JVafygBRysNoKV73n4PvKBTvSlb2WH6mTha8Sh8UQTvS7Z9xUR1awlTck5-3Uw9y4EF22rcrZsGiRBZQafssDyGKJSvtxeyOjBnLs2RA/w150-h200/IMG_4134.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px;" width="150" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia;">We loved connecting with the <a href="http://www.urbanseed.org">Urban Seed</a> community which includes staff, volunteers, educators, students, homeless, & even the upper class from the surrounding businesses... relationships, <a href="http://www.seeds.org.au/AboutUs.aspx">conversation</a>, communal meals, "engaging faith, community, & culture", and planting as well as harvesting of “seeds” in a variety of forms (school programs, city</span><span style="font-family: Georgia;"> walks, residential community, advocacy, etc.) I'm so thankful for these recent exposures/opportunities to learn about “incarnational” ministry (blending social justice with relational work) in both Australia & New <st1:place st="on">Zealand</st1:place>... and I wonder if it's a part of God's desires for me in the future.</span>
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We also checked out <a href="http://www.salvationarmy.org.au/SALV/LANDING/PC_60798.html">The Salvation Army's "614" </a>program in the city and found that it takes a different approach to urban ministry than the "614" program in Wellington, NZ. <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Melbourne</st1:place></st1:city>’s "614" focuses on serving the homeless, both young & old, and opens the doors of its community center which brings in all walks of life in the city. Thankfully, Brad Ellis spent some of h</span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">is valuable time to show us around and to tell us about a number of the Corps’ programs, including a double-decker-bus youth program, similar to our friend Darren Frazer from the south <st1:place st="on"><st1:placetype st="on">island</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename st="on">NZ</st1:placename></st1:place>.
Before leaving <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Melbourne</st1:place></st1:city>, we managed to squeeze in visits with three other ministries. <span style="font-size: 0px;"></span>We met up with Jeremy Dover, a youth pastor with a passion for chaplaincy as an effective form of sports ministry. <a href="http://www.sportschaplaincy.com.au/about.htm">Sports Chaplaincy Australia</a> has grown quite extensive over the last decade in this sports-crazed country. We spent a little time with Samara, our new friend from Urban Seed, and learned about the incarnational/communal outreach called the <a href="http://morepraxis.org.au/?p=43">Indigenous Hospitality House</a>. We talked with a few in the community who feel called to practice the gift of hospitality toward Aborigines in need of short-term housing while in Melbourne for medical visits. Finally, we also worshiped at <a href="http://www.stjudes.org.au/index.php?id=4">St. Jude's Anglican Church</a> during their "workers" service Sunday evening. This family of faith understands & seeks to meet the needs of young adults (a group often neglected by the Church), because they “believe there is a real need for people at this stage of life – a time when real life tests the ideals of University teaching.” <o:p></o:p>
Overall all, our time in Melbourne was great. We really enjoyed the city, the culture and the community. We were especially blessed by the company (& generous hospitality) of s</span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">ome wonderful friends (<i>Brendan</i> & Belinda, their respective families, <i>Cormac</i><i> & <span style="font-size: 0px;">Catherine</span></i> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">–</span><span style="font-family: Georgia;"> <i>Hope’s</i> <i>former fellow exchange friends in Brazil</i>, & Asher-who we met in</span><span style="font-family: Georgia;"> Laos). </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh31xspsRSgOyigfXAybltonCkLSPE8CiHnSYEHdy0dmZtyi5p4PCcHkosX8qlqmuvNhBLk8FW9h2AgJlmSquazpcY-scHuHhIAHToOzQJCV4WDqayYTMY4Sm29ryHv3vA81SONt6ka_-c/s1600-h/IMG_4365.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5201692534002304178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh31xspsRSgOyigfXAybltonCkLSPE8CiHnSYEHdy0dmZtyi5p4PCcHkosX8qlqmuvNhBLk8FW9h2AgJlmSquazpcY-scHuHhIAHToOzQJCV4WDqayYTMY4Sm29ryHv3vA81SONt6ka_-c/w200-h150/IMG_4365.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px;" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia;">We said our goodbyes and began </span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">heading down the coast along the beautiful Great Ocean Road, which was constructed by WWI</span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">I veterans during the "depression" because it provided jobs & community support for soldiers. This is one of the places I have vivid memories with fellow exchange students as we explored the ama</span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">zing beaches, spectacular blow holes, & incredible rock formations.</span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">
After a couple days of driving, we finally made it to Adelaide, and we were welcomed into the warm home & the open arms of Jenny & Gerry Dowling , my first Rotary host parents (now w/ many lovable, friendly pets). What a blessing to reconnect with them after so many years. They showed us fabulous hospitality, and they shared with us a bit of the culture, like visiting the Cleland Wildlife Park (to feed & pet kangaroos, wallabies, emus, koalas...), sipping wine in the Borrosa Valley, going to a game of “Australian rules footy” (a type of rugby mixed with football), and rowing with Jenny’s dragon boating team (for breast cancer survivors & supporters). We’re so thankful to spend the quality time with them!
While in Adelaide, we also visited a variety of ministries. First, we joined the <a href="http://www.craigmorechurch.org/">Craigmore Christian Center</a> for a high-energy youth night led by Henry & Leah, and later that weekend, we attended their Sunday morning Mother's Day service where Henry gave a very anointed sermon…. We also visited <a href="http://www.salvationarmy.org.au/SALV/HOMEPAGE/HOME.html">The Salvation Army</a> in <a href="http://www.salvationarmy.org.au/inglefarm">Ingle Farm</a> to check out their extensive community projects, and we were blessed to meet & spend a short time with the legendary visionary Barry Kennedy (who is also the founder & director of TSA’s "<a href="http://www.salvationarmy.org.au/SALV/STANDARD/PC_60461.html">Muggies</a>" program, among other projects)… We also connected with several other amazing people doing incredible Kingdom work in & beyond Adelaide: the energetic & compassionate Amy Day who is gifted in networking as well as relational & sports ministry; the humble & well-experienced Howard & Jean Groome who shared with us their passions for & work within the Aboriginal community and who engaged us in a provocative reflection on our global experiences; the friendly & informative Les Dennis at <a href="http://www.trinityadelaide.org.au/">Holy Trinity Anglican Church</a> who welcomed us & led us on an historical tour of Adelaide’s oldest church; the engaging, young couple Shane & Stephanie who are fellow, Christian humanitarian/counselors growing in their faith amidst a secular culture; the innovative & well-connected Adrian Blenkinsop from <a href="http://www.biblesociety.com.au/">The Bible Society</a> & James Kreig from <a href="http://www.su.org.au/sa/">Scripture Union</a> who both gave us their personal perspectives on Australian youth culture and how they’ve connected with it in relevant ways; and the gracious & devoted Jenny Lanyon with Scripture Union who shared with us her call to youth work and her perspective on effective work with primary school children.
We're now in Brisbane, Queensland, which sits along the middle of the east coast of Australia. We’ve made contact with many people that we’re hoping to connect with here, but we're also hoping to fit in a few exploratory trips into the surrounding beauty! The next two weeks will be very busy, and then we're back down to Sydney. Please pray that we continue to keep focused on the here & now (rather than what God’s has in store for us next), especially as we go into the last 6 weeks of this year-long world-wide adventure. Please also pray that God will continue to reveal Himself & His will, both now & in the days, weeks, months to come.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16044646395498036427noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657927107878648356.post-30206656746901446892008-04-19T10:33:00.000-04:002022-12-07T15:53:54.314-05:00are you a "tall poppy"?One of the biggest issues that youth workers address in every culture is peer pressure. Albeit a constant challenge, it takes on many different forms – contingent on the culture, the topic and the youth involved. – and it concerns many different pressures, including crime, drugs, gangs, sex, AIDS, youthful marriage, and even the sex trade industry.
Many cultures devalue peer pressure because of this very context, but, in fact, it can be a very useful tool if youth “pressure” their friends in a positive way. For example, in the US, we often encourage individual self-esteem by pointing out special, unique & independent qualities in order to emphasize their “liberation” through free choice & a personal resistance to pressure, such as in the D.A.R.E. program or the Boys & Girls Club "Smart Moves" program.
Over the past 2 months, I’ve found it very interesting to observe the New Zealand culture and to seek an understanding of idiosyncrasies such as the “Tall Poppy Syndrome”. From what I’ve learned, Kiwis are generally not taught to rise above and be special; instead they don’t want to stand out, to achieve, or be recognized for their gifts. Anyone who sticks out at all gets knocked down, mocked, or bashed with sarcasm – to keep them in their place, so to speak. It takes a strong person to push on through, against the flow of “normality,” to excel as an unique individual. This “syndrome” seems to me to be a type of cultural peer pressure applied to all ages. Therefore, since Kiwi youth have double the pressure (from culture & their peers), New Zealand youth workers especially need to be equipped to challenge and to disciple kids to stand strong to their convictions.
We’ve met some amazing youth workers here in this beautiful country of New Zealand, doing incredible relational ministry. In fact, someone recently pointed out to me that most of those youth who attend church and get involved in youth activities here in New Zealand tend to have a real, deep faith, not just an inherited faith from their parents… and they know that they are going against the flow and that there will be some costs involved as a so-called “tall poppy.”
I mentioned Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne in my last post, but I have to quote him once again. “In our culture of ‘seeker sensitivity’ and radical inclusively, the great temptation is to compromise the cost of discipleship in order to draw a larger crowd. With the most sincere hearts, we do not want to see anyone walk away from Jesus because of the discomfort of his cross, so we clip the claws on the Lion a little, we clean up a bit the bloody Passion we are called to follow.” (p. 104)
Jesus is a revolutionary, a humanitarian, and an unpredictable Savior. Following His ways will cost us. We need to be real with the youth about this cost, especially in the secular world where it’s “not cool” to have faith in Jesus (even though other religions have become acceptable & “cool”). This idea of “not being cool” or standing out like a “tall poppy” should be expected. We are called not to be of this world, so the world isn’t going to be all about us.
I’ve learned a lot from the minority of Believers in this secular country. They’re active in their faith, thirsty to serve, and immersed in community. Ministry takes on a very relational tone, like much of the world, yet “Christianity” is still persecuted in a different way… like it needs to be censored and made “politically correct”… much like the rest of the post-modern, pluralized “western” world.
I have to be honest, though… we have been challenged by the New Zealand culture both because it’s where we are beginning our “re-entry” into the “developed world” and because of the numerous idiosyncrasies that separates this culture from the rest of the western world. We’re learning & it continues to be a stretching process, but thanks to incredible people that God has connected us with, we are working through the learning curve.
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvbI_k-2vN1Xi2jehK5l77A-dtrHy2h_-G9pU42dgn7IWp8ytB70fJGCE4KYlPHHjDxj0cB5KFg6TFm01vMZjoKSsyOLJ5VLVh-WhTkohpHcxjQx57dncx_z4BZ6T1HloymKY4dWSszzc/s1600-h/IMG_2798.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5190740847718008130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvbI_k-2vN1Xi2jehK5l77A-dtrHy2h_-G9pU42dgn7IWp8ytB70fJGCE4KYlPHHjDxj0cB5KFg6TFm01vMZjoKSsyOLJ5VLVh-WhTkohpHcxjQx57dncx_z4BZ6T1HloymKY4dWSszzc/w200-h150/IMG_2798.JPG" style="cursor: hand; float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;" width="200" /></a>
Since my last post we have traveled from the very southern end of the south island all the way up to “Northland” in the north island… And we picked up 2 more travelers along the way – our parents! It’s truly been a blessing both for us & for them!
I’ll begin my ‘recap’ of our travels where I left off in the last post… David & Fiona McKenzie of the <a href="http://www.icbc.org.nz/app/">Central Baptist Church </a>(Invercargill) showered us with a healthy dose of “Southland” hospitality, encouragement & culture, including discussions around contemporary youth issues, <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGaRO08HiJG07XUiiQQvzCxepILqXp_jdzDumaaaD40MZsVjbzbhvZGetG7DbC3YPthinzQg0ekPspBuhluaB2rEpghht40ZZc2JQwwsmNFIscfKekyWl4mZ2gWJfA4Bk_ERO6q3Yp4Aw/s1600-h/IMG_2413.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5190585571765355762" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGaRO08HiJG07XUiiQQvzCxepILqXp_jdzDumaaaD40MZsVjbzbhvZGetG7DbC3YPthinzQg0ekPspBuhluaB2rEpghht40ZZc2JQwwsmNFIscfKekyWl4mZ2gWJfA4Bk_ERO6q3Yp4Aw/w200-h150/IMG_2413.JPG" style="cursor: hand; float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" width="200" /></a>
stories from their tool shop, as well as an adventurous high-speed motorcycle ride. Then, Darren Frazer & the Winton Salvation Army Corps embraced us for family day with youth at the beach where some surfed in the cold water while others dug through the sand for “treasures.” They also gave us a chance to share our story at their Sunday morning service, and they welcomed us into their homes with fellowship over meals (good NT style).
We made our way around & up to Dunedin, <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1fnuK-183__lGerU-PFeXHp0DMLh8aRkFDFfHJPpJgrng08pA6HExRXJJZ_VvEwB-z3J73M75Kse3K2rHj0H6EPCDjXVvcu5rE3h0Gtrtw_J5wZYmKsUllmCXmgXjzBzF48W3BGOpfUo/s1600-h/IMG_2479.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5190587401421423874" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1fnuK-183__lGerU-PFeXHp0DMLh8aRkFDFfHJPpJgrng08pA6HExRXJJZ_VvEwB-z3J73M75Kse3K2rHj0H6EPCDjXVvcu5rE3h0Gtrtw_J5wZYmKsUllmCXmgXjzBzF48W3BGOpfUo/w200-h150/IMG_2479.JPG" style="cursor: hand; float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;" width="200" /></a>via the beautiful Catlins Coast, just in time to make it to the <a href="http://www.studentsoul.church.net.nz/">Student Soul </a>gathering at the Otago University Student Center… a casual, emergent-church style gathering of mostly students. We met with the leaders Rev. Helen Harray & Rev. Richard Dawson later for an anointed meeting where Richard gave us perspective on local, regional, & even national issues in the youth culture. We also stayed with a group of young women studying at the University, one of which we’d met at Christmas in Hat Yai, Thailand. Finally, we randomly met up with our old, family friend, Bryan Donnell who happened to be in Dunedin filming while we were there. It was fantastic to reconnect with an old friend after coming across seas of new faces throughout this year.
Back in Christchurch, we celebrated Hope’s birthday with a few new friends (from our time there a month before). We also spent a long day of connecting with ministries: visiting Annabel & Fiona at <a href="http://www.spreydon.org.nz/index.cfm/Children_s_Ministry/SHARP">Spreydon Baptist’s SHARP after-care program</a>, helping <a href="http://ccc.co.nz/studentlife">Student Life </a>hide Easter eggs at an on-campus outreach at Canterbury University, then driving out to the <a href="http://www.ywamoxford.org/index.html">YWAM-Oxford </a>base to hang out with Jenn & meet a bunch of the crew (including a number of Americans), and finally volunteering through the evening to register 4,000+ youth at <a href="http://www.eastercamp.org.nz/chch/index.php">Easter Camp</a>. We loved <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtJvDGfXcZOaDspQjvXwwzP8R1U9KDcTmpswNKOcgAqVKuBA290Z7Slgb6Zi2mvbpkOsyeg75CwknET7RxXksRhrOWeeAdN9caUpsHLqnl6tk98ypP4MT3OVBhju0sPClTQs8OKROAlnk/s1600-h/IMG_2578.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5190590562517353746" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtJvDGfXcZOaDspQjvXwwzP8R1U9KDcTmpswNKOcgAqVKuBA290Z7Slgb6Zi2mvbpkOsyeg75CwknET7RxXksRhrOWeeAdN9caUpsHLqnl6tk98ypP4MT3OVBhju0sPClTQs8OKROAlnk/w200-h150/IMG_2578.JPG" style="cursor: hand; float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;" width="200" /></a>
Easter Camp: amazing speakers & music, great workshops, wonderful people, meeting contacts from the north island, reconnecting with various youth workers we’d met throughout the south island, watching some youth try out “krumping” (a urban dance style born in Los Angeles), and wandering around the multitude of activities there (from skate ramps to carnival rides to soccer tournaments to art instillations to a giant slip ‘n’ slide)… needless to say, it was a full day!
Easter weekend we continued our NZ tour by heading up to Auckland and being greeted at the airport by our new South African friends, the Zwart family, who started out as friends of friends but who very quickly became our extended family & home base in the north island. Hope & I celebrated a wonderful, peaceful Easter with them, including a divine message from a visiting pastor from the Dunedin Elim Church. While with the Zwarts, we connected with their local <a href="http://www.elim.org.nz/index.html">Elim community </a>in various ways, including short visits with a few of their pastors: Colin with “<a href="http://www.ecc.elim.org.nz/powerzone/">Power Zone</a>” (a church & after-care program for primary kids), Rebecca with “<a href="http://www.ecc.elim.org.nz/voltage/">Voltage</a>” & “<a href="http://www.ecc.elim.org.nz/oxygen/">Oxygen</a>” (for intermediate & high school age), and Locky with “<a href="http://www.ecc.elim.org.nz/edge/">Edge</a>” & "<a href="http://www.ecc.elim.org.nz/files/generic.aspx?PageID=116">Sphere</a>" (for the 18-35 year olds). I really appreciate Locky’s passion for working with young adults, who are usually part of the most age group of church families. At the moment, though, this particular Elim church family is going through a great loss after a tragic flash flood took the lives of 6 high school students & a teacher… please pray for them!
Also while in Auckland, we caught up with some of the ISC (International Sports Coalition) sports crew and sat in on their small <a href="http://www.csn.org.nz/home.php">Christian Sports Network </a>gathering. New Zealand is a very active, extreme, sports-crazy culture… both playing and watching, and these guys have a real vision for reaching Kiwis through what Kiwis love – sports. These leaders are at the beginning stages of bringing together a network of sports ministries that can support, encourage, strategize & share resources. I wonder what the Body would look like if we all came together to do this.
After this meeting, we raced to the airport to pick up Mom & Dad. We were so excited about seeing them. Waiting for them to get through NZ’s customs was agonizing! We stayed one more night in Auckland with the Zwarts before driving up the beautiful coast to the Northlands. We stayed in Whangarei with a couple couch-surfers who had room for all 4 of us (their first family to host)! Stu was an incredible host: openly sharing his space, showing us his favorite local spots, including Ocean Beach, and even hooking me up with an opportunity to try out wake-boarding… overall, a great, first couch-surfing experience for Mom & Dad. While in the north, we had a blessed experience connecting with the Land family out in a remote mountain valley near Opononi & Hokianga Harbor -- <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_TtemPWf9c7QGE5hXAfWQi9OZGdlk2OAtleSvB_CQL-0F8v_ki-q9oYjF1NJ6sV8zGj95r1JMYHekgqQ5hTLaI5v_OmsTWrNyUb7ViQdyvd5lfLCTZv50DGjMdVYG0pXQ7r2dkWVS4_I/s1600-h/DSCN1167.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5190595256916608290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_TtemPWf9c7QGE5hXAfWQi9OZGdlk2OAtleSvB_CQL-0F8v_ki-q9oYjF1NJ6sV8zGj95r1JMYHekgqQ5hTLaI5v_OmsTWrNyUb7ViQdyvd5lfLCTZv50DGjMdVYG0pXQ7r2dkWVS4_I/w200-h150/DSCN1167.JPG" style="cursor: hand; float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" width="200" /></a>a family under the auspices of the <a href="http://www.catholicworker.org/">Catholic Workers Movement</a>, dedicated to living sustainably & organically. Our time with this amazing family included singing, prayer, stories, and a small Maori traditional greeting by their beautiful developmentally disabled son, Gilbert.
Back in Auckland for a brief stay, we managed to fit in a vibrant service at the <a href="http://www.lifelive.co.nz/">Life Church</a>, a visit with established youth trainer & humble teacher Murray Brown (with <a href="http://www.youthtrain.com/index.php">YouthTrain</a>), and a lively evening service back at the Elim Church in Howick. I also spent a morning with Kevin Reeves, leader of the King’s Kids program at the <a href="http://www.ywamauckland.org.nz/">Auckland YWAM </a>base. While visiting the base, I had the unique opportunity to meet some Samoan guys who are pursuing & sharing their faith through traditional South Pacific dancing & drumming all over the world!
We began our trip southward by stopping over at The Salvation Army’s <a href="http://www.bluemountainadventure.co.nz/index.htm">Blue Mountain Adventure Centre</a> (BMAC) in Ruarimu. Hania, Kyle, Billy, Kent, Leanne & their beautiful family blessed us with a couple nights of rest & fellowship near the beautiful, majestic Tongariro National Park.
On our way down to Wellington, we visited the peaceful community of Camp Ngatiawa. I’m incredibly thankful <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTn63Mechl_41R_y7aXbDan_J9gPPFhXTCSsPXtwIfwOXgXfk43x0a74jpHJM_3RSbv7C-grGliYye4JCP5RSy7ic4YSD3QGXpSN71Ey1ou1oKJp68mJ4dBja7DQYaqn5qDDvr9CLCkZk/s1600-h/IMG_3121.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5190598538271622450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTn63Mechl_41R_y7aXbDan_J9gPPFhXTCSsPXtwIfwOXgXfk43x0a74jpHJM_3RSbv7C-grGliYye4JCP5RSy7ic4YSD3QGXpSN71Ey1ou1oKJp68mJ4dBja7DQYaqn5qDDvr9CLCkZk/w200-h150/IMG_3121.JPG" style="cursor: hand; float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;" width="200" /></a>
that my Kiwi friend Aaron Roberts got us in touch with Jenny & Justin Duckworth. Our time with them was rich with prayer & liturgy, discussion & teaching, work & adventure, laughter & delicious food… all in only 2 days! I would love to come back to spend more time with this amazing community (Al & Anita, Ray, & all the wonderful kids).
On our way down towards Wellington we stopped by one of the three <a href="http://www.larche.org/home.en-gb.1.0.index.htm">L'Arche</a> Homes in Paraparaumu for a powerful, yet brief visit with Tim, other staff, & clients. While in the Wellington area, we were hosted by an incredibly nurturing couple -- Lloyd & Anthea Martin. Lloyd is a humble visionary & youth trainer who facilitates a practical, innovative education program called <a href="http://www.praxis.org.nz/">Praxis</a>, which aims to develop & strengthen youth workers into more intentionally effective leaders in New Zealand, Australia & the South Pacific. Anthea works as a “resource teacher” (social work) with behaviorally challenged high school students, but she balances her demanding job with play (like adamantly supporting her favorite rugby team, the Hurricanes). While staying in Porirua, we worshipped with St. Barnabas Presbyterian just north of town, and we joined Lloyd & Anthea’s fellowship with their community.
In Wellington, we connected with some fantastic people involved in some amazing, urban ministry. We spent a Sunday evening with “Still Waters”, an intentional community in the city reaching out to the homeless and needy. The evening began with a casual worship service or gathering with song, prayer, the Word & a short teaching. Then it moved into fellowship and ended with a wonderful meal & blessed discussion with Andrew, Sacha, Jason, Anne, Colleen & Warwick. The next day, we visited with Cat & Tom who are part of Urban Vision (the original inspiration for Still Waters) and living in the Newtown Tennant High Rises (government “council” housing). At the end of our short time in Wellington, we squeezed in a visit with Steve Molan & his wife Faye at The Salvation Army’s “614” program -- an innovative, relational & incarnational ministry with young people all over the Wellington city center. We also fit a short visit in with the “god-mother” of youth work for NZ who we’d met at Easter Camp, Merrilyn Withers. She & her sister are a traveling duo , based in Wellington, with years of experience in youth work... quite an inspiration.
As we headed back north, we stopped through Raurimu again to share a meal & evening with our new BMAC family. Then, we stopped through Lake Taupo for a bungy jump!, hot thermal pools & lunch. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfBPgYYClGrbl0fUqdbjdiRu4tsR-EgyFWCqmunhG4hqIa0Lue6L9qfXGwcgE2B56uukMUKmyZe1p9S2TjnVem_wuLAzZU9H9JN3RDHbvDjAaiX2hSZzXWtOzurGj_UXCp75wDNckhgWM/s1600-h/IMG_3359.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5190742415381071186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfBPgYYClGrbl0fUqdbjdiRu4tsR-EgyFWCqmunhG4hqIa0Lue6L9qfXGwcgE2B56uukMUKmyZe1p9S2TjnVem_wuLAzZU9H9JN3RDHbvDjAaiX2hSZzXWtOzurGj_UXCp75wDNckhgWM/w200-h150/IMG_3359.JPG" style="cursor: hand; float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" width="200" /></a>
As we finished lunch, we “randomly” observed a group of young people who began singing & hip-hop dancing on the street. We learned that this group was from the <a href="http://www.equippersyouth.com/default.asp?PageID=333">Equippers Church </a>in Auckland and that they had come to Taupo to help reach out to the youth community… an interesting “God-incidence”.
Continuing northward, we spent some quality time in the Bay of Plenty: connecting with Anthea’s parents, her sister & family in Whakatane, then fellowshipping with an incarnational community in the Merivale neighborhood of Tauranga (Gregg, Bron, Bo, Lizzy, Katrina, Stuart, Jo, Graham& family), and finally taking a day to drive through the incredibly beautiful Coromandel Peninsula on our way back to Auckland.
We soaked in Mom & Dad’s love through our last days. Together we worshipped at <a href="http://www.stpauls.org.nz/">St. Paul’s Anglican Church</a>, one of the oldest churches in NZ. One of the most interesting parts of this experience was worshipping in the midst of this classic European-style cathedral, which was gutted out & set up in a contemporary style (chairs set up sideways to face a big screen & band). We also joined our new friend Frank & his family (another friend of a friend) at the <a href="http://www.journeychurch.org.nz/">Journey Church </a>(in Grey Lynn Community Center) where we enjoyed their nurturing community, prophetic, relevant, & humorous teaching, and wonderful conversations. As we packed up & got ready to leave NZ, we squeezed in a visit with Andrew Kerr from the ISC group who was gracious enough to come all the way over to Howick area for a visit.
It was sad to say goodbye to Mom & Dad. Our time with them was filled with blessed conversations, anointed prayers & shifting perspectives. We continue to pray for Mom's health and for the doctors that examine her. We pray that they will be shocked at her improvement, so she can give God all the glory!
While Mom & Dad were on their way home (via San Francisco for a visit with Mardie & Tony), we flew back down to Christchurch where our wonderful new friend Jason picked us up & drove us out to Governor’s Bay for lunch. Then, at the <a href="http://www.cnac.org.nz/missions.html">Rodem House</a>'s "international night," we enjoyed an evening of fellowship, good food, and a chance to share God’s unique calls for us on this trip (in front of over 50 people!). Finally, in our few remaining hours in NZ, we ate lunch with our new amazing sister & friend, Charlotte Boyes, who works as a 24/7 youth worker in the Spreydon Baptist community.
We are so incredibly thankful for the 2 months we spent in this beautiful country. We learned & saw so much! We’re now in Sydney staying with an ISC friend, Rosemaree, who has graciously opened her home as a "base" for us, and we’ve already managed to connect with a few ministries & people. I have to say it’s strange being back here after 16 years, and I know it’ll only get even more weird as I revisit Canberra -- my old stomping grounds as a Rotary International Exchange Student that long ago.Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16044646395498036427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657927107878648356.post-31299378173473271112008-03-16T12:31:00.003-04:002022-12-07T15:54:21.356-05:00challenged by re-entry<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKUV-xv9vjhYA4MNhpsyHwxS16ZKYItbio3bFa0xOMDcnc0aiyC0OG0gvaA0z4ysMQSyLOgR6LN4ytRiZj-Uu-qMtiGb4xzIeXR9wAKRlLXHbLEaTlCO3wd2x-4gfFCmtNtdKFkay7zZ4/s1600-h/IMG_1778.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5178118370613735138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKUV-xv9vjhYA4MNhpsyHwxS16ZKYItbio3bFa0xOMDcnc0aiyC0OG0gvaA0z4ysMQSyLOgR6LN4ytRiZj-Uu-qMtiGb4xzIeXR9wAKRlLXHbLEaTlCO3wd2x-4gfFCmtNtdKFkay7zZ4/w200-h150/IMG_1778.JPG" style="cursor: hand; float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" width="200" /></a>A Kiwi (New Zealander) I met in Thailand tried to prepare me before reaching this beautiful country by telling me that New Zealand is a very secular nation comparing to France or other European countries. I have to say that in the last month I've met more self-proclaimed atheists than all the other countries we've been to thus far... combined!
One of the proud, atheist Kiwi's I've met along our way referenced religion as a crutch - I've heard that before in the States. Yet I feel that my faith has helped me to throw away the crutches of achievement & independence, thus freeing me to not be defined by "worldly" success but by "eternal" success -- relationships, <span style="font-style: italic;">inter</span>dependence, compassion, sacrifice, & service -- all for His glory. Reminds me of Ginny Owen's song "<a href="http://www.christianlyricsonline.com/artists/ginny-owens/free.html">Free</a>". It's hard to describe to unbelievers because faith isn't tangible and God cannot be proved scientifically... otherwise it wouldn't be faith.
Pastor Wally Behan from St. John's Anglican Church in Christchurch (ChCh) spoke about how prosperity & comfort are some of the biggest dangers in forgetting God. He taught from Deuteronomy 8 where God warns Israel about forgetting to praise Him when things are going good in the Promise Land. You'd think it would be the opposite... but we're drawn to God during difficult times not when things are going good. Wally pointed out how New Zealand compares to Israel -- forgetting to praise & give thanks for God's blessings.
New Zealand & the US are part of the "developed world" so we share a lot in common. Our cultures are financially prosperous -- not every individual but the population as a whole. We're proud of our achievements, very independent, driven by financial success, so we push God out because we're doing well and we don't need Him.
We have begun our re-entry into the developed/western world. Interesting, but not coincidental, Hope & I are reading <a href="http://www.irresistiblerevolution.org/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Irresistible Revolution</span></a> by Shane Claiborne. He inspires me to not accept the status quo of faith that many people get very comfortable within prosperous cultures. In reflection on what he has put his mother through with traveling to Iraq & watching him go to jail for challenging anti-homeless laws in Philly, he shares something his mother said, "I have come to see that we Christians are not called to safety, but we are promised that God will be with us when we are in danger, and there is no better place to be than in the hands of God." He goes on to point out, "Perhaps the most dangerous place for a Christian to be is in safety and comfort." (p. 227)
Along with the faith values of risk & trust, I'm learning first hand that my loyalty or nationality is not of this world. I belong a Father who is omniscient & to a family that crosses cultures. Shane captures this perspective well by saying, "Rebirth is about being adopted into a new family - without borders. With new eyes, we can see that our family is both local and global, including but transcending biology, tribe, or nationality, a renewed vision of the kin-dom of God with brothers and sisters in Afghanistan and Iraq, Sudan and Burma, North Philly and Beverly Hills." (p. 200-201)
So what next. I don't know yet. But I do know that "From everyone who has been given much, much will be required..." Luke 12:48 (NASB) I pray for revelation, discernment, wisdom, & guidance... to be continued.
As for our time here in New Zealand, I've not been able to post an entry in too long (I apologize) so I have a lot to share with you about the extended family of faith we've connected with here.
First, in ChCh, we connected with Andy (an American with a passion for the Chinese community), Tim & Hannah Capon (the adult children of missionaries in Thailand--Lynley & Peter) as well as Des & Kath Thomson (Lynley Capon's sister & brother-in-law) were all our first hosts in New Zealand. (Kath helped us make connections with several incredible brothers & sisters in the south island.) Some other new & blessed friends include Anne Scott (a long-time friend & Taiwan colleague of the Alexander family from Montreat Pres.), Hailey (girlfriend of Bruce who lent us his car for our travel around the south island) & her mom (incredible servants heart with a powerful story), <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEtP_Lz1-pRE6pb93BcYpsv9wikyWFCpJjgpHpAqCeALK43CZDUIAeiITF0QkQBtfJ_owBnultTjCe3V4htImiQaBQOAFSWDmuq-cya_LugAMm1xXi7FsuD6X_awLlF3qnCS5ciUI9qeY/s1600-h/IMG_1514.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="200" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5178120440787971826" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEtP_Lz1-pRE6pb93BcYpsv9wikyWFCpJjgpHpAqCeALK43CZDUIAeiITF0QkQBtfJ_owBnultTjCe3V4htImiQaBQOAFSWDmuq-cya_LugAMm1xXi7FsuD6X_awLlF3qnCS5ciUI9qeY/w150-h200/IMG_1514.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" width="150" /></a>Tim Perry (youth worker with 24/7 program at <a href="http://www.spreydon.org.nz/index.cfm/Youth_Ministries/SYC">Spreydon Baptist</a> & avid outdoors man who took us rock climbing) as well as Duane Major & Charlotte Boyes, Justin & Heather, Joelle, Cush, Katie, Anna, Josiah, Sarah & Chris (among others) of <a href="http://ccc.co.nz/?sid=13">Student Life</a>. We also had the wonderful opportunity of visiting/serving with these other members of the body: the <a href="http://www.cnac.org.nz/missions.html#house">Rodem House</a> International night, Annabel & the Spreydon Baptist After-school program, Mike Dodge (Director of Canterbury Youth Services & visionary/guru of youth work on the south island), and Laura, Kathy & Ian Viney of the Addington community (an intentional, community-living outreach). Finally, we attended Sunday services at <a href="http://www.grace.org.nz/aboutus/">Grace Vineyard Church</a>, <a href="http://mc2.org.nz/">Chinese Church's Mosaic Service</a>, Spreydon Baptist Community Church (link above), <a href="http://stjohnschch.org/">St. John's Evangelical Anglican Church</a>, and <a href="http://www.arisechurch.org.nz/Arise/default.aspx?alias=christchurch">Arise Church</a> while in ChCh.
After ChCh, we began our journey around the south island with short "couchsurfing" stopovers with Ian in Akaroa & then Brent & Laura in Kaikoura before we headed up to stay with Brett & Ayelet in Nelson (nearly the northern-most city on the south island). While in Nelson, we connected with Brian & Laura Hurst parents of a Student Life friend as well as Wesley & Caroline of <a href="http://www.citychurch.org.nz/">City Church</a>, whose lively "inaugural" service we attended that Sunday morning. That evening, we went to the <a href="http://www.annesbrook.co.nz/">Annesbrook Communtiy Centre</a> evening service before finally going to Brian Hurst's talk on the "history & geography of Israel" at Trinity Presbyterian Church.
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyjk2ui-bDYy-u3H1JU4zzlqVIiE6nzfoZ0DXsU8_CPeAp3UUMQvXk6sfkiT7HG57OOSToPlX0E8NBbiwz6GNcPtGjqfbNIg-Fyea1k3pUuLtB31M5M1qsAwSQzAqmkuaskYwCPyxanu4/s1600-h/IMG_1886.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="200" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5178121905371819778" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyjk2ui-bDYy-u3H1JU4zzlqVIiE6nzfoZ0DXsU8_CPeAp3UUMQvXk6sfkiT7HG57OOSToPlX0E8NBbiwz6GNcPtGjqfbNIg-Fyea1k3pUuLtB31M5M1qsAwSQzAqmkuaskYwCPyxanu4/w150-h200/IMG_1886.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;" width="150" /></a>We finished off the north end of the island with a couple nights "surfing" at Scott's place in Takaka and a day hike in Abel Tasman NP (picture). Finally heading down the west coast of the south island, we stayed with Charlotte's folks near Greymouth and met with Nikki who helped start <span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span><a href="http://www.bebo.com/Profile.jsp?MID=367137231&MemberId=4428554619">"the Shed"</a> program through the Anglican church in order to meet the needs of youth in that community.
Very spontaneously, we stayed with a wonderful couple of faith in Queenstown, Wakatipu Community Church, Dorene & Stuart McKenzie. Once again, God opened a door at the very last minute to lead us into the small faith community of a very touristy yet incredibly beautiful part of His creation. We sat in Bruce's car in Wanaka last Saturday afternoon after a long, cold & wet night camping along side some new friends (Don, Alan & Lex) at Lake Paringa on the west coast. We were tired & hungry not knowing what we should do: camp in Wanaka or head to Queenstown to try to find somewhere cheap to crash? As we weighed the options & began to get more frustrated by the minute, a ministry contact (David McKenzie) called & offered his parents place for us. Praise God for His blessings!
While in Queenstown, we joined Dorene & Stuart's community of faith at ... Presbyterian Church for both the morning service & the informal discussion/potluck at the pastor's house that evening. We also visited the evening service at <a href="http://www.cityimpactchurch.com/cityimpactchurches/queenstown/profile/tabid/107/Default.aspx">Impact City Church</a> where we met an outgoing couple (Sharon & Lee) and the vivacious pastor (Dean).
We're now in the Invercargill area visiting with numerous of youth workers including David McKenzie (who came to our rescue as we approached Queenstown) & his wife Fiona with Central Baptist, and Darren Frazer with The Salvation Army. I'll talk about that more next time.
Please continue to pray for us. We've learned to be very flexible with our travels/agendas which has become relatively easy for us, but our parents are coming to join us in the north island on March 26th for 3 weeks, and we understand that they won't be as accustomed to our sort of spontaneity. We are trying to solidify plans for them, but we're still not sure of most things. We're challenged by the lack of time online to research, but we're trying to trust & remain confident that it will all work out. God already knows He just hasn't told us all His plans yet.
I pray that you will have a blessed Easter!Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16044646395498036427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657927107878648356.post-61934994161634860782008-02-21T15:30:00.001-05:002022-12-07T15:54:52.438-05:00Out with a BANG!We ended our trip through Asia with a bang -- in more ways than one. The first "bang" was witnessing just some of the incredible Kingdom work going on in & around Hong Kong (HK) by both nationals & foreigners. The past 4 1/2 months we've been in Asian countries where the percentage of Christians averages 2%, but in HK we were told the average was over 12%. In a way, this seemed a bit underestimated because most everyone we met were on fire and serving the HK community in amazing, innovative ways... Then again, HK is very populated, and like most big cities around the world, there are many lost & unreached people milling about... Suffice it to say, 10 days wasn't enough to connect with all the people we desired to connect with. We really hope to come back some day for another visit before heading to the mainland.
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj6OA3kJspYbjH1ZICJkP-v5l5v2HdA8iUAzktsuWUi1yhzQr6CUEINp9BOjJVsckrV8ftj2ND7eqK6AubUnbqbxtaeIFO47pvjJPS1IwkTUZ-d6gE-TqNX0T2qvSLJlI0Hd9lMmqtwio/s1600-h/IMG_1216.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5169616564234749954" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj6OA3kJspYbjH1ZICJkP-v5l5v2HdA8iUAzktsuWUi1yhzQr6CUEINp9BOjJVsckrV8ftj2ND7eqK6AubUnbqbxtaeIFO47pvjJPS1IwkTUZ-d6gE-TqNX0T2qvSLJlI0Hd9lMmqtwio/w200-h150/IMG_1216.JPG" style="cursor: hand; float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" width="200" /></a>Another "bang" was the culture shock of being back in a modern area of the world. What challenged me was that HK is quite different, especially economically, from the first 7 months of our trip. I found myself working through some trust & worry issues that I thought I'd made significant progress on during this trip. Yet God spoke to me in many ways, both through people & scripture during our time in HK. I'm learning to trust Him in <span style="font-style: italic;">all</span> areas of my life... but I'm sure this will be a life-long process.
The last & loudest "bang" were the incredible fireworks over central Hong Kong during the Chinese New Year, which we just <em>happened</em> to be there for.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUSbfOSlFRNBmRQucf809NHM4bQIwygmvnDrs5sdhCR-J9X25OZUEnTvEJ_43-5-5y0MWpHquNyuSMoY8RFddbIKGCQsdwCzKqB4gwJ2f4g7w0w8s4hbj2_wVhF_CYS8is7Y7aa0PiQBo/s1600-h/IMG_1255.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5169617964394088466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUSbfOSlFRNBmRQucf809NHM4bQIwygmvnDrs5sdhCR-J9X25OZUEnTvEJ_43-5-5y0MWpHquNyuSMoY8RFddbIKGCQsdwCzKqB4gwJ2f4g7w0w8s4hbj2_wVhF_CYS8is7Y7aa0PiQBo/w200-h150/IMG_1255.JPG" style="cursor: hand; float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;" width="200" /></a>
I'd like to say that we had planned all along to be in HK at this time of year (i.e. looking ahead to determine the best time to spend our first visit and to experience the Chinese culture in such a westernized city), but I have to admit we didn't even realize the timing of it until well into our trip! The Chinese New Year is not like the New Year we're used to -- where the celebration is limited to one big night, some fireworks, a kiss to bring in the New Year, and/or a day off where some watch football and some celebrate with a couple family traditions like big plates of black-eyed-peas & collard greens (can you tell my heritage?). The Chinese New Year is a <em>week-long </em>family celebration where everyone travels to their home towns to connect with their extended family, give gifts (mostly little red envelopes filled with small amounts of money, which are passed on & received with 2 hands & a bow of the head), set off lots of fireworks to ward off the evil spirits, and eat lots of food. However in central HK, the official holiday is limited to only 3 days of celebrations, including a firework show over the city on only one night for <em>all </em>to enjoy and to ward off spirits together (instead of setting them off individually all over the city). The result of such a collaboration was the most amazing firework display -- 4 times bigger than I've EVER seen. (The picture really doesn't do it justice... our videos came out better.) I guess to ward off everyone's evil spirits at once... With all these "bangs" put together, it was quite a fun way to end our time in Asia.
Needless to say, our 10 days in HK were pretty full. We spent our first day with a friend from the International Sports Coalition (ISC) sports ministry conference in Pattaya, Thailand. He led us all over the north end of town visiting ministries, missionaries & organizations. One of which (<a href="http://www.breakthrough.org.hk/eng/index.html">Breakthrough</a>) had already been suggested to me by several people, but since our friend does volunteer work for them, we were able to meet with a couple of the organization's leaders for almost 2 hours. They are doing some great, innovative & experiential work there, which I look forward to seeing & experiencing first-hand at some point in the future. Next we ate lunch with, visited the offices of, and prayed with the workers from <a href="http://www.sportsinternational.org.hk/">Sports Services International</a>, which is affiliated with the ISC, <a href="http://www.ywamhongkong.org/home.htm">YWAM of Hong Kong</a>, Sports Ministries Coalition, and <a href="http://www.gatewayservicesasia.hk/">Gateway Camp & Outreach</a>. (Again, one of workers I had already met at the ISC conference in Pattaya, too.) After lunch we visited some amazing women working with <a href="http://www.rcmi.ac/eng/about_rcmi.htm">Revival Chinese Ministry International</a>. They shared stories of their experiences in the mainland and poured out their hearts & passions for this incredible ministry. We ended our day with a visit to our friend's church, <a href="http://rcchk.org/default.htm">Revival Christian Community</a> (RCC) of Kwai Fong -- a vibrant & growing church which meets in an old movie theater! It was definitely a very full first day.
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM_F18l3MeSO4b7uvoMYZBmL8a05-wWpm__55cZi0tpinwBL1wf8c2_qkDeHL7PK3OgCDaEIjf7YpaEnCfDAe2-Kb0z_TF3860dnGooV9eSsBMRhbr3fNTwprWoqZcw8G-yTz16S1htNY/s1600-h/IMG_1095.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5169626103357114402" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM_F18l3MeSO4b7uvoMYZBmL8a05-wWpm__55cZi0tpinwBL1wf8c2_qkDeHL7PK3OgCDaEIjf7YpaEnCfDAe2-Kb0z_TF3860dnGooV9eSsBMRhbr3fNTwprWoqZcw8G-yTz16S1htNY/w200-h150/IMG_1095.JPG" style="cursor: hand; float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" width="200" /></a>Other ministries & missionaries we spent time with throughout the other 9 days include Jeff & Janet Brice (pictured right) with the <a href="http://www.oasisdevelopmententerprises.com/ourpeople_hk.html">East-West Institute</a>, Godwin, Jared, Jaya & Melanie with <a href="http://www.ywamhongkong.org/home.htm">YWAM</a>'s <a href="http://shantiministries.org/">Shanti ministries</a>, YWAM's Brisbane, Australia DTS team, <a href="http://www.craigntammy.com/">Craig, Tammy & their wonderful kids</a> with <a href="http://www.ovasia.org/purpose.htm">One Voice</a>, the McEntires & Woods family (pictured right) <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBW7IJ7gGCVZtcA0CjWhyphenhyphenUNgr-G2rLMHrBjimgu4KvvYt7GoOkXBhgQ4gWMhSRij-_jB0f0E4GdnJb664-uhUoUSl57opFP8Zz8WyHknCxdOOCKcJxFzPlKLZo2eYbPOZ_c2S_fExylbo/s1600-h/IMG_1436.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5169626970940508210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBW7IJ7gGCVZtcA0CjWhyphenhyphenUNgr-G2rLMHrBjimgu4KvvYt7GoOkXBhgQ4gWMhSRij-_jB0f0E4GdnJb664-uhUoUSl57opFP8Zz8WyHknCxdOOCKcJxFzPlKLZo2eYbPOZ_c2S_fExylbo/w200-h150/IMG_1436.JPG" style="cursor: hand; float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" width="200" /></a>
supported by my home church (Montreat Presbyterian Church), <a href="http://www.stewards.org.hk/youth/highrock.php">High Rock Christian Centre</a> & Ave Robinson with <a href="http://www.mmminternational.org/">Mobile Mission Maintenance</a>, Kam Yee Ho & other workers with <a href="http://www.ststephenssociety.org/">St. Stephan's Society </a>(<a href="http://www.rejesus.co.uk/the_story/saint/saint5/index.html">Jackie Pullinger</a>'s ministry), and John Hsu a long-time missionary, trainer, and friend of our parents.
On Sunday, we visited 3 churches -- the RCC in Kwai Fong with our sports ministry friend, the Vineyard Church which Jackie Pullinger leads, and <a href="http://www.standrews.org.hk/">St. Andrew's Methodist </a>with Jeff & Janet Brice. Each service was very unique yet rooted in the Spirit. It was wonderful to see so many different Believers worshipping together in the same place. Next time we'd love to visit some of the other growing churches that we heard about in the area, because there just wasn't time this time to travel all over the city, let alone eat lunch in between, to check out all the places of worship.
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG6JcEzDE2Yo_dqtzq90Mf4PmxJSJGxOr-Rg3V9WnwXSHHzz3dyfnpudqGdRoSBaUOhZbpjl6aXgVPqPx1ZJ0xA6aco1xFg75EKSq0TXMTRcO1kTpK9bZ6rTDHDwUcoovVaiGuMu1HL7g/s1600-h/IMG_1087.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5169629036819777602" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG6JcEzDE2Yo_dqtzq90Mf4PmxJSJGxOr-Rg3V9WnwXSHHzz3dyfnpudqGdRoSBaUOhZbpjl6aXgVPqPx1ZJ0xA6aco1xFg75EKSq0TXMTRcO1kTpK9bZ6rTDHDwUcoovVaiGuMu1HL7g/w200-h150/IMG_1087.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;" width="200" /></a>
The rest of our time in HK we spent visiting with our amazing host (Jason Hinojosa) who has become like a brother to us, hanging out some with his friends, hiking the <em>beautiful</em> mountains of HK, taking a boat ride with a number of the HK International School staff & friends, joining the throngs of people at the Chinese New Year parade, and eating dinner with Elizabeth & David's old friend Alex & his beautiful wife & daughter.
Again, our time in HK was very full. Overall, though, we were amazed by all that God is doing there. Many of these people shared with us their deep passions and really inspired us in our walk. Unfortunately, though, our time ran out so quickly that we missed out on meeting with 4 other people we wanted to visit.
Now, as we've moved on & down to New Zealand, we are quickly getting connected with the Body as best we can. We're not sure of our plans for the south island (which is where we are currently), but the north island contacts are really coming together (even though we won't be there until after Easter). Nevertheless, we are moving forward & only God knows what will happen when we leave Christchurch, aka "the city of Christ" as the Chinese translate it. As always, we wonder what God has planned for us next.Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16044646395498036427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657927107878648356.post-19762328426003085162008-02-02T21:14:00.000-05:002022-12-07T15:55:19.415-05:00Long Live the King<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3NAXFleBZjRROqmTAr4HuWWPTG1WctnoM-q31X5Byum4wZhGLDsDWOYuQL0LwrFoGtUNF_-BXAsk_V3bPC56EQs2c1JbuVgrxUu7UNp5ReRFoIFw2FdJZM_0yHK5S-6Gt-XTh2V298eaY/s1600-h/long+live+the+king.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" height="98" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5163728205923407858" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3NAXFleBZjRROqmTAr4HuWWPTG1WctnoM-q31X5Byum4wZhGLDsDWOYuQL0LwrFoGtUNF_-BXAsk_V3bPC56EQs2c1JbuVgrxUu7UNp5ReRFoIFw2FdJZM_0yHK5S-6Gt-XTh2V298eaY/w200-h98/long+live+the+king.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="200" /></a><div>"Who is the King of glory? The Lord of Heaven's Armies - he is the King of glory." Psalm 24:10 NLT
I have to admit that it is hard for me to understand this concept of "king". My comprehension of this personification was limited by being raised in an independently-minded culture where democracy is idolized. The idea of subserviant submission challenges my "American" ideas of "free thinking" and "free speech". The closest I've ever come to understanding the idea of royalty are the British crown and the midevil tyrant-like monarchies.
Yet after spending so much time in Thailand within the last 3 months I have a whole new perspective and appreciation for the term "King" because the Thai really love their king. We were warned from the very beginning to never say anything negative about him, lightly joke about him, or even step on a Baht note (Thai currency) if you accidently drop it because it bears his image. This adoration for their king is well-founded though. He is a very good & respectable king, and he has done so much for his people.
My friend Emily pointed out to me recently: wouldn't it be wonderful if all Christians could show this kind of adoration to the King of kings? That statement started me thinking about our irreverent detatchment, especially as a western culture, from God. I'm not saying all Christians are like this... many show awe toward the Creator. Unfortunately though some limit God only to a counselor in times of trouble. How would it tranform the Church (and therefore the whole world) if Christians really understood how much more God really is & the magnitude of His love for us? Many times I have been brought to tears by the <a href="http://www.lyrics-top.com/38740-2148/NEWSBOYS/You-Are-My-King-%28Amazing-Love%29.html">Newboys</a>' song: "Amazing love how can it be that you my King would die for me? Amazing love I know it's true. It's my joy to honor you. With all I do, I honor you."
In fact, the difference between our Heavenly King and the Thai king is that many fear the inevitable death of the their beloved <span style="font-style: italic;">earthly</span> king because his successor is less than desirable, but no one really ever needs to fear the death of our beloved <span style="font-style: italic;">living</span> Father. "All honor and glory to God forever and ever! He is the eternal King, the unseen one who never dies; he alone is God. Amen." 1 Timothy 1:17 NLT
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdunHpb1pv_ooI0ReXlqVMiNiVS8KJJyBsfPvpgoMkckAsHSPxwRsvzezcyTSrSkNzoYkduMyUn4SdedcJwVBP2UWLvRVC5O7wDY-ta9S3kCm8vcONz4HG2GuehQ8fCSuHzb8o6MlvBPK2/s1600-h/IMG_0689.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5163729202355820546" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdunHpb1pv_ooI0ReXlqVMiNiVS8KJJyBsfPvpgoMkckAsHSPxwRsvzezcyTSrSkNzoYkduMyUn4SdedcJwVBP2UWLvRVC5O7wDY-ta9S3kCm8vcONz4HG2GuehQ8fCSuHzb8o6MlvBPK2/w200-h150/IMG_0689.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" width="200" /></a>Our time in Thailand just ended with a couple weeks that were quite different to our time in Laos. After heading over the boarder into northern Thailand, we were received by the <a href="http://www.thaihaynes.com/mission">Haynes family </a>in Chiang Rai who gave us the nurturing that we needed desperately. We were amazed by the Haynes family -- all 5 of them (William, Cindy, Emily, John William & Marshall) having such generous hearts... and an incredible family cookbook with some delicious recipes.
During our 5 days there, we helped a YWAM d.t.s. team build a bamboo fence, visited the <a href="http://www.flcschool.com/">Family Learning Center </a>several times, saw an energy-filled performance by the Christian band "Isarapap" out of Bangkok, toured <a href="http://www.baannamjai.org/home.html">Home of the Open Heart </a>a ministry "caring for HIV/AIDS orphans & their families", spent a Saturday with Ruth Fox (American Baptist Association) & Paul Pierson (Mission to Unreached People Society) who shared their stories from the heart with us, checked out a couple of Chiang Rai's temples, <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0HIv-diJM8hqR-LsjXy4CpJhu_8Ilp0Wd3InxCOnwV-21cRvq9tQWzRvEBSiVpv30ntYQjUUnum_NibSH4FJxq0i1HhVTmhQlPstyTIZ8Jd6negTd88mRxlHfeVZIuS6htLSp9L5h9SDw/s1600-h/IMG_0729.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5163733076416321634" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0HIv-diJM8hqR-LsjXy4CpJhu_8Ilp0Wd3InxCOnwV-21cRvq9tQWzRvEBSiVpv30ntYQjUUnum_NibSH4FJxq0i1HhVTmhQlPstyTIZ8Jd6negTd88mRxlHfeVZIuS6htLSp9L5h9SDw/w200-h150/IMG_0729.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" width="200" /></a>supported a Christian hill tribe village by taking an elephant ride, and finally visited Vern McCally to learn about the <a href="http://www.ywamthai.org/chiangrai/edenhouse.htm">Eden House</a> (a<span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span> <a href="http://www.projlife.com/">Project LIFE</a> project/<a href="http://www.ywamthai.org/">YWAM</a> ministry which "extracts" young girls from extreme "at risk" situations & provides care for them in an orphanage-style setting).
Aside from all the visits with various ministries and with the amazing Haynes family, I had an infection on my foot treated at a Christian hospital for only $33. Amazing, eh? Makes me think of Michael Moore's recent film "Sicko"... and glad I haven't had to pay exhorbent prices for all the health care I've had to received over the past few months.
After Chiang Rai we went to Chiang Mai and stayed (for 10 days) with our gracious host Karen Thomson -- an amazing woman who has been working in Chiang Mai for 8 years with <a href="http://www.cbnsiam.com/">CBN Siam</a>. While there, Hope took traditional northern Thai massage & foot reflexology courses, and I visited with some amazing youth workers & missionaries, including Steve & Tirzah Gibboney with <a href="http://cmcchurch.org/">Chiang Mai Community Church</a>, Mel Walters with <a href="http://cocthailand.com/about-coc-thailand/">Christian Outreach Center of Thailand </a>& the <a href="http://thehavenproject.net/">Haven Project</a>, Norbert & Cathy Baner of <a href="http://dtst-asia.org/">DTST-Asia </a>& <a href="http://www.vccm-th.org/">Vineyard Community Church</a>, the Haynes' friend <a href="http://www.tessasean.com/">Tessa Hershberger</a> with The Centre, our friend Greg whom we met at the sports ministry conference in Pattaya, and the Alexanders' daughters Annie & Emily plus Emily's beautiful daughters Vera & Lydia.
Over the weekend, we took it easy, visited with Karen, and checked out an elephant project. On Sunday Karen took us to Thammanikhom Church (a Church of Christ Thailand with a Presbyterian Church affiliation) where we met Joan & Allen Eubank -- American residents of Thailand more than 40 years... and still going strong! <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU3_W_a54BbKg3WhUxCaCty3mKnCqmVzaaE7tlsCDCfR1kCZYKojeehVFrQKpMnnWao4Bitaqn7u2sfXan7L-p9BzfxBdn-0SlxSXh0Ou199Elge_TaVa5lfWh8gVx9rkIzE0V2L1eRCCx/s1600-h/IMG_0867.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5163734218877622386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU3_W_a54BbKg3WhUxCaCty3mKnCqmVzaaE7tlsCDCfR1kCZYKojeehVFrQKpMnnWao4Bitaqn7u2sfXan7L-p9BzfxBdn-0SlxSXh0Ou199Elge_TaVa5lfWh8gVx9rkIzE0V2L1eRCCx/w200-h150/IMG_0867.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" width="200" /></a>When we met them, they were hosting "mission tour" group from the States which we tagged along with after a "cultural" church service & lunch for their afternoon activities -- visiting a "dormitory" program for hill tribe children. Next we drove into town & arrived just in time for the youth service at Chiang Mai Community Church in which I gave a testimony about our unique journey. Out of that testimony God presented us a number of open doors that we are currently trying to pursue for New Zealand.
Then, in our second week in Chiang Mai, the dynamic duo joined forces again to visit with some more amazing people, including a few from the Eubanks' visiting "mission tour" team, a Montreat College graduate friend in town from China for a conference, Rev. Esther Wakeman, Ph. D., who is the Vice-President for Student Development and Religious Affairs at <a href="http://ic.payap.ac.th/university/about.php">Payap University</a>, <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrPeg16oMPpTaSV7n8iHWp3nzzRj8X8GIpIQ5Fo33wpxxPdtwVFagcfz-sSr0rPpHKKX48QDTMjM-j9GMNGcZNUa9DeDCnTKUjcHkfsaKhupYq382iBatsRjb5sXloxzq1uv05gKhbEjnx/s1600-h/IMG_0938.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5163731332659599410" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrPeg16oMPpTaSV7n8iHWp3nzzRj8X8GIpIQ5Fo33wpxxPdtwVFagcfz-sSr0rPpHKKX48QDTMjM-j9GMNGcZNUa9DeDCnTKUjcHkfsaKhupYq382iBatsRjb5sXloxzq1uv05gKhbEjnx/w200-h150/IMG_0938.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" width="200" /></a>Esther's husband Rob Collins who is about to retire from leading the Christian Communications Institute started by Joan & Allen Eubank which communicates "faith through Thai culture", Bill Yoder (another Thai mission veteran) who just retired from PC-USA missions with Payap University, the staff of the <a href="http://www.justfoodinc.org/aboutus.php">Garden of Hope </a>which "helps nurture new beginnings" by "offering choices for life" (to those seeking refuge from the sex trade industry), our new friend Grace who we met in Satun (southern Thailand) in mid-December - picture, and Mark Crawford & 3 of his kids who introduced us to the amazing ministry of <a href="http://www.nikkisplace.org/">Agape Home </a>"for babies & children with HIV/AIDS" (Avis, the founder, has been so faithful to God's call on her life & she's still actively involved... we caught up with her while she gave children haircuts in her office).
Obviously, we stayed very busy in Chiang Mai -- observing incredible ministries and learning about so many opportunities to serve. We didn't even have time to visit with everyone we'd hoped to, so I'd love to come back one day to spend some more quality time. In fact, if you have any desire to work with young people here or anywhere else we've been -- at the university level, in churches, in orphanages or on the streets -- please let me know and connect you with the right people.
Our last few days in Thailand we spent in Bangkok trying to fit in a few visits with "old" new friends and with a friend of a friend (Benjamin) who works in children's ministries (<a href="http://www.ywamthai.org/bangkok/kingskids.htm">King's Kids</a>) through YWAM. We also attended a very emotionally transparent & humbly honest Sunday morning service at Evangelical Church of Bangkok.
The last 3 months in SE Asia were very blessed. We are so thankful for the privilege and pray to have the chance to return to this unique & beautiful part of God's creation.
Please keep us in your prayers as we continue our journey through Hong Kong for 10 days and then on to New Zealand. As usual we are walking in faith, not knowing what God has in store for us. Please continue to pray for strength, energy, good health, ministry contacts, and discernment of His will as we travel.</div>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16044646395498036427noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657927107878648356.post-80897662637743615032008-01-16T22:33:00.000-05:002022-12-07T15:55:43.200-05:00resolving to believe in the impossibleThe turning of the year brings thoughts of resolutions, convictions, decisions, and intended change. But why should these thoughts be triggered by the change of a year in the Roman calendar? Here in SE Asia each culture has it's own new year celebration (February, April...) with their own traditions. Why do we limit ourselves to tradition & comfort? I guess as humans we have linear perspectives that can be quite limiting. But I think God designed us to be ever-changing and evolving -- in other words, not stagnant -- so that "being too comfortable" should become a red flag. Is our faith just a religion without the relationship? Have we stopped running the race (as Paul says) and set up camp?
It's easy to be comfortable in America. I think our culture perpetuates the "need" for security. But really, are we ever secure? Is anything or anyone in this world completely dependable? Hope & I had gotten to a stage in our trip where we had gotten comfortable with how God had designed this adventure -- opening doors for us & leading us to connect with established ministries, missionaries, & mission groups. Although we'd nearly abandoned our American "need" for security, we became "too comfortable" with this design -- expecting that He would continue to provide in the same way that He had been. Basically, we began to put God into a box, so He had to teach us a lesson about His nature.
We left Bangkok in a very non-"farang" (foreigner) way... by non-governmental "private" bus. You see, all the coaches were filled due to the New Year holiday. (Even if they celebrate another New Year, that doesn't mean they won't recognize the Roman calendar New Year... any excuse to celebrate.) So we took our chances hopping on a "private" bus from Bangkok's northern bus terminal. We arrived at the bus station to be enveloped into a mass of Thais... Thousands trying to catch buses back home for the holiday. We were the only "farang" there... literally. At first I didn't know if this was normal but when I saw the TV cameras I realized this had to be out of the ordinary. Thus began another unique experience of an almost torturous overnight bus trip up to Udon Thani.
We made it to Udon Thani in time for a short day visit with our friend Pratha, who we had met at the Sports Ministry conference in Pattaya in early Nov. We wish we had more time but our Thai visa was about to run out. Pratha is an amazing leader with incredible passion & vision for his community. His vision involves the development of a sports complex with a Biblical theme-park concept. When visiting his church building, we were able to look over the plans, and he informed us they just celebrated a ground-breaking ceremony the week before. Please pray for wisdom, support & funding as he continues to organize this enormous project.
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4t20cNtD43Ij4mM8xMp4qzuHL0TTg5cHePK1ZXQpoyUFlLc5k1SE6YI7KbRkfAmcYuU8ubKjTM-jML6ogryPTkhtvk4HJKnqszyUGTQNu2JsNDD0HOUp_6QOpwGZKCjPGlwK2zP-Skto/s1600-h/IMG_0039.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" height="200" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5156443239527516066" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4t20cNtD43Ij4mM8xMp4qzuHL0TTg5cHePK1ZXQpoyUFlLc5k1SE6YI7KbRkfAmcYuU8ubKjTM-jML6ogryPTkhtvk4HJKnqszyUGTQNu2JsNDD0HOUp_6QOpwGZKCjPGlwK2zP-Skto/w150-h200/IMG_0039.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt;" width="150" /></a>We were greeted at the Laos border that afternoon by another friend from the Pattaya conference. It was good to see him & hear more details about his incredible story. Unfortunately, our other contacts in Vientiane were out of town for the holidays. Our friend (and only firm contact there) shared his limitations in helping us get involved with the Lao church, because our participation as foreign "missionaries" carries judgments, stigmas and restrictions imposed by the Laos government, which in turn could put Laos believers in jeopardy. This new realization lead to a mix of emotions, including personal disappointment, frustration with the government, and sympathy for the state of persecution in Laos.
We were able to have breakfast with our friend's beautiful family, see some of his entrepreneurial projects in progress, meet some of his ministry workers, & catch a ride with a van load of Laos Christians up to Vang Viang. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOEFl5v7eoEDg2yt5Qzn48C06Bg7UJTtuR8mbWw7tHZLb-vJiesCPCAFyM-WY76PY9eB3VKODDaeCBGsatczv7_VOygdWWC6C6WYZm0xoGa21OZ4I-vLn9C6f3PwHTV11F24rgsrnh7LY/s1600-h/IMG_0066.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5156445133608093618" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOEFl5v7eoEDg2yt5Qzn48C06Bg7UJTtuR8mbWw7tHZLb-vJiesCPCAFyM-WY76PY9eB3VKODDaeCBGsatczv7_VOygdWWC6C6WYZm0xoGa21OZ4I-vLn9C6f3PwHTV11F24rgsrnh7LY/w200-h150/IMG_0066.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px;" width="200" /></a>They were going to a youth camp that we weren't allowed to attend, again due to the sensitivity of the Laos situation... Thus set the theme of our 17-day Laos experience: missing Christian contacts for various reasons and having to be thrown into the mainstream backpacker experience.
Now I know most of you would not think this is a bad thing; in fact, you may see it as a way that God gave us a little "vacation" within this mission adventure. But honestly Hope & I wrestled with the feelings of disappointment & frustration. We wanted to have a ministry experience in Laos, not a tourist experience. We expected that God would facilitate better timing with connecting to the 9 connections that had opened up... He had opened the doors but nothing was working out. How could it not be in God's will for us to have a ministry experience in Laos?
During our daily devotions we read a selection in "Our Daily Bread" called "Beware of Open Doors". Although I don't believe that our situation (re: lack of ministry connections in Laos) was a result of our assuming God's will, but it made me start to think about my assumptions of <span style="font-style: italic;">how</span> God reveals His will for us. I decided that instead of putting my energy into feeling disappointed and frustrated, I would put my energy into praying for opportunity.
Two significant lessons came out of this experience. Just as all ministry in Laos (or in any other restrictive country), our ministry began to take on a relational nature... for us, it was with fellow backpackers. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO26Dw8Fllyej-In81N4bbqq0d34I3qG5JStrsmg0H31QQ8ejCz7pwe4X_7DrHLXroCMdT3-U7SIQ6BXSpUBXbdCaeVEXcqmSDhHvTGvGiA9iYRnwiYW4BDeroVh-zOOLFja5XXSK1uRU/s1600-h/IMG_0466.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5156446993328932802" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO26Dw8Fllyej-In81N4bbqq0d34I3qG5JStrsmg0H31QQ8ejCz7pwe4X_7DrHLXroCMdT3-U7SIQ6BXSpUBXbdCaeVEXcqmSDhHvTGvGiA9iYRnwiYW4BDeroVh-zOOLFja5XXSK1uRU/w200-h150/IMG_0466.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt;" width="200" /></a>In all our travels no one had ever asked us what "1 Peter 3:15" said (on the top of the business cards we had made before our trip began). While we were in Muang Ngoi (one of the most beautiful places in Laos), we met a bunch of travelers who became our "crew" for a few days. This crew included 2 Israelis women, another American, an Irish, 2 Australian, & a Canadian... none were believers. But the "1 Peter 3:15" led us into a number of conversations in which we shared our faith... "an answer to the reason for the hope in us." Relational ministry, right in front of us.
The other lesson was not to limit God's doors of ministry opportunity to established contacts and ministry networks. One day we rented a couple mountain bikes to explore the area just east of Muang Sing -- the northwestern most town in Laos (between China & Myanmar). We planned to ride around, take in the scenery, and maybe visit a couple villages. Upon arriving in a small remote Yao village called Pon Don Than, we heard some singing accompanied by guitar (which wasn't Laos-style music) and a big crowd around the village well. We stopped to observe and try to figure out what was going on. A bunch a kids were getting "baths", some even getting their hair styled, while a young non-native-looking Asian played guitar & sang with a passion. Something was happening here... we could feel the Spirit.
One of the non-village-looking Asians came over and introduced himself in broken English. He explained that they were a team of 6 Koreans here to do "volunteer work". Since Korea has one of the largest percentages of Christians in Asia (30%) most of which sees missions as vital to faith, I asked him if they were missionaries, but I think he may have avoided directly answering me, either because of the persecution in Laos or because he didn't understand. So we continued observing and talking a little to the other Koreans. Even though the songs were in Korean, Hope noticed the English titles in guitarist's praise song book. We wanted to help them serve but we worried about our "farang" faces endangering their ministry so we decided to say our goodbyes, pack up our guilty feelings of uselessness, and be on our way.
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDkMJCTNeIUvNemeCNM64sl-H3JTrGAFTsMvmnO5DBQjCHk9bMPUZhUqK7q7b_mq8IVUQKBat-7vSWFq2ohO7pNRXciiEgNUREX0UQmFCvmJMjgNbjgt9_1qSZrkiblJTTEO6pNqSCFos/s1600-h/IMG_0582.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" height="200" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5156448943244085202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDkMJCTNeIUvNemeCNM64sl-H3JTrGAFTsMvmnO5DBQjCHk9bMPUZhUqK7q7b_mq8IVUQKBat-7vSWFq2ohO7pNRXciiEgNUREX0UQmFCvmJMjgNbjgt9_1qSZrkiblJTTEO6pNqSCFos/w150-h200/IMG_0582.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px;" width="150" /></a>At that moment the first guy we spoke to passed a brush to Hope and asked her if she could help de-tangle a young girls' hair who just got a "bath". We were so excited to be invited into serving. I prayed that the accompanying musician would play a praise song that I knew so I could sing along... and the next song was "You Are My All in All". That's when one of the Korean girls turned to us with surprise and asked if we were Christians. They all got so excited and continued to bring us into service with open arms. We ended up spending hours with them -- praying for children, drying them off after their baths, brushing their hair, spending time with their community -- until the team began to pack up their things to move on to another village. They invited us to join them but the village was far away and we were on our rented bikes. We thanked them for including us, gave them our information, took a few pictures, and were on our way.
As we ate lunch at the beautiful, quiet Adima cafe/guest house nearby, we reflected on how amazing God really is. Why had we put Him & His ways into a box, otherwise known as our expectations? I thanked and praised Him for connecting us randomly with these Korean brothers & sisters out in the middle of northern Laos. God is the God of the impossible... He had to teach me once again.
Now we are in Chiang Rai, northern Thailand, visiting with the amazing Haynes' family. Their story, faith, and open hearts are refreshing our tourist-weary souls. I guess, since God got His point across, He has brought us into this incredible family to nurture our spirit. Thank you, Father.
[Please keep us in your prayers for health -Heather's body seems to be going from one ailment to the next- and for discernment of God's will for us in Hong Kong, New Zealand, & Australia... we're praying for hosts as these countries are significantly more expensive than the first 7 months of our trip. I know He will provide.]Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16044646395498036427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657927107878648356.post-28793308595223256982007-12-28T00:55:00.000-05:002022-12-07T15:56:07.036-05:00a different style Christmas seasonAfter spending more than a month cumulatively in the country of Thailand, it's still hard to wrap my mind around understanding this culture. We found that it's been an easier adjustment than India but this culture seems more reserved, wanting to please so therefore they mask issues to bring comfort to the farangs (foreigners/westerners) or to avoid confrontation. Emotions seem suppressed in this culture which can cause major problems if they build up. We've been warned that if you see 2 Thais yelling at each other, get away because they have lost it and could do something pretty drastic.
After our short visit to Cambodia, we returned to the progressive, international city of Bangkok to pick up Richmond who joined us for most of December. I'm not sure if Richmond realized what he was getting himself into by joining the Deifell sisters in this unique adventure but he fared well with the idiosyncrasies of our travel system & communication. He said that my personality hasn't changed too much but he did notice a few things: my budget-consciousness has driven many of my decisions which can be limiting (am I really trusting in God's provisions?), my spiritual walk has been nurtured which is expected when being introduced to so many incredible members of this family of faith, and I'm learning how to really <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">be</span>, something I'm not so good at in my WNC world of work, school, etc.
We've been busy traveling all over southern Thailand for the last 3+ weeks but I want to keep this post from developing into a novel so I'll try to focus on some highlights. We have been so blessed by our Bangkok hosts (Amy, Kip, Elise-2, & Selah-3+months Baggett... Amy is the sister to Ruth Ann Somerville) who have allowed us to keep this as a hub for our SE Asia travels... even when they are in the States for Christmas.
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUQ2_MeJWnSJste0dGL3m4eChyMe0QBENG1KLatTwJFilYP1PLMZ0hbTyntRdtxwQSym08p2nXWuxP7a806Lqr17tE3X5GEffuTp6xFo2D3hhOOB0gbNnWNOZgC2yNfNK7P4O2uxtWmpc/s1600-h/CIMG4041.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5148941263101261538" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUQ2_MeJWnSJste0dGL3m4eChyMe0QBENG1KLatTwJFilYP1PLMZ0hbTyntRdtxwQSym08p2nXWuxP7a806Lqr17tE3X5GEffuTp6xFo2D3hhOOB0gbNnWNOZgC2yNfNK7P4O2uxtWmpc/w200-h150/CIMG4041.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px;" width="200" /></a>Our first stop south was in Lam Thap, a village outside of <a href="http://www.ywamthai.org/krabi/">Krabi</a> where we were hosted by Radt<span class="nfakPe"></span> Yaithong, her wonderful family, & short-term missionary, Trevor Lee (from LA). This YWAM ministry reaches many rural Thais through prayer ministry, English lessons, house-church, and relational ministries. We felt the Spirit moving in some incredible ways, especially when praying with some of Radt's neighbors.
After a short trip out to the extreme tourist destination of the Phi Phi Islands with Trevor, we traveled up the coast to Khao Lak to visit with <a href="http://www.openheaven.org/news/338">Step Ahead</a>, another YWAM affiliated ministry. Khao Lak survived the hardest hit of the Tsunami 3 years ago, with over 4,000 casualties. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinfKcY983lGfQE17uxd9YatkF-w8VGw5XNawpHNeiPLBnxTu88oqvtNacm3DtPzsccEDm7jypQr4sMi8LwEfpO4WfDnBmX6mMV8IAkucelKbybyBGloT5qajIQSQ_llYGQtYFktwmUxjw/s1600-h/IMG_0326.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5148959684215994098" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinfKcY983lGfQE17uxd9YatkF-w8VGw5XNawpHNeiPLBnxTu88oqvtNacm3DtPzsccEDm7jypQr4sMi8LwEfpO4WfDnBmX6mMV8IAkucelKbybyBGloT5qajIQSQ_llYGQtYFktwmUxjw/w200-h150/IMG_0326.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" width="200" /></a>This ministry facilitate some effective empowerment projects including English classes, a mushroom project, orchid project, 4 preschools, & possibly a eco-tourism project in the near future. We prayed thanksgiving for this incredible staff (Benz, Bree, etc.) and appreciated our amazing host, Paul McKnight. A big highlight was participating in the Step Ahead Christmas party... helping us with the challenge of getting into the season in the midst of a tropical climate & Buddhist culture.
For my 34 birthday (I still can't believe it!) we checked out the Similan Islands... beautiful, quieter (than Phi Phi) islands although still a tourist trap (especially with expense)... something we're not too keen on. But that experience prepared us to fully appreciate our last Thai beach experience off the coast of the Satun province. We had an amazing time with a family in this SW province. Their ministry is relational involving English classes & After-school, fishing projects, & even constructions projects. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCBF2El5LEeUsGdPVn-_lMl-c13nuzFlikbLl1abL98og0Zu-3uv5Vwxt9QNrFvJdgGzKnbPuPD3_-35ehvx9yn2zftQvq6GyLF4p6kst_mAQaHFjspvoRmzlFRJu7itjWhyphenhyphenc4CDXVAfw/s1600-h/IMG_0715.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5148962050742974210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCBF2El5LEeUsGdPVn-_lMl-c13nuzFlikbLl1abL98og0Zu-3uv5Vwxt9QNrFvJdgGzKnbPuPD3_-35ehvx9yn2zftQvq6GyLF4p6kst_mAQaHFjspvoRmzlFRJu7itjWhyphenhyphenc4CDXVAfw/w200-h150/IMG_0715.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" width="200" /></a>They put us to work teaching English classes & even Richmond got conned into teaching during his 'vacation' by leading an art lesson. This family is gifted with humor along side Biblical perspectives and an incredible amount of patience. They brought us out to Koh Bulon Don, an island not touched by tourism that houses a community of 60 families. This is the type of experience we'd been praying for... unique, quiet, authentic, and community.
We spent a couple days (including 1/2 of Christmas day) with Paul McKnight's parents in Hat Yai, Barry & Rowena. They have years & years of experience as missionaries in Thailand, most recently affiliated with <a href="http://www.wointl.com/">World Outreach</a>, so their stories were fascinating. They also have huge hearts and, Rowena especially, nurtured us just as our mother would... an answer to prayer to be able to spend this special celebration with such extraordinary people. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu7uflq5dbpvegZGljGzp_jZGfSEGOiZJjkiBGgOE4cNZRxrF3xGyqaT2Feou21Df25NybAAhIALb0rxjWVoePvydVgedFasXOdw7e7EX8VFQlQcw6IFrOEglwKTJGjYUzkdu8WGnHGRg/s1600-h/IMG_0870.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5148963133074732818" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu7uflq5dbpvegZGljGzp_jZGfSEGOiZJjkiBGgOE4cNZRxrF3xGyqaT2Feou21Df25NybAAhIALb0rxjWVoePvydVgedFasXOdw7e7EX8VFQlQcw6IFrOEglwKTJGjYUzkdu8WGnHGRg/w200-h150/IMG_0870.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" width="200" /></a>Part of the celebration involved a Christmas Fair put on by their church where hundreds of people showed up for games (led by some Kiwi missionaries), performances, food, lantern-lighting, and telling the real reason for this holiday. We found out that most Thai think that Christmas is the western New Year celebration, therefore Richmond & I heard "O Come All Ye Faithful" at the airport this morning (28th) while we were saying our goodbyes.
We give thanks & praise for all these incredible missionaries that God opened the door to. We originally thought our ministry contacts in the south were lacking but it's not about quantity, it's about quality. We're now headed north into Laos and again our ministry contacts seem lacking but we'll see what God does. Keep us in your prayers for this popular travel time of year, meeting the people God wants us to meet, strength & rejuvenation at our 1/2 way mark, and for the 3 moles I just got removed to be checked for skin cancer... a reminder of my heavenly citizenship.Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16044646395498036427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657927107878648356.post-36248654856863197902007-12-23T23:15:00.000-05:002007-12-23T23:38:52.091-05:00Merry ChristmasFirst, I apologize that I haven't been able to work on an update in the last few weeks. We have been busy visiting incredible ministries & people outside of Krabi, up to Khao Lak, & to the southwest in Satun. We have been involved in prayer ministry, English classes, recreation with kids, and Christmas outreaches which have all shifted our perspectives as we try to wrap our heads around the Thai culture.<br /><br />We are now in Hat Yai visiting with the parents of a new, ministry friend/brother. It's wonderful to be in a home with some of our faith family during this precious season. We will be catching a train (18 hours) tomorrow afternoon back up to Bangkok... interesting way to spend Christmas night.<br /><br />It has been a very unique Christmas season not just because of the Buddhist/Muslim culture that surrounds us or the tropical weather & beautiful scenery but because we are not caught up in the commercialism of the western world. It brings our focus closer to the real reason for this time of celebration. I'm so incredibly thankful that I can share this celebration with <a href="http://hoped.blogspot.com/">Hope</a> & Richmond.<br /><br />I hope to get an extensive post with pictures up by the end of the week so check back soon. Have a wonderful Christmas. I hope it's filled with laughter!Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16044646395498036427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657927107878648356.post-90390969908040395412007-12-05T01:20:00.000-05:002022-12-07T15:56:51.992-05:00Keep playing...<span style="font-style: italic;">Dangerous wonder</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">risky curiosity</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">wild abandon</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">daring playfulness</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">wide-eyed listening</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">irresponsible passion</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">happy terror</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">naive grace</span>... all part of a "childlike faith" and what it means "to recapture the joy [& freedom] of being a child and [applying] it to your relationship with God." Hope & I just finished studying these topics over the last couple months in <a href="http://www.thedoormagazine.com/Mike_Yaconelli.html">Michael Yaconelli</a>'s book <span style="font-style: italic;">Dangerous Wonder</span>. In many ways, reading this book as a devotional really reinforced & encouraged my perspective on faith, and I'm thankful that I've been able to hang on to this sort of <span style="font-style: italic;">childlike</span>ness. In fact, upon reflection on one of the last discussion questions in the book, "What has God been calling you to do?", I recognized that I have a reoccurring desire to teach & inspire these same principles in other believers.
Funny thing is, my new friend Jesse (a missionary from Nagaland, NE India) asked my other new friend Pheng (a former Buddhist monk in Cambodia for 8 years) how to stay young-looking: Pheng's opinion was to stay single, but my opinion was to keep playing, so you never forget how.
The timing of this study has been interesting in that Asia (like much of Africa) seems to be filled with cultures where "youthfulness" can be looked down upon, seen as inappropriate, and even viewed as a second class. I guess it's not too far from the way many older <span style="font-style: italic;">"</span><span style="font-style: italic;">responsible"</span> Christians may view young leaders of the faith. For example, another new American friend named Andy, who is a second generation missionary to Japan, shared that one of the biggest crises in the Japanese church today is the lack of young leaders because their "inexperience" is looked down on. Likewise, Brian Maher shared with us some similar examples in the Cambodian church, but I am inspired by his motivation & call to empower the Khmer youth.
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWtMD6phDbbJcP1tdANOZrs2hnAmo7Glew-yTVVFZFJgW-V4g2DbG7Ypk9Ne9_rE4hk2Py2VVQkvqCzy8T-oGmYnVYESQjNGj-AD-ywidO4znVu7-5KH8H44YNHFmXIFHn4pUCaumdrG0/s1600-h/IMG_9015.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5140763204217175906" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWtMD6phDbbJcP1tdANOZrs2hnAmo7Glew-yTVVFZFJgW-V4g2DbG7Ypk9Ne9_rE4hk2Py2VVQkvqCzy8T-oGmYnVYESQjNGj-AD-ywidO4znVu7-5KH8H44YNHFmXIFHn4pUCaumdrG0/w200-h150/IMG_9015.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px;" width="200" /></a>So, about a week and a half ago, we traveled from the coast of Cambodia (Sihanoukville) into the Mekong Delta and arrived in Cambodia's capital (Phnom Penh) just in time for the Water Festival -- an annual cultural festival which brings over a million people from the countryside into the city. We checked it out briefly, got our fill, and then chose to avoid it for the rest of the weekend due to the crowds.
While in Phnom Penh, we visited with Hayden Sewall and Lisa & Dave Everitt of <a href="http://www.crmleaders.org/ministries/innerchange/regions/cambodia">Innerchange Ministries</a>, Andrew Thomas of <a href="http://www.bibleleague.org/church/planting/cambodia.php">The Bible League</a>, Pastor Meng Aun Hour & his wife Rady of Followers of Jesus Church & <a href="http://www.orphanvoice.org/index.php">Orphan Voice</a>, <a href="http://www.icfpp.org/">International Christian Fellowship</a>, Kiri Nguon through the International Sports Coalition, <a href="http://cambodianchristian.com/maherministry/">Brian Maher</a> & Todd Smith of the <a href="http://www.efcyc.com/">Youth Commission</a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOSLXUwrQ2vrs5fX9ZoJAPiNrI8QIzduujqUG88zn34kKWyTZ9zoYyyLwbpxvlLwggWJR_-p8GWxuJZ5n_NJ0iSruArEzwdaSUIFMVjzy6GQ51Hv9PGDJsJlNdfi_lnPnt-NEjzjj47eg/s1600-h/IMG_9053.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5140765033873244018" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOSLXUwrQ2vrs5fX9ZoJAPiNrI8QIzduujqUG88zn34kKWyTZ9zoYyyLwbpxvlLwggWJR_-p8GWxuJZ5n_NJ0iSruArEzwdaSUIFMVjzy6GQ51Hv9PGDJsJlNdfi_lnPnt-NEjzjj47eg/w200-h150/IMG_9053.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;" width="200" /></a> of <a href="http://www.efc.org.kh/">Evangelical Fellowship of Cambodia</a>, and Christina Valenti of two International Youth programs, Cross-culture & Solar. Aside from visiting with all these people, we also tried to grasp a bit of Cambodia's tragic history by visiting the Killing Fields & the Tuol Sleng genocide museum -- both landmarks of the Khmer Rouge... a lot to fit into one week.
Lisa Everitt is a vivacious woman with a refreshing sense of humor, and she helped us get oriented and connected to youth ministries around Phnom Penh. Her husband Dave shared from his heart one evening speaking to our hearts and encouraging us. With over 12 years of ministry experience in Cambodia, Lisa & Dave have incredible insight.
We had met Pastor Meng at the sports ministry conference in Thailand, and he invited us to join a group of about 20 Christian leaders on a short trip up to Kratie (NE Cambodia) for a <span style="font-style: italic;">marriage </span>conference led by <a href="http://www.drmeeko.net/">Andy</a> (the American missionary in Japan mentioned above). We were only with the group for just over 24 hours, but we were blessed by Andy's teachings & perspectives, by learning more about the culture of Cambodian marriage & youth, and by meeting Vatong with <a href="http://www.worldhope.org/trafficking/overview.htm">World Hope International</a> & Veasna of EFC/Youth Commission in Ratanakiri (far NE Cambodia). After our return to Phnom Penh the next day, Pastor Meng's wife Rady graciously introduced us to the Followers of Jesus School which provides a 1st through 4th-grade education for youth from the streets of southwest Phnom Penh... most of whom would otherwise not get an education because of the corrupted, bribe-fed expense in Cambodian public schools.
Later, we spent an evening hearing Kiri's incredible story: escaping the Khmer Rouge by floating down the river, playing professional soccer for Vietnam, returning to Cambodia just to escape again through mine fields, coming to faith by independently reading the Bible in a Thailand refugee camp, traveling to America, and then returning to Cambodia several months ago to pursue sports ministry through coaching. Amazing!
One morning, we caught a motorcycle taxi to the north side of Phnom Penh to have breakfast with <a href="http://gecko-tales.blogspot.com/">Brian Maher</a>. Both Lisa <span style="font-style: italic;">and</span> our new friend Veasna encouraged us to meet with Brian, and we're so thankful for the opportunity. Brian has spent the last 13 years in Cambodia working with Khmer youth... empowering & mentoring them. I resonated with his approach and his passions, especially regarding the <a href="http://cambodia.iteams.org/Programs/Diamond%20Project.html">Diamond Project</a>. After breakfast, we went back to the Youth Commission office with him to meet the visionary of the Diamond Project, New Zealander Todd Smith, as well as some of the empowered youth who came through the Diamond Project & currently serve on staff. The whole morning was a huge blessing... In fact, it's not surprising (anymore) to discover that we have a mutual friend in the States -- a wonderful friend who grew up in his former youth group in CT and later attended Montreat College: Annie Helstein. What a small and beautiful world!
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFgPR1DvVgPZMr4kA-2Sp0Zrip5i2VWhunUoc5gRXneCsheHDg6ggNUaRy0ZrXvqs1V-5YZgqMdZokZhmL6A9HlZtlpT9_ZJjo9Hx-gSyqEAWlSzK_bykAO4U9SJc2m08Yiv2FGJzYDzA/s1600-h/IMG_9409.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5140766202104348546" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFgPR1DvVgPZMr4kA-2Sp0Zrip5i2VWhunUoc5gRXneCsheHDg6ggNUaRy0ZrXvqs1V-5YZgqMdZokZhmL6A9HlZtlpT9_ZJjo9Hx-gSyqEAWlSzK_bykAO4U9SJc2m08Yiv2FGJzYDzA/w200-h150/IMG_9409.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" width="200" /></a>The web continues to grow... as our new friend Andrew Thomas became a surrogate brother during our stay in Cambodia -- checking in with us periodically and then connecting us with Pastor Vuthy of the <a href="http://www.bethelchurch.co.nr/">Bethel Church</a>. In our short trip to Siem Reap, we were blessed to be able to stay with Pastor Vuthy, his family, & his 'apprentice' Pheng Sopheak (the former monk mentioned above). Our brief visit also included assistant-teaching some English classes with 2 Bethel Church staff & 2 missionaries from NE India (Jesse & Akom) and spending each evening hearing Pastor Vuthy & Pheng's stories... And of course we fulfilled the usual tourist requirement by checking out the incredible ancient temples & ruins of Angkor Wat.
Overall, our experience in Cambodia amazed me but, like many other places along this big "introductory" trip, it made me want to come back to spend more time. Today, we're leaving Bangkok and heading south towards Malaysia. We're also visiting a couple of YWAM ministries in the beginning and then... only God knows!Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16044646395498036427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657927107878648356.post-63297472370769263972007-11-24T09:03:00.000-05:002022-12-07T15:57:08.446-05:00Refinement: avoid or embrace?Hope & I have been talking a lot about the process of refinement... how challenging & painful it can be, and yet how freeing it is.
In fact, it's interesting to think about how restrictive a life of faith might seem to an outsider (and maybe that's why many aren't interested in taking that path), yet after deciding to embrace a life of faith (when you stop running, turn around, seek Christ & begin engaging with Him) the "faithful" experience can be quite liberating... Many of these "rescrictions" are mis-perceived as external & temporal while the freedom through them is internal & eternal... Kind of like the discipline necessary in child-rearing.
Hope & I are continually amazed as we listen to story after story of how God personally purifies and uniquely cultivates so many brothers & sisters around the world. Just tonight our new friend Dave poured out his story to us about how God refined his call to do church-planting in Cambodia over the last 14 years. His words spoke to Hope & I personally --reminding us that the process began before we were even formed in our mother's womb (Psalm 139), that the fine-tuning is on-going & life-long, and that His desired outcomes are rarely what we expect or can even fathom. We all have "a call" that we should continually seek afresh each day.
In my last posting, I briefly mentioned that we had the privilege of attending a sports conference in Pattaya, Thailand. We were honored to be invited after our time at ISLS in South Africa, and we had been looking forward to it ever since. We are babies in this new family of sports ministry so we weren't sure what to expect... or what kind of reception we would receive into this exclusive, world-wide, leadership conference. For the most part, though, our reception was shockingly warm because we reunited with so many brothers & sisters from all over Africa & India we had met, visited with, and even been hosted by along our journey. We also made some amazing connections with many people who we will be visiting with in the months to come and who we would love to visit & serve with on our next global mission trip. God has designed our trip to have a strong component of networking that He's already using to link the Body together in many ways.
I'm so thankful to connect with the YWAM ministries of <a href="http://www.projlife.com/pattayaslumministries/index.html">Pattaya Slum Ministries</a> & <a href="http://www.ywamthai.org/pattaya/tamar.html">the Tamar Center</a>... both incredible lights shining amongst the darkness of this seemingly hopeless city. Pattaya was originally a fishing village changed into resort "R & R" area for soldiers during the Vietnam War. It's "red-light" district compares to the red-light district of Amsterdam, but in many ways it's worse! Supposedly, Pattaya has the biggest sex-trade in the world! The Tamar Center's target is to minister to these workers and try to get them "off the street" by training/employing them in card-making, baking, serving coffee, hair-styling & sewing. I encourage you to look at their website and pray about how you &/or your church, community or club could support them (maybe by selling their cards through your church gift shop or buying beautiful hand-made Thai silk bedding for wedding gifts). We're thankful that God scheduled a divine appointment with Nancy Barkus to be our host for the day... an incredible woman (64-years-young) with a wonderful perspective who also reminded us that God designs all the pieces of the puzzles of our lives to fit together perfectly in His plan.
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQy-j8XR5b9dA4AoSw0UM8KsnkkvWmhLHdDNBhc8qNz2-dfUMEnBM4vfaD1VGSy7SDvQAYLnIVo8fhnnxbtCaDEGg2NOQcVoDFiva-6TOK7K5a4HHVgRdiVzvwPG_xZFMxM5OvfBO4zDM/s1600-h/IMG_8730.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5137476179597780274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQy-j8XR5b9dA4AoSw0UM8KsnkkvWmhLHdDNBhc8qNz2-dfUMEnBM4vfaD1VGSy7SDvQAYLnIVo8fhnnxbtCaDEGg2NOQcVoDFiva-6TOK7K5a4HHVgRdiVzvwPG_xZFMxM5OvfBO4zDM/w200-h150/IMG_8730.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;" width="200" /></a>For the couple nights that we stayed in the Pattaya after the sports conference, we were hosted by the dedicated youth workers of the Pattaya Slum Ministries. These Thai ladies were very patient and wonderfully sweet -- allowing us to join them for a couple days of their "after-school" programs. The language barrier posed a challenge, but it didn't stop us from engaging with the kids and praying for many adults in the slum communities. Kiap, Moo & Arrhi shared Thai meals with us (yum!) and helped us coordinate our next travel plans... we're so appreciative of these new friends! [Make sure to check out the rest of our photos via the link to the right.}
Over the last week or so, we jumped into the backpackers' scene for the first time in the last 4 1/2 months of traveling. (It's amazing that we've been be in home-stay situations for ALL but 4 days of the first third of our journey!) We were only a bit nervous -- feeling immature because of the lack of our independent experience traveling -- yet we were pleasantly reminded by multiple travelers along the way that we actually DO have a strong "travel-sense" about us... or maybe it's just that we're strong, independent, assertive women, not willing to be taken advantage of.
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZLz6SgJlcqcnxWyrBO6C1bNVoYab4861WiTrR4xzSmSX8L75XVMrULQ_WiS6gt-R7raqfL7QWgGx_XhDYMrSssgG58dczeSqhmGX9b4kRQ2NqrePIZbcpRfb0mdort4P_HH4y4Ux9uhI/s1600-h/IMG_8872.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5137479396528284994" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZLz6SgJlcqcnxWyrBO6C1bNVoYab4861WiTrR4xzSmSX8L75XVMrULQ_WiS6gt-R7raqfL7QWgGx_XhDYMrSssgG58dczeSqhmGX9b4kRQ2NqrePIZbcpRfb0mdort4P_HH4y4Ux9uhI/w200-h150/IMG_8872.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" width="200" /></a>For example, after a nice, relaxing weekend exploring the island of Koh Chang (off the southeast coast of Thailand), we crossed over the corruption-filled, southern-most Thai-Cambodia border (near Krong Koh Kong) and managed to politely & innocently fight for our right to not overpay for our Cambodian visas. (The border officials were angrily adiment about charging people $15 more than it should be, be we got by with saving $10 each.) We finally & successfully crossed the border (visa in hand), and we traveled by bus and over 4 river crossings to spend a few days down at the Cambodian beach-town of Sihanoukville before heading to here to Phnom Penh... It's been a crazy weekend here in the capital because the annual Water Festival brought more than a million Khmer from all over the countryside... but it's worth it to see this side of the people and to be innudated by a contemporary culture celebrating a historical tradition.
Along the way (between Pattaya and Phnom Penh), we met some amazing travelers from all kinds of places, including Thailand, Cambodia, Italy, Australia, Israel, Canada, and Sweden (to name a few), and we connected (heart-to-heart) with a Buddhist Thai guy in Koh Chang who owns a MSO (my-self-organization) that distributes & brews organic/free-trade coffee from rural Thailand. After the fun-filled border crossing, we stayed connected with 3 wonderful Swedish ladies -- Jessica, Hannah and Sara, the latter of whom also joined us for a night in Phnom Penh.
I will go into more detail about our stay in Cambodia in my next posting. However, suffice it to say (for now) that God has miraculously opened multiple minitry contacts here in Phnom Penh and even a pastor in Siem Reap... many doors opening... it's shouldn't shock me because this has been typical of our adventure thus far AND because as long as we keep pursuing His will & desires for this journey, He will provide (Matt. 6:32).Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16044646395498036427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657927107878648356.post-62594705625223828282007-11-15T23:39:00.000-05:002007-11-16T00:01:28.152-05:00a quick intro to SE AsiaWe made it to the sports ministry conference and visited 2 YWAM ministries (<a href="http://www.projlife.com/pattayaslumministries/index.html">Pattaya Slum Ministries</a> & <a href="http://www.ywamthai.org/pattaya/tamar.html">the Tamar Center</a>) all in the last week+. Unfortunately I don't have time to write a post/update and I'm really not sure when I'll get a chance. <br /><br />Hope & I are heading to Ko Chang, an island off the southeast coast of Thailand. We're really excited about getting a little bit or R 'n' R. We feel like we've been going & going: jumping from the packed 'program' of India straight into incredibly spirit-filled conference and then into the amazing ministries working in the crazy, sad, tourist city of Pattaya.<br /><br />After our time in Ko Chang we are heading into Cambodia via the very most southern point of Thailand... should be an adventure. We'll make our way to Phnom Penh where we have several ministry contacts so we'll hopefully get a taste of what God is doing in Cambodia.<br /><br />Please keep us in your prayers for continued safety, discernment and minimizing our language barrier. SE Asia is a facinating place. I hope to update soon.Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16044646395498036427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657927107878648356.post-41924079676757902312007-11-10T15:59:00.000-05:002022-12-07T15:57:43.324-05:00Indian "Stretchable" TimeHow do you wrap up an explosive 6½-week experience in a distinctly rich culture with a complex history, spiritualism & religiosity... an experience that was so perspective-shifting, inspiring, yet overwhelming, humbling, and incredibly educational? I'm not sure that I can answer it, because I'm still processing it all, but for the sake of time (and for finishing this post), I'll just say that I must recommend that all Americans take the opportunity to visit India & figure it out themselves. Although, I know that this might be too much of a challenge for many Americans, but it’s when you aren’t “secure” or comfortable that God refines your character. I would love to bring some of my old Boys & Girls Club kids to visit the slums of India or the townships in South Africa. They would really learn to count their blessings.
The last week & a half in India we spent in West Bengal, splitting our time between the “rural” industrial city of Durgapur, its remote villages, and the massive congested city of Kolkata.
First, our connection in Durgapur was surprisingly well-established in advance, which is especially unique for this seemingly spontaneous adventure -- thanks to one of my supporting churches (the Cathedral of All Souls), to their Youth Director (one of my best friends, Shawna Gilmore), and to their sister Diocese there.
Our first few hours in West Bengal included driving down deserted highways (which is almost completely unheard of in this crowded nation), because a huge strike called off all pubic & highway transportation.
We risked taking the highway and ended up being stopped by the strikers out in the middle of nowhere. They threatened to keep us there until 6 pm (when the strike ended), but thankfully they were peaceful protestors. After a short time I boldly joined our host & driver in begging for mercy, and they actually let us go. I guess they felt sorry for this travel-weary foreigner or maybe they wanted to stop me from repeating “please” over and over again... or maybe they just liked my smile. I’m not sure, but we were thankful to be on our way.
Our “program” with the Diocese of Durgapur was full, thanks to Bishop Probal kanta Dutta. Some highlights include visiting Shantiniketan (the home of Nobel Prize winner Rabindrenath Tagore), spending time with the children & staff of the Diocese’s Child Study & Development Center, <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4mbuStUBonET2CeKlnl3gU2PUfmenmVi3edhvvNP6eoZ5EZtKOW23cwCQkeO6sv_Twwimg31X2pLjnKPz2ibrAXygN6OpHEEaOkkdENkJLvT8J_vAKN-E4HdyoK1tcrWlYUg79avys2E/s1600-h/IMG_8415.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5131254420274087746" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4mbuStUBonET2CeKlnl3gU2PUfmenmVi3edhvvNP6eoZ5EZtKOW23cwCQkeO6sv_Twwimg31X2pLjnKPz2ibrAXygN6OpHEEaOkkdENkJLvT8J_vAKN-E4HdyoK1tcrWlYUg79avys2E/w200-h150/IMG_8415.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;" width="200" /></a> fellowshipping with the incredible staff of the Sarenga Child Development Center (who are doing amazing, holistic work with 180 youth and their families), visiting Diocese’s project out in the small village of Samadhi & the beautiful forest surrounding it, visiting with Lynn who is a missionary from Blowing Rock, WNC, and especially helping to facilitate a Recreation Evangelism Workshop "retreat" with 15+ youth leaders. I must elaborate on this wonderful experience.
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ6IEaabpHxUFKbgWtbgZPmwRudjRckzWB_hp0sZFAdhLgVlbcfxB6nPLz4vsSpszeJpmOScr-4MNkECj7ixvj6Lu02uu5ylIEI__4BgO3f1e7XetD9YmUUYaaKpbnOOdJUjEQkHLyqc8/s1600-h/IMG_8271.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5131253604230301490" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ6IEaabpHxUFKbgWtbgZPmwRudjRckzWB_hp0sZFAdhLgVlbcfxB6nPLz4vsSpszeJpmOScr-4MNkECj7ixvj6Lu02uu5ylIEI__4BgO3f1e7XetD9YmUUYaaKpbnOOdJUjEQkHLyqc8/w200-h150/IMG_8271.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" width="200" /></a>
The Bishop organized a youth retreat around our visit -- bringing together specific youth (ages 17-25) who have surfaced as leaders in various churches throughout the Diocese. I was a little apprehensive about my abilities to lead a 3-day retreat but God worked through me... in spite of me... if that makes any sense. Through fun & games, some powerful lessons & discussions, and the presence of the Spirit, this group was brought together in a supernatural way. In just over 24 hours I felt a kindred spirit with these brothers & sisters, and I think they were inspired to break out of the "preaching mold" and to bring a new recreational element to doing youth ministry. Praise God!
After an amazing time in Durgapur, we took our last Indian train ride into Kolkata. Our hosts were yet another sports ministry contact facilitated by our friend Paul Moses. Subir is an Indian, his wife Eunok is Korean, and they are both driven to facilitate an amazing ministry called Good News Children’s Education Mission. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDhj05Y-kw9v-NTKJ4Rum8WhUHghMLPOcabcoiS_Juk-AAuYujs9m4mC-oMo8RfNZLn2TJVZkOnMIFMN-Ik_JeWkd4pYZSUUxxkz2lVBp6l22LsiLtqVCBG03yXhMqzIQzRhUJeDllHMw/s1600-h/IMG_8525.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="200" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5131255743124014930" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDhj05Y-kw9v-NTKJ4Rum8WhUHghMLPOcabcoiS_Juk-AAuYujs9m4mC-oMo8RfNZLn2TJVZkOnMIFMN-Ik_JeWkd4pYZSUUxxkz2lVBp6l22LsiLtqVCBG03yXhMqzIQzRhUJeDllHMw/w150-h200/IMG_8525.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;" width="150" /></a>Their work includes various Kids Games events all over Kolkata each afternoon, 3 mobile schools for street children that meet every weekday morning, and a boarding school/"hostel" for 150+ boys & girls from the slums or directly recruited from their mobile schools. We visited 2 of the mobile school sights, joined an afternoon of Kids Games, and visited the Hostel at Chandpur, out in the area of Varupur (known for all it's guava trees). It’s inspiring to see how willing Subir & Eunok are to pursue God’s calling by working such long hours. Their dedication to Kingdom work with children inspires me.
Our last morning in India we got a small taste of the impact of Mother Teresa's ministry by visiting the Mother House where she is buried, the Missionaries of Charity Children's Home, and the Home for the Sick & Dying. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWAdcCKZwaaLQVPFpwBrUqoQhtv_zP-ItPZfzjQtWZEN1DPWsbcSTNLXSz9-8mKqQ4WRTuvvaT_SO9RieW9lJeJfM2Ks-i4tpn2CGylq43u-DtOYccHEwBaERPfiDUm1V5tpewhFsq3V0/s1600-h/IMG_8604.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5131256945714857826" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWAdcCKZwaaLQVPFpwBrUqoQhtv_zP-ItPZfzjQtWZEN1DPWsbcSTNLXSz9-8mKqQ4WRTuvvaT_SO9RieW9lJeJfM2Ks-i4tpn2CGylq43u-DtOYccHEwBaERPfiDUm1V5tpewhFsq3V0/w200-h150/IMG_8604.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" width="200" /></a>I was particularly humbled by an experience in the women's ward of the Home for the Sick & Dying when I gathered a thin, frail skeleton-of-a-woman in my arms to move her to a new bed. Shouldn't this make me sad or even resentful toward God? No. Instead I felt my heart fill with love and compassion for this woman. I can't cure her or even talk with her due to the language barrier, but I can love her and pray for her. I hope to come back to serve with these incredible sisters one day... God-willing. I'm so thankful for getting a taste of both the new and the old ministries in Kolkata.
Our time in India was best characterized as a very "stretching" experience (fitting in with Indian's "Stretchable" Time, or IST). We are now in Pattaya, Thailand, attending the the ACE Sports Ministry Conference where we are reconnecting with friends we've met along our journey and making connections with those we will visit in the months to come. ISC is an incredible network of amazing Christians who seek unity in the Body and all for His glory. I wonder how God will call me to stay involved with this global network of Kingdom-builders. I wonder how God is calling me to implement all that I am learning from this amazing, life-changing experience.Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16044646395498036427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657927107878648356.post-11003465185752719322007-10-29T13:00:00.000-04:002022-12-07T15:58:19.227-05:00Jump first. Fear later?Hope & I are reading/studying a wonderful book called <em><a href="http://www.navpress.com/Store/Product/1576834816.html">Dangerous Wonder</a></em> by Mike Yaconelli. It's quite apt for this time in our lives -- taking "the adventure of childlike faith". I think it's easy to become 'too comfortable' in America. I'm thankful that I've been given this opportunity to be astonished & amazed by traveling in an unpredictable world and learning to trust in a "not so tame" Jesus. In his book, Mike Yaconelli reminded me of C.S. Lewis' analogous relationship between Christ and Aslan, the Lion of Narnia. After rising from death, Aslan played with the children, but they weren't sure "whether it was more like playing with a thunderstorm or playing with a kitten." Mike Yaconelli asks:
<blockquote><p>What happened to radical Christianity, the un-nice brand of Christianity that turned the world upside-down? What happened to the category-smashing, life-threatening, anti-institutional gospel that spread through the first century like wildfire and was considered (by those in power) <em>dangerous</em>?
What happened to the kind of Christians whose hearts were on fire, who had no fear, who spoke the truth no matter what the consequence, who make the world uncomfortable, who were willing to follow Jesus wherever he went? What happened to the kind of Christians who were filled with passion and gratitude, and who every day were unable to get over the grace of God? (p. 25-26)</p></blockquote>I've met many of these "radical" Christians all over the world and will continue to meet them, I'm sure, even in America (although they seem to much more rare). The most exciting part is that God is molding <em>me</em> into a radical follower of Christ. I'm learning that "the Christian life is more than finding Jesus -- it is <em>following</em> Jesus... a daily act of fearlessness that takes us through the most frightening and rugged terrain to a place of peace, joy, and abandon." (p. 62)
So I'm sorry for taking 2 long weeks to post... Although, I'm not really sure who reads this besides my family who we've talked to regularly, thanks to skype. I'm feeling a lot better these days thanks to prayer, some nurturing and a bit of down time. We actually got a chance to get away from the crowds of India... which I didn't know was possible!
I left off the last post mentioning Manoj "strong man" Chopra. He's actually considered the strongest man in India! So, even though Indians are generally not very big or tall, Manoj is. He's actually about to take the last phase of WWF training to become the first Indian pro-wrestler. He travels all over the world sharing his testimony through 'amazing feats' like tearing a phone book in half and bending crow bars... a good person to have on your side.
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_34TSGKnclcS5Uueb3-fT0dqDltZa3n61Xlk2Ur7LBWHlWDDhKYAF7sc99KIfUlrFNo3seqDrWm9PO6jcZQh-INa276ULZei8TXV7X70U4Hv5j2himTnkiOqxxqQArEbbQ47EnDY7jMVH/s1600-h/IMG_2534+copy.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5126840302846945026" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_34TSGKnclcS5Uueb3-fT0dqDltZa3n61Xlk2Ur7LBWHlWDDhKYAF7sc99KIfUlrFNo3seqDrWm9PO6jcZQh-INa276ULZei8TXV7X70U4Hv5j2himTnkiOqxxqQArEbbQ47EnDY7jMVH/w200-h150/IMG_2534+copy.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" width="200" /></a>However, Manoj's greatest strength is his family: his obedient children--his gorgeous, 16-year-old daughter Pooja, his strong, 13-year-old son Ashok and his faithful, prayer-filled wife Ragini, who is a self-less, humble disciple and servant leader. Most of our time in Bangalore we spent encouraging, learning from, and praying with our new sisters of faith. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbo4ukaf2X_HD8CK5lNJ-ydbRtJE5aW0Zf_b2Q_DsUqGurMmN7MtVpATpEApDzNd-Rw4IIsSyhOVqInB2lc5tOqUwtMsWQTnVGR-3Rvs5AiIzuLZ8sM2Xi218LWqeyFkPX3Ej8soRhGKJ1/s1600-h/IMG_2571.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="200" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5126836819628467938" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbo4ukaf2X_HD8CK5lNJ-ydbRtJE5aW0Zf_b2Q_DsUqGurMmN7MtVpATpEApDzNd-Rw4IIsSyhOVqInB2lc5tOqUwtMsWQTnVGR-3Rvs5AiIzuLZ8sM2Xi218LWqeyFkPX3Ej8soRhGKJ1/w150-h200/IMG_2571.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;" width="150" /></a>
We also visited the beautiful Lalbagh Botanical Gardens, relaxed at the Century Club, and even spent a day visiting historic city of Mysore. One afternoon (my favorite) while staying with the Chopras, we spent with some of Ragini's prayer fellowship group hearing the incredible testimonies of Jean, Poornima and Jayanthi. These women are all incredible prayer warriors.
During our last morning in south of India, we visited with Robin & Linda Paul at <a href="http://www.breakthrough-india.com/">Break Through </a>and then a short time with Dr. Ken Gnanakan learning about <a href="http://www.acts.co.in/College.htm">ACTS</a>. I really wish we had spent a lot more time with these 2 innovative ministries -- both exactly my "cup of chai". <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ3ielcIWTi-MsBhh0rfxLHSYI45afmUnDhxzAlrcMKJ8okxHVrQR1MUwUUgTSWqf1YkYqvQU6muZQa6kYV-ll6ifRfH56VyHPlk70bduXQYeUrFM7o8HcFq9Kh0Mw4PJ-qfL8bwdp50cW/s1600-h/IMG_2627.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5126838550500288242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ3ielcIWTi-MsBhh0rfxLHSYI45afmUnDhxzAlrcMKJ8okxHVrQR1MUwUUgTSWqf1YkYqvQU6muZQa6kYV-ll6ifRfH56VyHPlk70bduXQYeUrFM7o8HcFq9Kh0Mw4PJ-qfL8bwdp50cW/w200-h150/IMG_2627.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" width="200" /></a>You can look at the links to learn more, but hearing Robin & Linda's story really inspired me. Americans are pretty familiar with the idea of using of ropes courses and non-traditional games to facilitate teaching values and team-play, but it's quite a novel idea here in India... a <em>much-needed</em> novel idea. This culture emphasizes individual success, ambition and drive -- not team-play & innovation. Similarly, we learned that ACTS is also non-traditional in that, "rather than mere theoretical knowledge, ACTS aims at imparting practical skills and life changing attitudes for personal and community transformation." Dr. Gnanakan aims to "prepare people to face contemporary challenges" of health, environment, technology, business and commerce... with a very holistic approach.
Now, we have spent the last 10 days in north India, specifically New Delhi, Mussoorie & Dehradun, and once again God has blessed us with incredible hosts: <a href="http://www.pcusa.org/missionconnections/profiles/hudsond.htm">David, Sue & Mary Hudson</a> and <a href="http://www.pcusa.org/missionconnections/profiles/smiths.htm">Scott & Tim Smith</a> (unfortunately Melanie & Hillary Smith were on a school trip so we didn't get to meet them this time). The Hudson's are new to India having moved to Delhi at the end of June, but, hailing from Southern Pines, they opened their home in true NC-style -- with open arms. Come to find out they know our close family-friend, Jim Morgan, from Sue's time at Wake Forest, Brad & Laura Long from missionary orientation back in 1980, and the Somerville's from their time in Korea... the world continues to grow smaller and smaller.
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvKK_goc_pKOuo2rByK0Q6Fa7PkSzkI3SJ_i99sqmkzyPPFVBBI3tNZDtVdfW1y6j8pB8mdPvzlUqfPhJ_7Tgis81DihPBlNEDFtNlAzDuBlzqigCKsy-usVHxcW_MzMR5L0kR4HELNVSK/s1600-h/IMG_8044.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5126842781043074834" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvKK_goc_pKOuo2rByK0Q6Fa7PkSzkI3SJ_i99sqmkzyPPFVBBI3tNZDtVdfW1y6j8pB8mdPvzlUqfPhJ_7Tgis81DihPBlNEDFtNlAzDuBlzqigCKsy-usVHxcW_MzMR5L0kR4HELNVSK/w200-h150/IMG_8044.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" width="200" /></a>Highlights of our time in north India include spending time with the youth fellowship of Free Church, attending the second annual "A Cross Reverb" at Free Church (a Gospel musical, youth concert with 4 bands: Blessed Horizon, Fountain Floor, Delhi Bible Fellowship, and <a href="http://touchindia.org/">Kingdom International</a>), <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTQe9idU56yke3Rx6giCJoALqOCFeoVDjcWPGBO5U61MyoMgek3kr9DRx7VKDR6e5l2cdJm1firotH3mQv6UBYG8svfO8iBEGFwvmQv4nvofNLGOMlI0pzT9aqp_iJnqI7y4GO18m1LXez/s1600-h/IMG_2719.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5126845847649724194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTQe9idU56yke3Rx6giCJoALqOCFeoVDjcWPGBO5U61MyoMgek3kr9DRx7VKDR6e5l2cdJm1firotH3mQv6UBYG8svfO8iBEGFwvmQv4nvofNLGOMlI0pzT9aqp_iJnqI7y4GO18m1LXez/w200-h150/IMG_2719.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;" width="200" /></a> traveling to Mussoorie (the foothills of the Himalayas), hiking up to Flag Hill in Mussoorie, relaxing on the Smith's back porch in Mussoorie, fellowshipping with Margaret Thomas & some British missionaries in Dehradun, <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj5y6r2JyLhqHCEDa4d3aWPa2msmFdFDGUU4RCiXtaOIFgb6v8f5CFeNA46Y38Jsw82uiClph42kdx7oStwpa31rgFgYn_rDkWrD97MoLy8bWXXQLTOBweFHMJ05UiA2GAVd_hqlcShwsP/s1600-h/IMG_2727.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5126846702348216114" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj5y6r2JyLhqHCEDa4d3aWPa2msmFdFDGUU4RCiXtaOIFgb6v8f5CFeNA46Y38Jsw82uiClph42kdx7oStwpa31rgFgYn_rDkWrD97MoLy8bWXXQLTOBweFHMJ05UiA2GAVd_hqlcShwsP/w200-h150/IMG_2727.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" width="200" /></a>leading a recreation ministry workshop for 20 youth workers in Dehradun (set up by Scott Smith & hosted by Sam Thomas at Bethel Christian Fellowship), visiting the Qutb Minar complex in Delhi with Sue & Mary, <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4aj36WZvJBA95r52YrLvvWfVlGr0v19lzQblJwFixXlanS5vvcMLEmQO7K8iRpi9GxqyPXVe3hlJoff9MmpFYnl7zuixH1tOwT_yXw7-LV8yS5Mm6NhIn-aGk7piJeOU0YOE8GY0TdLSp/s1600-h/IMG_7970.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5126847866284353346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4aj36WZvJBA95r52YrLvvWfVlGr0v19lzQblJwFixXlanS5vvcMLEmQO7K8iRpi9GxqyPXVe3hlJoff9MmpFYnl7zuixH1tOwT_yXw7-LV8yS5Mm6NhIn-aGk7piJeOU0YOE8GY0TdLSp/w200-h150/IMG_7970.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;" width="200" /></a>
and worshipping with & learning from Koko, Heather & Peter (part of an outreach ministry to the collegiate community of University of Delhi) and John, Matt, Anne & Craig (a visiting mission team from <a href="http://www.fbchurchsc.org/home">Faith Bible Church</a> in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA). We got connected with this outreach through Paul Moses, because Koko is part of the the sports ministry team of India and attended ISLS in South Africa last year (2006). I'm thankful that we were able to sit in on one of their programs, especially the one called "Focal Point": a series of discussion about various topics hosted by this outreach ministry. This week's discussion was very interesting to hear from an Indian point of view -- "masculinity & femininity" from a Biblical perspective versus a societal one.
So, obviously, our cup continues to be filled and to overflow here in north India. We fly to Calcutta on Wednesday to spend time with another sports ministry colleagues of Paul Moses' in Calcutta and with the sister diocese to one of our supporting churches (<a href="http://www.allsoulscathedral.org/">Cathedral of All Souls </a>from the WNC Episcopal Diocese) in Durgapur (NW of Calcutta). Then we're off to SE Asia! I can't believe our time in India is coming to a close. I hope it's God's will for me to re-visit India some day... a beautiful and very unique part of God's creation!Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16044646395498036427noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657927107878648356.post-85189604101562727562007-10-16T17:56:00.001-04:002022-12-07T15:58:58.365-05:00next phase of IndiaI find I’m getting used to India… the crowds, crazy driving, unique customs, and inquisitive culture. (Check <a href="http://hoped.blogspot.com/">Hope's blog</a> for more details.) This country is growing on me. I say ‘country’ but it seems like many countries. Each state has a unique culture, a different language, many specific customs, and special foods. Someone told us that there are 1026 languages/dialects in India. We’re saturated with so many cultures, and we still haven’t even been to the North yet -- a whole different subculture of India.
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-mHON1TYTcCzL90NrshKRULyMNl6Vf8WlJHUis3B4S4LMsNHjXJdOym8-tlQ97ZdfXCnCTacmj-xDCPV7TQfX0Cll51UOGYSk0zShOTO-f0aMEuThqIpRf898pozRWlqdJiT5nqc_UO8/s1600-h/IMG_2179.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5121826804769339154" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-mHON1TYTcCzL90NrshKRULyMNl6Vf8WlJHUis3B4S4LMsNHjXJdOym8-tlQ97ZdfXCnCTacmj-xDCPV7TQfX0Cll51UOGYSk0zShOTO-f0aMEuThqIpRf898pozRWlqdJiT5nqc_UO8/w200-h150/IMG_2179.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; margin: 10px 10px 0px 0px;" width="200" /></a>We spent 6 days in the state of Kerala on the SW coast of India, thanks to an old family friend, Rev. Julie Walkup Bird. She served as an associate pastor at the CSI (Church of South India) Immanuel Church in Kochi a few years ago… quite a feat to lead a church as a woman in this culture. Immanuel Church embraced us during our short stay by inviting us to join their weekly feeding of the poor and their Saturday night prayer fellowship, and by inviting me to speak at their women’s fellowship, Sunday school, a youth gathering, and the Sunday evening worship. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQy1E7CoLuvdKwhUrgkKN79tgUcSZ1ozidA1vEDW3BjK1GxN743i2wPWMKIbawlGKlruiJzSCvnxpEVuRdMPOfIsmgveFQ2gRwN_LUlimmuGDvZTFSJL6fTXaD8dHaJix3zkFx4H4m7jQ/s1600-h/IMG_2104.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5121827491964106530" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQy1E7CoLuvdKwhUrgkKN79tgUcSZ1ozidA1vEDW3BjK1GxN743i2wPWMKIbawlGKlruiJzSCvnxpEVuRdMPOfIsmgveFQ2gRwN_LUlimmuGDvZTFSJL6fTXaD8dHaJix3zkFx4H4m7jQ/w200-h150/IMG_2104.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;" width="200" /></a> Several members of the congregation opened their homes to us including the Mathews, Dr. & Mrs. Jacob, Molly & her daughter Karin, and the families of Rev. Jacob & Rev. James. Another highlight was our visit to Karunalayam, a CSI boarding school for the mentally handicapped where Julie & Adriane volunteered regularly. The youth performed several songs for us and even roped us into singing for them (quite entertaining).
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVylKP5i8xpXS2JRr6PRMM9md_v0mCXS9WBz53Gc-AwMAbhRbCGFnKnsPWPY4GR7WUriEwVuDSRhT6BUHUkmkWsL7jCOMKMrqJgZi95al5ppxk5EOMiJIIiupz0AhpkcgFEsVq5ZXBsB4/s1600-h/IMG_2215.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5121999831821825874" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVylKP5i8xpXS2JRr6PRMM9md_v0mCXS9WBz53Gc-AwMAbhRbCGFnKnsPWPY4GR7WUriEwVuDSRhT6BUHUkmkWsL7jCOMKMrqJgZi95al5ppxk5EOMiJIIiupz0AhpkcgFEsVq5ZXBsB4/w200-h150/IMG_2215.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" width="200" /></a>We actually had a chance to see some sights thanks to Thomas Mathew and Mary Mohan James… the Dutch Palace, the Chinese fishing nets, St. Francis Church (Vasco de Gama's original resting place), and even a peaceful boat trip into the Backwaters, Kerala’s most well-known sight-seeing attraction.
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiOD8CWhXqNX3Bk7IIPo2sBqe9XxcAACf11-H02OCIQnrYRzY7PdOk00EsmE1rljDwUZQYMMq-gSC1B9FuWLoqACntSMMj8Kj6DeTt9ide803_dw6ad6oTzUuX89ciFD2wAzfyBnwrobM/s1600-h/IMG_2161.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5121998302813468482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiOD8CWhXqNX3Bk7IIPo2sBqe9XxcAACf11-H02OCIQnrYRzY7PdOk00EsmE1rljDwUZQYMMq-gSC1B9FuWLoqACntSMMj8Kj6DeTt9ide803_dw6ad6oTzUuX89ciFD2wAzfyBnwrobM/w200-h150/IMG_2161.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;" width="200" /></a>We took an adventure into rural Kerala to visit Pastor Jose’s (from Mumbai) brother -- Francis & his family. They live in the "pineapple capital" of India, Vazhakulum. Our adventure involved taking a wild, packed bus ride 50 km (1 ½ hours) out of the city where God provided a friendly, Catholic, guardian angel, Rose, to show us the way. The next day, Francis’ son (Joseph), daughter (Krupa), & niece (Rani) led us on a hike up to Chakki Para. We were so thankful to get out of the city to see such a magnificent view, especially in such good company.
This rural visit also included a meeting of pastors (Pentecostal, Assembly of God, & Baptist Brethren) on Friday night. I learned so much about the Catholic Church in India as well as the division between Protestant Churches. These pastors are seeking unity, but it seems like coming together as the Body of Christ can be quite a challenge here in India. I know the Church all over the world has this challenge but the judgments seem pretty extreme in India. These pastors weren’t even sure how to begin to facilitate fellowship (time to just be together), let alone a dialogue between church leaders. They pointed out that this issue is one of the biggest challenges to spreading the Gospel in India. I would love to go into more detail about this meeting because it gave me so much perspective on Christianity in India, but I could probably write a whole paper on it.
We just left Chennai where we were visiting with Paul & Grace Moses. It was such a blessing to reconnect with these friends, and we are grateful for all the provisions they have made to facilitate a ‘program’ for us... they kept us very busy. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRnPMPc46x01NaWXeZNvqq-n-41J1ZYS2giWljfOlGB3DLGxbNoqmjE5wh9qjWXmqfiH2XtRNonUYQXs97orRmz74oUmvcShmkRLGCXuyn4V3ktb7KQsQDDgIrirWb-moSdWouYaD6Z7Q/s1600-h/IMG_2245.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5122001545513776994" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRnPMPc46x01NaWXeZNvqq-n-41J1ZYS2giWljfOlGB3DLGxbNoqmjE5wh9qjWXmqfiH2XtRNonUYQXs97orRmz74oUmvcShmkRLGCXuyn4V3ktb7KQsQDDgIrirWb-moSdWouYaD6Z7Q/w200-h150/IMG_2245.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" width="200" /></a>As the Director of the International Sports Coalition for India, Paul is invited to speak all over the place -- nationally and internationally. In fact, we joined Paul soon after our arrival for one of his leadership classes at Maranatha Bible College where I facilitated a short introduction to recreation ministry to 1st year students.
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv3RhDBNxWBOqrT8OFCaXuPE0cKb4JsPhAFxRuGMN9cK7nkyOX3Gn3noP3YS4nRPe3iv_fGHQuix6XISSFozQhTHYGjapqwrqOSnLRT0jKtlYtk0pgKzgfjEzEYFXlraMQB252oIOQQ_U/s1600-h/IMG_2271.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5122004723789576066" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv3RhDBNxWBOqrT8OFCaXuPE0cKb4JsPhAFxRuGMN9cK7nkyOX3Gn3noP3YS4nRPe3iv_fGHQuix6XISSFozQhTHYGjapqwrqOSnLRT0jKtlYtk0pgKzgfjEzEYFXlraMQB252oIOQQ_U/w200-h150/IMG_2271.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;" width="200" /></a>They took us out to their newly-gifted, 11-acre property outside of Chennai where they plan to build an unique campus to facilitate sports ministry & to relocate their orphanage (from another village nearby). They have already built a pavilion on the land where they minister to widows once a month. Widows have a great plight in India as they are seen as a burden to families, so Paul & Grace’s organization (the <a href="https://sangitahope.org/contact-us/">Sangita Charitable Trust</a>) provides food bags for the widows to give to their families. They had 185 widows attend the program on Wednesday where they shared the Gospel, and we helped to hand out food bags.
Afterwards, they took us to the Sangita Home in the village of Padapai where they house 65 orphans ages 2-5. I’m amazed by the servant hearts of the staff there whom live & work with these children… 24/7. (These women’s dedication put a shame to the 40-hour-a-week work ethic of Americans!) <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqDhDj62cBlb9iiXdMlTy1Rm2C6HCuhaPgjYFxiYQ6lXs1sIxXt17PZ712wD4dv5yVpWSGQusMgAIVlhfcwCnGeFggfihaTb7zhk8ibOPQo7hdKla0Bwjg5VjqlVyO9b19PugeQKqgEPU/s1600-h/IMG_2362.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5122005874840811410" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqDhDj62cBlb9iiXdMlTy1Rm2C6HCuhaPgjYFxiYQ6lXs1sIxXt17PZ712wD4dv5yVpWSGQusMgAIVlhfcwCnGeFggfihaTb7zhk8ibOPQo7hdKla0Bwjg5VjqlVyO9b19PugeQKqgEPU/w200-h150/IMG_2362.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" width="200" /></a>We stayed the night at Sangita home, played with the kids, taught the children a couple songs, led a fellowship time with the staff, and helped prepare the 5-year-olds for their first day of preschool, which was especially unique because it marked the opening of the Krupa Preshchool. We participated in a opening ceremony and met some incredible people.
Some other highlights of our time in Chennai include: leading talks at a soccer outreach as well as a prayer fellowship group for sports minitry, visiting the India Fellowship for the Visually Handicapped, learning what the International Justice Mission is doing in Chennai, worshipping with the Sports Ministry Fellowship, <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsw9tSQcN_wWE-C1BIPIfCGhQZrkF06He7LFjP5pZd6YFoF2zaWF5zEsLe8joBPtlqWnupc6Kpcl35_oV9ZafhhKjJ_fYb2-PWjOUFodJ80VcLJBuTJHHYMyFzRZq8IW9tE9eHkjNCsbo/s1600-h/IMG_2514.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5122006841208453026" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsw9tSQcN_wWE-C1BIPIfCGhQZrkF06He7LFjP5pZd6YFoF2zaWF5zEsLe8joBPtlqWnupc6Kpcl35_oV9ZafhhKjJ_fYb2-PWjOUFodJ80VcLJBuTJHHYMyFzRZq8IW9tE9eHkjNCsbo/w200-h150/IMG_2514.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;" width="200" /></a>riding around the city on motorcycles with Reejan, Thomas, Sennai, & David, sharing dinner & hearing the testimony of our new sister Hepzibah, and fellowshipping & being encouraged by Anand & John. We met so many amazing people who are a part Paul Moses' community of sports ministry. Chennai was a full week, and now we're in Bangalore visiting with Manoj "Strong Man" Chopra & his family... That will be in the next post.
In the meantime, please keep us in your prayers as we work through the "storming period" of our mission year abroad -- the constant traveling, adjusting & adapting; the profound patience & gratitude we must <span style="font-style: italic;">always </span>maintain; and the need for physical healing & strength. (I am still fighting some stomach pain and now a bit of a sinus cold.)Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16044646395498036427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657927107878648356.post-89778840902027066452007-10-03T00:27:00.000-04:002022-12-07T15:59:57.249-05:00Working through the culture shock...Someone recently described Indian culture as being the most opposite to American culture therefore creating culture shock more intensely. I knew in my mind that this was probably true but experience has now proved it.
Some of you may remember our dear friend, Paul Moses who we will visit in Chennai in a couple weeks. He taught “cultural studies” at ISLS in South Africa. During his training he spoke about the inevitability of culture shock and that one goes through 4 stages: romance, reaction, recognition, & resolution. I think that our experience of traveling the past 3 months has broken us into culture shock pushing us through the romance stage rather quickly.
In the first week of this new segment of our mission adventure we spent in Kalyan, a suburb of Mumbai (Bombay). We experienced several of the components to the second stage of culture shock, the “reaction” stage, according to Paul Moses: growing sensitivity, daily activities seeming to be huge obstacles, and even a bit of a desire to cling to our own cultural comforts. It has made me even more thankful to be sharing this experience with Hope. Instead of harboring irritation or avoiding the obstacles, we encourage and support each other to stay positive. Once again we seem to balance each other.
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8f7UuiRZ65w9OotOFAzYoZDhHuqJeL2g9ztS30GPE149m3MNBcm6Z7YctEomDOObN3H1yfz-tbzj3C-Q0mKLNbZ-CXzk1GGrZLWBckhv53-WWYS1ksGWkRl2Fn4a4I0VUT3xSV3Aoj4lP/s1600-h/IMG_1898.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" height="200" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5117488916404133202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8f7UuiRZ65w9OotOFAzYoZDhHuqJeL2g9ztS30GPE149m3MNBcm6Z7YctEomDOObN3H1yfz-tbzj3C-Q0mKLNbZ-CXzk1GGrZLWBckhv53-WWYS1ksGWkRl2Fn4a4I0VUT3xSV3Aoj4lP/w150-h200/IMG_1898.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px;" width="150" /></a>The food, on the other hand, hasn’t been a shock but a welcomed change with it’s abundance of spices. We’re especially the home cooking of our host mother Gracey and our new friends Margaret Auntie and Gracey Auntie, Manju’s aunts.
We had an 18 hour lay over in Jo’burg on Sunday (23rd) which we spent with Hope’s Rotary exchange friend Tammy & her family. Tammy insisted on throwing us a traditional braai in celebration of our leaving and of Heritage Day – a South African public holiday. The next day Tammy joined us for a quick visit with Cecile, Andries, Anelia, Marisje and Cecile’s mom. It was a truly wonderful way to end our time in Africa.
We flew into Mumbai just after 1:00am early Tuesday morning, and thankfully we were greeted by Pastor Jose, his wife Gracey, and his 24-year-old daughter, Anitha. We only received confirmation about this on Saturday night, about 48 hours before. God’s lessons of trust continue. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr6USyymALVTqo-wesM8NrTSxiu3UXYrerUR0jRxZZxo_ZetyFT_0q1z_DK001HCL1dxgJweYV2R0JoJtGcVQXnV56ieddTuRG7PfgGIjxXREFnAOVxK6x72LXVK8s_6Wb9k5HvPHmCaqV/s1600-h/IMG_1953.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5117490020210728290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr6USyymALVTqo-wesM8NrTSxiu3UXYrerUR0jRxZZxo_ZetyFT_0q1z_DK001HCL1dxgJweYV2R0JoJtGcVQXnV56ieddTuRG7PfgGIjxXREFnAOVxK6x72LXVK8s_6Wb9k5HvPHmCaqV/w200-h150/IMG_1953.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px;" width="200" /></a>Since Mumbai is India’s second most congested city with 120 million, it took us almost 1 ½ hours to drive to Kalyan. Even at night time on fairly desolate roads, our hired driver had to dodge the occasional truck, motorized rickshaw taxi, cow or dog (the later 2 considered deities and freely roaming everywhere). Needless to say, exhaustion overwhelmed us.
Over the next 6 days, the Jose family graciously hosted us. Some of the highlights of the week, beyond Gracey’s incredible cooking, included <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi58OoEnQXQvtyHHnJ4JYcsEUce6MCvCoefEd_mQgFkDgiICjVMxUIN7_VugFtbXqM5aFQ6T4xzQSFpTSSeZhoyAmi9IXds7eazReSHuRz9bBdFHj3zT3v-dvmcpyuiDGHtgYRJcg6OSRxI/s1600-h/IMG_1936.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5117491373125426562" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi58OoEnQXQvtyHHnJ4JYcsEUce6MCvCoefEd_mQgFkDgiICjVMxUIN7_VugFtbXqM5aFQ6T4xzQSFpTSSeZhoyAmi9IXds7eazReSHuRz9bBdFHj3zT3v-dvmcpyuiDGHtgYRJcg6OSRxI/w200-h150/IMG_1936.JPG" style="cursor: pointer;" width="200" /></a> visiting Pastor Joy & his family in Geetanagar (one of Mumbai’s slums), taking the local public transportation (trains, buses, & rickshaws), <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivwLoTAnTKSTzuUdFpWTKyhxys8vlLAjDM9bthVKtENut42TN6KkVLoSyc9eMzu1eZu10xS8WQVq-7YxySnUyPecmijJ_CRYV5JTU1yy3xMhEyH2sa60OuehXzJZxknZNVMYalq_8x4vL2/s1600-h/IMG_2198.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" height="200" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5118563624595775234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivwLoTAnTKSTzuUdFpWTKyhxys8vlLAjDM9bthVKtENut42TN6KkVLoSyc9eMzu1eZu10xS8WQVq-7YxySnUyPecmijJ_CRYV5JTU1yy3xMhEyH2sa60OuehXzJZxknZNVMYalq_8x4vL2/w150-h200/IMG_2198.JPG" style="cursor: pointer;" width="150" /></a> picking out salvar cummis (traditional outfits) in order to blend even just slightly, <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn8WyeP5v-d5ZpPDtas5dw4a453ImSkWJYGIAFC8IBLzVq0aK9E9ucpJrHXHROocgxdQB9KBEXnK2P857ZqOKoZznm_YuV_xYFJp2knMpOBZMAG98ZQJ17uuvIjXxUvs1g2M4NKvOnNCsU/s1600-h/IMG_2016.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5117490741765234034" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn8WyeP5v-d5ZpPDtas5dw4a453ImSkWJYGIAFC8IBLzVq0aK9E9ucpJrHXHROocgxdQB9KBEXnK2P857ZqOKoZznm_YuV_xYFJp2knMpOBZMAG98ZQJ17uuvIjXxUvs1g2M4NKvOnNCsU/w200-h150/IMG_2016.JPG" style="cursor: pointer;" width="200" /></a> traveling to Pimpri (outside Pune) with a variety of new youth-worker friends for evangelism and fellowship, stopping by St. Mary’s (a type of mountain retreat) at the Lonavala “hill station” and Tiger Valley at the Khandala “hill station” on the way back from Pune, <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw33S_bWoRMxgl6iWqoNbsLI9aCC-O39ljskiDOgUj8OKROj7FKc9Xpy772Gz_A5ghnmPgRUWUq_K8ksbkz9zVmYh8OtFumra6NAbkqIOGWOJs3Qyj9GZm7C21Mq7lsyfjRrz2dHuBJTqe/s1600-h/IMG_2046.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5117492644435746194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw33S_bWoRMxgl6iWqoNbsLI9aCC-O39ljskiDOgUj8OKROj7FKc9Xpy772Gz_A5ghnmPgRUWUq_K8ksbkz9zVmYh8OtFumra6NAbkqIOGWOJs3Qyj9GZm7C21Mq7lsyfjRrz2dHuBJTqe/w200-h150/IMG_2046.JPG" style="cursor: pointer;" width="200" /></a> worshiping with Pastor Jose’s “prayer fellowship” church (which meets in a very small apartment where he preaches in the doorway between 2 rooms), <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmY7H_WAzVM4A2jGJ0WWFOHmivwfO6yf3cG1ssGJZjFKaC4SGih-sMjCF63_DkSOIBY1qZGKoRuT2U8A8lr2bFmJjP_20bftOprNIZn8qeaJ_VzzNN5A-g0p2sm9LzrXBwsCGlPHVZhA0F/s1600-h/IMG_2053.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" height="200" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5117493889976262066" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmY7H_WAzVM4A2jGJ0WWFOHmivwfO6yf3cG1ssGJZjFKaC4SGih-sMjCF63_DkSOIBY1qZGKoRuT2U8A8lr2bFmJjP_20bftOprNIZn8qeaJ_VzzNN5A-g0p2sm9LzrXBwsCGlPHVZhA0F/w150-h200/IMG_2053.JPG" style="cursor: pointer;" width="150" /></a> leading recreational ministry with their youth group, and sharing 3 very special fellowship meals with our newly adopted family and sisters & brothers of faith (Manju’s family).
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTQZdJXNla7_ftql1ueT-lv53Z4udTOt07n_atG6cjth0-EiJEt2_1VaY8M-ZomsrT06igCWKpdc4wRT-le1l2bG4ltEBj3pmHIKhu_1renrgUuHnrVRzQLp3spQF17SnGV7UKjW41XvrX/s1600-h/IMG_2067.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5117494637300571586" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTQZdJXNla7_ftql1ueT-lv53Z4udTOt07n_atG6cjth0-EiJEt2_1VaY8M-ZomsrT06igCWKpdc4wRT-le1l2bG4ltEBj3pmHIKhu_1renrgUuHnrVRzQLp3spQF17SnGV7UKjW41XvrX/w200-h150/IMG_2067.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px;" width="200" /></a>After a 28-hour train ride in the second class sleeper “bogie” (coach), we arrived in Kochi (Cochin) on Tuesday, October 2nd, Gandhi’s birthday—a public holiday. We are exhausted but relieved to be safe, sound, and hosted by new friends and members of God’s family.
Once again we’ve been pleasantly amazed at how God has prepared the way for us… this time by designing our first, independent train ride in India. We began with our hosts (Pastor Jose & nephew Josh) personally escorting us to our train’s platform. Then “God-incidently” we shared a compartment with 3 wonderful ladies, 1 of which just happened to be traveling to our same destination. After keeping us and our stuff safe through the night, God set up a divine appointment for us to be welcomed by a second-degree colleague of our old friend, Julie Walkup Bird — Rev. Sunder Jacob, Associate Pastor of Church of South India Immanuel.
I wonder how long it will take me to learn to trust that He will provide as we continue to seek His will.Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16044646395498036427noreply@blogger.com0