Let's Catch Up! Shovel time

I realize that I haven't written in a while. So... SORRY!!!! Really, I am. Now that my computer is gone, it makes writing on a regular basis more difficult. Updating a BLOG from my iPod is a hassle in itself.

Anyways! I didn't write in October, and haven't written in November at all! Shame on me.

What have I been up to?

I've been teaching. Hardcore teaching. Grading papers, giving tests, checking homework, taking attendance, and making bulletin boards. Like a boss. When you teach English, yet have never had to study the rules before (because you just know... you speak it fluently), you have to study before you teach. Ha! Sounds crazy, but this is my life.

Also, I got to do a little bit of traveling out to get some supplies and go to the dentist. I now know why children are scared of the dentist. I've had the MOST painful cleaning and polishing of my life. And probably the cheapest as well. But man, am I glad it's over with. Goodness!! But, I got all stocked up on JIF, shampoo, and Colgate. I'm set!

EYES OPENED

Usually, you only hear about things like prostitution, drugs, poverty, and slums. You see them on TV. You hear about them in the news. I know for me though, I'd never actually seen it in action until I came overseas. On this trip to Thailand, we stayed on the sketchy-est street ever. During the day, it's dead. At night? Wow. It comes to life and stays alive until the wee hours of the morning. Girls lign the streets scantily dressed. Massage parlors open up that only serve men. The shock never wears off. Old, ancient white men with young young local girlfriends or concubines. Whatever you want to call it. Either way, our street was jacked up at night.

It's an eye-opener. More than an eye-opener. It made me think of how badly people need to hear the truth. That there is more to life. Freedom in J3s-s. The world offers temporary satisfaction. Welcome to a planet full of band-aids that make you feel good for a little while, but never quench your deepest thirsts and desires. And, dude. This is not just overseas. This street may have been an extreme example, but the temporary fixes are everywhere and come in many shapes and sizes.

Anything that's elevated above God is a fix. It's us saying that whatever we've found is more satisfying and fulfilling.

What's the reality check?

Keep God first.

As I mentioned before, I have a lot of time on my hands that gets devoted to thinking, pondering, and just diving deep into things. So, yeah. I may be getting the shovel out a lot more than I usually do. But I'm seeing differently than I ever saw before. And one thing that is clear is that our fight is not against flesh and blood. People are not the enemy here. Those ladies working the curbside shouldn't be sneered at and hated. They should be the ones we try to love the most. Love is the key.

Love your neighbors.
Nobody is better than anybody else.
Nobody deserves more or less love.
Everyone needs grace.
Just be on your A game... being known for what you stand for, not what you stand against.

Thieves come to steal, kill, and destroy

Robbers, bad guys, and crooks

Of course I had to add getting robbed on my list of firsts in Southeast Asia. It's only natural. Most of the time, our house feels pretty safe. We have bars on all the windows, a super heavy gate that's got a big lock on it, and sturdy fences around our yard.

Unfortunately, high class robbers have figured out a way to maneuver around the bars in our windows. They got some kind of contraption, stuck it thourgh the bars, and scooped up my roomie's Ipad in her bedroom. They didn't enter the house... this time... But they had to have been watching for me to leave the house, becuase I don't leave it often in the mornings. On this particular day, I wanted to go on a bike ride and hit up the wet market for some eats. They were waiting for the moment, man. I was only gone for 45 minutes at most, but that was just enough time to do the deed and peace out.
I can't help to feel a little unsafe, violated, and stalked. Unnerved and uneasy also come to mind.

I guess I can cross "getting robbed" off of my bucket list now.

I personally have nothing valuable here, especially after giving my laptop a bath. But this experience got me thinking... What if I didn't have God? What if I didn't believe in him and was clinging to all my material possessions? What if I had no source of peace and rest after getting broken into? My treasures are in heaven, but what if they weren't? I'd be a basket case if I had all my treasures tucked away in this house. I'd think... They're gonna come back when I'm not home! And I'll lose everything! I'm not worried, though. I was angry for a day solid at the intrusion, but I'm not worried deep down. I have no fear of losing everything materially valuable to me.

Anyways, I just wanted to let you all know that getting your stuff taken isn't the end of the world. My roomie has impressed me with her ease of mind in this situation. Her peace in having lost an Ipad. It's not the end of the world. We live and learn. Granted, we're going to hide our stuff better next time and take more security precautions with our house. But, what matters is that in the end, even if the ramsack the place and strip it of everything, we are OK. Out hope lies elsewhere. Our value lies elsewhere. God gives good gifts, and the hope of life that He promises outweights anything on this earth we could lose; even our own lives.

MIA

Sorry for being missing in action!

Here's an update: I spilled a cup of water on my MacBook Pro a couple of weeks ago. Tragic, I know! It's been harder to get internet access as of late. Right now, I'm using a computer at the school I work at. Thankfully, we have them!

Anyways, my posts will probably come less often because of my little mishap with H20.

SOCCER UPDATE!

Some exciting things have happened lately, though! My soccer team got to play a legitimate soccer game on a really nice field in town. One that you have to rent out to play on. It was fake grass, goals with nets, and lights for playing at night. They looked so cute with their matching uniforms on, and we had the biggest group of girls we've ever had show up at one time ALL show up to play on the cool field.

The British Ambassador came to town for the weekend, and he was there to watch us show off our lack of skills. I must say, though, the girls are improving greatly! I remember the first time I made them practice dribbling around cones... Disastrous. But now, they can actually pass and know what the layout of the game looks like. I'm one proud coach!

After our game, we all went to eat fried rice together. About halfway through the meal, the girls started chit chatting about wanting to go skating. See, recently, some people inherited a bunch of really old, really smelly, and really used 4-wheeled skates. They poured some concrete, smoothed it out, and decided to charge a dollar for people to skate all day. All my girls are about 15 years old and not a single one of them has ever worn a pair of skates. They wanted to go.

I couldn't resist their eyes that were swimming with excitement, so we went! I was the only one who didn't fall. I also had to take turns trying to explain to each of them one on one how to skate, and I'm no professional skater myself. Each girl took a turn clinging to my left arm for about 15 minutes each. I held up their entire body weight and helped them balance, and friends, it almost killed me. My back and left arm were so sore the next day!!! Gosh!! But it was worth it to see a few happy faces that managed a nice cheesy smile even when they fell flat on their butts. Too cute.

LIFE UPDATE!

I'm almost to the point in my term where I'll start to count the months down until I leave. In October, the countdown from 12 to 1 will begin. Last year at this time, I was heading off to training and royally freaking out inside. I cannot believe it has already been a year since then. Time flies by, it really does. Life is short. Next thing you know, I'll be thinking of what I'm going to do when I get back. The thought is scary. But, more than the thought, the pace of life is rapidly speeding as of late; the speed is more terrifying than anything else. Does it feel like I'm racing? Or do I feel like a turtle who's getting bypassed by all the other runners? Honestly, I don't know how to feel most days. I just know that somehow, I have a year left in Southeast Asia. And two facts cease to remain:

1. This one year has been so filled with events, changes, growth, hardships, struggles, healing, and being turned upside down that it feels like 10 years versus 1. (Fast)

2. My life has significantly slowed down and is pretty turtle-paced and relaxed to a point that is un-American enough to make me feel like the world is racing by me. (Slow)

Such a conflict of speeds meet at a weird point for me. I feel like molasses and Jeff Gordon at the same time. Maybe this is what happens when you get older. Don't hate me for using the term although I'm only 23. I'm always aging, just like those of you who are 53 and a bit ahead of me. The feeling is just strange. What I really hope is that upon my return to the states, people won't have changed so much that I cannot find some way to relate and fit in again. The flip side of that hope is that I hope to never really fit in again. I have such a strange combination of ideas that contradict each other at the core, but hopefully an ounce of sanity will remain.

 

A Father to the fatherless....

That moment when sharing one water bottle and one soccer ball with random kids is the highlight of your day... 

Most of you know that I coach a girl's soccer team. For the past couple months, soccer practice has been a hit or miss because of rainy season. Nobody wants to get struck by lightning or swept away by a torrential downpour. Plus, nobody cut the grass for like 3 months... And, aint nobody got time to tread through knee high grass!!!!

Anyways, someone finally cut the grass! So, yesterday we got to resume or Saturday practices. Score!
And then one girl shows up... Oh boy! What on earth do I do with one girl? The field that we play on is pretty ghetto, but it works. And there's a school and an orphanage right by the field. Kids usually climb the brick wall and sit on top/watch the big kids play.

WELL!!!! Guess who got to play on my team yesterday??? A bunch of shoeless kids. We had a blast! They had a basketball with them, so they were pretty excited to play with a nice soccer ball. Overall, I consider the whole thing a big blessing. The joy in seeing kids play and giggle washed over me and soaked down to the bone.

There is a father for the fatherless in this world. Thank you, God for sending your children my way to play. 

Distractions

This morning, I decided to ride my bicycle around for some exercise. You have to seize the opportunity to do so when the rain lets up! I usually ride with my backpack and just soak in the sounds of the town: chickens, dogs, cows, local language, and stares! But, today I was thinking... I really just wanna listen to some music. I brought my iPod with me. This is the first time I've been on a bike ride and not had to listen to the sounds of the town. I could see things, but I couldn't hear anything but Maroon 5.

When I got back home a few hours later, I got my journal out and started writing down some thoughts. I was thinking about how easy it was for me to tune out the world around me. Just pop in my headphones and escape for a while. Here, versus America, it's kind of hard to escape from things. You can't just go to the movies, malls, and entertainment centers that are on every corner in America. Everything is on the front porch of your mind, and there's no running from it. I started to think about times back home when I'd be somewhere with my friends and they'd all be glued to their smart phones. We were together physically, but not mentally or emotionally. So much for quality time!!

So, what am I going to do when I get back to America? Will I get distracted? Will I constantly fill my mind with things other than what really matters? I'm no fortune teller, so I cannot say what I will or will not do, but I am concerned about going back to that world. It seems so detached and scary. It seems inauthentic and robotic. Yet, I know all the people glaring at their screens are thinking something... They're feeling something... When they lay down to sleep at night, things in their world get quiet. I know this, because I've had many a night when I'd do the same thing.

What if we purposefully threw our distractions out the window in light of something with more purpose?

What if we hit the brakes and dealt with ourselves, our sin, our past, our hurts, our offenses against others, and the things that hold us back?

What if we choose to stop being detached?

Things could change. We could change.

And I believe the fire would spread relentlessly.

Friends, I've been forced to change. And that is an understatement! Haha! Living here has made me open up my eyes to a whole lot of needs that not only I have to take care of for myself, but needs of others around me. If I could make some prescription glasses that shared this new vision so easily, I'd do it in a heartbeat. All I'm asking the father is that he changes my eyesight so much that it cannot go back to what it used to be. And, I'm starting to take full responsibility for the way that I chose/choose to distract myself.

This is just what I've been chewing on lately. Now, you can chew on it too.

School's Out!!! Just kidding...

This is my first week of term 2 teaching ESL. On Friday, I got to meet my students and make them do crazy ice-breaker games in class. This week, we're hitting the books!!! It's hard to believe that my students from last term have gotten their certificates and moved on to the next level up of ESL!!

I have 27 students so far this term. Some I already know. Some are brand new friendships that will start. Either way, it will be exciting to see what the father does this term.

Good News:

• Of my returning students, two of them are seeking truth still. Ask for good opportunities to love on and share with them. 
• We have a hand-full of local monks studying at our school this term. This is a great great opportunity for good conversations. 
• Schedules make me a little weary and tend to exhaust me, as well as all of the other teachers I'm sure, so asking for strength for this term would be great! 

There is no bad news, but some other information is... I've been in country for 7 months and some change. This little fact makes me think: Really? Has is really been that long? And then again... Really? Has is only been 7 months??? Some days go by quickly, some days feel like frozen molasses, and others feel like putting salt in a wound. Regardless, 7 months is pretty long! I am amazed that the father has helped me to make it this far. He is my strength. This is the longest I've ever been away from home. This is the longest I've been overseas. This is the most I've ever been stretched, pulled, poked, and molded. And, I'm loving every bit of it! Keep changing me, God. Keep working on me. 

KITTENS!!!!! Inspired by: KITTENS!!!!!

I  LOVE CATS!!!! <3 

As most of you know, I'm quite fond of felines. Well, I moved out of the house I was living in (which came with 2 cats). They were my roomie's cats. I really miss those guys! Just to cuddle with and love. So, the new house needed a cat... big time! 

WELL, Here she is!!!! Say hello to Rosie! 

This, my friends, is a genuinely happy smile :) 

Rosie is very sweet and friendly. She's a teenage cat I guess. Caught somewhere in-between kitten and adult cat. There are no vets here since most animals are considered the main entree, so she's not fixed. Which means.... MORE kittens!!!! Haha!  There are already two different male cats roaming the vicinity waiting for her to come of age. This makes for a chorus of different cat noises throughout the day. Anyways, I wanted you to meet this furry bundle of joy!