I emailed this out to the group of people that receives my regular email updates. But thought I'd post it here too in case you read my blog, but don't get my updates. If you'd like to hear from me via email...just post me a comment with your email and I'll get back to you.

Finishing a chapter, beginning a new one

Well, it's been awhile since I've updated my blog but considering in the last two weeks I graduated, finished my final papers and exams, and spend Christmas with my family in Minnesota....well, consider yourself blessed by an actual update on my blog!


The above is a photo of the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College. This is where I spent the majority of my time at Wheaton.



Well, I'm officially a Master in Intercultural Studies if you can believe it! The year and a half program has flown by and saying goodbye to this chapter of my life is bittersweet. I've made some amazing friends:


and have some fantastic memories and wonderful experiences and feel as though I'm walking away from here with a new understanding of cultures and worldview that will be a great benefit to me in the months and years ahead. However, I admit, I was getting a bit restless over the last few months. I get this rush of excitement as I search for ticket prices on flights. I went to the library to check out some "candy" reading (non-academic reading, now that I'm finished with my degree) and ended up checking out The Lost Continent by Bill Bryson and Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert...they are both travelogues. hmmm....I sense a theme.

I can barely keep track of my own schedule, but for those interested in tracking me down, I will be back to Chicago for a week to pack up my stuff, back in MN for a fundraiser at my home church on January 9 (please come if you're around! There will be yummy Afghan food!). Then I will be traveling to Amsterdam Jan 16-26 to take part in some training for the school we are going to run in A-land this upcoming year and to do some team building. Then I'll be back in the USA to finish up raising support, to represent my organization at Wheaton's Mission in Focus week, and to pack and head back to A-land mid-February. It's going to be a lot of travel and I'll be doing a bit of couch hopping before I head back "home" in central Asia.

So, stay in touch. I want to see you if you are in MN or Chicago (or happen to be passing through Amsterdam the same time as me!).

This picture is by far one of my favorites from my time at Wheaton. It was taken a whole year ago at the Christmas party for our department. As of Friday, all of us will be graduated and headed out around the country, and eventually the world to the things God is leading us into.

I graduate on Friday....really.
It's hard to believe that a year and a half has passed by, that I earned 40 credits for a Masters Degree, that I made some great new friends, that I laughed and cried, slept a lot and drank lots of coffee. I wonder how many hours I wracked up between the library and caribou coffee studying.

One thing I've been most blessed by is time to just cultivate new friendships. I love the friendships I have working overseas. It's almost as though when you meet people in settings like that that you avoid all the meaningless chitchat because you both know a bit of the depths of that person's heart being that you are meeting them in a context that they are living out their passion. It makes for some intense interactions and you go deep with people you may never have gotten a chance to know if it wasn't for that place and calling that you both share.

Wheaton has been a time to meet a variety of people...people I hadn't expected to enjoy their friendship so much; people who think like me and yet differently as the same time. I've been able to socialize and be silly and do things with people just for the fun of it. That has been a wonderful gift!

And these women above have taught me much...how to live life with abandon, how live life making calculated and deliberate decisions, how to follow your passion, how to persevere, how to be a friend, how to share my heart, how to let the tears flow, how to laugh more, how to "study" with out really studying, how to be a better cook, how to call up friends just to talk, how to create community while not living in community. There are more than just these faces that I am taking away with me and many others not included in this picture but I felt like the photo was representative of some great, great times here at Wheaton.

New York City (in four days)

In typical fashion for my team, I got a phone call from my team leader asking if there was any way we could meet up to discuss some team stuff and plan for this next year while they were in the United States. Well, three days later, I was on a plane headed to New York City. A stash of air miles and a cheap ministry guesthouse made it possible.


This is the place where I stayed, a place called Hephzibah House which boards guests who are involved in some kind of full time ministry whether pastors, missionaries or other ministry workers. (so if you fit into this category and need a place to stay in New York City...). The guesthouse is located in Manhattan on the Upper West Side, which made for an ideal location to explore the city as well while I was there.


So, in the mornings I got out to places like the picture above, Cafe Lalo. This is the cafe in the movie "You've Got Mail" where Meg Ryan's character is supposed to meet her mystery friend from the internet. When I visited though, I forgot my copy of Pride and Prejudice as well as my flower. To top it all off, Tom Hanks never showed up. sigh. But, I did get a great (and expensive!) cappuccino and some time to journal. Also in typical New York fashion, while I was sitting in the cafe I was hearing French, Korean, Russian and English being spoken. You gotta love America.

In the afternoons I met with some good friends of mine who are leading our team and work in Central Asia. We had a great time catching up with one another as well as planning, dreaming and praying together for this next year. Those of you who receive my email updates know that there is a lot of things happening this year, so it was good for us to get on the same page and see things moving forward. I will be sending out a newsletter hopefully within this next month to update people, but as a heads up, I will most likely be headed back to Asia earlier than I had originally planned, and therefore have to get my support at a sustainable level before that time...again, these are details for a newsletter to come.



The last day of my trip I took the subway down to the area of the World Trade Center tragedy. I have wanted to pay a visit to this place since the day it happened. This visit was more emotional for me than I had expected. As I walked around the area with other camera-sporting tourists, it was interesting to me that as people walked around the area, there was still a sense of reverence and quiet among them. They talked to each other in near whispered voices. They paused quietly to look upon the construction site where they are working on the foundation for the new building. I felt odd taking pictures because being a tourist there didn't seem appropriate. But, I couldn't leave without taking a few images with me.

I also was contrasting in my emotional capacity, the balance of American patriotism and love for my country, and my love for the people of the nation that was the breeding grounds for this action. Oh how we need reconciliation in this world. And we need more than just memorials, but we need to look each other in the eye, face-to-face and forgive and LOVE. And I believe that that love doesn't come from within ourselves, but from a God who created and loves all the peoples of this world. I want to continue to love the people of both these nations whose history was written together unexpectedly at this location seven years ago. I'll never forget but it's not merely because the tragedy of that day hangs in my memory, it's because the hope of a nation and people in Central Asia is before me every single day.

Come here often?

I am right in the middle of taking my comprehensive exams and thereby winding down with grad school. In fact, in about three hours I will be taking part in my oral exams, the final section of the exams. I'm excited to be done with them, to say the least.

But, I have to share some humorous experiences that I've had taking these exams. The last two weekends we've had take-home essays as part of it. We have a couple hours to write on each section (no notes, no books). So, since at home I feel rather distracted and not so ambitious or intellectual, I packed up my laptop and headed to Starbucks the first weekend. I made a point to head to a coffee shop in a different suburban area than where I'd encounter other Wheaton students. I got my coffee and was happy to see that this shop even had a semi-partitioned off section. I cozied up and felt a little private to take my test. Well, about 5 minutes after I had tore into that envelope with my test question a couple who was just screaming with insecurity walked in and sat down right across from me. There sat on two living room chairs with a coffee table between them. After arguing about who gets the chair facing the rest of the coffee shop (to which I turned up the volume on my headphones and missed the conclusion of that discussion), about five minutes later the guy moves over and sits with the girl on her tiny little chair. They then proceed to take part in touching and kissing activities to which I'll leave out to keep this G rated. By now, I'm feeling a little bit uncomfortable. I try turning up the volume, shifting in my chair, leaning my head on one hand so I can't see them out of the corner of my eye, trying to focus on my exam! Eventually I look over and ask them if they wouldn't mind doing that somewhere else. I got a LOOK from behind the heavily make-uped eyes of the girl. So, I moved myself to the other side of the coffee shop and the couple made their way out the door soon after. I finished the rest of my essay in peace.

This weekend my exams were longer and had some breaks in between. I spent part of them at the library and part at Caribou coffee. At caribou after I had grabbed my coffee and was plugging in my computer this curly-haired undergrad sat right next to my table and joked about my computer (which was the same as mine). He started to gab on and on and was asking me about myself and started to ask if I'd like to grab a drink (was he old enough, I thought). I told him I had a lot to do and put my headphones on. Then, five hours later after I had finished my exam (yeah!) I was packing up my stuff and there was another guy near my table who struck up a conversation with me (also inquiring about my computer...it kind of had that "cute dog" affect I guess). He proceeded to ask if I come to the coffee shop often and next time I come in if I'd like to get a cup of coffee with him and talk! (and may I interject that he is from North Africa, most likely Muslim. Ironic, given my line of work.)

So, I drove home, laughing outloud. What an experience. I have spent hundreds of hours studying at coffeeshops and nothing remotely like these two days has ever occurred. Then when I am taking the biggest exams of my grad school career, the men swarm like bees. I wonder if there was something on those exam papers?!

Singled out at church

I don't know what the deal is but the last two Sundays at church I've managed to sit behind "That Couple"...you know the one: young, oozing with beauty and smelling of suburbia. They absolutely can't keep their hands off each other (his arm is around her waist during worship and around her shoulders during the sermon) and they whisper to each other the entire service. My church meets in a high school auditorium and so we have the typical folding auditorium seats. I happen to be a little short (ahem) so every time this couple leans in to tell each other about who knows what I am cut off from any view and feeling of participation in the service.

Sigh.

I'm going to have to start choosing my seat more carefully in the Sunday service, sadly enough.

Needing a change

Yesterday I went into my hairstylist with the intention of getting my hair about shoulder length, some subtle layers, and I left with a short, sassy little do. I was feeling a bit crazy and sensing that ever-present, itching desire within me for change and something new. I really like the new look and kinda feel a bit more grown-up.

I've realized I have a really hard time sitting still. I've had other adults, further down the path of life than me, tell me it's just a phase but I'm beginning to realize this is a part of who I am. I really like experiencing the new. I love digging into a new project, no matter what it may be: trying a new recipe, checking out a new store, starting a new book, starting a new craft project, starting a new class, venturing into a new country, starting a new NGO, meeting a new person, planning a new adventure, learning a new language. What I have a hard time with is carrying through the new to the finish. I'm realizing how many half-crocheted blankets I have sitting around, how many plans I'm making when I have responsibilities to finish, other languages I'm wanting to start learning. In YWAM I tend to fit in well because "pioneering" is an every day word in that crowd. Here in the Wheaton, suburban area, I'm feeling like a fish out of water in a land that is putting down roots, prides itself on it's long standing history, you can't get a job unless you're willing to commit a year etc, etc. I wonder if I will always be an anomaly in America. I'm definitely feeling like it lately.

So, friends, in a moment of vulnerability, I'd ask for your prayers. I am feeling a bit lonely and disconnected. I feel like a puzzle piece without the rest of my puzzle, trying to figure out how to fit in a puzzle I wasn't designed for (how's that for deep metaphorical language!) But for real, I think this is the typical experience of every cross-cultural worker or anyone who finds themselves in varying contexts. Believe it or not, I'm missing the intensity of my lifestyle overseas. I'm growing weary of the "coffee shop" culture of spending way too much time chit-chatting over the every-dayness of life. I want to put my hands to something new and messy and chaotic again.

At the same time, I guess it's good that I'm feeling this way. I did fear a bit I'd return to America and never want to leave and go back because I enjoyed it too much. Granted, I've loved how comfortable life has been this last year and a half. But I know from experience that comfort is not the highest goal in life. I want to get back to aiming higher.

Election madness

On my way to class Tuesday morning, my drive was an interesting one. I had to change lanes to go around this big truck that was pulled over to the side of the road with it's hazard lights flashing. Then in my rearview mirror I see this guy jump out of the truck, run over to the side of the road and full on kick the McCain/Palin sign stuck in the ground. Then, evidently pleased with his childish actions, he jumped back in the truck and sped away. hmm.

Then, I've been hearing the talk and getting the crazy forwards from those who are speculating that Barak Obama is actually the antichrist. I'm pretty sure that having a Muslim name, friends who are Muslims, and being a the favored candidate by some in Muslim areas of the world automatically means he's evil to the core...especially in today's naive and narrow thinking that anything Muslim is associated with all things evil. Well, for any of you who know me, you know how I feel about that.

So, a kind reminder to all my fellow American citizens....let's not be haters this election; let's not act like children. But let's vote responsibly and with integrity.

Oh Death, where is your sting!

My time in the Word of God today has been particularly poignant. It's amazing to me those times when the Word of God seems like it was etched out for you just for this time, this circumstance. As if God read your thoughts and penned these specific words thousands of years before to speak to you today. How beautiful the life that is contained in that book and in the breath of the Holy Spirit whispering in my ear.

Death has been weighing heavy on my heart. Watching the news about the tragedy of the death of the worker in Kabul, then a few days later the death of three others. To top it all of, the two year anniversary of my brother's death looms next week (November 1). My journey with God over the last two years has been infused with deep moments of prayer, frustration, resolution and paradoxical confusion of the experience of death.

This week in my study of the book of Daniel we have been concentrating on the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego as they refused to bow to the golden statue that Nebachudnezzar erected of himself and then were thrown in to the furnace of fire as punishment. And lo and behold, a fourth person appeared with them in the furnace and they were not even singed, did not even have the scent of smoke on them.

In the Beth Moore study I'm doing, she talks about this miracle and how a deliverance from death really builds your faith. But then turns to the inevitable question...what about all those who perish in the fire? Unexpected tragedies? seemingly "untimely" death? This is something that I haven't theoretically pondered but has been a soul-wrestling for me.

One thing that has deepened in my heart is knowing that death is not an end, but a moment along the journey. Death is not something to be avoided (because we can't!) but an event which closes one chapter and begins another. To be honest, I held a lot of fear in my heart after the initial news of the aid worker in Kabul. But, if we spend our whole lives trying to make everything as safe as it can possibly be, chances are we will never fully live the abundant lives God has called us to live. As I approach the two year mark of life on earth devoid of James' physical presence, I feel more resolve to not tip-toe around death (but neither do I cast myself into that fiery furnace either!). God has called me, God will guide me, and it is my hope that I will not be singed or even smell like smoke, but I want to stand and say with these three men, "even if [God does not save us from the fire] we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold." My loyalty is to God, not the fear of men, not the fear of death, not hiding under a safety blanket, not the golden image of anything on this earth.

I hate injustice.

I'm sitting in a coffee shop reading my required class reading on cross-cultural ethics. I paused to jump on the internet and see what has been happening in the world. There seems to be a bit of "chatter" among some of my friends in Central Asia so I jump over to the news page and read about Gayle. (if you haven't read this news story, read it first before continuing my post. Just click on the hyperlink.)

I also scrolled through the other news about the Taliban killing people aboard a bus (women and children included), a suicide bomber in the next province over from my city in Central Asia.

Then I sit here in said comfortable coffee shop under a cloud of emotions. I'm grieved at the loss of this woman who I know was probably not much different from me...felt compassion and a call, put a comfortable life aside and took on the harsh realities of life under a head scarf. I'm sad to have lost a fellow worker and sister.

Then I'm just angry that these people who kill and maim and destroy for an ideal in the name of religion, serving God, creating a land in the name of "God", etc, etc, etc. What kind of a God can see that the end justifies the means?!?! How can killing children in the name of Allah be a worthy cause? How can killing a woman, even if you believe her to be a spy, actually cross your mind, let alone be something you follow through on? Our world is a sad, psychotic, desperate place.

Then I'm scared. I'm scared at the way the people on my side of the globe are reacting my equating all Muslim people with Fundamentalist Terrorism (if this is you, DON'T! It's not true and it's a form of racism!). I'm also scared at how drawn I continue to be to this nation where my life could be taken from me. I'm scared at the discussions I'm having to have with my family about where to put my body should I die "over there." I'm scared that after all the effort, blood, sweat, tears, prayer, money, etc that's been put into A. that sometimes it feels like one step forward, two steps back. I question if what we (and by we I don't mean the US government) are doing is making a lasting difference. I want to go and give 150% there but at the same time I sometimes feel like running away because it's so complicated and overwhelming.

Because of my "occupation" I'm sure some people are waiting for the "light at the end of the tunnel" conclusion and I want to find that myself and cling fast to it. I want to be able to say glibly with others "there's a reason for everything" and actually believe it, but that would be merely a Christian-ese band-aid (and more in-line with fatalistic Islam than the message of the Bible). Truth is, encountering the injustices and tragedies of the world that I have has made me question God even more. Please don't misunderstand me. This questioning is not a losing faith or a doubting the existence of God. In fact, "questioning God" is probably not it so much as questioning MY perception of who God is. If God is too small to deal with these issues or too callous to feel about them or too ignorant to have expected them...then that's probably not God but my shallow image of God.

So, tomorrow I may wake up with more hope, but today I'm just a bit angry at the world. I'm a bit saddened by the perpetual fallenness of humanity and the endless loss that we inflict upon ourselves and others. And today, I'm really, really angry at the Taliban. I may not be a great Christian today. I'm probably not the most gracious M-worker, but this is just how I feel.

A solo retreat

One thing you may notice about this post...there are photos. However, my camera is still out of commission so I had to resort to pulling out my 35mm which still had half a roll of film in it and pictures from who knows when. So, I got all the photos put onto a CD and I'm realizing once again why digital is definitely the way to go.

That being said, last week my Thursday class was canceled and the weather was gorgeous so I thought, why not take some time away? I hopped in the car I'm getting to borrow (which enables me to have opportunities like this! yeah!) and drove to Mississippi Palisades State Park...which is on the Mississippi River that is the border between Illinois and Iowa. I pitched my tent and spent a couple nights out in the "wilderness."




The campground was pretty empty and I found this little area where I couldn't see or really hear anyone and there was a little creek that was flowing through the trees.



(I tried to take a "cute camping photo" in my sleeping bag. But, the photo turned out a little bright.)

The time was so refreshing. I am so renewed when I get to spend time in nature and this time was no different. I hiked around on the hiking trails, read a bit, roasted marshmallows and bratwurst, watched the stars, prayed, journaled, read my Bible, and talked to God some more. It was refreshing. I didn't have any earth-shattering revelations but I came home with my spirit refreshed, my body energized, my hair smelling of campfire, and feeling that warm glow of spending time with God.

The only crazy thing was the first night I heard this growling near my tent at about 3am...I was hoping it was a racoon because I had seen one as I was pulling into my spot. The next night, there was something screaming and fighting in the trees near my tent. In my half-awakeness I was a afraid I was going to have to start rebuking demons...didn't help that video we watched in History of Christianity talking about the mystic Coptic monks in Egypt going into the wilderness and then encountering demons...hypothetically or real.



Some highlights of my time: I saw the most beautiful sunset as I was driving to the park, this spot in the picture above was a little isolated place off the path on the edge of the bluffs that I found to eat my lunch; I felt like a bird in its nest perched up here. I saw a shooting star the first night that trailed across half the sky, I feel asleep to the sounds of crickets, frogs and the creek, and I felt a lot more "centered" when I left.

Thoughts on Babylon

I started a new Bible Study with some women from my church this last Monday. We are going through a Beth Moore study on the book of Daniel. I'm pretty excited to delve into this book as I've kind of shied away from it feeling like it's too much to take on...prophecy, endtimes stuff, yikes. And yet it contains all those "oh so simple" Bible stories of Daniel and the Lion's Den, the fiery furnace, etc.

So, in our first session Beth Moore (via video) talked about the comparisons between Babylon at the height of it's success and present day America (or pick your choice of prosperous, wealthy, nation). Babylon (in Isaiah 47) is encapsulated by the phrase, "I am and there is no one besides me." (this is HUMANS saying this, not God). We talked about the concept of living for your own pleasure, as if you deserve all the things in your life. Now, before you dismiss me as ranting and being an American-culture hater, just stop and give it a thought as to how true this is in our society. I currently live in the suburbs of the third wealthiest county in the nation. There is not a thing I can't get to satisfy every whim I have within a 10 mile radius of me...and if I can't find it there I can get on the internet and find it. Now, this is not necessarily a bad thing, but what I do with all those choices and luxuries is where the true matter is. Where is my heart?

As we were gathering together I had that sense, you know the one, of conviction from the Holy Spirit. When I return from overseas I tend to be a bit overindulgent. I find myself thinking, "because I can." I'm going to have the large coffee, topped to overflowing with whipped cream and carmel, because I can. I'm going to watch tv for 4 hours because I can. I'm going to buy some new clothes for myself because I can...now, these things are not wrong inherently, but my attitude is. I find myself bemoaning my self-martyrdom status due to giving up these things (by necessity) while overseas and then letting the pendulum swing back and control my life here.

And now that I have all this in the back of my head, I've been noticing it all around me. I was reading the magazine "Real Simple" and they had a whole article on reorganizing women's closets so they can maximize what they have. They said that most women are finding they have too much clothing and can't utilize all that they own. One woman in the article had THREE FULL CLOSETS in her home!!!! The article was teaching her how to organize it so she could streamline her process of chosing her outfit in the morning! what?! Then I sat in the coffeeshop milking my small cup of regular cup of coffee for all it's worth (free refills!! I was shaking a bit). A guy came in and ordered something that the coffee shop was out of. He proceeded, in a very loud voice, to express his frustration. He said (and I quote), "You do understand how mad I am that I came here and wanted one certain thing and you don't even have it?! I will be back here this time tomorrow and you'd better have that drink. I don't want to be disappointed again." If our needs can't be met immediately, in the exact way that we want them to, we flip out and lash out at those around us. "I am and there is no one besides me." yikes.

So, I'm excited about this study, and nervous at the same time. The Bible has that way of "reading you" as well, doesn't it? I think it was Martin Luther that said, "The Bible is alive--it has hands and grabs hold of me, it has feet and runs after me."

Grad chapel

Wednesday October 1, I will be sharing in the graduate school chapel time at Wheaton with a friend of mine. We were both in Af-stan this summer. Looking forward to doing some sharing again and also looking forward to some more opportunities (like with you, your church, etc.). Pray that it goes well!

Iranian films

I've been neglecting my blog due, sadly, to the fact that my camera is still out of commission. A blog just looks so empty without photos. Sigh. That being said, my blogs may be "photo-less" but I'll still try to keep you entertained without the visual stimulation.

Last spring I got into this craze of watching Iranian films. I did it mostly to get Farsi back into my ear before I headed off to the Persian world this past summer. I wasn't expecting to like the movies as much as I did. But you must understand that by "like" I don't mean "experienced warm fuzzies while watching." These movies deal with some tough situations: poverty, injustice, oppression of women, war, etc. And most often the movie just ends when it's at the lowest point of the movie. There is no happy resolution that our American minds find so satisfying.

So, if you desire to delve into this realm of foreign films with me, I must recommend a particular director: Majid Majidi. Here are three of his movies that are a must see:

Children of Heaven(Bachaha-ye Asman)I recommend this as a good starter into his work as it is an endearing story, without the depth of tragedy that is seen in some of his other works. This movie is a story about a boy and his sister. The boy accidentally loses his sister's only pair of shoes and they end up sharing the same shoes in order to go to school every day, in sort of a relay fashion. When the boy hears of a race where the third place prize is a new pair of shoes, he is determined to win those shoes for his sister. There are great dynamics of Persian family life and as I've been working in the public schools in that part of the world, it is a great peek inside my work world, for those who are interested.

The Color of Paradise (Rang-e Khuda)8-year old Muhammed is blind and his father is deeply ashamed of him. As he comes home from the school for the blind in Tehran for the summer vacation we meet his two sisters and grandma. The father, who is hoping to marry a young, beautiful woman, plans to send Muhammed off to work with a blind carpenter under the guise of giving him a skill, but really wanting to get him out of the way for his marriage. Muhammed wrestles with emotions of being away from family and wrestles deeply in his faith in God. In a tragic mess of circumstances that follow, Muhammed sees the need for his faith. I felt this movie really brings to light the deep yearning for faith in the hearts of the Persian people as well as the issues of shame and honor that they face in every day situations. Have a few tissues handy for this one.

Baran (Hamsay-e Khuda)This is the story of an Afghan refugee family in Iran who, after the father has an accident at a construction site and is unable to work, dresses up his daughter as a boy and sends her off in his place. She struggles with being able to do the level of hard work of the others and being seen as a weak little boy, gets sent off to work preparing tea and meals for the men, taking over another young man's job. The young man is incensed and tries to sabatoge her, in the process discovering the secret of her (his) identity. And not only that, but falling in love with her. As you watch this movie you may have moments of "for real?!" when the story may seem just too implausible. But, put judgment aside and enjoy this dreary tale of hidden identity, "love," commitment to family, and the plight of Afghan refugees.

Happy viewing! And be sure to come back and comment on what you thought of the movie. Or if you've seen these if you have anything to add. I'd be interested to hear others' insights.

(Hopefully you can find them for rent. The Wheaton public library has all of these and you can find them online on places like netflix.)

A struggling idealist

I had an epiphony in a dusty van on a way to a village a couple summers ago in Afghanistan. Someone had the book "Please Understand Me!" for the Myers-Briggs test. Well, as we had about 7 hours to get to this village I had time to pillage the pages that told me all about myself. For those who are interested in those things I am an ENFJ. Although when I took this three years before that, I was an INFJ....maybe proof that environment and necessity can change your personality. I don't know. So, in other words, I'm now more extroverted than I was before.

Moving on...
So, I was looking through this book and there was a lot of information but one thing that was like a light bulb going on was that I am an idealist. I'm actually an Idealist (with a capital "I"). I had never verbalized this or formed a thought about it, but it was so true. I realize that most of the time I have a running image in my head about how I feel things should be, how I should be, even sometimes how others should be. After further contemplation I realized that with idealism, comes great disappointment. No one lives up to how I think they should be, and I'm the primary failure of my own expectations. I had grand images of myself before I moved to Af...making instant friends, impressing them with my language, leading people to the L'd, changing the face of the nation.

And I fell short of those expectations. And I learned so much about my humanity and my dependence on God and his using "the weak things to shame the strong."

So, now I'm trying to figure out how I manage my idealism as it can be a strength (let's put the term VISIONARY on it and now it looks like a positive thing). But, then I need to come down off my cloud and have real expectations of myself.

Like today. It's my first day back at Wheaton. I have these visions of grandeur of me really digging into my studies and soaking up every minute for all it's worth. I have dreams of me making amazing new friends and initiating social activities that everyone loves. I have dreams of being the right blend of intelligence, wit, and beauty to attract someone's eye from across the campus and have him asking his friends "who is that girl and how do I get to know her?" I have dreams of me volunteering with some of the Muslim students in neighborhood and striking up life-changing conversations, and being the student that the professors talked about for years to come and all the amazing impact I am having in the nations and in missions.

Sigh. But I'm just Danika. Sometimes I can do really impressive things. Most days I'm just down to earth. In need of grace. My own efforts don't produce much but my efforts, anointed by God and led by his spirit can produce much more.

I think on days like today where idealism, pride, insecurity and all my humanity run together, I need to remember, I'm loved. That God....loves....me. Full stop. My mind needs to stop racing and just rest in the fact that I am loved by the God of the universe. Selah.

Some photos from the summer

These are all the students who did the TESOL class with me. They are from USA, Canada, Switzerland, Thailand and Brazil. We had a great school but were very happy to be done because it was exhausting!


For the course we had to teach a total of 26 hours. We had an English course for internationals at a church in Kalispell. The last night we did a "cultural exchange party" where people brought their ethnic foods and did some dancing and such. Lots of fun! This photos is of us teachers and students chowing down on some amazing food!


And really, the bigger the Bible, the greater the holiness. What can I say?


My friend Kelly and I tackled a 10.5 mile trail in Glacier National Park. We looked so cute that day I just had to share it with everyone else!


And this is us being attacked by mosquitos at the lake that we hiked to. They were seriously scarier than even the mosquitos in Minnesota. They were nasty!


This lake was so deep and so blue it took your breath away. We could see the fish swimming around in it. It was totally worth the uphill 5.2 mile hike to get up here!

Finishing up in Montana

Early Monday morning I'll fly out of Montana and back to Chicago. These last few weeks have been pretty busy and full. So full in fact, my inbox is full of unanswered emails and my blog is collecting virtual dust.

Two weekends ago my friend Kelly and I got ambitious and hiked 10.5 miles in Glacier National Park to see this beautiful, crystal clear mountain lake. We realized on the way back as our knees were pounding into the path that it was pretty much uphill the entire way to the lake. That's why we were so out of breath the entire time!

Last weekend I went with a few other TESOL students and went camping in Idaho. It's a beautiful drive there although our campsite was a bit close to the highway and near a gas station with some incredibly cranky women that worked there. So, it took away from the natural beauty of the area! However, we had a great time hanging out, laughing like crazy and enjoying nature.

In between hiking and camping I actually have been working like crazy to fulfill the requirements for TESOL certification. We taught a total of 26 hours. The practicum teaching was challenging but really enjoyable. I had the advanced level and really enjoyed interacting with the students. I've also realized that my teaching as well as my empathy for my students has changed since having to learn a second language myself. I understand the frustration of having a fully developed adult brain but only being able to communicate things like a child. It can be very frustrating. I miss my students already and hope to stay in touch with at least a few of them.

So, yesterday we had our Love Feast (a traditional event in most YWAM schools!) and we had our graduation today. I'll be staying through the weekend, resting a bit and then heading back to Chicago in order start grad school on the 27th of August. Whew! So, now I'm officially certified to teach English to second language speakers. It's been really great to put another tool in my belt. I really learned a lot especially in the area of assessment and being able to figure out where people are at in their language ability and to help them accordingly. I also learned how to teach grammar so it's not so dry and boring. This month has been a huge blessing and I'm looking forward to seeing how God will use it in the future.

The end of the second week

So, Friday is here and I'm breathing a sigh of relief. This weekend I have two days that will not be 12 hour days of class/lesson planning/teaching. Whew. It has been pretty intense.

This week we began our practicum which means that in addition to being in class, I am also teaching a group of students in a nearby town. My class is the advanced class which means they know quite a bit and can sometimes outdo me in what they know about grammar. Still, I think it's going well. We are having some interesting conversations and interactions. I have students from Mexico, Japan, Columbia and Brazil.

Last weekend I was able to go out to Glacier National Park and experience the vast beauty there. It is breathtaking! Unfortunately, my camera lens is having an issue (I talked to a camera shop this week and they estimated it will cost about $120 to fix!!) so these pictures are borrowed from others that went on the trip. (so on that note, pray for wisdom about what I should do with my camera!)


Some fellow members of the TESOL class and myself.


Some mountain goats


Glacier is BEAUTIFUL!!!! A picture barely does it justice.

A week into TESOL

So, I had fully intended to take pictures of the incredibly beautiful place that I am living in for a month. However, my life has been so full that I haven't even had time to think about it! So pictures are to come.

I got to the YWAM base on Saturday night and was so jet-lagged that I wanted to go direct from the plane to my bed. However, in YWAM fashion I met a ton of people on that journey so I finally collapsed into my lofted bed in my dorm room late that night. I'm only now beginning to get over jet-lag.

So, I've been in class eight hours a day every day this week learning linguistics, grammar, speaking activities, lesson planning, etc, etc, etc. It's been pretty intense but also a lot of fun. As many of you know, I am a bit of a grammar geek and as we were going through things like "syntax" and "present continuous" I couldn't help but give a little shout-out to all my past English teachers, especially Dr. Black. She taught advanced grammar and I was her teacher's assistant for three years. Good times.

Tomorrow is a day off so a bunch of us are going to drive up into Glacier National Park and hike around a bit and see the beauty of the area. I'm sooooo looking forward to it, especially after staring at nothing but dirt all summer! On Monday I will start the practicum part of the course and I will be teaching ESL to internationals in the Kalispell area each night for two and a half weeks.

Things I'm thankful for...

Traveling back and forth between two cultures that are the complete opposites of eachother (ie. Af.stan and the USA, if you hadn't guessed by now), does not come without its difficulties and adjustments. I had to work really hard to learn the Afghan customs and become Danika in a place that is so different from whom I have become. Some people may assume that when you return to your home culture, it's like breathing a sigh of relief. But, it's not all the time. You get to experience what some term "reverse culture shock" when your own culture becomes difficult to deal with. I also notice things that I once took for granted and find great joy in them and get crazy excited about these little things. To let you in on my current re-adjustment process, here is a list of things I am over-the-top excited about:

- a shower that can be any temperature I want it to and has super great water pressure! And....I don't have to turn my sink on to get the hot water to come out of the shower head. Beautiful.
- 24/7 electricity that doesn't surge
- coffee...strong, dark, hot and on every street corner and in nearly every home. Praise God!
- a bed, not a mattress on the floor. And a full-sized bed so I feel like an adult, not a teenager!
- I can drive a car and no one stares
- I can walk down the street and no one stares
- I can go shopping and no one stares
- I can run and no one....okay, you get the point.
- I can understand 100% of what people are saying, not just 50-70.
- my credit/debit cards work here
- I can get a whole list of things done in one day.
- Guys open doors for me and let me walk through first.
- Salads and fresh vegetables
- No dust
- My hairdryer and piles of hair products
- I can wear my hair down and it can look pretty for other people to see.
- tank tops
- eye-contact and firm handshakes
- choices and options
- privacy
- people drive within the lines on the road (most of them at least).
- paved roads
- people stand in lines and take turns
- everything is SO green and beautiful.
- diversity and uniqueness is valued, not questioned.
- I have the freedom to be myself

The list could go on.

And here are a few of the things that take me by surprise, overwhelm me, or downright bother me about American culture. I won't tell you which ones cause which reactions. :)
- Americans are so loud! The stereotype really is true!
- We have WAY too many choices. Have you ever noticed just how many kinds of toothpaste there are?!?
- If you have to wait one extra minute, everyone gets impatient.
- People talk about money and their stuff an awful lot.
- There are lots of very overweight people in this country.
- It can be a bit lonely transitioning from a very community-oriented culture. No one stops by just to say hi here. Or, people only have 5 minutes to talk, not an hour or two over tea. I miss that.
- Everyone is so busy, too busy. and we all think that it's a good thing to be so busy.

So, for those of you who work with or are friends with or are family members of people who travel be it for business, for "M" work, or whatever, don't assume that their returning home is all roses but be a listening ear, ask about their experiences and really be interested in what they have to say, and don't force them to go to Walmart the first day they are back. Those things can be a bit too much to face when you've been face-to-face with poverty, injustice, simpler lifestyles, and cultural diversity. And as for me...I had some great kabob earlier this week and a great cup of coffee from Starbucks today. And along the way I found good friends, had wonderful conversations, made new discoveries, and know a God that intricately understands the Af.stan Danika and the American Danika that often have to coexist.

It's a good thing I don't make decisions on days like today...

I think I woke up on the wrong side of the floor today.

After tossing and turning all night long and willing my thermometer on my alarm clock to please drop below 96 degrees, I peeled my eyes open to hear a strange water sound. Outside my window was sunny so it wasn't rain. I groaned and rolled off my mattress on the floor to realize a pipe must be leaking or the faucet was left on. Sure enough, some pipe that goes through my garden was spilling water out of it, flooding the garden. "I have to take care of this" was my thought. So, in my passive-aggressive state i went upstairs to take a shower in hopes that the problem would disappear.

Thankfully, the water did stop pouring into my garden. But I still have to call the plumber.

Then I strolled into the kitchen because I desperately needed a cup of coffee. I turned on the gas only to find the gas bottle was empty and I couldn't make coffee this morning.

My next thought was this: "Okay, I don't think I want to work in Af.stan any more."

Yep...got up on the wrong side of the floor.
So, I proceeded to get ready for the day, only to have a few fires to put out with my office staff over the phone in my 5-year-old level Dari, which I'm sure earns me great respect with the Afghan men I'm the boss over, and I leave to go to our other team house.

I put my laundry in the washer and turn the water pump on...nothing. The socket is broken and the guy who works at my house has to help jimmy-rig it so that we can stick two live wires into the wall in order to turn the water on. Just another day in paradise.

So, just thought I'd share with you what life can be like in "the hard places." Sometimes it just is downright annoying and full of the "tyranny of the urgent" and some days you do really feel like packing up and going home (it does help that I am flying out of here the day after tomorrow! he he). But, then days like these usually pass. You meet some cool people. Have opportunities for some great conversation. See God move in amazing ways. And you realize again why you are actually here. But sometimes, you have to fix the leaky pipe, challenge death when you plug things into the wall, and go without a cup of coffee or two. I guess that's just life.

Shaving my feet

I had a moment in Kyrgyzstan where I was thinking "I have to blog about this." You can tell you are really getting into blogging when you start rating your life experiences as blog-worthy or not.

So, here's the moment: A teammate and I decided we really wanted to get a pedicure before heading back to Af and destroying our feet again. So, we got a friend to schedule a time for us. We walked in to the salon, said "pedicure" with a russian accent and got seated with our feet in a tub of water and a Russian makeover show on TV in front of us. It was your typical pedicure: they soaked our feet, took my current nail polish off, cleaned around my nails, etc. Then she takes out the pumice stone to smooth away my incredibly rough, Af-stan abused feet. The pumice stone just wasn't cutting it. SOOOO, she pulls out a razor blade, attaches it to the razor and proceeds to SHAVE the dead skin off the bottom of my feet. That was when I thought, "this is a blog-worthy moment."

What was even more disgusting was the pile of dead skin after she was done. Yuck.

Never a dull moment in Central Asia

Today I woke up in Tashkent, Uzbekistan knowing that whatever happened today, I just had to get back to Afghanistan. The plan was relatively simple…catch a taxi to the airport, fly to a city in the south of the country and cross the border. No problem. Right?

So, after a light breakfast with a dear friend of mine, we got in a taxi and began to head to the airport. About 5 minutes down the road, he ran out of gas. Okay, so he helps us get another taxi and we communicate (between Russian, English and a LOT of sign lanuage) that we’ll split the fare between the two drivers. We leave the guy on the side of the road to look for gas.

We then pull up to the airport which looked like a bus station… sure enough it was. But being cool-headed we just asked around and finally enough people pointed us to the airport BEHIND the bus station. So we go in and no one is at the ticket counter. We ask and the lady nods and points but then no one shows up. So we sit. About 20 minutes later, someone shows up at the desk and checks in our luggage. Whew…bags are off and we are ready to fly.

But the day continues to get more interesting. A guy comes over and sits RIGHT next to me. He goes through the languages….do you speak Russian? me: “Niet” Do you speak Uzbek? Me: “I know only a little Uzbek.” Do you speak Tajik? Are you Afghan? Me: “yes, I know Tajik.” (It’s the same langauge family as the language of Afghanistan). So between Uzbek, Russian, Tajik and English I get the gist that he wants me to take something down to the city that we were flying and into Afghanistan. Now, I’ve been in enough airports to know how harsh the warning is about taking things from strange people. And I’m just not that stupid. So, after I say no he starts laying on the charm…. “You know, you are very beautiful.” He inches closer (which the only thing between me and him is my purse and I’m not moving it for anything!). He then shows me what he has in his bag….oh, just your average, ordinary, everyday drugs.

Awesome. I just got asked to smuggle drugs INTO Afghanistan.

The man then received a FIRM no, and we escaped his creepy clutches by going through the security check point while he was on the phone. Although, we did notice that he got someone else on the flight to agree to take his plastic bag o’ goods. We get on the flight, wait a few hours for the plane because they were waiting for all the passengers to show up and fly a nauseau-inducing flight down near the border.

We catch a taxi with a seikh from India and start the journey across the border. This has got to be one of the most laborious borders to cross as far as the time it takes and all the things you have to do just to get across. There are 4 stops along this route that is maye 2-3 kilometers long. You give your passport to one guy who writes all the information in a book (they do have computers here but they are quite attached to still writing things in books). Then you go the the health checkpoint that has a few theremometers and just tell them “no I’m not sick” and they write your name in another book. Then you go through the actual customs check where they write your name in another book and check every inch of your baggage and belongings and count each bill of money (from all 4 different countries that I had with me). Then you get your passport stamped….and they write your name in another book. The the only thing left is you have to walk across bridge on the Amo Dariyo river that separates the two countries. It was built by the Russians and ironically called the “Friendship bridge” that they built as they invaded Afghanistan.

We donned our Afghan clothing and entered back into the country that feels like coming home every time I come through it’s borders. Crazy. Just another day in Central Asia.

Greetings from Kyrgyzstan!

Well, well, well....
It's been a long while since I've posted a blog.
I'm writing from BEAUTIFUL lake Issik-kol where the mountains are tall, the lake cold (despite the fact that it's name means 'hot lake'), and the Russian pop music at the disco rings loud and clear every evening.

Our meeting times here have been wonderfully refreshing. I have missed meetings with my "company" where worship is more than just standing and singing. Worship for us is interactive and spontaneous and cultural and absolutely a beautiful expression of our relationship with a living God. I've missed these times so much and every moment with my fellow brothers and sisters has been wonderful.



I wanted to add some fun things in addition to the email update I just sent out. Here's some fun events that have happened over the last week:

--My first night here I got eaten alive by mosquitos!! I woke up the next morning to my roommate asking me if I wanted to shower first. I turned and looked at her and said, no, you go first." She looked back and me and said, "what? Why that look on your face" I reached up my hand and touched my eye that was nearly swollen shut after getting bit by a mosquito on my eye lid. She thought I was winking at her or giving her "the eye!" So, there went my chances at meeting any goodlooking guys at the conference! I mean, the Quazi-Moto (sp?) look is attractive, but it's not a look I'm going for. Thankfully, my eye is back to it's normal, non-droopy, open self.

--We ran out of toilet paper a few days ago. (and I use the word toilet paper lightly, it's more like a wide roll of grey colored streamers that you use for birthday parties). When we asked the hotel staff for more toilet paper, they looked at us like I was crazy and adamantly said, "NO! You only get ONE roll!" (and this is for a week and a half, for three girls!) Another person kindly gave us a roll from their personal stash.

--We have had oatmeal to eat at every single meal and the meat and potatoes just take on a different form for each meal, sometimes mashed, sometimes boiled, sometimes in meatballs. So, there really is a LOT of variety. And I'm not taking a break in my carb diet that I had from Afghanistan.

--and in honor of my friend who keeps posting pictures of the food she is eating in Germany I am adding my own food pictures to make you jealous:

It's been awhile since I've updated my blog....mostly because so much has happened in the last few weeks and that I hardly even know where to begin. The village project is finished and the short-term team has left and we are gearing up to head to Ky-stan for a conference. Our journey is proving to be quite eventful as there are no direct flights from this country to there so we are having to get a bit creative with all the different passports and the visas needed for our team. This will be a bit of an adventure as we journey. Right now we will be crossing the border to the north the day after tomorrow and taking the train up to the capital city, then catching a flight from there to the country we will be staying at for two weeks, then catching a ride out to the hotel area we will be at. As always, prayers are welcome!



So, this was an interesting animal that I came across. It has horns like a goat and long ears and long legs like a donkey....curious. I wasn't quite sure what to think of it, so I just took a picture with it.

As we speak the guys on the team are all at the swimming pool while us girls are at home sweating in our long-sleeved clothes in the heat of the evening. Sigh. Soon, soon there will be relief from the heat for a few weeks!

Hidalgo Moments

This evening I was sitting out in our yard enjoying the evening. It had been a busy weekend full of visiting with people and spending time with local friends here. I enjoyed all the social time but was also needing the relaxing evening. I had my book, was sitting in my chair, a couple of the other girls had just finished hanging up their laundry and were sitting nearby listening to their ipods. I glanced over my shoulder a few times to see some dark clouds in the distance. "ooh." I thought. "It might rain tonight. That would cool things off a bit." (it hardly ever rains in the summer here so dark clouds are a very rare thing and worth noting!) I turned back to my book but about 10 minutes later I heard this sound like wind behind me. It kept on going and I looked over to see clouds of dust billowing towards us and swallowing up the tops of the houses that I could see from my yard. I shouted and all of us girls jumped up and began to grab armloads of laundry off the line as fast as we could and as we got inside the dust storm hit and swirled around our house. Right now the streets are empty and there is a haze inside my house as the storm whirls around outside. That's Af-stan for you!

This weekend some of my office staff, a couple of the short-term team members and myself went on a picnic in a nearby town. This town used to be the capital of this area and was a major stop along the silk road back in the day. Alexander the Great resided there for awhile, Genghis Khan and others also made this place home for awhile. There is a spot where there are the old ruins of the walls still partially standing and you can find pieces of broken potter and human bones mixed in with the rubble. I guess so many wars and conflicts happened there. The people I was with said they'd have a war, all the people would die, and then they'd just build a new city on top of them leaving layers of city and bone. It very well could be true. We had a picnic out there, played volleyball, climbed all over the walls and caught some frogs in a nearby stream. I also rode a horse for the first time in Af. It was pretty skinny and a little tired out so he didn't go very fast, but I felt like a true adventurer sitting on top of that horse with the ruins of the old city behind me and the fields of wheat stretched out all around me.

Our lunch for the picnic. Quite nice huh?!


The walls of the old city we visited.


History speaks...more than I want to hear sometimes.


We caught frogs in the river. I've never seen so many frogs at one time.

sick

I just got over a nice little stomach bug. It seems like that is an essential part of re-entry to this place. Fun times.

This week I'm not going to the village because I have friends in town I still need to visit, and I want to see what's going on around my office.

It is WARM here! yikes. And summer is only beginning to set in. My thermometer in my room got down to a low 88 last night but during the day is about 98-ish. That is inside, out of the sun. I'm guessing that it's up over 100 in the sun. Let me tell you, watermelon has never tasted as good as it does here on a hot day, with long sleeves and a blanket wrapped around my head.

More pictures from the village

This picture is all of us girls coming from the girls' school. I'm the second one walking up...the short one!


The donkey is bringing water to our house from the mosque.


Some of the children in the village. They are so beautiful!

Life under the burka

Within a day of returning to my city, I found myself packing a bag for a few days in a village helping with the education projects that I was running during my time here before. We have a short-term team that will be doing the teaching and activities, but I was asked to come along just to help get the teacher training seminar running.

So, we set off in our van piled high with notebooks, pens, soccer balls, jump ropes, and everything we’d need to live the next few days: cushions to sleep on, bottles of drinking water, and a gas stove (which they call a picnic here, because you just take it on a picnic, put the pressure cooker on top and bam, instant hot meal in the middle of nowhere. Let me tell you, these people perfected camping WAY before we did!).

This village project was a bit different as all of us women donned our burkas as we approached the village. It is a bit more conservative and we wanted to convey our respect for their way of life. So, I saw the streets, the few shops, and mosques of this village behind a blue screen about the size of my fist in front of my face. I got lessons from the teachers of when to pull the burka up so I could breathe a bit and have my face exposed and when to pull it down again (pretty easy…if there is a man on the street, the screen is down, no man, no screen).

And this is the fun part of cross-cultural living. There are new ways to learn of doing EVERYTHING, even wearing a burka. Just when I was thinking I had mastered wearing it and blending in on the street, one of the teachers said the whole village knows about the foreign women in burkas because they don’t walk like the local people. To top it off, I nearly walked out of the school one day with my burka on inside out, until one of the teachers called out after me and corrected it for me.

There are 12 teachers in the school and most of them are really young (one girl is 14 years old). Some of them are even still students. So, they study in 6th or 7th grade and then teach 1st grade. This is actually quite normal in the villages as there is a shortage of teachers. I absolutely love spending time with teachers because often they are the only women in the village working outside the home, and they all have a great desire to help their village. I really wish I could show you pictures, but they said they don’t want me to take pictures of them.

Next week the short-term team will be returning but I will stay in the city. There are friends I still have not been able to visit yet and want to have time to see them and I possibly want to spend some time at the university in town doing some observation and talking with them about how things run, for when I return here full-time next year and pursue working in the higher education realm.

I’ll close with a few pictures from the village:

A view of the village.


This mosque is over a hundred years old. This is the view from the window of the house we are staying in.


Coming back from teaching. I think someone caught me off guard or staring or something. I'm not smiling at all...but I was happy!

Asian Arrival

This post will be short as my jet lag is really kicking in tonight. But, I made it to Asia and am hanging out with my team and catching up with all the changes that are happening around here. It has been great to be back and honestly, I feel like I'm home. That's a good feeling in a place that used to be the strangest thing to me. God really blessed me with a good re-entry here.

Here are a few pictures from our ride up from Kabul:

Just because the inside of the car is full, doesn't mean you can't ride along!


This is a picture of the Salang pass on the road north from Kabul. There is still a bit of snow and it was nice and chilly. The high was a cool 103 degrees F in the city I am in now...and it will only get hotter as summer approaches.

We made it safely despite our driver hitting a cow in the middle of the road. The car was dented and the cow just stood there in stunned disbelief but all was okay.

Heading back overseas!!

I just recently sent out a email newsletter but wanted to post on my blog as well that I am in need of prayer and financial support for this summer still. I will be leaving the country on May 8 and arriving in A-land May 10 (yes...it takes awhile to get there! But it could be worse...I could have to travel by ship and overland like in the old days!)I will be there through mid-July.

This summer is a very important one for me as I'm in a season of prayer and preparation for my long-term return in spring of next year. It would mean a lot to me if you could partner with me in prayer as I seek the Lord for guidance, timing, and wisdom in the steps that he has laid out for me. Our team also is moving forward in some new areas as well as strengthening what we are currently involved in. (Do you know we now have 1500 students registered with our resource center. That means 1500 individuals have passed through our doors to partake in learning with us! Praise God!)

For those of you wanting to give, the address you can send donations to is:
Donor Services
P.O. Box 60579
Colorado Springs, CO 80960

Checks can be written out to "YWAM" and write the number #371 on the memo line which designates it to my account.

Also, if you are interested in receiving email updates from me but you are not on my mailing list (if you ARE on the list...you would have gotten an email from me today!) please email me or post a comment on my blog letting me know.

I normally like to keep this blog for personal reflections but I can't stress enough how important your partnership is, both for financial provision but prayer, prayer, and more prayer...that is my deepest need right now. Let's seek God together to see great things happen in the nations this summer!

The latest adventures

My weekends have been quite full the last two weeks. Here's some pictures of the fun times:

April 6: Some friends that worked in the area of northern Af. with me were passing through town and we went to a Cubs game together at Wrigley Field. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures with me and my friends taken on my camera. But really, they were there.





April 12:
This weekend I was in the Los Angeles area for a wedding of two dear friends of mine, Dave and Mia McCoy. We all worked in Af-land together with the same organization but in different parts of the country. It was so exciting to share in their special day together...and 80 degrees on the sunny beach wasn't so bad either!



There were 14 of us who have been in Af-land at some point in time. We didn't all know each other but it was great to hang out and share our common bond.


Dave drove off with Mia sitting on the back of the bike, Afghan style.

Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. McCoy!! It was a great joy to share in your day!