Dorm date and a fun day

Now, don't freak out. Yes, the title does say "date" but before you get all excited, it was merely a hang-out time with my good friend Allison.
On our hall, our R.A. will pair us up every week and then whoever is coupled off goes on a "dorm date" so that we get to know the girls on our hall better. It's a fun way as I don't know a lot of the girls very well this year, and our schedule's have been so insane that I just haven't had time to get to spend a lot of time with them.
Allison and I bonded last Christmas break over J-terms and Star Gate Atlantis, but we decided to go someplace fun just to get out of the normal groove of eating at the cafeteria together or procrastinating on book reviews and papers by watching SGA on Hulu. She had the brilliant suggestion of going to Bass-pro shop in Indiana.
Bass Pro Shop, for those of you who don't know, is that store you dreamed of as a little kid in which everything morally desirable is available to do or buy in one store. It has every piece of outdoor equipment you'd ever think of owning (including 'original-smell' fish bait. You can smell it without turning down that isle) downstairs, and upstairs it has food, clothes - outdoorsy camo and that western-style fashionable stuff that I love - as well as jewelry, books, and a lazer-shooting range in which once the targets are successfully hit (no easy task) the stuffed animals or objects you are shooting at will move or sing some silly song or something of that nature.
I had had a crazy morning, so didn't eat breakfast, so by the time we pulled up at 1 I was starving. It was so bad that when we walked by the huge fish tank by the waterfall, the enormous catfish that were the size of my torso swimming around made me salivate. Allison laughed at me when I told her this and we ran upstairs to find that the restaurant with fish tanks by all the tables was closed for remodeling. So we dashed over to Chick-fil-e (after this crazy miniature poodle scared the living daylights out of me as we walked by the pick-up-truck it was apparently guarding. What buff hunter in his right mind would own a miniature poodle, I don't know)
So we ate and then went back.
When one enters into Bass-pro shop, one must go through these very heavy, forest-green double doors that have antlers for the handles. I ran ahead of Allison and tried opening both of them at once. Ha. She laughed at me while I heaved my full body-weight against these dratted things and asked me what I was doing.
"Well, I was going for the 'Aragorn-two-towers' entrance. I just couldn't resist." :-)
(you know the part where Aragorn returns from the dead and makes that dramatic entrance into Theoden's hall? I still say the books are better for the whole LOTR experience, btw)
We decided to just walk around for a while before heading towards the shooting range. We stumbled across the kids-clothes section and spent the next fifteen minutes cooing and giggling over the newborn section of camouflage booties and camo-onesies with lace randomly stuck on it.
"We're such nerds." I finally giggled, holding up some cute item of child's apparel. "We come all the way to another state to go to a macho-hunting place to drool over kids clothes."
Allison laughed and agreed. The funny part was that we not only drooled over the kids clothes in camo, but would throw random theological and heretical statements about the equipment we passed by. It was great.
So then I found this absolutely amazing quilt that had suede, chenille, and very soft cotton all containing a down-batting for the interior. It cost an arm and a leg so I guess I'll have to wait until I'm rich and famous to buy that, right along with the amazing bedroom set I discovered that looked like it was made from trees with the bark still on it.
We headed over to the womens clothes and jewelry section and spent a while there before we stumbled across the tent section. We found this HUGE tent that was possibly the size of Allison's dorm room before we saw the cot.
The cot was black, and had a tent over it. I said it was cool.
"Yeah, if you feel like crawling in and zipping yourself into a coffin for the night." Allison commented. I will never look at that cot-tent in the same way again. I very well may never be able to sleep in one, either. ;-)
So after drooling over the kayak section as well, we headed downstairs to where the fudge was. We were originally thinking just one piece each... but... there was a sale... and....
someone want to help me eat fudge? :-D
We thought we were leaving but then we found an entire OTHER section of food so thought we'd stroll through and discovered how many different names out-doors-ey kind of guys can find for hot and barbecue sauce. Not all of them are appropriate.
I found this really cool "Celtic Jigs" CD but Allison reminded me that we already spent $6.50 each on fudge and really didn't need to be buying music. I still say that I was merely investing in study aides with the fudge and music put I put the CD down with a sigh. Oh well. My Gaelic roots will just have to content themselves with listening to what I already have.
So we walked back outside and got into the car and sliced off a sliver of fudge before driving out of the parking lot. Then I started to slip into sugar-coma while Allison started to get rather perky :-)
When we got to our dorms, we each pulled out our ID's. Its a new policy, last semester we could waltz in and out whenever we wanted but now they are enforcing the flashing of identification before they allow girls to go upstairs. Its good 'cause we've had stuff stolen this semester, but it can get obnoxious.
"Oh that's right I forgot we had to identify ourselves before we entered the sacred ground of Boyce Harem." I muttered as I pulled my card out. Allison didn't hear me but lowered her head as what I said registered.
"That is wrong for SO many different reasons!" she chuckled. I thought I might have offended her but as we got to our floor after waving at the security guard she murmured,
"Well we WERE born and raised for such a time as this..." Quote from Esther. I love Allison. :-)

So we've decided that we really ought not to have forgotten the camera, and may, for you dear reader's sake, have to return to Bass-pro shop soon to take pictures so you can witness the joy of the experience for yourself.
We've also decided it would be a great place to have a REAL date, but Bass-pro needs to install a rock-climbing wall first. Preferably on the man-made waterfall. :-)

Off to do homework. Blah.

~Princess Ouch~

The Imam's wife

Today I went to the Bosnian Mosque with a group from school. My one friend who works with Middle-Eastern Muslims says that the hoodie and jeans I was wearing would be fine, but Hollie -who went with us to this Mosque- said a long skirt and nice, long sleeved shirt would be better. SO I opted for the second choice and was GLAD I did!!! We also wore headscarves. Hollie had one from Iran that David her husband bought her when he was there, and I wore one of my Gypsy scarves. I felt very ethnic as we walked up to the church where we were meeting our guide in my flowing black skirt, nice shirt and headscarf. I really really wanted some bangly earings so that i would feel more Gypsy-ish, but wanted to see how jewlery was seen before I tried that.
Hollie and I were directed towards the front door where we slipped off our shoes and went to sit down. The Mosque was a small house that had been converted, and the front living room with a small fireplace was the women's section of the worship center.
Four women, a little three year old and a baby were already there, and in the next ten minutes four other women came in.
The three year old and I had fun making faces at each other, until the little girl realized her mother was at the bowing and kneeling part of the worship time. At that point the little girl ran up beside her mother and dove into the prayer rug they had spread for her and proceeded to try and murmer the prayers in Arabic.
The women were all dressed in colorful robes and headscarves that were not tied the ways Hollie and I had tied ours. She and I stayed back against the wall and didn't go up onto the prayer rugs they had spread for us during the prayer time. It was considerate, and I didn't even realize that they had done it until they were all up at the front of the room. But neither Hollie nor I felt the need to participate in prayers to Allah.
The did a message in what I believe was first Arabic, then translated into Bosnian, and then English. It was rather sureal.
It ended what seemed to me rather abruptly, and one woman began hugging the others and kissing them on both cheeks. Hollie and I smiled and the ladies smiled shyly back, but no one approached us. One woman gave us a huge smile each time she looked in our direction, but soon pulled a black veil over her face until only the slits of her eyes were showing and quickly slipped out the door.
The woman who began the hugging finally came up to Hollie and I and hugged us, kissing us on both cheeks, wishing us "Salaam Allekium" (I don't know how you spell it, sorry) and I murmured "salaam" in return. I know there is another traditional saying, but the meaning is "Peace of Allah" and "Allah's peace upon you", whereas "Salaam" is merely "peace." I'm fine with wishing someone peace, in fact that's what I"m committed to as a Christian, but the peace that comes from God, not Allah.
The woman was the Imam's wife. She asked where we were from and why we were there. I told her I had never been to a Mosque before, and was curious about what was there and who was there. She asked if we were American, if we were Christian, and what kind of Christian. I said yes, yes, and Baptist. She asked if I had alwas been Baptist. I answered no... only a year. (hehehe... how do you explain "non-denominational" to a Bosnian Muslim?) SO she asked if I understood my religion. I said yes.
"Are you SURE?"
"Yes."
"Are you SURE you are sure?" she insisted.
"Well obviously God is too big to fit inside my small head, but yes, I understand my religion. I am in school to learn more, and of course we are always learning."
"Hmm... you have to go?"
Hollie and I shook our heads no.
"Come and sit down. My English not so good, I study for six months now, though I have been in America fo six years. COme sit. Now. This is the problem with Christians: you do not understand who Jesus is. Muslims do not agree that he is GOd. He cannot be the son of God. God has no son, no wife, no beginning, no end. Jesus cannot be God."
She went on for a good ten minutes expounding on that fact. Hollie tried to interject that Jesus said in the Bible who He was, but the Imam's wife interupted.
"No, you see. The Bible, it is corrupted. Shatan has corrupted it." And went on to expound on that point for a good full five minutes.
"May I explain to you how we see Jesus?" I asked when I could get a word in edgewise. She nodded.
"God, who you call Allah, made the whole world. Yes? And so God made man, because He wanted man to be in fellowship with Him. He wanted to be friends with man. But Shatan came and said to Adam and Eve, the first man and woman, "you can be like God. Take this fruit from the tree God forbade you to eat from, and you will be like Him." Adam and Eve disobeyed God and took this fruit. But Shatan lied to them, this did not make them like God, it caused them to sin and they understood sin. And God cannot look on sin, because He is righteous. He is a righteous God who cannot sin and cannot look upon sin. So He said to Adam and Eve, 'Go out from the garden!'
Shatan said, "Aha! God cannot look upon sin, look, the man has sinned. Now he is mine!" But God said, "NO! I created them! I love them! They must still be mine!" So He sent the prophets, Abraham, Isaiah, and others, to tell mankind how to live righteously, so that they could have communion with God. But man said to the prophets, "Who are you to tell us this? You are man like us! You know nothing!" They didn't realize that God sent them. So they rejected the prophets.
God decided that He would go Himself to tell mankind how to live. He wanted us to understand so we could have communion with Him. But man cannot look upon GOd directly, because He is so wonderful and glorious. His majesty is too much for us to see; we will die if we look on Him. So He came in the form of a man. He had to come as a man so that mankind could see Him and have relationship with Him. And the man who was God was named Jesus."
She nodded and was listening intently, agreeing with all that I said, UNTIL I said "That man was named Jesus."
"NO! This cannot be. Jesus was a PROPHET! A good prophet. We love the prophet Isa. Isa is what we call Jesus. But a prophet! He and Mohammed were very close..."
And she continued for a long time after that about different stories from the Quaran about Jesus and Mary, and how it is written that Jesus said specifically that He never claimed to be God. I wanted to get into Pharisaical lies etc. but could barely get a word in edgewise.
"You see, man corrupts all good things, and man has corrupted the Bible. For example, you celebrate Christmas in December. But Jesus was very clearly born in springtime. Quaran says that Mary ate a date after Gabriel spoke to her. A fresh date. How can you eat a fresh date in winter?"
I explained why CHristians celebrate Christmas in winter, and emphasized that this was not something that was in the Bible, just a tradition.
'You see? Pagan influences corrupt."
"Yes, I agree. So Mohammed had a Christian wife and a Jewish wife. Since pagans corrupt, did not these pagan wives corrupt Mohammed? He had three wives not Islamic, no?"
"No! He had NINE wives. BUt princesses, so that their people would come to know Islam."
"They were pagan."
"But you see, man is a step ahead of woman. So man always leads."
"Yes, the man is the head, but isn't the woman the neck, turning the head whichever way she wants?" (I love 'My big fat Greek wedding.' Who knew it would help in theological debates).
All three of us laughed at that point.
"No! Man is a step ahead of woman."
"But if Mohammed had nine wives, that would be more women than man, so wouldn't that put the pagan wives at least a FEW steps ahead of the man?"
She didn't get that reasoning, and went on to talk about the fallibility of the Bible, and more Islamic stories about Shatan and Gabriel fighting over the Quaran.
David poked his head in and said we had to go, and the Imam's wife followed us out encouraging us to get a copy of the Quaran and start researching on the internet about Islam.
As I put on my shoes, she said,
"Pray to God to open your eyes to truth."
"I will pray to God to open my eyes to Truth. I pray also that He opens your eyes to Truth."
She smiled a, "I've got it covered, honey, thanks." look on her face.
"You DO realize," the missionary stated when Hollie and I retold this story, "that you just took on the most devout Muslim in the entire area."
"All I wanted was for us to plant ONE seed of doubt in her mind, so that her eyes could be opened to Truth." Hollie replied.
"Obviously we won't make a change today, we just met her. But its a start."
Hopefully, anyway. We are going to try and go back in two weeks. The Imam's wife has always wanted to be an Imam's wife, she waited until she found an Imam - who was 20 years older than her - to get married. "Islam is all that I am, all that I love." She told us.
Funny thing, I had been feeling nausious the entire day, and as soon as we started the conversation with the Imam's wife it went away and has stayed away all day. No, it was not nervousness. I'm pretty sure it was Spiritual Warfare. Another funny thing was that once the Imam's wife found out Hollie was married, she targeted me for most of the conversation and sort of blew off Hollie. HOllie attributed it to the fact that since she was married, she would follow whatever her husband believed, and so would be 'unconvertable' until he was converted.

Anywayz. So that was my first exposure and experience with Muslims and Bosnians.

Wow.

Now, the hysterical part of this is that when I was in Jr. High, I told God that He could call me to be whatever He wanted, but if He called me to be a Missionary, I would have to tell Him no, so just don't bother. My reasoning was that we got "Voice of the Martyrs' when I was younger and I was convinced that all missionaries were persecuted brutally and most were martyred. So when God called me to be a Missionary, or I at least responded to that call, I told Him, "Fine, but please please please don't call me to work with Muslims or Communists."
I thought Bosnians were Eastern Orthodox when I started researching them. Nope. The Bosniak Bosnians are all Muslim. At least in this area. I've been to an EX-communist country four times, but I'm curious to see if I go into a communist country one of these days. God DOES have a sense of humor, and He likes to remind us -or at least me, I don't know about you- that HE is the one who calls the shots. :-)
Anyhoo. IN other news, the head chef in the cafeteria started a food-fight with me when I started to sing, "Oh Suzanna" - which he hates, and I do just to irritate him. :-) I do not like working for other people, I would far rather have my own business and call the shots myself. But if I HAVE to work for someone, I'm glad its here, with fun people who love Jesus and are committed to keeping the workplace fun. God has blessed me a lot, with an amazing family, good friends, an awesome school, amazing opportunities to serve and witness for Him. Most importantly, He gave me a rich relationship with Him, which has permeated into every area of my life. Halelujah.

~Princess Ouch~

Poetical moment

So far for my Great Books class, we've read The Odessy, Augustine's "Confessions" and Boethius' "The Consolation of Philosophy". One of our assignments was to write out an experience or memory in a poetical style that was similar to that found in the Odessy. I wrote out an experience from this summer and have been meaning to post it here. Hope you enjoy. :-)

As an unbroken colt bucks and bounces
vainly attempting to rid itself of its' master
who gentles it into submission,
so did the old Dacia car buck and bounce
as we crawled up the dusty Carpathian roads.
Sweet grass danced across the hills
and jagged mountainous ridges
as gentle Ewes grazed with their lambs
their bear-like shepherd dogs
faithfully watching.
These sights I drank in with pleasure
as my dear companions escorted me
further away from the world familiar
and into the hidden, sunlit valleys.
As the seagull, wild and free, cries out as he flies
so too did the voices of the village greet us
before its' sights and smells.
Olive-skinned children, turned black by sun and wind,
ran to greet us as they laughed their salutations.
My own voice joined them, my tongue clumsy
as I made the unfamiliar words of their world
shape themselves and fly from my lips.
I let my strange white hands
be touched and stroked, as laughing
the children tried to explain my sky blue eyes.
Their flashing raven hair bobbed
as they danced for me.
Husky voices raised in jeers and compliments.
I smiled and thanked my God,
as once again He had brought me here.
And I was proven faithful in my promise
to return to these my Gypsy friends.

Seminarians and defining Church

Well, I have lamed out this last month - again - at updating my poor neglected blog. My apologies. However, I will again throw out the excuse that I'm working now about 19 to 20 hours a week and taking 12 credits - three of which are 400 level classes - and we're getting down to business in our Church planting praxis as well. I can't give much details on the church plant as we're trying to get into a rather closed community, but I can say that we are excited. Its a people group whose religion is one that I was terrified of as a kid and prayed that God would never make me go minister to. Whadaya know, God laughed and here I am several years later incredibly excited about what He is going to do through my team and in my team through the new friendships we are going to soon be establishing. I don't know what the end result will be - obviously we're hoping for a thriving Church. But God will do whatever He wants, we're just trying to be faithful.
Anyway, for my Church planting class we had to write a paper on "the Irreducible Ecclesiastical Minimum for Church" or in the vernacular, what makes a Church a church, what's the definition, when does it move from Church plant to full blown church, and where in the Bible does it back up your definition? It was challenging because I started out with a very simple answer, then started talking to some colleagues who said NO, it is FAR more complicated than that, one MUST struggle far more with the issue as it will define one's ministry for the rest of one's missionary career. This threw me into a conundrum, as I really did think the issue was more simple than that. So I thought about it for a few more days, and here I am an hour before class starts, just now printing off my paper and hoping that I struggled enough with the issue to give a decent argument for my still-simple viewpoint.
So I thought I'd share with you once again some homework. Hope you enjoy.
In other news, I gave some Seminarians a piece of my mind last week. You'd think they'd run off and black list me from the dating possibility list, warning all other desperate seminarians who are looking for a wife to avoid me like the plague. But the end result is that I now have an interesting friend who knows as many wacky languages as me. I actually have had three girls come up and thank me for spelling it out to the seminary guys tho. I've summed up our conversation in one simple sentence: Girls want pursued, not stalked.
Yes, it is really that simple. And lets work on establishing platonic, mutual-respecting friendships before we pull out the checklist for appropriate pastor's wife characteristics and start interrogating the poor unsuspecting freshmen girls who just came in.
Okay I must stop ranting and print off that paper. :-)
Cheers,
~Princess Ouch~

">The Irreducible Minimum for Church: how is Church defined? When does a church plant graduate from being simply a group of new believers meeting to an ‘official’ church? In essence, what is a church? What defines a church as such, what makes it different from merely a Bible study or a gathering of believers?

In the New Testament, the Church was defined corporately, usually by city, not by individual small groups meeting in homes or buildings. The Church was not a street location or fancy building with a symbol on top announcing its religious affiliation. It was a group of professing Christ-followers who were committed to living their lives in a way that reflected the teachings of Christ and spurring others of the same lifestyle to continue their professed faith with diligence. They did not have church charters or governmental outlines, requirements for membership into particular meetings or councils on what color the chairs would be when they rebuilt their meeting places. Rather, they were like-minded people drawn together due to the need for fellowship and encouragement in an era and region where Christianity could be a death sentence. Their goal was to live life in as godly a manner as possible. They cared for one another as best as they could, and expected God to answer their prayers and help them in areas in which their knowledge or resources failed.

Today, however, Church is defined much differently. Usually it requires a building of some kind, although the paradigm is slowly shifting to include house-churches and church plants that do not meet in a building officially dedicated to Sunday morning meetings. The church in today’s culture has a Pastor, or some might even have a few pastors. At the least an Administrative pastor, and some Churches have a Youth Pastor, Pastor of Praise and Worship, and an Administrative Pastor. There will probably be an elder or deacon system, but that depends on the denomination – or which particular branch of non-denominationalism the Church is affiliated with. Requirements for membership or acceptance into the Church body have been carefully outlined and expressed to the people who want to be associated with that church. Participants in active worship partake of the Sacraments regularly. A meeting of these people has a set order of events weekly and includes a certain amount of time dedicated to religious songs, an exhortation by the pastor, and a certain amount of time for fellowship amongst the body.

I personally have partaken in many different forms of church; from evangelical non-denominational in both mega-church form and small church plants or home churches, to denomination-affiliated churches both in the United States and abroad. I remember one day when I was about twelve, my family had moved to a new area and was still searching for a home church. My father decided that we would not go to yet another new church that day but would stay home and have ‘house church.’ We all gathered in the living room while my mother led us in some worship songs and hymns we all knew, and then my father taught a simple lesson in language all of us children could understand. The topic was on loving one another, and at the end he washed all of our feet. It was a unique experience, and as I look back on it I appreciate it a lot more than I did at the time of its actual occurrence. I consider the event an authentic church service experience for several reasons.

First, every member in my family was and is committed Christians, and we had gathered together for the purpose of glorifying God, learning more about Him and exhorting one another to continue in that mindset and lifestyle. Mark 11:17 mentions Church being a house of prayer for all nations, and our home was a house of prayer as we lifted each other up and also our friends and Christian family on the mission field that day.

We were all baptized, and while we did not practice communion that particular day, we did and do regularly with other believers. Acts 10:48 and Luke 22:19 speak of the role of Baptism and Communion in a believer’s life. Both the practice of communion and baptism in believer’s lives were actions that were spoken of as commandments, not options.

My father led our meeting, and my mother helped him as well to keep us children focused on the point of the meeting and behaving in a disciplined manner. In 1 Timothy 3:2 the Apostle Paul speaks of the church leaders having a family dedicated to his ministry as well and maintaining discipline, order in the home as well as the ability to teach and disciple.

We children were always taught and encouraged to be bold in our faith and to tell others about Jesus, as well as to invite others to church and whatever Christian meetings we were attending at that time. My parents took the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19 very seriously, considering raising their children as part of the ‘creating disciples.’ They encouraged us to be clear in our vision when we went out into the world that we were winning Souls for the Kingdom, not just people for today.

There are many characteristics of the Church, and these cannot be mistaken for requirements. For example, if a church is strong in fellowship and discipling people within the church body, but does not go out into the world and evangelize, are they no longer a church because they have not met the characteristic of going out into the world? They still meet regularly, are a body of believers who practice communion and baptism, but are not pursuing an important aspect of Christianity, that is, evangelism. Are they still considered a church? What about a church that is in an area where wine or grape juice is inaccessible and bread is made from sweet potatoes, or where water is so scarce that baptism by immersion is impossible? Is this fellowship unable to call themselves church because they do not participate in activities that have traditionally defined church? If they can, then why are they given that privilege? Where is the list of requirements to name something ‘church’ and where is the list of exceptions we can or cannot overlook? While there are clear guidelines in the Bible for what requirements a pastor or church leader must meet, there are no such requirements for what constitutes a church.

It is therefore feasible to conclude that the characteristics of the early church recorded in Acts are a feasible measurement against whatever gathering one has undertaken for examination to see if it is truly a church. Is it a gathering of committed Christians, solely dedicated to following Christ, baptized and practicing communion, watching out for one another’s spiritual and materialistic needs? Is it led by a pastor and elders who are maintaining accountability amongst themselves as well as the Christian body under examination, and guarding against sin or heresy in the community?

While some may wish to hammer out specific details and legalistic requirements for what clearly defines church, they must bear in mind that the Bible does not give them any clear license to do so. Individual autonomous churches such as we have today did not exist in the New Testament. They were divided by city and small groups which met individually and corporately, and sent delegates to Jerusalem when controversial issues arose. This system is somewhat reflected in the Southern Baptist tradition of having autonomous churches which meet in the Southern Baptist Convention, however it is not identical.

It is important to have a clear idea of what the end vision is when church planting. However, it is important to realize that the word ‘church’ is going to change, depending on culture, context, the people involved, and the time era being conducted in. The goal must be authentic disciples for Christ, who are reproducing what they have been taught through redemption in Christ. The end vision is a long chain of committed Christians, passionate to see others come to the Lord, going so many places and accomplishing great things for the Kingdom, getting work done that is impossible for just one missionary to cast a vision for or hope to do in one lifetime.

Paradigm shift: Foreign Missions in my backyard

Just a few quick thoughts. I'm reading my professor's dissertation for my class in Advanced issues in Missions. He's going over a position in the International Mission Board (Southern Baptist) called a Strategy Coordinator, which used to be known as a non-residential missionary. Basically the Strategy Coordinator 'targets' a people group (doesn't that sound all official now!) and researches the absolute best way to reach that people group with the Gospel. The SC takes into account all resources, other ministries already in effect, most responsive areas or effective strategies in sharing the gospel with said people group, and then helps put the plan into action. Usually the SC partners with other mission agencies or organizations and has missionaries on the field working "under" him or her.
This summer I heard of some interesting situations involving Romanians and Gypsies in Spain and England. I did some research online and then came across a promotional video on the IMB website (www.imb.org) that told of the unique opportunity for sharing the Gospel with people from closed countries in London, England. For my Contemporary Youth Missions class I'm reading a book called "World at your door" which discusses the many unique opportunities to be a 'foreign missionary" right here in America. The 10/40 window often sends its top 30% in students abroad - namely America - for studying in College or High School Exchange programs. These countries are usually closed to the Gospel or foreign missionaries. The book outlines the unique opportunity so many Christians are passing up in sharing the Gospel with these foreign students who are far away from home, lonely, and open to a loving Christian family and their Message of Hope.
I work with a lady from India. She is about my mom's age, and likes to tell me off at work. I am hoping to do an internship in India, and my coworker has strictly forbidden me to go to India until she goes home so that she can 'take care' of me while I'm overseas.
The woman is amazing: she takes Hebrew, speaks 4 languages already, is a home maker, works 20 hours a week, and entertains the numerous guests her husband brings home or who pop in on her unexpectedly. I've often wanted to visit her but don't want to add to her already overwhelming schedule. Once I asked her if she wanted help cleaning or cooking at home and she looked at me like I'd lost my mind. "I can take care of my own home!" She sniffed. Woops.
Last week she was really tired after work and was walking slowly to the grill to make her dinner.
"Do you want me to make that for you?" I asked. She blinked and slowly handed me her bowl.
"This is the first time you've cooked for me." She commented. I usually pop into work between classes/work to get food, and she often makes my sandwhich (she calls it 'Rachel's Pesto Panini" because I usually order a Chicken Panini with extra pesto.)
So today I hopped into work again with my friend and low and behold, there was my indian friend working. We started teasing each other. Her new thing is joking about how I must really be an old woman, because all I eat is "Rabbit food" (salad/fruit stuffs) and ''such bland food" (I never put five tablespoons of red pepper on my mashed potatoes like she and the other Asian students do) that obviously my stomach is weak like an old lady.
So I started ranting about how Pesto was a VERY flavor-ful addition which meant I was NOT old. She sighed and said yes, us poor Americans don't know what we are missing in food. Luke, our shift-manager had apparently been over to her house the other day and she sighed about how she didn't know how to cook for such weak-stomached people.
"Well I'll tell you what, ma'am. Next semester I and some friends are probably going to get an apartment. So we'll just invite you over to MY house and I'll cook for you, and you can see how good American food can be if its done RIGHT."
She looked at me and blinked. "Yes, that might be good. I have only been told once that I will be invited to an American house, but they haven't had us over yet."
This woman has been in the States for several years! And is rarely invited over. She said she can't wait to go back to India, because America is the most lonely place in the world.

This afternoon I am meeting with my church planting team and some missionaries from overseas. There is a people group that we are going to try and start a church with, however we arne't too sure how to get into the community yet. Apparently when we went to their ethnic resturaunt last Sunday we went during Ramadan, which is why we were the only customers!! Woops. It was a really cute, hole-in-the-wall resturaunt with a grocery store that may be my new favorite place regaurdless if we get this church plant off the ground.
Anyhoo. Am hoping to get into the Gypsy community here as well, but THAT will be a whole 'nother ball game.

Speaking of ball games, I went to our school soccer game the other day. After watching Romania play Italy for the World Cup last year, I was pretty well disguisted. I can't blame it on American's playing soccer, because there was a hispanic guy and a guy from Ghana on our team, and lets just say our team was slaughtered.
*sigh* And I can't play 'cause the sports are guy-only. Pooh.
I would try to change that, but I am taking three 400 level classes this semester, and time is rather crunched.
Speaking of which, I need to get back to studying my professor's dissertation.

Ciao,

Princess Ouch.

Words from the wise

My apologies for not updating this more regularly. I've been trying to find that very fine balance between "I'm at college to learn, study, and grow into the person God wants me to be" and "I'm at college to meet interesting people and grow into the person God wants me to be through all this ding-dang drama that occurs when you get a bunch of humans together and let them socialize for more than thirty seconds!!!"
Its mostly been fun, but there have been a few moments when I wish we could go back to being 8 and 12 and I could go tattle to Mom about what so-and-so said or did. Ahh.... such is life growing up. There's no adults to go tattle too because WE are now apparently the adults and must act accordingly. Wow thats a scary thought!!
My friend sent me this and I thought it had some good advice. there's one or two that are most definately not for the Single's who read this blog, but for the most part is pretty good. That is also where I got the picture at the top of this post. :-)
Enjoy!

Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland ,

Ohio

"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me.

It is the most-requested column I've ever written."

My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once

more:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's,we'd grab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

42. The best is yet to come.

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44. Yield.

45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."