Sunday Afternoon Post- a quickie

Mom and Dad arrived yesterday afternoon without any problems. We're heading out in a few hours to catch a train going far northwest to my favorite city in Ukraine- Lvov. We'll be there just two and a half days and will leave for Will and Phyllis on Wed., arriving there on Thurs. More pictures to come!

The Secret Thoughts of a Bus Rider

Thoughts....

-while waiting for the bus:"Please let me get a seat." "Ok, but if I can't get a seat, please, please don't let it be super crowded." "Ok, but if it's super crowded, please let me just be near a window."
-while on the super crowded bus & standing in the aisle holding on to a seat:"Please someone leave soon." "Oh, dang, there are lots of old people on the bus, which means they'll get to sit first." "Stop pushing!" "Please, can we open the wondows? Seriously, it's like a sauna in here and you think you're going to get sick from the breeze?? What about all the germs stuck in here" "Noooo, don't close the one window that was open!!!" "Stop leaning/sweating/breathing all over me."
-when getting on to an empty bus: "Ok, my favorite seats are the one seaters on the right side of the bus by the window, but if an old person or a mom with a little child comes, then I'll have to get up. So, probably the safest bet is to sit in a two seater, by the window. That way, the person in the aisle seat will have to give their seat to the old person or mom with a little child, plus not as many people pass their money up to the person next to the window."
-when watching people get on the bus & there is an empty seat next to me: "Oh no, please not the drunk guy!" "Uh oh, grandma with tons of bags." "ugh, a big man. He'll sweat on me and squash me against the window."

So, there you have it- a look into the inner thoughts of a frequent bus rider in a foreign country. Not necessarily the kindest thoughts, but I'm not going to attempt to make some spiritual lesson out of this. Riding a bus in a foreign country that has an comprehensive, but somewhat crazy system can be quite a cultural experience- and at times stressful and frustrating. I'll bet you had no idea so much thought could go into riding a bus. =-D

Thanksgiving in Pain

God has been teaching me a lot over this past year. The details of some of those lessons cannot and should not be disclosed in a public setting such as this. Thankfulness and praise are ongoing things that I'm learning to incorporate as I work through these lessons. As part of my time with God each morning, I've been reading a devotional about prayer, "31 Days of Praise," by Ruth Myers. Today's prayer was a great one for me and I thought I'd share it with all of you.

"Father, I thank You for the people in my life who seem to bring more pain than joy, for I believe You have let our paths cross for important reasons. I'm grateful that You are with me, to meet my needs when others fail to do so. I'm so glad that You are within me, working to make me more like Jesus- more patient, more gentle, more loving, through these things that I dislike.

Thank You that You love these people, and that Your love is adequate to meet their deep needs and to transform their lives, however willful or unwise they may sometimes be. Thank You that You care for them deeply, and that each one of them has the potential of being a vast reservoir from which You can receive eternal pleasure. And so, though I may not feel grateful, I give thanks for them by faith, trusting Your goodness, Your wisdom, Your power, and Your love for them as well as for me.

And I praise You that I need not fret about these people, or mull over angry thoughts to prove that I'm right. Thank You that by Your power I can receive them as You receive me: just as I am, warts and wrinkles and hang-ups and all...that I can choose to not judge them, but to forgive them....to cancel any debts I feel they owe me- any apologies, any obligations...that through Your grace, I can choose to wipe clean any slate of grievances I have within me, and to view those people with a heart that says, 'Thank You for Your Spirit who empowers me, so that I can do them good, delight in You, and commit my way to You, resting in You as You unfold Your good purposes in these relationships- in Your time.'"

Sat. Evening Post, 9/17

BTV-the stalker version of people watching. Balcony TV can be quite amusing. This is the building that is right across from my bedroom window. From my window I observe many interesting things, such as:the old man in his undies and an apron hanging up the laundry; the old lady cleaning the same window, day after day after day; people fighting; people making out; more people wandering around in their undies; other people who are people watching, etc. It can be quite entertaining.

My Meest package arrived! It's like Christmas morning, getting to open a Meest box: coffee, hot chocolate, Pad Thai seasoning, Ranch mix, and other goodies. Thanks, mom and Tapley!!

One of the Orthodox churches in the center, with the inscription on the outside, "Lord, hear our prayers!" Aren't you thankful that you know for sure that He hears our prayers and knows our needs even before we do?

This has been a good week of meeting with old friends and new; time with a couple of girls from church, an adopting family, meeting the Biblical Counseling guys at the airport(the training center teachers for the next couple of weeks) and connecting again with other friends today at the Biblical Counseling seminar. I also spent a good amount of time this week at one of my favorite places(read sarcasm into that)- the train station- standing in line to buy all of the train tickets for mom and dad's visit. They'll be here next week at this time!!

A four letter word

REST. I've been asked every week since returning to Odessa, "So, what have you done this week?" And I feel the need to defend myself and give a thorough list of what I've done. "Well, I've done X,Y and Z", in the need to justify what I'm doing when not traveling.

But I'm blessed to have a peer mentor from Barnabas International
(http://www.barnabas.org) who's helping me understand that I don't need to feel so defensive about my time at home. She's helping me understand that when I'm home, I'm responsible for several things, but chiefly, making sure that I'm healthy and rejuvenated and ready to head out again on the next trip. Because if I'm not taking care of myself, then how can I be of any good to others?

You see, REST appears to be a four letter word to most missionaries. I'm not sure if it's because there's so much to do, or because of the pressure that they feel from churches and supporters back home to "perform" and crank out the numbers of the newly converted, or something else entirely. All I know is, most missionaries that I know simply don't get the rest and rejuvenation that they need- either physically, spiritually, or mentally.

So, yes, I am doing multiple different things right now, most having to do with pursuing our staff. But I am also resting and being rejuvenated by the Great Physician. And I'm learning that I don't have to be guilty about resting, because this four letter word(REST) is not synonymous with this four letter word(LAZY). I am learning to take better care of myself, so that I can better take care of others. REST- it does a body good.

Sat. Evening Post, 9/10

With my newest roommate, Lindsey, the latest intern to arrive in Odessa

My new favorite dessert: Granita. This is nectarine granita

Granita is super easy to make. You should try it! Soft fruits work the best and melons, in particular. Deseed, blend, freeze(stirring every 30 min. for 2 hours). Serve. Delicious!

Watermelon granita- my favorite thus far

A souvenir from Poland: an ad for a Polish Folk Show. On the inside it says, "Come and feel a Pole for a while with us!" Bahahahhahahahah!

The newest Seaside Missionary Training Center class. This week classes started back up again at the training center with nine new students!

A Cup of Coffee

"For whoever gives you a cup of his treasured coffee to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward." Mark 9:41(with slight alterations)

This week I had a bit of an attitude problem. Imagine that. You see, someone drank my treasured decaf. flavored coffee, not catching the hint that it's very special coffee, brought all the way over from the States. To make it worse, it's a guest that my roommate invited to stay here for a month, even though my roommate is not here. So I've been having a bit of an attitude problem with that, as well. In my head there is a dialogue running that goes something like this, "um, hello? Get the hint. Buy your own coffee, please. You're mooching off me anyway by staying here and now you're drinking my precious coffee??" I start doing the math of how long my current coffee stash is going to last if she continues to drink it and think about whether I should just go out and buy her some regular coffee so she'll stop drinking mine. Obviously my "hint" was too subtle and I'm feeling much more confrontational in my head than out. Yeah, it would definitely be easier to just go buy her some coffee. But wait a second, why am I buying coffee for someone I didn't even invite to stay here?? I mean, decaf, flavored coffee is one of my rights, right? Well, I've never taken the time to think of it as one, but it appears from this crazy pattern of thoughts running through my head, that I indeed seem to think it is one.
So, I've thought of this all week and have thought about my selfishness and how I really, really don't want to share my coffee with her and that really, honestly, I'm just stinking annoyed that she's drinking my coffee. And then, of course, the above verse had to just wedge itself into my brain. You see, the thing is, I don't even know if this girl is saved, or not. And what kind of testimony am I being to her either way- if she's not saved or even if she is? Just a wild guess, but I'm guessing that my frustration over the coffee will carry over into the way I respond to her. Thankfully, I've seen her very little, and am having the time to think through my actions and thoughts and rights and lack therof. Really, is my coffee of such extreme value that it could ruin my chance to share Christ with someone?? What "rights" do you need to give up in order to better serve Him?