1000 Gifts

My sister-in-law, Phyllis, got this idea from another blogger and now I'm going to borrow it from her. Mine doesn't have the nice heading, but I thought it was about time to start my own list.

1.my cozy flat
2.washing machine!
3.a long handled broom
4.hot water heater-ahhh, hot showers
5.the people who feed & give water to the wild dogs
6.the interesting and unusual plants, flowers & trees here
7.2 huge markets and one small one within a fifteen walk from my flat



8.2 grocery stores within four minutes
9.a 5 minute walk from my front door to the church door
10.the kindness of the IM team here in welcoming me
11.cheap and beautiful flowers at the market & the kind babushki who sell them



12.my quilts
13.my photos & paintings that are helping my flat become home
14.2 balconies
15.the cooing of the pigeons
16.earplugs
17.having met the group of English speaking ladies from various missions agencies, who meet once a month for bible-study and fellowship.
18.my quiet times with God-a cup of coffee, a quilt, Bible, me and God. What could be better??
19.fresh produce
20.Salad! Only two choices, but extra fresh-some still with roots attached.



21.Funny moments. People w/in apartment buildings here don't seem to talk to each other much. I came out of mine the other day in a very good mood and very enthusiastically said hello to a lady that I thought I had met before. I was wrong and she looked at me like I was crazy. I laughed the rest of the day.
22. Milk in a bag. I don't know why, but it amuses me.

The Zoo Exhibit

“And now, folks, I'd like to direct your attention to our newest exhibit, coming up on your right. What you will see here is a very rare specimen indeed; a single American female. Be sure to notice her unusual markings, best observed in her out of the ordinary clothing. Though she is very quiet when under observation, we are hoping that she will come out of her shell as she adapts to her new environs. Her favorite question to be asked is her age and whether she is married. Please continue to pursue this line of questioning even when she no longer wishes to do so, as this conversation is sure to help her quickly adjust to her new surroundings. Please also feel free to take a second look as you pass by and comment on her strangeness to all who are with you. We sincerely hope that you enjoy your visit today to the Tierova Neighborhood Zoo and invite you to return again very soon.”

I am once again reminded that I'm no longer in Kansas and there's no clicking my ruby red slippers to find myself in the comfort of America again. Grocery shopping feels like a full contact sport with narrow aisles and loose wheeled carts careening around corners. I can purchase all varieties of unrefrigerated meats at the outdoor meat market, including chickens with their heads still on, intestines of various animals and fish heads for that most delicious soup of all, Fish Soup. I now make multiple trips weekly to the grocery store and markets, because I can only bring home what I can carry as I walk back and forth.

Before I left home, I had quite a few people ask me if I was having second thoughts about what I was getting ready to do. My answer was always “No.” I don't know about everyone else, but it took me quite a while to work through what God was asking me to do, respond in the affirmative, and then figure out where He wanted me to go and with what organization. God in His own timing introduced me to IM, showed me where He wanted me to be and then provided all my needs to get me here. I know that if I come to a point where I start questioning what I'm doing here, all I have to do is look back at what God did to point me in this direction. And If I'm honest with myself, I'll understand that doubt is a tool used to distract me from the ministry that God has given me.

My brother, a missionary in Eastern Ukraine, has always made an impact on me with a statement that he makes, “I'm not special because I'm a missionary. Anyone can be a missionary. All you have to do is respond to God's commandment. The question is not, 'Why am I missionary?', the question is, 'Why aren't you?' “ This statement used to bother me, as I didn't think that everyone was called to be a missionary. The problem wasn't with my brother, though, the problem was with me. The commandment that we have been given is to go into all the world, preach the gospel and make disciples of every nation. The wonderful thing is that we have all been given different gifts to reach different people. Our God has gifted us with the ability to reach the lost and dying world in a myriad of different ways. Each and every one of us can be used to bring people to God through gifts, talents, abilities and characteristics that draw in the vastly unique personalities to whom God has given life.

As I look around, I see a different culture from the one in which I grew up. And though I'm not in Kansas anymore, or North Carolina as it may be, I know that those differences matter very little. What matters to God are the hurt and dying people hurrying past me every day. These same people have no hope in life and try to hide their hopelessness in alcohol, relationships and praying to carved or painted images. I hurt for their despair and am angry for the power that Satan has over the minds of men. May we be faithful witnesses of our Lord and Savior, who called us to bring in the harvest.

“I heard Him call, 'Come follow.'

My gold grew dim,

My soul went after Him.

Who would not follow

If they heard Him call?”

Hiding in Plain Sight

"We may ignore, but we nowhere can evade the presence of God. The world is crowded with Him. He walks everywhere incognito. And the incognito is not always hard to penetrate. The real labour is to remember, to attend. In fact, to come awake. Still more, to remain awake."

C.S. Lewis, from Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer

The presence of God is all around me.

I see it in:

*The people all around me on the streets. They are His creation, living pointless lives, in desperate need of Him.

*The force of nature:burning sun, blowing wind, driving rain- POWER!

*Encouraging words and actions which lift my soul.

*Stillness- stop and listen!

*The lives of fellow believers

*My daily subsistance

No internet

This is just a quick note to let everyone know that I'm back in Odessa and everything is going well. I found an apartment and will be moving in tomorrow afternoon. The location is great- right in between the Huffmans(my team leaders) and the church. I'm so glad about that, because Kim and I really wanted to be able to walk together and now we'll only be a five minute walk from each other. I don't currently have internet and probably won't for a while. But I'd love to hear from you and will reply as soon as possible!

At Long Last

My visa arrived today! After all of the waiting, I'll be leaving this Friday afternoon. I was going to feel really silly if I didn't get to leave, after so many friends and family came to the going away party last night. =-) Yesterday was a really special day, from start to finish. My pastor did a commissioning service during church, which was a real blessing to me. I was really emotional, which I knew was going to happen. It's a little difficult to explain the emotions, since people read a lot into them. I've had quite a few people(at least a dozen) ask if I've had second thoughts about leaving. And I'm sure that upon seeing my tears yesterday, there were probably a few more people thinking along the same lines.

Let me start by saying that not once over the last year have I had second thoughts about what I'm getting ready to do. The time of thinking and praying about all of this has been such a long process for me, that once everything came together, I knew without any doubt that this is what I was to do. And once I knew what I was to do, the only thing I could do was obey. At this point, I'm stepping forth both in trust and in obedience.

I have always been a fairly sentimental person and therefore, this past year has been a year of many emotions for me. I have thought about things in terms of "Lasts"(at least for a while anyway): my last Fall, last Christmas at home, last day with my car =-), last time I see friends and family, last Mexican meal(a truly difficult last), and my last Sunday at church. Again, it doesn't mean I'm having second thoughts, it just means I'm thinking. My brother teases me about this sentimentality, but it's just part of what makes me ME. And though I've thought a lot about my "Lasts", I'm also very much looking forward to my "Firsts" : getting to meet the Sharers(teammates I haven't met before), joining in the ministry of the team, moving into my apartment, having the girls over for the first time, developing new relationships and discipleship opportunities and many, many other things. There are a lot of great things waiting over there for me. I just want to be sure that I say my goodbyes here first. Call me......sentimental...................

Ode to Charlotte

Well, I had a wordy little entry speaking of my love of Charlotte, but I deleted it by accident. When I went to recover it, I hit the wrong button again and it is now lost for all eternity(or until someone who knows more about computers comes across it hiding somewhere). That occurred several days ago and I still haven't been able to reach deep enough inside of me to recreate those words, so I'll just leave you with this:

Charlotte, home of my birth,
You have changed(some for the better, some for the worse).
Your historic buildings have been torn down to make way for steel reaching to the sky,
With photographs giving us our only memories of days gone by.

Affluency runs this city and we only want the best,
With Light Rail and Halls of Fame and "synergy" put to test.
And yet with all of this, I love you still the same,
For though the new South comes, the old shall still remain.

As oak trees line the streets and sweet fragrances waft through the air,
I breathe in the sights, sounds, and colors everywhere.
Charlotte, you dear city of my birth,
I will love you yet the same(for whatever that is worth).

My sister, Abby, and I, July 4th

View from the Central Ave. bridge- night of July 4th

View from the Hawthorne St. bridge- taken on my morning walk

A special friendship

Last week my best friend, Tapley, came to Charlotte to spend a few days before I "left for Odessa". Of course, that departure date has come and gone and I am still here, but it was great to see her one more time before I leave. We have been friends since the age of eleven, but haven't lived in the same city for the last twelve years. We went to college in different states; me to a very liberal Arts school in North Carolina and her to a Christian university in Mississippi. Through college and her move to Texas, we maintained our friendship and grew closer to each other through many hours spent on the phone and letters and e-mails sent back and forth. As we've grown older, we've supported each other in the daily ups and downs of life and know that no matter where in the world either of us is, we can always count on each other for support and encouragement. Deep and abiding friendships are few and far between, because they require a deep and abiding trust between two people. I am so very grateful for this special friendship that God has given to me.

Taps and I like to take day trips when we're together. This time, we went to Seagrove, NC, to explore the many pottery shops and styles of pottery found there.

Starbucks is an old tradition for us. I didn't drink coffee until the age of 18, when Tapley introduced me to the frappuccino. When she moved to TX, we would "meet" once a week at a Starbucks to talk to each other(via cellphone).

Another tradition is taking lots of pictures of ourselves. Prior to the days of digital cameras (when you could instantly see the picture), we would dress up in different hats, costumes, etc. and take entire rolls of film of ourselves. The digital camera was a great invention for us. =-)