Flip Flops in February: An Okinawa Reunion!

I think I've written before about the awesome group of friends I had while in Okinawa and the impact our Bible study has had on my life.  Saying goodbye to all of them was one of the hardest things I've done, but I knew that someday all of our paths would cross again.  That day was last weekend!  God blessed us with an incredible reunion out in California, and not only was it a much-needed break from day-to-day life but it was also a sweet time of fellowship with women I not only consider friends but family.

Christine was gracious enough to let all 7 of us crash at her place for the weekend, and we spent hours just catching up on each others lives and sharing how God has been at work in and through each of us. It was so cool to get to reconnect with them (though sadly not everyone could make it that weekend...we were still a few short from having our entire group present.)

Though we spent most of the time hanging out around the house, we did get to venture out a bit to experience a little of what southern California has to offer in February.  We spent one afternoon at the Oceanside Pier and beach.  And yes, I was super pumped to finally get to wear flip flops again!  We also went on a food tour in North Park (apparently one of the trendier neighborhoods of San Diego.)  Though the tour itself wasn't the greatest (one of the stops was, no kidding, a lesbian bar) it was a fun experience just being with the girls.  And we all thought it was appropriate that we one of the stops was a sushi bar!

If you look closely you can actually see the drool...

Our time together passed way to fast, but we've decided to make it a yearly get-together, so I know it won't be the last time I see everyone.  Here's hoping that next year we can actually get the whole group together for a reunion!

Teaching to the Extremes

I've got to say, I love my new teaching job, but I must admit where I'm working now is a total switch from where I've taught in the past.  Chance School is an independent school where parents spend more money to send their child to preschool than I spend on groceries in a year.  It's a great school where all the teachers are proud to be part of the faculty, and we work hard to offer a great education for every child that attends our school.  It's a wonderful place to teach, but I'm always staggered at just how wealthy everyone is.  Coming from the Good News School in Zambia, this is a total 180.

Sometimes I wonder if I could be more effective teaching in a low-income school.  Those are the kids who really need someone to fight for them; someone to love them and care about them.  I loved teaching in South Carolina, because I really felt like I was making a difference (though maybe small) in those kids' lives, since many of them didn't have anyone else telling them they mattered.  Living and working in Zambia was similar -- the orphans in our school had it about as rough as anyone could imagine, and coming to the Good News School was a little slice of hope for them.  It was such a blessing to teach in that kind of environment.

But now?  All my students get picked up in Lexuses or BMWs.   They go home to well-stocked refrigerators and big screen TVs.  They are guaranteed a great education and all the opportunities that come with it.  Don't get me wrong, I know kids from wealthy families have their fair share of problems, but it certainly is a different experience teaching them compared to dirt poor orphans in Africa.

I know that God has blessed me beyond reason with this teaching job, and I'm sure that He has put me at Chance School for a purpose.  Maybe that purpose is to open the eyes of the families that attend there to the incredible needs of children around the world.  Maybe it's to encourage the teachers there to consider sharing their skills and talents with children in areas of our city or around the world who can't afford such a top notch education.  Either way, my prayer is that God would use me for His glory in this job and everything else I do!

My preschool classroom

My classroom in Zambia

Living Worship

This past weekend Patrick and I went to the membership class for Sojourn Church.  One of the sessions was focused on the body of Christ as worshippers.  A few weeks ago we'd heard a sermon based on Psalm 150, which is all about worshiping God, and it really made me think about what it means to worship on a daily basis.  These days when someone says "worship" most of us automatically think about Sunday morning services and praise songs.  But certainly God doesn't just want our worship for a two-hour time slot once a week.  I think he desires our full worship all day every day.

During our membership class we talked about how worship is a continuous action.  Men and women are innately programed to worship something whether it's God or something man-based.  This can be a really convicting statement.  This means that throughout my day I'm continually worshipping or giving praise to something, and if that something isn't God then I've got some priorities to straighten out!  Harold Best sums it up well saying, "We were created to continuously adore.  We were created to do this as naturally as to breathe in and out, to honor, to submit, to depend on, to fellowship with our Maker."

One thing Jeremy (one of the Sojourn pastors) said a few Sundays ago was that we live in line with what we have and what we believe.  Then he posed this question: Do you live like you have God?  This is a huge question that deserves some thought.  Is my everyday life an expression of the incredible fact that the Holy Spirit resides within me?  Are the words coming out of my mouth and the thoughts I think all reflective of the grace God pours out on me?  Another question I've wrestled with is where my mind and my heart go when they have nowhere else to go, that is, in the occasional quiet moments of life, what do I think about?  Am I thinking about and praising God?  Or am I obsessing over and worrying about eternally trivial things?  Sadly, the latter describes me more often than not.

Thankfully there is grace in all things, and because of that grace Christ is able to transform me and help me renew my mind daily.  Not to say it isn't a constant struggle, but there is hope.  Jeremy reminded us that worship isn't necessarily about doing something and putting another checkmark in the box.  Christians don't have something to do, we have something to celebrate!  Worship shouldn't be drudgery; it should be a natural outpouring of my love of Jesus and my thankfulness for what he has done (and is doing) in my life.

I often wonder what everyday worship looks like; what does it mean to live a life of worship?  A lot of it means recognizing God's overwhelming greatness and glory among a world full of things undeserving of our worship.  When we glorify anything other than God, whether it's a sports team, movie star, or political ideology, we are wasting our breath.  God alone is worthy of our praise, and He will not share the spotlight with anything else.

I've always loved 1 Corinthians 10:31 which says, "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."  It's clear here that we can live a life of worship no matter where we are or what we are doing.  When we live with words of praise to God on our lips, we glorify Him.  We worship by expressing thanks to God for blessings and even difficulties we face.  Everyday I am challenged to live out daily life in a way that reflects an attitude of worship and thankfulness to God.

Finding the New Normal

Anyone who knows me knows that I'm somewhat of a home-body.  I know you wouldn't know it by looking at the last 12 months of our lives, but I do love to be settled and put down roots.  For that reason, I love being back in Louisville on a semi-permanent basis (at least for the next 3-4 years.)  Lately we've been in the process of finding our new "normal," and so far it's been a successful process. I've started two new jobs, and Patrick is working on finding piano and oboe students.

First of all, I have to say how excited I am that after years of working toward it, I've gotten a teaching job.  I'm now a preschool teacher at Chance School, and so far I love it.  My students are fabulous, and I have a great co-teacher, whom I'm excited to be working with.  I think the rest of the school year will be a blast, and I'm looking forward to seeing what is in store for me over the next few months.

My classroom at Chance

My second job is a part-time nannying position for a family with two kids.  They are some of the sweetest, well-mannered kids I've ever worked with, and so far we've had a lot of fun together.  The kids are 10 and 14, and it's nice to have an opportunity to work with older kids for a change.  My schedule is relatively full, but not to the point where I feel overwhelmed.  

I know that just as we start to settle into a new routine everything will change again.  Patrick starts classes at the Seminary at the end of the month, so new adjustments await us then.  For now though, I've enjoyed getting to see him a lot every evening and weekend.  I'm excited for him to start school, but I know what a huge time commitment it'll be to get all of his reading done.  He might actually be reading more than me for once!

As nice as it is to be settled and feel at home, I know it would be easy for us to get too comfortable and stop seeing the needs of people around the world.  It would also be easy to be so much at home here in the US that we stop feeling God tugging at our hearts to head to the mission field.  Please be praying with us that our heart for the nations wouldn't go slack just because life is cozy and comfortable in America.  I know that God has big things in store for us in the years to come during our time in Kentucky, but even bigger things await us overseas, and there's no way we want to miss out on them!

Holding Out for a Hero

Have you ever thought about the way trends in movies disclose a lot about our culture?  A few weeks ago Patrick and I went to see "The Hobbit," and as we watched the previews I noticed that the majority of the movies coming out are of the superhero/dystopian-future-hero-saves-the-planet variety.  What does this say about our culture?  If our bent toward hero worship is any indication I think it's clear: we need a real life hero.

I get the sense that many people living in difficult circumstances are holding onto the hope that someday things will be made right; someday, someone will come along that will have the answers to all of life's questions and problems.  Someone will save us from the mess we've made for ourselves.  That's the vibe we get from pop culture, but I think it's an accurate statement about our communal mindset as well.  There's this subconscious longing for something better.

As a follower of Christ I know that our hero has already come.  We've already been given the one who has all the answers, who has the power to bring us out of desperate situations and give us a living hope.    There's a great song by one of my favorite bands, Abandon, titled "Hero."  Here's the refrain:

There He goes, a hero, a savior to the world

Here He stands with scars in His hands

With love He gave His life so we could be free

The savior the world

I love the fact that Jesus came to earth to give his life to make us free.  Isn't that what we've been longing for?  A hero to set us free from the tyranny of sin and death?  I celebrate this fact every day; that in Christ I have abundant life and reason to hope for so much more to come.  

A Week of Reunions

The more we travel and the more places we live around the world, the more wonderful friends the Lord puts in our path.  It is difficult to be separated from so many incredible people, but during the week of Christmas we were abundantly blessed to get to spend some time with several of our very dear friends.  Reconnecting with old friends made Christmas extra special for us this year!

First off we had a two-day visit with Pete, Emily, and their 2 rambunctious boys, Matias and Titan.  They are one of my favorite families ever, and I was so glad for the time to play with the kids and relive some of our Okinawa days.

Steward and Prikazskys together again!

The result of Titan attempting to absorb spaghetti through his face...

Patrick stole my job as storyteller 

On Christmas Eve we had a bit of time with Chris, Ruthie, and their brand new baby Nancy!  It's still hard to believe that Chris, whom I've known since before time began, is now a daddy.  Seeing Patrick and Chris together with Nancy might have been one of the most heart-warming things I've seen in a long time!

I love this!

Shane and Melia are some of our closest friends from South Carolina, and though we only lived there for a year, it feels as though they've been part of our lives forever.  We had one evening to reconnect with them, and our hearts were so refreshed as we shared what God has been doing in our lives and hearing how the Lord has been stirring their hearts as well.

It's not often that God brings such dear friends into our lives, and the fact that he has blessed us so abundantly with friends from so many places has overwhelmed me at times.  I was yet again reminded of God's goodness and his amazing love for us as he provides us with people to pour out love and encouragement into our lives.

For Christmas we were also blessed to get to spend time with my family, who had traveled from Canada and New York to spend the week with us.  We had a full house, but it was a sweet time of reunion for us all.  We especially enjoyed loving on my niece Asha and little sister Anika.  They are as goofy as ever and certainly kept us all entertained!

Valentine reunion

Christmas dinner

Finding Jesus' Footsteps

One of the frustrations I had in Israel was that in many instances, the exact location of certain Biblical sites was not certain.  We ended up visiting three different potential sites of the tomb where Jesus was buried and resurrected.  Many of the places we visited we were told "This is where we think such and such happened, but no one knows for sure..."

Likely site of the crucifixion (where the trees are)

Likely site of Jesus' tomb

More than anything I'd wanted to spend time in the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus prayed the night he was arrested and led away to be crucified.  The site most people visit which is assumed to be the place doesn't coincide with what scripture says, so it's unlikely that this place was actually Gethsemane.  Amid my disappointment at this I felt God speaking to my heart; he knew that I longed to walk in Jesus' footsteps and see where his footprints had been.  He reminded me that Christ's footprints are all over my life and my heart, and that the point isn't to walk in his physical steps but in his spiritual ones.

Traditional (though unlikely) site of Gethsemane

There were several places we visited where we could be fairly certain that we were in fact walking where Jesus walked.  One such place was Kafur Nahum (Capernum), where Jesus began his earthly ministry.  It was in the synagogue there where Jesus first read the scriptures from Isaiah that prophesied his coming into the world.  In Jerusalem we visited Caiaphais' house, which is where Jesus was first on trial the night before he was crucified.  We stood in the place where he had likely been chained and scourged.

The synagogue in Capernum where Jesus read the scriptures about himself

The pool of Bethesda where Jesus healed a man crippled from birth

Throughout our time in Israel we were reminded that the important thing was not that we were standing in the exact place where certain events transpired many years ago.  The important thing is that we are preparing our hearts right now for what God wants to do in our lives.  God calls us to follow in the footsteps of Christ today, not necessarily those from two thousand years ago.  He calls us to walk in the acts of service and love that Christ modeled for us, and to continue following him even when we are uncertain where he will lead us.  This has been encouraging to my heart lately, and also exciting to think about the places we will go and the extreme joy we experience in walking the path God lays out for us!  

Shore of the Sea of Galilee where Jesus met his disciples after the resurrection

A Few Highlights from Israel

After returning from a long trip overseas I always find it difficult to decide how and what to write about.  We learned and saw an incredible amount in Israel, but it's impossible to condense it all into a few paragraphs.  I really want to share the highlights from our trip, so I think the best way is to do a few separate installments to detail our trip.

On the Temple Mount (No contact between men and women allowed!)

The first thing most people ask us when we tell them we went to Israel was did we feel unsafe.  Honestly, we very nearly decided to cancel our trip altogether due to the political unrest in Israel, but then we realized that there will never really be a good time to visit this particular area.  There has been and will continue to be unrest till the end of time, so we figured now was as good a time as any to go.  And to answer the question, no, we didn't feel unsafe at all.  We went up near the border of Syria for a few days when we visited the Sea of Galilee, and there we heard what sounded like a military firing range, but other than that, we weren't worried about our safety.

The border between Israel and Syria

We arrived on the first night of Hanukah, and our hosts live right in the center of Jerusalem, where the giant menorah was lit each night.  Every evening a crowd gathered to dance and sing before the lighting ceremony, all of which we could watch from the balcony!  One way the Jews celebrate Hanukah is to eat oily foods such as donuts as a reminder of the oil that didn't run out for 8 days.  This was by far Patrick's favorite part of the holiday, and he celebrated it with gusto.  Luckily for Patrick he burns calories just eating donuts, so he didn't have to worry about gaining weight.  (Must be nice.)

Patrick was in donut heaven

View of Zion Square from our balcony

We had a bit of free time in the late afternoons when we had a chance to explore the city and do some shopping.  I loved walking through the brightly colored markets and seeing all the beautiful scarves and tapestries for sale.  It was easy to get lost in the maze of tiny market streets that weren't even wide enough for cars to drive through.

Our tour guide was South African as were all the other people in the group, so we learned a few phrases of Afrikaans along the way.  We made some wonderful new friends, and enjoyed getting to know them over the course of our two-week stay.  One couple brought their 7-month old son on the tour, so Patrick and I got in lots of parenting practice.  It was encouraging to see parents who were willing to travel with their child, since most people we talk to tell us to "Get in all our traveling before we have kids" as if our lives will come to a screeching halt as soon as we have children.

New friends and their amazing traveling baby!

Another great thing about Israel was the food!  Everywhere we went there were delicious things to try, and generally lots of it!  My favorite was the schnitzel laffa, which is a breaded chicken with veggies all wrapped up in a giant laffa (or soft bread).

 Enjoying some shwarma laffas.

Our time in Israel was so much more than just a sight seeing trip, and I would love to share more of what the Lord taught us during this time.  I think my God was showing me that there is so much more he wants to teach me, and I've just barely started to scratch the surface with what I already know.  There's much more to come!

Israel: A Life-Changing Trip

All my life I've wanted to go to Israel.  I've wanted to walk where Jesus walked and see the landscape that carved out so much of Biblical history.  I always thought that it would be an experience beyond description to be able to stand in the places where so many divine events occurred, and I think I was right.

The Western Wall and Temple Mount

Our two weeks in Israel was much more than just a sight-seeing tour, it was more of a Biblical study trip.  Our guide was a South African pastor/Hebrew scholar and Bible teacher.  He encouraged us to learn how to read the scriptures through the lens of the Hebrew culture and language.  Generally we read the Bible with our 21st century American viewpoint, and it's easy to misinterpret things.  Much of the things Jesus said that we find confusing today were spoken in Hebrew idioms that would have made perfect sense to his audience of the time.  The teachings we heard helped us better understand the context of the Bible and allowed us to see how obvious it was that God has been at work in the lives of his people since the beginning of time. 

Mt. of Olives

The theme for the two weeks for me was all about going deeper -- really digging into scripture and experiencing God on a whole new level.  I know this is what the Lord is calling me to do, and I'm really excited to see where he leads me and what he reveals to me as I study.  There is so much more to the Bible than just words on the page.  There is culture, context, and language that hold insights into what we read and how we can apply the word of God to our lives.  I trust that God wants to reveal himself to those who are willing to seek him.  He is findable for those who look!

Sea of Galilee 

When in Rome...

 On our way to Israel Patrick, Mrs. Mom, and I spent three days in Rome.  Unfortunately, our luggage was lost along the way so we ended up spending three days wearing the same clothes.  That certainly didn't stop us from seeing as much of the city as possible though.

Our first day we checked out St. Peter's Basilica and the Vatican, which were impressive to say the least.  Every nook and cranny contained some of the most beautiful artwork and detailed architecture I've ever seen.  In fact, one thing we noticed throughout Rome was that you could walk into a building that didn't look like much on the outside and it turned out to be absolutely incredible on the inside.  What was sad to me was that, despite the beauty in the buildings, there was very little true worshipping of God going on.  We observed a strong emphasis on all the saints and relics, but the idea of having a relationship with the Living God seemed to be lacking.

St. Peter's Basilica

Inside St. Peter's

Walking the narrow steps to the Cupola

Incredible view of Rome and the mountains beyond

One afternoon we visited the Colosseum, and I thought it was crazy that a very busy street leads right up to it.  In Rome there is this interesting juxtaposition of ancient and modern.  We would be walking down the street and look to our right and see a city block worth of ruins.  It was always a bit jarring, but very cool.  I can't imagine living in a city so rich with ancient history.

Inside view of the Colosseum

Our friend John had told us to check out the Church of St. Ignatius, and we found it by chance as we wandered the winding streets of the city.  There is an interesting statue tucked away in the back corner of this cathedral.  It's a statue of St. Ignatius (holding the Latin Bible) stepping on Martin Luther's neck, who is holding a copy of the German Bible.  It's a sad but true commentary on the power-weilding of the Roman Catholic church.  It's hard for me to believe how far removed from following Christ the early Catholics really were if they couldn't stand the thought of everyone having access to the scriptures.  We took a picture of Patrick holding his iPhone which has about 100 translations of the Bible on it.  I'm sure Ignatius is turning over in his grave.

We did lots more sight-seeing around town including checking out Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, the Pantheon, and the Borghese Museum.  Patrick and I are by no means art history buffs, and we found it rather difficult to appreciate all the awkward nude paintings and sculptures.  Instead we entertained ourselves by coming up with funny captions for some of the more-embarrassing exhibits.  Unfortunately, we couldn't take any pictures in the museum, so you'll just have to use your imagination.   

Trevi Fountain

Spanish Steps

Inside the Pantheon

Rome at sunset

Thankfully we got our luggage the night before we left for Israel.  We took a celebratory photo of the three of us in the dreadful white t-shirts the airline provided for us.  By that point we were just glad to have all our stuff back and ready to be on our way to Jerusalem!  To be continued....

White shirts and a bed full of luggage

The Container for Zambia is on Its Way!

For the past few months my amazing mother-in-law has been collecting items to send on the container to Zambia to help Holly, the missionaries, the students in the orphan school, and people in the villages.  While I was in Zambia I got to help Holly organize a huge wish list of all the things they need.  Holly sent that list to well over 100 people, and the response has been incredible.  I have been astounded by the generosity of so many people who want to be on board with what God is doing in Zambia.  During the whole collecting process Mom then was in charge of packing up all the items into 220 boxes!

Moving boxes out of our garage

Yesterday morning we loaded up a rented moving truck to haul all the boxes over to the shipping company that will palletize, shrink wrap, and ship everything on a container that will eventually make it to Mpulungu.  Though it will take several months, it is so good to know that everything is on its way!

I know many of you donated items that will be a blessing to the ministry in Zambia, and I just want to say a big THANK YOU!  It has been a huge blessing to see how God is working in so many people's hearts, showing them what a big impact they can have on the other side of the globe.  It's pretty powerful what God can do through us if we let Him!