Dressed for the occasion

The other night I went to a friend's daughter's birthday party. Now, I've been to a lot of parties, but all of them in my own town. This one was in another town (which in a place like this makes a difference). So I got ready at home, caught a taxi, and met a teammate at her house to walk to the event with her neighbors.

But as soon as I arrived at the teammate's house I realized a problem: I was dressed differently from them.

See, in my town most parties require a certain dress protocol. The other dress protocol is reserved for extremely important events. I figured that a 6 year old's birthday wasn't quite as big a deal.

Me in the normal party attire (with a good friend)

And I was wrong.

My teammate's neighbors greeted me with, "why didn't you wear a (special matching shirt)?"

"I didn't know I should wear one," I replied.

"Ah. Well, I have one. Should I give it to you?"

"Is it better for me to wear one?"

"Well, it would be very beautiful." (hint: yes you should borrow one)

So I went to the neighbor's house to change. I traded in my inappropriate attire for appropriate attire to the point that the only recognizable part of my former outfit were my earrings and shoes.

And the party was fun.

Me with the girl who loaned me a set of clothes

But it reminded me of a story. A story of a wedding feast where someone came inappropriately dressed. He was turned out of the party because he failed to meet the requirement of wedding guests: dressing up.

Of course I wouldn't have been turned away at the party but it was still important to them that I dress like everyone else.

And just like the neighbor gave me clothes to wear that fit the occasion so I've been given robes of righteousness to wear for that wedding in the future. Without which clothes I couldn't enter the presence of the Groom.

Notice the matching shirts?

Being here I have the opportunity to help others into appropriate attire so that when the day comes they'll not be found under-dressed.

In fact, even during the birthday party I had friends asking me about my beliefs and practices. Always be ready to give an answer, right? And these days my language skills are to the point that I can give decent answers to such questions. PTL!

Praise: language is still chugging along. For friends here in the community that I enjoy being with. For things falling into place for planning English classes.

Pray: for the rest of the details in planning fall classes. For upcoming opportunities to share as we're approaching the month of fasting here. For good health and continued language acquisition.

Bonus: the sound guy had style.

I'm Tired

Sometimes I'm tired.

I'm tired of going out and greeting 50 people just to leave my neighborhood. I'm tired of cooking everything from scratch. I'm tired of the heat. I'm tired of the heat rash. I'm tired of juggling all the different relationships I'm developing. I'm tired of being under constant scrutiny and explaining my everyday actions multiple times a day in a language I only met 6.5 months ago.

But I know Someone who's never tired.

In fact, Isaiah said that He neither faints nor grows weary. His understanding is unsearchable. Even young people faint and grow weary. They fall exhausted.

But those who wait on this One will gain renewed strength. They'll soar like eagles. They'll run and not get weary, walk and not faint.

I want that. Because on days like today it's stinking hot. My attitude needs an adjustment so my light can shine bright. 'Cause it's hard for the lantern to shine bright when its chimney is clouded.

And this culture needs some light. The longer I live here, the more I see how much we need Change in this place. The Author of that change is writing a bigger story than I can see yet, but I have only to wait and see, being faithful in my task.

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In other news, I''m officially in the process of setting up classes to start in fall. There's not enough time to start and finish a class before the month of fasting (during which no one wants to do classes), so we're planning on a September start.

Thanksgiving: I may be tired but I'm not giving up. Just today, I had a couple neighbors questioning me on why I don't do the 5x/day prayers. It was a great opportunity to share about my own practice and point to Truth. My grasp of the language is getting to the point that I can have conversations like that successfully.

Pray: Heat rash. It's just not going away, despite the cooler "fall" nights. Also pray that we find classroom space easily and details come together for starting work. Pray for continued opportunities to share him who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Google is still my friend

I couldn't tell you how many times I've told my mom, "Google is your friend." Well, Google is my friend too, and a very convenient one at that.

Post-technology fast, I often turn to Google when trying to figure something out here. Some things even Google can't help with... but it's amazing what you can find with a little searching.

So for your entertainment here are some things I've Googled:

- "how to get rid of mold on concrete"
- "how to roast coffee beans"
- "get rid of ants"
- "earthquakes on islands"
- "average temperature in (location)"
- "help me identify my tropical fish"
- "cure for heat rash"
- "de-worming kittens no vet"
- "dengue fever"
- "homemade enchilada sauce"
- "is my vpn working?
- "some letters on my keyboard don't work"
- "my cat is psychotic"
- "meals with cabbage and carrots"
- "places that ship to Africa"
- "shipping bacon internationally"
- "watch baseball online"
- "ways to cook green bananas"
- "recipes with sweetened condensed milk"
- "ways to cook breadfruit"
- "cooking tuna steak"
- "where am I"  (I must have been testing the VPN again)
- "types of coffee beans"
- "arabica vs. robusto beans"

What have you been looking up lately?
 

On a walk with a team
kid and a local friend.

    

   

Let the children come

I remember when I moved into my island home. It's in the middle of the town with houses almost touching each other, and one of my first thoughts was, "There are a lot of kids here." During the first few weeks I realized a little of what that meant:

They're noisy.

They're obnoxious.

They don't understand boundaries.

And within the first few weeks of moving in I was getting really annoyed with them. Every time I left home or returned home I would have a crowd of children following me, chanting my name.

Or worse, chanting, "White person! White person!" in the local language. Yes, I'm well aware of my white skin.

They even chanted my housemate's name. Seriously, she's brunette and I'm blonde... how can they not tell us apart?

But J'sus rebuked his disciples when they tried to push children away. And I want to share the love of J'sus with them. So what do I do? I prayed about it a lot, trying to think of how to love on the annoying children.

This little girl often grabs my hand and walks with me

Over time I've learned to tolerate the chanting. They just want attention, that's all. If they call me a white person, I call them a black person. Or, I walk up to them and tell them my name, then ask each of their names. I also stop and give high-fives to most of the kids near my house each time I pass.

And recently, a little boy who I'd been coaching on giving high-fives for a couple months, came RUNNING up to me babbling my name with a huge grin on his face. And I don't think he's even 2 years old yet. His mom watches as I pick him up and swing him around then bring him back to her.

This boy has a fondness for sticks. Fortunately he's stopped hitting me with them!

Another day recently a girl who looked to be ten years old came up to me and told me her younger sister was saying my name. That baby's barely learned to speak!

Then there's a woman who handed me her baby girl and started telling her that I was her mother. I smiled and said, "No but I'm her sister." The mother was pleased with that and visited with me while the baby squished my face for a couple minutes.

Of course there are also a lot of mothers who delight in giving me their screaming baby. Unsurprisingly, it doesn't comfort the baby to be held by a strange white person. Ha.

I'm loving the little children. And they're loving me. It's a wonderful thing and I hardly would have imagined it after the first couple weeks here. They even meet some of my relational needs, which is a huge thing in an entirely new culture.

Let the little children come.