Remember my post on the 4/14 window? I highly recommend you check out this related podcast by FaithActivators:
http://www.faithactivators.com/the-4-14-window/
If you missed the video:
Category Archives: Thoughts on Life
Learning and Teaching
There weren’t even enough chairs in the room, but the excited middleschoolers crammed their way into the humble classroom, wondering, “Who are these strangers? Why are they here and what will they teach us?”
I glanced over at my three high school students. We had traveled together over the last few days to visit this school in a more remote region. They were nervous, and they looked at me and said, “My heart is going boom-boom boom-boom.”
Before I could even offer a word of encouragement they were off, excitedly giving their all and imparting what knowledge they could to the thirsty middleschoolers.
Over the course of 5 days we would visit five schools and two orphanages, and each time my highschoolers stepped up and excitedly interacted with the students, giving English lessons, playing games, singing songs, and doing skits.
In one remote village, I walked in to see that my students had turned the tables on their new students; they were excitedly taking notes as their new friends taught them about agriculture.
we are all learners–but we are all teachers
At the end of the trip, I posed the question, “What did you learn over these last several days?” After flushing squatty potties with redish-brown river water, eating bat (not my favorite), and sweating in scorching hot classrooms with no electricity or even a decent chalkboard, I expected a response such as, “I learned to be grateful for what I have.” Instead, one student said poignantly, “I learned that in life we can’t just know how to learn, we have to know how to teach.”
What a true statement I have found this to be since moving here. I came here with the expectation that the majority of what I would do here is learn–learn from people who live differently than I do. But it can’t stop there. I have been reminded recently that no one culture has it all figured out. We can all learn from each other, but we must also be willing to teach each other.
quick update
This past month has been packed with changes and adventures! I moved into a dorm with some national college students, hiked a volcano, and went on this trip to visit some of our schools in other parts of the country. I am so blessed to be here, every day I am reminded of the amazing things God is doing here, and I am so grateful to be a part of it all.
prayer requests
Here are some things you can pray for:
Teaching: I am still teaching grade 9 Bible, and it has been quite challenging! Please pray for inspiration and guidance as I try to guide and teach these young people.- Discernment: Pray for clarity as I continue to discover all that God would have me do here.
- Health: So far, I have been blessed by fantastic health, and I know it is largely in part to your prayers. Please keep them coming! I greatly appreciate it.
- Boldness in relationships: Pray for my relationships with the college students I now live with, that friendships would grow and that I would have boldness to share with them.
Thanks for all of your prayers and support. It’s making a difference.I’ve added some photos from my recent trip, and more photos will come over the next few days and weeks, so check back for more! Also, I periodically will post things I’m thinking about, need help with, as well as cultural stories etc., so even if you don’t receive an email, don’t forget to check back for updates!
4-14 Window
You may have heard of the 10/40 Window, a concept developed by Luis Bush in 1990.
A new concept has emerged recently. If you have not already, please take some time to learn about the 4-14 Window, and watch this excellent video. I really believe this concept is important and and pertinent reminder.
View the website: http://4to14window.com/
I Can’t Believe I Get To Live Here
Beauty
I can’t help but wonder if, after God created this place, he proclaimed to himself, “Daaaang, check THAT out!”
Just within that past month I have had the incredible privilege to travel around my area and witness some of these beautiful things: waterfalls, volcanoes, fields, beaches. The most beautiful of all, however, has been the people. Please check out my new photos page to see some of the things I have been doing.
What’s been happening
This month has been busy! It was the fasting month for the majority religion here, which culminated this week with their major holiday. It has been a great opportunity to learn about the people and the culture here, and it has opened some doors for sharing. Please pray for boldness and opportunities to share on my part, and for openness for the nationals.
I have also gone full swing into teaching 9th grade Bible. This has been a growing experience as I have never taught before, but the students are wonderful. I have also finished Unit 1 of my language learning (5 to go!), so my days are busy with studying and lesson planning.
On the weekends I have gotten to see the area, visit some villages, and make some new friends! Check out my photos.
I was on a run through some hills in my area, and as I looked around at the handful of mountains and volcanoes in my view, I couldn’t help but think, “I can’t believe I get to live here!”
Similarly, just the other day I was sitting on a banana leaf in the middle of a field with some new national friends, eating raw sugar cane, and again I couldn’t help but think, “I can’t believe I get to live here!”
God is doing amazing things here and I am so humbled and grateful to be a part of it all.
Prayer Requests
Here are some things you can pray for:
Teaching: please pray that the language difference would not get in the way of what God desires to do in my classroom- Boldness and opportunities to share with nationals
- Community: God has provided some new friendships here (nationals and Americans), but please pray for continued growth of my community
- Language learning: that it would come quickly and I would find encouragement through future language hurdles
I appreciate and covet your prayers. You are a blessing to me.
Laughter
“Hallo!”
I stepped off the boat into a sea of smiling faces; children, whom upon my offer of a simple high five, couldn’t help but erupt into a chorus of giggles. By the time I walked from the boat to the house we were staying at in this small village, we had a flock of beautiful smiling, laughing children following us, absolutely intrigued by the “white giants” that had just stepped into their village.
“Hallo! Hallo!” They echoed the only English word they knew. I couldn’t help but yell an excited “Hello!” back. These children were filled with such joy.
Giggles
We spent quite a bit of time just looking at each other. 25 or so smiling faces looking up at me, some with missing teeth. While I have been here for 3 weeks, my knowledge of their language is still limited. It didn’t really matter, I was speechless anyway.
“Bernyani!” I finally said. “Let’s sing!” I reached far back into my memory to recall some fun children’s songs I had learned through the years made up predominantly of motions. Words were not something we had in common, all communication would have to be nonverbal. As I jumped up and down, stuck my hands in my ears, and spun around like a total goofball, the children followed my every move.
After about 45 minutes of this, I finally collapsed on the ground, exhausted. I thought the children may just let me rest for a minute, but I was wrong. Before I knew it, I had a swarm of children who couldn’t stop laughing as they also collapsed on the grass next to me.
Imitators
Sometimes I get so frustrated with celebrities. They have so much influence, and I feel like a lot of them blow it. They could do a lot of good with their influence. I know it’s unfair, but I frequently find myself casting judgment on them.
Standing in that village, amongst those children, it dawned on me that I was suddenly that person with great influence. Those kids wouldn’t have known me from Angelina Jolie. And whatever I did, wherever I went, they would follow. What a responsibility!
Ephesians 5 lingered in my head:
“Be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself for us.”
Just as those kids imitated my every move, we are instructed to be imitators of God. It was convicting to me just how much I could learn from these children.
Recap & Prayer Requests
What an incredible month it has been since my arrival! Thank you all for your prayers and support. I have spent much of this month in language school, but I have also been given the privilege of teaching a class for 9th graders at the school for Southeast Asian children. Here are some prayer requests:
- Teaching! This is my first year as a teacher, so please pray for guidance, inspiration and creativity through my lesson planning
- Language learning: this is a key to my ministry here, so please pray for perseverance and that it would come fairly quickly
- The coming school year: please pray for the students and the families who are a part of our school’s family as we enter into this new school year
- Month of Fasting: This month is the month of fasting for the majority religion in the area. Please pray for opportunities and guidance through this delicate time
I appreciate your prayers, I sure feel them.
Peace
As I write this I am sitting on my bed in my new house listening to large drops of rain hit the pavement outside my window, and the only word I can think to describe this moment is peaceful. It’s how I’ve felt since I stepped off the airplane into my new reality.
getting here
I really think I felt every single prayer. The two months leading to my departure were filled with stress, a laundry list of things to do, and plenty of opportunities for the enemy to make his way into what God was getting ready to do. Confronted with many challenges, I held onto the calling I was so sure God had placed in front of me, and I held onto your prayers.
I finally departed the morning of July 4, and 64 hours and four flights later I found myself pulling into the driveway of my new place of residence. I’ll be honest, those 64 hours were painful as I finally faced the reality of what I was doing. But like I said, I really do think I felt every single prayer, and ever since I stepped off the plane and onto Asian soil, I have felt nothing but peace, a peace so beyond my understanding I cannot find the words to describe it.
#LifeInAsia
What an adventure it has been already! I wish I could describe to you every aspect of this incredible culture, but I am still learning about it.
I was immediately received with open arms and love. My roommate Sharon has been wonderful! She rides a motorcycle and I have enjoyed getting to know the city on the back of her bike. Many of the locals ride motorcycles, and it is not uncommon to see a whole family loaded on one bike!
W
e are nested in a valley between three volcanoes, and if it is clear I can look up and see one of these peaks (sometimes our feet are covered in ash). However, the most beautiful creation of all is the people. They are friendly and personal, always willing to and desiring to build relationships.
I have recently been tweeting about some of my unique experiences, so if you don’t already, follow me on twitter and keep your eye out for my #LifeInAsia tweets.
prayer requests
I am so excited about the incredible things that are already happening here, and more so that I have the privilege of being a part of what God is doing in this place. Here are some specific prayer requests:
- Language learning! This will be my full time task for the next several months.
- School is starting here, please pray for the students returning to the school I am working with, and also for the teachers in this coming year.
- That God would continue to shape and grow my vision for this place and the work He has prepared for me.
Thank you again for your prayers and support, and for helping get me here! Grace and PEACE to you.
Thank You
Changing the World
Before I began my summer in Camden, NJ, a friend of mine mentioned in passing, “The secret to changing the world is that you can’t. You can only change yourself.” As I reflect back on not only this summer but the past several years, I cannot help but admit this to be true.
The secret to changing the world is that you can’t. You can only change yourself.
People often ask me, now that I have graduated, “So what do you want to do with your life?” Deep down inside I just think to myself, I want to change the world. The truth is, I’m actually saying, I want to change myself. Being in Camden for the past two months proved this harsh reality to be true.
Coaching 5th and 6th grade boys basketball was one of my greatest challenges. Nothing in the world could have prepared me to coach a group of boys that age who grew up on the streets (click here to learn more about the city of Camden and the environment these kids grew up in). There were countless instances where a kid would snap at me with a bad attitude, stomp off the court, spew a harsh comment to one of his peers, or even throw a shove or a punch at one of his teammates. In those moments I just wanted, with every fiber within me, to change that kid. If only he knew how far treating people with respect could take him. But I had to stop for a moment. I knew I had no ability to actually change that kid, where he came from, his society, or what caused him to react the way he did. Rather, I realized that the only real change I could make was how I responded to him. Would I show frustration, or the level of respect I wanted and expected him to show to others?
This lesson is challenging, yet rewarding. As I continue to prepare for Southeast Asia I must continue to remind myself, it must be God who changes people, it cannot be me. My responsibility is to then to be an imitator of God, and to love others as He has loved me. Paul reminds us of this in the book of Ephesians: “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”