7 Quick Takes Friday

1. The Mickey Mouse Saga. Last week I mentioned that a mouse had taken up residence under my couch. I then spent Thursday and Friday trying to convince my roommate that something was under there. Finally on Friday we found it. 4 adorable kittens and one less than pleased momma cat. Watching my roommate and I try to get these out from our apartment would have been fun. She whacked the broom and I with no gloves attempted to capture them. However the plan backfired as I grabbed one and it bit me. Needless to say I throw it down hard and now believe cats should only be in cages. The story then takes a strange twist as the next day I was in my kitchen fixing lunch when I looked out my window to see the largest RAT I have ever seen. I then wondered where all the cats were.

2. Thursday nights are starting become my favorite night of the week. My American family has me over for dinner followed by working with 5 or 6 Chinese students on their English. I have enjoyed getting to know these students and am really looking forward to working with them!

3. Classes at the kindy are still going well. I am starting to get a bit nervous due to the fact that my middle class is so spread out in their English levels that I am not really sure how to handle it. I will be talking to my boss sometime this next week to see what we can do.

4. Sundays continue to be a joy. I actually really disliked going to International Fellowship because it was held at the kindy. I know it's complaining but sometimes it's hard being in a place 6 days a week and sometimes 7.  But the people they make it worth going every time. We have 2 very new believers with very honest questions- I always looking forward to hearing other peoples answers and even though at times I have my own- I love seeing things from a New Zealand, French or Chinese perspective.

5. March is around the corner. The weather is changing and I love every second of sitting outside in the 85 degree weather and drinking kiwi strawberry Snapple that I recently found in the supermarket.

6. Plans for attending Seminary seem to be falling into place. I am working on getting all of my financial aide applications in and filling out that kind of paperwork has been to be more annoying than filling out the application for admissions. Don't ever just wish someone would give you a million dollars no strings attached? Until that day I must answer 4 questions that are exactly alike give or take a word. And I find it annoying.

7. In a world with possible rabies infected cat bites (no I don't think I have rabies). paperwork that makes me want to scream and classes that tire me out, I have been reading my friend- who lives in Budapest- Joanna's blogspot. She has decided every day to list 5 things which she labels Grace in the Small Things (GST). So today that is what I decided to do:
    a. Not having my first class today because they went on a field trip.
    b. Watching 24 online uninterrupted by cats or rats or animals in general.
    c. Being able to communicate and have a conversation with a Chinese woman in the grocery store. I know have I lived here for 2 years- but being able to have a conversation is still a big deal!
    d. teaching my 2 youngest classes and watching them have fun.
    e. sitting outside for 2 full hours in the warm sunshine reading my good- but very unique- new book.

Facebook and Freedom

I am a frequent facebook user. I am not really sure how I got here. I am sure that it happened in college- but I am not sure that in those days I check it or play around on it as much as I do now. I use the excuse that I am "keeping in touch". Although I am really unsure about how that happens considering I am 12 hours ahead of people. 

In the past few months, I have watched people write politic notes and change their status to mourning the historic event that will happen in D.C. today. I have read things that make me embarrassed to be grouped with these believers. I have watched many friends join different groups saying that they are against our new President. I will be the first admit that he was not my first choice- but a part of me is proud. Proud of the freedoms that our country gets. Proud that our country is somewhat able to move past race. Proud that people cared enough about the troubles we are in to vote- even if I disagree with his policies.

My newest Chinese friend and I were talking today and comparing China to the US. She mentioned that she thought one day China would become more like the US. I chuckled a little bit knowing that China would probably never be as tolerate of race, religion, or any of the things that the US has made progress on. 

I know that today is a sad day for most people. Sadness because of the pro-lifer, the small government, and the socialism-is-evil side of a person that is screaming this is wrong. But my hope is that people can see the freedom of the day. The freedom to not only pray for our president but to pray in general. The freedom to that in four years- those who are not satisfied can change things. The freedom that many around the world want and few have. Freedom to believe what we do- and know that because of Who we believe in we can have true freedom. If anything today should not make us sad- but to remind us that no matter what happens we have One greater on our side, still in control.

Conditions

Recently a friend commented on Facebook how fast October went. Although, it now being the middle of November, I feel as though time is going too fast.

Being November, I realize that I only have a little time before solid decisions must be made. These decisions which I want to ignore by reading a book and drinking whatever instant nasty coffee that's in my apartment. I blame my parents and a few others for my reading addiction. Not to say that its bad- but I do wish that my overactive imagination would sometimes leave me alone. Like the other day when I approached a familiar topic in my devotion time.
The conversation in my head went something like this:
ME:"Please don't make do this forever- living and working overseas- alone."
SMALL VOICE: "Would you obey even if you don't understand?"
ME:" Well.... I suppose, if I had too...."
Silence.

I was midway through the sentence in my head when I saw it. A picture that was clear and I realized my error. The picture of the cross- where One made the ultimate sacrifice, willingly obedient even though He didn't understand and asked for another way. I wondered how I have become so selfish, so unwilling. That I would place conditions on my obedience rather than simply saying, "Ok. I will do whatever you ask me too. Even if its something I don't like."

It hit me fairly hard- how unwilling I was being. How unusable I would be if I placed conditions and limits on a God that knows no bounds. Even now as the decisions for next year begin to approach- I place limits on where I will or will not go. Some reasons are legitimate. Others- not so much.

But its more than just my decisions for the future- its every day. How I say, I will only love this person if they are nice in return- or I will only pay this driver if he manages not kill me. I suppose its a basic truth that I have heard all my life and yet I guess I haven't learned it as well as what I thought I did.

The days are going by faster- and each one brings me one step closer to actually having to face those decisions and bring them into reality. But more than that Christmas approaching (yay!) and its this time when we take the time to celebrate how a tiny baby was born- grew and walked a road- paid the ultimate unconditional price- so that we could live, laugh and love freely in Him.

Challenge of Being Quiet

I love challenges- for the most part. There are some challenges that push me just to my breaking point and I think, "Why?" But for the most part I always thrived in the midst of a challenge. At a piano recital one time, I played a extremely difficult song (for me) almost perfectly only to fail miserably at the easy piece that followed. In High School, I loved my hardest teacher- because she pushed us to go beyond what we thought we could do. In fact, in 9th grade had anyone told me that my senior year I would take and pass Physics and Pre-Calculus and French 3- none of which I use today- I would have laughed. I suppose that I enjoy the thrill- the learning that takes place when in the midst of a challenge.  

I recently went to Hong Kong and although this trip was made by bus, I think about the times I have used the ferry. I love riding on boats. Big or small, I enjoy the crashing waves, the sun, the fish, the passing of small villages in Zhongshan and Shenzhen. What I don't like is the the before and after part. I don't like the gentle bobbing up and down. The stillness. It makes my stomach churn. 

I suppose that my lack of recent e-mailing can be chalked up to this- life has been still. Quiet. Nothing new or exciting to tell about. It makes me a bit queasy. However, it is my biggest challenge. I like to be loud, to talk, to sing and to dance. But it is the quietness that I am restored- I can rest. But learning how to be quiet is the struggle. Learning to listen in order to face the next difficult task with more patience and renewed determination is something the thing in my life that gets overlooked. Even now learning to rest about my future makes me want to spend the next few months wishing life away, because at least then my stomach does not do somersaults of worry. 

But instead, I am learning. Learning that life most continue and that my students deserve and need me to be focused on my present. Learning that even though stillness may be an easy thing to learn, I still need to do well. I have been told that this part of life is constant so I am sure that this is a lesson I will have to learn over and over again... Thankfully, I have a patient Father willing to teach every time.

Spiders and Mona Lisa

Last week was the worst week. In fact, I was pretty upset the majority of the week. Tuesday- was one trial after another, Wednesday- I woke up to strange Chinese men at my door and the rest of the week was just not good. Finally today- was a good day. I had watched Mona Lisa Smile, eaten a brand new, very expensive can of Chef Boyardee that I found at a foreign food store and was drifting off to sleep, when I realized I forgot to brush my teeth tonight. Now, for some once a day is enough- but in my line of work you need your teeth, so you brush 3, maybe 4 times for good measure. So I got up and made my way to the bathroom. I switched on the light which flickered and turned to look at the mirror and there it was. The worlds biggest, ugliest, hairiest spider humanly possible. I screamed- which had no effect on said spider- and fell back against the wall outside the bathroom. I have come to realize that there are few times where I wish I was married. This
time is one of them.

I hate spiders. Maybe not as passionately as others do- but spiders creep me out. None of them are sweet like the ones in Charlottes Web and none of them seem to help you. No, they have 8 hairy legs and little mouths.....ick. Anyway, calmer, but still a bit tense about the large arachnid chilled out in my bathroom, I called my mother not sure what to do. I know I must kill it but something in me would be much happy it if just died where it was and I could stay where I was. After about 40 minutes, standing outside in the rain and asking one the security guards to come and kill it, the spider is dead. Now even though the spider is dead and gone, I still have problems going into the bathroom for fear that there may be more.

Which brings me to Mona Lisa Smile. One part really caught my attention in this movie- a line said by a minor character about how happy she is to stay where she is. All this week- I have been thinking about life and how much I hope this year offers chances for me to jump in faith. To simply rely on the One who is control- rather than to take control myself. To do something more with what could be my last year in Asia, my last year abroad. I am happy here and know that my time here is precious- however I want to be more usable, more flexible, more giving of myself, willing to learn and understand- things that I have made small steps in, but things I still need. I am sure that with this jump there will be more trials, more spiders, more things I do not understand- but I can not stay outside of the bathroom forever.

I am ready to start my 12 month and go into my second year ready to face whatever comes. Who knows. Maybe it will come in being able to manage a spider.

Vacation

We are finishing up our one week summer camp and my co-teacher asked them to pretend that the students were taking a trip. Today she asked them to write a letter home. One of the students letters went like this:

Dear Mom and Dad,

I am in the toilet. It is hot in here. I feel sick. I miss you. Love.

Ah yes, his trip anywhere in the world was too the toilet. What a vacation.

Learning to Worship

We decided to study the book of Job in International Fellowship- simply because I had a series on my Ipod about the book.

Today was the first chapter of Job. How Job's responded to suffering, how God was proud of His son. I suppose when I think of Job- I think of my first "grown-up" church services- how I didn't understand a word, but my picture was of a man who had bad things happen and was happily praising anyway. I thought that it was a picture of happiness- when in reality it is a picture of worship. A man who was broken, hurting and instead of asking why, he said "I will choose to BLESS the Lord."

The challenge is how I respond. I am faced with things daily- minor things that I tend to make bigger. Instead of choosing to bless God, I choose to question, to worry, to forget that I am not in control and He is. It is followed by me trying to take control only to become more broken and frustrated than I was originally.

I find I am learning that worship involves my life- my whole life- not just the parts I feel competent in. I may never and probably will never experience the disasters that Job faced- but maybe if I laid down every part of my life- I can worship as a first reaction in difficult times.