Saturday, 27 December 2008
December 27, 2008
We made it to Michigan without a hitch- PTL! Here we are, and it's even 10pm so I stayed awake quite late. Poor G succummed at 9:15pm though. :) But my brain feels like lead weights are on it so I'm going to sleep. Thanks for pring for the smooth travel!
Friday, 26 December 2008
December 26, 2008
Today is St Stephens Day- the day to remember Stephen from the NT who was killed for his faith. It's also the day we've been scrambling around getting ready to head back to Michigan. A Christmas Day blog is drafted but will have to wait until we get to Michigan to be finished. :) Our flight leaves at 1pm our time, 8am Michigan time, and lands at 10pm our time, 5pm Michigan time. We will be seeing most of you in the coming week I hope! And for our Living Proof friends, we'll see you Sunday morning!
Pr for us as we travel, as we have a few tight times to make and we don't want to miss our flight. We need to catch the 9:15 train to London, the 10:12 tube train to Victoria, and the 10:30 Gatwick express. Do able, but we need a little extra grace from Gd. But if we miss one it's ok- we won't miss the flight. :)
Love you all and see you soon!
Pr for us as we travel, as we have a few tight times to make and we don't want to miss our flight. We need to catch the 9:15 train to London, the 10:12 tube train to Victoria, and the 10:30 Gatwick express. Do able, but we need a little extra grace from Gd. But if we miss one it's ok- we won't miss the flight. :)
Love you all and see you soon!
Wednesday, 24 December 2008
Christmas Eve 2008
Well life has been carrying on here in Cambridge. We don't have any more information about Mark's cancer, but we're pring that the father would be merciful and compassionate to his servant- we know from the bbl that Gd is that sort of person who delights in mercy and compassion. But we also know that we live in an imperfect world, and that Gd allows suffering and hardship in this world, which refine us and make us more dependent on him. Keep pring for Mark and his wife Fiona, that they'd experience Gd's mercy and gracious favor.
I spent the day today at StAG, our ch here in Cambridge. Every year there's a big Christmas lunch at StAG for people who don't have a family here to go to. That means we'll have a TON of internationals, and a few people like us who are away from home. It's a great time to tell people about the reason that we celebrate Christmas. Fiona is an expert cook, and she makes a "proper Christmas dinner" every year for about 100 people. She cooks for all sorts of things the ch has, 70-100 people each time. She's amazing. :) Anyway I helped chop potatoes, carrots, and parsnips, all of which will be roasted. I also helped roll 100 pieces of bacon into individual rolls, and put 100 sausages into pans to be cooked. And I helped mix the ground pork sausage into the stuffing. We're having 4 giant turkeys tomorrow, along with traditional English Christmas puddings. I will take some photos and post them to give you an idea. :) So I went to help chop and prepare, and as always I was blessed by serving and chatting with people as we chopped. Serving is the best way to meet people in a ch, and to be part of the heart of the ch family. After the food stuff I helped one of the international workers to decorate various things in the church, and set up for the event tomorrow. I've never had such a busy Christmas Eve before- usually we go to the Christmas eve svc at our ch in Ann Arbor, but here there are no services on Christmas Eve, just on Christmas Day. Tomorrow the service is at 10am, and since I'm serving by singing in the little band for tomorrow I have to be there at 8:30am! Gack! It's a long day tomorrow- we're on Team 1 of the service team for the day, which means we'll be helping to serve the meal, and cleaning up after it, as well as setting up the space for the food. The lunch should be done around 3 and to quote a British phrase "we'll be well and truly knackered" (worn out) by then. :)
We are off to have dinner with our Polish friend, and learn about Polish Christmas traditions along with some of our iBASE friends who stayed in town for Christmas. I'll let you know how that goes. :)
Happy Christmas from Cambridge!
I spent the day today at StAG, our ch here in Cambridge. Every year there's a big Christmas lunch at StAG for people who don't have a family here to go to. That means we'll have a TON of internationals, and a few people like us who are away from home. It's a great time to tell people about the reason that we celebrate Christmas. Fiona is an expert cook, and she makes a "proper Christmas dinner" every year for about 100 people. She cooks for all sorts of things the ch has, 70-100 people each time. She's amazing. :) Anyway I helped chop potatoes, carrots, and parsnips, all of which will be roasted. I also helped roll 100 pieces of bacon into individual rolls, and put 100 sausages into pans to be cooked. And I helped mix the ground pork sausage into the stuffing. We're having 4 giant turkeys tomorrow, along with traditional English Christmas puddings. I will take some photos and post them to give you an idea. :) So I went to help chop and prepare, and as always I was blessed by serving and chatting with people as we chopped. Serving is the best way to meet people in a ch, and to be part of the heart of the ch family. After the food stuff I helped one of the international workers to decorate various things in the church, and set up for the event tomorrow. I've never had such a busy Christmas Eve before- usually we go to the Christmas eve svc at our ch in Ann Arbor, but here there are no services on Christmas Eve, just on Christmas Day. Tomorrow the service is at 10am, and since I'm serving by singing in the little band for tomorrow I have to be there at 8:30am! Gack! It's a long day tomorrow- we're on Team 1 of the service team for the day, which means we'll be helping to serve the meal, and cleaning up after it, as well as setting up the space for the food. The lunch should be done around 3 and to quote a British phrase "we'll be well and truly knackered" (worn out) by then. :)
We are off to have dinner with our Polish friend, and learn about Polish Christmas traditions along with some of our iBASE friends who stayed in town for Christmas. I'll let you know how that goes. :)
Happy Christmas from Cambridge!
Sunday, 21 December 2008
December 21, 2008
It's been a hard day today for us. I have good news to share about baby C- although he's still in critical condition he's growing a bit stronger, and he's getting good treatment for this lung infection. He's been put onto sedatives, and they are giving him oxygen and a blood transfusion because of this infection. Both parents are now there, along with their 22month old daughter, and although the situation is still quite serious things are looking up. Thanks for your prs.
We had some quite bad news today at the carol srvc at our ch. Our vicar Mark announced that he had gone in for a gall bladder surgery and the doctors found out that he has liver cancer. He didn't say anything about the prognosis, but liver cancer generally has about a 1 year life expectancy if it's in a late stage, 3-5 years if they can remove or replace the liver. We don't know much except that he's quite healthy right now. All of us in leadership positions were a bit stunned by this news, and we'd appreciate prs for us and the ch family as we just deal with the shock of it all. Hearing something like this causes a bit of grieving among someone's friends, which is normal. But Mark can say with Paul that "for me, to live is Chrst and to die is gain," as can all of us who are followers of JC. Our beliefs aren't just something theoretical that make us feel better when someone gets ill or dies- they affect our everyday lives, and the hope that we have in JC and knowing that we are made right with Gd motivates us in every aspect of our lives. We have a living hope. So although Mark doesn't know how much longer he may have left, and neither do we, in a way we're happy for him to be leaving this messed up painful world, as hard as it is to watch someone leave it. That is in fact the hardest part I think.
Anyway today is one of those days where I'm feeling fed up with living in a messed up world- do you ever feel that way? Young people tend to be thoughtless actually, rarely thinking of death until tragedy strikes someone that we know. But I know from my older friends that the longer I live the more friends and loved ones I will watch go through things like cancer, car accidents, trauma, and all the variety of bad things that can happen to any one of us. I ought to consider life more seriously more often, and to remember the wise words of Solomon that "there is nothing new under the sun", and his conclusion of the purpose of life that he came to when he was quite an old man and looked back over his life and the search for meaning: "Obey Gd and keep his commandments, for this is the whole purpose of man."
Sorry that this has turned out to be a rather heavy post. But I hope that like Solomon you'll consider what is the purpose of life? And that you'll think about what will happen when you die, as none of us knows how much longer we have. We can know what will happen after death- JC says that "to all who believe in him, to those who call on his name, he gave the right to become children of Gd." If we believe in JC and the perfect life he lived, and the death he died on our behalf because of our wrong choices (including not letting him be the king of our lives which is his rightful place) then we know that not only will we be Gd's children now, but that we will be with Gd when we die, where there will be no more tears, sorrow, or sadness. I for one am looking forward to that day. But until then we'll keep slogging along here in our messed up world, doing what we can to help others to live in this fallen world, tell our friends about JC, and keep reading the bbl and pring for encouragement from the Father.
We'll be seeing many of you soon- we're heading Stateside Dec 27th, which is Saturday! We can't wait to see you in person and enjoy your company!
We had some quite bad news today at the carol srvc at our ch. Our vicar Mark announced that he had gone in for a gall bladder surgery and the doctors found out that he has liver cancer. He didn't say anything about the prognosis, but liver cancer generally has about a 1 year life expectancy if it's in a late stage, 3-5 years if they can remove or replace the liver. We don't know much except that he's quite healthy right now. All of us in leadership positions were a bit stunned by this news, and we'd appreciate prs for us and the ch family as we just deal with the shock of it all. Hearing something like this causes a bit of grieving among someone's friends, which is normal. But Mark can say with Paul that "for me, to live is Chrst and to die is gain," as can all of us who are followers of JC. Our beliefs aren't just something theoretical that make us feel better when someone gets ill or dies- they affect our everyday lives, and the hope that we have in JC and knowing that we are made right with Gd motivates us in every aspect of our lives. We have a living hope. So although Mark doesn't know how much longer he may have left, and neither do we, in a way we're happy for him to be leaving this messed up painful world, as hard as it is to watch someone leave it. That is in fact the hardest part I think.
Anyway today is one of those days where I'm feeling fed up with living in a messed up world- do you ever feel that way? Young people tend to be thoughtless actually, rarely thinking of death until tragedy strikes someone that we know. But I know from my older friends that the longer I live the more friends and loved ones I will watch go through things like cancer, car accidents, trauma, and all the variety of bad things that can happen to any one of us. I ought to consider life more seriously more often, and to remember the wise words of Solomon that "there is nothing new under the sun", and his conclusion of the purpose of life that he came to when he was quite an old man and looked back over his life and the search for meaning: "Obey Gd and keep his commandments, for this is the whole purpose of man."
Sorry that this has turned out to be a rather heavy post. But I hope that like Solomon you'll consider what is the purpose of life? And that you'll think about what will happen when you die, as none of us knows how much longer we have. We can know what will happen after death- JC says that "to all who believe in him, to those who call on his name, he gave the right to become children of Gd." If we believe in JC and the perfect life he lived, and the death he died on our behalf because of our wrong choices (including not letting him be the king of our lives which is his rightful place) then we know that not only will we be Gd's children now, but that we will be with Gd when we die, where there will be no more tears, sorrow, or sadness. I for one am looking forward to that day. But until then we'll keep slogging along here in our messed up world, doing what we can to help others to live in this fallen world, tell our friends about JC, and keep reading the bbl and pring for encouragement from the Father.
We'll be seeing many of you soon- we're heading Stateside Dec 27th, which is Saturday! We can't wait to see you in person and enjoy your company!
Friday, 19 December 2008
December 19, 2008
I've been following the updates sent on by some friends of ours who are business owners in Northwest China- they are tentmakers, working among a minority people group there. Some people on their team there had a baby 5 weeks ago, and before the baby was born they did what most expats do who live in rural areas- they flew to a more modern city to have the baby. This week they flew back to their home in northwest China with their 5 week old baby, and unfortunately the baby has developed some dire health problems. Baby C nearly died twice, but was resuscitated by my friend and the baby's dad, and after a lot of problems, including discovering that baby C had a severe lung infection that made him too weak to be flown anywhere, they managed to get the baby flown to a modern hospital with a neonatal unit. Unfortunately the doctors at the neonatal hospital have told the father some very bad news- the antibiotics that baby C was given for his serious lung infection were not strong enough, and he is now in very critical condition. The doctors have told the father, who is there alone because there was only room for 1 in the medical flight, to expect the worst. The mother and their little girl had to fly commercially to the new city.
I don't think I need to ask you to pr for this family- you can see for yourself what hardship they are experiencing. Anyone who wants to be a tentmaker in a rural city knows that these sort of medical issues are a reality, and they are willing to take the risk to enable them to reach people with the good news about JC. In fact our friends who are relaying this information are having a baby themselves in March. Please pr that Gd would be merciful to this family who are serving him in such a far away place. Besides pring for baby C, also pr for the father who is alone in this city facing the prospect of baby C's death, and for the mother and little sister who are on their way there and might possibly not make it there in time. Pr for our friends who are expecting their first baby in March, that they would be able to provide comfort for these friends, and that they would persevere in their work knowing the cost.
It's not unlikely that we too may find ourselves someday having a baby overseas, although we may not be in as remote a location. But we fully trust in Gd, knowing that his plan is perfect, despite our living in an imperfect world. We are not afraid to accept the calling Gd has given us to tell others in far corners of the world about the hope that we have in JC, although we know that the cost in some cases is high despite all the measures that we can take to reduce the risks.
Thanks for pring for this family, and I'll update as soon as I hear more.
I don't think I need to ask you to pr for this family- you can see for yourself what hardship they are experiencing. Anyone who wants to be a tentmaker in a rural city knows that these sort of medical issues are a reality, and they are willing to take the risk to enable them to reach people with the good news about JC. In fact our friends who are relaying this information are having a baby themselves in March. Please pr that Gd would be merciful to this family who are serving him in such a far away place. Besides pring for baby C, also pr for the father who is alone in this city facing the prospect of baby C's death, and for the mother and little sister who are on their way there and might possibly not make it there in time. Pr for our friends who are expecting their first baby in March, that they would be able to provide comfort for these friends, and that they would persevere in their work knowing the cost.
It's not unlikely that we too may find ourselves someday having a baby overseas, although we may not be in as remote a location. But we fully trust in Gd, knowing that his plan is perfect, despite our living in an imperfect world. We are not afraid to accept the calling Gd has given us to tell others in far corners of the world about the hope that we have in JC, although we know that the cost in some cases is high despite all the measures that we can take to reduce the risks.
Thanks for pring for this family, and I'll update as soon as I hear more.
Tuesday, 16 December 2008
December 16, 2008
Happily for me my flu is gone, my cough is sort of gone, and I can now hear kinda properly out of both ears. :) And it's only Tuesday! :)
Tonight is our last iBASE of the term, and we're having a social at a cute little place called Clowns. It's a sort of Italianized version of a pub- I'll take some photos to show you all. Unfortunately Clowns is a little creepy in my opinion, because who wants to eat their food while being stared at by weird looking clowns all over the place?! Sure the clowns aren't like the ones in a Stephen King movie or something, but there's still something unnerving about them staring down at you...
Now that I'm mostly better I'm back to my usual household duties- washing dishes, doing laundry, and cleaning the house. Tomorrow the international ladies study group (iLadies) is making Christmas wreaths, which is exciting. Anything involving plants is a good thing for me. :) Speaking of plants, Sunday I went out for my "I haven't been out of the house (or my bed) in 5 days" stroll into the landlord's "vegetable" garden, which to date has produced only weeds. And our landlord was out there rotating the compost pile, so we had a short chat. He expressed his desire to come out and weed the rest of the garden, which does have a lot of weeds growing in it. But the thing that was strange to me is that it's December- we're 10 days from Christmas and you can still weed stuff here! My little garden is still looking very nice- little flowers are still blooming, cone flowers are still blooming, and primroses, and lots of other stuff. It's the effect of a warm climate. But it still feels strange, and I don't think I'll feel like it's Christmas until the bracing Michigan air hits me full in the face and freezes my eyelashes together. :) I hope you don't mind my wishing for a good snowstorm while I'm in Michigan- I'm hoping to photograph Ann Arbor and snowy Ann Arbor is even better. :)
Tonight is our last iBASE of the term, and we're having a social at a cute little place called Clowns. It's a sort of Italianized version of a pub- I'll take some photos to show you all. Unfortunately Clowns is a little creepy in my opinion, because who wants to eat their food while being stared at by weird looking clowns all over the place?! Sure the clowns aren't like the ones in a Stephen King movie or something, but there's still something unnerving about them staring down at you...
Now that I'm mostly better I'm back to my usual household duties- washing dishes, doing laundry, and cleaning the house. Tomorrow the international ladies study group (iLadies) is making Christmas wreaths, which is exciting. Anything involving plants is a good thing for me. :) Speaking of plants, Sunday I went out for my "I haven't been out of the house (or my bed) in 5 days" stroll into the landlord's "vegetable" garden, which to date has produced only weeds. And our landlord was out there rotating the compost pile, so we had a short chat. He expressed his desire to come out and weed the rest of the garden, which does have a lot of weeds growing in it. But the thing that was strange to me is that it's December- we're 10 days from Christmas and you can still weed stuff here! My little garden is still looking very nice- little flowers are still blooming, cone flowers are still blooming, and primroses, and lots of other stuff. It's the effect of a warm climate. But it still feels strange, and I don't think I'll feel like it's Christmas until the bracing Michigan air hits me full in the face and freezes my eyelashes together. :) I hope you don't mind my wishing for a good snowstorm while I'm in Michigan- I'm hoping to photograph Ann Arbor and snowy Ann Arbor is even better. :)
Saturday, 13 December 2008
December 13, 2008
Although I'm not 100% yet I think I'm over the worst of it finally. I've gone around the house just now disinfecting the doorhandles and light switches and anything else that I might have contaminated, which is what they recommend you do after you've been sick. I try to do it regularly anyway- although typing this I just remembered that I didn't clean my keyboard! Keyboards are definitely a breeding ground for germs. :)
G is just getting back from an event that one of our iBASE coleaders holds at her house on Saturday nights. It's a sort of discussion group for people who want to talk about spiritual things, and is composed of folks who are Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, and Christian. It's a good chance to make friends and share truth with people. G spent part of the day with 3 guys going out to Ely Cathedral, and strengthened some relationships there.
I hope to make it to ch tomorrow- I certainly won't be singing in the choir tomorrow evening though. :)
G is just getting back from an event that one of our iBASE coleaders holds at her house on Saturday nights. It's a sort of discussion group for people who want to talk about spiritual things, and is composed of folks who are Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, and Christian. It's a good chance to make friends and share truth with people. G spent part of the day with 3 guys going out to Ely Cathedral, and strengthened some relationships there.
I hope to make it to ch tomorrow- I certainly won't be singing in the choir tomorrow evening though. :)
Friday, 12 December 2008
December 12, 2008
I am still at home in bed today. :) There are some advantages to being home sick though- it really makes me thankful for the good health that I usually have. Last evening I was stuck here in bed instead of at the Camera club meeting, and I was blessed to hear the church bells ringing for over 2 hours- Thursday is the practice for the bell ringers' society. Bell ringing is quite a to do here in the UK, and there are groups all over who do it for competitions. Anyway I enjoyed the lovely bells ringing. I also enjoyed a nice full moon, and seeing how brightly lit our neighbor's garden was by the moonlight. As my nose has stopped being stuffed up I'm enjoying anew the wonderful smells to be had around me- just opening the window it's amazing what you can smell here! Our eucalyptus tree, smoke from nearby woodburning fireplaces, and just the unique smell of English countryside. And even sounds- there are so many kinds of song birds here, many more than we have in Ann Arbor at any rate, and all day as I've been in bed I've enjoyed their beautiful songs. Here there really is a dawn chorus and an evening chorus- SO many birds are singing that I just can't believe it! So it's Day #4 and I'm still here in bed, but I'm blessed by the father above to be forced to slow down and enjoy his wonderful creation again.
I'm also thankful for modern medicine- I've been reading Jane Austen and Elizabeth Gaskell this week and being reminded of how dangerous illnesses were 200 years ago. I never feel afraid that if a friend has the flue that they might die- I don't feel worried that this flu might kill me either. And yet influenza is in fact a dangerous illness that does still kill those on either ends of the age spectrum, and still kills people in the prime of life in 3rd world countries for lack of appropriate medicines and basic care. I'm glad that I planned ahead in bringing generic Nyquil and Dayquil with me from the States, because although they have "equivalent" things here, I don't have the benefit of knowing what will really work. Having had the flu 5 or 6 times in my grown up life I've sorted out what medicines work for me and which ones don't. But here they don't always have the same medicines.
Now for a mini language lesson. :) Did you know that here they use the word "sick" to mean vomiting? People don't say "I'm sick today" or "I don't feel good" and they don't "call in sick." Instead they say "I'm unwell" or "I'm feeling poorly." I've had loads of thoughtful texts and emails from friends here, saying "I'm sorry you're unwell" or "I'm sorry to hear that you're feeling poorly." I even hear little children say "Teddy is feeling poorly today." That sounds so very formal to an American ear. :) They don't say "I don't feel good" because they use the word good to mean good as in good and evil. So in answer to the question "How are you?" they say "I'm well thank you" and never "I'm doing good" or "I'm great" because good and great aren't words that describe your state of being here, they describe your character. :)
That's enough writing for me- time for some more rest.
I'm also thankful for modern medicine- I've been reading Jane Austen and Elizabeth Gaskell this week and being reminded of how dangerous illnesses were 200 years ago. I never feel afraid that if a friend has the flue that they might die- I don't feel worried that this flu might kill me either. And yet influenza is in fact a dangerous illness that does still kill those on either ends of the age spectrum, and still kills people in the prime of life in 3rd world countries for lack of appropriate medicines and basic care. I'm glad that I planned ahead in bringing generic Nyquil and Dayquil with me from the States, because although they have "equivalent" things here, I don't have the benefit of knowing what will really work. Having had the flu 5 or 6 times in my grown up life I've sorted out what medicines work for me and which ones don't. But here they don't always have the same medicines.
Now for a mini language lesson. :) Did you know that here they use the word "sick" to mean vomiting? People don't say "I'm sick today" or "I don't feel good" and they don't "call in sick." Instead they say "I'm unwell" or "I'm feeling poorly." I've had loads of thoughtful texts and emails from friends here, saying "I'm sorry you're unwell" or "I'm sorry to hear that you're feeling poorly." I even hear little children say "Teddy is feeling poorly today." That sounds so very formal to an American ear. :) They don't say "I don't feel good" because they use the word good to mean good as in good and evil. So in answer to the question "How are you?" they say "I'm well thank you" and never "I'm doing good" or "I'm great" because good and great aren't words that describe your state of being here, they describe your character. :)
That's enough writing for me- time for some more rest.
Thursday, 11 December 2008
December 11, 2008
I had decided that if I wasn't feeling pretty close to over this by this morning I'd have to cancel my Spain trip, and unfortunately I'm still not over it. In addition to the fever I now have a hacking cough, and there's just no way I will be able to leave early tomorrow morning for Madrid. G has been taking good care of me, getting me food and working from home so I won't be lonely, and even Nelly has been enjoying 2 full days of snuggling on the bed with me. :) I've been working on some cross stitch projects at times when my fever is lower and I can do something productive, and the Tylenol and cough medicine have both helped a lot.
I was supposed to lead a demonstration on making Christmas wreaths, but we've pushed that back till next Thursday instead, which is perfect for me. Thanks for your prs, and I'm glad that I got this now and not at Christmas when we're on our way back to the US. :)
I was supposed to lead a demonstration on making Christmas wreaths, but we've pushed that back till next Thursday instead, which is perfect for me. Thanks for your prs, and I'm glad that I got this now and not at Christmas when we're on our way back to the US. :)
Wednesday, 10 December 2008
December 10, 2008
Alas all of my fine plans have been rearranged the past 2 days- instead of being off to Oxford today, or doing useful things yesterday, I've been in bed with a fever and a chest cold. Not what I had planned of course. :) I still have a fever and it's almost 11pm here- I've had to hand off the wreath making to my lovely 2 coworkers, who are amazingly flexible and I'm so blessed to work with them in the international ladies work here.
Unfortunately since I'm still not well, I may be spending another day in bed. :( I'm very thankful for a fully functioning immune system though- I always think how amazing our bodies are whenever I get something like this. I'm feeling better overall, though still feverish if I get out of bed or walk around. That doesn't bode well for my intended visit to Madrid- it looks like I might have to cancel, which is unfortunate but at least I didn't buy advance train tickets. I can cancel the hostel and the flight, although I hate to do it, but I'd hate even more to think I'm alright and go tramping around Madrid only to find myself with a fever in a hostel in a strange country!
I'll update tomorrow so you'll all know if I'm still here in bed or off to Madrid Friday morning, but so far it doesn't seem promising.
Unfortunately since I'm still not well, I may be spending another day in bed. :( I'm very thankful for a fully functioning immune system though- I always think how amazing our bodies are whenever I get something like this. I'm feeling better overall, though still feverish if I get out of bed or walk around. That doesn't bode well for my intended visit to Madrid- it looks like I might have to cancel, which is unfortunate but at least I didn't buy advance train tickets. I can cancel the hostel and the flight, although I hate to do it, but I'd hate even more to think I'm alright and go tramping around Madrid only to find myself with a fever in a hostel in a strange country!
I'll update tomorrow so you'll all know if I'm still here in bed or off to Madrid Friday morning, but so far it doesn't seem promising.
Tuesday, 9 December 2008
December 9, 2008
G and I have a lot of contacts among tentmakers all over the world. As a reminder, tentmakers are people who choose to use their career or skill set as a means to secure a job in a country somewhere, so that they can meet people, form relationships, and tell people about JC so that they have the option of choosing to follow him or not. The term "tentmaker" comes from a man called Paul who was a leader in the early ch and he was trained in making tents, so he went from town to town making tents and teaching in the towns that he went to. You can read more about him in the book called Acts.
We receive update letters from tentmakers all over the world- Northwest China, North Africa, Southeast Asia, Europe, and also from the US. Today we received a letter that really surprised us from some tentmakers in Nigeria, in the city of Jos. We had no idea that there were problems there, but in fact last week there were very serious riots in Nigeria. This information didn't even hit the mainstream news, although if you search for Jos on CNN you'll find some articles buried there. The fact is that this kind of violence and rioting happens a lot in Nigeria. I've posted the letter from our friends there (I had to clean it up for security reasons) and I hope you'll read it over and pr for the people there. This couple is teaching at a university in Jos, and have lived there for 4 years now. They are in their 50s, and have children and grandchildren living Stateside.
By now many of you have likely heard some news of the Jos crisis that began early Friday morning Nov 28th (around 2 am). We trust that you have already been prompted to pr for the peace of Jos. What a difficult world for so many! Reports indicate that over 300 have been killed, many have been injured and many have fled their homes to take refuge with family, friends, at army barracks, in schools, etc. Pr especially for strength for all the care givers, patience, a forgiving spirit that will prevent taking revenge and adequate supply of water, food and medical care. Pr for wisdom and cooperation in the relief efforts being coordinated as you will read about further down.
We three couples were in our own homes at our Colleges of Education (each of us being about 1.5 - 2 hours from Jos) and so are thankful that we we were not in Jos. It was a very traumatic time for our colleagues living in North Jos on the University of Jos staff quarters, with their high school age children. They lived through the crisis in 2001 - their hearts have relived horrors again. They all had their houses full of displaced people with little running water and electricity! Our African director is continually journaling and that is giving us a little picture of what happened as we are able to receive them.
Thursday (Nov 27th) was Plateau State local government area elections and the Mslm community was not happy that their candidate lost in Jos North! Mslms were brought into the city to add to the vote!! Early Friday morning a number of chchs around Uni Jos were burned as well as other targeted buildings - well planned destruction. Many "C" homes in Mslm areas were burned. Some key people were targeted and killed. We are thankful that Governor Jang took such quick action in dispatching police and the army quickly came from Abuja the capital to try and restore order. Things have quieted down but there is a tense quiet in the city and on the Plateau. We don't know what the days ahead will bring. When we first arrived on the Plateau in 2004, we would sometimes pass through 8 police check points on our 110 km journey from Pankshin to Jos!
Relief efforts are under way by the Emergency Preparedness Response Team (EPRT) of Plateau State working together with MCC. Their plan is to target about a dozen refugee camps within Jos. They have emailed us a well laid out plan. We have yet to know how we will contribute to the efforts.
Nigerian's consider themselves either Mslm or C. But many are C in name only. Since 2001 there has been much talk of non-retaliation, but we are sorry to say that some Cs attacked Mslms - we do not know the extent. But our local ch leader along with about 100 others were taken in by one of our coworkers. His ch in the area has been burned down twice since 2001 and this is the third time!!!!! His ch people went to great efforts to do good to the Mslms around them and at some point these even discouraged damage to the ch. But millitants will do their work!
Please pr for those ch families who have lost their places of worship, some have lost their leader and many are grieving the loss of their homes and loved ones. We have heard that since the last crisis there were Mslms who decided to follow JC as a result and we are pring that many more will be turned from darkness to light - we need to pray the same for nominal Cs.
Pr for the large coworker community in Jos - love and wisdom in giving help needed. May the Ld accomplish his purposes and give us the grace to help as he prompts us.
We receive update letters from tentmakers all over the world- Northwest China, North Africa, Southeast Asia, Europe, and also from the US. Today we received a letter that really surprised us from some tentmakers in Nigeria, in the city of Jos. We had no idea that there were problems there, but in fact last week there were very serious riots in Nigeria. This information didn't even hit the mainstream news, although if you search for Jos on CNN you'll find some articles buried there. The fact is that this kind of violence and rioting happens a lot in Nigeria. I've posted the letter from our friends there (I had to clean it up for security reasons) and I hope you'll read it over and pr for the people there. This couple is teaching at a university in Jos, and have lived there for 4 years now. They are in their 50s, and have children and grandchildren living Stateside.
By now many of you have likely heard some news of the Jos crisis that began early Friday morning Nov 28th (around 2 am). We trust that you have already been prompted to pr for the peace of Jos. What a difficult world for so many! Reports indicate that over 300 have been killed, many have been injured and many have fled their homes to take refuge with family, friends, at army barracks, in schools, etc. Pr especially for strength for all the care givers, patience, a forgiving spirit that will prevent taking revenge and adequate supply of water, food and medical care. Pr for wisdom and cooperation in the relief efforts being coordinated as you will read about further down.
We three couples were in our own homes at our Colleges of Education (each of us being about 1.5 - 2 hours from Jos) and so are thankful that we we were not in Jos. It was a very traumatic time for our colleagues living in North Jos on the University of Jos staff quarters, with their high school age children. They lived through the crisis in 2001 - their hearts have relived horrors again. They all had their houses full of displaced people with little running water and electricity! Our African director is continually journaling and that is giving us a little picture of what happened as we are able to receive them.
Thursday (Nov 27th) was Plateau State local government area elections and the Mslm community was not happy that their candidate lost in Jos North! Mslms were brought into the city to add to the vote!! Early Friday morning a number of chchs around Uni Jos were burned as well as other targeted buildings - well planned destruction. Many "C" homes in Mslm areas were burned. Some key people were targeted and killed. We are thankful that Governor Jang took such quick action in dispatching police and the army quickly came from Abuja the capital to try and restore order. Things have quieted down but there is a tense quiet in the city and on the Plateau. We don't know what the days ahead will bring. When we first arrived on the Plateau in 2004, we would sometimes pass through 8 police check points on our 110 km journey from Pankshin to Jos!
Relief efforts are under way by the Emergency Preparedness Response Team (EPRT) of Plateau State working together with MCC. Their plan is to target about a dozen refugee camps within Jos. They have emailed us a well laid out plan. We have yet to know how we will contribute to the efforts.
Nigerian's consider themselves either Mslm or C. But many are C in name only. Since 2001 there has been much talk of non-retaliation, but we are sorry to say that some Cs attacked Mslms - we do not know the extent. But our local ch leader along with about 100 others were taken in by one of our coworkers. His ch in the area has been burned down twice since 2001 and this is the third time!!!!! His ch people went to great efforts to do good to the Mslms around them and at some point these even discouraged damage to the ch. But millitants will do their work!
Please pr for those ch families who have lost their places of worship, some have lost their leader and many are grieving the loss of their homes and loved ones. We have heard that since the last crisis there were Mslms who decided to follow JC as a result and we are pring that many more will be turned from darkness to light - we need to pray the same for nominal Cs.
Pr for the large coworker community in Jos - love and wisdom in giving help needed. May the Ld accomplish his purposes and give us the grace to help as he prompts us.
Monday, 8 December 2008
December 8, 2008
One of my excellent friends from college got engaged yesterday! We were so blessed- her fiance asked us to do a photo with the word "Will" in it for his proposal, and he had her parents, his parents, and some other very good friends do the other words. So we knew it was coming and are so very happy for them both!
I think I've mentioned this, but I am off to Madrid this weekend. I can't believe it- my friend S and I have been planning this trip since she came to visit in September (well, if you can call intending to do it and buying tickets a few weeks back planning- we're not uberplanners I have to say) and I'm going a day earlier and staying a day later than she is. I wasn't so sure about doing that at first, but G encouraged me to take advantage of being in Madrid to see some other things around Spain, and I am intending to take a trip out to Toledo, Segovia, and maybe one other place. Madrid is considered a megacity now, and will soon overtake Shanghai in it's "megacityness" according to the guide book. :) The advantage of this is that there are fast trains going from Madrid, which is the capital of Spain, to many of the other major cities. Spain isn't a huge country, but it's slightly bigger than the UK I think. Anyway our trains here can't compare to the fast trains there- you can be on the other side of Spain in 2 hours by train, which would simply never happen here. I'm looking forward to taking advantage of their fast trains while I'm there, and if I enjoy the visit G and I might come again some weekend since it's so close.
I haven't gone travelling by myself in quite a long time- completely by myself that is. I travelled around some in Cambodia while I was there, and at least in Spain I can read the signs and understand something of what they are saying (the Spanish lisp is quite difficult for me to understand, so I hope to be able to get by). I've been polishing up the Spanish part of my brain these days with practice, but I can't keep the Cambodian words out and my brain has been suggesting sentences such as "Ot bahn ir al Sevilla" as good things to say, which any Spanish speaker would see is only half Spanish. :) I ought to be thinking "No puedo ir al Sevilla" instead. Ah the joys of being multilingual. :) Once this Spain trip is behind me I'll set to Chinese in more earnest- I just couldn't deal with 3 languages in my head before this trip. :)
So the upcoming trip to Madrid is taking up a bit of my time- being alone for parts of it means I need to plan a bit more so that I can be careful not to be out on the streets of a foreign city at night alone, or be travelling to my hostel at the wrong time of day.
Please pr for my friend "Mar" who I've been getting to know here. She's heading back to her home country next week, and we're hoping to plan a day trip to Oxford together. It looks like Wednesday might be the day. Long trips are a good way to chat with people about the good news, and since she's a photographer we share a common interest already. She is from east Berlin, and I am hoping to take a weekend to visit her in April when she's free from her studies there. I love that we can hop around Europe for $40 round trip on a plane- who could ever have imagined?
Our Christmas tree is up finally, which is exciting. We're feeling excited to visit home and see everyone! We'll be back the 27th of December. Sorry I'm a bit scatterbrained today- this week is looking a bit crazy with iBASE tomorrow night (the last one of the year), Wednesday all day in Oxford for me, Thursday a wreath making outreach of our iLadies (the international ladies study group) in which I am teaching them all how to make a Christmas wreath (which entails my collecting materials Tuesday), Thursday night last Camera club of the year, and early Friday morning I'm off to Madrid! Whew!
Please pr for G next weekend- he's planning some men's outreaches while I'm gone, and hoping to take a group of guys from work out to Wimpole, and a few guys from iBASE as well that he's been forming closer friendships with.
Let me finish this blog with an excerpt from a book that we just picked up at a thrift store called The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place Names. I know some of you linguophiles (I think that's a word) and would find the history of some of our town names here interesting:
Cambridge:
-Grantacaestir c 730 Bede,
-Grantacester c 890 OE Bede
-Grontabricc c 745 Felix
-Grantebrycg c 875
-Cantebruge c 1125
-Cambrugge (Chaucer)
Originally 'Roman fort on the Granta,' later 'bridge over the Granta.' The loss of the first r and the change of G to C are due to Norman influence. Cambridgeshire is Grantabrycgscir c 1010, Cantebruggescir 1142, Cambruggeschire c 1400.
Swavesey:
-Suauesheda c 1080
-Suaveshide 1203
'Swaef's landing-place.' Swaef occurs in Swaefsheale c762 and is a normal short form of names in Swaef-. In Old English ae (long a) often appears in East Saxon as 'a' (long a).
Now it makes sense why locals pronounce it SWA-ves-see instead of Sw-AH-vsy which we thought as Americans.
I think I've mentioned this, but I am off to Madrid this weekend. I can't believe it- my friend S and I have been planning this trip since she came to visit in September (well, if you can call intending to do it and buying tickets a few weeks back planning- we're not uberplanners I have to say) and I'm going a day earlier and staying a day later than she is. I wasn't so sure about doing that at first, but G encouraged me to take advantage of being in Madrid to see some other things around Spain, and I am intending to take a trip out to Toledo, Segovia, and maybe one other place. Madrid is considered a megacity now, and will soon overtake Shanghai in it's "megacityness" according to the guide book. :) The advantage of this is that there are fast trains going from Madrid, which is the capital of Spain, to many of the other major cities. Spain isn't a huge country, but it's slightly bigger than the UK I think. Anyway our trains here can't compare to the fast trains there- you can be on the other side of Spain in 2 hours by train, which would simply never happen here. I'm looking forward to taking advantage of their fast trains while I'm there, and if I enjoy the visit G and I might come again some weekend since it's so close.
I haven't gone travelling by myself in quite a long time- completely by myself that is. I travelled around some in Cambodia while I was there, and at least in Spain I can read the signs and understand something of what they are saying (the Spanish lisp is quite difficult for me to understand, so I hope to be able to get by). I've been polishing up the Spanish part of my brain these days with practice, but I can't keep the Cambodian words out and my brain has been suggesting sentences such as "Ot bahn ir al Sevilla" as good things to say, which any Spanish speaker would see is only half Spanish. :) I ought to be thinking "No puedo ir al Sevilla" instead. Ah the joys of being multilingual. :) Once this Spain trip is behind me I'll set to Chinese in more earnest- I just couldn't deal with 3 languages in my head before this trip. :)
So the upcoming trip to Madrid is taking up a bit of my time- being alone for parts of it means I need to plan a bit more so that I can be careful not to be out on the streets of a foreign city at night alone, or be travelling to my hostel at the wrong time of day.
Please pr for my friend "Mar" who I've been getting to know here. She's heading back to her home country next week, and we're hoping to plan a day trip to Oxford together. It looks like Wednesday might be the day. Long trips are a good way to chat with people about the good news, and since she's a photographer we share a common interest already. She is from east Berlin, and I am hoping to take a weekend to visit her in April when she's free from her studies there. I love that we can hop around Europe for $40 round trip on a plane- who could ever have imagined?
Our Christmas tree is up finally, which is exciting. We're feeling excited to visit home and see everyone! We'll be back the 27th of December. Sorry I'm a bit scatterbrained today- this week is looking a bit crazy with iBASE tomorrow night (the last one of the year), Wednesday all day in Oxford for me, Thursday a wreath making outreach of our iLadies (the international ladies study group) in which I am teaching them all how to make a Christmas wreath (which entails my collecting materials Tuesday), Thursday night last Camera club of the year, and early Friday morning I'm off to Madrid! Whew!
Please pr for G next weekend- he's planning some men's outreaches while I'm gone, and hoping to take a group of guys from work out to Wimpole, and a few guys from iBASE as well that he's been forming closer friendships with.
Let me finish this blog with an excerpt from a book that we just picked up at a thrift store called The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place Names. I know some of you linguophiles (I think that's a word) and would find the history of some of our town names here interesting:
Cambridge:
-Grantacaestir c 730 Bede,
-Grantacester c 890 OE Bede
-Grontabricc c 745 Felix
-Grantebrycg c 875
-Cantebruge c 1125
-Cambrugge (Chaucer)
Originally 'Roman fort on the Granta,' later 'bridge over the Granta.' The loss of the first r and the change of G to C are due to Norman influence. Cambridgeshire is Grantabrycgscir c 1010, Cantebruggescir 1142, Cambruggeschire c 1400.
Swavesey:
-Suauesheda c 1080
-Suaveshide 1203
'Swaef's landing-place.' Swaef occurs in Swaefsheale c762 and is a normal short form of names in Swaef-. In Old English ae (long a) often appears in East Saxon as 'a' (long a).
Now it makes sense why locals pronounce it SWA-ves-see instead of Sw-AH-vsy which we thought as Americans.
Sunday, 7 December 2008
Dec 7, 2008- Pearl Harbor Day
Most young people might not be aware that today is Pearl Harbor Day. Not because it's not important, but because they didn't live through it. We might wonder whether we properly teach our young people if important dates aren't remembered. Here in the UK they are still remembering "remember remember the 5th of November, gun powder treason and plot" which happened in 1605. Perhaps we Americans should come up with some clever rhymes to help us remember important dates in our history- Pearl Harbor Day is one that shouldn't be forgotten (or "forgot" as they say here.) Days like the day JFK was killed are deeply impressed on the memory of those who lived through them, but 25 years from now even September 11 will be something remembered by those who were alive when it happened, but those born after or children at the time won't think of it in the same way as we do. After we're all dead and gone September 11th will pass from the relatively foggy collective consciousness of our culture into the history books.
That's all rather depressing I suppose. But suffice it to say that we're remembering Pearl Harbor Day here in our little corner of the world and thinking fondly of all our friends who served in the war. Blessings to you all who remember that day in 1941.
That's all rather depressing I suppose. But suffice it to say that we're remembering Pearl Harbor Day here in our little corner of the world and thinking fondly of all our friends who served in the war. Blessings to you all who remember that day in 1941.
Friday, 5 December 2008
December 5, 2008
This Sunday is the Bounce A Round (that's the moms and preschoolers group here) carol service, and lots of my Chinese mom friends are coming along I hope. We usually go at 5pm but this week we'll go early to see people and chat. The Sundays running up until Christmas are very busy here with outreach events, both for British people and internationals. We're doing follow up on our Orientation Course still and inviting them along this Sunday. We also have a wreath making event that I'm heading (the making of door wreaths and collecting of materials that is) which should be good fun on Thursday. I'm also preparing for next weekend's trip to Madrid- a friend of mine who is serving in Northern Africa is heading to Madrid for a few days and we're meeting up there. I'm looking forward to it, though I'll be there one day early alone, and one day after she leaves alone. Don't worry though- I speak Spanish and although I don't like cities I am one of the most cautious travellers you've ever met. :) I'm looking forward to spending time with my friend and photographing some world heritage sites outside of Madrid....and of course a little sunshine. :)
The camera club meeting went well last night- I'm finally integrating myself into some relationships although they are still pretty much at the acquaintance level. But if you could lift up my acquaintances Steve, Emma, Andy, Malcolm, and Julius that would be great. The camera club is mostly men, over 50, and they aren't my target for relationships but Steve and Malcolm are club officers so if I can get to know them and their families it could help me in interacting with the club. They're all married and have children. Emma is a new member same as me although not so "forward" I think my British friends would say- she's very shy, whereas I am quite comfortable with strangers, even if they are older men. Andy has some kind of serious cancer and I invited him along to the club after meeting him and his family in a nearby village. The women in the club are hard to get to know, so I'm still working on them. :)
The camera club meeting went well last night- I'm finally integrating myself into some relationships although they are still pretty much at the acquaintance level. But if you could lift up my acquaintances Steve, Emma, Andy, Malcolm, and Julius that would be great. The camera club is mostly men, over 50, and they aren't my target for relationships but Steve and Malcolm are club officers so if I can get to know them and their families it could help me in interacting with the club. They're all married and have children. Emma is a new member same as me although not so "forward" I think my British friends would say- she's very shy, whereas I am quite comfortable with strangers, even if they are older men. Andy has some kind of serious cancer and I invited him along to the club after meeting him and his family in a nearby village. The women in the club are hard to get to know, so I'm still working on them. :)
Wednesday, 3 December 2008
December 2, 2008
Today we had our iBASE meeting and we decided after some discussion to do a talk about relationships. We talked about practical things such as the importance of shared values, shared vision, and a strong friendship before deciding to date a person. We also talked about what the bbl has to say about relationships. There were so many questions that we ran over 2 hours and didn't get home until midnight! The idea that physical attraction and lovey feelings aren't the basis for a good longlasting marriage was shocking to many of them. They were also surprised to hear that living together and having sex don't help you to determine if a person is good marriagable material. Anyway it was a great talk, and they were such attentive listeners. We've not been married all that long compared to so many of our friends who have 55 or 60 years of experience, but we were able to share what little we've learned in our 4 and a half years. It was a good time and fruitful because several people were there who weren't followers of JC, and they were interested in what the bbl says about all of this just the same as everyone else.
Talk about a tiring evening though. :)
Talk about a tiring evening though. :)
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