1-31-2010
Ah! If only I could describe to you the joy of the Kazakhstan mountains. Today we spent the day hiking and playing in the snow. Today we climbed above the clouds and unleashed our playful spirits. The mountains here in Almaty are much like Colorado. They are huge mountains that stare majestically at the crowded city, except you cannot usually see them from the city because of treacherous smog. As we climbed higher and higher on the gorgeous, pure white, snow-covered paths, the view just became more and more breath-taking. As we reached a certain point it looked as though a gray ocean was washing up against the glorious snow-capped mountains that stood beneath us. It was then that I realized that gray ocean was covering the city in which I currently reside. That gray ocean was actually pollution-saturated smog that hovered over Almaty. That gray ocean is the source of my every breath during the week. I realized that I was breathing fresh air for the first time in over 2 weeks. The fresh air was delicious. Americans don’t realize just how clean and green our country is. I’ve been to some big cities like L.A. and Chicago and the air there is pure oxygen compared to Almaty. I realized that even if America went totally “green” it wouldn’t do much because a great deal of the rest of the world is pouring out thick, black pollution. Just thinking...
Anyways, the mountains were amazing. The hike up was a bit difficult and strenuous, and our final destination was cold. It was actually cold the whole time, but we were moving the whole time so I was actually hot and ripping off my layers. The way down though, was a blast. We ran and slid on our feet. We rolled down the steep hills and pushed each other on discarded pieces of plastic. It was so much fun, but after being so crazy, I ended up with snow all over my body, which then melted, which then meant I was completely wet and thus cold. This was the case for quite awhile seeing as we had a prayer meeting to attend right when we got down. It was an amazing day and an incredible night even though I was freezing and had to deal with wet clothes hanging from my body. When I got back to the apartment (which was another adventure in and of itself. Let’s just say it involved a taxi, walking past a bunch of shady business like normal, a crying woman on the sidewalk, and a big group of troublesome looking guys in our neighborhood. I value my life here and am constantly asking and thanking God for His protection. I don’t take it for granted.) I took a wonderful hot shower and got into some dry clothes. I then got to video chat with my whole family (mother, father, brothers), which meant so much to me because I haven’t been able to do that since I’ve arrived here. Now, I sit here writing this trying not to pass out. It’s been a long day, but an absolutely amazing day. I have to work tomorrow, but luckily not until 5. I feel refreshed tonight. A feeling I have not felt in a long time.
I’ll leave you with this tonight: If you’re life seems to be full of pollution, if you have to fight with every breath you take, then climb up. There you will find that the suffocating pollution will just look like a beautiful ocean that fails to penetrate the majestic mountains beneath you. When you “climb up” you will find fresh air and although you may not understand it all, or have the strength to respond to it, you can revel in the beauty of the pure, white snow and the tall, magnificent trees. You can get in touch with your childlike impulses and just simply have fun. “Up” is where you truly feel alive.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Judging Value and Staying Safe
Today I went to church. I’m not going to lie I was kind of spacing out during a lot of it. Church here lasts a good 3 and half hours and that is beyond my attention span. But, I enjoyed the service. One group of people grumbled about the speaker’s message and found a bunch of fault in what he said, but I didn’t pick up on it at all. Maybe I haven’t been here long enough, maybe I was spaced out, or maybe they are just bitter. Bitterness seems to run deep with much of the group here. Since we arrived I have heard nasty things about many people and while I understand there are scars of emotional hurt, it’s a bit exhausting. I could tell before I even stepped foot in this country that I was stepping into some drama and drama it has been. I won’t go into details, but I will tell you that I have chosen to take every comment and suggestion lightly. I like all these people so far, and all of them have been very kind to me. I will continue to like all the people here until I have a reason to be skeptical. It is just a reminder that the church is filled with white-wigged people that love to carry around gavels. The liberals say the conservatives are not accepting while the liberals shut out the conservatives and the conservatives say the liberals have strayed as they themselves have no love inside them. Religion is a mess, simply because people are messy. Relationships are messy.
After church we went to a friend’s house. A very nice woman, who was an SM here years ago, fell in love and got married and hasn’t left Almaty since. We went over to her house and made pizza out of sliced bread, ketchup, cheese, and a bunch of other tasty toppings. It was surprisingly good. Ketchup? Yeah, it worked. Then we had ice cream and talked and pretty soon it was late. We had another cab adventure. Burnie talked to the cab and they dropped him off and continued to take Steven and I to our place. On the way there, nothing looked familiar and my anxiety heightened. I think I mentioned this before, but if not, everyone in Kazakhstan is a taxi. When you hold out your hand random people will stop and make a few extra tenge on their way home. So, even though I don’t necessarily feel safe on the buses, I really don’t feel safe in a taxi. Just the thought of me putting my life into this strangers hand is a bit unsettling. So nothing looked familiar on the way to our place and my thoughts started drifting. I imagined this guy taking us to the outskirts of town and holding us hostage, or pulling out a gun and demanding money that I didn’t have. But, pretty soon the familiarity of nearby mosque came into view and all my worry was wiped away. The nice cab driver tried to joke with us, but because I don’t know Russian I just awkwardly laughed and handed him the money hoping he would be satisfied with the amount. I know I said all of this and now people (like you mom) are worrying that one of my nightmares are going to come true. They won’t. Every day I am reminded at the friendliness of these people and the protection that I have from my God. I have this bad habit of thinking people are generally bad. It’s not true. I am trying to convince myself that most people are good people. Sometimes as a foreigner and as an American, I tend to think that everyone wants me, that I am some prize to be taken advantage of. But, in reality most people look at me and think, “Oh, a foreigner.” And move on with their life. Most people recognize reality, that I am just a guy that’s not from around here. Just a guy. I’m not going to make anybody’s dreams come true, nobody is going to get rich by robbing me, and I certainly am no prize. It’s funny how pride can lead you to think you’re something better than you actually are. All of us, we’re just run of the mill (Try explaining that idiom to your students!) people and the only value we have is the value people place on us. I place high value on those I love. The people that love me place high value on me, I’m sure. Love makes us valuable, without it, we’re nothing special, just another guy, just another girl, just another foreigner, just another stranger. Think about your value, if it’s not the high value you long for, get out there and be loveable.
After church we went to a friend’s house. A very nice woman, who was an SM here years ago, fell in love and got married and hasn’t left Almaty since. We went over to her house and made pizza out of sliced bread, ketchup, cheese, and a bunch of other tasty toppings. It was surprisingly good. Ketchup? Yeah, it worked. Then we had ice cream and talked and pretty soon it was late. We had another cab adventure. Burnie talked to the cab and they dropped him off and continued to take Steven and I to our place. On the way there, nothing looked familiar and my anxiety heightened. I think I mentioned this before, but if not, everyone in Kazakhstan is a taxi. When you hold out your hand random people will stop and make a few extra tenge on their way home. So, even though I don’t necessarily feel safe on the buses, I really don’t feel safe in a taxi. Just the thought of me putting my life into this strangers hand is a bit unsettling. So nothing looked familiar on the way to our place and my thoughts started drifting. I imagined this guy taking us to the outskirts of town and holding us hostage, or pulling out a gun and demanding money that I didn’t have. But, pretty soon the familiarity of nearby mosque came into view and all my worry was wiped away. The nice cab driver tried to joke with us, but because I don’t know Russian I just awkwardly laughed and handed him the money hoping he would be satisfied with the amount. I know I said all of this and now people (like you mom) are worrying that one of my nightmares are going to come true. They won’t. Every day I am reminded at the friendliness of these people and the protection that I have from my God. I have this bad habit of thinking people are generally bad. It’s not true. I am trying to convince myself that most people are good people. Sometimes as a foreigner and as an American, I tend to think that everyone wants me, that I am some prize to be taken advantage of. But, in reality most people look at me and think, “Oh, a foreigner.” And move on with their life. Most people recognize reality, that I am just a guy that’s not from around here. Just a guy. I’m not going to make anybody’s dreams come true, nobody is going to get rich by robbing me, and I certainly am no prize. It’s funny how pride can lead you to think you’re something better than you actually are. All of us, we’re just run of the mill (Try explaining that idiom to your students!) people and the only value we have is the value people place on us. I place high value on those I love. The people that love me place high value on me, I’m sure. Love makes us valuable, without it, we’re nothing special, just another guy, just another girl, just another foreigner, just another stranger. Think about your value, if it’s not the high value you long for, get out there and be loveable.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Theology and Government
So I know that I’ve already blogged today, but I needed to have an update on how the rest of the day went, if not for you, at least for my memory. Friday club went well tonight. Last week we prepared and got to the office and nobody showed up. This week we had 3 people. It was quite exciting. After reading through the dialogue from the Chronicles of Narnia, we watched the movie and then discuss. We got to forgiveness and talked about that for awhile and then ended up with the Golden Rule. It’s about a 25 minute walk home and our boss lives very close to us so we generally walk together. On the way home we were talking about Islam, something I am always eager to learn about. She said a phrase that I have heard her utter once or twice before. She said, “Theology and Religion is what divides people, it is God who unites them.” It is an odd thing to say, but devastatingly true. How is it that the study of God and the practice of relating to God divides people while God Himself unites people? It’s a funny thing to think about.
So with that and with the discussion about the Golden Rule I started thinking. My thoughts are this: theology, like government, is best kept small. When government starts getting large, they start to get all up in people’s space. They start many new projects and initiatives which are poorly managed and unable to be funded. Government, when it gets too big, will end up collapsing on itself. Theology is the same way. We come up with all these doctrines and all these ideas and pretty soon we think we have God figured out with our poorly defined thoughts. We are quick to have a strong will, but unhurried to have a soft heart. The more ideas you have about God, the more your ideas are probably false. That’s what I love about Jesus. The guy lived simply. He practiced what He preached and loved on everyone He could. He had His ideas about God, but they were all relational. He wasn’t obsessed with facts, because when it comes to God, there are no “facts.” He is and that’s that. What else can you really be absolutely certain about? So what is the point? The point is that I want to see Christians start living out the Golden Rule. You can find the Golden Rule in many other religions, but it is usually in the negative: “Don’t do to others whatever you wouldn’t want done to you.” A good rule, but Jesus is a radical guy and took it one step further. He said, “Do to others, as you want them to do to you.” That means that you have to get your hands dirty and mess with relationships and get involved with people. I want to keep my ideas of God basic and simple. If I get too many ideas, they are likely to come crashing down on me. And personally, I don’t want trillions of dollars in debt like the US government.
So with that and with the discussion about the Golden Rule I started thinking. My thoughts are this: theology, like government, is best kept small. When government starts getting large, they start to get all up in people’s space. They start many new projects and initiatives which are poorly managed and unable to be funded. Government, when it gets too big, will end up collapsing on itself. Theology is the same way. We come up with all these doctrines and all these ideas and pretty soon we think we have God figured out with our poorly defined thoughts. We are quick to have a strong will, but unhurried to have a soft heart. The more ideas you have about God, the more your ideas are probably false. That’s what I love about Jesus. The guy lived simply. He practiced what He preached and loved on everyone He could. He had His ideas about God, but they were all relational. He wasn’t obsessed with facts, because when it comes to God, there are no “facts.” He is and that’s that. What else can you really be absolutely certain about? So what is the point? The point is that I want to see Christians start living out the Golden Rule. You can find the Golden Rule in many other religions, but it is usually in the negative: “Don’t do to others whatever you wouldn’t want done to you.” A good rule, but Jesus is a radical guy and took it one step further. He said, “Do to others, as you want them to do to you.” That means that you have to get your hands dirty and mess with relationships and get involved with people. I want to keep my ideas of God basic and simple. If I get too many ideas, they are likely to come crashing down on me. And personally, I don’t want trillions of dollars in debt like the US government.
Specks of Grace
1-29-2010
I can’t help but smile as I sit writing this in my kitchen, next to the furnace, with the curtain of the window wide open. The picture is completed by the steaming cup of mint green tea that sits on the table beside me and helps to keep me warm as the snow falls outside. Looking out the window, my eyes follow the tiny little specks of frost that are falling all around.
I just got back from the supermarket. A real, live supermarket. Normally, we do our grocery shopping at the bazaar where you are constantly being pushed and shoved and fighting to communicate without knowing the vendors language. Today, today was different. We went into a warm building, with shopping carts. We grabbed stuff off shelves and then proceeded to have them scanned at a register. I never really realized just how convenient grocery stores are. Anyways, we stocked up and enjoyed the Wal-Mart like store. You can get everything there and at a good price! It is just like Wal-Mart in that we got everything we need except fresh produce. Produce is best when you buy it from the guy on the street that picked it out of his garden earlier the same morning.
The snow is special today. As we were walking to and from the store I held out my hand and allowed all the little white flakes to fall gently onto the tightly woven strings of my gloves. As they landed I could see their little patterns. Some looked like stars and others like fancy crystals. I have never actually been able to see snowflakes before. I just saw nice looking white dust falling all around. It is so cliché to talk about God’s cleansing when you see the snow fall. Sometimes I just roll my eyes and think “Here we go again.” But today Psalm 51 went through my mind over and over. “Wash me white as snow and I will be made whole” are lyrics by John Foreman that are based on Psalm 51. It is a beautiful song that is on repeat as I write this and enjoy the powdering of the trees outside. Even though it is cliché, today it hit me in a very real way. Almaty is a wonderful city. You can find anything you want here and it will never fail to surprise you. However, like any large city, especially any city in a foreign country, there is a lot of pollution. The air above is usually a toxic gray and the sidewalks are covered with trash, dog poop, and other mysterious gross things. A week ago I was ready for the snow to be gone and to be able to walk on pavement again. I was ready for the cold to go away and planning a welcome party for spring. Earlier this week, it warmed up, the snow started melting and things were as I was hoping for. It was then that I actually saw the dirty roads. It was then that the filth of the crowded city was revealed. I quickly was praying for more snow, more clean-looking white powder to cover up the mess that lies beneath. Winter may be cold, but at least it’s clean. Sometimes we feel as though God’s cleansing is too cold. It requires us to choose Him instead of our earthly vices. Being without your vices can make you feel cold, but when the snow is falling it covers up the trash that we leave laying around. I don’t know about you, but I have some trash in my life. I’m not perfect. The sidewalks of my life are covered in cigarette butts and animal feces and that is only the beginning. So even though it might be slippery and it might feel cold, today I am praying that God covers up the messy city of my heart with a thick layer of His purity and His grace. As I looked at those beautifully crafted snowflakes that fell on my glove and admired the detail of creation, I was reminded that these are more than cold, white flakes. They are more than frozen droplets of water gliding to the ground; they are little specks of grace and they tickled my face all the way home.
I can’t help but smile as I sit writing this in my kitchen, next to the furnace, with the curtain of the window wide open. The picture is completed by the steaming cup of mint green tea that sits on the table beside me and helps to keep me warm as the snow falls outside. Looking out the window, my eyes follow the tiny little specks of frost that are falling all around.
I just got back from the supermarket. A real, live supermarket. Normally, we do our grocery shopping at the bazaar where you are constantly being pushed and shoved and fighting to communicate without knowing the vendors language. Today, today was different. We went into a warm building, with shopping carts. We grabbed stuff off shelves and then proceeded to have them scanned at a register. I never really realized just how convenient grocery stores are. Anyways, we stocked up and enjoyed the Wal-Mart like store. You can get everything there and at a good price! It is just like Wal-Mart in that we got everything we need except fresh produce. Produce is best when you buy it from the guy on the street that picked it out of his garden earlier the same morning.
The snow is special today. As we were walking to and from the store I held out my hand and allowed all the little white flakes to fall gently onto the tightly woven strings of my gloves. As they landed I could see their little patterns. Some looked like stars and others like fancy crystals. I have never actually been able to see snowflakes before. I just saw nice looking white dust falling all around. It is so cliché to talk about God’s cleansing when you see the snow fall. Sometimes I just roll my eyes and think “Here we go again.” But today Psalm 51 went through my mind over and over. “Wash me white as snow and I will be made whole” are lyrics by John Foreman that are based on Psalm 51. It is a beautiful song that is on repeat as I write this and enjoy the powdering of the trees outside. Even though it is cliché, today it hit me in a very real way. Almaty is a wonderful city. You can find anything you want here and it will never fail to surprise you. However, like any large city, especially any city in a foreign country, there is a lot of pollution. The air above is usually a toxic gray and the sidewalks are covered with trash, dog poop, and other mysterious gross things. A week ago I was ready for the snow to be gone and to be able to walk on pavement again. I was ready for the cold to go away and planning a welcome party for spring. Earlier this week, it warmed up, the snow started melting and things were as I was hoping for. It was then that I actually saw the dirty roads. It was then that the filth of the crowded city was revealed. I quickly was praying for more snow, more clean-looking white powder to cover up the mess that lies beneath. Winter may be cold, but at least it’s clean. Sometimes we feel as though God’s cleansing is too cold. It requires us to choose Him instead of our earthly vices. Being without your vices can make you feel cold, but when the snow is falling it covers up the trash that we leave laying around. I don’t know about you, but I have some trash in my life. I’m not perfect. The sidewalks of my life are covered in cigarette butts and animal feces and that is only the beginning. So even though it might be slippery and it might feel cold, today I am praying that God covers up the messy city of my heart with a thick layer of His purity and His grace. As I looked at those beautifully crafted snowflakes that fell on my glove and admired the detail of creation, I was reminded that these are more than cold, white flakes. They are more than frozen droplets of water gliding to the ground; they are little specks of grace and they tickled my face all the way home.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Disappointments, Friendship Deeds, and Ticking Clocks
1-28-10
Today was a long day. Having the internet in our apartment has made my sleep schedule change dramatically. This thing is bad for my health. Anyways, today we finally made it to the U.S. Consulate. I finally got my certified copy of my passport so the next time I get caught by the police they will have a hard time pinning something on me. I am running around the city legal now. We ended up walking around the city for a long time today looking for the consulate and when we finally found it I was a bit disappointed. I guess I was expecting this beautiful building with a big sign that said, “Welcome Americans!” while people that spoke perfect English served me free Starbucks coffee and French fries. But it turns out that the consulate is in some bank and it has really heavy security and is staffed with mostly non-English speaking locals. Bummer. So after we got our certified copies we headed over to AELC (there are two centers here in Almaty. The girls teach at AELC which is on one side of town and Steven and I teach at NewBridge which is on the other side of town) to pick up some materials for Friday Club (I’ll explain Friday club in a second). Anyways at AELC this guy walks in looking for prices and details about the center which is not uncommon, but we happened to leave at the same time as him. Turns out his English was very good. His name was Azamat. It’s funny how people work here in Kazakhstan. You talk with them for a couple minutes, they ask for your cell phone number and business card, and next thing you know you are friends and plan to call each other for lunch sometime in the near future. He actually followed us to NewBridge so we talked the whole way and he paid for our bus ride. It turns out he is getting his MBA here in Almaty and is wanting to open us an English school in his hometown. Before I came here Emily told me that you meet the most random people here. That proved true today. Business cards are like friendship deeds here. If someone is your friend, you give them your business card and you carry around all of your friend’s business cards. It reminds me of the card you get in monopoly when you buy a property, that’s why I call them friendship deeds.
So today concluded another week of teaching. Some people might call me lazy for working 4 hours a day and 4 days a week, but I think it is wonderful. Thursdays are like Fridays because I don’t teach on Fridays. However we do have Friday club. Friday club is an “extra practice” type of thing where we read and watch Narnia and sneak in some spiritual thoughts and ideas. We have a meeting every Friday with our boss and then go over to the center. So it’s like I work 5 days a week, sort of. No, I really do have to work, I promise, because there is the “behind the scenes” stuff like making quizzes, grading papers, crafting up homework assignments, and preparing the lessons. But, I don’t work too much. I think this is the first time since my childhood, save summer vacations, where I don’t feel completely stressed out. I actually feel like I don’t have too much on my plate. I am actually making room for reflection and thinking and reading. Life is delicious right now even though I miss my loved ones and my beloved familiarity. I’m tired, and a bit cranky. I have to clean up this apartment tomorrow and go grocery shopping.
Nobody showed up for my extracurricular “video class” today so I had an hour and a half to do nothing. I had a raging headache which I tried to cure with caffeine. I was sitting at the desk when I laid my head down on my arm. My ear rested just above my watch and I became entranced with the “tick, tick, tick.” Normally the thought of every tick being a reminder of the death of a second of my life, a second that I’ll never be able to get back, scares me. But tonight it was comforting. Like every tick, instead of a reminder of the death of time, was a reminder of the birth of time. Every second was a fresh start, a new beginning, a blank canvas waiting for my brush. I’m here and I’m painting a better picture with all of these new experiences. It feels good. What are you doing with your blank canvases? You better decide quick because they don’t stick around long. “Tick, tick, tick, tick”
Today was a long day. Having the internet in our apartment has made my sleep schedule change dramatically. This thing is bad for my health. Anyways, today we finally made it to the U.S. Consulate. I finally got my certified copy of my passport so the next time I get caught by the police they will have a hard time pinning something on me. I am running around the city legal now. We ended up walking around the city for a long time today looking for the consulate and when we finally found it I was a bit disappointed. I guess I was expecting this beautiful building with a big sign that said, “Welcome Americans!” while people that spoke perfect English served me free Starbucks coffee and French fries. But it turns out that the consulate is in some bank and it has really heavy security and is staffed with mostly non-English speaking locals. Bummer. So after we got our certified copies we headed over to AELC (there are two centers here in Almaty. The girls teach at AELC which is on one side of town and Steven and I teach at NewBridge which is on the other side of town) to pick up some materials for Friday Club (I’ll explain Friday club in a second). Anyways at AELC this guy walks in looking for prices and details about the center which is not uncommon, but we happened to leave at the same time as him. Turns out his English was very good. His name was Azamat. It’s funny how people work here in Kazakhstan. You talk with them for a couple minutes, they ask for your cell phone number and business card, and next thing you know you are friends and plan to call each other for lunch sometime in the near future. He actually followed us to NewBridge so we talked the whole way and he paid for our bus ride. It turns out he is getting his MBA here in Almaty and is wanting to open us an English school in his hometown. Before I came here Emily told me that you meet the most random people here. That proved true today. Business cards are like friendship deeds here. If someone is your friend, you give them your business card and you carry around all of your friend’s business cards. It reminds me of the card you get in monopoly when you buy a property, that’s why I call them friendship deeds.
So today concluded another week of teaching. Some people might call me lazy for working 4 hours a day and 4 days a week, but I think it is wonderful. Thursdays are like Fridays because I don’t teach on Fridays. However we do have Friday club. Friday club is an “extra practice” type of thing where we read and watch Narnia and sneak in some spiritual thoughts and ideas. We have a meeting every Friday with our boss and then go over to the center. So it’s like I work 5 days a week, sort of. No, I really do have to work, I promise, because there is the “behind the scenes” stuff like making quizzes, grading papers, crafting up homework assignments, and preparing the lessons. But, I don’t work too much. I think this is the first time since my childhood, save summer vacations, where I don’t feel completely stressed out. I actually feel like I don’t have too much on my plate. I am actually making room for reflection and thinking and reading. Life is delicious right now even though I miss my loved ones and my beloved familiarity. I’m tired, and a bit cranky. I have to clean up this apartment tomorrow and go grocery shopping.
Nobody showed up for my extracurricular “video class” today so I had an hour and a half to do nothing. I had a raging headache which I tried to cure with caffeine. I was sitting at the desk when I laid my head down on my arm. My ear rested just above my watch and I became entranced with the “tick, tick, tick.” Normally the thought of every tick being a reminder of the death of a second of my life, a second that I’ll never be able to get back, scares me. But tonight it was comforting. Like every tick, instead of a reminder of the death of time, was a reminder of the birth of time. Every second was a fresh start, a new beginning, a blank canvas waiting for my brush. I’m here and I’m painting a better picture with all of these new experiences. It feels good. What are you doing with your blank canvases? You better decide quick because they don’t stick around long. “Tick, tick, tick, tick”
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Trusting in God - An Abstract Reality
Today we not only got our wireless router installed which meant that I could finally contact my parents and my grandparents. It was amazing being able to hear their voices and share my experiences with them. I love the 21st century and all of its glorious technology. I am so glad I’m not a missionary back in the 1800s. Yes, I’m spoiled, but when you have such wonderful people in your life it is important to stay in touch with them. However, it is currently 12:30am. This is what the internet does to you. It destroys your sleep. It’s ok though since I’ve been averaging at least 9 hours a night. I have learned that there is such a thing as too much sleep, something that is easily forgotten in the college rush.
I had tortillas today. We went to the girls’ apartment and Emily whipped up some delicious Mexican food. Yes, Mexican food in Kazakhstan. She had to make the tortillas herself because of course there is no such thing as a Kazakh tortilla. She gave me the recipe, I’m eager to try it out. Cooking has been one of Steven and I’s greatest challenges. It is a whole lot of trial and error. We cook a lot of potatoes. Potatoes are easy and are good for growing young men. We have made some nasty potatoes though. Up until the other day, we peeled our potatoes with a knife. When I asked my boss where I could pick up a peeler she got a puzzled look on her face and said, “Why would you want one of those, you can just use a knife.” Silly American! So I was going to post up here a frantic sign that said “SEND ME A PEELER” but I was walking on one of the streets that is covered in little vendor tables near my house and on a random table I saw a peeler, a little, red, plastic peeler. I immediately grabbed it and yelled at the man, “Skolka!?” (Russian for: How much?) and he said a number I couldn’t understand. I started playing with my fingers so he knew I couldn’t speak Russian. He held up one of his fingers. I handed him a 100 tenge (about 66 cents) coin and said, “Da?” (Russian for: Yes?) and he said, “Da.” It was one of my happier moments here in the great country of Kazakhstan. I went back to the apartment skeptical of the quality of this outrageously cheap peeler, but after peeling my first batch of potatoes I can tell you that it is the best 100 tenge I have spent so far. This thing is like the Titan Peeler with a sharp, two-sided blade. I want to have my boss over so I can show her why a peeler is so important. Have you ever used a knife to peel potatoes? It’s awful, at least from this spoiled American boy’s standpoint. On this journey of mine, I have been praying that God would peel off the thick skin of ignorance and self that I am coated in. The thing about peeling, however, is that it requires a sharp object and sharp objects tend to do some damage. Those potatoes don’t look the same after I attack them with my brilliant, red tool. It makes me think, if Christians claim to be peeled by the grace-filled blood of a Savior then why do they look like dirty, unpeeled potatoes? (The potatoes here in Kazakhstan are extremely dirty!) We may pray that God peels back the layers of selfishness, but once that sharp object gets close it is much easier to run away and hide in the garbage. So what am I saying? That God wants to cut you? Not quite. Here’s what’s on my mind: I once prayed that Jesus would “bring the rain” that He would be completely in charge and prepare me to handle anything. Then the rain came and I cursed Him. Coming here, I told Him to bring the rain. The rain came, and I cursed Him. Today, after getting over my culture shock and telling him to bring the rain once more, the clouds started forming above. I’m not cursing Him, but I’m giving him the look, the look that questions His authority. I can’t let God be God and that is a problem.
My thoughts are scattered tonight and I am in need of a prayer session. Not just a prayer session, but one of those prayer sessions like Jesus had. I once preached a sermon on Jesus’ radical prayer life, but I can’t remember the last time I actually could call my prayer life “radical”. Trusting in Him is a funny thing. It is so abstract and yet so real. It seems so naïve and yet it seems like the only option. God is crazy and relentless. If the love that looms inside of me didn’t testify to His existence my faith might falter. But, I got a lot of love inside and it had to come from somewhere. Jesus was so much like His dad. I think I could use a little more crazy and an extra dose of relentless passion.
I had tortillas today. We went to the girls’ apartment and Emily whipped up some delicious Mexican food. Yes, Mexican food in Kazakhstan. She had to make the tortillas herself because of course there is no such thing as a Kazakh tortilla. She gave me the recipe, I’m eager to try it out. Cooking has been one of Steven and I’s greatest challenges. It is a whole lot of trial and error. We cook a lot of potatoes. Potatoes are easy and are good for growing young men. We have made some nasty potatoes though. Up until the other day, we peeled our potatoes with a knife. When I asked my boss where I could pick up a peeler she got a puzzled look on her face and said, “Why would you want one of those, you can just use a knife.” Silly American! So I was going to post up here a frantic sign that said “SEND ME A PEELER” but I was walking on one of the streets that is covered in little vendor tables near my house and on a random table I saw a peeler, a little, red, plastic peeler. I immediately grabbed it and yelled at the man, “Skolka!?” (Russian for: How much?) and he said a number I couldn’t understand. I started playing with my fingers so he knew I couldn’t speak Russian. He held up one of his fingers. I handed him a 100 tenge (about 66 cents) coin and said, “Da?” (Russian for: Yes?) and he said, “Da.” It was one of my happier moments here in the great country of Kazakhstan. I went back to the apartment skeptical of the quality of this outrageously cheap peeler, but after peeling my first batch of potatoes I can tell you that it is the best 100 tenge I have spent so far. This thing is like the Titan Peeler with a sharp, two-sided blade. I want to have my boss over so I can show her why a peeler is so important. Have you ever used a knife to peel potatoes? It’s awful, at least from this spoiled American boy’s standpoint. On this journey of mine, I have been praying that God would peel off the thick skin of ignorance and self that I am coated in. The thing about peeling, however, is that it requires a sharp object and sharp objects tend to do some damage. Those potatoes don’t look the same after I attack them with my brilliant, red tool. It makes me think, if Christians claim to be peeled by the grace-filled blood of a Savior then why do they look like dirty, unpeeled potatoes? (The potatoes here in Kazakhstan are extremely dirty!) We may pray that God peels back the layers of selfishness, but once that sharp object gets close it is much easier to run away and hide in the garbage. So what am I saying? That God wants to cut you? Not quite. Here’s what’s on my mind: I once prayed that Jesus would “bring the rain” that He would be completely in charge and prepare me to handle anything. Then the rain came and I cursed Him. Coming here, I told Him to bring the rain. The rain came, and I cursed Him. Today, after getting over my culture shock and telling him to bring the rain once more, the clouds started forming above. I’m not cursing Him, but I’m giving him the look, the look that questions His authority. I can’t let God be God and that is a problem.
My thoughts are scattered tonight and I am in need of a prayer session. Not just a prayer session, but one of those prayer sessions like Jesus had. I once preached a sermon on Jesus’ radical prayer life, but I can’t remember the last time I actually could call my prayer life “radical”. Trusting in Him is a funny thing. It is so abstract and yet so real. It seems so naïve and yet it seems like the only option. God is crazy and relentless. If the love that looms inside of me didn’t testify to His existence my faith might falter. But, I got a lot of love inside and it had to come from somewhere. Jesus was so much like His dad. I think I could use a little more crazy and an extra dose of relentless passion.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
My loves—Coffee, Language, and the Internet
1-26-2010
As the excitement of the newness dies down, I am finding it a bit difficult to write tonight. I am starting to really get into my role as a teacher and love it more every day. Sure, during the day I don’t look forward to work, but every night I come home energized and accomplished. However, today was an excellent day because we finally got internet in our apartment so now I can actually communicate with everyone back home. I’m a bit worried that all of my reading time, writing time, and thinking time will go down the drain now that we have internet, but I am going to discipline myself. I didn’t go half way around the world to get more of the same. I came here to experience life in a completely different way. My boss came over today so she could talk to the cable guys in Russian and she politely whispered to me and asked if I could make her some coffee, some real Starbucks coffee. I just smiled. Any woman that wants to sit down and discuss language with me over a cup of coffee is a woman after my own heart. So, nothing too exciting happened today, other than the arrival of our internet. I’m tired, I have to wake up early, and everyone has been complaining that my blogs are too long. So I’ll keep this one short, just for you.
As the excitement of the newness dies down, I am finding it a bit difficult to write tonight. I am starting to really get into my role as a teacher and love it more every day. Sure, during the day I don’t look forward to work, but every night I come home energized and accomplished. However, today was an excellent day because we finally got internet in our apartment so now I can actually communicate with everyone back home. I’m a bit worried that all of my reading time, writing time, and thinking time will go down the drain now that we have internet, but I am going to discipline myself. I didn’t go half way around the world to get more of the same. I came here to experience life in a completely different way. My boss came over today so she could talk to the cable guys in Russian and she politely whispered to me and asked if I could make her some coffee, some real Starbucks coffee. I just smiled. Any woman that wants to sit down and discuss language with me over a cup of coffee is a woman after my own heart. So, nothing too exciting happened today, other than the arrival of our internet. I’m tired, I have to wake up early, and everyone has been complaining that my blogs are too long. So I’ll keep this one short, just for you.
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