22 February 2016
Happy
I don't know what is different about this week, but I just feel so full of happiness it is nearly making me nauseous. Is that possible? I'm on top of the world for absolutely no reason at all except that God is good.
11 February 2016
A Collection of Short Stories
1. Student: Miss, I broke up with my girlfriend.
Me: Awww, I'm sorry! Are you OK?
Student: I'm sad.
Me: Of course. But I think you made a wise decision. And things will get better.
Student: That makes me feel a lot better. Because I know that if you say it, then it's true.
2. A friend of mine recently bought a boarding house in a nearby city. The boarding house is mostly for college students (since most universities don't have dorms on campus), and there was a lady living in a small apartment in the boarding house to manage things. She died in her room (she was quite elderly and had been sick) two weeks ago. The lady was Catholic. My friend who owns the boarding house is Muslim. So my friend asked several of us friends (all Christian) to come pray over the house because as a Muslim, she didn't know how to pray since the deceased was Catholic. She wanted us to pray that the lady's soul found rest and peace (which is what you do in the Muslim faith when someone dies). So we had the opportunity to share with her that true peace can only come from Jesus, and then we walked with her through the boarding house and prayed over the rooms. It was strange being asked to pray for a dead person (which we didn't actually do), but it was neat to get to do a prayer walk through the "home" of so many college students, to pray for peace and knowledge of Christ to fill that place, and to get to pray the Holy Spirit over my friends - because they ASKED us to! (And on a funnier note, before we started praying, my friend who asked us to pray whipped out a bottle of olive massage oil and said, "I... um... brought you some olive oil. I case you, you know... need it to pray. I don't know...")
3. Last week, I sent in my request for an absentee ballot to my home county clerk's office so that I can vote from oversees. I filled out the form, scanned it in, and sent it via e-mail attachment. Yesterday, I got a reply from the clerk's office asking me to select which ballot I want to receive - Republican or Democrat. I was in the middle of doing something when I got the e-mail, so I didn't reply to point out that I had already selected which one I wanted on the form. Then this morning, I had another e-mail from the clerk's office reading, "I am sorry I just seen you wanted a republican ballot." I had mixed feelings about this response.
a) Whew. I don't have to figure out how to politely say I already did that OR re-send in the forms.
b) You are a government official! Who taught you how to speak English?!
c) Aw.... Midwest grammar. Makes me a little bit homesick.
4. Terrorists attacked Jakarta a few short weeks ago. I found out the attack was ongoing while I was sitting in our secondary school's chapel time, about 60 minutes after the attack started. I didn't hear anything the speaker was saying, because I felt such a strong push to intercede. I was praying and refreshing a live news feed on my phone every few minutes. My very first prayer was that no more lives would be lost from that moment on. It seemed like an impossible prayer when all I knew was that multiple terrorists with guns and bombs were going on a rampage in the streets. But I just kept praying those words, over and over. We got reports for a lot of that afternoon of several other bombs being detonated, of shootings happening in other locations, of the body count rising. But the police figured out that those reports were false and were coming from the terrorists themselves, posting on social media just for the sake of creating panic! Later on, when I thought back over the timeline, I realized that from the time I started praying, the only loss of life was on the side of the terrorists as the police attempted to apprehend them. By the end of the day, the body count was 2 victims and 5 terrorists. In what kind of attack is the body count of the attackers higher?! I really believe the hand of God was on Jakarta that day! And while we grieve for the loss of seven lives, as a nation, we recognize how much worse it could have been, and we rejoice that it wasn't.
5. My brother is getting married sometime in the near future!! I won't tell you the date until they make it official - but suffice it to say it will be a bit after the "normal" wedding season since he'll be deployed for a portion of this year. I was worried about being able to be there, since the wedding will take place after our school year starts. But I went and talked over my concerns with my boss, and I was reminded once again of what a great place I work at. It comes with its own stresses and difficulties, for sure. But I have bosses who care about me as a person, and who recognize that sometimes what is best for me isn't what is easiest for them, but they still push me towards what is best. When I talked with my boss, I was really wondering if it would be possible for me to miss 2-3 weeks of school to go home for the wedding. But he had an even better solution. I'm scheduled to be home this summer, so he told me to just stay. To be with my family. To take an extended vacation. Because in the 8 years I've been here, I've never been home for more than 2 months at a time - and I've only ever done that TWICE. So this year, with the recommendation and approval of my boss, I will spend more time on American soil than the last EIGHT YEARS COMBINED! I am very happy to share with you that I will be in the US from the end of May through mid-October!
6. I made one New Year's resolution this year. It was to read more in Indonesian. I tried this awhile ago, but it didn't last because I burned myself out. A few years ago, I tried reading a novel that was just beyond my language ability, and it was frustrating and slow, and for someone who loves reading, that was just not working out for me. I've also tried reading the Bible in Indonesian, but in the past when I've done it, I've always stopped to look up every word I didn't know. So again, that took a huge chunk of time, and I really wasn't getting anything out of the Word because I was spending so much time trying to understand the words. It's been a few years now though, and I'm at the point where outside school (unless I'm with Melanie), I rarely speak English. I've been dreaming in Indonesian, and I've even caught myself praying in Indonesian (if you've ever learned a second language, you'll know how significant that is!). So I decided to give reading in Indonesian another try. I'm doing a chronological one year Bible reading plan on my Bible app on my phone - but in Indonesian. And I also went back to that novel I tried to read a few years ago.
It's a murder mystery, so if you're concerned about why my reading content looks so violent, that's why. Anyways, this time around, I picked it up and read it cover to cover (376 pages) in a week. And I ENJOYED it. I think the big difference this time (besides just having more language) is that I'm not making myself stop to look up every single word I don't know. In the novel, there were actually very few words I didn't know, and those I didn't know, I was able to understand anyways, just based on context. My hope is that by doing this, I will learn even more language, and more formal language. After completing my first novel in Indonesian, I also feel like a whole new world of reading is open to me, because now I can read in TWO languages instead of one!
7. My church does communion the first Sunday of every month. They use communion wafers that have Bible verses printed on them, and our pastor, being the 21st century man that he is, always encourages people to take out their phones, photograph their verses, and share them on social media. Being the rebel that I am, I NEVER do. Until this time.
I didn't even make it past the first four lines the first few times I read it. Dahulu aku muda, sekarang telah menjadi tua... It means, "I was young before, but now I'm old." AAAH! I'm turning 30 this year! This verse was right on time in the worst way possible! Once I got over that though, I finished reading the verse, and then felt much more satisfied in my communion selection.
I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. - Psalm 37:25
8. Thanks to El Niño, we've been having a WAY milder rainy season than normal. It also started very late. I thought our good luck would last all rainy season, but alas, it came out in full force this week. I haven't seen the sun since Monday, and it hasn't stopped raining for more than a few minutes at a time for the last 48 hours. I had a hard time going to sleep more than once this week, because my sheets and blankets all felt damp and cold. And I threw my pillow in the wash this morning because I noticed mold growing on it. A pair of leather shoes got wet last Friday, and they need to sit out in the sun to dry, but the sun hasn't come out for long enough yet, and now the shoes are covered in mold. Ugh, the perils of rainy season.
9. Aswan, one of my closest friends for the last six years moved away yesterday. I went to FIVE different goodbye parties for him this week. He's going to South Africa to do church planting training for 5 months followed by 3 months of outreach. Then he'll be moving back to Indonesia (but not Java) to put to practice what he's learned. I'm so excited for all the adventures he'll have and to see what God does through him, but I'd be lying if I said we sent him off without a few tears.
10. Just three hours after Aswan left, our friend Sally gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, Gwenn.
I told Sally she gave me a replacement for Aswan. But she jokingly said, "No. I planned it this way. I waited until Aswan left because I didn't want my baby hanging out with the wrong crowd." Yesterday was such a rollercoaster of emotions as I hugged Aswan goodbye for the last time, not knowing when we'd meet again, then holding baby Gwenn in my arms as we welcomed her to this world. I got to see her meet her big sister for the very first time, and when their dad offered to let big sister hold the baby, she eagerly said, "YES!" quickly followed by, "WAIT! Will she pee on me?"
2016 has been a good year so far. Like really, really good. It's been hectic and emotional (or maybe that's just me). But it's been GOOD. God is at work in lives here, and I'm excited to see what the rest of this year holds!
Me: Awww, I'm sorry! Are you OK?
Student: I'm sad.
Me: Of course. But I think you made a wise decision. And things will get better.
Student: That makes me feel a lot better. Because I know that if you say it, then it's true.
2. A friend of mine recently bought a boarding house in a nearby city. The boarding house is mostly for college students (since most universities don't have dorms on campus), and there was a lady living in a small apartment in the boarding house to manage things. She died in her room (she was quite elderly and had been sick) two weeks ago. The lady was Catholic. My friend who owns the boarding house is Muslim. So my friend asked several of us friends (all Christian) to come pray over the house because as a Muslim, she didn't know how to pray since the deceased was Catholic. She wanted us to pray that the lady's soul found rest and peace (which is what you do in the Muslim faith when someone dies). So we had the opportunity to share with her that true peace can only come from Jesus, and then we walked with her through the boarding house and prayed over the rooms. It was strange being asked to pray for a dead person (which we didn't actually do), but it was neat to get to do a prayer walk through the "home" of so many college students, to pray for peace and knowledge of Christ to fill that place, and to get to pray the Holy Spirit over my friends - because they ASKED us to! (And on a funnier note, before we started praying, my friend who asked us to pray whipped out a bottle of olive massage oil and said, "I... um... brought you some olive oil. I case you, you know... need it to pray. I don't know...")
3. Last week, I sent in my request for an absentee ballot to my home county clerk's office so that I can vote from oversees. I filled out the form, scanned it in, and sent it via e-mail attachment. Yesterday, I got a reply from the clerk's office asking me to select which ballot I want to receive - Republican or Democrat. I was in the middle of doing something when I got the e-mail, so I didn't reply to point out that I had already selected which one I wanted on the form. Then this morning, I had another e-mail from the clerk's office reading, "I am sorry I just seen you wanted a republican ballot." I had mixed feelings about this response.
a) Whew. I don't have to figure out how to politely say I already did that OR re-send in the forms.
b) You are a government official! Who taught you how to speak English?!
c) Aw.... Midwest grammar. Makes me a little bit homesick.
4. Terrorists attacked Jakarta a few short weeks ago. I found out the attack was ongoing while I was sitting in our secondary school's chapel time, about 60 minutes after the attack started. I didn't hear anything the speaker was saying, because I felt such a strong push to intercede. I was praying and refreshing a live news feed on my phone every few minutes. My very first prayer was that no more lives would be lost from that moment on. It seemed like an impossible prayer when all I knew was that multiple terrorists with guns and bombs were going on a rampage in the streets. But I just kept praying those words, over and over. We got reports for a lot of that afternoon of several other bombs being detonated, of shootings happening in other locations, of the body count rising. But the police figured out that those reports were false and were coming from the terrorists themselves, posting on social media just for the sake of creating panic! Later on, when I thought back over the timeline, I realized that from the time I started praying, the only loss of life was on the side of the terrorists as the police attempted to apprehend them. By the end of the day, the body count was 2 victims and 5 terrorists. In what kind of attack is the body count of the attackers higher?! I really believe the hand of God was on Jakarta that day! And while we grieve for the loss of seven lives, as a nation, we recognize how much worse it could have been, and we rejoice that it wasn't.
5. My brother is getting married sometime in the near future!! I won't tell you the date until they make it official - but suffice it to say it will be a bit after the "normal" wedding season since he'll be deployed for a portion of this year. I was worried about being able to be there, since the wedding will take place after our school year starts. But I went and talked over my concerns with my boss, and I was reminded once again of what a great place I work at. It comes with its own stresses and difficulties, for sure. But I have bosses who care about me as a person, and who recognize that sometimes what is best for me isn't what is easiest for them, but they still push me towards what is best. When I talked with my boss, I was really wondering if it would be possible for me to miss 2-3 weeks of school to go home for the wedding. But he had an even better solution. I'm scheduled to be home this summer, so he told me to just stay. To be with my family. To take an extended vacation. Because in the 8 years I've been here, I've never been home for more than 2 months at a time - and I've only ever done that TWICE. So this year, with the recommendation and approval of my boss, I will spend more time on American soil than the last EIGHT YEARS COMBINED! I am very happy to share with you that I will be in the US from the end of May through mid-October!
6. I made one New Year's resolution this year. It was to read more in Indonesian. I tried this awhile ago, but it didn't last because I burned myself out. A few years ago, I tried reading a novel that was just beyond my language ability, and it was frustrating and slow, and for someone who loves reading, that was just not working out for me. I've also tried reading the Bible in Indonesian, but in the past when I've done it, I've always stopped to look up every word I didn't know. So again, that took a huge chunk of time, and I really wasn't getting anything out of the Word because I was spending so much time trying to understand the words. It's been a few years now though, and I'm at the point where outside school (unless I'm with Melanie), I rarely speak English. I've been dreaming in Indonesian, and I've even caught myself praying in Indonesian (if you've ever learned a second language, you'll know how significant that is!). So I decided to give reading in Indonesian another try. I'm doing a chronological one year Bible reading plan on my Bible app on my phone - but in Indonesian. And I also went back to that novel I tried to read a few years ago.
It's a murder mystery, so if you're concerned about why my reading content looks so violent, that's why. Anyways, this time around, I picked it up and read it cover to cover (376 pages) in a week. And I ENJOYED it. I think the big difference this time (besides just having more language) is that I'm not making myself stop to look up every single word I don't know. In the novel, there were actually very few words I didn't know, and those I didn't know, I was able to understand anyways, just based on context. My hope is that by doing this, I will learn even more language, and more formal language. After completing my first novel in Indonesian, I also feel like a whole new world of reading is open to me, because now I can read in TWO languages instead of one!
7. My church does communion the first Sunday of every month. They use communion wafers that have Bible verses printed on them, and our pastor, being the 21st century man that he is, always encourages people to take out their phones, photograph their verses, and share them on social media. Being the rebel that I am, I NEVER do. Until this time.
I didn't even make it past the first four lines the first few times I read it. Dahulu aku muda, sekarang telah menjadi tua... It means, "I was young before, but now I'm old." AAAH! I'm turning 30 this year! This verse was right on time in the worst way possible! Once I got over that though, I finished reading the verse, and then felt much more satisfied in my communion selection.
I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. - Psalm 37:25
8. Thanks to El Niño, we've been having a WAY milder rainy season than normal. It also started very late. I thought our good luck would last all rainy season, but alas, it came out in full force this week. I haven't seen the sun since Monday, and it hasn't stopped raining for more than a few minutes at a time for the last 48 hours. I had a hard time going to sleep more than once this week, because my sheets and blankets all felt damp and cold. And I threw my pillow in the wash this morning because I noticed mold growing on it. A pair of leather shoes got wet last Friday, and they need to sit out in the sun to dry, but the sun hasn't come out for long enough yet, and now the shoes are covered in mold. Ugh, the perils of rainy season.
9. Aswan, one of my closest friends for the last six years moved away yesterday. I went to FIVE different goodbye parties for him this week. He's going to South Africa to do church planting training for 5 months followed by 3 months of outreach. Then he'll be moving back to Indonesia (but not Java) to put to practice what he's learned. I'm so excited for all the adventures he'll have and to see what God does through him, but I'd be lying if I said we sent him off without a few tears.
10. Just three hours after Aswan left, our friend Sally gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, Gwenn.
I told Sally she gave me a replacement for Aswan. But she jokingly said, "No. I planned it this way. I waited until Aswan left because I didn't want my baby hanging out with the wrong crowd." Yesterday was such a rollercoaster of emotions as I hugged Aswan goodbye for the last time, not knowing when we'd meet again, then holding baby Gwenn in my arms as we welcomed her to this world. I got to see her meet her big sister for the very first time, and when their dad offered to let big sister hold the baby, she eagerly said, "YES!" quickly followed by, "WAIT! Will she pee on me?"
2016 has been a good year so far. Like really, really good. It's been hectic and emotional (or maybe that's just me). But it's been GOOD. God is at work in lives here, and I'm excited to see what the rest of this year holds!
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