Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee O Israel: advent reflections on another mass shooting

I am a bit of a news junkie. I have two news sources/sites that I check nearly daily, and another two that I read about once a week. World news, national news, local news- I cover it all. My phone often gives me breaking news banners from several of those sites, so the headlines are often one of the first things I see in the morning. This week I felt so frustrated, discouraged, and angry when I woke up to yet another US shooting in the headlines. They're becoming so common that we can't keep track, that we are no longer shocked, and we are growing numb.

This past week was also the start of the advent season, my favorite time of year. Every morning I sing and listen to one of my all time favorite songs, O Come, O Come, Emmanuel. It is a song of crying out, but also a song of hope. I won't pretend to have any idea where to start with the gun problem in the United States- and it is a problem that we cannot continue to ignore. When I look at it, it feels irreversible and overwhelming. I want to give up. I want to raise a fist in anger at the lack of mental health care or at policies that freed terrorism. But then I sing:

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee O Israel! 

Rejoice. Rejoice not because all is well in the world, not because the news headlines are cheerful, not because we know that the road ahead is easy. Rejoice because Emmanuel. God with us. Rejoice because the beginning of the story is Jesus and the end of the story is Jesus. Rejoice because our God is real, he is alive, and he is with us. 

The shootings are tragic. The terrorism is tragic. The wars and ongoing conflicts are tragic. They are heartbreaking and angering and just plain sad. There is not a continent or nation, a color or people, who are not affected. The world is unjust; it spews violence and hatred. There are no words to make that go away. But in the midst of it we cling to God With Us. In the midst of it we rejoice because there is One who has come and paid our ransom while we are yet in mourning. In the midst of it we have hope because the Son of God came first as a baby, then grew and gave his life for us. In the midst of it we sing because we know he will come again. 

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

and ransom captive Israel,

that mourns in lonely exile here

until the Son of God appear. 

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel 

shall come to thee O Israel!

An expat staycation

One of the great advantages of being an expat is the travel. Singapore for the weekend. Tropical beach just because. China for spring break. Michigan in the summer. But that can have a downside too, namely that whenever you have time off, you are on the road so you never get to just "be" at home. This past week I spent my spring break at home. And it was glorious. Lazy mornings in my own bed. Dinners with friends. A baseball game or two. A haircut. A pedicure. A massage. Afternoons spent with friends who will be leaving in June. A book no longer waiting to be read.  A seafood lunch with a non-teacher friend I just don't see often enough. And at the end of the week my body is rested, my house is clean, and my laundry is done. I do love to travel, and can't wait for my adventures in June and July, but it does feel pretty nice to have just lived life at home for the past week and not need to unpack and resettle and recover from vacation. 

Maundy: A new commandment

Maybe this sounds a bit weird, but my favorite church service of the year at my home church, Knox, is Maundy Thursday. I love their service of shadows. I like the way it's dark and hushed and solemn as we prepare for Gethsemane. I like how Communion is done in family, in community. I like its sense of reverence and reflection. I miss it.  At one point this winter I was actually considering flying home for spring break this year,  and having it coincide with Holy Week and a Maundy Thursday trip to Knox had crossed my mind. 

There is a church here that I like to visit for Maundy Thursday, a small Anglican church downtown that flat out wins the prize for best church building in the city. It's old, small, traditional, beautiful. The liturgy is not what I am used to, but I don't mind, and in some ways, I enjoy that every word is crafted, considered, and heavy with meaning. It fits the day somehow. Last night, I particularly enjoyed what the Vicar (I do believe that is the first time in you life I have ever used that word in context, not such an American one!) had to say- intellectual, biblical, Christ centered, and thought provoking. 

Maundy, apparently, means command or mandate, as in Jesus' words to the disciples, a new command I give to you, that you love one another. He spoke about washing feet, about service and love, about abiding, about being willing to just receive it all- how we are always trying to do things for Jesus instead of receive Jesus. He spoke about allowing Jesus to care for us so that we can care for others. In many ways, not anything earth shattering. But it all frames differently for me under the title Commandment Thursday and I'm left wondering a bit how I could get this far without knowing what it meant. There are a lot of funny words floating around churches, I guess I just chalked it up to being a funny church word and moved on. 

Being challenged to both let Jesus wash our feet and then to go and do likewise looks a lot different as a mandate. We all know the line in Jesus' reply, that if Peter doesn't allow his feet to be washed than he has no part with Jesus, but how often do I see it as a command to receive? To receive in prayer, receive in the Word, receive in the vulnerability that says to someone else, I need help. I'm a picky person, and nothing makes me pickier than needing help. In Jesus we have a High Priest who helps us in our weakness, and often he helps us by the people he puts in our lives, if we are willing to receive. 

It's easy to receive, to abide in him, in church. It gets a bit harder when we walk out the door. Or before we walk in it. My week off had not been going to plan. Instead of spending my time resting and socializing and rejuvenating, I'd been just trying to keep it together. In the hours immediately preceding church I was busy beating myself up for not being able to find the restaurant my friend and I were going to eat at before church, leading to a hot sticky walk down streets with which I was not very familiar and then a rushed dinner at a different restaurant and last hurried scramble to get to church on time. Anything that goes wrong in Bangkok in April is made worse by the oppressive heat and humidity that envelop the city, sticking to your pores like glutinous rice in a toddler's hair. It's a small price to pay for missing the Polar Vortex, I know, but it's obnoxious all the same. 

So it was nice to walk under the arches of the airconditioned and stained glass church at 7:02, already a few lines into the service, and hear the words Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name, and shortly after be commanded by Jesus to receive, to abide, to serve, and to love. As we reflected on Jesus' last hours with his disciples, it was good to be reminded that the work was already done, his body broken and his blood spilled, and to be directed to simply receive it, receive him, and then go and love as he loves us. 

And now you prepare a table for us offering us not just bread and wine but your very self, so that we may be filled, forgiven, healed, blessed and made new again. 

NYE in Bangkok

Normally, I like a pretty quiet NYE: dinner at home with friends, a toast at midnight, and off to bed. Last year I had a great barbecue dinner on the beach with my mom and Matt and then we watched the fireworks off the coast of Koh Chang. Mike and Sara chose to spend New Years in Bangkok where we had dinner at the restaurant of Thailand's newest celebrity chef, which did not disappoint. We rang in the new year from the rooftop of a nearby hotel where we could see some of the fireworks going off across the city. A memorable night to be sure! 

NYE dinner part 1 

Part 2 

Merry Christmas from Thailand!

Christmas Eve dinner at The Local (BKK folks, I highly recommend it!) 

King's birthday

Today is the king's birthday, and thus also Father's Day in Thailand. It's a beautiful day when Thais honor their beloved king, and it's also a well timed day off in the midst of a busy season at work. Today I enjoyed a lazy day with a friend. Last night we relaxed with wine and chocolate and a Christmas movie and then today we went for brunch. We shared two delicious dishes that didn't require me to eat again for about 7 hours. 

Our Huevos Racheros 

Cranberry and cream cheese stuffed French toast. And yes, that is vanilla ice cream on the side. 

Thanksgiving Picture

This is what Thanksgiving in Bangkok looks like. I am thankful for these friends to spend the day with! 

Thanksgiving

I'll be honest, I think thanksgiving might be my least favorite expat holiday. It's rare that I actually "do" thanksgiving abroad, in part because it's tricky to get it close enough so I usually don't try. In lucky years, I have had the traditional four day weekend, whether in Argentina or here last year, and have been able to go to the beach. Thanksgiving at the beach is a nice substitute. 

But this year I am quite excited about my thanksgiving. There will be turkey and all the proper foods and beverages to go with it and a group of friend for whom I am truly thankful. Although it would be nice to have a parade to watch this morning, or to be at my Grampa's house with my family tonight! I am super thankful that we get the day off even in Thailand, and that I have my Thai 'family' here to celebrate with. And also, no snow. I am thankful that there is no snow or chance of snow. 

Wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving, and sending hugs to those who have experienced deep loss in the past month or so. Praying that God's comfort would surround you this season. 

Refresh and renew

I love watching what God is up to.  Healed bodies.  Healed hearts.  Healed relationships.  Calling some to live, others to stay, some to go, and others home.  Maybe the coolest thing about the work God does in us is that he does it, not us. We don't get to take any credit.  I am constantly inspired by the lives around me here- to live more fully, give more generously, love more completely.  And rest more deeply. 

One more day of work until our long Songkran (Thai New Year) break.  A few days in Hong Kong, a few in Shanghai, and few in Beijing. Planes, trains, automobiles, and ferries in between.  Ten days to refresh and renew my heart and mind, to stand in awe of God's creation, to take a break from my work, to talk with a friend who love to talk deep thoughts.  My favorite kind. 

I look forward to how God will show up and show himself. 

Koh Chang New Year's

My mom arrived around midnight on the 28th and 11 hours later we were on our way to Koh Chang in the Gulf of Thailand for a few days of sun and relaxation and NYE fireworks.  We had a lovely time in the sun and sand and water.  Our second day we went to two different waterfalls in the interior of the island where we were able to swim in the amazing chilly pools below them.  We rung in the New Year watching fireworks on the beach and then headed back to Bangkok on the 1st.  Definitely a wonderful and memorable New Year! Happy 2013!

Reading on the porch of our beachfront bungalow before heading to breakfast.

Sunset on the Gulf of Thailand

Swimming at the first waterfall.

The second waterfall.

With Mom before heading home.

Mom and Matt

A Cambodian Christmas

Well, Matt and I enjoyed a lovely 6 days in Cambodia.  We had a great time on our trip to the wildlife center outside of Phnom Penh, and were also able to visit the S-21 prison before we left town. It was sobering and disturbing, as any genocide museum should be.  We headed north to Siem Reap on a boat, which turned out to be a very interesting and windy journey, though not wholly unpleasant.  It offered great views into Cambodian life and a mild sunburn. 

In Siem Reap we took a cooking class that was very fun and delicious, and surprisingly inexpensive.  We also hoped on bikes one evening and rode south of town where a 14 year old boy rode up along side us, tried to chat with us in English, and invited himself along when we stopped along the river for a drink at a small "bar" which was really just a house on stilts that would give us a beverage to drink and a place to sit, watching the sun set over the rice fields.  It was beautiful, completely off the tourist track, and we loved it.  Our second day we rose early to catch Angkor Wat at sunrise (I was quite excited by the cool morning and chance to be COLD for a short bit) and then pedal around to a few other temples until we got tired and returned to town.  Matt got the World's Crappiest Bike which was tough to ride and his sandals broke part way through the morning, making for a less than ideal day, but I hope he enjoyed it anyway.

We got a great guesthouse recommendation from a friend and had a great pool to splash around in each evening after the hot days.  We also ate incredibly well the entire time we were in the country. We celebrated Christmas Eve with a nice Italian dinner and a bottle of wine before heading back to Phnom Penh on Christmas Day.  Being our last night in PP, we returned for my favorite Happy Hour $2 mojito as a predecessor to a Vietnamese Christmas dinner.  On our final day we headed to the Killing Fields, which was an extremely well done memorial to the victims of the genocide and highly recommended for anyone visiting Cambodia. 

We enjoyed great shopping and fantastic food and left the country with $8 between us :) 

S-21 prison- as a former school, is eerily like ICS

Life along the river

Making Lok Lak

Sunset at the rice fields

Bayon @ Angkor

Matt at Ta Prohm, bah, can't rotate here

Thanksgiving in southern Thailand

Breakfast view of Railay East

It was a beautiful weekend at Railay Beach, despite some rain- I think when you're at a place like Railay, every weekend is a beautiful weekend.  My pictures really don't capture it. I had planned to take a million pictures and just use the best ones. But then I forgot to charge my camera, so 12 photos in, the battery died.  Arg. But it was a great trip anyway.  

The rock where we climbed

 After getting up well before the butt crack of dawn on Thursday morning to fly to Krabi, we arrived at our hotel at around 10am and took a nice nap, followed by more naps and reading and lounging on the beach for the afternoon.  It was a rough Turkey Day, but someone's gotta do it.

Railay West beach

 Railay Beach is known for it's jutting rocks and a wide range of excellent rock climbing that attracts professional climbers from all over the world. And also people like me.  So after a lazy Friday morning, we spent the afternoon climbing- there are plenty of climbing schools that cater to beginners, though there weren't as many beginner routes. 

Railay West

 Rock climbing turned out to be a very humbling experience for me. Many activities you can complete, even if you're not very good at them (like me and bowling) but with rock climbing, at a certain point, I'm hanging out up there, dripping sweat from every pore, gripping with my toes and holding on for dear life, cursing the rock to which I cling and trying to keep the tears from showing to those down below, and I just have to give up and come down.  To me, it's really not scary. I don't mind the height and I learned quite quickly that when I fall off, I'm not going to fall at all.  But it definitely puts me up against my physical limitations (sorry, but even if I can wedge my toe into that crevice by my hip, I'm not going to be able to stand up on that foot) and my emotional limitations (I don't think many other people were crying on the rock or fighting back tears every time they failed and had to admit defeat).  I hung in there and kept trying as long as my hands were capable to following the signals sent by my brain, and once they quit functioning I just watched while my friend kept climbing.  I have a lot more to process about the whole experience, and I'm sure it will turn into a blog post of its own eventually.

I loved the look of these boats, which we took to and from the peninsula (it's not really land accessible) though getting out onto them is somewhat of an adventure.

 After climbing we had a great dinner and watched a fire show at a bar along the beach.  Lots of beach places in Thailand have fire shows, and this one was by far the worst either of us had ever seen.  It was pretty comical and when they took a short break half way we just had to look at each other and left. 

This beachside bar made me think of Pirates of the Caribbean

 Saturday we were hoping to do a bit of exploring at a cave/beach nearby and then kayak in the afternoon before our evening flight back to Bangkok.  The cave and beach areas were stunning and I only wish my camera had been working. We liked that area so much that we gave up the kayak idea, checked out of the hotel and headed to spend our last afternoon on the beach. 

Beautiful, even in low tide.

 Sadly the rain hit not long after we got there and cut that time short. We got absolutely drenched in the monsoon walking back, which would have been fine except we'd left our bags at reception so we'd taken all our valuables with us- phones, camera, wallets and passports.  Oh well, the passport dried...

Ready to climb!

 I do have to say that though I love exploring all these tropical beaches (and they are fabulous!) I am still a Great Lakes Girl at heart. I still don't like the stickiness of the salt water after a swim or the fear of creatures in the water.  I am always surprised by the sting of the water in any cuts I have or the pricklies you can get from the little ocean mites or whatever those things are.  And I do miss the long stretches of amazing sand along Lake Michigan or the crash of the waves that you don't always get here. 

Very busy with climbers

 Overall it was a fabulous 3 days to completely disconnect from life here and spend time just being.  I managed to read The Help, which I've been wanting to do for years (though I do need a buy a new copy of it, since the copy I had borrowed from someone was in my bag during the drenching) and practice being more confident with my Thai. One of my highlights was definitely chatting with the climbing guides in Thai once I was done and just watching.

Getting ready to go up.

My friend climbing. And then the camera battery died :( So sad.

If I can't spend Thanksgiving at the Ancestral Home, I suppose this is a pretty good substitute :)

Playing Songkran!

First, my apologies that I don't have any action shots.  Impossible to take pictures in the midst of having buckets of water dumped on you. But hopefully these shots from the breaks in the action will give you a feel for things :)

I headed out in the back of a pickup truck with the directors from the program where I teach English, along with their family and some of the kids that we work with.  They rented a second truck to pick up a bunch more kids.  At times we had 2 adults, 7 kids and two large tubs of water in the back of the not-extended-cab truck.  Needless to say I'm a bit sore and bruised today!

I had a great time though!  We drove around with buckets, sponges, and water guns to help us get the water from the big tubs onto the people we passed by. There were frequent spots where people on the side of the road had water guns, hoses, and buckets of their own and that was when the greatest fun ensued.  Many people (including us) put ice in their water because hose water is just so warm here- yesterday had temps in the high 90's with a heat index soaring above 100.

The other crazy part is that there is this powder that they mix with the water and smear all over people.  It seemed to me that the drunker the people, the more into the powder they were.  Their favorite thing to do with it is rub it directly on you, especially your face and their favorite targets were the farangs (foreigners) of which we had several.  Some areas downtown have massive Songkran fights where it is wall to wall people with water guns and balloons and heaps of the sticky powder (and cheap beer of course)- and close access to rub it on you- I think I'll stay away from there thanks. 

All in all it was a great way to spend a searing hot day and probably the longest I've been out in the Thai sun since I got here.  Even my SPF waterproof sunscreen couldn't keep my nose from getting pink.  Today my goal is to stay mostly dry.  A few water squirts are okay, but hopefully no large buckets of ice water over the head... gotta stay alert and in taxis!

Our team ready to head out!  Moments after this picture I was soaked :)

We stopped to refill the water tubs at a friend's house.

The one lying in wait for me with the gun has a 75% chance of landing in my math class next year... revenge will be mine!

We stopped for snacks and ice with the other truck we rented.

Math student and English student- love these girls!

Songkran: Bangkok's mass exodus

Tomorrow is a big day- it's the first day of my spring break and the first day of the Thai Festival Songkran.  The article will give you some information, but this is what I have gleaned so far about Songkran:

• It is the traditional Thai New Year, though their official New Year has been moved to January 1. 
• It's the biggest holiday of the year and lasts for 3 days, April 13-15.
• It is a time when people return home to be with their families, especially people who live and work in Bangkok but come from the provinces. 
• As such, Bangkok empties out- no traffic!  Several of the food vendors on my street have already closed shop.  
• It's a time when people show respect to their elders.  In an assembly on Tuesday, students came and poured scented water on the palms of the teachers to show respect.  
• Timed towards the end of the hot season, it's a water festival and many Buddha statues are washed, along with some other public buildings/places. 
• It's advertised as people "gently splashing a bit of water on each other" but it's really an all out whole country water fight.  
• If I want to leave my apartment this weekend, I need to put my phone/camera/money etc. into ziplock bags, as I could get splashed or sprayed at any time. 
• In Bangkok, they also like to douse you in talculm powder, creating a white muddy mess. 
• There are certain areas where there are big water fights, where people go to "play Songkran".  

Primarily, I hope to stay away from Songkran and make it from my apartment to the taxi and then the taxi to wherever I am going without getting wet.  But, I also figure I need to experience the festival to some degree as I'll probably travel for most Songkran breaks (whereas this year I am staying in Bangkok).   Tomorrow, though, I will join Nak Suu kids and staff when they go to one of the communities where the kids live and play Songkran.  I can't stay for too long (I need to get back to grocery shop and make dinner for friends who just had a baby) so I hope there is a bus in that community- taxi's aren't too keen to pick people up after they've had their Songkran fun :)

I'll do my best to take some pictures of the craziness!

Resurrection Reflections

Easter is not the most poetic Christian holiday of the year, nor is it the most widely celebrated. Christmas takes the distinction on both those counts.  But Easter is the most important day of the year, dare I say, the most important day in history.  For me, unlike Christmas, there is no 'one way' I celebrate Easter.  I know, shocking... thirty-some odd Easters and I don't have a right way yet.  There are years that I observe lent, and years I don't.  Years that I attend church on Thursday, Friday and Sunday, and years I only get there on Sunday. There are years that I am greeted with He is Risen! followed by He is Risen Indeed! and a hearty rendition of "Christ the Lord is Risen todaaay, Haaaaaaaaaleluiah!".  There have been years I've been to Easter Vigil and times I've gotten up for sunrise service.  Sometimes it's 30 degrees and others it's 90 (and that's just in Michigan!).  I've spent Easter Sunday in the Detroit area, in Holland (MI), Prague, Buenos Aires, and now Bangkok. 

But one thing that strikes me across all the different settings and services and menus and temperatures is an awe that death has been defeated.  That truth and justice and righteousness have won.  I am one of those terrible people who reads the last page of a book, just to make sure that it all ends well before I start reading. With Harry Potter in particular, I needed to know that the right team was going to win. If I were a Lord of the Rings fan, I'm sure I'd be the same way with those. 

You see, I can handle the battles, the ups and downs, the scars and struggles and wins and losses, as long as I know that in the end, Light is going to win, that when it's all said and done Darkness will be defeated.  Easter is both the turning point of history, and the end of the story, the last page in the book.  When Christ rose from the dead, Darkness lost.  When Christ rose, justice was restored, the world was made right. 

What we're living right now, these days of triumph and tragedy, of trials and temptations and turbulence, these are the pages of the book.  And they can be scary pages indeed.  But I keep reading, they are worth reading, because I have had a glimpse at the last page, because I have seen that these moments are worth living because Righteousness Reigns and evil is defeated once and for all.  The beauty of Easter is that the defeat is tense-less: it is past and present and future.  Christ rose over 2000 years ago, he is risen today, and he will come again to rule in all his splendor and majesty.  The beauty of Easter is that it is the moment in time that makes all the other moments worth living.

Nail Pierced Hands

May I just state for the record that I am in bed under three blankets with fleece pajamas on and my fingers and nose are numb?  It's 5am and I can't sleep- no it ain't Santa Claus, it's my new friend jet lag. 

Aside from being cold and tired most of the time, it has been a wonderful few days in Michigan.  I've been able to catch up with friends and hug my siblings and eat home cooked meals and was even able to send a salad back and get a new one on account of it being covered in white dressing.  It's the little things in life. 

I'm not quite sure how the birth of Jesus turned into winter and snow and presents and trees and family dinner and candlelight services, but we'll have fun with all those things today, except maybe for snow, which has yet to make an appearance.  Last week as I was reading the Christmas story out of Luke as part of my Advent readings, I was also finishing up the book of Matthew as part of my regular daily readings- the birth juxtaposed against the crucifixion- and it was rather intriguing.  Many times I think when we read about Christ's birth we read it in its humble context, but coming in contrast to his last few hours, Jesus' first few hours took on a rather regal quality.  I was struck not by the simplicity of the surroundings or the poverty of his parents, but by the majesty of the announcement and the reverence of the visitors.  In him was life, and this life was the light of men. 

There is something to be said for putting our main emphasis on Jesus' humble beginnings, but I am wondering if maybe sometimes we pay so much attention to the fact that there was no room in the inn, that we miss the activity of the cosmos, the grandeur of the heavenly hosts, the glittering wealth of the gold (for royalty), frankincense (for Priests) and myrrh  (a prophetic burial spice).  At Easter time we talk about the triumphal procession into Jerusalem as showing Jesus' majesty- but to me palm branches and a ride on a donkey pale in comparison to unknown stars appearing or a company of angels singing praises. No wonder Herod was scared. 

We celebrate Christ's birth today, not so much because he was born, but because he died.  We give gifts in honor of the greatest gift, the sacrifice of the Son of God.  We live not because of how the story started, but because of how it ended.  As we peer into the manger scene today, as we gaze longingly with the shepherds at this miracle birth, may we see also the crown of thorns, the nail pierced hands, and the empty tomb. 

All I Want For Christmas

I have to confess, this post comes directly from other missionaries at my home church in Ann Arbor.  Their post on the subject re-stirred something in me that I have felt for some time, and also gave me the great link I'll include further down. I also want to say that I wrote this post mostly for myself, mostly to remind myself of just how rich I really am...

It's very easy in this season of giving (and getting) to feel like we don't have very much.  We easily focus on what we don't have or would like to be able to afford to give to our families.  And even though I see the Black Friday pictures of people walking out of Walmart at midnight with 3 gigantic TV's and think, I would never be so obsessed we all still do it in our own ways.  Every year families go into debt in order to buy their children happiness or prove their love or friendship.  Every year after Christmas, after receiving a large collection of gifts, we go back to the stores to take advantage of the after-Christmas sales, because- we still don't have enough.

You can click on this link to the Global Rich List to see where you fall globally based on your annual income.  A missionary salary puts me in the top 10%.  And that's just salary, it doesn't include the health insurance benefits or other benefits that come with my job- both financial and otherwise.  What do I give up to serve abroad?  Not much.  Even in Argentina, where my small stipend didn't even qualify me to pay US taxes, I was in the top 14% worldwide.  I have traveled to and visited a host of countries.  I have a helper that cleans my house for me once per week.  I can afford to buy special treats at the expensive grocery store full of imported foods (there aren't many foods I have to go without here).  I work and sleep in AC every day.  I have more food than I can eat and more clothes than I can wear.  I get to learn languages and interact with people from many different cultures. I have a safe and comfortable home. I have resources beyond imagination.  I am rich. 

I think it is especially easy for missionaries to think that we are "poor" simply because we often have less than expats in the corporate and diplomatic communities, but the truth is, we still have more than just about everyone in the countries where we serve (with the exceptions of those who serve in the US and Western Europe I would think).  Our definition of "less" is still far more than most of the world's definition of "more".  It's an easy trap to fall into- no matter how much we have there is always someone who has more.  But you don't have to look around very hard or read many news stories to see that we actually have far more than we need- even in comparison to many Americans. 

Perhaps this Christmas, as we pause to celebrate the gift of God's Son to the world, we can also consider how we can be Christ's hands and feet in that same world today.  Heifer International and World Vision have some great ways for us to do that!   Not sure what to get the person who has everything (or the person who has to fit everything into a suitcase)?  Try a goat or a chicken...

Celebrating Small Victories

I remember that in my first "cultural transition training" in Buenos Aires we were told to 'celebrate the small victories', meaning take pride in the things we are able to do that may seem small, but are actually great victories in the world of cultural transition.  So today, I am going to take this moment to celebrate some small victories from my day:

• My mimio pen (the electronic pen I use to write on my electronic white board) stopped working today in the middle of class and I was able to fix it all by myself.  Usually, an event like this would necessitate a consult with another math teacher, or an email to IT, at the very least. 
• I found the medical clinic without getting lost.  Not even one bit.
• I successful went to my appointment without messing up the system.  Helps that it was a British one-doc clinic instead of a massive Thai hospital, but still, we're sticking with small victories here people.  
• I got blood drawn. I confess, this has nothing to do with transition, it's just a personal victory anytime I let them suck my blood.  
• I rode a moto-taxi by myself in a skirt (side saddle) without falling off. Does it matter that I was holding on for dear life like a maniac? No. 
• I caved in a bought a "Christmas tree".  It's fake.  But I suppose it had to be, seeing as there just aren't many evergreens around here.  I got a few lights (need more) and a few ornaments (need more of those too) and got it put up while listening to Luciano Pavarotti belt out Noel and Ave Maria and other favorites on LP.  
• The taxi driver on the way home (I couldn't very well get on the bus with my tree) complimented my Thai.  For real.  Now, all I'd really told him was where I was going and where to turn and stop and such, but still, this was perhaps the greatest victory of the day.  In Argentina, I frequently heard that my pronunciation was very clear, and I'm beginning to hear that here as well. I hope this makes up for my lack of correct tones all the time and for using the wrong words here and there...

The picture didn't come out wonderfully, but here's my little tree all aglow.

Advent

Advent: a coming into place, view, or being; arrival. 

I love the season of advent, the season where Jesus comes into place and into view, where the New Covenant comes into being.  When I was young, our family had a daily advent wreath that we lit each night at dinner when we prayed.  We also had a huge advent banner that we hung on the living room wall, adding one piece each week to the picture of Joseph leading Mary into Bethlehem on the donkey.  On Christmas Eve, we placed a star above the little scene of Bethlehem.  This was our favorite part, and every year we fought over who got to put the star on.  I loved the flickering lights of the advent wreath, lit up in a cold Michigan winter.  I loved the prayers we said as we watched for the coming of the King.  I loved placing those felt figures on the wall banner, watching Bethlehem come into view, and then that final star.  

I miss those things now.  I miss that daily reminder that we are preparing our hearts for the coming of the King. I miss the candles and the gradual build up to Christmas, not to shopping and gifts and parties, but to celebrating Christ's birth.  I've bought my own advent candles in some recent years, and lit them in the morning or if I was at home for dinner, but it's not the same as gathering around the table and quieting our hearts together.  


And I know that advent lies more in our hearts than in wreaths or candles or banners.  Advent is more a season of the heart than a season of traditions or rituals, but for me, many times those traditions help me focus my heart.  I'm not quite sure how I'm going to celebrate advent this year, in a place where the fan I keep running constantly would blow out the candles (and it's hard to find the right type of candles in the right colors, even in the States!), where I haven't got a banner or even a calendar of chocolates (I did win one in a white elephant exchange on Thursday, but it got taken from me) to help me stay focused.  I know that for me advent will include, as always, a close examination of the events surrounding Jesus' birth, and of the prophesies that foretold it.  I know that it will include a thousand and one playings of O Come, O Come Emmanuel and some good heart reflection.  But I'd like to find something else to help me in this pursuit, this meditation on the coming into place, view, or being, on the arrival of the King of kings.  


O Come O Come Emmanuel
And ransom captive Isreal
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appears

Rejoice!  Rejoice! 
Emmanuel shall come to thee
O Isreal

A Thai Thanksgiving

I can vividly remember the first time I went "home for the holidays"- Thanksgiving 1999, my freshman year in college.  We sailed south on US-23 until it splits with M-14 and came around the curve by Barton Drive, you know the curve, right?  The one right before you cross the Huron River.  As we came around the curve, my favorite view of Ann Arbor came into sight: downtown lit up, with the Christmas tree made out of lights on the roof of the one building.  My heart was home for the holiday. 

Last year I had the privilege of going to real Thanksgiving with my family in Michigan, but for the three years prior I was in Argentina.  My first year I celebrated with a large group of friends from school and church at the beach.  It was wonderful, but it wasn't Thanksgiving, you know? I'm big on traditions when it comes to the holidays.  My family is pretty big on traditions, and I generally lead the charge.  No one messes with certain things, with watching the Thanksgiving Day Parade, with tree ornament placement, with roast beast and yorkshire pudding, with Log, or December Dim Sum.  My last two years in Argentina I didn't actually "celebrate" Thanksgiving, and I'm okay with that. When it's 80 degrees out, you don't miss the turkey.  When it's just another Thursday to the world/culture around you, you don't feel left out for not being with your family.  Sometimes, if I think about my family being together, I miss it, but since it doesn't actually feel like Thanksgiving here, it doesn't really bother me that much to be gone. 

That said, I'm going to give Thanksgiving Abroad another shot tomorrow (I am calling it Thai Thanksgiving or Thanksgiving Abroad to appease my friend, who insists that I stop calling it Fake Thanksgiving).  I am confident that I will have a great time. I am confident that the food will be delicious.  I am less confident that it will be Thanksgiving. But that's okay. 

No proper Thanksgiving blog post would be complete without giving thanks at least a little, so here's my list.  I am thankful for...

• A God whose Love Will Find Me, even when my home is on the far side of the sea.
• A family who loves me enough to give me 'freedom to fly' and pursue God's calling in my life. 
• Friends- in the US, Argentina, Thailand, and scattered throughout the world who love me, support me, pray for me, and make me laugh.
• Music and the way it has inspired me and soothed me and ministered to me recently. 
• Little tiny Thai oranges that melt in your mouth. 
• A great job and a wonderful boss- I am quite confident that he is the best boss I will ever have in my life. And I am not the only one of his teachers who thinks that. 
• Life in a school and in a country where I can freely speak of the Good News of Jesus Christ, where I am allowed and even encouraged to let my primary passion bleed into every corner of my life.  
• Air Conditioning, even in Bangkok's "cool" season. 
• That there has never been a day in my life where I have known hunger or homelessness or poverty or the devastating affects of natural disaster.