Worth Noting

1. This morning, I registered for my final three classes.
2. Yesterday and today it rained for the first time since I have been here. There was even some thunder. :)

The Power of the Word

I just got back a few hours ago from my monthly visa run. This one was much shorter and easier than the last one for which I am very thankful. The Father was so gracious to open doors for His Word to be shared. I went with my teammate and another guy from our group. He is more advanced in the language so he was able to share the Good News with several of the men God placed in our path. While we were waiting for our train at the train station, he shared the story of Zaccheus (Luke 19:1-9). A large crowd gathered while he was telling the story. It was quite the scene and drew the attention of the guards who came and chased everyone away...but not before he finished telling the story and handing out tracts. :)

Yesterday, marked the ninth year since I came to know Christ. You can read about it here: http://livinlifeinromans7.blogspot.com/2008/03/o-praise-one-who-paid-my-debt.html.

The Lord has been so gracious in helping me adjust to the culture and language. Getting used to a completely different culture should be a lot harder than it has been, but like I said, God is so gracious. My ability to communicate continues to grow by God's grace. I still cannot say much in regards to the Good News but I am working toward that goal. I thought of a few ways today how I can learn a short way to present the Way to others and I am so excited to talk to my language teacher about them.

Jesus has also been gracious in allowing me to sense His presence and nearness. When I hear about and see the things He is doing, it is like watching the Scriptures come to life. A few weeks ago, we had a volunteer team visit us at the Center. We invited the girls' moms to hear them talk about health as well as share the Good News. Several of the mothers came. As the volunteers shared the Way, the air was thick with God's presence. He was working mightily through His Word! A few of the women said they believed what they heard and all of them said that they would ask God to give them wisdom about what they heard. Some of them have been attending the weekly fellowship at the Center to learn more. Please lift up these women and ask the Father to open their eyes to the glory of Christ!

God's Word has been working mightily in me personally as well. The Holy Spirit has helped me see things and make connections in Scripture that I never had before...and it is so exciting! Most of all, the Father is helping me to grow in my love for Christ more and more. Anything I might have to endure here is nothing compared to knowing Him. Oh how I want my life to display His glory!

Selections Since the Last Post

A lot has happened since my last post. My visa run did not go according to plan (well, our plan anyway) - two of my three flights were cancelled, I had a little trouble with immigration leaving the country and my plans of engaging the culture fell through - BUT God is so gracious and His fingerprints were all over my trip. He gave me grace with officials, provided me with women to hang around and gave me some time with Him. One of the highlights from the trip was meeting a girl from Sweden who was doing a visa run like me. I hope to see her again soon.

I am now safely and happily back "home." Yesterday, I received a package from my mom. The post office in itself was a cultural experience but I was so excited to get a package. She sent me some chocolate (mmm...American chocolate!), bug lotion, make-up (a few thoughts on that below), a Valentine's gift and a few other things. My mom is so sweet. She wrapped everything in newspaper so I got to catch up on my hometown news as well. hehe

Beauty: My mom is big into Avon and is always buying me a little something from their magazine. I am very thankful for this. I wear make-up (though not so much here) and like to do so, but it is not high enough on my priority list to buy myself. So you can thank my mom for making the world a better place by providing her daughter with make-up (because there are some days when it is a necessity!). The ladies here wear make-up as well, although, in my opinion, I don't think they need it. Below is a picture of one of the ladies God has brought into my path. We had her over for tea (or at least our poor attempt to make it the national way). When she saw this picture, her reaction was: "I'm so dark," which is the opposite of my reaction: "I'm so white." It's all about perspective. The idea of beauty is all about perspective as well. In this county, the lighter you are, the prettier you are. In America, the opposite is true: the darker you are, the prettier you are (proven by our tanning beds and fake-tan products). I am convinced that the standard of beauty for a culture is based on what is hardest for that culture to achieve.

Health: Eating healthy is so hard here. Most things are fried or cooked in oil and whole grain food is virtually nonexistant, so today I tried my hand at making homemade granola from a recipe I found online. It was a little bit of a challenge finding the things the recipe called for at the store, but after some tweaking, I made my first batch. It turned out pretty good if I don't say so myself.