Watch the Walk

This student was so nervous giving her speech that her friend came up to hold her notes. "Don't be afraid, Mary," said the angel, "for you have found favor with God." "Fear not," said the angel to the shepherds, "For behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people." "Fear not" said the angel as he spoke to Joseph. "Don't be afraid to take Mary as your wife. The baby in her is from the Holy Spirit." As I read the Christmas story this year, this phrase kept hitting me in the face. Now, I'm not exactly a fearful person most of the time. My parents have been known to call me "No-Fear Abby." But there are things that worry me. The future is one. There are elements of my future which I can't really control. Yet, that which is of God is not to be feared. Joshua was told multiple times (by God and by Moses) "Don't be afraid. God is with you." And as much as "perfe...

This week I agreed to teach a couple classes for an islander friend. He's taught a few of my classes when I was off-island, so when the person he'd originally asked to teach for him became unavailable, I agreed to teach. But on one condition: he had to arrange transportation for me. The place where he teaches is a full hour's drive from my town, more if you're taking a bus. Since he has a motorbike, that's no big deal for him to get there. But I don't have a motorbike and don't like the idea of catching a taxi bus at 6 in the morning in order to make it to class on time. So he arranged for a friend to give me a ride. Let me tell you, the back of a motorbike is the best way to see the island. You've got an unobstructed view, can pick your way around a lot of the potholes, and breath the fresh air of the mountains. Take a look at this video of part of the ride: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/56521309/20151221_104228.mp4 It's easy to fo...

An unusually nice piece of road There’s something about riding in an uncomfortable taxi bus that puts me in a poetic mood. I think it makes me more aware of what’s around me: from the body odor wafting from all the people around me, to the cool breeze coming from the window, the natural beauty surrounding me, the sheer drop-offs next to disintegrating roads… and then I put in ear buds and suddenly I’m in a movie with an awesome Christmas soundtrack.  Truly He taught us to love one another His law is love and His gospel is peace Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother And in His name all oppression shall cease.  There’s oppression here, so much of it. The rich get favor from the courts and the poor are left to suffer. Corruption abounds and, as much as people are tired of it (see a popular local song titled “We’re Tired”), they also are resigned to it, because putting down one corrupt person inevitably means another rises up.  O Holy Night makes me think of ...

Photo credit: XKCD.COM Seeing is not always understanding. I see two men arguing and the onlookers laughing slightly. I can easily observe that they're laughing. But why? Are the men not really arguing, they just appear to be? Is this truly humorous? No, islanders often laugh when they're uncomfortable. Last night as I was leaving class, I heard some strange noises and looked over to see a person being held/restrained by two other people. My first thought was that they were attacking the person. No, the person was possessed by an evil spirit and they were protecting the person from harming themselves or others. Seeing is not always understanding. But the longer I'm here, the more I get things. I understand better what's really going on. My friends are more real with me about the way life is. And through understanding I can speak Truth into their lives more effectively.

In language learning, you quickly realize that, while some grammar boxes are the same, others are completely different. It's the same with word meanings. In English we might say that to need and to want are different words. In Clovish (the language of Clove Island) they are the same word. In English we might say that we raise people, plants, and animals. In Clovish we use a different verb for each type of growth. As we learn the language, we create new boxes to understand it better. The same goes for culture. In America, someone telling me what to do when I'm walking down the street would be put in the "rude" box. On Clove Island, it's in the "family/friends" box. Only those who care about you will say things like that. Or the fact that every.single.person asks if I'm married and why I'm not married. I have to consciously take that from the "annoying and rude" box and put it in the "normal and matter of fact" box. People being...

Big fruit bats This is Africa, folks. I was reminded of that quite a few times last month as I was wrapping up vacation and traveling back to Clove Island. I had several foreigners unloading on me about various things they were experiencing that seem to be common to Africa: The customs official they fought with over the definition of "multiple-entry." The corruption that is rampant. People who say they believe one thing and then act in contradiction to that (not limited to Africa, folks). The yes that means no, because you really shouldn't have put me on the spot. Personally, I'm over most of the things, most of the time. It's just some things some of the time that manage to get to me. And there's no real escape. It kinda hit me when I was traveling back from vacation recently. I wasn't all that far from Clove Island. Just a long hop on a large plane and a shorter hop on a smaller plane. But travel is rarely simple despite all that. I arrived at the airpor...

I've taken a bit of a break from blogging, but hopefully this post will end that hiatus. After reading over various post drafts that I started and never finished, here's the one I dusted off and finished to share with you: One of my little friends. On the harder, lonelier days I start thinking. Yes means a thousand no's. My "yes" to being here means I'm not a million other places, yet it's one of the best "yes's" that I've said. I'm here. Not home in Washington. Not with family. Not anywhere else but here. And I have to trust that Gd put me here. Not there. And He's got the whole world in His hands. I've got friends here who I enjoy spending time with. I've got opportunities here which would look different elsewhere. But most of all, I've got peace that this is where I'm supposed to be. And that's the most satisfying bit. Last week a friend came to talk with me after class and share what was going on in her lif...