Watch the Walk

Learning a new rhythm Draw up a chair, grab your favorite coffee, or tea, or beverage of choice: it's story time. Once upon a time there was a girl named Abby. Now, this girl liked to do a lot of things, but she especially liked to go on adventures. And one cold January she went on an adventure to another part of the continent she'd been living on for a couple of years. It was a new part of the continent, but similar in a lot of ways to where she had been living. She discovered good coffee. And we all know how important quality coffee is. She discovered fun music. And we all know how much she enjoys new musical pursuits. She discovered a new language. It was new to her, at least. Making mint tea over a charcoal fire She discovered new friends. And we all love to have new friends whose hearts burn for the same things. She discovered new food. And food is important for life and relationships. And most of all, she discovered that she really likes where she lives most of the time, ...

A few days ago I hopped/flew/teleported from the southern hemisphere to the northern hemisphere. It's been awhile since I obtained any real distance from the equator, however, so the shock has been rather huge. For starters, it's summer back home on Clove Island. That means heat, humidity, and a downpour when the humidity and heat get too high. I wouldn't even consider wearing long sleeves, let alone socks in weather like that. And a coat? That would be insanity. Yet here it's 60 degrees out and I'm freezing. This type of freezing reminds me of a camping trip my family went on to Three Creek Lake in Oregon-- we woke up in the morning to find an inch of ice in the water buckets! Now recognize that my body hasn't experienced true cold in over two years, and that the houses here aren't really heated, and you might understand why my back is stiff from the cold and my fingers have a strange propensity towards going numb. I'm currently wearing a shirt, two swe...

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...