London

London is expensive.

And far less entertaining when you are sleep deprived.

And let’s not forget expensive. We used our personal money, so it didn’t cut into our missions budget, but still- SHOCKING.


Most of what we did- seeing Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace, the London Eye & the River Thames, gazing at architecture, listening to accents, eavesdropping, taking pictures- that was all free.


Two passes on the Underground (subway), one museum, storage of our carry-ons for one day, and some carrots and pineapple from a grocery store cost roughly the equivalent of $100.

In all reality, $100 isn’t bad for a trip for 2 to London.

****************

By the way, "Bag of Nails" is the name of a restaurant. Mmmm, Mmmm, good...

Friday, March 13, 2009

For those of you who don’t know, we made it out 2 days late due to Josh getting a fever. No worries- it all worked out- but it was a bit stressful for a time.

So, as soon as we got to the airport, we found out a couple of our bags were overweight. The dear fellow behind the counter let it slide. Crisis averted.

As we are checking in, they called my maiden name over the loudspeaker. I barely recognized it; hyper-focus, you know. Anyway, once I realized they had already found something wrong with our checked baggage, I was a little concerned. I saw our giant container of powdered Gatorade and wanted to panic!!! I went and talked to them. Some rule about aerosol, so we lost our Lysol. Exhale. Crisis averted- again.

With 4 flights and 5 airports, it was looking like it could be a long couple of days.

Minneapolis to Chicago was fine. We didn’t get to sit together, but figured we’d save our complaining for our 8- and 11-hour flights.

Then came British Air. Ahhh…beautiful.

I had never traveled on BA. They put all American Airlines to shame. Sorry, but it’s true.

Not only do the employees have charming accents (Bonus points!), but we were bumped up a class. Now, they have like 4 classes, and we were second from the lowest…but heck, we weren’t the bottom! I had never had this happen before! The excitement oozed (I think I confused the businessmen sitting behind us with my enjoyment). I think this proves Natalie and I really are related!

We had a real meal, beverages in real glasses, a newspaper, foot rests, personal TVs with a broad selection of movies, and free alcohol (wasted on us, as we don’t drink, but the possibility was still there…)

To top that all off, we found out one of the flight attendants was off to climb Mt. Everest. Beat that.

You're Gonna Miss This

This morning, before we signed the final copy of our will, the following song came on the radio, and I couldn’t help but cry. I guess preparing to move away from almost everything I have ever known has made me a little emotional. How does it speak to you?

“You’re Gonna Miss This”
Trace Adkins

She was staring out that window, of that SUV
Complaining, saying "I can't wait to turn 18
She said I'll make my own money, and I'll make my own rules"
Mamma put the car in park out there in front of the school
Then she kissed her head and said "I was just like you"


-Chorus-
You're gonna miss this
You're gonna want this back
You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast
These are some good times
So take a godd look around
You may not know it now
But you're gonna miss this


Before she knows it she's a brand new bride
In a one-bedroom apartment, and her daddy stops by
He tells her “It's a nice place”
She says “It'll do for now”
Starts talking about babies and buying a house
Daddy shakes his head and says “Baby, just slow down”

-Chorus-

Five years later there's a plumber workin' on the water heater
Dog's barkin', phone's ringin'
One kid's cryin', one kid's screamin'
She keeps apologizin'
He says "They don't bother me.
I've got 2 babies of my own.
One's 36, one's 23."
Huh, it's hard to believe, but ...


-Chorus-
Sometimes I feel like all I hear is people rushing to the next thing. They can't wait until the weekend, a vacation, until they find the right person to marry, until they have kids, until they graduate or retire or have more money or lose 10 lbs or the kids aren't in diapers or they buy a bigger house...until they go to Africa...
We are letting life pass us by. Well, at least I have been.

Not to be morbid, but what if we die today? In some cultures, that concern is a reality. Maybe our relative safety has spoiled us to the point we are ungrateful and always wanting more. What if Jesus comes back in 10 minutes? Will he be pleased with the priorities I have, reflected in how I spend my time?

Preparing to move to a place even moderately more risky than home has made me think: if I died today, could I really say I have made the best use of my time? No. I am not afraid of the process of death or my destination, but rather that there is so much work yet to do for the Kingdom.

To be perfectly honest, I am currently in the process of learning to accept God's timing, not just in death, but in life. I am not there yet, in case that wasn't obvious.

Preparing to leave for a year is unlike anything I've ever done. I have never gone more than 3 months without seeing my family. We will be without access (or have limited access) to most of the things we take for granted: Milk in every corner gas station, TV, pure water, cars, Wal- mart, our favorite foods, family, friends, our church families, our pets, malls, telephone calls, banks, our wedding rings...I could go on and on.
I am intimidated. But more than that, I am so excited.

I am excited to watch God work. I am excited to run to Him, to learn from Him, to grow closer to Him. Of course, I know the requirements of spiritual growth, and they don't always excite me, but it comes with the territory.

I am so excited, if fact, that I have been all too eager to leave behind the present. I have not valued the present as I should have.

In the study of Positive Psychology (currently an emerging subfield in Psychology), "savoring" is how we describe one's experience of enjoying or delighting in something. There are typically considered to be 3 types of personalities when it comes to savoring, all temporally related: those who savor the past, those who savor the present, and those who savor the future. Of course, all of us enjoy things in all three of these ways, but most people hava a definite propensity toward one category. Take, for example, a vacation. If you find the most enjoyment while thinking about it, planning for it, and imagining what it might be like, you tend to savor the future. If you enjoy the vacation itself most, with little thought to the present or the past, you savor the present. If you love to reminisce about the vacation once it is done, by talking about it or looking at photos or souvniers, you savor the past.

I am definitely in the first category. Not surprising, especially given my tendency toward worry (ugh- working on that, too). In fact, I used to look to the future so much that I would spend an entire vacation taking pictures and journaling, only to not savor the actual experience. Sick, I know.

This song reminded me of my tendency to disreguard the present. For some reason, I always seem to think there is something more important to be preparing for, and I don't want to disappoint anyone. Something more important...but in whose eyes? It has been Josh's and my prayer that we would be able to minister to our family and friends even as we prepare to leave for Africa there. Obviously, we believe God has called us to something important there, something important to Him. But, if those around us can't see the work of Christ in our lives, haven't we missed an opportunity just as significant? How many times have I been "too busy"? What is so important?! Even now, as we are trying to squeeze in all the packing and visiting and arrangements, NONE of that is more important than an opportunity to serve the Lord.

Even knowing this, I fail. I mean, like, everyday.

I've pondered this phenomenon a great deal, but even what I have discerned as possible causation hasn't change my behavior to speak of. It is motivated by fear- that I won't get it all done (because apparently my to-do list has become my priority in life), that I will be unprepared and disappoint someone, that I will choose the wrong way to spend my time. It happens when I allow my view of life to become so narrow that I make decisions based on what I see right in front of me, rather than how God might see it.

It happens when I don't trust in God's promises- that He loves me, cares for me, wants the best for my life, and is in control.

Yeah, this is a lot to have come from a country song.

Will and Last Testament

Today, Josh and I signed our Will and Last Testament, an unusual activity for a couple of 23-year-olds with no children, no property, and no significant assets. This caused a startling realization of the risk involved in moving to Africa; it’s not that we haven’t considered them or been aware, rather that they haven’t been our biggest priority. I’ve realized an attitude of balance and complete reliance on God is absolutely crucial. On the one hand, Africa is not all war-torn , all the time. On the other, contrary to what many people say, it is not even close to commensurate to living in north Minneapolis.

I’m not going to lie to you- there is risk involved.

At our local fireworks last July, we had one of those convoluted “coincidences” in which we ran into a long-term missionary to the Philippines who was on furlough. She graciously allowed me to pick her brain, and offered the following wisdom in response to my questions regarding responding to others’ concern about danger:

“The most dangerous place to be is anywhere but God’s will.”

Oh, I was convicted. How many times has my stubborn foolishness caused me to be outside of God’s will? What we are going to do is far less dangerous. God commanded us to go; it wasn’t a suggestion. We are privileged to have the opportunity to obey.

Do not fear for us, or for our safety. Instead, pray.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” –Philippians 4:6

I hope God will use our absence and our work to somehow challenge you. He will certainly be challenging us. We will miss home and our loved ones SO much! For those of you that may miss us at times or fear for us, PLEASE let it draw you nearer to the Lord. If we cannot affect those closest to us on Christ’s behalf, we have not adequately done all we can, both as missionaries and as Christians.

In Need of Prayer

Hello faithful readers. I love you all. When I talk to you and you tell me you read this blog, it makes me feel it is for a purpose- Thank you!

We need some prayer. For the next week or so, our lives will continue to move at a pace that feels like our heads our going to spin off. Just this weekend, we spoke 4 times, each led small groups, and attended 3 church services, went to a fundraiser, and did some house/teenager sitting. We are pretty tired, and don't really have time to slow down yet. For those of you who don't know, I have an autoimmune disorder, and it is just starting to act up (in fact, I am typing with a migraine right now.) So , no is the time to practice being prayer warriors for when we are on the field. I have no doubt that satan would love nothing more than for us to lay down and give up.

We raised some more money this weekend, and are finally coming in on our financial goal. PRAISE THE LORD! We are not there yet, but are getting closer.

Over this next couple of weeks, we will be working on a relationship with someone who has been strained. I cannot provide any details, but we would still appreciate any prayers you could offer. We need to be as free from distractions as possible.

Also, I am considering shutting down our prayer blog. I haven't really done a great job of keeping it up, so it seems that it would be a better plan to combine the two, especially since more of you read this one, and we could still get pray requests that way.

One little announcement: there will be a soup send-off at Nicole's family's church this coming Sunday from 11:30am-1:30pm. It is free, and if you would like to stop by, we would love to see you. We leave 2 weeks from today, so it may be our last chance to see you for awhile.

American Values

I am a proud American. I am grateful to have been born in a place where I can vote, own land, and worship God anytime I want. I love this country.

But lately, I have realized myself personifying the "American values" I am less inclined to smile about- gluttony, excess, self-centeredness, ingratitude, wastefulness, prideful independence. These are what the rest of the world considers us to be about. These are the values often shown in the media, and sadly, this time they may be right. We may think much of the rest of the world dislikes us because of one or two political decisions, but maybe there's more to it than that...

I am ashamed for what I am about to tell you, but sin can only live in secret, so I am sharing with everyone. The other night I was talking to someone about how I wanted to upgrade a piece of non-essential electrical equipment. Here I am, ready to leave to serve some of the world's poorest people, and I was essentially whining about wanting more.

Mid-sentence, I stopped. The Holy Spirit had completely convicted me, and I asked those around me what I was thinking! (crickets...)

This got me thinking about how often I hear the words "I want" or "I need." It got me thinking about how often I say those words. As we've begun to pack for Namibia, it has been challenging to decide on what we actually need. As we will only take 4 pieces of luggage for a whole year, we are forced to prioritize our "necessary" possessions. Think about it: how many pairs of pants do you need for a year? shirts? pens? cough drops? There are so many things we don't praise the Lord for on a daily basis, because we have easy access to them. For example, if we want to make cookies, we have to bring chocolate chips with us, because they are not available to buy in Africa.

Although most Americans can not imagine living out of 4 bags for a year, we will look gluttonous to some people in Africa. We will be considered rich no matter what we bring. In truth, we would be allowed to bring a total of 6 bags, but we feel it is important to live as closely as possible to those we are working with...it is a small sacrifice, especially knowing it is temporary.

Honestly, I am not even sure I can determine what we actually need to survive. Allegedly, one can live upwards of 40 days without food; however, I don't think this would work well while doing physical labor in Namibia. Since nudity would be frowned upon, how long will one T-shirt survive- 2 months of daily wear? 2 years? What I am sure of is this: our closetful of clothing is not necessary for survival.

I endeavored to count how many times I think "I want" or "I need" in a day; unfortunately, I lost focus. Then, I decided to search the internet for the number of times per day the average person thinks of needs or desires. Isn't it ironic that, on the same internet where we can find information about billions of different subjects, not one description that showed up was applicable. Not even one.

It will be a culture shock to leave the excess of America for the simplicity and lacking in Namibia. But I imagine it will be a far greater challenge to return. In fact, Josh has banned me from touching our storage unit for the first month that we come back, for fear I'll give everything away.

To me, material possessions, status, money, power, achievement, people-pleasing... these are all things that distract me from God. I want to know Him with all of my being; with every breath I take, I want to glorify Him. Instead, I find myself worried with having enough, or getting what I deserve (another post for another day), or what someone thinks of me. I am being brutally honest here, people. That is not glorifying to God.

I will leave you with one of my favorite quotes, and a question:

The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today,
Is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips,
Then walk out the door and deny him by their lifestyle.
That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.

I don't have the answers, just lots of questions, but I ask you: how do you stay in the world without becoming of the world?

New York, New York

As previously promised in a fog of exhaustion, here is our update regarding our trip to New York.

Last week, we traveled to AIM headquarters in Pearl River, NY for our stateside orientation. We covered travel plans, the biblical bases of missions, had a session on culture and worldview, had prayer time, and got to meet all of the people we've been communicating with via phone and email to get us to this point.

We went through our training with 3 wonderful fellow outgoing missionaries. The five of us are all from diverse backgrounds, and have very different personalities, so it was really fun having a chance to spend time with and talk with each other. There are some things only people in a situation similar to ours can understand.

We didn't spend any time in the city (save for driving to and from the airport), so we didn't experience any of the glamorous lights or shows or food or other cultural joys. Basically, we saw a lot of traffic. Actually, I hear this is a hallmark of NYC anyway, so I guess you can say we experienced the "real thing."

Yay.

However, we definitely saw things we don't see at home, and I did take a few pictures. Mind you, they are all from the plane or car. You know, I am just not sure if we will ever be there again.

Let me just say, for a girl who grew up on the edge of a Midwestern game refuge, this was MAJOR culture shock...well, I'm just practicing.