It's morning. Dave is half asleep and I'm wide awake. We are sending out another wave of support letters, tallying our current total, and writing thank-you cards.
Check out the fundraising thermometer to the right! We are almost half way! This morning's total is $1590. That means we have only $2510 to go. That seems like a LOT. But we are trusting God.
To all of you that have given - THANK YOU. From the bottom of our hearts. We are overwhelmed by your generosity.
To all of you who are tight on money, but praying for us - THANK YOU! We desperately need your prayers and encouragement.
And to those of you that are getting a new support letter or still hanging on to the first one... Please pray about giving to our trip! Even if it's only a small amount in your mind - Every. Little. Bit. Counts! :)
Oh, and in other trip related news - Dave and I will be teaching one of the advanced level English classes... EEK! I think it's partially because I have experience teaching... And Dave is good at whatever he does! I'm excited. I want to get some cool flash cards and learning materials. I know they have teacher stores with those types of things. Anyone have any recommendations? Let me know!! :)
Okay, I've gotta get back to Dave and make sure he hasn't fallen asleep at the desk. Then we've gotta get off to work.
Love,
Shena
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Skepticism, Linguistics and Mountain Dew
Every Sunday morning was the same. I'd wake up to the smell of sizzling bacon, come downstairs and indulge in the plethora of pancakes, donuts and rolls, compliments of my dad, the master breakfast chef. Next, I would hurry back to my room, put on my nice shirt and slacks, hurry to the bathroom, brush my teeth (by this time, my mom would say, "hurry! We don't want to be late for church"), grab my Bible and hop into the car. Next came the 30 minute drive to church, a grueling amount of time for any 12-year-old. My dad always drove, my mom was always in the front set, my brother and I were always in the back seats. Every Sunday.
One Sunday was different. I remember when my 16-year-old brother asked a simple question, "Why are we going to church?" My parents explained it's where we worship God.
"But I don't want to go to church. I want to go somewhere else. Why can't I be a Muslim, or a Buddhist?" My brother was trying to get a rise out of my parents. My mom responded calmly, "No one is making you go to church. You can do what you like."
"Okay, I will." My brother said. And that was it.
I was shocked. Was he really going to be a Buddhist? What was going on? Why didn't my parents stop him?
The next few Sundays were different. My brother stopped coming with us. It was awkward. When I asked where he was, my mom just told me that he had some questions that needed to be answered. I didn't quite understand at the time, but now I do.
My brother was a skeptic. He was also a Christian. Actually, he did what I believe every Christian ought to do. He QUESTIONED God. For a couple months, he visited other churches. He looked into other religions. But none of them provided him with answers. Instead, they only reinforced his belief in Jesus Christ. Skepticism was the path that he walked, strengthening his faith. Today, he still asks a lot of questions, and I know very few people who have a stronger faith than him. What does this have to do with Mountain Dew? Not much. Except for the fact that he is also an avid Mountain Dew connoisseur.
This story encourages me as I look forward to our mission trip to the Czech Republic. We will be encountering a lot of people with questions. People will ask me why I believe in an invisible entity. They will pose me the so called "problem of evil." They will ask questions that I could not possibly answer. And, to make matters more complicated, I will not be able to answer them in their native language. But I am not afraid of these questions. I believe that the word of God transcends the language barrier.
Consider this:
In December, 2008, I found myself at a restaurant in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Perusing the menu, I recognized my limited options. Chicken with rice. Beef with rice. Shrimp with rice. Woo hoo. Something caught my eye as I closed the menu. There it was, listed with the drinks: Mt Doy. Of course, I knew what it really was. Sweet, green nectar of bubbly deliciousness. You see? Mountain Dew is the still the same. It doesn't matter if I'm halfway across the world, if there's a typo or "language barrier."
It is the same with evangelism. The Spirit can minister to anyone, anywhere, in any language. We, as messengers must open ourselves to this, letting him control us. I am excited. I pray expectantly for the Spirit to move through me.
One Sunday was different. I remember when my 16-year-old brother asked a simple question, "Why are we going to church?" My parents explained it's where we worship God.
"But I don't want to go to church. I want to go somewhere else. Why can't I be a Muslim, or a Buddhist?" My brother was trying to get a rise out of my parents. My mom responded calmly, "No one is making you go to church. You can do what you like."
"Okay, I will." My brother said. And that was it.
I was shocked. Was he really going to be a Buddhist? What was going on? Why didn't my parents stop him?
The next few Sundays were different. My brother stopped coming with us. It was awkward. When I asked where he was, my mom just told me that he had some questions that needed to be answered. I didn't quite understand at the time, but now I do.
My brother was a skeptic. He was also a Christian. Actually, he did what I believe every Christian ought to do. He QUESTIONED God. For a couple months, he visited other churches. He looked into other religions. But none of them provided him with answers. Instead, they only reinforced his belief in Jesus Christ. Skepticism was the path that he walked, strengthening his faith. Today, he still asks a lot of questions, and I know very few people who have a stronger faith than him. What does this have to do with Mountain Dew? Not much. Except for the fact that he is also an avid Mountain Dew connoisseur.
This story encourages me as I look forward to our mission trip to the Czech Republic. We will be encountering a lot of people with questions. People will ask me why I believe in an invisible entity. They will pose me the so called "problem of evil." They will ask questions that I could not possibly answer. And, to make matters more complicated, I will not be able to answer them in their native language. But I am not afraid of these questions. I believe that the word of God transcends the language barrier.
Consider this:
In December, 2008, I found myself at a restaurant in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Perusing the menu, I recognized my limited options. Chicken with rice. Beef with rice. Shrimp with rice. Woo hoo. Something caught my eye as I closed the menu. There it was, listed with the drinks: Mt Doy. Of course, I knew what it really was. Sweet, green nectar of bubbly deliciousness. You see? Mountain Dew is the still the same. It doesn't matter if I'm halfway across the world, if there's a typo or "language barrier."
It is the same with evangelism. The Spirit can minister to anyone, anywhere, in any language. We, as messengers must open ourselves to this, letting him control us. I am excited. I pray expectantly for the Spirit to move through me.
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