Yahoo!!!

To Africa....!

King Jesus

Today's sermon was over Philippians 2:9-11 which is "Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." My pastor pointed out that at some point we all, every created being including angels, dead and alive people, fallen angels, will confess that Jesus is Lord - the question is not if, but rather when and under what circumstances. Some will confess him as Lord and Savior, coming when he calls, and being given eternal life, will worship him forever. Others will not come but will someday be forced to call him Lord. He will not be Savior to those people, but rather a terrifying king of the world who demands their bowed acknowledgement and sends them to eternal death in righteous judgement. Revelation 19 speaks of Jesus as the warrior king - and how terrifying he will be then.

In light of all that, how amazing and kind and full of love is his patience with us. We are given days, months, years, lifetimes to believe he is our savior when we don't even deserve a moment. In light of the way that he hates sin and does not tolerate it, how patient he is in our feeble attempts at right living. How wonderful it is for those of us who call him Savior that he is the author and perfector of our salvation - rather than us. He is the beautiful king who calls us to his rest, so that he might do the work of saving us... Wow.

Like Moses tells the Israelites (Deuteronomy 30:19 - 20) "...I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life..." and like the old hymn says, "Come thou weary, heavy laden, lost and ruined by the fall, if you tarry till you're better, you will never come at all...I will arise and go to Jesus, he will embrace me in his arms, in the arms of my dear savior, oh there are 10,000 charms."

Kenya, here I come!

Hi friends! I leave for Nairobi in 1 week (!!!) so I thought I'd give you some Kenya information.
Kenya is part of East Africa - on the Indian Ocean, bordered by Somalia, Ethiopia, Sudan, Uganda, and Tanzania.
Kenya is roughly twice the size of Nevada.
Highest elevation: Mount Kenya (where glaciers are found!) at 5199 m
Capital City: Nairobi
Climate where I will be (as it varies throughout the country): 60's in evenings/mornings, 80's in day; the rainy season will just be beginning when I arrive
Population: approx. 33,829,590
- approx. 42.5% of population is under age 14 and the median age is 18
- approx. 6.7% of population suffers from AIDS (2003 est.)
- high literacy rate of approx. 85.1%
Religions: 45% Protestant, 33% Roman Catholic, 10% Indigenous beliefs, 10% Muslim
Official languages: English and Swahili (there are numerous native tongues spoken throughout the country)
Some exciting natural wonders include several national parks as well as a Giraffe Centre and and animal orphanage - you can see lions, cheetahs, elephants, zebras, wildebeests, giraffes and many many other animals in these different parks.
Some famous people/movies made in or about Kenya: Out of Africa by Isak Dinesen (Karen Blixen); I dreamed of Afrika by Kiki Galman (not sure if that's the right last name)
Fun Swahili for: hello = jambo; friend = rafiki; safari = journey

Just a taste...I'm so pumped, what a fantastic place to adventure in!!!

(all info from the CIA World Factbook and the Lonely Planet Guide to Kenya)

Dia de Amor (de san valentin)

First, good news: I found my dog Jesse! Somebody picked him up and took him to the pound. So now he has a microchip in his neck (which kinda sounds scary and big brother-esque, but since he's a dog, who really cares) so if he runs away again, they just scan him and call us.

Second, Happy Valentine's Day friends! or Single's Appreciation Day! - whichever it is for you. Note that I say Single's APPRECIATION, not awareness...
I have been hearing A LOT lately the "Valentine's Day is a hallmark holiday" whining and I have decided that I have something to say to all you knuckleheads who say things like that (especially the guys who use that as an excuse to weasel their way out of doing anything on V day) (girls too though, you don't get out of this either):
1) Regardless of whether you have a "valentine" or not, Valentine's Day is about loving the people in your life a little bit more obviously than usual. It clearly does not have to be about romantic love only (although if there is romantic love in your life, you ought to do something about it). It is about being more purposeful about telling people that you love them.
2) I saw about 30 sec. of Tyra Banks talk show today and she said (to all the single ladies watching) that it didn't matter whether you had a valentine or not, this was all about loving yourself and being ok with being single. While I agree that we've all got to be ok with single-hood on V day, it is most definitely NOT about loving yourself. Valentine's Day is about loving OTHER PEOPLE to the very best of your ability.
3) If you're one of those whiners that roses and chocolates are too typical and hallmarkish, therefore you will not be doing anything for V day, I have oh so many choice words for you. I'll leave those out...but I will say that you should figure out how to do something not so typical for your loved one(s). For instance, the best made-me-feel-loved flowers and gift I ever received were tulips and a handwritten note. Why is it so hard to show people some extra love ONE DAY a year? Gee whiz people, this should be a good holiday that isn't about us, especially since we are loved so well all the time by God - do we not have a little extra to flow over to others?!

Whew, off the soapbox, I did want to include a thank you to all of you who have worked so hard to encourage me and to make me feel loved for the past 6 mo.... I have been unceasingly amazed by God's care of my heart through other people.

And finally, only 2 weeks (TWO WEEKS!!!) till Africa!!

getting seasick

Well, sad news in the baby fras world lately...
First, my parents took my little sister to art school in cali this week. Not that that's sad because I'm way excited for Hani (that'd be the sister) to go to Oxbow this semester - it is going to be such a great experience and it will be so good for her future in art. The sad part is that I miss her a lot already! Han and I have become pretty great friends over the last few years and it's been nice to be around for the last month...but alas, now she's all grown up and gone off to school, sniffle sniffle. Oh well, guess that's the way life goes, that whole growing up and moving away thing...I certainly did it and will probably be doing so again sometime in the near future.

The other sad news is that my dog got out our gate and hasn't come home yet...he got out yesterday morning when I put him and our other dog out for breakfast and then went to work. The new dog, Lola, was waiting for us at the front door. The old dog, Jesse, is nowhere to be found. The really sad part is that he's pretty lame - really bad hips, pretty deaf (don't know if he can hear the cars coming!), got cataracts (probably can't really see the cars either), and has got all kinds of tumors growing on the inside (we think - he's just kind of ... lumpy...these days)... so what I'm saying is, he's basically helpless. He's always come home before when he's gone on a little adventure so I'm worried! Poor Jesse, I want to save you! We've had ol' Jesse for somewhere around 12 years I think so he's really a family member... and he's so old and decrepit lately, I kinda doubt he can fend for himself very well.

So, about that seasick thing (see title), I've decided that hard things in life are a little, maybe a lot, like body surfing in big waves. Sometimes you jump just right and find yourself on the crest of the wave, either floating over or swimming towards the shore effortlessly. The crest times are the good times. Other times you find yourself in the trough, desperately trying to wipe the salt out of your eyes before another wave comes and pummels you, swirling you around in wild water that doesn't have a distinguishable up or down... Sometimes you were on a crest and then, suddenly, you're in the trough and you don't even really know how you got there and you just can't quite jump high enough to catch the waves that keep crashing over your head. That seems to be the way my life (or outlook on it) has gone for the last month and a half...or maybe the last year and a half, I don't really know. What I do know is that I have been absolutely longing for some peaceful waters lately. There was a beach in Panama that had the stillest water I've ever seen in the ocean...normally you wouldn't think still water in the ocean is very desirable, but there was one night that I spent floating (the water was salty enough that floating was basically effortless) for probably an hour or more, watching the sky change from blue and clouds to gold and purple and beautiful sunset to stars and black...just floating, thinking, watching the sky, praying... and in my mind that memory is what I think of when I think of complete and utter peace. And at the moment, I want out of these crazy waves and into that still ocean, I want to float, not struggle, I want the salt to get out of my eyes! I don't want to be seasick anymore!

Whoo hoo for la musica!

Well, this last week was exceptionally good for music...
I went to a show with my little sister on Tuesday and heard a couple local bands as well as Vedera (used to be Veda) and Mute Math. Both muy increible! (didn't misspell, that's spanish)
Vedera is a little band from Kansas (I think) and has a girl for a singer...she also plays guitar and piano...and wow, can she sing! I loved it! They really won over the crowd too. I'm not sure where you can get their cd, but everyone who likes to hear people sing with everything they've got, go find Vedera's record! I am a dancer at concerts and Vedera is definitely a band that I couldn't stand still for...!
Mute Math was, of course, fantastic. Even better than the first time I saw them (Island Party at A&M) because this was a much smaller venue and I was almost close enough to have to avoid the sweat pouring off of them...ha, that's gross! But really, it was great to see them in a small place. They play with an incredible amount of energy (hence the sweat) and lots of improvisation... they have a full length cd now so they played lots of new songs and all were great. I really can't say enough good about Mute Math - they're just incredible and really REALLY great to see live. There were some serious fans there who had made shirts complete with entire song lyrics written out as well as a vocabulary guide for Mute Math's unusual instruments - like the keytar (keyboard played like a guitar, think 80's madness) and the atari (never really figured out what that was, but it makes some cool sounds)....definitely some funny fans, very helpful to the crowd : )
Continuing on with the music-filled week, I went to a concert last night with my parents that was great. An Iraqi (who has lived here for quite a few years) Oud player and a string quartet played and it was unlike any other music I've ever heard. The Oud player is a pretty prolific composer and all the songs played were his compositions...all the songs with the quartet were composed by him and then actually written down and arranged for string accompaniment by the cellist. I can't think of his name, otherwise I'd include it because they also have just released a cd. He (the oud player) explained each composition before they played and it was the kind of music that really communicated whatever the song was about...for instance, one song was about the date palm trees that are common in Iraq and which have apparently been cut down/destroyed in mass numbers by the years and years of war they've endured...so he wrote a song about the trees dancing and the music was so light-hearted and joyful, you really could imagine a desert full of dancing palm trees. That maybe sounds a little nutty, but I almost always escape somewhere when I am enthralled by a classical music concert, and in last night's case, I was swirled away to the places that the oud player described in his music.
All in all, music this week made my heart very happy...which is really nice since working at the American Cancer Society kinda wears me down every day...(I call people all day, every day) it's a job that I thank God for daily, but nonetheless, it's definitely inspirational not to ever become a telemarketer! In defense of the ACS, I'm not even selling anything or asking people for money, I'm just trying to invite them to walk with us in a breast cancer benefit - but I still get yelled at daily by various people I call.

The hope of freedom...or, 2 camels and a llama

First, a story... Yesterday I went for a bike ride with my parents along the river. The Rio Grande runs right through the city and has a nice path alongside to ride bikes, rollerblade, horseback ride, walk, etc. etc. etc. The path (and the river) are the lowest points in town so you have a really nice view of the mountains (although really everywhere has a nice view of the mountains here!). On one side of the path is the river and lots of really old, really big cottonwood trees, on the other side are some really nice houses....we're talking millions of dollars type houses with huge yards (including putting greens and tennis courts in some). It's fun to see these houses because they're just so picturesque. Quite a few of these estates have horses and other animals too. Well, yesterday, as I'm riding along, enjoying the wind in the cottonwood tree leaves and imagining what kind of people must live in these houses, I see a llama in one of the corrals. A llama, although an unusual animal, isn't all that unusual to see at these houses...however, along side the llama I see 2 camels! Camels! Who has 2 camels for pets? Did they borrow them from the zoo? Do they ride them like people ride horses around this area? Do the camels feel like they're at an all you can eat buffet surrounded by the dead winter grass rather than desert sand? Do camels and llamas normally get along so well? Who knew an innocent Sunday afternoon bike ride could be so entertaining!

And now, on to the topic which has been on my mind for a few days...first, I have decided that Plan A, B, C, etc. on down the line (see last blog), are to be done away with. It seems like I might be better off forgetting the plans and just going wherever God seems to take me. Not to imply that I'll stop making decisions - I think God gave me a brain and interests and passions for a reason - so I'll keep trying to see where his winding road is leading me, just maybe without the official "PLAN A" marked on the top of the folder, so to speak. Second, I was at a college age church thing on Thursday night called The Well and something one of the speakers said caught my fancy. The message was about the great commission, in particular the unreached peoples of the world. In a prayer towards the end of the night, the speaker was exhorting us to be bold about telling people about Jesus because, as he put it, Jesus is our only hope of freedom. Jesus, the Hope of Freedom... The idea of Freedom has enchanted me for the last half a year or so and it is good to remember that Jesus, who I know and love, IS my key to that freedom that I so long for. And, although I think there is a measure of that freedom that can be found in this life, I don't think that true Freedom is something we know until Heaven. I don't know if that's right, just what I've been thinking about.

Finally, something that has really encouraged me: I have been reading E.M. Bounds on Prayer lately and, in a chapter on Prayer and Trust, he writes, "...Trust is not a belief that God can bless, that he will bless, but that he does bless, here and now. Trust always operates in the present tense. Hope looks toward the future. Trust looks to the present. Hope expects. Trust possesses...." So that means to me that I must trust that God is working in my life and making me who I ought to be, no matter the circumstances I find myself in...not that he can or even will do those things, but that he IS. That's amazing!

Back to Plan A...sort of

Note: this is not written out of anger, bitterness, or self-pity...just some thoughts that have been swirling around my head lately. Nor do I hate all males...although, if you do happen to be a boy, please do not approach me in ANY other way than as a friend because boys make me cry too much.

The other day, while my best friend and I were out shopping for paper/envelopes/ribbons/etc. for her wedding invitations, she asked me what my plans were now that I'm graduated and moved home. I told her that I was going to substitute (teach) this semester and go to Africa in March...and then look for a job for the fall because I've missed the application deadlines for grad school for the fall. I also haven't taken my GRE...must do that, soon before everything I learned drops out of my head. She (her name is Sarah by the way) said, "Oh, so are you going to just find a little apartment or something here for next year?" and I answered "No, I don't think I'm going to stay here...I've been thinking about the coasts - maybe Oregon or Washington or maybe Mass-ish area. I don't really know." Sarah responded with "Hmm, so you're back to plan A then." (Plan A was that I would travel as much as possible, live all over, basically galavant across the world on my own) I said, "Yeah, I guess I am. But you know, it doesn't sound like as much fun as it used to." Sarah, always understanding what I've meant to say without me saying it, said, "Well, you did happily give up plan A for plan B...it's hard to go back." (Plan B was loving an incredible boy and going where he went)
So I've been trying to understand why it is so hard to back to plan A... because it is actually easier to be single than attached. I can go where I want, do what I want without having to think about anybody else's needs or desires. I think I'm better at being single than being attached...if that makes any sense at all...just because I have been single most of my life. I can support myself and I can take care of myself...I even have my own tool box and I know how to use the hammer and the screwdriver (ha)! I really do want to see the world and live in lots of places. Besides all that, I do trust absolutely that God will give me adventures, that my life will not lack whether I'm single or not. So why the feet-dragging attitude about plan A? I think it's because I want to share my adventures with somebody else. You know when you go on a trip and you take lots of pictures and you're so excited about them - but then you get home and nobody really wants to see them or hear the stories because they've got things to do and places to be. I don't want that. Somehow meeting and loving that incredible boy made me realize that I really want someone to be there with me, not just to hear the stories and to look at the pictures but to understand and to know...someone to adventure with me. That boy has slipped out of my grasp and I have got to get to the place where I'm content again. Just me, by myself...mostly because I can't imagine anyone else meeting, let alone exceeding, the standard of Mr. Incredible (who is still incredible, by the way, this is not meant to be an attack on him) and besides that, I could really use a break from tears and heartache. And it really is easier to be single. I really can go anywhere now... and I've always wanted to visit the Northwest - that's one part of the US that my family has never made it to. Washington has the only rain forest in North America and everyone knows what a sucker I am for rain forests : ). I've heard that Portland is a really cool town. I think Oregon might take a Texas teaching certificate too (and it would be really nice not to have to take another test). I do need sunshine and blue skies, and I might not get much of that there...but if I just go and teach for a year and apply to grad schools for 2007, then I could go elsewhere if I just hate it. Maybe I could go to grad school on the east coast. I have wanted to live in Boston or the area for a long time.
It is exciting to think about, that's for sure. It's exciting to be pretty much totally unlimited. Who knows what God has in store for my future. Ay ay ay, now if I can just get my heart to cooperate with that view too.