Iran Earthquake

What is going on with all these earthquakes? It's so sad. Please pray for these people.

Iran quake toll reaches 400

You know you're a TCK when...

I got this from a TCK (Third Culture Kid) newsletter (made up of stories/poems/etc. by TCKs, for TCKs). The qualities below are so true! You may only be able to truly appreciate them if you're an MK or TCK yourself, or perhaps if you know one...but the truth of the following statements can't be denied! Enjoy. (Oh, and I did also add a couple of others that weren't in the newsletter but are just as true)

You Know You're a TCK when....

1) You can't answer the question, "Where are you from?" or "Where's home for you?"
2) You speak two languages but can't spell in either.
3) Your life story uses the phrase, "And then we went to..." 5 times.
4) You think in grams, meters, and liters (or you can't think in any because you never could get all the different measurements straight!)
5) You realize that "furlough" is not a vacation.
6) You flew before you walked.
7) You have your passport before your driver's license.
8) An American brings up the name of a team, and you get the wrong sport.
9) You dream in a foreign language.
10) You can think of the word you want in another language, but the English word escapes you.
11) You hesitate before drinking from the tap.
12) You never know what to say when asked for your "permanent address."
13) You've heard too many people say, "Which do you like better, this country or that one?"
14) You tell an American that you shoe size is a 38...and you don't understand why he laughs so hard.
15) You go to a church that you've never been to before and find your picture on their bulletin board.
16) You get confused in the US because dollars aren't color-coded.
17) You argue at length about whether or not to cross your sevens.
18) You are used to second-hand smoke.
19) You don't understand why other people aren't as interested in foreign affairs and events as you are.
20) You wouldn't trade your life for anything.

Chapel--Pure Praise!

I just wanted to say that we had an awesome chapel today. The Zambian Vocal Group was here to sing several songs for us and lead us in worship. It was such an incredible experience! It would be impossible to describe the beauty of the harmonies, the amazing songs they sang, the awesome talent of each man in the group. Everything they do is accapella, even the little percussion/background parts of the song. It was amazing! These men obviously enjoyed singing, but even more than that, it was obvious they loved praising the Lord. To me, that was such a huge part of the chapel--it was totally about praising God and lifting his name up in song.

They have a website that you can check out if you would like to. It describes their ministry, their music, and ways to support them if you feel so led. If you'd like to check it out, click on the link below:
Zambian Vocal Group Website

I hope all of you have a wonderful day! Most of all, I hope you have a wonderful day filled with pure praise towards a Creator, Savior, Lord, and Father who is worthy of all our praise...and infinitely more.

New week begins

Hey everyone! Just wanted to drop by and say hi. My weekend ended up being a good one, and now a new week begins. Only one weekend between now and Spring Break! I can't wait.

Oh, and I'm so excited, cuz I just found out my dad may get to come visit me in April! I mean, he's not coming just to see me, but I'll get to see him...and I'm so excited!

Today went well...classes were fine and everything. I did some homework this evening, and then Lance and I got to play tennis. I'm getting better...I think...

I'm heading to bed soon, since I have to be up by 7:00 tomorrow. I'm about to give my mom a call and talk with her a bit. I love and miss my family so much! I'm so grateful for them in my life, and I can't wait to be back with them in May.

I hope all of you have a great week!

E-mail of a trip to Aceh

Hey guys; this is an e-mail sent to me from a friend of mine. She and a group from our old school in Malaysia left and went to Aceh for a time to help with the relief effort. She wrote to tell of her time there, and I found it to be a very moving e-mail. I've asked her permission to share it with you; her name is Christina, and she's a senior in high school at my old school. May this e-mail bless you as it did me. And, as Christina specifically requested, may any and all glory from her story go to God.

Thank you for your prayers. Thank you, thank you thank you. Your prayers were felt and answered...and it's scary to think what could've happened if we hadn't been so enveloped in prayer.

So, how was the trip? i've heard that question a kazillion times from people around here....how was it. well, God's hand was unbelievably apparent in everything. It was most certainly God's thing, through and through. and it was good. It was difficult. it was sobering, sad, terrible. the destruction is overwhelming. the number of souls that perished in a matter of minutes is unbearable. and yet, what is in the past is in the past. we mourn for them, but even more importantly, we need to concern ourselves with those who still live--with those for whom there is still a chance. for there are still hundreds, thousands of refugees who live on whether they want to or not.

no one has been unaffected by the tsunami. in banda aceh, 7 out of 10 people died. to meet a person who hasn't had an immediate family member swept away is incredible; but they most certainly have at least one extended-family member who is dead. not even to mention their friends that have been taken away. the reality for them is impossible to imagine. i have to trust that God knows where they're at and will comfort them. please pray for these people, you guys. Pray that God will be at work in their lives, that amidst all this destruction, His name will be lifted high. Jesus is the hope of the nations, and may they know that hope.

People ask us how was the trip. my feeling is, this trip was not about us so why should i elaborate on how i felt about it, etc? this trip was about bringing mercy and relief to a people who desperately need it. this trip was about bringing God glory, about lifting His name up not ours. and you guys, it is so true---God is high above us. He is lifted high. He is in control of the situation, and He is love. God is love, make no mistake. He is a man well aquainted with sufferings, He took our pain upon himself. and He feels the pain of the Acehnese.pray that their suffering will not be in vain--but rather that their suffering will lead them closer to Christ and bring them to eternal salvation.

So how did the trip go. Well, it went well. On our first night in Aceh, we felt an earthquake. It was actually a cool sensation, kinda a general rocking of the ground beneath our feet. We didnt' think that much of it, cuz it didn't feel that big. (later we found out it was a 6.2 on the richter scale) A few minutes later, Aaron and I went to go find some water to drink. As we were walking to get the water, a man came running past us yelling something in bahasa about "air datang" (indonesian for "water coming"). He ran into a room and a few seconds later out came a herd of 15-20 people looking frantic and rushed. i tried to make sense of the situation and ask someone what on earth was going on. Basically they told me, don’t worry but come NOW out to the road. So that’s what aaron and I did….and (keep in mind it was night time…8:30 p.m. local time—dark out) lining the road were Indonesian soldiers with their M16-A1 guns. (is that supposed to make me feel safer? And for crying out loud, what were they gonna shoot? The water???). anyways, so out on the road was chaos…people were running places, yelling, crying, screaming…and everyone was trying to figure out what on earth was going on. Aaron and I walked up the street with the guy who had literally dragged us out of the “hotel”…and so as we tried to figure out what was happening, this happening was burned into my memory forever: A pickup truck full of standing, wailing, crying Indonesians. The truck was already packed with more than 20 people, mainly women and kids. More people were trying to climb in. On the faces of each person—pure, raw terror. I’ve never seen terror before, but the instant I saw it I could recognize what it was. And these women are wailing, screaming, sobbing, terrified that maybe water will come at any moment. And we believed that at any moment we might see a huge wall of black, fuming water come rushing towards us sloshing around debris as it sweeps closer. IN the dark, it was easy to imagine that possibility. And no one really knew what was happening. For all we knew, water was coming. There were men climbing up the trees….then the pickup truck started to drive away. And screams erupted because there were some old ladies who still weren’t in the truck and there were people whose relatives were clinging to them as the truck started driving. And the looks…oh you guys, it’s really impossible to describe. Anyways, the soldiers convinced the driver to stop driving and after a few minutes of this uncertain expectation of maybe water coming, maybe not the soldiers calmed the women down enough to convince them to get out of the truck. Which they did. But they continued sobbing and crying and talking quickly in terror. I put my arm around one woman who was holding a silent child. I asked the woman, “Dia anak-nya?” (is this your child?) she replied through her tears, “bukan. Adik.” (no, it’s my younger sibling). She continued to sob quietly and her younger brother? (I think it was a boy, but she didn’t say) just gazed up with huge chocolate eyes at his sister. You guys, I wondered to myself, where are her parents? Did the wave take her parents? Is she now left with responsibility for this adorable child? How can she manage? I’ll never know the answers to those questions….in the midst of this terror, all I could do was cry out to God. And what can I even say? All I can say is just, “Oh God….oh God.” Not swearing, but simply crying out to my Lord by name and begging Him to do what He can, to do what the people need, to understand them and comfort them in the way only he can.

Yes, so that was our first night in Aceh. :-)

The other days we helped clean out a kindergarten and paint it. One day we packaged over 3,000 bags of rice and noodles for refugees. One day we passed out food to refugees and played with kids. One day we went to church and talked with some Aussie soldiers that were dragging two big boats off the road. One day we went to a seminar on how to deal with trauma survivors—for truly these people suffered an unbelievable trauma. So yeah, that’s what we did. And we spent time with other aid workers, encouraging them and worshipping with them. It was truly wonderful. And we invested in the lives of a few individuals there in Aceh. One Acehnese girl, Sherli, we befriended while cleaning the kindergarten ended up sleeping in our “hotel” room for two nights and even came to church with us on Sunday. And then there was the taxi driver, Irwan, who lost 22 of his extended family members who we played karat (rubber band games) with at the airport…it was worth it just to bring a smile to his face…who knows the last time is he played a game.

Everyone was so loving and friendly, I can’t even begin to tell you that all that propaganda about the stubborn, fierce Acehnese is so untrue. At the refugee camp, one guy asked me if I’d ever been to Aceh before. I told him no because people said it was unsafe for Americans to go to Aceh. He said, who said that? I said, oh lots of people said that people in Aceh dislike people from America. He said, “that’s not true. I am acehnese and I like Americans. You tell your people that we don’t dislike them at all.” So I said, okay I’ll tell them. J

Such sincerity, such love amidst so much suffering and pain. You guys, these people aren’t perfect, but they are people like the rest of us. they may have a different religion, they might dress differently and have a different culture, but they’re people. I talked with some muslim girls and asked them what they wanna do after they graduate from university. One of them was an English major (and wanted to be a teacher); they other wanted to work in the local government. Both of them wanted to travel. They wanted to go to italy and meet handsome guys. Isn’t that funny? They’re people just everyone else. Anyways, so I say all this to show you that the news is biased and to tell you not to believe what the Indonesian government says about the Acehnese. And to encourage you all to pray for those who continue to work in Aceh and for the Acehnese themselves. And to thank you for praying for us while we were gone.

Lance and me on last Friday, at his church's luau/Valentine's Day banquet. (If you look carefully, you can see a little of the grass skirt Lance decided to wear) 

Beautiful Days

I would just like to say that the last two days have been perfect. I mean, just perfect. They have been such beautiful days! For example, our highs have been in the 70s yesterday and today; right now, it's 77 degrees outside. I love it!! It's the perfect weather. Finally, a break from the freezing cold, and yet it's not too hot, either.

I can't believe I've written, like, three posts today. Well, it's been a while since I really wrote. My weekend went really well; I got to go to Ft. Worth for my doctor's appointment, which went very well. Then I got to spend the rest of the weekend there getting some much needed relaxation time. Friday night we went to Lance's church's Valentine's Day banquet, which was actually not really a banquet and was more of a luau. That was pretty fun. We got to go there Sunday morning for church as well, and that was wonderful to see the people I knew there. And while I was there, Lance's mom and his sister, Leslie, took my choir dress and hemmed it for me. That was such a great relief, since I've been needing to do that since first semester of my Freshman year! And they did such a great job; I was so grateful. They were so kind to do that for me. So the weekend went really well...it just made me wish it didn't have to end and that I didn't have to go back to school! But hey, Spring Break is coming up in a little over two weeks, so I can hold out till then, right?

Yesterday was a rather normal day of school, as was today. Last night, though, I did go play tennis with Lance. I've finally learned how to actually play a real tennis game and keep score and everything, so instead of just hitting a tennis ball around, he and I actually got to play. I'll tell you, it makes a world of difference! Mostly it just makes it more fun, because there's a little competition going on. So we played for about an hour and a half and really enjoyed it. I think we're going to try to play either tennis or racquetball on most nights, even if for only an hour, so we can get some good exercise. Plus, I've found that going to play in the evenings gives a really good (sometimes much-needed) break from schoolwork, and it really enhances my mood.

Well, I'm off to go eat supper soon; I'm meeting Christina in the lobby around 6:00; Lance will meet us there; and then off we go to join our other friends. Thanks for stopping by to check out my blog! I say a special prayer for each of you now: may God bless you in an extraordinary way this week, and may he draw you closer to himself. His love is faithful beyond our understanding; may we also be faithful to love him, and others, in return.

In the News

Checked on CNN.com today and found a few interesting articles:

US to commit $5.8 billion to climate change
I'm sorry, but does anyone else think this is just a little too much money? When people in the world are starving and victims of the tsunami are trying to rebuild their lives? Just my thoughts on it.

China mine blast kills 203
Please pray for the loved ones of those killed; may God use this tragedy to draw people to himself.

Flood kills 86 in Venezuela, Colombia
Again, pray for the families and friends of those who died; may God be glorified even in sorrow and loss.

Comments

Hey, just wanted you to know that I saw this on the blogger webpage: they've updated the way you can leave me comments on here and made them more accessible. The news flash read:

Good news everyone! We've updated the way comments work. Among the many improvements are pop-up windows for comments and the ability for commenters to fill in their name and web site info—no Blogger account needed.

So let that encourage you to leave me a comment every now and then! I love hearing from you. Also, soon I will be posting some more interactive posts where I want to hear from you. Some of them may be polls and other things; the whole goal will be to get more interaction from all of you who visit my site. (And if you have any ideas for some good interactive posts, let me know by leaving a comment!)

A more newsy update will be coming soon...

Happy Valentine's Day!

Hope all of you have a blessed Valentine's Day with family and loved ones. On this day of love, may we all remember the Greatest Love of all: God's love for us shown through Jesus Christ. May he bless you with a valentine of his love!

Tired Days

Hey! I know it's been a while since I posted a very newsy update. That's partly because life's been busy and tiring lately. This weekend was really a drainer for several reasons, some rather unknown. Our church had a spiritual renewal weekend, which was excellent--the theme was prayer--but for some reason, Lance, Christina, and I (the only college kids who went) all came away somewhat drained and even a little depressed by it. I know that sounds pretty bad, but Saturday night there were several testimonies from people who had gone through extremely difficult situations. You name it: cancer, losing a parent, losing a child, having a daughter deal with depression, alcoholism, drug addiction, losing a spouse...pretty much everything in the book. And honestly, the testimonies were amazing stories of God's faithfulness and the power of prayer; so I'm not sure why we all left kind of drained from it all, except that it dealt with a lot of emotion. I was hit very strongly by the couple of spoke of their daughter dealing with depression, mostly because of my experiencs; Lance, of course, could identify with the young adult who spoke of her battle with cancer from his own medical struggles in the hospital. I think that identification, of it hitting a little closer to home, was part of it. Still, the weekend was ok; I did get some good one-on-one time to talk with Christina, which I hadn't in a while. (Kirstin was in Ft. Worth this weekend) She really is such sweetheart, and a very good friend. So the weekend was ok, but I just came through it pretty tired and drained, not to mention the fact that I spent a total of 7-8 hours in the library studying over the weekend.

Yes, studying...I have my two biggest tests this week, one of which I just took this morning: Life Science (Biology) and Life Span Development (a psychology class). I had to know 6 chapters for Bio and will have to study 7 chapters for Life Span. At least I'm half-way through it, right? I get to go to Ft. Worth on Thursday because Lance and I both have doctor's appointments on Friday morning that we have to be there for. I always really enjoy my trips to Ft. Worth--it's so relaxing for me, for some reason. Lance and I also get to go to his church's Valentine's Day Banquet on Friday night, which I think should be fun. We went last year and were the only unmarried couple there, so that makes it interesting...but I think it will be fun anyways. Anyways, I'm really looking forward to this weekend, just getting to relax and enjoy myself some, especially once my tests are over with.

Well, that's about all I have time to put up right now. I'm off to go eat dinner, and then I'll spend 2-3 hours in the library tonight studying. Oh joy! But speaking of joy, "the joy of the Lord is my strength..." And honestly, what greater joy or strength could we ask for?

May the Lord give you both his joy and his strength this week.

Daniel

Hey guys! Brief drop-by. I wanted to post a link to an article about Daniel! He is one of my best friend's, Rachel's, fiance`, and many of you know he's been in Iraq. He was wounded a while back, and this article is about him receiving a purple heart. Please check it out and send up a prayer for him! We're all hoping he will be back in March. I got to know Daniel for a good part of last Spring semester, and he's a great guy. We just all want him home safe! No one more than Rachel...that girl has stood so strong in the middle of some incredibly hard ordeals! So please continue to pray for both of them, and check out this article!

Daniel's Article:
Marine Receives Purple Heart for Fallujah Wounds

Happy Birthday, Christina!!

Today is Christina's 20th birthday! Yay for her! She is so awesome and such a beautiful, fun person...I'm so glad she's my friend! So if you know her, wish her a happy birthday!

Happy Birthday, Christina-banana!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...please?

You know the part in the Bible that talks about "hope deferred?" Well, we definitely had some of that today. Ok, yesterday, the news was that it was going to snow that night and we'd have snow when we woke up. Well, it didn't. BUT there was a heavy snowfall warning this morning, because there was supposed to be 2-4 inches starting a little before noon. So we waited all morning, watching out the windows of our classes, hoping for the first glimpse of the snowfall that was to come. Yeah...it didn't. BUT, that's ok, because it was going to snow this evening--around 6:00 or so. And yes, it's now 10:22 PM and (SURPRISE!) no snow. Now there's a super slim chance that there will be a "few snow showers" at 5 AM. I'm not counting on it anymore. Seriously, I was so excited about the possibility of snow! I kept looking for it all day; that's practically all Kirstin and I talked about all through Life-Span Development and Choir: "Is is snowing yet?" And it didn't. Sigh sigh. Such is life.

Well, there is more to life than faulty weather predictions. Chapel today was very good. A pastor (29 years old) came and talked to us, and he spoke about the importance of the Word. Pretty common topic, perhaps, but he did a really great job. He said that "you cannot say you know or love God unless you know his Word." He went on to talk about how crucial being in the Word is. He has been reading the Bible through once a year for the last ten years, and he talked about how it changed his life. Anyways, I thought it was really good. It definitely challenged me. Life at college gets busy, and the free times you have are generally spent doing homework, work, or with friends. Chapel today really reminded me of how important it is to be prioritizing God's Word, so I'm thinking about starting to read through the Bible yearly as well.

Classes went fine today; I actually got to eat lunch! Usually I have classes through lunch. I did a little homework after classes, too. Anyways, then tonight I went with Lance to this concert at a really cool, old, rennovated theatre here. It was a concert of all these young musicians, 12-18, who are incredible. There was a 16 year old pianist who was beyond amazing (as well as brilliant--already accepted at Harvard, and he got a 1600 on his SAT), a 12 year old violinist, a 15 year old floutist, and a 17 year old opera singer. These teens were beyond description; their talents are far beyond most adults who have been playing for years. The whole program was very well put together, and it was recorded to be broadcasted later on a local radio channel. Lance got tickets from his piano teacher; it's part of the recitals he needs to attend to get recital credit for his major. I told him that I was definitely going to be learning a lot more about music and the arts while he was here, since I end up going with him to all these recitals. Actually, though, I really do enjoy the opportunities; the music is beautiful, and I should take opportunities to be exposed to more of those kinds of music. Anyways, that was a fun evening.

Now, I'm off to get a bit more homework done, maybe work a little on my transcription, and then get to bed. Who knows, maybe it will snow tonight, and I'll wake up to a white world?

Somehow I doubt it.

Good night!