Pouring it out

I wrote an email recently about some of my current work challenges.

It was honest...

For various reasons, none of these [projects] have been obvious shining successes to date. There has been hard work but with the added burdens of disappointment, frustration and disillusionment.

...and I was encouraged with this honest reply. (Thanks Marsha!)

I had to remember when I’d been a missionary for a few years in Japan. One night I went to evening church and the preacher was preaching about the woman who poured the expensive oil on Jesus’ feet. He said, (this was all in Japanese, of course), “look at our missionaries”. I was the only one there at the time, and I sat up and beamed with self importance. He went on to say, “they come over here, and they’re mostly fine evangelists and seminarians from big churches in America., but they give it all up to study for two years to learn our language” I puffed out my chest with pride. “After two years, they know a little bit of language, about that of a first grader, and they hardly ever really understand our culture”. I was shocked and slunk down in my chair. “Why don’t we get together and ‘suggest’ that they go back home where they could really use their talents” he said. I slunk lower. Then he read out of the bible, this time in English, what Jesus said. “forbid her not, for what she does is a fine and noble thing”. Then he capped it up. “These people have given up something precious and they are POURING out their lives at the feet of Jesus………….we should be humbled to do the same!”

Signs

There is a sign in my room:

Beware of people acting weird- they might not be acting.

Flatulence Chart

Since moving into a house with a better equipped kitchen I've been doing more cooking and eating a greater variety of foods. I've been eating more beans, grains, fruit, veggies...all the things we know we're supposed to eat.

The other day I was flicking through a Readers Digest 10 001 Food Facts, Chef's Secrets & Household Hints (Dr Myles H. Bader). In amongst the helpful hints was a handy flatulence chart. Which bean produces the most flatulence? You may be surprised. In ascending order, the results are:

10. Black-eyed peas
9. Lima beans (large)
8. Garbanzos/ Chickpeas
7. Lima beans (baby)
6. Great Northern beans
5. Small White beans
4. Pinto beans
3. Black beans
2. Pink beans

...And the winner is: 1. Soybeans.

I wonder if soymilk can cause the same results?

Weekend Wishes

I know that if I tried to go for a surf in Sydney this weekend I'd a) freeze and b) make a complete idiot of myself. (It has been countless months since I've seen a real, live wave.) But when I see photos like these...

Stories

Last night I was talking with a young Cambodian woman. In the space of an our hour or so she told me that she comes from poor family...finished Grade 4 when she was 12 years old...and has been going to church for a year or so. I wondered how someone from a rural background who is literate but not highly educated would feel going to a city church in Phnom Penh. I wondered what kinds of things would help her connect with God.

After a while I took out some booklets with Gospel Stories that I have studied in Khmer and suggested we could read one together. We read the account of the disabled man whose friends did some renovations on the roof of a house that wasn't theirs in order to bring him to Jesus for healing. She nodded and murmured appreciatively at the high point of the story. It was the first time she'd heard that particular one.

I flicked through the booklet and asked, "Have you heard the one about..?" or "Do you know the story when Jesus...?" The accounts were all news to her. She explained, "I find it difficult to read the bible, but I do like listening to stories." I said, "That's a great way to remember things about Jesus. Would you mind telling me one?"

She began, "There once were two brothers and a father..." and continued with the story of the prodigal son. None of the details were omitted. At the end I said something like, "Yeah. I really like that story too. Thanks." A look of complete surprise came over her face, "What?! You have already heard that story?" I confessed that I had. "You must really know a lot about the bible!"

Maybe a little. But there is something cool about sitting around and telling stories with someone who hasn't heard them all before.

Being Present

Being "in the moment" is something I usually have to work at. Since I've moved house, however, it has been pretty easy! The conversations in my head go like this-

This is a fan. This is a blue, standing fan. This is my blue, standing fan that I can turn directly onto my body whenever I need to cool down. That's cool.

This is a washing machine. I push a couple of buttons, sprinkle the appropriate powder and come back when I hear the authoritative beeps at the end of the cycle.

This is a fridge. I can buy a whole, boxy litre of milk and keep it there. I can make ice. (Reality- I've been making loads of ice...perhaps a dozen trays in six days...)

These are books. These are shelves and shelves of books- all in English. These books must contain millions of words- the collective experiences, reflections, thoughts and theologies of hundreds of people. These books are here for me to explore whenever I'm free.

I have a bedroom and a bathroom all to myself. Every night I get to choose when the light goes out. Every night I say to myself- "I think I'll switch the light off now." And I do it. Wow!

I'm enjoying the discipline of being present!

Puppy Sitting

I've moved house (again) this past week to housesit for an American family who are in the States for two months. In reality, the job involves more pet-sitting than house-sitting. They have two adult dogs, one cat and five puppies who were born five weeks before the family left the country (the owners say they were a little confused about the gestation period and didn't think about the consequences of having puppies just before heading overseas....)

Anyway...I'm learning lots about golden retriever pups. I'm getting the patterns of feeding, washing, breastfeeding (do they use that word for dogs?) and poopy scooping down.

The pups had their first lot of immunisations today. While I'm guessing this would usually entail a trip to the vet, the owners thought this unnecessary. One of the sons of the landlords is studying medicine and has had some experience jabbing the human species. I can read English. So between us, they left us with all the relevant equipment including immunisation booklets, injections, syringes....It was a first for the medical student to give injections to pets. It was a first for me to assist. But I think it went OK! Next Sunday we'll do it all again.

We

Last Sunday was Pentecost Sunday and a Global Day of Prayer. The day before I read here about the positive way in which the Spirit brings unity-

"The Spirit makes us one -- not like people bound to one another and tossed into a sea where their ties to one another paralyze and drown, but brought into relationship with one another that is as free as it is close, that is life-giving air and light. It's a unity that is not, as Paul makes clear, uniformity. Sisters and brothers in Christ have distinct gifts for ministry and mission. Like Peter and Paul in the conflict Paul describes in Galatians 2, they may hold radically different or even mutually exclusive opinions on vitally important issues -- issues all sides hold to be about the very truth of the Gospel and the call of God's people. What Christians may NOT do, however, is treat one another as expendable; they may not leave sisters and brothers hungry, thirsty, bereft of family and of honor."

So as we gathered to pray at the International Christian Fellowship, using a set prayer that was used in many churches in various languages across the world, I was encouraged as we used the word "we" to remember our oneness.

Almighty God- Father, Son and Holy Spirit, as a united wordwide body of believers, we are gathered today to honour and glorify your Name. ...Father of mercy and grace, we acknowledge that we have sinned and that our world is gripped by the power of sin. Our hearts are grieved by injustice, hatred, anger and violence. ...All the sins that we may find in our world, You have found among Your poeple. ...We approach Your throne of grace in this hour of need. ...Spirit of the living God, we confess that we can do nothing without You. Living God, on this Pentecost, pour out Your Spirit upon all flesh. Empower the church to be transformed into the image of Jesus Christ. ...King of Glory, come to the nations of the world. Amen.

The West

I realised this week that even well educated people can get very confused when it comes to world geography. I has the following conversation with a Khmer Friend this week-

Me: When is J heading back to America?

Khmer Friend: Tomorrow morning. Do you want to send anything with him?

Me: [confused, thinking that he asked if I wanted to send him off to the airport...] Ummmmm...

KF: Do you want to send anything with him?

Me: Oh! No. I'm not from America. I'm Australian.

KF: That's right, you told me before.... So are your countries far away from each other, then?