Days Go By...

A year ago I was stepping off the plane. I had said goodbye to people that loved me, places that were familiar to me, a language that I could speak. I stepped off into a land that I knew nothing about. It ws then a land that was dark and scary. People looked different, smelled different, ate things that didnt seem edible. They didnt seem to smile, they had no joy, they were just their work, their hardships, their struggle. And I was a bleary-eyed American girl, who had been told forever that she could do anything in the world that she wanted to do.
I was such a little girl then. I didnt have a clue about things like paying bills, handling emergency situations, even simple things like grocery shopping or knowing how to cook baffled me. But I was forced to grow up; and grow up I have, in a way that I never would have imagined.
I've learned volumes about obedience, about the expense of it; about trust, about God's faithfulness always. I've been on two different teams, in two cities, in three apartments. I've endured several floods and a small fire, plus countless cultural mistakes. I've learned to smile through the tears, to laugh at the things that would have previously crippled me, to enjoy the quiet solitude that comes from a peace that really can surpass all understanding. I've honed my cooking skills, my bargaining skills, my hospitality skills, and my people skills. No part of who I am has been untouched; I have been held in the fire past my burning point, but no longer than our precious Father wanted to keep me there.
ALl of that to say, I wouldnt change one second of it... Here's to the year of my life... and the promise of another to come.
Paca

Days Go By...

A year ago I was stepping off the plane. I had said goodbye to people that loved me, places that were familiar to me, a language that I could speak. I stepped off into a land that I knew nothing about. It ws then a land that was dark and scary. People looked different, smelled different, ate things that didnt seem edible. They didnt seem to smile, they had no joy, they were just their work, their hardships, their struggle. And I was a bleary-eyed American girl, who had been told forever that she could do anything in the world that she wanted to do.
I was such a little girl then. I didnt have a clue about things like paying bills, handling emergency situations, even simple things like grocery shopping or knowing how to cook baffled me. But I was forced to grow up; and grow up I have, in a way that I never would have imagined.
I've learned volumes about obedience, about the expense of it; about trust, about God's faithfulness always. I've been on two different teams, in two cities, in three apartments. I've endured several floods and a small fire, plus countless cultural mistakes. I've learned to smile through the tears, to laugh at the things that would have previously crippled me, to enjoy the quiet solitude that comes from a peace that really can surpass all understanding. I've honed my cooking skills, my bargaining skills, my hospitality skills, and my people skills. No part of who I am has been untouched; I have been held in the fire past my burning point, but no longer than our precious Father wanted to keep me there.
ALl of that to say, I wouldnt change one second of it... Here's to the year of my life... and the promise of another to come.
Paca

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Skiing... Kazakh style

So off to the mountain we went... The mountain had a lot of potential. It was beautiful. We asked until we found the ski rental place, and were directed to a literal hole in the wall. Inside held skis that could have been made before I was born (ok, they werent THAT old). We got our boots and skis and then asked about the runs. They told us they were just up the hill; and I got suspicious when I saw a rope attached to a pulley. People were hanging on to this rope and being pulled up the mountain. That was the lift!
The view from the top. nice huh?

We took our place with about 5 more skiers to travel up the mountain. We couldnt quite see up to the top, but 200 meters later we were at the top of the only run that "little Switzerland" had to offer!! It was hysterical. Of course, I had trouble with my skis and bindings, but after several readjustments, and many times of chasing my ski down the mountain after it would fall off without reason, we were ready to get this ski day underway. Okay, think about when you were little and you would pretend you were riding your bike really fast, but you were really just going a little faster than slow.... Thats what skiing was like! No matter how well you started, you were going to slow down quite considerably by the bottom! We figured out pretty soon that we were going to have to make this fun! Jon found a trail down the backside of the mountain that had several "jumps" on it, and we made the most of those; jumping and laughing and just generally perpetuating the stereotype that the world has about Americans!
The guys at the top of the mountain!

Jon relaxing at the top of the mountain while Phil watches in bewilderment!

The day was really fun! We skied as much as we could down ONE RUN and then we called it a day. We spent the rest of the night until our train came drinking tea, eating shashlik (a kind of barbeque here) and listening to the loud rap and hip/hop music that magically comes on whenever we as Americans walk into a cafe! I think I drank enough tea to float away. The best part of the day by far though, was the time I got to spend with Phil and Jon. We finally made it back about midnight last night, after a loud 3 hr train ride back. I was past tired, but I would do it again in a second! Good job guys- that was fun!

"Little Switzerland"

I definitely underestimate the country that I live in most of the time. Living in the flat, Siberian cold, capital city, I often forget that the entire country doesnt look like new construction, dirt, snow and slush, and a lack of trees or anything green! Yesterday, I had the chance to break out of this place for a few hours, 18 hours to be exact, with two of my teammates. Jon, who is quite an adventuresome guy, decided that we all needed to go skiing in "Little Switzerland" for a day. He knew that they had a place to ski in this city, and he also knew that we needed to buy tickets for the train.... That was about all the information that he had! But he is a convincing guy, and soon Phil and I had agreed to join him on this little day of alpine fun.
Our train left at 6:45, so that meant a 6:00 departure time for us. Unfortunately, none of us are morning people, so my wake-up call from the guys that came at 5:55 didnt leave me much time to put myself together. Luckily I remembered my passport, something I dont always do. The taxi driver I had hired was actually on time, so by 6:10 we were on our way! The train, which is quickly becoming my favorite mode of transportation, took 3 hours. I'm not sure what I expected when I got off, but I should have been prepared for a little chaos outside the train station. See, we really didnt have any idea what we were doing, nor did we have an idea how to get where we wanted to go. After a bit of haggling, we got a Russian guy named Sasha to drive us to his favorite cafe in town. Well, guess what, cafes arent open at 10:00 in the morning, so we were stuck with this strange little Russian guy in his Volkswagen. Our communication was very poor, partly due to the fact that our Russian isnt super wonderful and partly due to the fact that he wasnt really listening to what we wanted to do, and after a bit of driving around unnecessarily, we arrive at a hotel. He has decided that we must get a room; no amount of talking can convince him that we dont want a room... So we pay him and go in the hotel... We just dont need a room though! The highlight of that car ride was that Queen's We Will Rock You came on, and he obliged us by blaring that song as Jon played the drums on the dashboard and I laughed hysterically in the back!
While at the hotel, we find out what we had started to expect- that you couldnt ski in the place we were. Luckily, the ski area was just 40 or so kilometers away. So we get another taxi and start the drive up the "mountain". Now, remember that few things here actually are beautiful. Mostly I look at old Soviet things and new, modern, weird things. This place was beautiful. Stay tuned for the rest of our trip... It really gets good when we get to the "ski lift"!!

Prayer... Raise the Bar

Because of a series of events that have challenged my faith beyond the point I thought I could be challenged, I have really come to understand the exhortations from Scripture about praying with confidence and according to God's will. When I first moved overseas, I understood the idea that prayer was central to the work that we were doing, but my prayers tended to focus on things that were nothing out of the ordinary for God.
For instance, I would ask for things like protection when I was in a taxi, or grace and memory during a language lesson, or a time of conversation with a neighbor. Please dont hear me saying that these are bad things to ask for, because they are not; but in the last few months I have really begun to ask HIM for things that are outside my normal "prayer box". Things that seem like I am asking for too much, for too big!
Here is the thing though; they havent been too big for the Lord. They havent been to much, or too hard to handle, or even too full of audacity for the Creator of the universe. Instead, a neat thing has happened. As I have taken things before the throne, I have noticed a confidence that has invaded my conversations with Him. He has taken my requests, and made them grand, answering them in ways that only the Lord can answer. He has begun to weave story after story after story in my life that speaks of the grandness of God; but more than that, He has ignited in me a desire to ask for those big things, to almost dare God to work in a big way! I want to see the big things happen, not only in terms of hundreds of people coming to know Him, but in terms of one person taking one step closer to knowing the truth. I think it has a lot to do with perspective.
There is something else that I have learned lately. I learned it through this story. I was recently told that I had to move out of my apartment. This was frustrating to me for several reasons: that I was having to move again, and I felt like I was having to start over with new relationships and that I had to leave behind my neighbors, who have become like family to me. I was whining about this to a teammate, who is like a mom to me here, and she said this. It was really very simple.
She said, "Emily, have you ever thought to pray that God would move someone else in behind you, a local believer, who could pick up where you left off and move your neighbors closer to the cross?" NO!!! Of course I hadnt thought to pray that. In fact, I was a little insulted that she would even ask me to pray something like that! Why shouldnt I be the one that moved these people closer to the cross? NOt someone else.. I cant trust my precious neighbors with someone I dont even know!
Ahhh, but the perspective in Teri's words to me was so good. Pray something so far removed from yourself; pray something that is bigger than your limited, fleshly perspective! Oh how the situation changed when I began to see it in terms of something God was doing for His glory! And how I want to have that perspective all the time.
So raise the bar guys... I think that God wants something so much more than we often bring to Him. Paca