It's that time of year

While the big Christmas party for the home is still ahead of us, we have already celebrated with several festivities around here already, so I thought I'd share some pictures from those:

Staff Christmas Party

This is a very hard working staff.  It was good to sit down and enjoy time together.

Blessed to be a part of this group of people.

   Christmas Party at the School

First, we cleaned in preparation for the move to the new school building.

Also, it was a pajama day :)

Various donations made it possible to buy new books for the library!

Everyone got to open two new books!

Reading.

More reading.

Finished up with the classic Charlie Brown Christmas (and hot chocolate!)

 Outreach in Tlacolula

This year the city provided us with one of the main streets and a tent!

The choir sang, a local junior high orchestra played, the teenagers did a skit...

Afterwards we handed out hot chocolate, bread, and free gifts for children (donated by our children and staff).

¡Feliz Navidad!  We wish you a merry Christmas!

Fluent vs. Bilingual

Well, I am coming upon two years of living here at the children's home.  And, after two years of being a principal in a Spanish speaking school and also having to translate from Spanish to English for visitors, I'd say it's safe to say that my Spanish has improved.

Some people ask me if I'm bilingual - and I make a point of letting them know I am only fluent, not bilingual.  What's the difference?  When I first started studying Spanish, I was told you know you are fluent if you have a dream in that language - but I don't think that's quite right.

To my understanding, being fluent is being able to express the majority of what you would like to say in another language.  That sometimes means talking around a word you don't know.  For instance, for a long time I didn't know the word for hammer in Spanish, so I would just say, "You know, the tool you hit a nail with?"

Bilingual is when you can speak two languages with the same ease.  This is not the case for me.  Often I can rattle off in Spanish without thinking about it, but suddenly I will come upon something I don't know how to say and come to a complete stop in conversation as I try to figure out how to express myself.  Either that or I'll just keep saying versions of the word I think I want to say until it looks like the person I'm talking with understands.  Or sometimes, I'll even just say it in English and hope it's similar in Spanish.

However, there are occasions now when I cannot think of simple words in English.  This happens more frequently than I would like, and while it is a little humorous, it is a little worrisome that you can't think of a word in your native language.  Today I couldn't think of "physical therapist."  Now, that's somewhat understandable.  But then I couldn't come up with another word, so I said "shopping... place..."  The word I was actually going for was "store."

I think some people mistakingly think this struggle with English is a sign that my Spanish is just so good now, but this is not the case ;). Perhaps I am just getting older - I do have a birthday this week...  Whatever the case may be, if I speak in English with you sometime and seem to talk weird, please be don't be too worried, and please be patient with me. :)

Despite all this, I have picked up some new vocabulary in my two years here and I've made a short list to share.  In case you would like to guess what they mean, I will put just the Spanish words first, and then share the translations below.

• Ayunar
• Boleta
• Haulocausto
• Estornudar
• Simulacro
• Presumir
• Quejarse
• Compromiso
• Animar
• Cordero
• Exigir
• Consentido
• Martillo

Any ideas?  Alright, let's see how you did:

• Ayunar = to fast (and desayunar is breakfast)
• Boleta = report card (not to be confused with boleto, which means ticket)
• Haulocausto = burnt offering (like in the Old Testament)
• Estornudar = to sneeze (I find this one fun to say)
• Simulacro = simulation, or drill (This is the word we use when we do earthquake drills)
• Presumir = to boast (a child had to define this one for me when they were complaining about another student)
• Quejarse = to complain
• Compromiso = commitment (this one comes up often in translation, and I always want to say compromise, but that's a false cognate)
• Animar = to encourage (also a fun one)
• Cordero = lamb (often found in worship songs, as in Lamb of God)
• Exigir = to demand (I like the sound of this one too)
• Consentido = spoiled (like a spoiled child)
• Martillo = hammer (turns out I finally picked it up along the way)

So, those are some of my new words from the past two years of living in Oaxaca again.  Here's to keeping our minds fresh!  Fresh?  Is that right? Does that make sense?  Ah well, you know what I mean. :)

Peace on Earth?

Maybe I was just having a tough day when I first saw this, but the following video of an elephant struggling to get out of a waterhole made me tear up a little.  My sister said she had to skip to the end, just to make certain that it does make it out.  But if you have 2 minutes, I suggest you watch the whole thing.

At first I watched the bigger elephant, trying to help the little one.  It seemed to try everything, from pushing the little elephant to attempting to demonstrate how simple it was.  Then I focused on the little one and saw its mighty struggle.  It looked like it was using all its strength and will, and even tried a new path, but it just physically couldn't make that climb.

I found myself wishing I could be there, to help the little elephant somehow - give it a shove up or something.  But I don't know how well that would've gone over with the bigger elephants, or really how helpful it actually would have been.

As I reflected on this video, I realized that this is how I have felt, sitting in Mexico, watching current events unfolding in the United States.  From presidential debates to acts of terror to racism and more, I feel so helpless as I watch what is going on.

I see fierce arguments on Facebook, but people rarely seem to be truly listening to one other.  Similar to wanting to help the little elephant, I find myself wanting to help somehow.  But I don't know that I can make any sort of difference, and, to be honest, I fear the attack I see others come under when they make any sort of stand (God did not give me the gift of being any sort of debater).

So, what can I do?  What can any of us really do?  Well, I think one answer is to pray.  Strike that.  I know one answer is to pray.  This past year, my devotional book has prompted me to pray daily for the world, others, and myself.

As I pray for the world, sometimes I end up praying for missionaries, sometimes for the persecuted church, sometimes for world leaders, and so on.  And there are times I'm not a fan of the people I'm praying for.  In those cases, I often pray that God will put people of influence in their lives to lead them in the way of truth and love.

And, similarly, I can be an influence of truth and love to those around me.  One thing I do as the school principal is to have a bulletin board that the kids fill with Bible verses.  There is admittedly the extra motivation of receiving a piece of candy for every verse they can read and explain to me, but I tend to be the one blessed by what they understand of scripture.

We are currently focusing on prayer, and this week one of the little ones came to me with Matthew 19:13-15:

"Then people brought little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked them.  Jesus said, 'Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.' When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there."

"So, what did you understand from these verses?" I asked her. "Well, what I understand..." she said, glancing at me for encouragement, "What I understand is that if God says that we should let someone come to Him, we should not try to stop them."  Wow, so simple and yet so easily forgotten when we let our opinions and views get in the way.  If God says we should let someone come to Him, we should not try to stop them.

"And what did you learn about prayer?" I asked.  She was quick to reply, "That even if we're angry with someone, we should pray for them."  What a great reminder during this turbulent time when people are taking sides and digging in their heels.  Pray for the people we're angry with.

I love Christmas hymns, and one of my favorites is "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day."  As I understand it, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote this poem during the Civil War while nursing his son who had been injured in the war (The Christmas Carol Soldier).

It is good to remember that we are not the only ones who have gone through trying times.  Times when there only seems to be bad news - when hate seems so strong and mocks the songs of peace on earth...

I heard the bells on Christmas Day, their old, familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat of peace on earth, good-will to men!

...And in despair I bowed my head; "There is no peace on earth," I said:
"For hate is strong, and mocks the song of peace on earth, good-will to men!"

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: "God is not dead; nor doth he sleep!
The Wrong shall fail, the Right prevail, with peace on earth, good-will to men!"

We must remember, God is not dead, nor does He sleep.  The wrong shall fail, the right will prevail.  "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." (John 14:27)

"In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)  And as we find ourselves disagreeing with others over hot topics of today, let us remember to "love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you..." (Matthew 5:44)  

Seek justice, but also show mercy.  And may we never forget to walk humbly with God. (Micah 6:8)

Peace on earth, good will to men.

Tradition

In the musical "Fiddler on the Roof," the opening song is all about tradition.  As he sings about the traditions of his people, Tevye says, "You may ask, how did this tradition get started? I'll tell you... I don't know.  But it's a tradition!"

Tradition, according to Wikipedia, is a belief or behavior passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past

I remember the first time I was surprised by how quickly traditions can develop.  During my senior year of high school, I was in charge of props for the school musical, Oklahoma! (props are basically everything actors carry). We were into our final performance weekends, and the director always held a rehearsal between the shows, so that it would stay fresh in our minds.

However, this year the run-through was not going well.  The director was frustrated and yelling, and the cast was tired and not reacting well.  It was about halfway through the show when I decided I would try to lighten the mood a little.

If you are familiar with the musical Oklahoma!, you know that one key plot point is the purchase of a "Little Wonder" (a metal tube used for looking at girly pictures, but with a hidden blade inside).  Well, normally our "Little Wonder" was just an empty tube, but I quickly cut a photo of one of the funniest guys in the cast out of the program and taped it inside.

As the "cowboys" on stage looked into the tube to pretend they were looking at pretty girls, they stumbled over their lines a little when they saw Adam's picture.  Trying to keep straight faces, they went on with the scene.  As we moved on to the next scene, the director good-naturedly asked what picture was in there.

Pretty soon the whole rehearsal dissolved into laughter.  When we couldn't even get through one of the most serious scenes, the director called off the whole rehearsal and sent everyone home for some much needed rest.  I had no idea the effect my little act would have, and I had no idea the waves it would continue to make into the future.

You see, a few years later, I came to help the struggling props crew get on their feet and one day I found them trying to decide what to do that year for the prank rehearsal.  "What are you talking about?" I asked them.  Well, apparently the very rehearsal I had pulled that little prank on had become a whole thing, where pranks were expected and planned out.  Who knew?

You may ask, how did this tradition get started?  In the case of my "tradition" it was the desire to help others.  What it eventually became was a time to play pranks on other people, with the pressure of it being better than the previous years' pranks.  While that might be fun for some, that was obviously never my original intent.

This morning we heard a message about customs and traditions in the Old Testament.  How Eli's sons only served in the temple out of custom, and not out of reverence to God (1 Samuel 2).  How, because of this lack of meaning in their customs, the word of the LORD had become so rare that even Eli, the high priest, did not realize it was God speaking to Samuel at first (1 Samuel 3).

We were challenged consider if we were doing things out of custom.  Are we praying, going to church, worshiping, etc. just out of a sense of obligation or tradition? It's just what we always do, so we keep doing it?  Or are we doing those things truly to seek and obey God?  They may have very good origins and purposes, but if has become just a custom, then it has lost its worth.

The speaker suggested that one way we can avoid continuing with traditions that have lost their meanings is for us to try new things. Try to pray in a new way.  Try to read the Bible in a new way.  I think even something as simple as changing where you always sit in church can give you a new experience of worship.

And as we are in the holiday season, I would suggest looking at your family traditions/customs and reflecting on the origin.  Ask yourself, why do we do this?  If you're not sure why you do it, why not try something new?  If it has a good meaning, but it's been lost over the years, perhaps consider how you can return to the original intent of the tradition.  I think that, while change is hard, it could be a very refreshing experience.

 

Returning to the story of Tevye, he concludes his opening song by saying that "without our traditions, our lives would be as shaky as... as a fiddler on the roof!"  However, throughout the musical, his traditions are indeed challenged, and his eyes are opened to truly see the people around him.  And, as Tevye goes through this process of understanding his traditions, he continually seeks God's guidance - and I think that's just about the best thing we can do. 

Starry Night

I finished grading English homework at the kitchen table and got up to do my dinner dishes. It appeared that I would have a choice of whether I would just be doing my dishes, or if I would also wash my roommates' dishes that were piling up in the sink.

I recalled the times someone had washed only their own dishes, leaving my one cup or plate for me to wash later.  I didn't like that, and was tempted to do the same so that they could see how it felt.  Besides, it was mole (pronounce mow-lay) dishes, and being on dish duty this week, I had already spent a solid hour trying to get mole off of dishes in the dining hall.

But, I also remembered the times someone had done my dishes that had piled up beside the sink, and the gratitude I felt towards them.  "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" won out over passive aggressiveness, and I began to wash all the dishes.

However, soon the water became scalding hot.  We've had problems with our boiler lately.  No water, cold water, boiling hot water, ice cold water, and then just right for a few days.  But it looked like someone had turned up the nozzle again and I could barely keep my hands in the flow as I rinsed the plates.

I went outside to check on it, flipping the porch light on as I stepped out the door into the dark night.  As I turned the corner to walk beside the duplex over to the boiler, I stopped in my tracks - stunned by the beauty of the night sky.  It was such a clear night and there were so many stars twinkling at me.

I had stopped under the clothesline, and there was a towel in my face, so I moved around it to get a better view.  I stood there, craning my neck around, trying to take it all in.  I don't often like to contemplate the heavens, to be honest I find them kind of frightening in their vastness.  But tonight I gave it another try.

Then the dark outlines of the mountains surrounding me made me think of the peoples who must've pondered the stars in this very place thousands of years ago (we have ancient ruins all around us, dating back to before Christ).  That, in turn, made me think of the wise men, and what the night sky must've looked like to them as they followed the star to Bethlehem.

And then my breath caught once again as a shooting star crossed the sky.  Not to be overly dramatic, but at this point I may have had one or two tears leaking out of my eyes :).  I feel so thankful for the places God has led me and I felt very blessed in that moment.  Perhaps God had used the hot water to bring me outside to see the show.

As my neck began to hurt from the strain of looking up, I briefly contemplated whether I could somehow get on the roof of the house to just lie down up there and see it all more easily.  In the end, I made my way over to the boiler and found that it was turned up rather high again.

I turned it back down, hopefully not repeating the great thermostat war of the winter of my sophomore year in college...  I then returned to my dishes with wonder in my heart, thankful for the warm and beautiful night.

Pictures of stars are challenging to take, so instead I share this photo taken last week at the beach by a young man who is volunteering here at the children's home, Evan Miller.  

It may be hard to believe that such a picture was taken from a beach town, rather than from space - but he has a great eye, a very nice camera, and the moon has been stunning lately.

I, too, tried to get a good picture of the moon last week:

When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? ...Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Psalm 8:3-4, 9

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

I was so excited to see poinsettias being planted downtown yesterday that I climbed right on up the bandstand in the middle of the zocalo to take a picture. 

However, while I like this picture a lot, it doesn't really give you a good idea of what Oaxaca (pronounced wah-ha-kah) was like yesterday.  So, while some pictures are worth a thousand words, I thought I'd use some words to try to give you an idea of what led me to the moment when I took this picture.

I had been hoping to sleep in on this Saturday morning, but out of habit I woke up at 5:30.  After laying in bed awake for awhile, I glanced at my newsfeed and noticed that there were posts about teacher protests in Oaxaca.  So early in the morning?  It seemed to be true, as I saw photos of crowds forming in the early morning light.

Later on, I saw on the news that the union leader had arrived, and they would be marching from the gas station to the administrative buildings.  This was in protest of the evaluative tests the government is making teachers take this weekend.  The teachers' union would be walking along the very route I had been hoping to take to town that morning, so I texted my friend, letting her know we needed to keep an eye on the situation.

Not everyone marched - there were teachers who took the test this weekend.

We talked it over, and in the end, we decided to give our trip to town a try.  We both needed to get some things done, and we agreed that if we did see any big crowds, we would just turn around.  My experience in Oaxaca in 2006 makes me a little more cautious in these situations than most people around me, but, as the saying goes, better safe than sorry.

Well, as we got to the edge of the city, we looked over towards the administrative office buildings in the distance.  Between us and the buildings was probably the most federal police officers I've ever seen, looking like a sea of black in their uniforms.  Ahead of us, we saw the large crowd of protesters, calmly making their way over a bridge that we would normally drive under to get into the city.

Photo from a local newspaper of the protesters approaching the bridge.

Whoa.  Ok, I guess this is what I was talking about when I suggested we turn around if we came across anything.  However, in front of us, police were redirecting traffic safely away from the scene, and we soon found ourselves heading in the opposite direction - away from the conflict, but still towards the city.

The rest of the Oaxaca was progressing with their day as usual, and we made our way downtown, parked, and set out separately to get our errands done.  I stopped in a craft store and bought ornaments for the tree at school, then made my way over to Mayordomo to buy some chocolate for Christmas presents.

Determined to get more of my Christmas shopping done, I then made my way north to a store that sells women's artisan products.  As I looked around the store, I heard the man who works there say that we were having an earthquake.  I hadn't felt anything, and I looked around at the things hanging around me and didn't see any moving - so I figured maybe he was mistaken.

But sure enough, later on I saw that there had been an earthquake - 4.9 with an epicenter in Atzompa - only about 7 miles away from where I was..  For those of you familiar with Oaxaca, Atzompa is very near to Monte Alban. We are having a lot of close earthquakes lately!  Not sure what that's about.

I visited the ruins of Atzompa for the first time this summer.

Side note: I decided to hold another earthquake drill at school last week, and the kids are doing great.  Now everyone calmly gets up from their seats, makes decisions about where a safe place would be, and gets into textbook safety positions.  In fact, they were a little too calm this go around and could've done with a bit more haste... Ah well, there's always room for improvement. ;)

Back to yesterday, I met my friend again for lunch and we decided on a coffee shop along the tourist walkway.  As we ate, we began to hear music approaching us.  Pretty soon a wedding party was passing by - accompanied by a band, traditional dancers, and guests dressed to the nines.  My friend and I had trouble imagining a wedding in the U.S. that would include a parade down the streets.

Can you spot the bride and groom?

We then walked through the zocalo, where I delighted in seeing the poinsettias and took a few pictures.  We meandered our way back to where we parked the car and headed home, with no more sign of the protests on the other side of the city.

There were more protests today, as the teachers marched to the zocalo this time.  I selfishly hope that they didn't mess up the newly planted poinsettias.  I have tried to understand the teachers' perspective and why they are so against this test, but it is hard to see past how ineffective and harmful to Oaxaca all their protests seem to be.

So, while I delight that it is beginning to look like Christmas around here, Oaxaca is still struggling.  I ask that you continue to pray for Oaxaca.  Thank you!

Atop the bandstand, looking across the zocalo towards the Cathedral.  Beautiful Oaxaca.

Happy Thanksgiving from Oaxaca, Mexico!

I surprised myself by tearing up a little as I explained to the kids in my English classes what we customarily do in the United States on Thanksgiving.  I don't think I surprised them though, they're used to me getting emotional occasionally ;).

Ever since I became a teenager, I have rarely been with my whole family for Thanksgiving.  In high school I would volunteer to serve Thanksgiving meals every year at our church.  One of my fondest memories of that time is when a large Eastern European family thanked us for the meal by singing one of their traditional songs.

In college, Thanksgiving break was so close to Christmas break that it wasn't worth the extra expense to fly home for both.  So, I often had someone visiting me in Chicago, we would go out in the freezing weather to see the parade downtown, and a kind seminary family would usually invite us to join them for a meal.

My first Thanksgiving after college, I found myself in Mexico City - having been evacuated from Oaxaca due to the political violence there at that time.  The following two Thanksgivings I was in Oaxaca among Covenant Missionaries and Covenanters in Mission.

In the years that followed, I have mainly been in Chicago or Oaxaca for Thanksgiving.  Today I will be heading over to our Administrator's apartment in about an hour for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner.

I am very thankful for so much this year, and though I didn't have the day off, I'm thankful for the work that God has put before me. I finished the school day with my Christmas card making class (and we've been learning Little Drummer Boy in English class).

May God bless you and remind you of his many blessings on this day for giving thanks.

Global Leadership Summit - Puebla

 

I had never heard of the Global Leadership Summit until last year, but I went, enjoyed it greatly, and this year was eager to return.  If you have never heard of it either, I suggest you look into it further.  It is a really amazing movement by Willow Creek Church to equip and motivate leaders around the world.  The speakers are a diverse group of outstanding leaders from the businesses, churches, governments, etc.  Here is a highlight video from this year:

My two main takeaways from this year were that: (1) if God is calling me to do this, He will give me what it takes to get it done and (2) that one of the main intangibles of leadership is to selflessly love others.  I will soon be stepping into more leadership here at the children's home, and this really helped me to be able to take that step with more confidence.

The main conference is held in Chicago, it is filmed and then translated into other languages to be used around the world.  I really highly recommend attending this leadership conference if you are able.  We traveled 5 hours to get to the one nearest to us, and it was definitely worth it.  And if there is not one near you, maybe you can be the one to inspire a church to host one.

From the GLS website:

We're convinced that effective, Christ-centered leadership is critical to advancing the Kingdom of God on earth. We believe that the Church is at the center of this plan. However, the influence and impact of the church is felt most fully when everyone that's a part of a church is fully living out the life God has called them to live. This includes leaders from business, government, education, non-profits and multiple other spheres of influence.  That's why leaders from all over the world gather together at The Global Leadership Summit and come together to fuel our passion and sharpen our leadership skills.

Thank you very much for your prayers for safe travels.  Annie and I were able to travel there and back without incident in a very reliable vehicle.  We are very thankful for the blessing of this weekend's experience.  To God be the glory.

Road Trip! - Prayer Request

Annie and I will be traveling today (Friday) to Puebla to attend the Global Leadership Summit - a conference to equip leaders put on by Willow Creek Church and then translated to be used around the world.  We went last year with the administrator and the director of the home, but due to other commitments, they cannot join us this time.

Annie and me in Puebla last year for the Global Leadership Summit

I've been a passenger on several trips to Puebla, but never the driver (and I think Annie can say the same).  So your prayers for our safe travels are especially appreciated.  The plan is that we will be driving back to Oaxaca on Sunday.  Thank you so much!

Field Trip!

Only one student wasn't interested in going to a museum today.  Actually, it was the same one that didn't want to go to Monte Alban last month...  I'm beginning to give her the option of staying behind and writing a report on what the rest of us are going to go experience, but so far she hasn't taken me up on that offer ;).

We had a wonderful and tiring field trip to downtown Oaxaca to visit the historical and cultural museum next to the ornate Santo Domingo church.  If I remember the guide correctly, construction began on the building in the 1400's.  Wow!  But the friars didn't anticipate all the earthquakes in the region, and it took 100 some years to complete.  Talk about a construction project running overtime.

We were once again blessed to have a kind and engaging guide.  The guards were a little jumpy, watching us like hawks as we explored on our own later on.  But, I suppose their experience with kids in the museum might not be super positive, and the point of their job is to stand around making sure people don't misbehave.  So, I guess I can't blame them too much.

 

It was interesting how much changing the kids' schedule threw some of them off.  I had to answer question after question the night before.  I can see that changing the  schedule up every so often might be a very good thing for these kids - help them learn to cope with changes as they come.

Many of the kids were most excited to bring money along and spend it.  I tried to get them to focus on the museum visit, but with few opportunities to get off the property, I also understood their excitement.  As we arrived, I told the kids that they would get a chance to buy things after our museum visit.  I also had to tell a vendor this as she began to approach the kids.

 

She hesitated to see if I was serious, and when the kids obeyed me by not looking to buy at that time, she went away with the look of dejection that many vendors have when you don't by things from them.  But then she came back up to me a few minutes later and said, "But you will let them buy things when they come out, right?"  I assured her I would, and based on the amount of students with new bracelets later that day, I think she made out alright.

And the girl who didn't want to come?  She ended up buying a necklace for the director of the home, explaining to me that the director's birthday is coming up and they're going to have a  special little celebration for her.  So, in the end, I think a good time was had by all. :)

Picking Oranges in the Dark

It is mid-November, we have a three-day weekend, and I was left home alone.  It was kind of inevitable that I would put up the Christmas tree tonight :).

It was an all-afternoon process, as I climbed on the counters and scrubbed a few years of grime off the tops of cabinets before putting up garland and lights.  I made use of YouTube and had old Christmas movies playing in the background as I worked.

When I pulled the Christmas tree out of its box, I recalled how my parents and aunt and uncle were the ones who helped me put it away last year.  It made me miss them some, but then I went on with the decorating.

I know my roommates like Christmas, I've checked with them.  But I wasn't sure if I was jumping the gun a little.  Most of my American friends insist on waiting until after Thanksgiving, but all my roommates are Mexican, so...

Well, one of my roommates came home before I expected.  Her face lit up as she came through the door and she promptly went and got her own decorations that she made last year.  I don't think she minds. :)

After I made myself a quick (if rather late) dinner, I felt like I needed a little something more before going to bed.  So, I grabbed a flashlight and went out to the orange tree that is beside our house.

 I circled the tree with my flashlight, examining the oranges, trying to find the best one.  It is surprisingly challenging to pick a good orange in the dark.  I was a little concerned about what people might think if they saw me, but not too much ;).

Our little orange tree at sunset one evening

With a slightly green orange in hand, I walked back to the house, pausing on the porch to take in the night.  I could hear the sound of ants crunching leaves in the night - sounding startlingly similar to the pitter-patter of raindrops.  I could see the black silhouette of the mountains that surround us.  And though it is a cloudy night, a sliver of the moon shone brightly and stars still twinkled through.

And I mean they're really twinkling.  The other night I was walking home from church when I first noticed this.  A star caught my eye - it looked to be changing colors.  Then I realized all of them were doing it.  It was truly amazing and I wasn't quite sure what I was witnessing.

I pulled aside three people to find out if they could see it too.  They could, and they confirmed that they hadn't seen them that way before either.  I don't know how to describe it other than twinkling - but I've never in my life seen anything like it.

Anyhow, they continued to twinkle tonight.  I smiled at the glow of Christmas lights through our front window and came inside. While there'll be no white Christmas here, if I can walk outside in my pajamas and flip flops to go pick oranges and stop to admire the heavens, I don't think I can complain :).

Praying for the World

It was early evening and I was standing on the third floor of a bookstore downtown, waiting for the teachers to finish choosing new books for the school, when I glanced at the news-service text on my phone.  It said something about at least 60 dead and 100 injured through attacks and explosions in Paris.  I only had a moment to ponder the gravity of what must've just happened, because suddenly it was time to check out and be on our way.

Over the next 24 hours, I kept getting notifications from my BBC app with updates on what had happened.  My Facebook page began to fill with "Pray for Paris" posts.  After liking post after post, I finally paused to actually pray.  My friends' photos turned to a sea of blue, white, and red.  I found photos of landmarks from around the world covered in the same colors to be inspiring.

It was wonderful to see the world react in unity against such a violent act. But amid it all, one post popped up that got me thinking.  It was a list of events that had happened that day in the world, including an earthquake in Mexico, a bomb at a funeral in Baghdad, and another terrorist attack in the Middle East.  It made me wonder why the other terrorist attacks didn't seem to matter as much as the Paris one.

As I thought about this, I was remembering back to another news report from about a year ago that caused me the same pain upon hearing about it.  On December 16, 2014, gunmen entered a military-run school in a major Pakistani city and killed 141 people - 132 of them children.  I remember being shocked by the news, and at the same time confused as to why news several dozen deaths in a U.S. classroom is instantly all over the world, but this event faded in the media in what seemed to be one day.

The attack was "widely condemned", but why didn't everyone change their Facebook photos that day?  132 children were killed, and I assume more injured.  I think there are various reasons, and  I'm not trying to say that the Paris attack did not deserve the attention it received.  But something doesn't seem quite right with it all.  It makes me uncomfortable that this seems to be revealing that we value one life over another.

So, when this Instagram photo popped up on my Facebook wall, I was happy to find someone who expressed the same confusion as I was feeling.  I don't completely agree with everything expressed here - but I do concur that we need to stop turning a blind eye to certain parts of the world, and pray more.

It is not Paris we should pray for.  It is the world.  It is a world in which Beirut, reeling from bombings two days before Paris, is not covered in the press.  A world in which a bomb goes off at a funeral in Baghdad and not one person's status update says "Baghdad", because not one white person died in that fire.   

Pray for the world that blames a refugee crisis for a terrorist attack.  That does not pause to differentiate between the attacker and the person running from the very same thing you are.  Pray for a world where people walking across countries for months, their only belongings on their back, are told they have no place to go.  

Say a prayer for Paris by all means, but pray for more, for the world that does not have a prayer for those who no longer have a home to defend.  For a world that is falling apart in all corners, and not simply in the towers and cafes we find so familiar.

Family

"Miss Laura, this says to write five words to describe your father, but I don't even remember him."  Wow, way to crush my heart in two seconds, kid.   I ended up telling this young man that he could just describe his house-father, and he went away satisfied.

But the thing is, this kind of situation comes up a lot in the educational material that we use.  Often it is assumed that the kids have a traditional family, and simple assignments become... uncomfortable.

My last unit in English had an activity that was based on assumptions that the kids had a mother and father active in their lives.  For most of the kids in my class, at least one parent is completely absent from their lives, and the other often is not doing real great either.  I didn't really want to get into all of that during what is intended to be a simple English class activity with them, so I nixed that one.

But there are other times and opportunities when the kids do open up about their families.  Often it is through their Spanish workbooks, which I spend at least an hour grading every day.  Mostly I'm checking comprehension, grammar, handwriting - but every so often something comes along that slows me down, even brings me to tears.  Here are a few examples:

One assignment was to write a letter.  This student's reads:

My mom,
Hello.  How are you?  When are you going to come see me?
I miss you.

- - - - - - -

Another assignment asked this young woman to research her family and write your biography.  She shares:

I was born in Chiapas in 2004.  My parents are A---- and R-----, and my birthday is in August.  When I was 3 years old I was with my grandmother and then I went to Oaxaca and I was with my dad and my mom.  And then I went to another house and I was there for 1 year.  Then they brought me here and I've been in this children's home 4 years.  Then they told me my dad died and now I only have my mom.

- - - - - - -

One young boy wrote a letter to his mother.  But, this boy's mother had died the year before.  His father and brothers weren't able to take care of him, so he came to live at the children's home.  His letter reads

Dear mom,
I want to tell you that I miss you a lot and even though you're not here, I love you and I want you to know that I am very sad but I'm getting better.  I will not forget you.  I always want to remember the moments that I lived with you and was happy.
I love you a lot.

- - - - - - -

Man, that made me tear up again.  I think I've said it before, but it is too easy to forget where these kids come from, what they've seen, and what they're dealing with.  It is also amazing to see the transformation living here can bring.

For example, at a simple level, a pair of siblings came to the home in August.  They seemed to come from a better-off home than most of our kids.  But the boy constantly swore and got in fights, and the girl was constantly caught up in lies she told.

However, after only a few months, I never hear the boy swearing anymore and he is one of the ones who dances through the hallways and I have to calm him down.  The girl has proven herself to be a willing and hard worker, and perhaps she's fooling me, but I don't catch her lying as much either.

At a deeper level, we accepted a young woman to the home because she had been in a terrible situation.  When she first arrived, I mostly only ever saw her sitting by herself, staring at the ground, with a hat on her head.  It was explained to us that the week before she came, she had attempted suicide three times.  Ah, that explained quite a bit.

We were asked to make an extra effort to brighten her days, and a few weeks later she abandoned her hats and walked around with a smile on her face.  I'm certain there's more healing to take place for her, but it was amazing to see her stand up in church on a Wednesday night and hear her speak with confidence about God having a purpose for her life.

It doesn't always work out this way, but it is a wondrous thing to see when it does.  I am surrounded by testimonies of how the Lord has changed lives that only He could have transformed.  I am thankful for them and humbled to be in their company.