Xapa to the World

Category: Random

Stuff that doesn’t fit into a box…like me!

  • A Day in the Life…

    So, I had the day off today!  Yippee!  Attempted to sleep in until 11ish…to no avail.  I awoke sharply at 8:45a…got a phone call that I needed to get my teeth cleaned.  Usually when I schedule a cleaning it, they take about a month to get me in.  I played my, “I’m leaving the country in a month” card, and they got me in for next Monday morning!  Yippee again!  I actually like my dentist.  He’s cool.  Dr. Hoban.  He has an animated tooth for his advertisement. 

    Then I had to go to the doctor to check on my immunization record and whatnot.  Let me tell you…Dr Stubbers can talk!  I could hardly get a word in edgewise.  I’ve never seen him before, so it was a otally new experience.  He didn’t believe me when I stated that I had a joint disorder…so he tested me himself.  After pushing and pulling my bones in all the strange directions they go (which was disgusting to watch…), he decided I knew what I was talking about.  Then he stated that I was all up-to-date on my immunizations and the only thing for me was to be tested for TB.  So, they put the little bubble under my skin…which freaks me out every time…and I have to go back on Thursday.  As I stood at the little window to set up everything else I might have needed…a man in the lobby felt the urge to vomit in a garbage can, much to my chagrin…and everyone else present.  After shaking off that disturbance, I was able to leave still with the bubble on my arm.  I’ve recovered, no worries.

      Many domestic activities waited for me at home.  But let me first relate that I finished Pride & Prejudice (for the 4th time), and will now begin on “North and South” by Elizabeth Gaskell.  I loved the movie…I’m hoping the same goes for the book.  Also, my grandmother made it out of surgery in great shape.  She had hip-replacement surgery today…and as I was thinking about it on the way to the doctor’s office, I almost drove off the street from feeling queasy and weak.  I do not do well with bodily fluids, or injuries, or surgeries.

      Which reminds me that I had to perform surgery on one of my bamboo plants, Sophocles.  He had gotten several inches tall…probably close to two feet, and then the main stalk turned yellow and died…yet, most of the leaves were still green, so I had to cut the branch from the stalk and I’m hoping that it will keep growing.  I moved it from the larger pot where it was with Gamaliel to the smaller one with Euripedes.  Let’s hope for success!  When I bring Homer home from the bank, I’m going to put him in with Gamaliel and hope for the best there too.  Homer’s never been removed from his pot, so this should be interesting.  He doesn’t do well anywhere else than at a bank either.  My little money tree.  I’ll put a pic on here of him, but in the meantime, rest easy with this one of the boys:

    HPIM0105

    Gamaliel is in the blue pot.  Euripedes is the curly one, and Sophocles Jr. is the straight one in the white pot.  Those are my babies, since Mom won’t let me have a pet here…not even hermit crabs…but one day, I will.  I will have a hermit crab!  And name it Squirt.  Just see if I don’t. 

    Have a great day!

  • Gentle Mercies

    I’ve been trying to get my support letters out and as long as I don’t think too long about it, then I don’t worry too much about having enough money for my term over there.  But here are a couple encouragements I received yesterday and this morning:

      A man came in to the office to get some banking done.  Remember, I haven’t mentioned anything to my manager yet about leaving.  This man saw my “Congratulations on Graduating” card and asked about my college and what my degree was in, and then asked what I was planning to do with it.  I told him, generalities like, “the mission field, maybe Asia, in language-based ministry.”  I went on to take care of his transaction and when it was over, he looked up and asked, “So what are you doing with it now?”  I was confused about what he meant, and then I realized he was talking about my degree.  He said that having a job, and eating, it’s easy to be distracted from the purpose.  He asked if I was focused on my goal.  I felt like a deer in headlights.  I looked down at my manager, and then up at him, grabbed one of my business cards and wrote on the back that I’m leaving for Japan in a month.  Then I told him that if he wanted any more information that he should use my email address.  He said that he understood and that he’d add me to his prayer list. 

      Then, I was talking with my eldest sister.  She was telling me how my 8 yr old nephew, Jason, has been figuring out my going to Japan for a year.  She was telling him how I’m raising support and going to need money and whatnot.  He left her and returned with 75 cents.  I almost cried when she told me.  And then she added that he kept the dollar her had because he wanted to buy a pop at daycare.  🙂  Such a cute kid!

      This morning, I was listening to another of Francis Chan’s sermons.  It’s entitled “Grace and Works”.  The part that I was listening to was an interview he had with Heather Mercer, one of the girls kidnapped and imprisoned in Afghanistan several years ago by the Taleban, for sharing the Gospel.  She was held for 3 and a half months before being rescued by US Special Ops.  One thing stuck out to me in her interview.  She said, “There was a season for telling our story.  But there came a point when I was afraid that it would be all that God would ever do with me.  I didn’t want to tell the same story for the rest of my life.  God is continuing to work.”  Now she is working on a special project in the north of Iraq.  Like her, I don’t want China to be my only story.  God is continuing to do things in my life, and my life’s not over.  So long as He keeps me alive, my story will keep going.  That is an exciting thought for me.  God is continually writing in the book of my life, and my next chapter is titled, “Japan or Bust!”

  • “Absent Love” – Bonhoeffer

    Not only is God amazing…but He’s also amazing.  I began to be hit by the reality of leaving the people I love so much last night while at church and after.  And then I picked up my daily devo reading of Bonhoeffer quotes, and this is what was there for February 13th:

    “Nothing can make up for the absence of a someone whom we love, and it would be wrong to try to find a substitute; we must simply hold out and see it through.  That sounds very hard at first, but at the same time it is a great consolation, for the gap, as long as it remains unfilled, preserves the bonds between us.  It is nonsense to say that God fills the gap; God does not fill it, but on the contrary, God keeps it empty and so helps us keep alive our former communion with each other, even at the cost of pain…The dearer and richer our memories, the more difficult the separation.  But gratitude changes the pangs of memory into a tranquil joy.  The beauties of the past are borne, not as a thorn in the flesh, but as a precious gift in themselves.  We must take care not to wallow in our memories or to hand ourselves over to them, just as we do not gaze all the time at a valuable present, but only at special times, and apart from these keep it simply as a hidden treasure that is ours for certain.  In this way the past gives us lasting joy and strength.”
     – from Letters and Papers from Prison.  100-101

    Dietrich wrote this while in prison, where the very hope of reuniting with his loved ones had to be reserved for heaven only.  How much more is my comfort and joy to be when return is not so distant (seemingly)?  Thanks for reading!!

  • And It’s Final!

    I’m going!!   I’m getting my stuff together for applying for the visa, and my date of departure is really dependent on when that is approved.  But it’s looking like it’ll be the Monday after Easter!   Eeekkk!!!  Crrrrazzy!!  Now, I have a mess of things to get together, but I know that God will help everything go smoothly.  Ah!  I’m sooo excited…it definitely hasn’t sunk in yet.  Thanks for your prayers, I still need them!

  • A Whirlwind

    I’ve been trying to think of how to describe what all has transpired over the last week…and I believe that the word “whirlwind” fits the best.  You’ll have to excuse me for my grammar tonight because I have been watching the BBC production of “Pride & Prejudice” and it always puts a spin on my talking for at least the rest of the night, sometimes even into my dreams.  🙂  Last week, I received notice of a position available with a church in Japan for an English teacher.  For some time, I think I have given up all hope, really, of being able to leave the US (let alone Cincinnati) for a very long time to pursue my calling into the mission field. 

    When I graduated high school, almost all agencies that I could have wanted to work with required that I have some sort of bachelor’s degree.  So, I went to college and graduated, only to find out that almost all agencies that I could have wanted to work with now frowned on owing money of any sort.  So, I had nailed myself down to a job that I don’t reeeeally care for (selling people things that supposedly bring security…yet I know in my heart never could) for several years at least while I whittled away at my school debt…which is not enormous, but a sum, nonetheless.  More than Mr. Darcy makes in a year, though…I assure you.

    But, then, this opportunity comes up, and for some reason, I saw for the first time how little I really have here to hold me down.  Yes, I have a job, my family is here, most of my friends and support system…but honestly, in the world of communication that we live in today, would it be all that distanced by being a mere halfway around the globe?  And so, with some other messages from God that seem to be pointing at my going to Japan, if not just confirmation that I should be willing to go, I have started seeking how to liquidate my life here in the States as much a possible.  And really, it’s not going to take all that much. 

    At the same time, emotionally, I’m so torn at the thought of leaving my family, my friends, my church, the kids in my church…they are sooo precious to me.  Especially the kids at church, when they don’t really have that understanding of surrender to God in these circumstances…it’s hard for them to understand why I would want to leave them like this…to look in their faces.  Of course, it encourages me that the time I’ve been spending investing in their lives and a relationship with them has been successful…it hurts thinking not to have them in my life each week. 

    I’m going to be hearing finality on my going or not sometime in the beginning of this week.  When that happens, I will let everyone know.  But until then, I better get to sleep!  Later!!

  • Job Opp – Prayer Request

    Hey! 

      I wanted to get this information out for a prayer request for me.  I could really use y’all praying with me on this one.  I was put in touch with a job opportunity to teach English in southwest Japan for a year.  The biggest “issue” with this position is that I would have to know in the next month if I’m going to do it and then leave at the beginning of April.  Here’s the information on it that I have so far:

    URGENT–English Teacher Needed Immediately.  We just found out this week that our replacement teacher who was scheduled to arrive this March will not be able to join us until at least this summer.  This has put us on RED ALERT for a teacher.  This means about 50 of our students will be without a teacher in two months.  We know that God isn’t suprised by the change of schedule, so we ask you to join us in praying that He connect us with just the right person by the end of this month.  Also, please see if you can have this announced at your church or school and share this information with any single ladies that you know:
     
    TEACHER NEEDED
    Position: English-teaching missionary
    Contract: one year contact starting from April 2008.
    Requirements: Single lady, a highly-recommended, mature Christian, involved in her local church whom would be willing to sponsor her and provide her with prayer and some financial support (see “Needed:” section below), teaching experience of both children and adults, a love for people of other cultures (a missions heart).
    Benefits: 100,000 yen monthly salary (exception: August summer vacation; however, part-time private lessons are a possibility), two weeks paid vacation, two days off each week, low cost (46,500 yen per month) dorm room in church building where classes are held, assistance in acquiring visa.
    Needed: 50 praying friends, roundtrip airplane ticket (approx. US$1400) and health insurance with international coverage.
    CLICK HERE for more information at the ministry website
     
    The salary is equivalent to about $950 USD.  But the money’s not important.  I am excited about the opportunity, but a little nervous about the time constraint.  Thanks a bunch for your prayers!
     
    In Him,
    Sarah ><>

  • Suing for a Picture

    In a world where lawsuits are everyday occurences over miniscule events…this is pretty funny. 

    The French President, Sarkozy, and his girlfriend are suing an Irish airline for using a picture of them in an advertisement without their consent.  His girlfriend is a former model, and is suing for 500,000 euros in damages (it’s the standard price for one of her pictures).  The president is suing for a whopping 1 euro.  Count it, 1 euro. 

    Let’s just say that I like this guy.  If I was French, I’d have voted for him.  He’s funny.  Vive la France!

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7219499.stm

    There’s the link.  Enjoy!  🙂

  • Upset in the Tennis World!

    So!!!!!!!!!    Djokovic upset the semifinals by beating #1 seed Roger Federer last night!   Ahh!  It’s amazing!  This means, he’s going against the unseeded French player Tsonga…who could now have a chance to win the Aussie Open!  I wish, I wish, I wish (allusion to Into the Woods) that I could go to that match!  Wow!  I don’t know if y’all understand how crazy this is!  Federer was going for his 11th consecutive Grand Slam title…which would have put him right behind Pete Sampras in the records.  Ahhh-mazing!  So, there you go.  Here’s the full link:

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/tennis/7208679.stm

    I’m rooting for Tsonga now…with Djokovic going to the finals, he really has a chance to win this.  What a crazy morning!

  • A Couple of Thoughts…for Thought

    Quotes to share with you:

    “I have both wandered and traveled in this life.  The difference is that you wander for distraction, but you walk for travel for fulfillment.”

    “My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.”    – James 1:19

    “Tis better to be silent and be thought a fool, than to speak and remove all doubt.”    – Abraham Lincoln

    “Think twice before you speak, and then you may be able to say something more insulting than if you spoke right out at once.”  – Evan Esar, Esar’s Comic Dictionary

    “The godly think before speaking; the wicked spout evil words.” – Proverbs 15:28

    So…I’ve been doing quite a bit of instrospection on my primary personality.  I am a “thinker” by nature…meaning I require information in order for me to decide something..even to decide my feelings on that something.  Without information, I feel entirely unqualified to make a decision…even the decision to be joyous or mournful about something.  This can sometimes be hard to convey when you’re in a relationship with someone who is not this way at all.  While I don’t believe that my way is the best, or the only right way…it is still my way, and I cannot get past it.  I need information.  When someone asks me a question, I have to investigate it before I can give them my opinion on it.  If the information is not to be found, or given to me, then I disregard the question until I can get the information I need to be conclusive.

    One thing that I’m trying to learn is how to not allow my lack of a stance be shown as apathy for what is going on.  I want to be involved…desperately…but I cannot, in good conscience, become involved until I have the necessary information.  It’s the reason why I seldom get involved in politics, or discussions on the economy…because I don’t have a lot of information on it…something that changes daily…for me to really be able to discuss it.  Sports are another thing for me.  I do not understand a lot of it…I don’t have a lot of information, therefore, I really don’t think I’m qualified to discuss issues of athletics with others…especially those who are die-hard sports-addicts.  (And no, this statement does not retract my claim that I prefer the Steelers to any other pro football team out there).

    What I’m trying to say is…basically something for my own benefit…and maybe for the benefit of some others.  If you have trouble communicating with someone…there might not be anything wrong other than they require something different than you for them to understand.  You might be prone to just be an exciteable person, but they might need as much information as possible to be just as excited as you are.  Or, you might feel like you need to give all the information you can to someone, when really, all they want are the basics.  The suggestion I have…make sure you know your audience before you draw conclusions about their reactions.  Then maybe, maybe you’ll be able to get the reaction you want, if you are sympathetic to how their mind works.

    My sociology lesson for the day.  Thank you.

  • Bonhoeffer – The Good Fruit

    I was just praying last night that God would reveal the quality of fruit from a certain situation…and soon.  I have trepidation about something, and I know that in the end, the thing will be revealed by the fruit it produces.  So, I prayed.  And then I read….in my daily devotional of collective writings by Dietrich Bonhoeffer.  Here’s what I got:

    —————————————————-

    “There is an old argument about whether only the will, the act of the mind, the person, can be good, or whether achievement, work, consequence, or condition can be called good as well – and if so, which comes first and which is more important.  This argument, which has also seeped into theology, leading there as elsewhere to serious aberrations, proceeds from a basically perverse way of putting the question.  It tears apart what is originally and essentially one, namely, the good and the real, the person and the work.  Ther objection that Jesus, too, had this distinction between person and work in mind, when he spoke about the good tree that brings forth good fruits, distorts this saying of Jesus into its exact opposite.  Its meaning is not that first the person is good and then the work, but that only the two together, only both as united in one, are to be understood as good or bad.”

                                              – from “Ethics”, pg 51