Tomorrow my brother turns 21. Here are some pictures to show my love for him yeah! ;)
his first day at home
at a beach last year near his college in Mass.Friday, December 28, 2007
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Passages...
Sometimes, God puts certains songs, passages, or quotations in my path continually to remind me of truth or encourage my steps. Here is a sampling of a few that have given me smiles and helped me through this semesters.
"Roam", B-52's
Fly the great big sky
See the great big sea
Kick through continents
Bustin' boundaries
"Big Country," Big Country
I'm not expecting to grow flowers in a desert
But I can live and breathe and see the sun in wintertime
"Compassion," Henri Nouwen - this is an excerpt from a book I've been reading in the West Bank - seriously one of my favorites of all time!
"In our time, so full of cruel persecution, it is understandable that we ask ourselves if we would be able to undergo the severe suffering we read and hear about. We wonder how to prepare ourselves for it and often concern ourselves with a future into which we project many horrors and tragedies. But if our primary concern were to listen carefully to God in our lives and to discern his will for us here and now, these worries would prove to be unjustified and distracting. Much of our inner restlessness, nervousness, and tension is connected with our worries about the unknown future. Sometimes we try to alleviate these worries by far-reaching plans. But our work for the future should not be based on anxiety, but on a vision of something worthwhile in the present. When our schemes for a new world are only an expression of our unhappiness with the present, we risk engaging in what Thomas Merton called "organized despair."
Obedience is listening to a voice that speaks to us today and allowing ourselves to feel the loving care of God in our present lives. Obedience is giving full attention to what the Father says to us in this very moment and responding lovingly to what we perceive, because God is our loving Father in whom nothing that is not love can be found. Apprehension, fear, and anxiety cannot sustain themselves in his presence. Fear always creates distance and divisions. But in the presence of God fear melts away. 'In love there can be no fear, but fear is driven out by perfect love' (1 John 4:18)
Thus, when we pay careful attention to the loving presence of God, the suffering to which we might be led will never darken our hearts or paralyze our movements. We will find that we will never be asked to suffer more than we can bear and never be tested beyond our strength. When we are led by love instead of driven by fear, we can enter the places of greatest darkness and pain and experience in a unique way the power of God's care. Jesus' final words to Peter are the strongest affirmation of this truth. After having asked Peter three times, 'Do you love me?' and after having been assured three times by Peter of his love, Jesus said, 'When you grow old you will stretch out your hands, and somebody else will put a belt around you and take you where you would rather not go' (John 21:18). Although Peter did not desire it, he was led to the cross as Jesus was. But because it was love and not fear that led him there, the cross was no longer a sign of defeat, but a sign of victory."
1 Thessalonans 1:3 - I studied 1 Thessalonians this semester
"...your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ."
- these words, written by Paul, describe the lives of the Thessalonians who he loves dearly and desires to encourage through this letter. This passage encouraged me especially at the beginning of the semester when I greatly needed perspective.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Pictures from Egypt
on the outskirts of Cairo...
Chris, Jan, Elias, and Geir
the classic shot
On the dinner cruise!
inside the Hanging Church
near the site where Christ, Mary, and Joseph fled
On top of Mt. Sinai (Geir, Elias, me, Chris, and Jan)
St. Catharine's Monastary
gazing out onto the Red SeaChristmas in Bethlehem... almost
Yesterday - the Norwegians and Chris and I went to Bethlehem for a brunch hosted by the Palestinian Bible Society for all the staff workers in their family. A couple weeks ago we attended a similar meeting, however, this festive lunch was to celebrate Christmas. It included people who work in Nablus, Birzeit, other regions of the West Bank, Jerusalem, and the Gaza team - who have relocated to Bethlehem because of the dangerous situation.
After finishing lunch, we ventured to the Nativity Church which was only a couple of blocks away. We had planned to spend a period of time there praying and quiet reflection. Upon entering the church, we heard a liturgy taking place, and luckily, there were little to no tourists - almost a miracle, considering what time of year this is. This was clearly the highlight of the day.
Later, we called Samer, Hosam, and Tony - 3 students we have met at the Living Stones Center to hang out. Their identity as Christians in Bethlehem means the world to them. As they have witnessed two Intifadas and multiple Christians emigrating from Bethlehem, they have pledged themselves to remain and fight as they can for the good of their city (of course, that means peacefully). We went to Shepherd's Field (the supposed location where the shepherd's received the message of Christ's birth) and then to a restaurant called The Cave to smoke hergilah (hubbly-bubbly) and eat dinner - who can say they've smoked hergilah on Shepherd's Field??
Then we went to Manger Square (right by the Nativity Church) and walked through the old quarter of Bethlehem, lit by Christmas lights. As we drove to Manger Square, a Santa was stopping cars on the street handing out chocolate - Chris shouted out the window... "Ana betalam Arabi!" (which means, "I'm learning Arabic"). I'm still laughing at that....!
After finishing lunch, we ventured to the Nativity Church which was only a couple of blocks away. We had planned to spend a period of time there praying and quiet reflection. Upon entering the church, we heard a liturgy taking place, and luckily, there were little to no tourists - almost a miracle, considering what time of year this is. This was clearly the highlight of the day.
Later, we called Samer, Hosam, and Tony - 3 students we have met at the Living Stones Center to hang out. Their identity as Christians in Bethlehem means the world to them. As they have witnessed two Intifadas and multiple Christians emigrating from Bethlehem, they have pledged themselves to remain and fight as they can for the good of their city (of course, that means peacefully). We went to Shepherd's Field (the supposed location where the shepherd's received the message of Christ's birth) and then to a restaurant called The Cave to smoke hergilah (hubbly-bubbly) and eat dinner - who can say they've smoked hergilah on Shepherd's Field??
Then we went to Manger Square (right by the Nativity Church) and walked through the old quarter of Bethlehem, lit by Christmas lights. As we drove to Manger Square, a Santa was stopping cars on the street handing out chocolate - Chris shouted out the window... "Ana betalam Arabi!" (which means, "I'm learning Arabic"). I'm still laughing at that....!
Monday, December 17, 2007
Egypt!!!
Craziness reigns in Egypt. As soon as we met people working at the border control we could tell the major challenge which lay before us would be avoiding manipulation and bribery from almost everyone from the taxi drivers to our tour guide. Of course, not all Egyptians we met were like this. In fact, our tour guide at the Hanging Church, in the Coptic Quarter of old Cairo, was a young lady who is learning Spanish so she can go to Spain to preach the Gospel because she’s realized, as she’s shared her faith with tourists at the church, that the Spaniards she’s met do not know much about Christianity. So, besides the multiple instances of corruption we encountered, our time there will go down as one of my most prized memories.
We left to drive south towards Elat in Israel with George, Nash’s brother, late Thursday morning. He dropped us off at the border crossing around 4 or 5 where we encountered our first “adventure” – acquiring a visa and getting a taxi to drive us to Cairo. We ended up having to pay a high fee for a visa because, not knowing that we needed one beforehand, we had to get the visa on the spot. A “friend” of one of the guys who made us fill out border crossing forms performed the deed for us. I sensed an incredible shadiness about the deal, especially as they tried to get us to purchase a taxi ride as part of the deal that we HADN’T agreed to. We were exhausted.
Once we finally got through that ordeal, we met a couple of men standing around taxis in the dark, dressed in robes I’d seen Muslim men wear in South Africa. After negotiating a price, we began our night trek to Cairo. Upon entering the city, I felt like I was in New York City – all of the bustling, traffic, and people living on top of one another – minus the skyline and some of the flashiness. We could see the outlines of many of the beautiful mosques. People walked through the street between the cars like they were weaving through a crowd of people – barely grazing the fast, honking vehicles.
After meeting George, our guide at the Canadian Hostel who helped us plan our time there (thank you Chris for the Canadian “in”), we passed out. Morning came soon for us. The rest of the day, a pre-arranged taxi drove us around the city to see the pyramids, a papyrus museum, and a Nile dinner cruise at night. I about flipped out when I saw the pyramids rising above the city skyline – what a contrast!!
The highlight was getting to ride camels around the pyramids. Now I can say I’ve fulfilled the stereotypical “thing-to-do” in Cairo. It was still out of this world. And yes, the pyramids are huge.
The dinner cruise gave us much laughter because of the entertainment on board. We could not help laughing at the Egyptian man on the boat who sang “Hero,” by Enrique Iglesias. Later that night, Geir, Elias, and I made our way to the Hard Rock Café – YES!!!
The next day, we wasted time sleeping in and trying to find a bus schedule from a bus station – however in the afternoon, we visited the area of Cairo where Mary, Joseph, and Jesus fled. The Hanging Church was a highlight, as I mentioned earlier, not only because of our guide, but also because of the magnificent Orthodox artwork that was there. I wished my dad could have seen it (in his retirement, my father paints Orthodox icons). There are tremendous amounts of symbolism in Orthodox art and architecture. For instance, the roof of the church is constructed like a boat, after Noah’s ark. Noah and his family represent passing from death to life, since they were the only humans that survived the flood.
After rushing around the Coptic quarter, we began the next phase of our journey – traveling to St. Catherine’s to hike the mountain in time to watch the sunrise. Little did I realize how arduous this journey would be. However, after riding at least 4hrs in a taxi and climbing four more hours to the top of the mountain – there is nothing in the world that can compare with watching the sunrise at the supposed spot where Moses received the Ten Commandments. It was Sunday morning, so as soon as the sun peeked out over the horizon, the atmosphere split with the sound of church bells. Oh, the final resurrection cannot come soon enough!!!
I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Egypt and am grateful for the opportunity to have gone!
We left to drive south towards Elat in Israel with George, Nash’s brother, late Thursday morning. He dropped us off at the border crossing around 4 or 5 where we encountered our first “adventure” – acquiring a visa and getting a taxi to drive us to Cairo. We ended up having to pay a high fee for a visa because, not knowing that we needed one beforehand, we had to get the visa on the spot. A “friend” of one of the guys who made us fill out border crossing forms performed the deed for us. I sensed an incredible shadiness about the deal, especially as they tried to get us to purchase a taxi ride as part of the deal that we HADN’T agreed to. We were exhausted.
Once we finally got through that ordeal, we met a couple of men standing around taxis in the dark, dressed in robes I’d seen Muslim men wear in South Africa. After negotiating a price, we began our night trek to Cairo. Upon entering the city, I felt like I was in New York City – all of the bustling, traffic, and people living on top of one another – minus the skyline and some of the flashiness. We could see the outlines of many of the beautiful mosques. People walked through the street between the cars like they were weaving through a crowd of people – barely grazing the fast, honking vehicles.
After meeting George, our guide at the Canadian Hostel who helped us plan our time there (thank you Chris for the Canadian “in”), we passed out. Morning came soon for us. The rest of the day, a pre-arranged taxi drove us around the city to see the pyramids, a papyrus museum, and a Nile dinner cruise at night. I about flipped out when I saw the pyramids rising above the city skyline – what a contrast!!
The highlight was getting to ride camels around the pyramids. Now I can say I’ve fulfilled the stereotypical “thing-to-do” in Cairo. It was still out of this world. And yes, the pyramids are huge.
The dinner cruise gave us much laughter because of the entertainment on board. We could not help laughing at the Egyptian man on the boat who sang “Hero,” by Enrique Iglesias. Later that night, Geir, Elias, and I made our way to the Hard Rock Café – YES!!!
The next day, we wasted time sleeping in and trying to find a bus schedule from a bus station – however in the afternoon, we visited the area of Cairo where Mary, Joseph, and Jesus fled. The Hanging Church was a highlight, as I mentioned earlier, not only because of our guide, but also because of the magnificent Orthodox artwork that was there. I wished my dad could have seen it (in his retirement, my father paints Orthodox icons). There are tremendous amounts of symbolism in Orthodox art and architecture. For instance, the roof of the church is constructed like a boat, after Noah’s ark. Noah and his family represent passing from death to life, since they were the only humans that survived the flood.
After rushing around the Coptic quarter, we began the next phase of our journey – traveling to St. Catherine’s to hike the mountain in time to watch the sunrise. Little did I realize how arduous this journey would be. However, after riding at least 4hrs in a taxi and climbing four more hours to the top of the mountain – there is nothing in the world that can compare with watching the sunrise at the supposed spot where Moses received the Ten Commandments. It was Sunday morning, so as soon as the sun peeked out over the horizon, the atmosphere split with the sound of church bells. Oh, the final resurrection cannot come soon enough!!!
I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Egypt and am grateful for the opportunity to have gone!
Sunday, December 9, 2007
The Greatest Day in Palestine
Though it was close to a month ago, I still look back on this day with incredible fondness. It started the night before when Laila asked if she could spend the night at our apartment because she was having some problems with a roommate. Of course I was delighted. She overstayed her welcome a bit – but the week that she spent at our apartment was a great opportunity for us to get to know one another.
That first night she spent with us, she attended our weekly “get-together” – Chris, me, and the Norwegians meeting for prayer and fellowship. I gave a small devotion based on Philippians 2 and also an excerpt from “Compassion,” by Henri Nouwen.
The next day, Laila and I toured downtown Ramallah. Our first stop was her favorite dress shop. We thought it’d be funny if we told them I was looking for an engagement dress because I was getting married to a Palestinian! Unfortunately, they did not let me try on the dress that Laila wanted me to wear, so we moved on to some other shops – where she bought me a fake “engagement” ring, and I got some earrings. Then we pretended to be models in her favorite clothing store. A little while later, we met up with the Norwegians who were buying a birthday present for Mary, a girl in their team who is in Tel Aviv. We then went out to ice cream. After buying some vegetables that night at the crazy food market, we headed home and Laila and I set about making dinner. After a delicious dinner, we played cards for hours, listening to my favorite Coldplay CD (Live 2003). I think Laila felt very loved and it made all the difference.
That first night she spent with us, she attended our weekly “get-together” – Chris, me, and the Norwegians meeting for prayer and fellowship. I gave a small devotion based on Philippians 2 and also an excerpt from “Compassion,” by Henri Nouwen.
The next day, Laila and I toured downtown Ramallah. Our first stop was her favorite dress shop. We thought it’d be funny if we told them I was looking for an engagement dress because I was getting married to a Palestinian! Unfortunately, they did not let me try on the dress that Laila wanted me to wear, so we moved on to some other shops – where she bought me a fake “engagement” ring, and I got some earrings. Then we pretended to be models in her favorite clothing store. A little while later, we met up with the Norwegians who were buying a birthday present for Mary, a girl in their team who is in Tel Aviv. We then went out to ice cream. After buying some vegetables that night at the crazy food market, we headed home and Laila and I set about making dinner. After a delicious dinner, we played cards for hours, listening to my favorite Coldplay CD (Live 2003). I think Laila felt very loved and it made all the difference.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
News Article
Hey everyone, this is great article I found concerning the four issues that are barriers to the peace deal.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/mcclatchy/20071126bcmideastpeace_attn_national_foreign_editors_ytop
http://news.yahoo.com/s/mcclatchy/20071126bcmideastpeace_attn_national_foreign_editors_ytop
Monday, December 3, 2007
DONE with Graduate school!!
As of approximately 2 min ago, I sent in my final assignment for graduate school. Can I believe that it's over? Hardly. It's funny to think that only a little over 15 months ago, I hadn't even heard of this program. What began as a gasp looking at an advertisement for this program in a South African magazine has culminated now in a semester in the West Bank - complete with hearing gunshots this morning celebrating the release of 429 Palestinian prisoners. Whew.
Some of the highlights of the program include (but are not limited to) the following:
- meeting FDB (Dr. Bronkema) and Sharlene with my mom at the Donut Building last year, early December (American Baptist headquarters - nicknamed "donut" b/c of the unusual shape of the building)
- getting to live at home
- the "characters" in my cohort (need I say more? :) )
- deciding to come to the West Bank (after prolonged conversations and "nagging" by Nash - haha)
- Being here in the West Bank
- Dr. Stapleford's class - i laughed everyday (esp. his graph depicted proximity to Canada related to need for grace)
- Mwamba - NOT!
PRAISE HIM!!
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