Say "Cheese"

Cultural Differences We've Learned to Embrace

2012-01-24T09:30:00.017-05:00

There’s a fine line between making fun of another country and finding enjoyment in the other culture’s differences. This treacherous line has kept me from blogging much during our early months here. There’s much to love and respect about the Thai community. Because of our love for this country I’ve decided it’s time to share. Here are a few glimpse of everyday life that make me smile.

Driving skills

Some Thais can fit an entire family (including the pet dog) on a bike. I’ve also seen sheets of plywood, piles of suitcases, and kitchen tables on bikes. Meanwhile, the driver is talking on his cell phone. Another favorite was an elephant being carried across town on a pick-up. The Thais possess of level of driving that I may never reach. I am learning, however, how to drive a stick shift on the left-hand side of the road. I’ll just pass on adding in the “texting while driving” feature.

Creativity.

We’re proud owners of a 91 Sunny Nissan. We have to pull the choke to start the engine. I didn’t even know what a choke was until last month. Apparently most cars stopped using them in the 80s. Our car also has a few rearranged parts. For example, the original level for the choke must have fallen off, so the mechanic replaced it with the level that opens the hood. (We call this our anti-theft security system. You can’t steal a car if you can’t figure out how to start it.) Somewhere along the way our turn signal switch must have fallen off too. It’s been replaced by a screw. I can’t wait to see what happens when the wheel falls off.

Ingenuity.

One day when our power was off we saw this view from our balcony. Our electrician’s bamboo ladder is being propped up by a mass of electrical wires.

Safety regulations.

You may have guessed from points 1-3 that regulations are a little looser here. For example, fireworks are often included in local celebrations. During one event we attended we saw fireworks being lit IN the crowded streets while people, motorbikes, and pickup trucks zoomed by. There’s no age requirement for buying and lighting fireworks, so each holiday seems to be every junior high boys dream. I wish I had a picture of the more dramatic moments, but quite frankly, when I see fireworks going off 30 meters from my feet, my first thought isn't "Hey, what a great photo opp. Let me take my toddler closer." Instead, here's a picture of our Thai friends helping us light a latern from our balcony.

Safety.

Despite what we’re described above, when we’re not driving and we’re not walking through fireworks, we feel incredibly safe here. Most Thais have an extremely strong ethics code when it comes to stealing or harming others. We’re thankful for our new home and our Thai friends who are helping us navigate this new culture.

Househunting

2011-10-23T11:14:00.002-04:00

House hunting has been one of our early objectives here in Thailand. Some homes have “for rent” signs which we’re learning to decipher in Thai. Others have English signs, like the one we saw today advertising a “3 bedroom, 2 bath, fartly furnished home.”

In reality, most Thai homes are rented without furniture. This means there’s no couch, no cabinets, and usually no water heater or kitchen sink. Thais add those in on their own. The fact that there’s a concrete building make a home “nice” by Thai standards. And really these homes are "nice." I’ve been in much more poverty stricken places than Chiang Mai, but this is the first foreign city that Nate and I have chosen to call home. The discrepancy between the rich and poor has made us question what sort of lifestyle we want here.

Living a comfortable life here would not be difficult or expensive. We found a beautiful fully furnished 3 bedroom home 20 minutes outside the city in a semi-American neighborhood. As we looked at the home it was easy to envision chatting with our English speaking friends on the back porch while watching Karis climb a mango tree. We could live the American dream here.

And yet we didn’t come to Thailand to live a comfortable, isolated life. And we certainly didn’t come to spend all day mowing grass, cleaning house, and washing windows. There is a time and place for that, but now is not the time for us. We came befriend, serve, and learn from Thai people.

Ironically, as we considered our housing options, God showed Nate a passage in Haggai 1.

“Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this
house (referring to God’s house) remains in ruins?...Give careful thought to
your ways. Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build the house
(of the Lord) that I may take pleasure in it and be honored.”

God has called us to live in the city among the Thai people so that we can help build HIS house.

We’re not saying it’s wrong to own a large home or to live among people who speak a similar language. We know hundreds of people who have built beautiful homes and are using them to share God’s love with others. In fact, we still have dreams of living in the country one day where we can host parties and let Karis run freely in the yard. God calls His people to neighborhoods of all shapes and sizes, so we can never judge another person’s love for God based on the size of their land.

What we ARE learning, however, is that God cares about how we use our home and how we relate to our neighbors. For us, that currently means our best shot at ministry may look like living in an apartment building that’s filled with college students. Don’t get us wrong. Our apartment is still very nice by Thai standards, and we are incredibly excited about moving in. But our goal has shifted from wanting a home that’s “comfortable” for us, to wanting a home that allows our family to serve together in ministry. Please hold us accountable to this goal and pray that God will give us the grace to keep the right focus.

Be Careful What You Ask For

2011-10-06T10:20:00.001-04:00

Last night we went to a large Thai supercenter (like a Thai Walmart) to get household supplies. One item on our list was shampoo. We managed to find the hair care aisle (I think), but didn’t see English writing on the Thai products. Hoping the word for shampoo was universal, I picked up a pink bottle that I assumed was shampoo and pointed to it.

“Shampoo?” I asked. The lady nodded confidently. I pointed to another bottle of the same brand. “Shampoo?” Again, she nodded and repeated the word. Glad to know that the Thais use the same word as us for hair products, we bought the bottle and left the store.

Tonight I found myself flipping through the Thai phrasebook reading random words. Apparently “champoo” means pink. I don’t know what substance is in the pink bottle we bought, but hopefully it’s meant to clean hair. If it’s a dye that turns our hair pink, then we’ll have a whole new series of blogs for next week.

Flooding in Chiang Mai

2011-09-28T05:24:00.004-04:00

There’s a reason why the guesthouse where Nate and I are staying is called the “Riverside Guesthouse.” It’s right by the Ping River. Apparently that river floods every decade or so. Today happened to be the lucky day. Our room got flooded, but thankfully none of our stuff was damaged and the owner graciously offered to put us up on the second floor for the remainder of our stay here.

Our normally busy street is now filled with sand-baggers and teenagers wading in knee-deep water. The amazing part of it all is the attitude of the Thai people. Men are pushing motor bikes down the street bowing at each other as they pass. Women carrying their children through knee deep water holding their babies and smiling as if they were out to smell the roses. Meanwhile small trees are floating downstream. There is no yelling, no rushing, and no sign of distress. I wouldn’t know a Thai curse word if I heard, it but if there’s rude words being exchanged they are done so with the most gentle attitude I’ve ever seen.

I realize that I have much to learn from the Thai culture. If it was my car, my house, or my store, I may not be so quick to blow it off with a smile. Life is short and possessions are ultimately meaningless. I’m thankful for God’s provision today, but also thankful for the Thai people who are teaching us to let go of materialism.

Good Morning Karis

2011-01-31T21:21:00.002-05:00

Daddy gets more than a smile from Karis...

Why?

2010-11-26T23:01:00.002-05:00

The final stages of pregnancy have arrived. I forgot to eat lunch during my lunch break today because I was too busy using our waterpik to powerwash the gunk out of our kitchen sink faucet handles. Fortunately, my missed lunch was no problem. I was still stuffed from the two bowls of cold chili I called breakfast.

But as I nest and eat my Tabasco-ridden food, I’ve also been wrestling with a few questions.

“Why me?” Why did God choose to entrust Nate and I with this little girl? There are so many barren couples who long for children. Why are we so fortunate?

And most of all “Why her?” God’s made it clear from the start that he has a plan for this little girl. First of all, HE gave her a name before we even knew we were pregnant. As I was reading one day, he pointed out a word and asked me to name our first daughter that. Surprised, I told him I would—one day. Two weeks later, we learned we were pregnant. “Oh, did you mean now?”

Next, as we prepared for our first ultrasound, I asked God to give us a boy’s name so we could be prepared to name a son. After all, I had always been convinced that my first born would be a son. God’s only response was “You have what you need.” Sure enough, the ultrasound technician told us it was a girl.

God didn’t just speak to me about this child. He also spoke to my dear friend Elise. Elise had been praying for us regularly concerning our plans for Thailand. But around the same time that God gave me a name for our child, God began planting an image of a baby in Elise’s mind each time she prayed for us. Elise argued with God, explaining that we were preparing to go to Thailand, NOT preparing for a child. But God refused to remove the image from her mind. After this happened a few times, Elise was convinced we were pregnant. Meanwhile, I was still clueless.

These experiences make it clear that He has a plan for this little girl. He’s also revealed His sovereignty to us through His Word. HE knit her together in my womb(Psalm 139:13) and HE will be there at her birth carrying her in His hand (Isaiah 46:3).

I wonder what God’s plans are for this little girl. My hope and prayer is that she’ll have terrific health and will grow to love the ways of the Lord. Nate and I will certainly do everything we can to lead her in that direction. But the truth is, we don’t know what God has planned. Despite what we don’t know, the one promise we CAN hang on to, is that God has a plan for this little girl. She is no mistake.

I don’t know why we have been blessed to be parents or why God has matched us with this particular little girl, but I AM confident that His grace and glory will be displayed through her birth and life.

Caring for the Flour Sacks

2010-08-09T20:13:00.000-04:00

The doctor says I’m supposed to put on 35 pounds during my pregnancy. That’s the equivalent of strapping seven flour sacks around my belly and carrying them around with me EVERYWHERE I go.

Now that I’m in the six month of pregnancy, I’ve successfully finished off Flour Sack #3. To show her gratitude, Flour Sack #3 has started to kick me. I hear that I can expect future sacks to be even more violent.

To try to understand pregnancy, Nate decided to strap three (non-kicking) flour sacks to his own waist. Here’s a photo of us celebrating the progress. According to the doctor, I still have four more flour sacks to go, but I have NO idea how they’re going to fit. Perhaps Baby Cheeseman will be the first lady to join the NFL.

Not All Pork Was Born Equal

2010-03-19T09:27:00.000-04:00

Last week the Asian market was giving out samples of a food I had always wanted to try. The fact that it was wrapped in seaweed and located in an ASIAN market should have given me the hint that the delicacy wasn’t Mexican. But since it was labeled “pork” and looked the approximate size of a Chipotle burrito, I had associated the food with something as tasty as mouthwatering tamale.

As I approached the sample table, I noticed that the consistency wasn’t quite like the doughy shredded pork I expected. With the seaweed wrapper gone, my dream food looked more like chunks of pale hotdog. Unintimidated, I took a bite. The flavor of marinated cartilage infused with pickled baloney soared through my mouth. DEFINITELY not a tamale.

Trying to appear pleased with my selection, I took a closer look at the ingredients under "Pork" label. “Pig fat, pig hooves, salt and vinegar.” Mmmm. Next time I’ll read the label more closely.

Hair Dryers and Water: They Don't Mix

2009-12-09T17:02:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on all the things we’re thankful for. There are many for me. But the most recent addition is that silly little picture they put on hairdryers to warn people not to use them near water.

This morning I had to soak my feet in warm water for 30 minutes. (Due to a very sore/black toenail I received during our last backpacking trip.) Standing still for half an hour is a challenge for someone who struggles just to have a sit-down-dinner. So I decided to soak my feet in a huge bucket while I stood at my bathroom sink eating breakfast and getting ready for work.

This worked fine until I pulled out the hair dryer and plugged it in. Before I could hit the switch, an image of a stick figure standing in a tub of water, shaking violently and holding a hairdryer to her head flashed through my mind. She had frazzeled hair that stood out in all directions and was waving one arm in distress.

I’ve always wondered who comes up with these morbid images and puts them on appliances. And what crazed person would dry their hair while standing in a tub of water anyway? Now I know. Never again.

Cloudy with a Chance of Lizards

2009-10-22T12:53:00.000-04:00

Yesterday on the way home from church, a lizard fell out of the sky and crashed into my windshield. At first I thought the impact had killed him. But one stoplight later, the 6-inch Godzilla resurrected. Positioning his buggy eyes inches away from my own face, he dug his claws in and glared at me in a bitter yet pleading manner. Apparently he knew that the brutal “execution by windshield wipers” lie at tip of my fingers.

I was more pleased with the situation than he was. It’s hard to maneuver through 4 lanes of city traffic with an angry lizard directly in your line of site. After a few miles of this stare off, Godzilla decided to take matters into his own hands. He tried to leap off the car, but due to the speed of traffic, each leap just resulted into another traumatizing crash back into the windshield. He would leap, I would yelp. He would leap, I would yelp. Meanwhile Nate documented the process on his flip phone.

Finally, our friend made a successful jump over the top of the car and went flying towards the pick-up truck behind us. I don’t know if he lived or not, but the photo is all we have left of his memory.

Google flaws

2009-09-02T10:59:00.000-04:00

To practice our language learning, Nate sent me a love note in Thai. When I copied it into Google translator, here's what I got:

"You are a lover of my best friends. I cannot wait to share. Your wife is good too."

Hmmm...I wonder what other language mishaps we're going to have.

No Such Thing as Free Lunch?

2009-07-16T14:58:00.000-04:00

As promised, Nate and I dressed up like cows on Friday and showed up at the steps of Chick-fil-A in hopes of getting 2 free combo meals.

Getting a cow outfit was no problem. The restaurant offered a free printable costume on their website, complete with a cow face, 2 ears, 1 nose, 8 spots and a very long tail.

Getting people to accept the idea of dressing like a human cow was a little more challenging. As we walked up to the restaurant, two middle-aged ladies pulled up in their Porsche, rolled down the windows, and pointed our direction in a fit of hysteria. It appeared that they were trying to say something, but unable to gain their composure, they spat a crackling laugh in our direction and sped away.

Our reception inside the restaurant was not much better. Our saving grace was having two cow-dressed coworkers join us halfway through our meal. The four of us stuck out so much that the restaurant manager asked to take our picture. It wasn’t until AFTER he took it that he informed us he planned to print it out and hang it on the wall for everyone else to see.

The free food was nice, but here’s the part of the evening that truly baffled me…After getting our free meal, we went to the mall where there happened to be ANOTHER Chick-fil-A offering the same deal. Wanting to share our wealth with others, the four of us (still partially dressed like cows) began telling other people at the mall about the deal. We held up our bags of left-over Chick-fil-A food and ensured them that if they just took our cow ears/spots and wore them over to Chick-fil-A (just 100 yards across the food court,) they could get a free sandwich, fries, and milkshake just like we had.

No one accepted the deal.

One guy said he was hungry and loved Chick-fil-A but wouldn’t stoop to the level of being seen in public wearing cow ears. Two other teenage girls looked skeptical of whether or not we were playing a prank on them. They took our outfits, but we watched them stand at a cautious distance from Chick-fil-A and eventually toss the costumes in the trash.

I couldn’t help but to think of how much this parallels the way so many of us reject God’s grace. God offers to forgive us for all the rotten things we’ve done. All we have to do is humble ourselves and accept the love and grace he’s offering. Sure, this is going to make us act and look different, but there’s nothing we have to do (or CAN do) to get his grace. But instead of accepting it, we let our pride get in the way and we try to “buy” our way into his mercy. We’re scared people might laugh at us if we act differently than the norm. Or we think his promise of free grace can’t really be true. After all, here’s no such thing as free, right? Wrong. There’s free lunch from Chick-fil-A, but even more importantly, there’s free grace from God for those who are willing to accept it.

Ephesians 2:1-10 (The Message)

“It wasn't so long ago that you were mired in that old stagnant life of sin. You let the world, which doesn't know the first thing about living, tell you how to live. You filled your lungs with polluted unbelief, and then exhaled disobedience. We all did it, all of us doing what we felt like doing, when we felt like doing it, all of us in the same boat. It's a wonder God didn't lose his temper and do away with the whole lot of us. Instead, immense in mercy and with an incredible love, he embraced us. He took our sin-dead lives and made us alive in Christ. He did all this on his own, with no help from us! Then he picked us up and set us down in highest heaven in company with Jesus, our Messiah.

Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It's God's gift from start to finish! We don't play the major role. If we did, we'd probably go around bragging that we'd done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.”

Free Chick-Fil-A this Friday

2009-07-08T16:41:00.000-04:00

This Friday (June 10) Chick-Fil-A is giving out a free combo meal to anyone who comes to their restaurant dressed-up like a cow. Yes a cow. You can even print off a "cow costume kit" at their website. See http://www.cowappreciationday.com/ for more details.

Unwanted Company

2009-06-01T11:02:00.000-04:00

Last night I woke up to the sensation of something crawling up and down my leg. At first I thought I was dreaming about an ice cube. Then I realized the ice cube had prickly antennas. Suddenly wide awake, I screamed and flailed the blankets off the bed.

Nate, typically a sound sleeper, woke up by my scream. In his semi-conscience state, he concluded that I was being attacked by a demon. Without warning, he lunged across the bed in a full-fledged tackle and, with one hand raised in the air, began proclaiming the blood of Jesus over our house.

Alarmed by my baptist-turned-charismatic husband, I fumbled for the lamp. The light revealed a 2-inch-long cockroach cowering on the floor, looking almost as scared as I was. Three war cries and four towel-swats later, my brave husband destroyed the critter, leaving roach arms, legs, and wings strewn across the floor.

Meanwhile, we must have awoken our upstairs neighbors. They began pacing nervously on the wood floor above us, probably wondering if they should call the cops...

Life is never dull in our apartment. Maybe I should stop praying so hard that God would start preparing us now for life overseas…

Our Daily Grapefruit

2009-03-10T14:11:00.000-04:00

In January Nate and I hiked a remote trail, praying we’d find some wild Floridian grapefruit. We should have been more specific about the location of the fruit. Eleven miles into our hike—at the exact distance that we had planned to turn around—we stumbled upon the biggest cluster of grapefruit I have ever seen.

Most normal people would probably have left the fruit alone rather than carry it back for an additional four hours, but did this stop us? Of course not.

With the dignity of caffeinated junior high boys, we kicked, yelled, and karate chopped our way through the marsh-surrounded tree. First, Nate climbed the tree and shook its branches violently until most of the fruit fell to the ground. Then we hurled softball-sized rocks at the remaining rebels. By the time the battle was over, my head was covered with a thick layer or dirt, bugs, tree limb fragments, and fruit indentations. Nate looked as if he had been attacked by a bobcat.

Nevertheless we were pleased with the outcome—one backpack, one knapsack, and three plastic grocery bags brimming with delicious grapefruit.

Ignorantly undaunted by the distance between us and the car, we set off power-walking towards home. One mile into the trip, the plastic bag I was carrying began to rip under the weight of the fruit. Reflecting on God’s goodness in giving the grapefruit, I prayed that God would provide another bag for us to transport it all home. Minutes later, we found a Wal-Mart bag lying in the middle of the deserted trail. Another provision from God.

At this point, we apparently became greedy. When we saw ANOTHER wild citrus grove off the path, we laid down our bags and went to get more goods. We returned with an additional 20 pounds of oranges, 2-dozen new scratches, and 30 minutes less of daylight.
Not having anywhere else to put our new acquisitions, we began stuffing oranges in every conceivable inch of our bags, coats, knapsacks, and pockets.

In case you don’t know how heavy 50 pounds is, imagine this scenario. Walk 11 miles to the grocery, buy SEVENTEEN of those 3-pounnd bags of grapefruit. Load them into plastic bags, and then carry them 11 miles back to your house. Now imagine getting lost and having to walk an extra two miles in the dark because your mistake.

That’s what we do for fun around here. But despite our self-inflicted woes, we made it back to the car with all our limbs and most of our toenails in place.

Next, we needed to figure out what to do with 50 pounds of citrus. We tried giving them away, but all our friends seemed to have stockpiled store-bought fruit. We also tried an assortment of recipes (including grapefruit pie), but these didn’t go over too well.

So if anyone needs some grapefruit, let us know. I look forward to the day when I can see the bottom of my fridge.

Ivy

Beware of Urban Wildlife

2008-10-27T15:17:00.000-04:00

First, let me explain the setting. Nate and I were walking through a nearby neighborhood in inner-city Orlando. It was the type of area where the front-yard monster trucks towered the roofs of trailer homes, and faded confederate flags peered through dusty windows. I knew of the area because last December the residents were notorious for using 3 inflatables, 5 plastic Santas and 15 stands of multi-colored Christmas lights to decorate 40-square-feet of land. The colorful displays made a humorous place to run last winter.

In the midst of our walk, Nate spotted a peacock in someone's yard. Odd, I thought. Then I saw 5 more. Six peacocks in one yard! Stranger still. Upon inspecting the neighbor's yard, I saw eight peacocks. As we continued walking, the numbers increased. We counted at least 50 peacocks within the space of 2 football fields. Some were perched on mailboxes. Others on roofs, trucks, porch swings, and swimming pool covers. I begin having flashbacks of the Alfred Hitchcock movie "The Birds." Small children were in the yards, playing in the midst of the fowl smelling animals, and teenage boys were scaring them off the road with their motor motor bikes. Yet the adults seemed to act like the peacock infestation on this particular street was perfectly normal.

Feeling like we were in a nightmarish dream, we walked quickly until we found another (more friendly looking) neighbor a couple miles down the road. According to her, wild peacocks have lived on that street for years, flocking in certain yards and terrorizing the residents with horrific squawking sounds. It was cute, she said, when there were four of them. But now people keep feeding the birds, and the population won't stop growing.

Of all the sights I've seen in Orlando, this one struck me as the most bizarre. I never knew wild peacocks thrived in inner-city Orlando, far from any parks, grassy lots, or farms. The street is only a mile from our condo, so I hope they don't wander over our direction. If any do, they will be unlucky birds. I just might serve "peacock stew" at this year's Thanksgiving dinner.

--Ivy

Wedding Day Memories

2008-10-21T13:24:00.000-04:00

People tell you the wedding day is a blur, and true enough the day flies right on by. For example:

At our reception I picked up a piece of strawberry cake for Ivy and I to share, but then with pictures and goodbyes I put it down, never to pick it up again.

Here are some of my memories of the wedding day...

-Playing Ping Pong with David Bilodeau the morning of the wedding at 10am, while wearing black pants and a white shirt.

-Having Subway with my friends David, Chris, and Dave before the wedding at 1pm.

-Singing Opera at 8:30am, because I was so happy :)

-Being around friends that make you laugh, Dave Frost and David Bilodeau.

-Driving with Dave to the church and getting lost.

-Eating a wonderful breakfast of bacon, scrambled eggs, and toast.

-Trying diligently not to see Ivy before she came down the aisle.

-Seeing her beautiful reflection in the glass door at the back of the church.

-Watching her walk down the aisle and seeing how pretty she looked.

-Trying not to lock my knees during the ceremony.

-Seeing old friends who had gathered at the church.

-Hearing my dad say, "Grandma says her heart is here".

-Trying not to cry while reciting my vows.

-Thinking it was funny that the marriage license only required a SS Number and no signature.

-Putting my arm around Ivy's chair during the reception.

-Watching the "memories" DVD with friends and family gathered.

-Saying Goodbye to my friends Keith and Claudia.

-Having my picture taken with my co-workers from Orlando.

-Popping balloons from the van with Levi Ivy's brother.

-Eating homemade Ice cream at the Fisher's house.

-Being amazed at how much birdseed does hurt when thrown at you....finding it in my hair.

-Riding up and down the 4 blocks of Main St. Pitsburg honking the horn, having "just married" written in the back window, watching a small boy on a bike look at us in wonder.

Thank the Lord....who creates the mind and causes us to have many happy memories of our lives.

Tropical Storm Fay

2008-08-22T08:12:00.000-04:00

Monday: There was much anticipation at work that we might get Tuesday off because of the Tropical Storm moving towards central Florida.

Originally weather forecasters expected Fay to strengthen into a Hurricane and hit SW Florida.

Tuesday: We received the day off work, but most of the day just received light rain. In the evening Fay grew stronger with heavier winds and rain.

Wednesday: More rain and wind from Fay

Thursday: More rain and wind. By this time I think most central Floridians were waiting for the storm to clear on out. About 40 miles to the East of where I live along the coast they have seen the worst flooding. The storm stalled out in the Atlantic and just kept pouring down the rain along Florida's east coast.

Friday: Above is a picture I took out my window around 8am this morning. Fay is now moving west. There has been a lot of talk over the past year about the need for more water to sustain the growing population of Central Florida. This storm has certainly helped bring Florida more water.

God is good and the provider of all water. I find it amazing how God sustains the earth and how little we sometimes thank Him for His abundant provision.

Nate-

Hurricanes

2008-08-06T08:10:00.000-04:00

This time of year in Florida is known as "Hurricane Season".

Hurricane season lasts for about half a year. I think June 1st- November 1st. Normally the stronger storms form in the Atlantic in the later part of the season.

One website that I frequent about 2 times each day during this time of year is http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/ where they give a great breakdown of the current Atlantic hurricane outlook.

In 2004 the year I first moved down here Orlando was hit by 3 hurricanes. The picture (above) is of the first rain/thunder band from Hurricane Charlie as it approached my apartment in 2004.

Job chapter 38 reminds us of God's control over the weather.

Nate-

Trusting Jesus

2008-07-02T19:16:00.000-04:00

Looking at the state of US economics lately, should cause us to reflect on a simple old truth:

-Trust in Jesus-

While oil hits 143$ per barrel and Wall St. continues to turn downward.
Christians everywhere should turn our eyes upward towards Jesus Christ.

Why trust Jesus?

Jesus is our refuge.
Jesus is our salvation from sin.
Jesus words speak truth.
Jesus sent His Spirit to guide and lead us.
Jesus sacrificially loves us, (demonstrated by His death on the cross).
Jesus asks us to follow Him.
His burden is easy.
His load is light.
In Jesus is no sin.
In Jesus is mercy.
In Jesus is grace.
He is the Good Shepherd.
He is our cornerstone.
Jesus speaks of Heaven, and He provides us a way to get there.
Jesus will never lie to us.

Today I was reflecting on the problems of the world, and thinking about the Christians who struggled through the Civil War in the 1860's or the Revolutionary War with Britain. World War II also claimed many lives and was a trying time for our country.

One thing we have in common with early Americans is that we have God's Word and we have the option to trust in Jesus for our daily living.

Are you trusting in Him today?

Nate-

Global Prayer Digest

2008-06-20T12:26:00.000-04:00

Prayer should be foundational to the spread of the Gospel. One strategic tool in helping Christians to pray more focused for unreached people groups is the Global Prayer Digest

This prayer guide is available free online, or for a minimal subscription cost. Our Wycliffe Prayer Ministries department uses this prayer tool throughout the week to pray for unreached people groups.

It may come as a surprise to many, but there are millions of people worldwide who have never heard the name of Jesus. As Christians prayer is so vital for the spread of the Gospel.

Nate-

The Expansion of World Religions

2008-06-18T18:50:00.000-04:00

I found this map helpful in explaining the growth of major world religions:

http://www.mapsofwar.com/images/Religion.swf

Nate-

Driving a Standard

2008-05-23T10:23:00.000-04:00

It had been oh...7 years since I had last driven a standard car.

The last time I was driving a standard was in Michigan going on a lengthy roadtrip. I was coming off a interstate ramp and shifted into 2nd gear from 4th....and that is when the check engine light came on...it was my roommate's car...and Chris drove his car for the rest of the trip...yeah we were going to visit my family in New England.

So, here I am engaged now and my finance owns a standard car...(which I might add gets great gas milage since it is a tiny Geo Metro).

Well we went out to learn how to drive a standard this would be about my oh 4th learning experience? (I learned twice before at Camp and once with Chris).

My greatest challenge was getting the car from a stopped position into a moving one without stalling or making the Geo shake violently. While our practice for the most part went well, I have more to learn. There were a few "peal outs" in the Wycliffe parking lot.

The real question is my old friend Chris glad I'm out on the road practicing?

Nate-

One God—Many Perspectives

2008-05-14T11:33:00.000-04:00

(Reflections from a recent visit to a local Lutheran church. Long, I know. But hang in there...)

First of all, upon entering the cathedral style sanctuary, I realized I had misjudged the Lutheran dress code. Everywhere I looked, I saw black. Classy black. Black skirts, black hose, black purses, black slacks and black ties. Kind of like one big, stylish, professional funeral party.

I, on the other hand, being accustomed to a more contemporary service, was wearing…pink. A pink hand-me-down t-shirt from Goodwill, a frumpy faded jean skirt, and an old sweatshirt jacket I picked off the free table sometime during my college years. Not exactly stylish. Certainly not funeralish. But at least my scuffed up flip-flops had black rubbery soles.

Secondly, I was noticed the rigid schedule of the service. It sort of like being in the midst of a Broadway musical. The pastor would read a line of prayer. The people would respond in a unified chant, and then everyone broke out in a spontaneous line of chorus accompanied by an enormous pipe organ. The only thing missing was the choreography.

Thirdly, I was struck by the seriousness of the ceremony. At one point the entire congregation stood and turned around to stare directly at Nate and me. “What are they staring at?” I hissed, scouring the bulletin for a stanza instructing the congregation to stare rudely at the visitors in the back row. “Maybe it’s the jean skirt.”

Truth was, the congregation wasn’t staring at us. The church was simply waiting for the parade of white robed, red belted clergy to march down the aisle carrying a 9-foot wooden cross. A tradition slightly different from my own upbringing.

I could have walked out of the service last Sunday thinking all Lutherans are weird. But in all honestly, I believe the Lutherans see a piece of God that I often miss. They see the reverence due to the Creator of the world.

I’m not a Universalist, but I firmly believe that each of God’s children is able to see a different piece of Him.

I will use my father as an example to illustrate my point. I know my father as “Dad.” The stern but soft man who played softball with me and taught me to use a hammer. I know my dad very well and have thousands of stories about his sense of humor, his quirks, his caring heart and his discipline.

But I don’t know him the same way his high school buddies did. When I hear their stories of his mischief, his competitiveness and his cunningness, I understand a new side of my dad. Just as when I hear stories about him from his brother or his mom or his father-in-law or his neighbor or his patients.

Because none of us have been with Dad 24/7 from the moment he was born until this moment in 2008, we all have had different experiences with the man that we know by the same name.

So it is with God.

He is so big and so incomprehensible that we can only see one slice of his character at a time. I might experience his loving comfort. My Lutheran neighbor might witness his reverence-deserving power. But it is these two characteristics TOGETHER that can bring us closer to the Truth.

--Ivy

The Chase

2008-05-01T22:21:00.000-04:00

And so there we were out running....when a small dog got loose from his owner and began chasing us. At first it was funny because the dog was only 9 inches tall and a very small critter.

Bound and determined the stubby dog high tailed it after Ivy and I. Now both Ivy and I are good runners, however we had to pick up our pace to avoid the small frantic animal.

The owner of the dog called after it to return, but her pleading was ignored by the dog and the two runners cranked it up a notch signaling a challenge to the dog...yeah try and catch us.

80 meters down the street, (which must have seemed like a mile for the dog), Ivy and I began to slow, and were surprised we hadn't outpaced it. We split and the dog had to make a choice who'd he go after....sure....go after the guy.

As I ran back to the owner I determined to run passed the owner and hopefully she would intercept the dog on the first pass....on the second pass she grabbed him and as Ivy and I ran off you could hear her scoldings her beloved dog.

Who would have thought small dogs could run so fast?

Nate-

Florida Tomatoes

2008-04-29T20:39:00.000-04:00

Question:

If Nate goes to Lowe's and buys 8 Tomato plants which cost 3.98 plus tax is it worth his investment?

Answer:

8 Tomato plants times 3.98 = $31.84 + sales tax 6.5% = $33.91
Nate harvests 128 ounces of Tomatoes = 8lbs.

Price per pound $4.24 Yikes!

Lesson: Keep watering your tomatoe plants, keep harvesting, and plant 2nd generation tomatoes from the seeds of the 1st generation tomatoes and watch the price per ounce continue to fall.

Nate-

P.S. I hope Mrs. McDonald my 10th grade math teacher gets a chance to read this post.

The Reading Date

2008-04-26T20:24:00.000-04:00

Well here we (Ivy and I) are camped out at Panera Bread with our laptops and reading material.

It's been a good Saturday....a trip to Goodwill and The Salvation Army, a local park in Maitland, a reading date to Panera and then we'll finish it off with some good ole' ice cream. (the 1/2 calorie kind).

I've a lot of respect for The Salvation Army as they have combined the Gospel message with social good works. They provide us a reminder that good works follow our faith in Christ.

Ok...back to the ice cream we'll have later, it'll be Cookies and Cream, yum!

Nate-

First of many

2008-04-25T19:35:00.000-04:00

Well, here we are, sitting in the great outdoors of Orlando, unsure of where the wireless is coming from. Hopefully not a hacker. So if our blog suddenly ends in mid-sentence...

Oh wait. We're still here.

In case you have no idea why some random person is yakking about wireless bubbles, let us introduce ourselves. I'm Ivy. And my Fiance Nate is sitting right beside me. If you want to know more than that, then read on as we blog. Besides, who ARE you? And why are you snooping into our blog anyway. Mom and Dad, we know you're out there.

Keep checking in. We'll keep you posted on our bizarre adventures in life. Trust me, we've had a few of them.

First random adventure...(trust me, they'll get better.) We just watched the Pizza Hut delivery guy get the top of his truck smashed (ok, not smashed, but whacked pretty good) by the security gate of the apartment complex where I'm staying. Use the keypad, buddy. And bring the pizza THIS way.

Ivy