So, the team has been going to the local Chamorro Village every week, which is basically a tourist trap that sets up once a week and sells all kinds of souvenirs and local food. But it's a great place to go and talk to people and hang out and get a feel for what's going on. A couple of weeks ago, the girls met a local dance group that does hula dancing, and they were invited to come along to practice the next week. I'm pretty sure that we surprised all of them when all of us girls showed up at practice that Friday.
It turns out that I need some work when it comes to hula dancing. But it is fun. And it's a really cool chance to hang out with locals and learn about stuff that they love, and hopefully show God's love to them. They are mostly young girls-- a lot of them are really little, and they just love us. They are always hanging on us and around us and are the cutest thing ever. Also, they dance circles around us.
The first week wasn't so bad; they took pity on us, basically. But week 2 was... well, it was all about humility. The four of us NZ girls were lined up in the back behind all of the little local girls, and we were trying to copy them, and we looked ridiculous. Which wouldn't be so bad, except that we were practicing outside, in front of anyone who wanted to watch. We'd sent the boys off to play basketball at the local court, and gave them specific instructions to come back ten minutes AFTER the lesson started. So we were a little bit sad when the van pulled up ten minutes before we were finished. Luckily, Caleb, who was driving, knew better than to make fun of us.
Picture this: a beautiful, starlit, tropical night... there are palm trees silhouetted in the background. Twenty girls with long black hair and brown skin are swaying gracefully to ukulele music and drum beats. And behind them, four awkward white girls are trying to keep up. That is how I spend my Friday nights. But it's worth it. I think something good might come out of it-- not counting that I MIGHT learn to hula. Time will tell...
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Inspired
Yesterday was our free day... and we hung out with some of the local pastors' kids and another girl who showed us some cool waterfalls and stuff around the island. It mostly was a day that involved a lot of mosquito bites and sunburn, and a lot of swimming for the rest of the team. I refrained because I had an ear infection last week and wanted to keep my ear dry. Fascinating, I know.
Anyway, when we were getting started, we all met at the pastors' house to convene. And I was talking to Allison, who is one of the pastors, and she was telling us about how they had spent part of the morning already looking over some new property that they are hoping to build on. She told us that they have been on the mission field for 21 years now. And just now they are beginning to see some of the dreams that they started out with start to be fulfilled. I'm sure that they've been surprised on the way, too, by all the things that have come along that they never would have guessed. But I was really inspired by the commitment to stick something out for 21 years until they saw the original vision start to take shape. That's kind of a long time in the short-term world that I live in. My life has been happening in 6 month intervals, it feels like, and at the end of each 6 months, I have a new group of young people going out into the world having had an encounter with God and ready to make a difference. Which has its good and bad points. The thing is, I so often have an expectation of God to make quick work of things. And usually he has, actually. But when he doesn't, I get frustrated. And there are enough examples in the Bible of God taking his time to fulfill his promises to his people that I should not be surprised if it takes a long time. And yet... anyway, that's what I've been thinking about today. Being faithful. That's what I want to do.
Anyway, when we were getting started, we all met at the pastors' house to convene. And I was talking to Allison, who is one of the pastors, and she was telling us about how they had spent part of the morning already looking over some new property that they are hoping to build on. She told us that they have been on the mission field for 21 years now. And just now they are beginning to see some of the dreams that they started out with start to be fulfilled. I'm sure that they've been surprised on the way, too, by all the things that have come along that they never would have guessed. But I was really inspired by the commitment to stick something out for 21 years until they saw the original vision start to take shape. That's kind of a long time in the short-term world that I live in. My life has been happening in 6 month intervals, it feels like, and at the end of each 6 months, I have a new group of young people going out into the world having had an encounter with God and ready to make a difference. Which has its good and bad points. The thing is, I so often have an expectation of God to make quick work of things. And usually he has, actually. But when he doesn't, I get frustrated. And there are enough examples in the Bible of God taking his time to fulfill his promises to his people that I should not be surprised if it takes a long time. And yet... anyway, that's what I've been thinking about today. Being faithful. That's what I want to do.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Hafa Adai!
Where to begin? Guam is a crazy little island, first of all. It's such a weird mix of the islands and American culture. We live in a building that is-- right now, at least-- basically a shelter for us right now, without much else to work with than beds and a shower. Which is totally normal for outreach. But then we go to the grocery store, and the shelves are filled with things like Betty Crocker cake frosting and Cheetos and Pringles, and that is a bit of a shock sometimes. And then we visit people in really normal, American homes with air conditioning and TVs and everything that seems normal. And that is also a weird feeling. But I think it's really good for the team, actually, to be in a more "normal" setting and try to figure out how to reach people. In the islands, it's really easy to reach out, because all you do is visit a chief or leader and then set up a program, or walk out your door and talk to one of the 50 people who stare at you all day, every day. But here, it's not so easy. So it's cool to have to figure out how to get into the places that we want to get into and what the deeper needs are in the community, and what that means as far as what we do. I think that's a pretty priceless life skill for most of these students.
Opportunities to do stuff seem very plentiful-- we have hooked up with a local church that is working on things like alcohol abuse prevention, and who are very community-focused. This morning we visited the mayor's office and found a ton of immediate needs that we can help out with. We've been hanging out at the local basketball courts and other places where kids are hanging out, just listening and telling our stories, and there are about 5 youth groups that we are involved with, as well as a women's recovery center that we've been spending time at. There's a lot to do that both affects right now and that works with structures that will last once we're gone, which is cool.
So the team is doing pretty well. Things on base were not as I expected to find them-- the base is having a tough time, and that makes it hard to really make firm plans for the DTS, etc., that I am planning on leading in March. I think it's probably good to have the team here, if only just to breath a little bit of life and hope into the place. I can see that there is already a little difference in the staff on base.
Every once in a while I have a moment of total "what the heck am I doing?" going through my head. I really did feel like God was leading me here, and there is an obvious need for me to be here, but part of me wants to crawl into a hole and find something to do that's not going to be so hard. Am I really giving up my house and my bedroom and a place where everyone knows and loves me to come and live on the floor in a place where I am totally different than everyone else, and half of the things I say go unheard? Yes, I am. But then again, I am going to have an adventure, and I am going to learn a lot, and I could possibly have a lot of fun. And God has never really left me hanging yet. And maybe he will even use me to do something amazing. So, the possibilities outweigh the panic... May it always be so.
Opportunities to do stuff seem very plentiful-- we have hooked up with a local church that is working on things like alcohol abuse prevention, and who are very community-focused. This morning we visited the mayor's office and found a ton of immediate needs that we can help out with. We've been hanging out at the local basketball courts and other places where kids are hanging out, just listening and telling our stories, and there are about 5 youth groups that we are involved with, as well as a women's recovery center that we've been spending time at. There's a lot to do that both affects right now and that works with structures that will last once we're gone, which is cool.
So the team is doing pretty well. Things on base were not as I expected to find them-- the base is having a tough time, and that makes it hard to really make firm plans for the DTS, etc., that I am planning on leading in March. I think it's probably good to have the team here, if only just to breath a little bit of life and hope into the place. I can see that there is already a little difference in the staff on base.
Every once in a while I have a moment of total "what the heck am I doing?" going through my head. I really did feel like God was leading me here, and there is an obvious need for me to be here, but part of me wants to crawl into a hole and find something to do that's not going to be so hard. Am I really giving up my house and my bedroom and a place where everyone knows and loves me to come and live on the floor in a place where I am totally different than everyone else, and half of the things I say go unheard? Yes, I am. But then again, I am going to have an adventure, and I am going to learn a lot, and I could possibly have a lot of fun. And God has never really left me hanging yet. And maybe he will even use me to do something amazing. So, the possibilities outweigh the panic... May it always be so.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Guam!
So, I am in Guam, alive and well! We had plenty of adventures getting here, including: losing the fan cover (?- I’m not actually sure what that means) of the van I was driving to the airport in New Zealand on the road, which gave us a 45 minute detour (not bad, all things considered!). We did make our plane almost exactly (punctuality is my super power, after all), and then flew it old school to Korea. We actually flew directly over Guam, and then continued for another 4 and a half hours. Yes. All to save a few hundred dollars. So that was a long flight. With not much entertainment, but at least we had each other. Also, I never did actually figure out during that flight that there are two audio channels on the plane, one in Korean and one in English, so during the movie, I was pretty sad that it was only in Korean. And then really embarrassed when I figured out on the next flight what had happened.
Anyway, after a brief stop in Seoul, we came back another 4 and half hours to Guam. And now we are here. It’s sticky here. Kind of hot, too, but mostly just sticky. The YWAM base we’re working with is in the part of the island that is mostly populated with Micronesians, which is really cool. (A lot of the population here are not actually from Micronesia.) The base has been going through some tough times, so there is not much power—it’s only on in half of the base—and all the internet and phones have been turned off, so we’re trying to get creative with that. It was definitely an adventure when nobody picked us up at the airport and we couldn't reach the base by phone! Or at all! They eventually showed up 4 hours late, after a nice air force officer bought us breakfast.
There seems to be a lot to do here—just walking through the neighborhood, there are tons of kids who want to hang out, and lots to do to help the base here get back to running order, and a lot of churches who want the team to help out with different things. I’m trying to wrap my mind around living here a little longer than this two months and what that will look like when I’m the only western person on base, and how to run a DTS that is suited for islanders, not westerners. I think I have a lot to learn, so I’m glad to have these two months to figure things out a little more and really pray and find ways to continue the things that this team starts while they are here. I’m really excited about the possibilities, though! I’m pretty sure that there are some ridiculous stories coming up, so stay tuned!
Anyway, after a brief stop in Seoul, we came back another 4 and half hours to Guam. And now we are here. It’s sticky here. Kind of hot, too, but mostly just sticky. The YWAM base we’re working with is in the part of the island that is mostly populated with Micronesians, which is really cool. (A lot of the population here are not actually from Micronesia.) The base has been going through some tough times, so there is not much power—it’s only on in half of the base—and all the internet and phones have been turned off, so we’re trying to get creative with that. It was definitely an adventure when nobody picked us up at the airport and we couldn't reach the base by phone! Or at all! They eventually showed up 4 hours late, after a nice air force officer bought us breakfast.
There seems to be a lot to do here—just walking through the neighborhood, there are tons of kids who want to hang out, and lots to do to help the base here get back to running order, and a lot of churches who want the team to help out with different things. I’m trying to wrap my mind around living here a little longer than this two months and what that will look like when I’m the only western person on base, and how to run a DTS that is suited for islanders, not westerners. I think I have a lot to learn, so I’m glad to have these two months to figure things out a little more and really pray and find ways to continue the things that this team starts while they are here. I’m really excited about the possibilities, though! I’m pretty sure that there are some ridiculous stories coming up, so stay tuned!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)