Monday, December 29, 2008 

Recent Happenings

Some really cool stuff has been going on recently, and I'd like for you guys to know about it.

My neighbor Eric has returned after spending 6 months or so in the States. (Click here for his story.) He graduated university, then went and worked for 6 months in the US. He returned home a few weeks ago, and we have been meeting since. I prayed for him regularly during his time in the States, but he apparently didn't meet any believers. When he got back he told me "I didn't meet any Christians like you." He either means really handsome believers or real believers, probably the latter.

He's been reading the Word on his own, and has shown a real desire to understand Scripture. He has talked to his parents and his fiancee about becoming a Christian, and he says he accepts everything he has read in the Bible. He told me the only thing keeping him from being a Christian is the fear of being ostracized. There are probably other reasons as well, but that seems to be foremost.

The guy is right, if he decides to become a Christian he will face a lot of persecution and troubles in this life. Especially living in this country, he will go through a lot. But praise God he is seriously considering it! Praise God for giving him an understanding of the gospel and of His Word!! We meet and study the Bible a couple of times a week, and I would love for you guys to pray for him. I honestly believe he will believe and repent one day.


A couple of months ago I met a university student named CD. He is studying painting, and is in his third year. I shared some with him, and he told me he has always wanted to read the Bible. Praise God! I gave him a Bible last week, and he was genuinely excited to receive it. I told him we could read together, but he said he would rather read it on his own and ask me any questions he has if they come up. I've been praying that God would plant His Word in CD's heart and stop the devil from snatching it away.


A while back I met another guy named James. He graduated university a couple of years ago but can't find a good job with all the economic troubles. I shared some with him, and he showed a real interest in talking about it. He told me he wanted to watch the Jesus Film with me, and we made plans to do so. Unfortunately, he had to cancel those plans, but I'm still hoping we will watch it together.


Last week I met another recent university grad named Sam. He can't find a job either, but has applied to a lot of places. I shared some with him, and he told me he has always wanted to read the Bible. He almost bought a Bible one day, but he was in a hurry and couldn't. That's a lame excuse, but I'm excited that he has shown interest.


Those are the exciting happenings of the last few weeks, and I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next.

11:12 AM | |

 

2009 Schedule

2009 is a few days away, and it's looking to be a busy time. Here are my plans for the new year so far:

I registered for a seminary course that's being offered here in January. The course, which will be taught by 2 professors from Southern Seminary, covers the history of the church in this part of the world. Class will be held for one week the end of January, after which I have to write 4 book reports, a journal, a research paper, and a "reflection essay". But I'm still looking forward to it. I've started reading the 6 required books, and I'm actually learning a lot.

I'm heading to London in February for some vacation/pork eating/English speaking time. 3 friends are also coming, it should be a lot of fun.

In March some friends and I are planning on running a half-marathon. I'm hoping to run this one better than the one I ran last year. Maybe I should try to get more than 5 hours of sleep the night before :).

In April or May a friend and I are talking about a trip to Vienna and Rome. It's not definite, but it is a good possibility.

On June 2 I arrive (hopefully) in the United States of America. That fall I plan on starting my illustrious seminary career...

10:42 AM | |

 

Christmas!

This past Christmas was my favorite of the 3 I've spent overseas. The past 2 years I had felt down during Christmas because I couldn't be with my family, but this year that feeling never came. Maybe I'm getting more and more adjusted to living over here.

I spent Christmas Eve with a team family, and we spent the night playing cards, watching 2 versions of A Christmas Carol, and eating fried chicken. Can there be a better Christmas Eve celebration? I think not.


This was my favorite version of A Christmas Carol.



This version stunk.


Christmas Day we got up and opened presents, then ate some food and played with said presents. That night we had a team party where we ate more food and played more games. The following day I took a big group of friends (not strangers) to a certain city of antiquity. All in all, it was a great Christmas.

My Christmas Haul:

6 Books on the History and Culture of a Certain City (for a course I'm taking in January)
A Plastic (But Very Sturdy) Pirate Sword (for hitting the little team kids)
A Nike + iPod Sport Kit (I bought that myself back in November, but it still counts)
Plenty of Candy!

10:17 AM | |

Monday, December 15, 2008 

Happy Holidays

This past week people here celebrated one of their biggest holidays of the year: Sacrifice Holiday.

On Monday, the first day of the holiday, families got together and sacrificed animals. Rich families sacrificed cows or bulls, while other families sacrificed lambs and rams. After the first day, they went and visited family members and spent the week with grandparents, uncles, aunts, etc.



Whenever I ask people why they sacrifice animals, I get one of two answers:

1. To celebrate Allah providing a ram for Abraham to sacrifice instead of Ishmael.

2. To distribute the meat to the poor.



The people I talk to here don't get the concept of debt and substitute sacrifice. They don't sacrifice these animals to try to pay for their sins. When I ask them how they are going to go to heaven after all the sins they have committed, they answer "Allah is merciful, maybe he'll forgive me and let me in." It's hard sharing with these people in a way that reaches them where they're at while at the same time stressing the major points of the gospel, and I don't pretend to have it figured out.

11:57 AM | |

Wednesday, December 03, 2008 

My Big Fat Greek Vacation

A couple of weeks ago my visa ran out. I was also itching for a vacation. Those 2 forces collided, and I found myself in Athens, Greece for 4 days for some R&R (and to get a new visa).

Before that trip, I had not left my country for 2 and a half years, and I wasn't sure what it would be like to leave for a while. It turned out to be great. During my time in Athens, I didn't see a single mosque, I didn't hear a single call to prayer, and I didn't speak a lick of my second language. I took a break.

I first realized I was in a different land the second I got through customs in Athens. As I passed through security, I saw a water fountain. As in I can stand there freely and drink all the free water I want for free. We don't have water fountains here, the water is not safe to drink, so we have to pay for our water. I was a little taken aback, but I confidently approached and drank the water for like 3 minutes straight. The vacation was off to a good start.

After that, I hopped on the metro and found my hotel pretty easily. I spent the next few days doing 3 things:

1. Eating PORK!
I can't buy pork in my country, so I made sure to feast on it while I was in Athens. When I got into the city, I ordered the first pork thing I could find. I started eating it when a horrible realization came upon me: I didn't like it. I was not enjoying the taste of that pig. I began to fear that the 2.5 years of going without pork had affected my taste buds, that I could no longer enjoy the simple pleasure of cooked pig. Fearing the worst, I ordered a ham and cheese sandwich at a cafe. I took the first bite nervously, wondering if I had been scarred for life, when a peaceful pleasure came over me. That ham and cheese sandwich was stinking good. I was gonna be alright. I thoroughly enjoyed reacquainting myself with the various forms of pork while in Athens.

I love me some pig meat.

2. Taking Pictures of Old Stuff
Athens is one of the oldest cities in the world, and there's plenty of stuff to see and take pictures of. I spent time walking around the Acropolis and the Parthenon, plenty of old temples and lots and lots of old Greek statues. They had stuff from like 1500 B.C. I'll post some more pics later on a picture post.




3. Enjoying the City and the Culture
Athens has a lot of great museums and historical places, but there's only so long I can wander around looking at old stuff until I have to get out and get into something different. So, I made sure to spend time every day enjoying today's Athens. I enjoyed seeing all the church buildings around, and I even got to attend an Orthodox church service.


That, in short, was my Athens vacation. I'm really glad I went, it was fun and relaxing to get out for a while and just enjoy another city and culture.

11:13 AM | |

 

June 1, 2009

That's the date I get on an airplane and head back to the States. I had to pick the date when we were making up budgets several weeks ago. I always knew it would be somewhere around then, but knowing the exact day is weird.

On June 1 I'll return to my family, my friends, my Wendy's burgers, and my country. It'll be a great homecoming, and I'm looking forward to it.

On June 1 I'll leave the family and friends God has blessed me with here (and the good food), and fly to a place I haven't seen in 3 years, where I have no house, no job, no car, nothing except a couple of suitcases. I'm not looking forward to it.

On June 1 I'll leave an entire life behind to start a new one.

10:51 AM | |