Beginnings: Our First Two Weeks

Minglaba Friends,

Greetings from Southeast Asia (SEA for short)! Our first month in SEA was a whirlwind of activity. So many new people were met and new things learned. I wasn’t just learning about this country, its language and people, about how our new home worked, and how to live daily life here but also about myself, my partner-in-crime Leah, and most importantly about the Father.

I am finally breaking radio silence as it were and will now be posting more frequently. This one is about our first two weeks. Here are a few of our adventures and experiences as well as some things I am being taught.

As I mentioned in my last post we arrived late at night to a house with no power and some fresh fish swimming around in a bucket in our kitchen (note: these are not pet fish but rather for eating). Luckily the power came on just as we were in the middle of our tour so our first night wasn’t too dark. Power outages here are frequent, though they usually don’t last all that long. It can be an inconvenience but is just a part of living here. I find that thus far I don’t mind it too much.  The before mentioned fish belong to the first local person we met here, her name is Ginger*. She lives with us as a house helper and is also a like-minded sister. This has been another adjustment for us here. Ginger helps clean, do dishes, run our water pump, do laundry, and teaches us how to eat all the new and complicated fruit we bring home from the market. I know, I know- we are living like princesses it seems. House helpers are very common for foreign families that live here. We do feel very spoiled but are incredibly grateful for the friend we have found in Ginger. Since it is against the law for us to stay with locals, having Ginger around is serving as our required home stay for our school program. Did I mention she doesn’t speak any English? This is helpful for our language learning but has also led to some interesting pantomiming experiences.

Our next few days were filled with orientation information from our supervisors, visits to a local fellowship, and the famous pagoda that acts as the most holy Buddhist shrine in the whole country. We also had the privilege to eat dinner at the homes of all the fellow workers here in our city. Let me tell you folks- not only are our brothers and sisters who work here some of the most welcoming, faithful, and dedicated people you will ever meet- they are also pretty great cooks. I look forward to working and gaining insight from those who have already spent much time and effort seeking to share with the lost people they have come to love.

An open air market

Our home for 6 months and our new bike!

A large holy sight for the Buddhists in our country

Some of our best friends and partners here in country are Eldon* and Erin*. Eldon runs a college dedicated to teaching its students how to study, teach, and share the Good Book. The school is run from his family’s home here in our city. Erin is his younger sister and a real gem. They both have deep faith that has sustained them through much. Leah and I are teaching English at the school so you will hear much more about these two friends and their students. 

On of the biggest challenges we have faced is language learning. It takes up much of our time and has proven to be a point of frustration at some points. The language we are learning is tonal- meaning that a word or even letter of the alphabet when said at a different pitch or with different emphasis can mean an entirely different thing. For instance, they have a letter that can mean “to dance,” “to cover,” or “car” depending on how you say it. Now that you understand a little more about the language perhaps you will understand also why we must dedicate so much time to learning it. Leah and I go to class twice a week for 2 hours and spend hours outside of class making flashcards, listening to tapes, and getting out and practicing what we have learned. It is a fun and frustrating challenge but well worth it when we can communicate even the smallest bit with our people.

One of the funniest moments from the first two weeks was going bowling with our supervisor’s family for their daughter’s 15^th birthday. Bowling here is…similar to bowling in America but much more…rustic. We drove to this bowling alley down a small road that most American teens would deem “sketchy.” We walked in, got shoes, and went to a lane. We were in luck that the power was on and the computer system actually up and running. However, some of us did realize quickly that we had feet too big for even their largest sized shoes (Asians have small feet to match their small bodies!). I ended up bowling with one foot in a sock so that I could still drag my toe when I bowled and the other bare so that I wouldn’t slip and fall. The balls were new and perfectly round with the normal three holes for your fingers at some point but this condition was no longer the case. The lanes were also new, level, and well waxed perhaps many years ago but alas this too could no longer be said about the lanes. When the automatic pinsetters broke, which was often, they had young people crawling around setting them up and fixing them just like the old days. The whole experience was one for the books, or blog I should say, and loads of fun. I was reminded once again of my great privilege in having experienced so much in such a short amount of time.  

Like my new bowling shoes?

In ending, I must come to a time of confession. The first two weeks here were hard- much harder than I ever imagined they would be. I felt about 3 million different emotions a day, missed home, cried more than once, and definitely thought about throwing in the towel and calling it a day. I don’t say this to gain sympathy or worry. Instead I tell you this to make a point. You see, I had been too blind to see it at first, but so much of what I was struggling with was spiritual warfare. The powers of darkness had my mind in a death grip and the Evil one was raining his fiery darts of doubt and fear down on me. He had convinced me that I could never make it here for six months, that I missed home too much, and that I didn’t love this place and its people as much as I should have. It felt like since I didn't feel instantaneously at home then I never would.  As soon as I became alerted to the problem and asked the Father to protect my mind from all that assailed me, I felt a huge weight lift off my shoulders. The doubts instantly ceased and I began to feel excitement for that that could be done in our short time here. I was amazed and humbled at the Father’s faithfulness to protect me when I called on Him in desperation. He is already opening my eyes to how self-reliant I often am. In my pride and independence I expected to waltz in here, love every bit of it, and take part in some work the Father had for us here. How silly I was! I can now see that if I depend upon anything or anyone but the Father to protect, sustain, or guide me through these next months then the Evil one will be proven right- I won’t make it. However, I have full confidence in the great faithfulness of the Father that I can thrive here in ways I never could on my own.

Thank you for your thoughts, encouragements, and petitions to the Father on my behalf. Sometimes just knowing that all of you at home are lifting up all that is occurring is enough to simultaneously bring me to tears and boost my energy. Please continue to talk to the Father for us. Lift up language learning, protection from the enemy, and always, those here who are lost. 

*Names have been changed for security purposes