Some Good and Bad News

Hey guys, whoa has a lot of stuff happened in the past couple weeks for me to tell. To be honest I’ve been having a difficult time trying to come up with the words to say about these past couple of weeks. Some crazy stuff has happened both good and bad, and I don’t know what to share with you. Let me start with the bad news first so we can end on a bright note.

I don’t know how to say this besides the fact that I have been going through spiritual warfare. Now I like to downplay the role of spiritual warfare in life but I can’t deny that I have been facing it. Things I can’t explain have been happening; having multiple nightmares, being bullied and physically hurt, fighting off sinful thoughts for hours on end, being constantly insulted, having people tell me the opposite thing I’ve heard from my Daddy, and problems with signing up for classes next semester. Even as I write this I feel a strange pressure to erase this paragraph and cry into my pillow.

There is no reason to name the specifics as long as you know that I’m experiencing spiritual warfare. I’ve never dealt with this before and I’m having a hard time facing it. It has been tuff but it has brought me closer in my relationship to my Daddy, and has grown me into a stronger man. So enough about the bad news let’s talk about the good news.

Just as things have been going miraculously bad things have also been going miraculously good. It just seems that out of nowhere these good things are popping up; teachers asking us for c.d.’s, being invited over to read, talking to Daddy with others, sharing stories with students, developing close friendships with locals, and discovering nice friendly villages. Over the past couple of weeks we have seen more progress than we probably have our entire stay. The door has not opened up yet but for the first time it appears we are seeing it start to crack.

I can’t express how ridiculous these things keep popping up, so I will give you an example of a good thing that happened. At the end of each class Brady asks the class if they have any questions while I erase the board. I was still erasing when I heard Brady say, “ooooohhh very nice.” I finished erasing and turned around to see a student showing Brady a book entitled “Daddy’s Stories” written in the local language. I stood back shocked and then realize that this is the same student I have been playing basketball with for the last month.

Needless to say every moment whether good or bad has been like this. Please pray for me as I face these next couple of weeks. I’ve never dealt with such emotional extremes as I have been recently. Thank you guys again for all your support, its times like this I need it. Love ya

Over the Hill

Hey guys I haven’t talked to you in a while and I am very excited to write to you. Things have been crazy the past couple of weeks but crazy in a good way. As of now I am back to teaching at the local high school. However, I have been all over the place since the last time I taught at school.

            On our first week off from school we celebrated a local holiday and then headed out to a nearby village. This village was beautiful. There where mountains everywhere and miles and miles of farmland in-between them. From this village we traveled down some paths and met some people in smaller villages. Some of these people even took us through a hidden mountain pass that lead to a lake in the middle of the mountains. There are some great stories that I will tell from this trip, stories that will stay with me forever.

            The second week off from school we made our midterm visa run to one of the largest cities in the world. While we were there I was sure to eat as much hamburger and pizza that I could get my hands on. After this day long trip a group of us visited a beautiful backpacker town nearby. While we were there we went bamboo rafting, bike riding, hiking, shopping, and hotel hoping for 4 days. Once again I ate as much hamburger and pizza as I could.

            After coming back to teaching I have to admit that I am ready to come home. Maybe it would be better if I say that I’m looking forward to coming home. Either way I admit that I want to be with my family and friends right now. Everything has seemed to slow down at this part of the journey. Brady and I are getting used to creating lesson plans and teaching students. My schoolwork has died down since the midterm but will gradually pick up towards the end. The students are so busy we end up with a lot of free time on our hands.

            Not only do we have a lot of free time but our apartment is very remote from the students as well as remote from the rest of the city. Also, without internet we are cut off from any outside communication. Not to say there hasn't been advantages to this. I have spent a lot of my free time talking with my Daddy and reading His words. I have also gone out into the city and tried to practice my language with people. However, even with these things I still have a lot free time on my hands.

            I miss my family and friends and am looking forward to coming back to them. Not to say that I don’t want to be here. I am called here and I have a job to complete here but I do look forward to seeing it completed. Two and a half months is quite a bit of time to get the job done yet, on the same hand that is not much time at all. I look forward to what the next couple of months hold in store and I long to see all of you reading this face to face again. Thank you always for your support, I love you all.

Wow

            Wow, a lot has taken place since my last blog. I’m officially in the 2^nd part of my three part trip, teaching at the high school. The day after posting my last blog I packed up everything I had with me and moved into a new apartment. This apartment is about two blocks away from the high school and is very nice. Ironically the place is too big for us; we only use about half the space that we have. Brady and I each have our own rooms. This has allowed me to spend a lot of time in reflection and talking to my Daddy.

            The catch to this nice apartment is that there is no internet. This has also been a good thing allowing me to eliminate the distractions that surround me. However, without internet, communication back home is scarce to none and the moral support I received through it has diminished. Still, this has made me find more support from my Daddy. Although I do want to admit that I still miss home, friends, and family.

            Teaching at the high school has been a blast for me so far. Brady and I teach all our classes together. Our first class every morning starts at 7:35 and we are done before noon every day. We then teach a much more open and free class called English corner at 5:10. Hanging out with the students is a blast. They love to talk English with us and take our pictures. I haven’t played any hacky sack because there hasn’t been a good spot to. However, I have been playing basketball with some students on a regular basis.

            Even though it has been a blast hanging out with the students, we don’t get to spend much time with them. High school is considered the hardest time in a person’s life in this country. I once went to the school at 1:00 during that huge break we have to play basketball with the students and no one was there. They have classes from 7am to 5pm and then they have study session from 7pm to 9pm. So the only time I get to hang out with them is from 6 to 7. This has caused an awkward amount of free time which I have spent doing school work, playing on my computer, and reading lots of books.

            Now that I have gotten in the mode of high school another curve ball has come. This next week is a national holiday and the students have school off and are asked to go back home. So Brady and I are going on another back packing trip during that week. Then when they get back we go on our midterm visa run. The visa run is only a couple days but we are going to spend our cultural (vacation) days afterwards. That means for the next two weeks we won’t be doing any teaching at the high school.

            However, I am very eager for the next couple of weeks and the rest of our stay at the high school. This has already been a very blessed time here and I believe it will only get better. I apologize if communication will be sketchy the next couple months but just know that I’m doing what I love to do. Thank you all again for your support; even reading a blog like this helps me know that I have people back home that love me and support what I do. You are all very wonderful and precious to me. Thank you.

Why So Soon . . .

. . . well it’s because there are some things I wanted to tell you and I didn’t know when I would get a good opportunity to share them again. You see Brady and I are moving this weekend into a new apartment that is closer to the high school and I don’t know if it has internet access. So here are a few things I wanted to mention before we leave.

            We got to talk to the head English teacher the other day and we will officially be teaching at the local high school starting this next Monday. We will have about three classes in the morning, some we will teach separately some we may teach together. After lunch we will have a break and then come back in the afternoon for an English corner were we get to discuss anything we want with the students. After dinner we are free to hang around the high school and hang out with students until they have a study hall at 7:00.

            I really hope to pour into these students lives over the next nine weeks or so. This is honestly the part of the trip I’ve been looking most forward to. However, due to our housing situation I have no idea how well I will be able to update you guys through email or Facebook. You guys really are the third man on our team and I’m sorry that you might have to play bench for a while but just know that things are still going great down here. Thank you guys again for the support I love ya.

Thumbs Up

            Hey guys haven’t talked to you in a while and I had a few things I’ve been looking forward to sharing with you. Things have certainly gotten familiar down here and there is not the same awesome culture shock that I had at the beginning of this trip. This blog may not be as enthusiastic as my others because the outrageous has become normal to me now, however, I will do my best to share what is going on. Our homestay / language study is coming to an end. Although I have enjoyed the time I’m excited for the next part of the journey.

            Talking about the next part of the journey what lays ahead for Brady and I is probably the most fun part of our semester abroad, high school. We are leaving next Friday to go live in an (air conditioned) apartment just outside of the local high school. Details are not official and are general but from what we can tell we will teach two classes a day and have an English corner each day where we will talk to the students. We also will be living close enough to the city to visit our favorite drink shop on a regular basses. On a personal note I’m going to start playing hacky sack again and hope to get some locals involved.

            As far as things are going right now is a time scheduling mess. Last weekend we went out on a trek and our schedule was packed prior and during that trip. With language nearing the end there are no new lessons and we are reviewing the material we’ve learned, so that is easier. Also with language nearing the end both Brady and I are trying to get school papers written before teaching so we can be freed up to talk with the students. Then stuff has happened were we have entire days off or we have a day that was supposed to be off and then it ends up being busy. Needless to say we are just enjoying the journey one step at a time.

            As for our trek last weekend it went really well. We were able to get to different locations and order hotel rooms by ourselves with the language we’ve learned. We walked down some paths until we reached a village and then watched a film with the people who lived there. Certainly some received us better than others but we left each village with no bad feelings. The trek gave me time to really grasp my current situation and it helped me understand Brady a little bit more.

            As for my last blog I would like to tell you that most of those things have been resolved. The weather has cooled down as we are entering fall season, and sleeping has been better as a result. My thoughts haven’t been getting to me and homesickness has decreased. Brady and I have become a more effective team as we have learned how each other works. I’m not putting on an act in front of you guys things are really getting better. Thank you so much for your prayers and support it has really made a difference.

I wish I could make this a more emotional blog and drag you guys through the struggles and joys of living here but honestly things are just going good as usual. In the end I guess that’s the best kind of report I can give you in this blog. Here’s a big thumbs up from the other side of the world. Thank you guys again for the support, I love ya.

Behind the Curtains

            Hey guys, so normally I try to stay pretty optimistic while writing these blogs to inform you about what’s going on without making you worry about the details. However, today I am going to be honest. I’m going to take you behind the curtains because there are some things back here I need to show you. First of all most of my time is spent in language study. Even though language study does take up most of the day what I really want to talk about is what I am doing besides language study.

            When Brady and I are not studying language we are walking around our hometown trying to talk to people, or visiting a nearby city I like to call LB. We know enough language to start a conversation and introduce ourselves but that is where it stops. If we were not going to the same places then I would consider heading out pointless because we can’t really build friendships. But since we are heading to the same shops and places we are starting to build a familiarity with the people who work there.

            Living with Brady is an experience; I don’t really know how to describe it. The man really complements my weaknesses and vice versa but he has a different personality that I’ve never lived with before. His daily routine is constantly evolving as I am trying to build up consistency. I say all of this because if I don’t embrace who he is our get stuck in my own ways I feel either anger towards him or I experience loneliness. The more I pray the more things make sense and I understand Brady more. Please pray that I would receive some guidance from my Daddy so that I don’t make a mistake and feel hatred or loneliness.

            There is something I haven’t mentioned to you guys just because I was afraid you would worry about it. I’m talking about sleeping. Sleeping always seems to be an issue here not because it’s too hot, though that is sometimes the case. It’s normally a combination of things. For instance I may sweat while I sleep therefore I can’t get back to sleep until I get up and get a drink of water. Other times language study just gives me a headache that prevents deep sleep. A bit more honest answer would be that my thoughts about school, home, or living in a foreign land prevents me from sleeping or maybe gives me nightmares. Please pray for these things especially the thoughts.

            We have progressed in our language study enough that we are going to take a three day hiking trip to an undisclosed isolated village this Friday. Initially I was tremendously frightened of this but the more time I thought of it the more I realized that this is something that could be very beneficial. Brady has been super excited from the get go and I’m glad that I will get to help him out during this experience. Please pray that my fears would continue to be removed as the date approaches.

Besides that we just study study study. I should have mentioned some of this earlier but I very much dislike talking about the negative aspects of things when there are so many positive stories I could tell. Thank you guys so much for your support and I think of you (my family and friends) back home constantly. I love each of you.

P.S. I got an Asian name today it’s 戴馴揚 sounds like (Dye Shwan yuung) and it means Mr. Dye, humble and enthusiastic 

The Death of Something Great

Hey everyone, I know I’m a little bit late with the blog but I’ve just been too occupied with language study to think about what to say. The past two and a half weeks have been wake up, study language, and then practice it on your own. I wish I could fill this blog up with interesting stories but I’ve honestly been spending most of my time studying language. Brady and I are taught by either Jon or Sofi for two sessions a day at two and a half hours per session. Then after dinner I usually pick up the flash cards and hit it up for another hour or so.

Studying language all day does make one thing more interesting, sleeping. Sometimes when I go to sleep I will see my friends from America and they are speaking English and then all of a sudden things turn black and I just hear a word I’ve been studying repeat over and over. However, when I wake up the next morning and the teacher asks me what that word means I am quick to respond.

Brady and I have been trying to practice our language among the locals but are kind of wavering in our success. Some locals feel obligated to help out, others find it funny to see foreigners stumble over simple words and help us out just to hear us say more. Unfortunately we do not know enough to actually communicate with them beyond simple phrases. Today was the first time we learned simple conversation sentences like “how are you?” and “Do you like ____ I like ____” so maybe now we can grow a little closer to them.

Normally I like to describe what I’m doing here in Asia in this blog, more than what I’m thinking about; but I would like to make a quick exception. I’ve been talking to my Daddy about what I will be doing with my life after College, because I have had a hard time thinking about saying goodbye to my life down at Bolivar. That’s when He told me something, “The death of something great, gives birth to something greater.” When I asked my Daddy what I will do after college He responded with one word, “Japan.” I know my College days are winding to an end but what is starting now and will take place after College is, and will be, so much greater.

Some things I am learning besides the language is the importance of family. I believe that my Daddy will give me time after college to build up the relationship I have with my family and maybe even start a family of my own. But enough about my thought’s, I’m living out an awesome opportunity as we speak, and I plan on taking full advantage of it. I very much love East Asia and the people that live here, and hopefully with the language I am studying I will begin to start building relationships with them soon.

P.S. The internet restrictions have been decreased now that we know the best method of language study. I will be able to keep more in contact through Facebook and hope to post my pictures here: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.473543359323135.113818.100000024262502&type=3