Hello there friends, family and fans (just kidding)...but seriously, Hi.
I had a great time in the Darien Jungle of Panama these last two weeks or so.
After a few hours driving down the far stretches of the famous Panamerican highway and a canoe ride, we made it to our first destination. It was a Kuna village called Pintupo. The Kuna are an interesting tribe. First of all, I understand that they're the second shortest people group in the world, and they have the highest birth-rate of albinos. They also say that the Kuna are one of the harder people groups to "reach" with the gospel.
Judging from the village we were at, I have a hard time believing that. The place was absolutely awesome. I personally had a ton of fun interacting with the kids. They laugh a lot. Usually their jokes consisted of either strange bodily noises, impersonating animals and stuff, or introducing their friends and giving them ridiculous names like, "Here's my friend Fish-mouth..." It was good for the soul to hang out with those kids.
And not only were they funny, they also were perceptive and interested in learning. They taught me some Kuna words (the coolest of which is "Nee-Squaw" which means stars) and the song "Are You Sleeping" which apparently is in Kuna also. I also got to teach them some English words and some songs. They loved it.
The village itself was very National Geographic-esk. Although they are a short people group, their huts are quite large (not the doorways, however, as my bruised head can attest to). The roofs are made of dried palm leaves. And people sleep in hammocks. They have some electricity which they get through solar panels, but they still cook over fires and grind corn by hand. We all felt super privileged to be able to stay there.
So that was Pintupo, and it was awesome.
Next we went a few more hours down the Panamerican and took another canoe to an Embera village called El Salto. Apparently it's the capital village of the Embera people. Like Pintupo, El Salto was not at all geared for tourists. It was a real look into the Embera culture. It was interesting because they had traditional huts next to more western-looking ones that the government had built for them after some flooding. They also had electricity and power lines even though the only way to the village was a canoe ride up a river.
It seemed like a lot of the youth of the village were just waiting to get out of the village and to the big world. A lot of the kids don't speak the Embera language and some of the culture is being lost. It's a delicate balance to try to keep the culture of a people group like the Embera in the face of such a changing world. On the one side you can hold too tightly to tradition and become stuck in detrimental ways of life, unwilling to change them. On the other side you can simply fall in sync with whatever you see on TV and find your identity there as opposed to your unique roots. You have to preserve and progress at the same time.
However, one of the guys who works with YWAM here is an Embera named Tulio. He was our guide when we stayed at El Salto, and it is really encouraging to see his passion for his people. He's got a vision to encourage them, to shake them awake, to get them to become progressive in their own Embera way. He said he wants to see Embera hospitals and universities started for all the Embera villages in the area. He says that Christ is absolutely central to finding the balance between preserving and progressing.
That's an easy concept to say, but perhaps a bit more difficult to understand. I certainly don't understand it completely, but one thing I've been learning through these last few months is how relevant Christ is. Relevant. Perhaps the idea of a God-man does speak into present day issues like that. It's some food for thought.
Anyway, I had a great time in the jungle. Here are a few overall personal highlights: watching two Kuna guys swim underwater and spear fish, eating a bit of wild boar, seeing flocks of parrots flying over the river, seeing a band of monkey-type things in a tree, and taking a walk in the jungle by myself. The only negative thing is that I got a bunch of insect bites that have been itching the last few nights. Oh well.
This week we're mostly debriefing our trip. And we get to go to the beach. It'll be a fun week, I think. I'm flying home on Sunday the 13th! I'm excited but it's going to be really weird to part ways with my team. We've been together almost nonstop these past five months. It'll be a bit hard to say good-bye, but now I've got friends across the nation and even in Europe. Just more excuses to travel. (Yes!)
Alright. I may or may not write another blog here in Panama. If not, just know that I've had a very good time here in Panama. Thanks for reading all these silly blogs and for all the prayer support. If you're still interested in hearing about my travels and experiences, I would love to chat face-to-face when I get back.
Until then,
Take it easy.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Okay, so about that whole updating more often thing, I'm sorry. I will make no more rash suggestions about updating more than once a month...
Anyway, we're still on the outreach phase although we get today and tomorrow off for Thanksgiving. Today we're having a feast here at the YWAM base in Chilibre (75 lbs. of Turkey...no joke), and tomorrow is just a free day. I'll probably do laundry and call my family like I promised.
Today I had a bit of an interesting interaction. While everyone was in the kitchen getting ready for the feast, I found this guy sitting outside. I recognized him from before we went on Outreach. He had been on base, asking the base director, Richard, for some help. Richard had us pray for him and then told us this guy's story.
His name is Eides, and he lives here in Panama. He's got AIDS, and was led to Christ a few years ago by a YWAMer. He met a woman in an AIDS home and they asked if it would be okay if they got married. Apparently this woman really wanted to get married before she died. Since no one saw a problem with this, they went ahead and got marriage counseling. The counseling was a sort of joint effort between Richard--a YWAM missionary--and a Catholic priest that Eides knew. Definitely a fresh alliance. So anyway they got married.
However, Eides' wife's AIDS was much further along than his own. She died a month after the wedding. As you can imagine he was crushed and his condition continued to worsen. If I wrote it down right in my notebook, it was only a month later that he was heading up to Costa Rica for some special treatment. On his way he stopped at the YWAM base and that's where we prayed for him.
I was intrigued as Richard told us Eides' story so I wrote it down in my notebook. I finished with "I may never know the end of the story." So it was sort of ironic that I saw this guy sitting on the YWAM base again. We chatted a bit in Spanish--so I didn't understand everything--but I got that he needed some money for treatment. He said something about having water in his brain, so I'm not sure what that means. Maybe my dad knows. But he said that the treatment costs $12 and he's got $5 already.
I wasn't exactly sure what to do. Part of me wanted to give him the money straight up, but I waited for Richard the base director to arrive. When he did I told him what was on my heart and, he said it'd be a good idea. I was going to just give him $7 for the treatment, but then I was like, you know what, I want to give him a $20 bill.
So I did and he said thanks. He said he would bring back a big rooster from his house for the base to have at the end of December. I said I would already be gone by then, but thanks anyway. It turned out he was also in need of a jacket, and we had an extra one that was left in the guys' dorm. So I gave him that, too. Then he left, and once again I'm thinking that I'll probably never know the end of the story.
That's kind of how life is, though. Everyone's got a story. And on earth they all intermingle, playing off of each other, affecting each other.
Hopefully this is encouraging to whoever reads it. I know that when I read stories about people giving away money I usually feel guilty. Don't feel guilty. I didn't give the money out of guilt. It's not like God guilted me into it. I don't think he likes to do that...ever. I think the reason is more that I feel very blessed. I have a lot that I've never done anything to deserve--especially when you start talking about physical and mental health, a good family and all that. So when I saw Eides in need it was just like "Freely you have been given, freely give."
And it felt really good. I think the best part about being blessed is when you get to bless others.
So yeah, that was one cool thing that happened today.
Since the last blog we've been to a few places in Panama, as you may have guessed. First we stayed in a gymnasium in Boquete, which is a beautiful town. It's refreshingly cool there, unlike most of Panama. In Boquete we shoveled mud from recent mudslides out of ditches on the side of the road. It was nice to do something very tangible.
Then we went to Parita which is on the southern penninsula of Panama (hot weather). The town is old and has a lot of history. We did two programs for the public and one service at the Baptist chruch where we slept.
We then went to Las Tablas which is also on the penninsula and stayed at another Baptist church. The pastor in Las Tablas was awesome to work with. He had heart; he really cared about people. We went house to house evangelising for a few days. It turned out to be less awkward than one might expect which was good. We even went to a Jehova's Witness' house one day. I thought that was sort of a funny switch-up. Anyway, we had some good talks. Although sometimes it felt like people would just go along with what we were saying without thinking about it. That was definitely a bit unsettling for me, but I'm hoping for the best.
Aftet Las Tablas we stayed in yet another Baptist chruch in Aguadulce. We did more house-to-house stuff and a few more programs. Everyone had sort of a funny feeling about the two pastors we were working with, but once again we hope for the best.
After being there for a few days we came back here to the base. The last couple days we've been driving to Colon, a city by the northern entrance to the canal. It's about a forty-five minute drive getting there. We did one church service and a tiny bit of evangelism. Today we were going to do a program for like three thousand kids at a school, but when we got there they canceled on us. That sort of thing will happen here in Panama. Plans are more like suggestions.
Another cool thing we've done here at the base is visit a Mother Teresa Home. Basically it's a place funded by the Catholic Church for the world's outcasts to be taken care of. It's sort of hard to be there in the midst of all this suffering. It's a lot of people who are in wheel-chairs, a lot of people who's bodies and minds aren't functioning fully, if at all. It seems as though they've been dealt a hard hand, and that's hard to come to grips with. Then there's the amazing ladies who work there full time. They're incredible, I think.
Anyway, this thing's getting long so I'll wrap it up. On Friday we're going deep into the jungle. We'll be staying with two tribes. One is a Kuna tribe, the other Embera. Suzy from our team is Kuna, though she was raised in the states. The tribe we're going to is her mom's. Suzy and her husband Jack are planning to do long-term missions work with that tribe, so that's pretty cool.
Alright. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!
We'll see when I update again...
Take it easy.
Anyway, we're still on the outreach phase although we get today and tomorrow off for Thanksgiving. Today we're having a feast here at the YWAM base in Chilibre (75 lbs. of Turkey...no joke), and tomorrow is just a free day. I'll probably do laundry and call my family like I promised.
Today I had a bit of an interesting interaction. While everyone was in the kitchen getting ready for the feast, I found this guy sitting outside. I recognized him from before we went on Outreach. He had been on base, asking the base director, Richard, for some help. Richard had us pray for him and then told us this guy's story.
His name is Eides, and he lives here in Panama. He's got AIDS, and was led to Christ a few years ago by a YWAMer. He met a woman in an AIDS home and they asked if it would be okay if they got married. Apparently this woman really wanted to get married before she died. Since no one saw a problem with this, they went ahead and got marriage counseling. The counseling was a sort of joint effort between Richard--a YWAM missionary--and a Catholic priest that Eides knew. Definitely a fresh alliance. So anyway they got married.
However, Eides' wife's AIDS was much further along than his own. She died a month after the wedding. As you can imagine he was crushed and his condition continued to worsen. If I wrote it down right in my notebook, it was only a month later that he was heading up to Costa Rica for some special treatment. On his way he stopped at the YWAM base and that's where we prayed for him.
I was intrigued as Richard told us Eides' story so I wrote it down in my notebook. I finished with "I may never know the end of the story." So it was sort of ironic that I saw this guy sitting on the YWAM base again. We chatted a bit in Spanish--so I didn't understand everything--but I got that he needed some money for treatment. He said something about having water in his brain, so I'm not sure what that means. Maybe my dad knows. But he said that the treatment costs $12 and he's got $5 already.
I wasn't exactly sure what to do. Part of me wanted to give him the money straight up, but I waited for Richard the base director to arrive. When he did I told him what was on my heart and, he said it'd be a good idea. I was going to just give him $7 for the treatment, but then I was like, you know what, I want to give him a $20 bill.
So I did and he said thanks. He said he would bring back a big rooster from his house for the base to have at the end of December. I said I would already be gone by then, but thanks anyway. It turned out he was also in need of a jacket, and we had an extra one that was left in the guys' dorm. So I gave him that, too. Then he left, and once again I'm thinking that I'll probably never know the end of the story.
That's kind of how life is, though. Everyone's got a story. And on earth they all intermingle, playing off of each other, affecting each other.
Hopefully this is encouraging to whoever reads it. I know that when I read stories about people giving away money I usually feel guilty. Don't feel guilty. I didn't give the money out of guilt. It's not like God guilted me into it. I don't think he likes to do that...ever. I think the reason is more that I feel very blessed. I have a lot that I've never done anything to deserve--especially when you start talking about physical and mental health, a good family and all that. So when I saw Eides in need it was just like "Freely you have been given, freely give."
And it felt really good. I think the best part about being blessed is when you get to bless others.
So yeah, that was one cool thing that happened today.
Since the last blog we've been to a few places in Panama, as you may have guessed. First we stayed in a gymnasium in Boquete, which is a beautiful town. It's refreshingly cool there, unlike most of Panama. In Boquete we shoveled mud from recent mudslides out of ditches on the side of the road. It was nice to do something very tangible.
Then we went to Parita which is on the southern penninsula of Panama (hot weather). The town is old and has a lot of history. We did two programs for the public and one service at the Baptist chruch where we slept.
We then went to Las Tablas which is also on the penninsula and stayed at another Baptist church. The pastor in Las Tablas was awesome to work with. He had heart; he really cared about people. We went house to house evangelising for a few days. It turned out to be less awkward than one might expect which was good. We even went to a Jehova's Witness' house one day. I thought that was sort of a funny switch-up. Anyway, we had some good talks. Although sometimes it felt like people would just go along with what we were saying without thinking about it. That was definitely a bit unsettling for me, but I'm hoping for the best.
Aftet Las Tablas we stayed in yet another Baptist chruch in Aguadulce. We did more house-to-house stuff and a few more programs. Everyone had sort of a funny feeling about the two pastors we were working with, but once again we hope for the best.
After being there for a few days we came back here to the base. The last couple days we've been driving to Colon, a city by the northern entrance to the canal. It's about a forty-five minute drive getting there. We did one church service and a tiny bit of evangelism. Today we were going to do a program for like three thousand kids at a school, but when we got there they canceled on us. That sort of thing will happen here in Panama. Plans are more like suggestions.
Another cool thing we've done here at the base is visit a Mother Teresa Home. Basically it's a place funded by the Catholic Church for the world's outcasts to be taken care of. It's sort of hard to be there in the midst of all this suffering. It's a lot of people who are in wheel-chairs, a lot of people who's bodies and minds aren't functioning fully, if at all. It seems as though they've been dealt a hard hand, and that's hard to come to grips with. Then there's the amazing ladies who work there full time. They're incredible, I think.
Anyway, this thing's getting long so I'll wrap it up. On Friday we're going deep into the jungle. We'll be staying with two tribes. One is a Kuna tribe, the other Embera. Suzy from our team is Kuna, though she was raised in the states. The tribe we're going to is her mom's. Suzy and her husband Jack are planning to do long-term missions work with that tribe, so that's pretty cool.
Alright. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!
We'll see when I update again...
Take it easy.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Greetings, or Pura Vida, as they say here in Costa Rica!
So at this point we´re on the Outreach phase. So far we´ve been to Panama City for about two weeks, Bocas del Toro for one week and now we´re in Heredia, Costa Rica.
Panama City was interesting. We mostly did programs in the streets. A program consisted of skits that we had learned in the Lecture phase that portrayed the gospel message followed by some time afterwards to talk to whoever stuck around. Some of the programs were really good, as were some of the conversations afterwards. There were two times I remember someone on the team reporting that they had led someone to Christ which is awesome. However, some of the programs were a little more on the awkward side, as were some of the conversations, I´m not going to lie.
I guess the most frustrating part was when you were talking with someone who had big issues (we talked to our share of crazy people) that couldn´t even begin to be dealt with in one conversatoin. It´s like you were talking into a vaccuum that would just suck up everything you said and just keep sucking. A lot of issues take time to be resolved which is why it seems that relational evengelism is better than the hit-and-run method. Apparently, they both work, but I know that at least I prefer knowing the person.
I´m still a bit shaky in my español beause our whole team speaks English all the time. But so far I´ve been having some good practice on Outreach.
So, Bocas del Toro was cool, too. It´s a beautiful spot! Beautiful! They´re trying to start a YWAM base on one of the islands, so that´s where we stayed. It´s a house that runs on solar power and get´s all it´s running water from rainwater. It´s pretty cool. And they take care of their own trash, too. The house is situated right near the ocean with a breathtaking view of the ocean. The house is run by Kim and Dale and they´re the ones who want to start the YWAM base there.
Some indigenous folk live next to the house so we interacted with them a bit, too. They´re very nice and very smart. They showed us how to harvest rice and catch shrimp. A lot of them were Christians, too.
But some of them haven´t really been educated about the world. For example, I was chatting with one guy and he asked me how it was possible that it could be daytime here in Panama but nightime in Russia at the same time. I made and imaginary model of the solar system, and he definitely understood. So it´s not that he was stupid, he just hadn´t been educated. It´s crazy that some people in the world don´t know those basic things.
(Then again, I think we´re all pretty oblivious about a lot of things. I mean, we haven´t even been to the bottom of the ocean yet...just making sure nobody gets a superiority complex.)
Well, that´s all the time I have for this quick update. Maybe I´ll fill you in more than once every month, how about that?...I´ll try but I´m not sure how much more internet access I´ll have on Outreach.
Alright, signing off.
Take it easy.
So at this point we´re on the Outreach phase. So far we´ve been to Panama City for about two weeks, Bocas del Toro for one week and now we´re in Heredia, Costa Rica.
Panama City was interesting. We mostly did programs in the streets. A program consisted of skits that we had learned in the Lecture phase that portrayed the gospel message followed by some time afterwards to talk to whoever stuck around. Some of the programs were really good, as were some of the conversations afterwards. There were two times I remember someone on the team reporting that they had led someone to Christ which is awesome. However, some of the programs were a little more on the awkward side, as were some of the conversations, I´m not going to lie.
I guess the most frustrating part was when you were talking with someone who had big issues (we talked to our share of crazy people) that couldn´t even begin to be dealt with in one conversatoin. It´s like you were talking into a vaccuum that would just suck up everything you said and just keep sucking. A lot of issues take time to be resolved which is why it seems that relational evengelism is better than the hit-and-run method. Apparently, they both work, but I know that at least I prefer knowing the person.
I´m still a bit shaky in my español beause our whole team speaks English all the time. But so far I´ve been having some good practice on Outreach.
So, Bocas del Toro was cool, too. It´s a beautiful spot! Beautiful! They´re trying to start a YWAM base on one of the islands, so that´s where we stayed. It´s a house that runs on solar power and get´s all it´s running water from rainwater. It´s pretty cool. And they take care of their own trash, too. The house is situated right near the ocean with a breathtaking view of the ocean. The house is run by Kim and Dale and they´re the ones who want to start the YWAM base there.
Some indigenous folk live next to the house so we interacted with them a bit, too. They´re very nice and very smart. They showed us how to harvest rice and catch shrimp. A lot of them were Christians, too.
But some of them haven´t really been educated about the world. For example, I was chatting with one guy and he asked me how it was possible that it could be daytime here in Panama but nightime in Russia at the same time. I made and imaginary model of the solar system, and he definitely understood. So it´s not that he was stupid, he just hadn´t been educated. It´s crazy that some people in the world don´t know those basic things.
(Then again, I think we´re all pretty oblivious about a lot of things. I mean, we haven´t even been to the bottom of the ocean yet...just making sure nobody gets a superiority complex.)
Well, that´s all the time I have for this quick update. Maybe I´ll fill you in more than once every month, how about that?...I´ll try but I´m not sure how much more internet access I´ll have on Outreach.
Alright, signing off.
Take it easy.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
SWEET my blog is working again! Sorry for the absence of any updates for a long time. A few things have happened since my last update, as you may have guessed. First of all, the Sunday after my last blog, everyone got up and went to a local church. After that a few others and I checked out Albrook Mall, a pretty good size mall about half an hour from our base. When we got back, however, Tommy and I went up to our room and found that our laptops were both missing along with my iPod and camera. Apparently, this was the first robbery on base for a very long time. I was just thankful that my passport was still there--and I decided I would put it in the base safe after that, which is what my mom had wanted me to do right away.
So that happened, and it's part of the reason I haven't posted in so long (that and the fact that I can barely ever log on to blogspot down here). But it did leave me with a lot to think about. You see, I had gotten that laptop a year ago from my dad for college. It proved to be very useful, of course, but about a month or two into college, I was sitting in chapel. Suddenly a thought came to me. It was something to the effect of, "God wants you to go give your laptop to a homeless person." It was one of those deals where I wasn't sure if it was the voice of God or my own thoughts, and I still don't know. I brushed went through phases where I'd doubt it was God's voice and phases where I feared it might be. It actually got to be a stressful thing to think about; so there came a point where I was like, "Alright, God, I'd rather keep this laptop and use it just like my dad intended when he gave it to me, but you see the whole picture and if it'd be better for it to go to someone else, then make it obvious to me, bring me into the story, show me the person." That's sort of how I left it, I guess. Then I came down here, and it got stolen. And I still don't know if that thought was God or not.
It's not like the theft was an isolated event, either. They stole more than just my laptop. In fact, a week or two later, they stole three laptops, some cell phones and iPods from the girl's dorm. And I don't think it would take the hand of God to move some adventurous youth to steal some valuable things. I guess it's a tough call, and I don't plan on coming to any conclusions about it any time soon. Although it does cast an interesting perspective on what I was saying in my first blog about us not having to worry about those inner urges and thoughts, that it's better to just move ahead in good faith and let God guide our lives like an omnipotent God should be able to.
It seems that that question is one of those that has been with humanity all along. It's our attempt at isolating the divine, at figuring out just what sort of power is behind this universe. It's part of our persistent endeavor to try to connect with God. Many have come to conclusions about it, and they are definitely not always in agreement. So I'm not going to pretend to have it all figured out here. I'd say the jury is still out on many aspects of how God speaks, and maybe it's meant to be that way. After all, wouldn't it be exciting and satisfying to discuss this type of thing with your friends? So many times I ask, "Is that you, God?" in my own mind, but I never ask other people what they think. Maybe part of the problem for a lot of us is that we don't have solid enough communities of supportive friends around us, so talking about stuff like that would be awkward. I know I'm there too often. But I think if you can get past that, you find out that you really can't lose. If you honestly don't know if God is speaking to you or not, and you are always doing your best to live a life of love, then can you be wrong? Life, after all, would definitley be a burden if the point was just to get to the next spot. It seems that life isn't so much about where you go but about how you go. Are you living love? Are you being patient? Honest? Generous? Bold? Are you reaching out to the people around you? If so, then I'd bet that God will use your life in ways you never could've imagined.
Anyway, that's some of the stuff that has been on my mind this past month-and-a-half. This is a great spot to have questions like that. I've been processing all of the questions about my faith that have been building up in my mind over the years. At times it can be stressful, but it always good to engage the questions fully. So often I feel like people in the church frown on questions. It's almost like we're scared of them. The part that scares me is that the only people who should be scared of questions are people who are afraid their beliefs are false. Questions help us get to the core of things; they help us see things how they really are. So people who want the truth or honestly believe they have the truth should love questions. If people in the church are afraid of questions it tells me that they don't really think they have the truth. And that's no way to live, holding onto and preaching ideas you don't truly even believe in yourself. It's especially sad if the ideas are true, and all you needed were a few good questions to work through in order to find that out.
So, as I said, I think it's very healthy for me to be here to work out some of these things.
Why, after all, are we supposed to be Christians?
What does that even mean? Why are we supposed to "believe in Jesus?"
What does THAT even mean?
How can we take sixty-six works of literature from the past, ranging from historical records to poetry to personal letters, and say "This is the Word of God?"
What's the Word of God supposed to be, anyway?
If it is God's Word, then why did he (or she or it or whatever) use things like poetry?
What good is POETRY for getting the facts down?
That's what it's about, right? The facts?
Those are some of the things I'm thinking about and actually trying to get to the bottom of. Did you have answers to all of those questions? If not, then maybe you should do a DTS, too. :) But seriously...
Anyway, I'll try to give you a taste of this place. It's very laid-back, Latin-American style, which is great for someone who tends to run late to things. It's pretty small, and is located on a hill. There's jungle all around the mowed area of the base, and all around the country general. Near us there are many small houses made of brick and whatever else they could find. Most, I think, are squatters. There are big hills all over the place which makes for some beautiful landscapes, especially when the sun is setting. Panama City is about half an hour away, and it's pretty similar to Minneapolis. The Panama Canal is about fifteen minutes away at it's closest point. I saw some massive ships going through one of the locks. It's pretty impressive.
As far as the teaching structure, we have a different teacher every week with a different topic. So far we've had a WIDE variety of teaching styles and have covered stuff like Hearing the Voice of God, Relationships, Missions. One cool topic we did was Cities. And next week a lady's coming in to talk about Storytelling. The week after that we're actually traveling to different places in Panama while we learn about Spiritual Warfare. I'm pretty stoked about that. We get to go to one of the indigenous villages around here. Yes!
Each day we get breakfast, lunch and supper and it's usually quite tasty. So far we haven't had many crazy kinds of food. A lot of rice and chicken. Also throughout our day we have a few hours of lecture and work duties and sometimes intercession (which I'll tell you about later) and recreation and a free time whenever there's nothing else to do. It's a pretty easy pace compared to college, but we're kept busy overall. We have a new book to read every two, and we have to read the whole new testament by the time we're done with DTS. And on top of that me and another guy are memorizing the book of James. So far I've got the first two chapters down.
Well, there you have it. That's the gist of what I've been up to since the end of July. I love it overall and am very happy I'm here. I still don't know what I'm going to do with my life, I don't even have a major picked out. But I'm learning a lot about life and how I fit into it.
Looks like this got a bit long, so I commend you for making it the whole way.
Until I can next log on,
Take it easy.
So that happened, and it's part of the reason I haven't posted in so long (that and the fact that I can barely ever log on to blogspot down here). But it did leave me with a lot to think about. You see, I had gotten that laptop a year ago from my dad for college. It proved to be very useful, of course, but about a month or two into college, I was sitting in chapel. Suddenly a thought came to me. It was something to the effect of, "God wants you to go give your laptop to a homeless person." It was one of those deals where I wasn't sure if it was the voice of God or my own thoughts, and I still don't know. I brushed went through phases where I'd doubt it was God's voice and phases where I feared it might be. It actually got to be a stressful thing to think about; so there came a point where I was like, "Alright, God, I'd rather keep this laptop and use it just like my dad intended when he gave it to me, but you see the whole picture and if it'd be better for it to go to someone else, then make it obvious to me, bring me into the story, show me the person." That's sort of how I left it, I guess. Then I came down here, and it got stolen. And I still don't know if that thought was God or not.
It's not like the theft was an isolated event, either. They stole more than just my laptop. In fact, a week or two later, they stole three laptops, some cell phones and iPods from the girl's dorm. And I don't think it would take the hand of God to move some adventurous youth to steal some valuable things. I guess it's a tough call, and I don't plan on coming to any conclusions about it any time soon. Although it does cast an interesting perspective on what I was saying in my first blog about us not having to worry about those inner urges and thoughts, that it's better to just move ahead in good faith and let God guide our lives like an omnipotent God should be able to.
It seems that that question is one of those that has been with humanity all along. It's our attempt at isolating the divine, at figuring out just what sort of power is behind this universe. It's part of our persistent endeavor to try to connect with God. Many have come to conclusions about it, and they are definitely not always in agreement. So I'm not going to pretend to have it all figured out here. I'd say the jury is still out on many aspects of how God speaks, and maybe it's meant to be that way. After all, wouldn't it be exciting and satisfying to discuss this type of thing with your friends? So many times I ask, "Is that you, God?" in my own mind, but I never ask other people what they think. Maybe part of the problem for a lot of us is that we don't have solid enough communities of supportive friends around us, so talking about stuff like that would be awkward. I know I'm there too often. But I think if you can get past that, you find out that you really can't lose. If you honestly don't know if God is speaking to you or not, and you are always doing your best to live a life of love, then can you be wrong? Life, after all, would definitley be a burden if the point was just to get to the next spot. It seems that life isn't so much about where you go but about how you go. Are you living love? Are you being patient? Honest? Generous? Bold? Are you reaching out to the people around you? If so, then I'd bet that God will use your life in ways you never could've imagined.
Anyway, that's some of the stuff that has been on my mind this past month-and-a-half. This is a great spot to have questions like that. I've been processing all of the questions about my faith that have been building up in my mind over the years. At times it can be stressful, but it always good to engage the questions fully. So often I feel like people in the church frown on questions. It's almost like we're scared of them. The part that scares me is that the only people who should be scared of questions are people who are afraid their beliefs are false. Questions help us get to the core of things; they help us see things how they really are. So people who want the truth or honestly believe they have the truth should love questions. If people in the church are afraid of questions it tells me that they don't really think they have the truth. And that's no way to live, holding onto and preaching ideas you don't truly even believe in yourself. It's especially sad if the ideas are true, and all you needed were a few good questions to work through in order to find that out.
So, as I said, I think it's very healthy for me to be here to work out some of these things.
Why, after all, are we supposed to be Christians?
What does that even mean? Why are we supposed to "believe in Jesus?"
What does THAT even mean?
How can we take sixty-six works of literature from the past, ranging from historical records to poetry to personal letters, and say "This is the Word of God?"
What's the Word of God supposed to be, anyway?
If it is God's Word, then why did he (or she or it or whatever) use things like poetry?
What good is POETRY for getting the facts down?
That's what it's about, right? The facts?
Those are some of the things I'm thinking about and actually trying to get to the bottom of. Did you have answers to all of those questions? If not, then maybe you should do a DTS, too. :) But seriously...
Anyway, I'll try to give you a taste of this place. It's very laid-back, Latin-American style, which is great for someone who tends to run late to things. It's pretty small, and is located on a hill. There's jungle all around the mowed area of the base, and all around the country general. Near us there are many small houses made of brick and whatever else they could find. Most, I think, are squatters. There are big hills all over the place which makes for some beautiful landscapes, especially when the sun is setting. Panama City is about half an hour away, and it's pretty similar to Minneapolis. The Panama Canal is about fifteen minutes away at it's closest point. I saw some massive ships going through one of the locks. It's pretty impressive.
As far as the teaching structure, we have a different teacher every week with a different topic. So far we've had a WIDE variety of teaching styles and have covered stuff like Hearing the Voice of God, Relationships, Missions. One cool topic we did was Cities. And next week a lady's coming in to talk about Storytelling. The week after that we're actually traveling to different places in Panama while we learn about Spiritual Warfare. I'm pretty stoked about that. We get to go to one of the indigenous villages around here. Yes!
Each day we get breakfast, lunch and supper and it's usually quite tasty. So far we haven't had many crazy kinds of food. A lot of rice and chicken. Also throughout our day we have a few hours of lecture and work duties and sometimes intercession (which I'll tell you about later) and recreation and a free time whenever there's nothing else to do. It's a pretty easy pace compared to college, but we're kept busy overall. We have a new book to read every two, and we have to read the whole new testament by the time we're done with DTS. And on top of that me and another guy are memorizing the book of James. So far I've got the first two chapters down.
Well, there you have it. That's the gist of what I've been up to since the end of July. I love it overall and am very happy I'm here. I still don't know what I'm going to do with my life, I don't even have a major picked out. But I'm learning a lot about life and how I fit into it.
Looks like this got a bit long, so I commend you for making it the whole way.
Until I can next log on,
Take it easy.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Here I am in Panama! I had an awesome plane trip over here. I sat next to a guy named Eduardo and he sat next to a girl named Beatriz. I spoke English and a little Spanish and Beatriz spoke Spanish and a little English. Eddy, who sat right between us, spoke both fluently. It made for a fun time, and it made me realize how much Spanish I've got to learn. Flying in a plane always gives me a new appreciation for the world. The clouds were ridiculously cool-looking and the sunset was one I won't forget. And now I want to go to all the islands I saw from the plane (we flew over Jamaica and the Bahamas).
We arrived in Panama City at 9:40 last night. I had met a girl named Brennen in the Newark airport, so we found each other and made it through Customs. (Customs was pretty easy...perhaps a little too easy...) As we walked out of Customs there was a man standing there with a sign that said: YWAM. After minimal introduction, we found that his name was Emilio and that he spoke Spanish and a little English.
We followed him to a white truck and threw our stuff in the back. He asked if I was hungry, and I said, "Yes." So we stopped at an "On the Run" and as we walked in I remember that my parents had said I should be careful of the food. I looked up and saw the pop in the picture with ice in it, so I decided against that (even though in hindsight I think the ice would've been fine). I did order a chicken sandwich, though. The server took one of the twelve or so paddies laying in the display case. They looked like they may have been sitting there for a while. He slapped one on the bun, loaded it up with lettuce, tomatoes, ketchup and moyonaisse, and proceeded to toss it in the microwave for a few seconds. As I watched him load it up, my parents' warnings of food safety and never eating things that had been sitting out for too long echoed in my mind, and I felt like I was watching him throw together my own personnal case of Traveler's Diaerhea (TD) or some other ailment. However, Emilio was right next to me and we had gone out of our way to get some food so I didn't want to seem like some wishy-washy American. I took the food and brought it to the truck. I took a few small, sheepish bites but then decided against eating any more of the chicken. I ate the bun but threw the patty away...and I'm still alive with no TD!
Anway, we drove out of Panama City and into the jungle with Emilio stopping twice and turning off the truck lights to show us how PITCH balck it is. He turned off the road and pulled up a steep driveway (for a second I didn't think the truck would make it). We unloaded and two guys came from around a building and helped Brennen with her bags. I followed the first guy (whom I recognized as Nathaniel from a picture on the internet) up the steep sidewalk towards an unkown destination carrying all that I had brought for the next five months, the sounds of the jungle and the heavy night air all around...this has got to be poetic on some level, I thought.
Nathaniel showed me to my bed, which is in a room full of aluminum bunks. He said I could get up whenever I wanted and that breakfast was at 7:00. I went to sleep with a smile, having satisfied much of my desire for adventure.
Brennen is one of the 12 or so other people doing the DTS (they call us DTSers). The ages of range from 18 to I'd say about thirty or forty. There are two couples here, both from the states (though one of the wives is from here in Panama). Brennen's from Kentucky, Katie's from LA, Ilene is from Norway, Dana's from Georgia, Jan from the Netherlands and there are a few more people coming.
We walked to San Vicente, a town about a mile down the road today. I bought two bottled waters ($0.29 each!). Most things seem to be cheap. The area is sort of run-down with potholes and stuff in the roads. It rained for about two hours today and it's really humid here, too.
I'm really loving it here! The people are good at making you feel loved, which is nice. Right now, it's evening and we're sitting on a porch-type thing around a table. A few of us were watching a soccer game between the US and Honduras (the US won 2-0). I here a guitar around the corner so I think I'll check that out.
I'll let you know what happens tomorrow. We're supposed to share testimonies and start digging in to the juicy stuff so to speak.
Until next time, Adios.
We arrived in Panama City at 9:40 last night. I had met a girl named Brennen in the Newark airport, so we found each other and made it through Customs. (Customs was pretty easy...perhaps a little too easy...) As we walked out of Customs there was a man standing there with a sign that said: YWAM. After minimal introduction, we found that his name was Emilio and that he spoke Spanish and a little English.
We followed him to a white truck and threw our stuff in the back. He asked if I was hungry, and I said, "Yes." So we stopped at an "On the Run" and as we walked in I remember that my parents had said I should be careful of the food. I looked up and saw the pop in the picture with ice in it, so I decided against that (even though in hindsight I think the ice would've been fine). I did order a chicken sandwich, though. The server took one of the twelve or so paddies laying in the display case. They looked like they may have been sitting there for a while. He slapped one on the bun, loaded it up with lettuce, tomatoes, ketchup and moyonaisse, and proceeded to toss it in the microwave for a few seconds. As I watched him load it up, my parents' warnings of food safety and never eating things that had been sitting out for too long echoed in my mind, and I felt like I was watching him throw together my own personnal case of Traveler's Diaerhea (TD) or some other ailment. However, Emilio was right next to me and we had gone out of our way to get some food so I didn't want to seem like some wishy-washy American. I took the food and brought it to the truck. I took a few small, sheepish bites but then decided against eating any more of the chicken. I ate the bun but threw the patty away...and I'm still alive with no TD!
Anway, we drove out of Panama City and into the jungle with Emilio stopping twice and turning off the truck lights to show us how PITCH balck it is. He turned off the road and pulled up a steep driveway (for a second I didn't think the truck would make it). We unloaded and two guys came from around a building and helped Brennen with her bags. I followed the first guy (whom I recognized as Nathaniel from a picture on the internet) up the steep sidewalk towards an unkown destination carrying all that I had brought for the next five months, the sounds of the jungle and the heavy night air all around...this has got to be poetic on some level, I thought.
Nathaniel showed me to my bed, which is in a room full of aluminum bunks. He said I could get up whenever I wanted and that breakfast was at 7:00. I went to sleep with a smile, having satisfied much of my desire for adventure.
Brennen is one of the 12 or so other people doing the DTS (they call us DTSers). The ages of range from 18 to I'd say about thirty or forty. There are two couples here, both from the states (though one of the wives is from here in Panama). Brennen's from Kentucky, Katie's from LA, Ilene is from Norway, Dana's from Georgia, Jan from the Netherlands and there are a few more people coming.
We walked to San Vicente, a town about a mile down the road today. I bought two bottled waters ($0.29 each!). Most things seem to be cheap. The area is sort of run-down with potholes and stuff in the roads. It rained for about two hours today and it's really humid here, too.
I'm really loving it here! The people are good at making you feel loved, which is nice. Right now, it's evening and we're sitting on a porch-type thing around a table. A few of us were watching a soccer game between the US and Honduras (the US won 2-0). I here a guitar around the corner so I think I'll check that out.
I'll let you know what happens tomorrow. We're supposed to share testimonies and start digging in to the juicy stuff so to speak.
Until next time, Adios.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Sweet! Looks like this blog idea is going to work out. Basically if anyone doesn't know, I'm heading off to Panama at the end of July for a five month session with Youth With a Mission (YWAM) an international missions organization. I'll be spending three months in Panama at a Discipleship Training School (DTS). Rumor has it, it's located on the side of a mountain in the middle of the rainforest (yes!!!). I'm not exactly sure what this portion of the trip will look like, but I'm thinking it may be sort of reminiscent of a bible camp, only for three months instead of a week.
After these initial months, I'll be heading out for the missions portion. If I was unsure about what the DTS segment will look like, I'm completely clueless about this part. We'll be heading to destinations unkown, doing activities unknown--it will all be figured out during the DTS. They say the most common destinations for this particular DTS are either Central America or Eastern Asia. I'd be pretty cool with either one. As far as what we'll be doing, I've heard of doing anything from skits for kids camps, straight-up witnessing on the streets, or construction projects. I think it'd be sweet to build a well, but I'm just throwing that out there.
As far as why I'm going, I'll be honest. I didn't ever get this inner voice that told me to drop out of college for a semester and pursue missions work. In my past I've struggled with pinpointing the "voice of God." Many times the things that I've heard referred to as God's Voice leave me even more confused and empty feeling than before I listened to them, and I think this inner-voice thing is or at least can be one of those things. Perhaps a better approach to seeking God's will is doing what we think seems the best and letting the all-powerful God sort things out. We do believe he's all powerful, right? Regardless, I imagine the most important thing is that you're working from an honest heart.
That being said, the reasons behind my going are pretty rational. I don't have a major or career in mind, and I think that getting away from college will be good in my decision-making process.
I have taken five years of Spanish but have never had the opportunity to unleash my speaking skills (or lack of them) on a natural speaker. The DTS is taught in both Spanish and English so this will be perfect for me.
I want to travel, and I figure better now while I can still be a whimsical dreamer than later when I'm tied down with job and family (maybe).
At any rate, I've got me my ticket and am going to Panama. Basically, this blog will be an oppotunity for me to spill my guts about how the trip is going so anyone who dares can pick them back up and examine them. Yep, I'm getting pretty excited. My return flight comes in on December 13, 2009; so I guess we'll see what type of person steps off that plane. Hopefully, an improved pilgrim.
After these initial months, I'll be heading out for the missions portion. If I was unsure about what the DTS segment will look like, I'm completely clueless about this part. We'll be heading to destinations unkown, doing activities unknown--it will all be figured out during the DTS. They say the most common destinations for this particular DTS are either Central America or Eastern Asia. I'd be pretty cool with either one. As far as what we'll be doing, I've heard of doing anything from skits for kids camps, straight-up witnessing on the streets, or construction projects. I think it'd be sweet to build a well, but I'm just throwing that out there.
As far as why I'm going, I'll be honest. I didn't ever get this inner voice that told me to drop out of college for a semester and pursue missions work. In my past I've struggled with pinpointing the "voice of God." Many times the things that I've heard referred to as God's Voice leave me even more confused and empty feeling than before I listened to them, and I think this inner-voice thing is or at least can be one of those things. Perhaps a better approach to seeking God's will is doing what we think seems the best and letting the all-powerful God sort things out. We do believe he's all powerful, right? Regardless, I imagine the most important thing is that you're working from an honest heart.
That being said, the reasons behind my going are pretty rational. I don't have a major or career in mind, and I think that getting away from college will be good in my decision-making process.
I have taken five years of Spanish but have never had the opportunity to unleash my speaking skills (or lack of them) on a natural speaker. The DTS is taught in both Spanish and English so this will be perfect for me.
I want to travel, and I figure better now while I can still be a whimsical dreamer than later when I'm tied down with job and family (maybe).
At any rate, I've got me my ticket and am going to Panama. Basically, this blog will be an oppotunity for me to spill my guts about how the trip is going so anyone who dares can pick them back up and examine them. Yep, I'm getting pretty excited. My return flight comes in on December 13, 2009; so I guess we'll see what type of person steps off that plane. Hopefully, an improved pilgrim.
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