elephant time

She's here! Jerushah's here!! It's so strange but incredibly awesome!

First, a HUGE thank you to those of you who helped send her my way. You have no idea how much it means. And what a trooper she's been. She's endured cold bucket baths, squatty potties, power outages, eating at some very questionable places, riding a motorcycle through crazy traffic, and just living in a place where she can't understand anyone. Of course, we've done some pretty amazing things as well - the beach, some wonderful food, hanging out with great people, and - highlight of the week - riding an elephant.

Hardcore.

"It's a leg!"

 

Jerushah had never even seen an elephant before in real life, and since she's so great at describing things, I'd thought I'd let her tell it from her perspective:

Way before Rachel left for Asia, she told me when I came to see, I would get to ride an elephant on the beach. I filed this fact away and didn't really think about it being true, only something funny to tell people about my trip. So I get there, and Rachel tells me, "We're going to ride an elephant." I'm like, oh cool.

Fun fact: Elephants are AWESOME! I see it coming around the corner, and I geek out, I'm so excited! I get out my camera to take pictures, but the camera screen makes the elephant look really far away, so I'm zooming in and out and fiddling with the focus, and I look up and there's an elephant! Like a yard away! Forget every picture you've ever seen of an elephant; it won't help when you see the real thing. They're huge! I freak out and back away, and it's swinging its trunk at me, and of course, Rachel's right up next to it taking pictures. Seeing an elephant in a zoo is enough for me but to stand next to one so close you can feed or pet it is insane, and then I get to ride it!

You climb the stairs, and kids are cutting in front of you (because apparently riding elephants is a kid thing) and locals are trying to surreptitiously take pictures of you freaking out, without your permission, and then I was on an elephant. I brought my camera to take pictures from the top, but no! No way! I am freaking out way too much. Riding an elephant is the craziest feeling, like you sitting precariously on top of a house that's moving, kind of like the way a horse moves but much bigger. Gosh, I want to do it again.

celeb photo shoot

Foreigners kinda have celebrity status here. Everyone wants to talk and be friends with the bule (boo-lay). An example from last week: I went to the cell phone booth to add minutes to my phone. The way they usually do it is use one of their phones to add the minutes, so it's normal for them to ask for your number. It is not normal - nor okay, in my book - for the person to keep your number and call you repeatedly later, asking, "Can I be your friend?" Not cool, boy. Not cool.

They also love to take photos with the bule. And we're not talking just one photo with one camera. I'm meaning dozens with many different cameras (phones, really). "Just one!" "One more!" "One more, one more!" It's very weird thinking about how many random people have my photo... and about how many of those photos are on Facebook..

It's not uncommon, then, to have a friend want to hang out for the sole purpose of taking pictures together. So when I was asked if I wanted to go to the beach and take photos, I thought nothing of it. Sure, why not? I like the beach. What I didn't realize until we got there is that she had actually asked a professional photographer to come and take our photos.

To ease the awkwardness of having my photo being taken as if I were a model, I whipped out my camera and took some photos of my own. I know you're dying to see how uncomfortable I look with this random guy taking my photo, saying, "So beautiful! Like model!" (it's only because I'm an American), but these will have to do for now:

 

Awkward..

Some days, living here feels like the most natural thing in the world. Other days - okay, most days - I'm nowhere near my comfort zone. But we serve a great and gracious God. He is the one who does the work. We are merely instruments. Our job? Love Him. Die to self. Walk in his ways. Trust.

Now, Lord, I would be Yours alone and live so all might see

The strength to follow Your commands could never come from me.

Oh Father, use my ransomed life in any way You choose.

And let my song forever be my only boast is You.

"Your way, O God, is holy. What god is great like our God? You are the God who works wonders; you have made known your might among your peoples." - Ps 77:13-14

one month later

Wow, where did April go? This month has flown by... 

As time passes, life continues to become more normal. Things that once were so different and novel now seem ordinary. There are still aspects of the culture that I'm not used to - such as their very honest comments about how you look - but in general, life has just become... life. I know, so poetic, but it's true. A dear friend is coming in two weeks (!), and it'll be really neat to have fresh eyes come and see the world that's now my life. I imagine there will also be plenty of photos and stories to share as well.

To recap this past month: There's been an earthquake (though we only barely felt it here) and my first tsunami warning (no worries - no tsunami). I was reunited with Morgan and my other dear friends in my old city for too short of a week. I've started teaching a friend photography, which has been so fun. And the hunt for a house is on! Two girls are coming in June for six months, so we're looking for a place for all of us to live. This is proving to be fairly difficult, though, as I still want to be close to this part of town, but since it's near a university, most of the places for rent are one-bedroom kosts... not exactly ideal for three people. So be lifting that up.

Over the month, I've collected an assortment of photos, so here's a random peek into my life.

Walked outside one day and found this. A giant pile of rocks in the yard and some kind of grain drying in the sun.

In the kitchen...

Oh, just some fish, awaiting their fate.

Did I mention my ceiling is lime green?

D had never done a somersault before... ever. So we tried teaching her...

aaand tumble sideways. Every time.

She is quite the tree climber though.

Could she be any cuter?

 

 

 

Sometimes, I feel like I'm back in Kentucky. Sometimes.

the big picture

Well, I'm nearly at the six-month mark of being in country, and I'm feeling it. Don't get me wrong - I'm not homesick. I just had a moment today when I realized (again) the things that I decided to miss when I signed up for this. Life is going to be much, much different when I return; there's no avoiding it.

Please don't think I'm complaining. I know this is where I'm supposed to be - I am 100% confident in that. Sometimes, though, that confidence is shadowed briefly by what I'm missing back home... and I lose sight of the big picture.

What is the big picture? It's the simple truth that this world is not our home. We're like pilgrims, awaiting a greater home, being refined like gold in fire. This truth got me through a really hard time in my life, and it's one I still have to keep my eyes on. With it in mind, life looks a lot different. It's suddenly okay if things never turn out like we think they will. It's okay if I'm not there to see my best friends say "I do" or for big changes in my family. It wouldn't be if this life is all there was. But it's not.

This life is not about us. It's not about being successful, comfortable, or even happy. We have a purpose that is much greater than ourselves. It's called his glory. And it's better than anything we could have imagined on our own.

This world is not our home. Life is not about us. His glory is worth it.

"I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing JC my L0rd. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain JC and be found in him, not having a righte0usness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in JC, the righteousness from G0d that depends on faith... 

Our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the L0rd JC, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself." Phil 3:8-9, 20-21

To end it, here's a video of something I'd be missing out on if I were still in the States: