Why did the chicken cross the road?

Our last apartment was located on a major street. When we first moved in, I was afraid I was going to be constantly bothered by the street noises, but I was very surprised by the quality of our front windows. We actually really grew to love our location and our home. We lived above a barber shop and an office supply store. Just down from us were a glass shop and a remodeling store. One day we noticed some children from the remodeling store had a baby chick in a cage. We just assumed that supper would be in a month or so; however, they assured us that the chicken was a pet. As time went by, they let the "pet" out of its cage and it began to roam up and down our sidewalk. At times, it would wonder into the barber shop and get booted out. The office store children would feed it, but it would never really go beyond our building....I assumed that was because of the neighborhood cat that sat at the baklava shop. The chicken was fun to watch, and we enjoyed its distraction from the craziness of life around us. One of our last days in the apartment, I looked out my window to see the chicken in the street. She had never before, to my knowledge, tested those waters. She had always been content to simply stay on the sidewalk. So, why that day did she gather the courage? Why did the chicken cross the road? Interesting question, right? Last week, we camped in a tent for 7 days with new local friends. I experienced many firsts on the trip!! Overall it was a wonderful experience, but one night mid-trip I had a rough moment. I was trying to get to sleep, but I was hot in my clothes, had had too many cups of çay, couldn't get a breeze, everyone was snoring (allergies!), and I was EXHAUSTED and just wanted to be somewhere else!! I started to cry and was asking myself, "Why did I even cross this road?" Everyone would have understood that I had just moved, my language isn't good enough yet, overall I'm a wimp of a camper....and it's summer - who camps in summer!! I did the only thing I knew to do, (getting in the van and driving back 12 hours wouldn't have worked out!) I began to pray. God is so faithful to remind us of His love. I am thankful He never leaves us, and He is always there to comfort us. The Spirit brought Psalm 62 to my heart. "Find rest oh my soul in God alone. My hope comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation. He is my fortress. I will not be shaken." I sang the Psalm over and over until eventually I went to sleep. Why do we cross some roads? I think sometimes it might just be for the experience and the adventure. I also think that in our journey of life God has several mountains for us to climb, valleys for us to walk through and roads that we must cross. As we are traveling, He is teaching and molding us. It is also our opportunity to be a part of what He is doing around the world. So, what happened to the chicken? Did she become dinner? Did she finally cross the road and move on to greener pastures (well, a city park was just across the street!)? I will never know, but I do know that I can make it through 7 days in a tent, and I can and will make it through the new leg of the journey that the Father has us on for this season of our life.
Finding Rest in Him, AT
PS: Interesting: As I have been reading lately, I have noticed a pattern that joy and contentment are often found in connection with trail and suffering. (1 Peter 4:12-19; James 1:2-18; Luke 15; Isaiah 12; 52:7-10) This is something that I am praying through as I also have a few areas that I am asking for healing and freedom. Interesting road to walk: content in trail & suffering and yet fully expecting and believing in healing and freedom. Discussion is welcome!

Ants, Ants, Ants...and 2 Roaches!!

This may seem very girly and even silly in light of everything a person faces when moving to a different country, but one of the things I really feared when I moved was bugs. What type of bugs would my house have? Would I find them on the food? Would something crawl on me in the night? I am very pleased to report that while in our first city, bugs were really never an issue. During the entire time that we lived in that particular apartment we probably saw 3 bugs....none of which were roaches or anything I would consider "creepy!" We had a few bees fly in, but those are easily swatted and forgotten. However, we have a bit of a mystery brewing at our new apartment. I have now found (& killed!) about a dozen ants and 2 small roaches. The mystery is that I am finding them in what I think are odd places for those particular pests, and I am finding them alone. So...what do I do? How do I take action? Are there millions in the walls just waiting to attack? Hummm...well, what do I know about these insects? 1) They do not live alone. 2) They function as a group. 3) Where there is one there are most likely dozens more. 4) A problem with either of these 2 pests can easily take over a home, and we could end up with a serious problem on our hands! So, why am I writing to you today about bugs and telling you things that you likely already know? Well, God just really makes me smile. It is amazing how He knows us and knows how we think. He is always so good when trying to teach, warn, encourage or correct me to give me a very clear visual picture along with His living Word and powerful voice. Recently, it seems like every time I open His Word I am reading about how I need to "be ready"; I need to prepare; I need to be on alert; I need to be diligent. Also, in our Wednesday night study, we are discussing Jerry Bridges' book, The Pursuit of Holiness. The last 2 weeks the focus has been on personal discipline. What things are "creeping" in my life and distracting me from not just "doing" the things that God has called me to do, but doing things WELL to the glory of the Father? At first, distractful things may look like a single bee, easily swatted and forgotten; however, when a whole colony of ants decides to take my lunch right off the balcony, it will be pretty hard for me to ignore my problem! Proverbs 27:12 say, "The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it." Today, I am evaluating those things that are "creeping in"....laziness, doing just enough to get by, bad/negative attitudes, etc.....and I am making a plan of attack! Lord willing, I will keep my life and my home free from things that creep in....humm...do they sell RAID in this country? "I can do everything through Him who gives me strength." Philippians 4:13 AT

PS: I just remembered that in 2008 I posted a blog about bugs...well really about fear and our need to trust in HIS perfect plan. If you're in a "bug mood", and want to read on, you can click here to go right to the link.

Perspective!

Well, one week later, I think that we are officially "moved'. The movers came 3 hours late, but they were still able to clear everything out and load it on the truck by the time we needed to leave for the airport. We were quite shocked when they showed up with an exposed truck, but we are told that is quite common in this part of the world. We have also been told that the fact that ALL of our furniture is scratched, dented, bent, torn...damaged in some way is also quite common. My flesh wants to be sad and disappointed, but from the beginning of this move I have been determined that in all things I was going to simply turn it over to the Father. Perspective can change your attitude! As they were loading the truck (and the drivers were smoking on my couch as you see in the pictures!), it began to rain. In that moment, when I was really ready to throw up my hands and say, "OH GREAT!", I decided instead to simply praise God for all that HE has provided for us. If it is all ruined, He will provide again. Where is the money going to come from? - HIM! It is amazing how much freedom I am finding from simply holding things loosely. A local friend of mine called to say that the city was crying because we were leaving. Perspective makes you appreciate things in a new way. The movers were incredible to watch. They would strap hundreds of pounds (literally!) to their backs. I was really afraid for them. At one point a mover had a large box on his back and another man added an even heavier box to the top and said, "As the Lord Wills!" He let the mover walked down the 5 flights of stairs alone! Perspective makes you see others differently. Our things arrived in our new city about 48 hours later. On this end, the job of moving was even more difficult in my opinion because they had to haul things up 8 flights of stairs. Also, the hired workers on this end looked like really small old guys! However, they never complained and at one point we overheard them telling the drivers that our apartment was like a palace! Perspective shows things in a new light. This has been an interesting week. We have gone a whole day with no water; everyday with periods of time without electricity (that means no water, too); it does not look like the internet is going to be reliable; our air conditioner is not cooling in this 110-115 degree heat! (and no, I don't mean central air. It's something like a "window unit".); the kids are restless; and I shook a rug off my balcony and the dirt went in a window and onto my still sleeping new neighbor! However, last night, I sat in a room with about a dozen believers. These are people that really know about difficulty and sacrifice. They have given up everything....income, place in society, homes, families, friends, security in life, etc. WOW, perspective!! We will "settle" in. We will learn culture. We will learn language. We will learn how to get by with random utilities. We will learn how to work with a crazy internet connection. We will give Him praise in all things. Perspective! AT

Well we're moving on up....

...to the East side...to a deluxe apartment in the SKY....well we're moving on uppppp... Okay, anyone singing with me? Am I the only one that remembers the Jeffersons? Yes, I confess that I am just that goofy. Every time someone says, "moving up", I hum or sing that song even if it is just in my head. Well, for us it is kind-of true. We are moving from what is considered the American 5th floor to the 8th floor, and we are moving about 18 hours East. However, to say that we are getting a deluxe apartment would be a bit of a stretch, but we are getting (as I mentioned in our last post) what we believe is a hand-picked apartment from the Lord....so I guess that does make it deluxe! If all goes as scheduled, a moving truck will pack up our things this coming Thursday, August 5th. We will fly out that evening and stay with the couple that we are joining. Matt's new job will be helping to run an office supply/book store. We are super excited about all that God is doing in and around that job and opportunity. It is, of course, bitter sweet to leave where we have been the past year. The Father has given us some amazing friendships and experiences. We trust that on this new road of our journey He will be just as faithful and just as powerful in our lives. What an amazing adventure He is allowing us to partake in. We are truly blessed. Thank you for your continued prayers and words of encouragement. The next post will be from down under.... no wait...we're not going that far...AT

Surrendering All...and Doing it AGAIN tomorrow...

This month we took a week to travel out east to look for a house. Just like on our previous trip, by mid-trip we were all sick to our stomachs. I know that is just "par for the course" when living abroad, but I confess it still is a tough road to walk. It is especially a difficult road to watch your children walk. On Wednesday evening, we had planned to attend a fellowship with other local like-minded people; however, William & I were too ill to go. While William slept, I decided to spend some time looking out over the city and praying. During my time, the Father kept bringing the old hymn "I Surrender All" to my mind. (If you can't remember the tune or complete lyrics, you can click here.) I know that I have sung it countless times, and I truly do want to surrender all to Him. However, if I am perfectly honest with myself, I continue to find areas that are not completely surrendered. As I looked out over what will be my new city, it seemed as if I stared in the face of two huge areas of non-surrender. The first one is my desire for "things that are pretty." I know that seems incredibly shallow; however, it is the truth. The city we are moving to is anything but "pretty". It is basically a village that has grown stack by stack, block by block on top of its self. It is hot, dry and just plain brown. The people are not pretty people. They live a hard life at or below poverty. They don't have "pretty things", and they don't "act pretty". As I watched a small child passing on the street below me, I heard the Father say, "Amy, I will not be able to use you here if you do not choose to see this city and these people like I do." Wow, I realized in that moment that it is not enough to say, "I will go, and give up all the "pretty"." I need to change my view of "pretty". God not only needed my mind and my will to surrender to His plan; He needed by heart to surrender. In order to do that, He needs me to surrender to the transformation of my eyes so that I can view His world and His people through His lenses. I know that may sound basic, but when it is daily staring me in the face, I confess it is difficult. But oh how the Father is good...in a city that does not readily welcome foreigners; in a city that it is very unusual to lease apartments; in a city that does not have a lot of "pretty"....HE allowed us to find an apartment that is directly overlooking the only real park. I am continually amazed at how the Father blesses as we are willing to completely surrender.




Since this was our second trip to this city and subsequently the 2nd time we "caught something", the second thing of non-surrender that hit me was the health of my children. Our new city will not have the medical care that our current one has. Don't miss read this blog...if my children are in an emergency or serious need of care, we can leave the city to seek help. However, I felt the Lord asking me if I was truly trusting Him with the care and health of my children. Do I really believe that they are loved more by Him than by me? Do I really believe that He has a plan and purpose for them? Do I really believe that this life that He has chosen for "us" truly includes them?... I DO - I HAVE TO! I will never truly be 100% surrendered if I don't. Is it still hard to walk down that road of surrender? - YES - Almost 3 weeks later, our bodies have still not fully healed from whatever we picked up on our trip. It could very well be that we are always slightly ill in our new city. Is that scary to me? - YES- However, I know that we are never promised an easy life - not even our children. One of Matt & my parenting philosophies is: We are more interested in our children's holiness than their happiness. It is God's plan for our family to move; therefore, it is a part of His plan for our children's ability to grow in holiness. He is in control of their health. Only He knows the number of our days. If our life purpose is to give Him glory, I must surrender to His desire for our health and trust Him to give us all the strength we need to continue serving Him.

I surrender All...and I'll need to do it again tomorrow... AT

The Pit of Compare

Yes, I am one of those girls from the generation that loves the film "The Princess Bride". I remember as a young teen sitting on my aunt's couch and watching it for the first time and thinking how wonderful it must be to love so much that not even THE PIT OF DESPAIR would kill me. Boy, the Father has taught me and is still teaching me a lot about love...mostly HIS love. I admit so often I really mess up in the "genuinely loving" department. It has come to my attention lately how much time I spend comparing instead of simply accepting and loving...whether it is comparing cities, cultures, new apartments, friends, family, myself, my children.....the list I am afraid to say goes on and on... Yes, I know I have been told since my feet hit the ground in this new country not to compare myself to other language learners. For the past 9 year, I have been told not to compare myself to other mothers, and I have most certainly been told not to compare my children...SO, why is it such a natural trap to fall into!? July 1st was our one year anniversary of living overseas. We decided to check out the new aquarium that was built about 30 minutes from our apartment. We had a great time, but while we were there Grace made a comment that really struck me. We were walking past an open fish tank and she so matter-of-factly stated, "Wow, these fish STINK....Not as bad as the bums on the train, but they stink!" Of course, I had to chuckle. She was right. The smell was bad, but not awful. However, in that moment the Lord convicted me with the futility in my sin of comparison. Why would I hold any two things up and compare them? EVERYTHING stinks outside of God! People are sinners no matter how "perfect" and "put together" they may appear to be. Children have different personalities and develop differently. Cities and cultures all over the world have positive and negatives! So, if everything stinks and yet God created everything and loves everyone, why do I fall into THE PIT OF COMPARE? I think the answer for me is most likely the sin of worry/anxiousness. I justify my "curiosity" about what someone else is doing by telling myself, "Well, I just want to make sure I am doing what is best for my family; I want to go deep in language & culture; I just wonder what others are facing in their culture." Hummm; if that is the case, then why do I feel emotionally better or worse based on the answer. Philippians 4:6 commands believers not to worry. In Matthew 6, Jesus assures us that our heavenly Father will take care of all of our needs. So, how do I stop? 1 Peter 5:7 tells us that we can cast our cares on Him. He will take care of us. Philippians goes on to say in 4:7 that He will give us peace. Practically speaking, what does that look like for me right now? Well, I have been repeating a very British phrase lately "MIND MY MOUTH". I am not just talking about what is coming audibly out of my mouth, but also the little conversations am I having with myself in my own head!! #1 God has our family right where HE wants us. Since, that is the case, there is nothing that we will face that HE will not see us through: I will learn language; My family will have our needs met; whatever comes our way physically - He is sovereign. #2 God has a standard set for all people, and my children need to be proactively parented to that standard. However, I need to be diligent to bring my two VERY different children lovingly to that standard without comparison to each other or to other children; and #3 I need to look to the positives with the new city and culture that God has for me. I need to love without "requirements". I need to accept without comparison. I guess that brings me to...what is the pitfall if I choose to live a life constantly comparing? I believe that the pitfall will be a life spent searching for favor with man rather than a life focused on offering unconditional love. What can I truly accomplish or gain that will have any lasting value if my basis for ministry, basis for parenting or basis for life is to find man's approval? It's funny how often when I hear or read about love, my ideal is still compared to "The Princess Bride" type of love. Would I face the pit of despair? Would I love faithfully over years of separation and unknown death? The truth is God gives us a perfect standard for love in His Son and in 1 Corinthians 13. Wow, it is a steep challenge, but I should be loving the world....even the stinky....with unconditional love. This is what will last. This is the standard. This is the only thing with which I should compare my actions and attitudes.
Climbing out of the Pit with faith, hope & love, and trusting that the plans He has for me are unique and perfect. AT

When no one else knows....

Until last night, I was probably one of the few people my age that had never read nor watched, Where the Red Fern Grows. I had heard of it, but I guess with all my moving around as a child, I skipped it somehow in school and never got around to it personally as an adult. Well, last night, we downloaded it off of youtube for Family Movie Night. ('74 version) It is not our normal practice to watch programs with the kids without previewing first (we also REALLY like to read books first!), but we had heard good things, so we plunged forward. This movie should have come with a BIG warning that it was going to set us all in tears! We are all a little emotionally sensitive right now with preparing to move again, but even without that factor, this movie is a heart squeezer. I do; however, still recommend it. It has brought up so many areas of discussion...the largest one being the subject of Integrity. We have discussed this "word" before as a family because it is in our Family Purpose Statement. (click here to read more) Several times throughout the movie, the main character, Billy, is faced with "choices" of whether to do the "right thing" or not. I think that one of the best scenes in the movie is the first time the dogs, Little Ann and Old Dan, have "treed a coon". The tree is way too large for a young boy to chop down. Billy ends up tiring and falling asleep. His parents find him the next morning resting under the tree. They tell him to give up and go home. The mother even asks him if "she is going to have to whip him on top of everything else". His response is that he will have to take the entire punishment due him because he promised the dogs that if they would do the work to track and tree a raccoon, he would retrieve it. What a great example of integrity. The promise was only made to dogs...not people. The tree was too big for a man...not to mention a young boy. Maybe if someone helped him, he could follow through with his promise. The excuses and reasons against keeping his word could go on and on, but the movie didn't let it go that way. Your word is your word no matter to whom or to what it is given. The dad simply gives the boy gloves and a bigger ax. The mom gives him water and some food. Then they leave him to do what he said he would do. Amazing! How often do I try to back track when what I said I would do gets too hard or maybe it is not working out like I wanted it to work? How often do I "let my kids off the hook" trying to "make things easier on them"? Our integrity is calculated in those moments in our lives when the actions we take and the words we say will be recorded and seen by no one. Proverbs, of course, has many verses that instruct us how to walk in wisdom and integrity. Proverbs 19:1 says, "Better is a poor person who walks in his integrity than one who is crooked in speech and is a fool." Proverbs goes on to say in 20:7 "The righteous who walks in his integrity - blessed are his children after him." Wow, what a challenge as a parent! How am I walking - even when I think no one is looking or listening? Are my children blessed because I am walking with integrity? I know my children are still young, but one thing that I have learned is that they ARE listening and looking even when I think they are not. Am I setting the example of integrity that I want them to follow? One of our favorite books is Dr. Seuss's book, The Cat in the Hat. For some reason, no matter what waiting room we were put in for our pediatrician in the States, The Cat in the Hat was the book available for us to read. The end of the book asks a very simple but important question that will test where a child is in the area of integrity. If you remember, the children in the book allowed the cat to come in to their house, break things, play with things and make a royal mess! However, the cat was able to magically mend, put everything to rights and leave the house before the mother returned. Upon her return, the mother asks, "Did you have any fun? Tell me. What did you do?" The book goes on to ask the last questions directly to the reader: "And Sally and I did not know what to say. Should we tell her the things that went on there that day? Should we tell her about it? Now, what should we do? Well....what would you do if your mother asked you?" My children's responses have been very telling over the years...A reflection of me...A reflection of their hearts...A reflection of an area that cannot be overlooked in the growing and nurturing of mighty men and women of God.

Looking for teachable moments, AT