The Value of Diversity

Diversity. 

It's a buzz word. Well, at least it has seemed that way for the past nine years of my life, and I've definitely bought into it, so much so that I think I tend to annoy some people.

I believe that communities are stronger when they are diverse, and I'm sure people get sick of me talking about a lack of diversity. They are tired of hearing me talk about racism in the United States (and throughout the globe), and how it is a result of generations being raised without diversity. Several individuals are tired of hearing me say that I think it's wrong for a school to charge extra for students who need a Learning Specialist or ELL support, because I believe the presence of those students adds value to a learning community. I think my students are tired of me talking about how important the diversity of their experiences is and how a exposure to diversity of opinions makes  them better (and more employable) people. One student shook her head like I was crazy when I said I needed her diverse view of God in order to learn something new about the character of my Lord. I'm sure I have many other annoying talking points to do with diversity.

To be honest though, this is one time when I don't really care if I'm annoying. Today as I sat in a seminar on supporting students with disabilities in education (from both a parent and educator viewpoint) I was reminded of this. How could schools be better, strengthened, more holistic if we had space for the children with Autism, Downs Syndrome, physical handicaps, and every other sort of learning challenge? How could they better reflect the Kingdom of God? 

How has my family been strengthened and come to better reflect Christ in us through the diverse voices of the women my brothers have chosen to marry? How has my life been enriched and my opinions shifted from living cross-culturally? How has my faith been deepened through the faith life of someone from a different theological point of view? How has my world been transformed with each language I have learned? There are too many ways to count.

How has your life been transformed by diversity? What is the Christian mandate for diversity? 

"It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and strength." Maya Angelou

John 14 (Fear, Love, & Abiding Peace)

Fear. 

It cripples. 

It steals joy. 

It devastates lives. 

For a long time I've been fascinated by fear, I think because I'm naturally a fearful person. It's not that I want to be fearful, and a lot of people would tell me I'm brave, but the truth is that fear is something I keep coming back to. People tell me I'm not fearful because I moved across the world on my own, I travel on my own, I try new things, etc etc. What they don't know is that I do those things not because of a lack of fear, but either out of necessity or as a way to rebel against the fear that threatens to cripple me. 

I talk about fear a lot, and how as Christians we are called to live in a spirit of love and not of fear. Our God is one of love and not of fear. Fear makes us suspicious or hateful of those who are not like us. Love makes us relish differences and savour the opportunity to have our world broadened by another person created in the image of God. Fear keeps us from enjoying the adventure of life. Love makes us jump into adventure with both feet. That's the way I see it in my mind, but it's not the way my emotions always go. 

Love seems harder than fear, but the rewards of love are huge and eternal. In John 14 Jesus talks about love for and from the Father. Our love for the Father calls us to follow his commands (which are basically to love him and others) and the Father's love for us allows us to be in relationship with him and to find a home with him (John 14:23). At a time in my life where I am transitioning from one "home" to another, the promise of a home with God is a pretty great prospect. 

Verse 27 is the most well-know verse in this passage, and the one that most relates to fear. In fact, it commands me not to fear. It doesn't matter how many times I read this verse, this passage, I am reminded of the love of Jesus and one of the greatest gifts he gives. Peace. Jesus had peace, and he gives us that peace. That peace is a result of love from and for the Father, and it's something we are given as a gift when we love the Father. 

It's not the peace of the world. The peace of a good job, health, wealth, fun, leisure, etc. It is a deep and abiding peace that flows out of love. It is a peace that allows us to live because our hearts are not troubled and we are not crippled by fear. It's a peace that says that troubles of the world may come, but God's love is enduring and we have an eternal home in and with him. It is a peace that allows me to shake my fears of failure, isolation, pain, and apathy. 

Jesus offers us the peace that frees us from fear and comes first from being loved by God and then by loving God and others. I want this peace. I want this freedom. 

Love, not fear, leads to peace. 

For my last Chinese New Year vacation I spent a week in Japan visiting friends and family, experiencing a new culture, and exploring new and beautiful places. I don't think this trip could have gone any better, even if I had actually taken the time to plan things ahead of time :) I got to see everyone I was hoping to and enjoyed Tokyo and Nagano prefectures, as well as the train ride between. I could write pages and pages about my trip, but instead I'll just make a list of things I loved experiencing on my trip to Japan (though not everything on it is exclusive to Japan).

I loved...

Seeing family, friends, and friends who are like family.

 
 

Great public transportation
Walking
City parks
Sushi making class

Making new friends
Tatami mats
Onsens
Skiing
Fuji apple juice
Snow covered anything (mountains, trees, houses, cars, etc.)

Snow and Onsen loving monkeys

Laughter
History
Japanese language
Soba Tea (and other grain teas)
Mt. Fuji
Australian Accents
Soba
Okonomiyaki

Udon
Sweet potatoes
Chicken wings
Tempura
Ramen
Ice cream with sesame seeds
Nepali cuisine
Miso soup
Real wasabi
Antiques
Architecture

Japanese worship songs
Exploring new places
Convenience stores
Breathtaking views
Ski lifts

Matsumoto Castle

Snow falling on me
Watching a blizzard
Dogs
Children laughing
Selfies and We-fies
Sake

Japanese gardens
Matcha
Rivers and lakes
The God who created it all

Basically, if you ever have a chance to go to Japan, do it. I recommend going to visit friends or family, that's always the best way to see a place. If not, make sure you invest in a good guide for at least some of the time. I highly recommend Daniel Moore as a guide. You can see his guiding business, Travel Nagano, on Facebook. Also, leave time and flexibility in your schedule to make last minute plans. I would love to return to this beautiful country and see more of it someday. Nagano prefecture is definitely one of the best places I can think of anyone wanting to live!!

1 Month or 70 years

Today is a pretty special day in the Stoker family for a couple of wonderful reasons. It's a day to remember two amazing women becoming part of the Stoker clan! One is the matriarch and the other is the newest Stoker, but both of them are loved and cherished and make us who we are. If you don't like sappy and scattered, now's your chance to stop reading.

Sooo here's a happy monthiversary (special thanks to Amanda and Zachary Heath who coined that phrase in my life) and anniversary blog :)

Happy 1st Monthiversary to Brian and Jen Stoker!!!!

It's hard to believe that it's been a whole month since they said "I Do." One month may be a relatively short amount of time, but I believe in celebrating the little things, so today I'm celebrating their life together. Their wedding day was full of anticipation, praising God, celebrating, having a good time, and recognizing their love. It was a special day, the kind of special day that makes me think about forever love, which is fitting since one month after their wedding day we are celebrating a very special anniversary in the Stoker family.


Happy 70th Anniversary to Ray and Kath Stoker!!!!!!!!!!!!

SEVENTY! That's a big number. I seriously can't imagine being alive for that many years, let alone married, but my grandparents have reached that marker in their married life. Brian and Jen have a good legacy of love in their lives (on both sides, not just the paternal side).

When I was thinking about something to do to celebrate my grandparents' big day I started searching for news on each of their decade anniversaries. That's when it hit me- 70 years is a really long time! My grandparents got married 10 days after the end of WWII- talk about a way to celebrate!! On August 25, 1945, while Nana and Granddad were saying "I Do," hundreds of children around England were being reunited with their parents for the first time in four years. I'd say that's a pretty special day to start your new family. I learned all sorts of other history in my search for significance on their decade anniversaries, and I was reminded yet again of how much they have lived through, how much anyone in their 90s has lived through.

When I was talking about my grandparents' seventieth anniversary the other day one of my students said, "How do you stay married to someone for 70 years? I can't imagine that." Quite frankly, I can't either (being as I'm single and in my 20s and all that) but her question has really made me think. How does one stay married for 70 years? In a world where it seems like more marriages fall apart than stay together, I'm so thankful to have so many people in my life to model marriage commitment. My grandparents on both sides fall into that category. When I think about Nana & Granddad and how they've made it work all these years it gives me hope. They lived through war, they moved across continents several times, they made career changes, they survived life-threatening health challenges, they watched their kids grow up and raise their own kids and now are watching (or have watched) their grandchildren raise their great-grandchildren, they have seen each other grown old and wrinkled, they have CHANGED through the years, and yet they are still together and I would say they are very much in love.

Love is watching my Granddad take my Nana's hand to make sure she doesn't fall, love is making my Nana take her pills every day, love is moving across the globe from family and friends to start a new life together, love is laughing when things get too difficult to do anything else, love is Nana cooking for her family when she never really liked cooking and Granddad taking over cooking when Nana can't anymore, love is sharing chocolate, love is picking out gifts for each other that you know the other person will love (or you know will annoy the other person, and that's just as fun), love is sometimes going on vacations that you don't want to because your spouse does, love is raising children together as a team, love is moving to the other bedroom so you don't wake up your spouse when you can't sleep, love is so very many things that I have learned from my grandparents.

So how do you stay together for seventy years? That's a question only my grandparents can answer, but if I had to guess based on what I've witnessed in them I would say you make choices every day- you choose to compromise, to laugh, to be selfless, and to stick it out no matter what. I'm so glad that Ray & Kath Stoker made that commitment on August 25, 1945. Nobody could have guessed where that commitment would take them. I'm so glad that 69 years and 11 months later Brian & Jen Stoker made that same commitment, and I look forward to seeing where that takes them in the next 69 years.

What Is Enough?

I've been reading this book called More or Less: Choosing a Lifestyle of Excessive Generosity by Jeff Shinabarger. At the beginning of the year my boss brought five books to the dorm staff and gave us each the chance to pick which one we wanted to read, and this is the book I chose. From the moment he read us the title I wanted this book. Alex Aguas, my pastor and friend in the US, has often talked about having a theology of excess rather than one of scarcity, so I was hopeful that this book would take me on a deep theological journey into this concept. That is not what this book did. 

Shinabarger starts his book with this simple question: what is enough? Throughout the book he continually challenges the reader to ask that question of themselves. He talks about how being really and truly friends with a homeless man changed his life. It messed him up. It made him think differently about his possessions and showed him his excess. He still has excess, but he and his wife are on a journey to excessive generosity and I want to join them.

I don't actually agree with all of his points in this book. I wish it was a bit deeper theologically. I think he believes a bit too much in giving hand outs to those with less possessions, rather than in linking hands and walking with them (though he does that too!). I believe in reaching hands across and not down or up, but I also think he is doing more good with his actions than I am with my inactive ideas. I am challenged by this book. 

If you have read my last few posts or know me, then you know I've been thinking a lot about injustice lately. I believe that excess is unjust. I am comfortable in my excess- I am rich. But I don't want to be comfortable with my excess. I want it to sit uncomfortably and I want to be excessively generous. I don't want to be irresponsible. God has gifted me with a job where I have excess, and I believe that I should be saving for a day when I can no longer work. I believe in living within my means. Maybe some day I will not make enough to do this, but for now I have the opportunity to give financially rather than the necessity to receive. I also don't want to be irresponsible in the way that I am generous. Anything I give to or any way I show generosity needs to be ethical and well-informed. I do not want to perpetuate injustice on this earth. 

One way that Jeff challenges his readers and friends is to conduct experiments about excess. It's been hard for me to think of an experiment to conduct. It should be something that puts me in solidarity with people who have less excess than I do, something that educates me, something that educates me, something that changes the way I think about my own excess and generosity. 

It's been difficult for me to settle on something, but I think I finally have and I want to make it public so that I'm accountable and others can join me if they want to. 

So my experiment is this: I will not eat any sort of meat for 40 days. Meat is an example of my excess of food. Meat is not a bad thing, but I want to be in solidarity with those who cannot afford it. At the same time I will commit to using the meat currently in my house to feed others generously. I will also research more about the issue of hunger, and will find a way to be excessively generous with the money I save by not eating meat for 40 days. I commit to completing this experiment, even when it is uncomfortable or I have to awkwardly explain it to others. I will take those opportunities to explain my experiment to others without expectation or judgment of them. 

My experiment will last until October 18. Join me if you would like, or maybe just ask me about my journey along the way. My prayer is that God would use this experience to change my paradigm of excess and help me to live with excessive generosity. 

Beth out.

Happy 58 Dad!

It took me less than twenty minutes to come up with 58 attributes or actions of my dad that make me love him and be so thankful for him, and there are many more that I thought of after! Happy 58th Birthday to the man who raised me, continues to make me a better person, believes in me, and loves me unconditionally! 

My dad:

Loves sports and taught me to as well

Has a Passion for good theology

Loves Jesus

Loves to learn

Loves to help others think

Plays games with me

Taught me to love to play tennis

Taught me frugality

Fostered closeness in our family

Cries with me

Talks with me

Laughs until he is red in the face and crying 

Challenges me

Believes in me no matter what

Is proud of me always

Takes time for me

Likes to be with me

Loves music and taught me to as well

Sings with me

Models sacrificial love of God

Is a Peacemaker

Makes Sunday breakfast often

Does my taxes

Doesn't think I'm toooo crazy

Loves my mom 

Listens to my opinion

Makes coffee every morning

Works hard

Is the most integrity filled person I know

Is passionate about his students

Overflows with joy jumping in a lake

Exhibits Childlike happiness when body surfing

Is Exuberant when playing croquet

Always wants to play bridge

Is Lifelong learner

Loves to pour into others

Is Willing to try new things

Is Resilient

Rocks a mustache

Plays the piano in the morning

Wants to know how I'm doing

Is Patient

Is not sexist (no 'boy' or 'girl' only activities growing up!)

Makes me think deeper

Pushes me to do things that are good for me

Picks out good earrings and other gifts

Embraces all of his cultural experiences and homes

Is Slow to judge others

Doesn't let anger overpower reason

Sacrificed monetarily for my education

Always makes an effort to visit us kids

Gets excited about a great milkshake

Raised my brothers to be thoughtful, kind, and sensitive men

Forgives me when I act poorly

Taught me how to throw a football

Plays soccer like a much younger man

Is quite brilliant with numbers

Quite simply excels at being the exact dad that God knew I needed

Proverbs 31- Who Knew!

I consider myself to be fairly biblically literate, meaning that I know my Bible stories pretty well and have some good tools for interpreting Scripture, but today I learned something new. Which, for the record, is normal. Despite spending four years studying the Bible in college as a Biblical Studies major, and spending a whole lifetime reading the Bible, I learn something new each time I open these holy scriptures. Sometimes I like what I hear, sometimes I'm deeply convicted by what I hear, and sometimes I stumble across something that resonates deeply with who I am and the journey I am on. Today was all three. Now, I know I've read this passage before (because I have some of it underlined), but I really didn't remember it, which is sad because I feel like this passage is one of those ones that we should all live our lives by. 

I know, whether male or female, you probably grimaced when you saw that the title of my post was Proverbs 31. You said, "We've heard that one before. A wife of noble character. Blah blah blah." Okay, maybe you didn't say that, but those words tend to be my reaction. For the record, I think it's because speakers and readers often do a poor job of exegeting (look it up) this particular passage, not because the passage is lacking in divine truth. It isn't. The result of poor exegesis is often a trite, highly culturized, and normally demeaning-to-women reading of this passage, one in which we forget to read it in light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. But it's your lucky day, I'm NOT going to worry about that passage because it is not what struck me!

Did you know that Proverbs 31 is not all about said wife of noble character? I had forgotten. The first nine verses are wise words for a king (now being a wife I can't relate to, but a king? Absolutely!). Okay I'm kidding about relating to being a king, but these nine verses are gems. Let me share:

"The sayings of King Lemuel- an oracle his mother taught him: 'O my son, O son of my womb, O son of my vows, do not spend your strength on women, your vigor on those who ruin kings. It is not for kings, O Lemuel- not for kings to drink wine, not for rulers to crave beer, lest they forget what the law decrees, and deprive all the oppressed of their rights. Give beer to those who are perishing, wine to those who are in anguish; let them drink and forget their poverty and remember their misery no more. Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.'

51 years ago today Martin Luther King Jr. gave his 'I Have A Dream' speech, and today throughout the world this dream has not truly been fulfilled. I am by no means an expert on this topic, but I realize that King's speech addressed a very unique culture with a specific broken system full of racial prejudice and injustice. The issues of race in the United States are not the same injustices that cover the whole globe, they are unique because of the history of a country built on the backs of enslaved people, poverty stricken immigrant populations, cruelty toward the people who were there before the Europeans, and also a lot of hard work by a lot of people. I could spend a long time talking about how unique the United States is in regards to injustices, but the fact is that injustice happens everywhere and so King's speech is pertinent across the world. On every corner of this globe there are people being discriminated against and who are powerless or trying their very best to just simply survive, but not quite making it. Everywhere I go there will be people who cannot speak for themselves, are destitute, are poor, and are needy. They will look different in every place, but they will be present. At some point I could fall into that category as a woman in a foreign country, but I have resources and social capital that will most likely keep me among the richest in the world. 

That is a burden. It is a burden I do not want to bear. I don't want to be white, from a wealthy family, with a wealth of cultural knowledge, a fairly stable family, a good education, and a plethora of other items in my "she's got it good" column. But the fact is that I am all of these things, and truly, on a day to day basis, I'm thankful for them. I realize that it is a privilege. But this word 'privilege' sticks with me. I am privileged. And here in Proverbs 31 a boy turned man is quoting the wisdom of his mother to him, a privileged person. It is my responsibility as a privileged person to remember the law of God so that I can speak on behalf of those who cannot. So that I can draw attention to the needs of those who have less than is fair. 

So here I am, trying to figure out what this means. Frankly I would like my friend Alex to preach a great sermon on this passage so that I can understand all (or at least more) of the nuances of what the author is saying here. I think this is an ultimate piece of wisdom from Scripture. I think this passage, and specifically that one verse I put in bold, are at the heart of what it means to be a follower of Christ. I'm just not sure exactly what that looks like for me. While I try to figure it out I will continue to do what God has called me to day by day. I will speak for the teenagers I minister to who can't speak for themselves. I will proclaim the needs of the world to anyone who will listen, especially the injustices that God has laid heavily on my heart. I will give generously to others who are on the front lines with those who are not as privileged as I am. I will continue to step on toes as I try (and fail) to figure out how to live the way God calls each of us to live. 

How will you live out Jesus' call to help the widows, orphans, and the needy that is summed up here in Proverbs centuries before He came to earth as a baby? 

Global Musings (Warning: You may not like my opinions!)

Christians are being slaughtered in Iraq. Too many are dying of Ebola in Nigeria. Racial prejudice is crippling the United States. Neighbors are killing one another in Israel and Palestine. What on earth can I do? What can WE do? What can ANYONE do? 

This past weekend I was skyping with my parents when we started talking about all of the crazy stuff happening in the world right now. As we were considering the possibilities of what various people could do for help I felt a wave of hopelessness. How on earth can God redeem these situations. Some people want America to rush into Iraq and be the great white savior. I'm sorry, but I think we all know that hasn't worked in the past. I agree that something must be done, but I can't even conceive of a solution that would be ethical, wise, effective, biblical, and just. I wonder if anyone can. A thought came to me that the American way of thinking, the Western worldview, hasn't worked in the past in Iraq, so maybe there is a line of thought from a different cultural perspective that could help. Maybe the only ones who can truly help are believers from somewhere in Asia, Africa, or South America. Maybe it's time for a different worldview to take a stab at solving problems that people from my worldview just haven't been able to solve. I don't know what that would look like, but as I pray, I pray for godly leaders who seek truth and justice to stand up from a culture different from my own and be used by God to bring peace. 

The other issues I mentioned at the beginning of this blog are more ongoing, and maybe even more complicated to solve. Ebola- do people stay and fight it or run to safety? Is there a cure to be found? There are both scientific and ethical questions to be solved, and I know I am not the one to solve them. But I also know that my parents in Cameroun may have to answer these questions for themselves if the virus spreads south to them. I pray for wisdom, health, and scientific breakthrough in the region being ransacked by this deadly disease.

Racial prejudice in America is so engrained I find it difficult to imagine a transformation of equality in the nation of my citizenship. It is such a multifaceted and deeply layered issue that again I feel paralyzed by the vastness of it. It's an issue I wish I could ignore, but while I have that luxury as a white woman I DO NOT have that option as a follower of Christ! I grew up in a world very different from the racial tension of the United States, and I have chosen not to live in that country with it's unique racial dynamics, but I still believe I have a responsibility, I'm just trying to figure out what it is from across the ocean. 

I get exhausted from hearing Christians blindly supporting Israel no matter what they do to the Palestinians. Not that Palestine is innocent, but this basic premise that we must support Israel as Gods chosen people or out of some deep seated guilt for what happened during the Holocaust has got to go. I'm not saying we forget the atrocities of the Holocaust and how the world just let it happen for far too long (the reason we have to do something in Iraq, even though I don't know what), but I am saying that it doesn't give one nation a blank check for killing. I don't have a solution for the conflict in the Holy Land, but I do believe that we have to stop blindly supporting one group just because of their genetics. Talk about racial prejudice...

These are my musings. They are of course offensive to some. They may make me enemies, but they are the honest truth. I find myself easily crippled by hopelessness when I consider these and other (I did not even mention the issues that are more personal for me in Congo and CAR), and yet I know that my God is one of hope. It is too easy for Christians to stick our heads in the sand and say that Jesus is coming back soon and we will just wait it out. We can't do that. Christ came to redeem this world, and the gospel is on a trajectory of restoration NOT letting the world burn. So I refuse to stick my head in the sand. I also refuse to believe that I have all of the answers. I pledge to listen, to pray, to engage, and to hold onto the hope for mankind by the grace of God. I will pray that God will give me an opportunity to make a difference, even if that difference is simply to bring awareness to the people around me who are more able to truly help. But if it's something else, I pray that God would open my eyes to it. I pray that I would live as Christ, seek His truth, ask hard questions, and be willing to act when the time comes. 

May God help me not to hide behind my words, and may he help you to do the same.

1 Corinthians 13 in Dorm Life

Love isn't something I'm very good at. In the Hollywood sense of the word, I've never been in love. I don't understand the need to text or see someone every day, and I'm not sure I ever will. But it's more than that. Someone once told me that it's hard for others to love me because I don't seem to let God fully love me, so then I can't give or receive love properly. I think there is some truth in that, and I'm not sure that I'm the only one who has that problem. That being said, I'm not being a Debbie downer about my ability to love people. There are lots of people who I love, but today I'm concerned about showing love to those people I either know and do not love with Christ's love or do not yet know and still realize I should show love through Christ's strength. 

The Bible talks about love a lot in this sense. God is love. 1 Corinthians 13 is probably the most famous passage on love, and it explains just how important it is. How empty our lives are if we do not have love. 

Today is the beginning of a new school year at Morrison. All of our dorm students (except for a select few still on their way) are moved in and currently experiencing their first day of school. This afternoon I will head to dorm #1 and begin my year being fill-in dorm parent at least once a week in each of four dorms. It's a daunting task. These are teenagers. Sometimes they are grumpy. I'm 25. Sometimes I am grumpy. So I guess that's a wash. How on earth are we supposed to make it through a whole year of living life together without someone ending up worse for wear? I'll tell you how. 

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices in the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."

If we can hold on to these things we can get through this year, and probably even enjoy it! So join me in a prayer for this kind of love. May I remember this year especially to protect, trust, hope, and persevere in relationships with each of my students, coworkers, and Heavenly Father, and may you do the same. 

A New Year of Boarding

When was the last time you were really and truly new somewhere? New place, new people, new routines, new expectations, and even new food. This afternoon we have more than twenty new dorm students moving into the four dorms at Morrison Academy in Taichung. Some of these kids know five or six others coming from their same school, but they might not have really been friends with them before (even if they have chosen to be roommates now). A few of these kids won't know anyone and may even be brand new to Taiwan. Imagine. You are in high school, maybe ninth or tenth grade, and your parents bring you to a new country, a new school, and drop you off to live with 17 strangers (give or take a few). For some of us this seems normal because we grew up around it as TCKs, but if I really stop and think I'm struck by just how strange it is. It's hard enough for a stable adult to move to a new place for a new job, but at least we know a bit better how to cope in general, typically have our own space and homey things, have more ownership over the choice to move, and hopefully have been given tools for transition. These kids don't have much of any of that. Maybe their parents gave them a choice, but maybe not. Maybe they brought some touches of home, but they probably couldn't fit much into their luggage. Maybe they are with a mission that has taught them about transition or have parents who have raised them with healthy coping tools, but this is unlikely and quite rare. Maybe they are mature enough to handle the move easily, but they are still teenagers!!

So here I sit, six hours before the new students start to show up, and I'm struck by the sheer terror some of these students must be feeling. Others might be excited only to realize how difficult this move will be down the road. I'm not saying it's a bad move. I love our boarding program! I love the idea of kids living in community with others who are so different from them and learning how to compromise in that situation. I love the responsibility they learn. I'm excited for some of the really fun things they get to experience that most kids don't get at home with their biological families. I am eager to get to know them and watch God use all of these things and more to form them and draw them deeper into a relationship with himself. Boarding isn't for everyone, but since I was pretty little I've thought it was a good option for a lot of people. Not that all boarding programs are well done, but I truly believe that the system here at Morrison is one of excellence. I'm proud to be a part of it! How lucky I am to do something that has been on my heart from a young age in a place that does it so incredibly well and where I am surrounded by true professionals in this field who I learn from every day. 

So here I sit. Thankful for the opportunity to do the best job on earth. Blessed by wise coworkers and a stellar boss. Praying fervently for new students and jumping-up-and-down excited to see the returning students tomorrow. I believe in what I do, but it takes a lot of prayer support and God-given wisdom on a daily basis (especially for someone as young and flawed as myself). I simply ask this of you: if you are reading this say a prayer. 

Here are a few ideas:

-Pray for new students and all of their aspects of transition. Homesickness. Adjusting to a new school. Making friends. Living with a roommate and in a home with 15 other students and dorm parents. 

-Pray for returning students. Homesickness as well. Welcoming the new students into their dorms. Potentially transitioning to a different dorm. Continuing to live well in community and modeling that to new students. Comfort as they adjust to last year's senior class being gone.

-Pray for all students. Academic success. Healthy and balanced lifestyles. Safety. Good relationships with their biological families as well as their dorm families. Ever increasing love of God and others. 

-Pray for dorm staff. The ability to reach out to students and make them feel welcomed and loved. Wisdom in making tough (and even easy) decisions. Relationships with one another and their own biological children. Good conflict management skills. Necessary rest. Good health and safety. Hunger for the Word of God and relationship with God- this is what sustains. Sweet moments of community in what is often an isolating job. 

Thank you for your prayers as we start another school year! 

One Year in Taiwan: Reflections

There's nothing quite like sitting on my balcony watching a storm roll in at 5:30am with my Bible on my lap, worship music playing softly, a cup of coffee handy, and a fan blowing a cool breeze on me. Just a year ago I was doing virtually the same thing, but inside at my dining room table and with a single flower in a vase beside my Bible provided by the same woman who I had no idea would become such an integral part of my first year in Taiwan and happened to also give me the plants that I sit surrounded by at this moment. My friend Jill and her family have left Taiwan to be closer to family in the United States, but there is hardly a thing I do or experience in Taiwan that does not have their fingerprints all over it. What's the point? As I sit here reflecting on the last year of my life before a new year of work begins, I'm in awe of the people and experiences God has brought into my life. There are so many sweet moments I don't know how I could write them all down, but here are a few that stand out (and by a few I mean a lot). Feel free to skip this if you want- it's really for me. That being said, many people have asked me why I love Taiwan so much, and I think this might begin to unravel the mystery. 

Hiking in the local mountains and talking about everything under the sun with new friends who carry so much more wisdom and life experience than I. Sitting by the pool asking hard questions and grappling with hard truths with Sharon. Cross-generational friendships. Long afternoon talks with a handful of students who really let me into their lives and hearts. Ridiculous 90s music karaoke and dance offs with the often too cool kids. Baking with students and learning to let go of control so they can learn. Learning the beautiful language of Mandarin slowly and awkwardly. Spending only 5 minutes of my hour long Chinese lesson actually studying Chinese because Ding Lao Shi and I have so many other interesting aspects of life, crafting, politics, culture, history, and religion to talk about. Slowly and painfully learning how to ride a scooter and enjoying the freedom and cool breeze that comes with it. Watching students enjoy a baseball game for the first time and learn the intricacies of the beautiful game. Hosting people in my home, including a group of women who graduated from Morrison over four decades ago. Sharing beautiful Taiwan with my big brother and grandparents. Being given opportunities to practice reconciliation and forgiveness with students and coworkers. Rare moments of crossing paths with my PFO people. Sweet times of prayer with the other Covenant missionaries. Bible study, good food and drink, long talks, and strategy games with Ellen & Gordon. Visiting Amy, Stephen, & Judah in the Philippines. Jumping in puddles. Movie marathons and junk food eating with students in my home. Laughter, accountability, and prayer times with Yvonne. Moments of breakthrough when students teach me something beautiful and profound about the world. Watching students put their all into sporting events. Afternoons spent playing game after game of Skipbo, Sequence, and Dutch Blitz. Drinking tea- a lot of it. Being challenged to live a more holistically healthy lifestyle because teenagers are watching and learning. Students laughing at my poor attempts to speak Chinese and being willing to help me study even when I am pathetic. Going to the market and understanding something spoken to me in Chinese. The opportunity to slowly learn how to have significant long distance relationships with friends and family. 

I'm not saying life in Taiwan is perfect. I miss my friends and family scattered around the globe. I wish I could drive across town and see my brothers whenever I wanted. I wish I could spend time with the women my brothers are falling in love with and know them deeply. I wish I could be a part of the Restoration Abbey community of faith back in Vista. I wish I could take my 90 year old Nana to the thrift store once a week. I wish I could have dinner once a week with my old roommates. I wish I could sit by the pool at Mama Cindy's house and talk about life more than twice a year. I wish I could go camping with Sarah & Ezra. I wish Megan and I could share an apartment and babysit Genevieve at least once a week. I wish I could sit on the back porch in Temecula and sip wine with the Fords. I wish it weren't so darn hot at 6 in the morning. 

I wish for so many things, but I don't regret my life. For at least this season of my life I belong in Taiwan. There is not a doubt in my mind that I am exactly where I am supposed to be, wrapped on God's warm embrace in Taiwan. Doing life in this community is easy in some ways. My home is nicer than anything I should ever have, friends are right across the hall, I have no commute, I can walk to get my groceries, and I have all the alone time I need to be healthy. At the same time in this place I sometimes feel like everything I do is being watched, my job makes it hard to connect with people my own age, doing life with teenagers is often heart breaking, it's obvious when I mess up, and when I do mess up it affects other people in a very real way. This last year has been challenging, exhilarating, sometimes lonely, and mostly fulfilling. 

I can only hope that this next year brings more of the same with some different splashed in for flavor. I'm so thankful that this is what I've been called to.

In everything I give thanks.

This Crazy World- Reflections From Manila

What a funny world we live in. I've spent my whole life living between cultures, and yet the strangeness of travel strikes me often. Whether I am traveling or a friend or family member of mine is going to a new place, I can't help but be struck by how odd our lives are as we cross borders.

I have lived for significant amounts of time in Congo, the Central African Republic, Cameroun, the United States, and now Taiwan. Each of these places have shaped who I am in a very profound way. My friends and family are scattered across the globe experiencing life in different cultures than I am, and they in turn are being shaped by their experiences. So I am also shaped by the cultures of my friends whether simply by picking up habits or by visiting those places. I am a global nomad surrounded by other global nomads.

All of this results in a large amount of confusion, though also a great deal of fun. I think there are at least one or two words in every language that are so perfect that you cannot translate them, and so you must simply sprinkle them into your mother tongue. What's fun is figuring out what those words are in every language you encounter and then getting to use them. What's not so fun is when others have no idea what you are saying to them because of the multilingual nature of your speech. But still, I hold onto those "perfect" words, refusing to let them go and hoping that the people around me start using them as well. I think it should be my mission in life to take these perfect words from one culture to the next as I travel the world. At the very least it seems line a fun game!

You're probably wondering what brought on these very random ramblings about language and culture, so let me share. Right now I'm sitting in the Manila airport ready to fly home to Taichung. I spent the last week simply living life with a friend of mine from high school along with her husband and four month old son. What made me think about the craziness of our world is the fact that we met each other over a decade ago when we both lived in Cameroun. We both moved back to the States for a time and now she lives in the Philippines and I live in Taiwan. We sat in her Filipino home eating African rice and beans for dinner and reminiscing about high school and life in Africa while simultaneously swapping information about our new home cultures and the international schools where we work. What strikes me is that this is normal. We think nothing of moving across the globe and adopting parts of a new culture and integrating them into the cultures we have already combined. No matter how normal that seems to me, it is CRAZY.

So that's all I'm here to tell you. Our world is crazy. Human adaptability and innovation is insane. Travel is mind boggling. Language is incredible.

God created an amazing planet for us to live on and I'm so thankful that I get to explore it. I'll be back to the Philippines, I can tell you that, but I'm also thankful to be going home to Taiwan.

Life's an adventure, please don't forget to contemplate and enjoy the adventure!

All These Places Feel Like Home

On going home and coming home.

This Christmas I had the pleasure of going home to Southern California for the Christmas holidays. I was home for just over two weeks, and I'm incredibly glad that I went.

People told me not to. People who I love and respect and who are professionals in the field of cultural adjustment and such. But, as often seems to be the case, I ignored the warnings and went home anyway. I had already promised family and friends that I'd be home for Christmas when I took my job at Morrison Academy in Taiwan, so I thought it wise to honor my promises. I also decided that my case is different from many missionaries because I am not isolated in a new country unable to communicate with anyone because of a lack of common language, and because I truly hope to make Taiwan my home long term. I see myself as being in ministry, but I also hope to become so at home in Taiwan that going home for the holidays is not an escape from a foreign land, but rather simply a trip to reconnect with family and friends who don't live in Taiwan. My brother flies to San Diego from Washington, D.C. for Christmas, so why wouldn't I fly back from Taichung, Taiwan (other than for the obvious reasons of the distance, jet lag, and cost!!). Anyways, I used this and other reasons to justify my trip 'home' to San Diego.

I'm not sure that I made the wise choice, but in retrospect I do think I made the right choice for me. From the moment I left Taiwan I did not feel like I was going home but rather that I was leaving home for vacation. Let me pause there to really let that sink in. After only five months in Taiwan, this place is home.

Don't get me wrong, I miss things about the other places I have called home. Karawa, Yaounde, Vista, and even Azusa will always hold a part of me. They molded and shaped me into the person I am today. I miss the people who I did life with in those places. I miss having people who know me so well that I don't have to explain every thought in my head. I miss everyone speaking the same language as me. I miss my deep spiritual communities. I miss the foods particular to each of those places. In no way am I saying that I don't miss the places I used to call home, it's just that I now call another place by that name as well. Going back to California allowed me to realize that when I'm speaking of home I've added another place to my list. (I'm sorry to those of you who have to try and decipher which place I am referring to when I speak of 'home.')

Taiwan is home for a million tiny reasons. My apartment and all my stuff is here. My job is here. My team of coworkers are here. I have friends here. My daily routines are here. My students are here. My hopes and dreams are wrapped up in my life here. My God has called me here to this place for this time (and hopefully for years to come). Taiwan is home because I feel such total peace about being right here, right now.

So I'm glad I went 'home' for Christmas. I'm glad I realized that I have a new 'home.' I'm glad I saw things in my life here that need to change. I'm glad I saw family and friends who mean the world to me. I'm glad I met the newest little member of my extended family. I'm glad I could drive myself around and communicate freely with everyone I met. I'm glad I got to go to a Chargers game with my brothers and parents. I'm glad I got quality time with some people who mean the world to me. AND I am glad that at the end of it I got to come home.

Coming or going, all these places feel like home. How very blessed I am to have so many places to call home!

Settle

Well here I am, sitting in my apartment in Taichung, Taiwan. I've been here over two weeks now, and in some ways it seems like the time has flown by while at the same time as if I've been here forever.

It's a beautiful place. Cultures come together. Lives are being changed. God is at work. Paul DeNeui would be happy to know that I'm under no illusions that God waited until I showed up to be at work- nope, God showed up here a long time ago. I'm blessed to be a part of the work here and learn from the others who have been serving in Taiwan for so long.

During my first week here we were talking about transition stuff and I had an epiphany. As a TCK I have never really settled anywhere. When people talk about transition phases, we talk about being engaged somewhere, going through phases of transition, and then re-engaging. But when you are aware that you may be leaving somewhere you begin transitioning out, and I have never lived anywhere that I didn't know I was leaving. I don't know what it means to be truly engaged in a community, because I am always planning on leaving. What's weird about Taichung is that for the first time in my life there is the POSSIBILITY of engagement. I could potentially settle here and not leave for a very long time. I have no idea how long I'll be here, but I'm not PLANNING on leaving. It's a strange thing, and I'm not quite sure how to cope with it, but I do know that it gives me hope. Hope that for the first time I might really be able to fully invest in a place. But I'm also afraid. I'm afraid that I just don't know how to engage and that this perfectionist will fail miserably in her attempts to do so.

As I was reading my devotional passage for the day I realized that, just like so many other times, God had the perfect passage for me today. I almost skipped it in the laziness that comes before knowing that my job is about to start in full force, but by the grace of God this is one day I did not skip the Covenant Home Altar's scripture reading.

Psalm 107:1-9 & 43

"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say this-- those he redeemed from the hand of the foe, those he gathered from the lands, form east and west, from north and south. Some wandered in desert wastelands, finding no way to a city where they could settle. They were hungry and thirsty, and their lives ebbed away. Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He led them by a straight way to a city where they could settle. Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men, for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things... Whoever is wise, let him heed these things and consider the great love of the Lord." 

WOW! In so many ways, this is my story. Beth was living in the desert and couldn't settle anywhere, then she cried out to God and he led her to a city where she could settle. The future is yet to be seen, but this I know- God has led me to a city where I could settle. I don't know how this will all play out, but I trust that God's love is unfailing and I plan to consider the great love of the Lord now and always.

Who May Live on Your Holy Hill?

Who may live on your holy hill?

This is the question that the psalmist asks in verse one of the fifteenth Psalm. It seems kind of ambiguous, right? I mean, what is 'God's holy hill?' Maybe it's His presence, maybe it's in the center of His will, maybe it's where He's at work, maybe it's on an international school campus in the middle of Taichung, Taiwan.

Wait, I want to live on God's holy hill!!!!! Pick me, pick me!

Psalm 15

A psalm of David.

Lord, who may dwell in your sanctuary? 

Who may live on your holy hill? 

He wose walk is blameless

and who does what is righteous, 

who speaks the truth from his heart

and has no slander on his tongue, 

who does his neighbor no wrong

and casts no slur on his fellowman, 

who despises a vile man

but honors those who fear the Lord, 

who keeps his oath

even when it hurts, 

who lends his money without usury

and does not accept a bribe against the innocent. 

He who does these things

will never be shaken.

This is the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

A special thanks to The Covenant Home Altar for leading me to this particular Psalm at this particular moment in my life. Well, actually, thanks be to God for that, but thanks to the people who made the Altar and were used by God :) 

As I read this psalm I couldn't help but think, isn't Morrison God's holy hill at this moment in my life? I mean, I know it's right in the center of God's will for me at this time and I know that it's a holy place that God has set aside for His holy work to be done. I think it qualifies, which means that the psalmist is asking questions that I should definitely pay attention to and giving me priceless advice. Sweet! Now I know how to be successful here, right? I have the secret code to unlock fruitful ministry. Easy peasy lemon squeasy. Kind of. Until I read the advice and see how darn hard it is. Seriously? 

I'm supposed to be blameless and do what is righteous? What does that even mean? What about that TV show that I like so much, it helps me live a blameless life right? Hmmm, well maybe not ALL of them do... Darn! 

I'm supposed to speak truth from my heart and not slander? Well the truth part is easy, right? I mean I've never had a problem giving my honest opinion... but that from the heart part is a bit annoying. You mean it matters how I speak the truth? Uh oh! And I have to speak the truth without slandering anyone... This is getting difficult ;) NEXT!

Hmm not wrong my neighbor or slur other people. What does it mean to be a good neighbor? I think I'm going to have to figure that out... maybe it starts with knowing who my neighbors are (as I was proofreading this my neighbor came and introduced herself, yay!!!!)? And boy oh boy in a small community like this I'd better get good at not slurring other people!!!!! Pretty wise advice... 

Despise vile people but honor those who fear the Lord- check. Oh wait, I'm pretty sure I don't do a great job of despising vile (sinful, evil) people, in fact sometimes I put them up on a pedestal and admire them! And certainly I'm not sure how to despise anyone without slurring them. And sometimes the people who fear the Lord the most irk me the most, because they show me just how sinful I am. Errgghh!

Keep promises even when it hurts. Like continuing to sponsor Elysee in Congo no matter what? Supporting all the missionaries that I've promised to when I figure out my finances here? Honoring my oath to God to live an intentional lifestyle? Honoring my oath to Morrison and the students here to love them and do my job to the best of my ability by the grace of God? To love even those students who will drive me crazy? I've made a lot of promises...

Lend money without interest (or even expecting it back) and not accept bribes. So basically I need to be generous. Hmm I think I can honestly say generosity is pretty second nature to me, but that also probably means it's exactly where the opposition will target me. I can't seem to catch a break...

If you made it to the end of this you probably feel exhausted, me too! If I want to remain here and have God use me in ministry is seems like there are a lot of things I need to work on... 

Suddenly I'm feeling very helpless, and I think that's right where God wants me. 

I cannot do any of this on my own. Only by the grace of God can I stay in His presence- it is a gift. I can strive to live the life He requires of me, but I will fail often. 

I will be a bad neighbor. 

I will gossip about someone. 

I will break my promises. 

But God is gracious and will forgive. This does not give me license to be lazy in seeking to live according to God's Word, but it does allow the perfectionist in me to not give up hope. And there is a promise at the end of all of this: 

He (or she!) who does these things will never be shaken. 

By God's grace he has allowed me to be in His holy sanctuary and reside on His holy hill. By His grace may I always remain in His presence and at the center of His will. This is my prayer for myself and for you as well. 

Only by the grace of God! 

How Lucky I Am

The author of Winnie the Pooh once wrote, “How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard." As I hold my passport, print my boarding passes, and say goodbye to loved ones I can't help but reflect on the truth of this quote. 

I move a lot. Not as much as some people, but enough that I like to pretend that saying goodbye is NOT hard. But the truth is, that saying goodbye is always hard, and for that I am actually thankful. 

I'm thankful because I have people in my life wherever I go that are special to me and I don't want to say goodbye to. Leaving California after six years means that I have to leave many people with whom I've forged deep relationships. There are roommates, friends, and professors from college who will no longer be a two hour drive away. There is my Oak Hills Covenant Church family who I've worked and done ministry alongside in a very intense manner this year. There is my extended family who have sacrificed so much for me and always showered me with unconditional love. There are aging grandparents. There is Keith left in San Diego without the rest of the Stokers, and his girlfriend, Hillary, who I have only just begun to know but already cherish as an important part of my family. There is Brian in Washington D.C. far from any family. There are my parents who left for Cameroun a week ago. There is a new cousin due in September who I will not be around to greet. 

As I've been counting the things that make saying goodbye so hard I've realized that what I am really doing is counting my blessings, one by one. My cup overflows. The God who was faithful to provide in Zaire, Cameroun, and California will also be faithful as I move to Taiwan. While I grieve over saying goodbye (especially at the heart wrenching picture of my grandparents hugging and waving goodbye in my rearview mirror) I am looking forward to this new adventure with hope-filled anticipation. 

God is good, all the time! All the time, God is good! 

The One About Childhood Trauma

As I've been preparing to head to Taiwan to work at Morrison Academy in Taichung for (at least) the next two years, I've had a lot of time for self-reflection and such. It's been great to think about things that I don't normally make the time to think about, but I have to say that there have been some pretty rough things that I've had to work through. The following is a brief window into some of the reflecting I've been doing. The facts might not all be accurate, because this is a story beginning through the eyes of a seven year old. My prayer is that my story, the good, the bad, and the ugly, may serve as a catalyst for myself and others to help the next generation avoid some of the pain we endured. God has been gracious to me, and for this I am grateful. I am also eternally grateful for my parents, brothers, extended family, missionary aunt & uncles, and friends who have helped me on the journey of life thus far.

Here is just a short excerpt of my story thus far:

I was evacuated. If you know me, you probably already knew that. In fact, you probably even already know that I was evacuated twice within just a few months. If you know me well (or the situation I was involved in at the time) you also probably know that I was never in any ‘real’ danger. I never had a gun pointed at my head. I never had anyone break into my home while I was there. I was never the physical victim of unruly soldiers. No one close to me died in my evacuation experience. 

I was also a child. 

Let me repeat that, I was a child. 

When I was in second grade my whole life was turned upside down. I was an odd kid, and if you know me you probably think I’m at least somewhat of an odd adult. See, from a very young age I had at least the first 18 years of my life mapped out. I was born in Zaire, the now Democratic Republic of Congo. I was going to be baptized in Zaire within walking distance from the hospital where I was born. I was going to graduate from high school at the school where my mom was the principal. I would probably live there my whole life and hopefully get married and have my kids there. I was a little girl with big dreams, and then one day they were all gone. Well maybe not one day, I think there’s a novelist who writes something about how falling in love happens slowly, and then all at once, maybe my childhood dreams being crushed was something like that. 

It all changed when this little country to the east, Rwanda, had a genocide and a civil war that spilled into Eastern Congo. Of course, if we’re being honest it really started long before that. It started when the first explorers came to Congo and settled there to do research. It started when the world allowed Belgium to rule over Congo and ‘care’ for its people. It started when the US (and other people) ‘freed’ Congo from its captors and handed the country over to the dictator Mobutu. It started when Mobutu followed in the footsteps of the Belgians and kept Congo (what should be the wealthiest country in Africa based on natural resources) as a poor nation because he did not share the wealth the people acquired for him with the people themselves. It started when Mobutu got sick and fled the country. It started when Kabila crossed the border. It happened slowly, and then all at once. 

This is my story, but it’s not only my story. It’s the story of the hundreds of kids around the world who have been forced to leave the only place they’ve ever called ‘home.’ It’s the story of the thousands and thousands of Congolese who have died, who have watched their children carry guns, who have watched their children starve, who have watched their infrastructure crumble, and who hold onto hope despite all odds. That’s the story of Congo and many other countries. I am a part of that story, though not a large part. What I have come to understand is that although I am just a small drop in the bucket of that story, I am still a part of it and my experience is valid. My trauma is different from that of many other people, but that does not mean I don’t have trauma. Just because other people have gone through worse things, that does not mean what I went through was not bad. No child should ever have to listen to gunshots in their neighborhood. My experience was not nearly as bad as it could have been, but it is still my trauma. 

Tonight I went through a counseling session using the EMDR tool. In this experience my fingers tingled to type my story. My feet longed to run away, or more truthfully to run back toward something I had left. My eyes drifted to the left and I stared, unblinking, for an unnatural amount of time at absolutely nothing. That was my first word: nothing. I feel nothing when I am staring in that way. My next word: safe. I feel safe when I tune out the world around me, when I ignore all the things I cannot control. My next word: helpless. I am a seven year old girl, and I have no power to help the people around me or to even stay and be one with them. As I remembered these feelings of helplessness, of wanting to help but simply not being able to my body was wracked with sobs louder than any I can remember. My whole body grieved. And then this,

A truth spoken into my life: I was powerless, but I am no longer that little girl. 

I am a woman now. I am an intelligent, gifted, and privileged young woman who has the power to make a difference in other children’s lives. I can’t go back; I can’t change the hurt that happened in Congo or the fact that I simply could not help. What I can do is figure out where in the world I can help now. I can love the students I am going to serve in Taiwan, and I can always, always keep a part of my heart and soul attuned to Congo and ready to serve in whatever way God calls me to. 

My journey is not yet complete. My grieving is not over. But after 16 years maybe, just maybe, I can get rid of the ropes that are binding me and move forward in new strength because of what I experienced. 

All this by the grace of God. 

A World of Acronyms

You may have noticed that my last post contained a lot of acronyms. The truth is that I think from here on out acronyms will kind of be my status quo. Missionaries LOVE (that's not an acronym) acronyms. I don't know why, but it's the truth. Right now I'm here at PFO (Pre-Field Orientation)- I have to admit that after attending METE (see my last post) the term "field" rubs me slightly the wrong way- it was pointed out to me that it's a slightly militaristic term, so CWM (see last post) stopped using the term because we don't want to see missionaries as trying to take over or conquer other nations. Semantics I suppose. The people here at PFO really don't want that either and I suppose that's not a conversation for this blog.

PFO is run by ACSI (Association of Christian Schools International)- are you confused yet? There are lots of reasons for this training, but I think its primary goal is to help people learn how best to minister to TCKs (Third Culture Kids- the new 'normal' perhaps?). Everyone who is at this training is going to be working with TCKs in some direct way: teaching, boarding, or raising their own TCK children. It's pretty cool actually. It's cool to see so many people learning about this less and less rare breed of human who we call the TCK. Those of us who have grown up between cultures, absorbing multiple cultures during the formative years of our lives (google Dave Pollock and his research on TCKs for more info). It's therapeutic for me to hear more about the TCK experience, to shed tears, give thanks, and to laugh at the crazy things we do. There are more than sixty adults here for two weeks learning about who TCKs are and some unique ways they can be ministered to, and I'm excited to think about how much better prepared this generation will be to work with TCKs than the ones who came before. Don't get me wrong, I was one of the lucky ones whose parents and community 'got it' and helped me cope with the TCK experience well, but I'm hopeful that it means some mistakes of the past can be avoided and we can better prepare TCKs for their unique challenges and opportunities that lay ahead. Of course, we are after all still human so I'm sure we'll just make new mistakes, but I'm choosing to be optimistic at this point!

Here too we're learning more about our personalities and communication styles. I never really liked these sorts of things before, I was the typical TCK who didn't want to be put into a box I suppose. But now I'm starting to like them. In fact, I can't stop talking about them. I think these tests do several things for me: 1)they bring me self-awareness; 2)they help me to have more grace with myself; 3)they give me a vocabulary for talking about things in myself that I like and dislike; 4)they help me understand others better; and 5)they have the potential to help me make steps toward being the me God created me to be. So I'd say they're pretty cool all around. In case you were wondering, my MBTI is ISFJ- so basically I'm a people person who is very responsible and organized. That goes along pretty well with the 1 from my enneagram as well as my strengths that I found in the strengths finder a few years ago (which I think I should take again!). Oh and I'm an introvert- I bet you didn't know that! Okay, maybe some of you knew that, but since I'm pretty talkative once I get to know people and stand up for what I believe in people typically think I'm an extrovert. I'm not, I swear! :)

We're less than a week into PFO and already there are a million things to dig through and process. I think the best part of this time though is the new friendships that I'm making. I found that was true at METE as well, but this time it's more encouraging because I'm becoming friends with people who will actually be in Taiwan with me, some of whom will even be on the Taichung campus! So that's pretty exciting. Check out this picture of three of my new favorite little girls and me hanging out watching a soccer game:

I'm not gonna lie- I'm getting pretty excited to head to Taiwan (less than a month!!!!!!). I'm also getting more nervous about going to a completely new place, learning a new language, starting a new job, and making all new friends. But I love the friends I've made so far, I'm excited for a new adventure, I can't believe I get paid to do the job I've been called to, and by God's grace I WILL learn the language and fall in love with the culture and people in Taiwan. I'm being reminded to build my RAFT (Reconciliation, Affirmation, Farewells, Think Destination), which is something I did not do when I moved away from high school. Miss Crossley (ahem, Mrs. Anderson) will be thrilled to hear that I actually do remember her teaching us that back at RFIS, so if you see her, tell her thanks for me :) 

My biggest challenges at the moment? Saying goodbye well and starting to learn the language so I'm not completely overwhelmed when I get there. Say a little prayer for me! Oh, and come visit me in Taichung sometime after July!