16

Lately, I have been thinking about my relationship with God in prayer and in my daily life. The time that I spend with God in prayer and reading his word really affects how I live. I need it. I need God to feed me this “bread” daily.

Today was the first day of VBS at the local church. I am teaching the KG classes, along with Lennis. The lady that usually teaches the KG class is translating, because these are English classes. It’s kind of difficult to merge an English class with a bible lesson, but that’s ok.

At first, I was kind of nervous about VBS. To be honest, I still worry but it gives me the chance to trust God more. If I am not worried about anything then why would I need to trust God? It is these experiences that I am less comfortable with that stretch me to rely on him more.

Blessings.

15

Every night, I hear fireworks and gunshots; it is the Arab’s way to celebrate. Sometimes, a line of cars will drive down the street, people shouting and honking their horns. This means that someone has just gotten married. 

 It is good to be aware of the response I am having to culture shock. This whole experience is new to me, and I can be tempted to withdraw, but I have decided to remain open and interested, always curious; this is the only way that I can make sure my time here is well spent.

Today, I got the chance to skype with Hannah. It is good to see and hear that she is doing well, all except for some stomach pain that she has been having. She has turtles and a hamster, and a basketball hoop in her front yard. Everything looked very green. She says that it is 10 times as hot in Cambodia as it is in Richmond. I know she’s exaggerating, but still, she says it’s very hot and humid. I am praising the Lord for the dry heat here. 

Mostly every night, I have been praying with James. This has been great. I am so glad that I get to do this with him; he has taught me so much! It is incredible how many times that I have learned something by his example. 

blessings,

Jonny

Another segment from the journal:

    Have I ever learned a balance without first going to both extremes, or at least dipping into them?

(Examples of balances include the balance of: work vs. rest, alone time vs. fellowship, worrying vs. not caring at all)

   There have been times when I have over-thought things, and have consequentially lived in anxiety. There have also been times in my life when I have not cared at all, and I really don’t know which one is worse. Usually, I tend to be cautious and thoughtful, which means I tend to err on the side of worrying, more-so than I err on the side of not caring at all.

    By faith, I know that God has been with me through these times, shaping me and preparing me. I still believe that he is with me now, and is molding me for whatever he has prepared.

   A new balance: Reminiscing vs. distraction from the present and the future.

I like to reminisce. The times past seem much sweeter now that It’s done and I can look back on it, but it can sometimes be a distraction from what I am doing in the present in preparation for the future.

   There is also the balance of healthy “distraction vs. unhealthy distraction”

Distractions are needed. At times I am so absorbed in something that I am working on that my mind just needs a rest. So, in this case, a distraction like playing the guitar or watching a Youtube video can be very positive. On the other hand, it can become unhealthy when I start to use the distractions to find escape from reality and the work that I am doing. There is a healthy balance to be found here.

   Thanks for taking the time to read and ponder.

   jonny

 

James doing great things.

14

Something that I wrote in my journal:

    Throughout today, there were definitely sometimes that I felt less than Holy, even resentful, but pressing on through this feeling helps me to see that it is not me doing the work, but Christ in me. This is my hope. He comforts me. I am nothing apart from him. in him have have EVERYTHING I NEED. 

   Life is good. I am the problem, not my circumstances. I need him. I need Jesus to change my perspective.

   I also find myself reminiscing a lot in my free time. Maybe this is o.k., but I don’t want it to distract me from what I am building.

   What am I building?

     I am building a personal ministry, within and for the team vision of World Horizons, for the purpose of reaching unreached nations and tribes. I honestly couldn’t be more honored to be a part of this great work. It is not because of my talents or abilities that I can do this. By his grace, he has invited me to take part in his great plan. One day, every nation will know Jesus; this is God’s promise and is our hope in Jesus Christ. 

    There is nothing else that gets me so excited as the thought of every tribe, nation and tongue giving glory to the Father, who is above all. I will lay everything aside for His namesake. Goods, talents, desires, friendships, whatever; it is all his anyways, so I let go. 

    I hope that this stirs your mind, now I will go prepare a lesson plan for a sunday school.

    Jonny

       Small Window into my life today:

     This morning I got to work with James and Nate on the tent that is on the roof of the language school which we attend. We began adding some rubber hose across the roof of the tent to reduce the sagging which will help prevent leakage. 

       Main goals here:

      1. Learning the language

       2. Learning the culture

       3. Establishing and cultivating healthy relationships within the team and with locals.

       4. Expressing my faith in word and deed. 

       5. Learning about the Kingdom and contributing to it’s growth into unreached peoples.

13

    

     This past week has been filled with new words, new smells, and new friends. Every week, our company meets twice to pray, for the nation and for each other. This week, we were joined by two new faces, who were visiting from Brazil. They were excited to serve in different ways, one being a nurse, and one being interested in supporting workers in World Horizons by being a sort-of ‘nanny’. 

     It’s 1 AM. Maybe I should go to bed. In the morning,  will be helping out at the school to fix the tent that is on the roof. It’s pretty cool/unusual that there is a tent on the roof. The tent has cushions in it so that you can sit down and have tea, coffee, or even a sandwich. Life is good when you’re eating a sandwich in a tent.

12

On a light note, I hope that you enjoy this poem I wrote about my time in the Middle East.

I woke up at 5:30 a.m. because that’s what I do

I turn on the hot water so that I can smell new

After this I boil water for eggs

They did not get finished so I left for school without eggs

With two of my friends I am walking to school.

We learn whole new words like ‘shabaab’ and ‘mashguul’

After an hour we break for coffee and cookies

Another hour passes and I’m passing another dooky

Life is good when you just “let go” 

it’s even better because I took some ‘Pepto’

Having fun is hardly hard

when you’re studying Arabic 

really hard.

11

It’s been my second week of learning Arabic. I think that if I was not in an Arab country, it would be a lot harder to learn. I am constantly around the language; hearing, seeing, smelling, tasting. I also get to practice it every time I go to buy something, or just walking around downtown or anywhere.

10

This week I got to help a family by watering their plants and feeding their ducks while they were out of town. When I went over, I could not work the key and the lock (this seems to be a theme struggle for me). I sat waiting for the neighbor’s kids to go inside so I could climb over the wall without them seeing. I waited about 20 minutes and then tried the key again. One of the kids came over and I told him that I was locked out. I proceeded to show him how the key was not working in the lock, proud that I had remembered the word “muftaah” which is key in Arabic. I had multiple keys, only one of which fit in the lock, but it would not turn. I let the child try it. First try, he opens the door.

Thanks.

I went in, did my duty, and once again, wondering what I ever did to keys so that they do not like me.

Let’s see, what else, I got to see the desert! If you’ve never seen the desert, it really is cool. You should check it out in real life. It just sand, but if you’ve never seen that much sand all in one place before, you should, because it’s wild.

Today, I met up with my roommate and some friends at a cafe. The one was from the north, and the other was a teacher who grew up here.

After this, my roommate and I were helping another friend with planning for a nail salon. She wants to start a business. We want to help her with her first steps.

Cool, everything is cool. The weather is surprisingly not as hot as is normal here. It’s nice

ttyl,

Jonny