SPRING CLEANING IN JULY and CULTURE SHOCK

The weeks after our semester’s end, I did “spring cleaning” in July.  Have you ever done cleaning a few seasons late? That was me. The weather was not good for spring cleaning (tons of rain), and my closets, files, and office were too packed.

My goal was to get this major cleaning done during my semester “break” before traveling to the USA in August for some rest. It’s funny how our “breaks” often become filled with other projects, usually things we should have been doing all along. 

It was SO MUCH to sort.  I made some observations…

THERE WERE…

Treasures Discovered- things lost earlier in the year, I found…like a hairbrush, a favorite mirror, old books

Trash- There was trash- things that should have been thrown away, outdated meds, old calendars, etc.

Too Much of Certain Things- There was too much of things I really didn’t need. Why do I have 5 tubes of USB 50 when I usually use USB 4 or less, and do I really need 7 packages of wet wipes?  Where did all this extra stuff come from?

Too Little of Other Things- There were too little of needed supplies.  Where did my needed medicine go, I’m almost out of toothpaste…

All of the sorting, cleaning, etc.,   reminded me of how easy it is to let our lives, our homes, our minds, our schedules become cluttered.

And in that clutter ... sometimes we lose things of value; we hold onto things that need trashed; we run low on needed supplies; and we don’t share.

Clutter can not just be material things or appointments, but we also tend to hold onto things like past mistakes, old fears and bad habits, old insecurities.

I was excited to board the plane to the USA last Sunday evening- because the clutter from my past several semesters of teaching in Ethiopia was largely clear. 

There’s something great about cleanness and good organization- a simplified life that honors God.

If you are like me, a few seasons behind or maybe a decade behind in cleaning closets, or your life, mind, schedule, heart- no day is better than today to begin. 

Hebrews 12:1-2

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith…

Well, this past Monday I re-entered my home country (the USA) after eight months in Ethiopia.  I was heading home for some of my “break time” from teaching in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital city, where I have lived for two years.

My closets, etc., were clean back in Addis, which felt great, but I experienced some big culture shock as I traveled west.

I recorded some of my observations as I re-entered my home country…

Things were…FAST AND ORDERLY, no one cut in lines or invaded my personal space (which I loved).

Everyone seemed POLITE overall and well-mannered, though LACKING DEPTH in conversation.

There were BRIGHT LIGHTS.

So much was AUTOMATED- from passport control in Chicago- to toilet seat covers that you swipe your hand over and it gives you a clean seat to sit on…to moving sidewalks…WOW

In the airports, everyone had GADGETS… i-phones; i-pads, laptops, etc.  Young and old, everyone seemed busy looking at their own business. 

It was MULTI-SENSORY OVERLOAD- and from a largely man-made environment (in Ethiopia- my senses are usually overloaded too- but it’s sounds of birds or cows and sights and smells of outside- not man-made, artificial environment stuff)

There was DIVERSITY. Everyone looked different and interesting to me.  I could have sat and watched people for hours.  And I wasn’t a minority anymore, yet no one noticed me, that was a shock.

On Arrival at my Home in Ohio…there has been…

-a big soft bed

-soft and consistent and safe water

-our climate controlled, comfortable house

-food choices and TV channel choices, medicine and makeup choices, so many choices

-consistent electricity and internet

-my car and paved roads with everyone obeying the same rules (for the most part)

And of course, there has been my TRIBE…my parents, my sister and our dog…. WHICH HAS BEEN MY FAVORITE …what great reunion times we’ve had so far!!!

My Mom, Dad, and my sister- Noel, Summer 2013

All of this culture shock this past week…has had me thinking a lot about how much our environment affects our worldview. 

When people meet me anywhere, can they immediately tell besides my skin color and American English what environment I spent most of my life in? 

Is my eternal home evident to others?

Do I seem well rounded or well grounded?

Do I see myself as humanity’s Savior and people get that pride or American cowgirl, superhero complex that we often get from being American?  or am I representing  clearly the ONLY One who can save?

Do I look like a commercial for freedom of expression, religion, etc… or am I representing the only One who gives ultimate FREEDOM?

May others see in me that my true residency and “home” is an eternal one!

May people see something-someone different in me… the wisdom, the love, the compassion, the conviction, that is deeper than any earthly society and represents our Creator- One is who is Love.

And in whatever environment I live in for whatever season wherever God has me … may this deeper culture that comes from the King of this kingdom be evident in me….so much so- that others want to know about this King I live for!

May God help us as we continue on the journey!

2 Corinthians 5:20

We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us….

Matthew 5:14

You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.

John 15:19

If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world.

Colossians 1:9-14

For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

PRAISES-PRAYER REQUESTS

-I praise God for arriving home safely Monday night, travel was smooth- despite an international travel alert for North Africa that went up the day I traveled- and a surprise landing in Cairo- having to refuel, God is BIGGER than any threat!

-I praise God for the time I’ve been enjoying with my Dad, Mom and Sister

-I praise God that my Dad had a GREAT medical check-up this past week. The doctor did an x-ray on his neck, and things looked great. 

-Please pray for the one month, maybe two, that I have now in the USA- that I can rest, reflect and pray on His best plan for the time ahead

-Please pray for all in Ethiopia- that are in my heart … for staff, students, friends and neighbors-that God will keep them and bless them

-Please keep Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa overall in prayer

-Please pray for my financial and prayer support raising- that God will provide

-Please pray for many I know- who are starting new global positions or who are in transition for work- that God will bless and continue to open things up

-Please pray for my book draft, I’m still working on it

Thank you for your prayers and partnership so much!  Let me know how I can pray for you as well! Please email or facebook message me!  I hope to see many of you in person soon or talk by phone.

So grateful to be on the journey with you!!!!

Blessings to you this August, fall season!

A MACCHIATO CUP

Having lived in Ethiopia for almost two years now, I definitely have a favorite type of coffee.  In this land where coffee was founded, there are many choices. But for me, my favorite is called a macchiato- it’s a mix of coffee and milk and wow, I love it!

When I was first given one here back in 2008, I quickly downed it and needed another. There’s a culture here of SIPPING coffee or tea SLOWLY and talking with others for LONG hours about life, family, village and world news.  I still usually need at least two macchiatos.  I'm used to my BIG SIZE cups of coffee, ha ha.

And maybe I’ve been here too long, but I also have a favorite kind of cup that a macchiato is served in.  The best macchiato to me is served in a simple clear glass.  For me, I don’t like the fancy or tourist type cups.  I like to see what’s on the inside.

A few days ago, I was smiling at my second macchiato when it came out in my favorite clear cup- and this got me thinking about life overall.

Our bodies, the clay-mud tents that hold our lives and spirits- come in different shapes, sizes, colors.  Does my body, like a clear macchiato glass, clearly reflect what is inside of me?  And if so- what do people see?

I think our bodies are fascinating overall.  But I’m also well aware as I’m now getting older, that my body is definitely under the effects of what happened in the Garden of Eden long ago.  Things have started to fall apart. Bones deteriorate. Hair grays ....what? Metabolism slows.  Is that a wrinkle???  It can be downright depressing some days.

How can I best keep my body in good health? Right exercise, a good diet, good sleep, and plenty of water are all important.  But I also have learned that keeping my life pure and clean is also very important- so what’s inside of me can be seen and when that content is seen- it honors God. 

We all have brokenness, sin, scars in our lives.  But in the heart of every believer should be the mark of a cross and the presence of a Savior that covers ALL and there’s a life and storyline that has been redeemed. This is what the world needs to see!!! Scars can be testimonies of grace. A life transformed and transforming is the greatest advertisement of God’s grace and love to the world and this gives great hope!

Our bodies often need repair. Our minds- our hearts- checked.  Is our cup-our life- CLEAN?  Is the content of our lives clean?

When people see me or you, do they see irritation, fatigue, greed, shallowness, selfishness, pride, emptiness… or do they see a Savior and someone loved and accepted by God- and extending that love horizontally to others?

We must allow God to pour into our lives daily- thru His Word and prayer and fellowship. He has wisdom, encouragement, direction, peace, joy, hope to give. God can purify our inside.  And He desires us to be holy and set apart for Him.

1 Peter 1:16
Be holy because I am holy

2 Corinthians 7:1

Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.

1 John 3:3

All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.

1 John 1:9

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

May I not desire a fancy cup, an outside exterior, to hold my life.  May my exterior not be fake or one that hides the presence of a Savior that the world needs to see and meet.  Jesus warned about this…

Matthew 23:25-26
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.

May our lives honor and reflect our God always.  I’ve been reflecting on these verses this past week...

Matthew 5:8

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

John 15:4, 14-16

Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

You are my friends if you do what I command.  I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.  You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.

Matthew 5:16

…let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Hebrews 12:1-2

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith…

Psalm 51:10
Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

2 Corinthians 5:20

We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us….

Psalm 119:11

I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.

2 Corinthians 4:7-12

 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.  We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.   We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.  For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body.   So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.

Philippians 4:8

…whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

May God Help Us on the Journey!

Onward with You!!!

Prayer Requests

-Please pray for my safe travel home this Sunday (August 4) and a good month of rest with my family in the US of A

-Please pray for funds I will need to raise to come back to Ethiopia in September, I will need one time support for airfare and supplies, and new or continued monthly support (if you'd like to join my prayer or financial team- please email me at: a.in.africa@gmail.com)

-Please pray for our students and staff on break now, that it’s restful and good for them

-Please pray for my book, I’m still continuing to write

-Please pray for God’s best plan for my way ahead, that I'm obedient and effective wherever He leads me