Picture Day

I'm going to attempt something new and I don't know how it will turn out. I'm not used to putting pictures on the blog, though I can do all right in other applications. There has to be a better, easier way to do this, but I haven't found it.

It's always hard to decide which pictures to include in a blog. There are considerations regarding security along with the normal questions about quality, appropriateness, etc. I decided this time that I'm going to write just a little and post more pictures. We'll see what happens.

Transitions - Again

Our time in Asia is coming to an end in just a few weeks – actually 44 days, but, who’s counting? We’re experiencing a variety of emotions as we look at concluding our work here and transitioning into full-time mission work based in the States. There are projects we have to finish – I’m scheduled to do a series of classes on Philippians this week at a local church. There are decisions to make – which direction the school ought to pursue as the need for a license persists and the acquiring of one seems as far off as ever. And, there are preparations to make – for the transition of leadership at the school and personally for our move home.

We completed a trip to the capital city last week where we had meetings to determine the likelihood of obtaining a license. Besides those meetings, we had a wonderful time with a local pastor and his family in their one-room flat. There was a kitchen and one other room used for meals, daily living, and sleeping. It wasn’t too crowded since all their five children were never there at one time. The city is rather new. Fifteen years ago it was a small city in the north of the country. The decision was made to move the capital and tremendous growth has occurred. The center of the city is a monument to what man can do apart from a Creator. (I was reminded of the Tower of Babel and Nebuchadnezzar’s garden.)

We’re still struck by the people of Central Asia. Beyond the difference in appearance from “White Westerners,” there is a large gap in ethics and mores between the two cultures. The longer we’re here, and the more people we speak with as we analyze the differences, the clearer it is that the communist system of years gone bye damaged, and perhaps nearly destroyed, the indigenous cultures of Central Asia. As difficult as it is to bridge normal cultural differences, the extra mix of communism and the Russian culture has made reaching these people with the gospel especially difficult. There was a great openness to the gospel shortly after the fall of the Soviet Union. That period has passed and the work here is hard and progress is slow. The need for leadership training which deals with biblical content and a Christian lifestyle is great. Discipleship activities that lead to changed lives are absolutely necessary – just as in the States.

We’re definitely in Spring, though the temperatures fluctuate widely. Last week we were in short sleeves. (I say “we” because we were the only ones. There were still many people as bundled up as during the depth of winter.) This week has been kind of rainy and cool. That’s not a problem, though the fact that the city turned off the central heat has made our flat a bit cool. During the deepest part of winter the temperature in the flat was a constant 68 degrees. In the last month the temp rose to 75-78 degrees round the clock. (I got out a pair of shorts for lounging at home.) Last Sunday morning we awoke to discover our batteries (radiators) cold and the temp around 70. The last couple days has been cooler. We began today at 64 and have seen the temp rise to 66. Of course, we have lit three candles to assist.

It has been great to find out that walking is a pleasant experience. We’re tying to get in about five miles a day and accomplish that or more most days. We’re interested to see how our walking practice transitions as we go home. We’ve never walked to the store like we do here. Since we have to carry everything home, we never use a shopping cart. We do use a basket, but we find we have to make more trips to the “magazines” (the local stores) than we do when we’re home. We might carry on this practice if we locate reasonably close to shopping. (“Reasonably” being defined as less than a couple miles.)

So, here we go into another transition. Who would have thought it “at our age?”

Looking Ahead

We’re finding ourselves doing a lot of reflecting these days. At the same time, we’re spending a good bit of time looking ahead. Talk about being pulled in two different directions!

We’ve been in Central Asia for seven months. We arrived in the Summer. We enjoyed the brief Fall and, we’re now seeing the passing of Winter. That’s not to say that April in this part of the world is not able to get a parting shot from Winter, but if Spring isn’t here, we can see it. There are some shrubs and trees that are displaying blossoms of various colors. We’re careful about making too much out of these teasing indicators of Spring – but we are hopeful that we’ll wake up tomorrow and find that Spring has sprung.

We’re looking ahead to June 2nd, our return to the United States. It will be great to set foot on our home soil and see family after these months away. We’ve been asked numerous times, “What are you going to do first?” or “What restaurant are you going to first?” There are different answers to those questions. We could say that the first thing we’ll do is line up to go through immigration control. We’ve thought about the restaurant question quite a bit. I don’t think we want to plan that with all the uncertainties.

More than restaurants, we’re looking ahead to a new job and setting up a new home when we get back. Our plan is to continue in ministry through serving in the area of missions. We’re still working through the process of determining the specific role we’ll play, but we’ll be based in the Northwest serving in various places. We’ll continue our involvement assisting with church planting in Japan. Beyond that, there are several other opportunities of short term assignments in Africa, the Caribbean and various places in Asia. We’re a bit overwhelmed by the possibilities, but we’re confident that God will continue to give us direction in the days ahead. We’ll have the privilege of working with a great OMS Northwest team which has been put together recognizing the strengths of the gifted people on the Northwest team.

We’ve been asked, “What will you miss in Central Asia?” The answer to that is easy. We’ll miss people. We’ll miss our partners who have made it possible to survive these months away from our family and friends. We’ll miss people that we’ve worked with getting through a difficult period in the history of the school. We’ll miss brothers and sisters we’ve met from around the world (South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, England, Germany, Russia, Korea, Central Asia, Nigeria, Canada, and even the US) in the various church’s we’ve attended.

We’ve been on quite and “adventure” over this last year and a half since we were first approached about coming to Central Asia. There have been struggles and stumbles. There has been laughter and celebration. We’ve seen numerous examples of God’s graciousness and kindness during these months. So, we look back at what has been and ahead at what is yet to be. The temptation is to reflect and dream without focusing on the here and now. We have a job to finish in these next eight weeks. We might not complete the task of obtaining a license, but our role will be to continue to build a team that can move on into the future training church leaders for Central Asia. May God help us.