Running around in this brain of mine have been a lot of thoughts on values. What do I really value? And how do those values translate into my everyday life?
I wonder about values for two reasons. Firstly, there is a little clock in me that is ticking ever louder. Life is about to change in some pretty big ways. In less than a year I will be married and living in Slovakia. For both Amber and I we have come to a realization that we need to be deliberate in identifying what we value. We want to not just bump into people, but invest in our friendships. We need to spend quality time with family, rather than just getting around to it. We have to pause and appreciate the mountains and the ocean, instead of just driving to our next appointment. A limited amount of time has really made us appreciate every aspect, even the small ones, of our lives here in Canada.
Secondly, there are thoughts of how my values shape who I am as a person. The things I value serve as the framework on which I build who I am. In talking to one of our missionary friends, it became clear that if I am not aware of who I am in a familiar cultural context, than I will never be able to translate myself into another culture. Language, mannerisms, expressions and clothing are all expressions of who I am; but they do not define me. I must truly know myself in order to maintain my identity in a new culture.
This is a work in progress.
Friday, March 23, 2007
Sunday, February 25, 2007
From Rain to Sun to Snow
In a true display of unpredictable West Coast weather, the past three days have brought everything from glorious (and much needed) sunshine, to rain, to hail and now there are huge, fluffy snowflakes falling to the ground. It is the perfect day to enjoy the great indoors - despite the fact that there is work to be done.
As always, there is lots to do. I've always heard about how much work getting married actually is, but now I understand. There are simply a lot of little things that form some sort of coalition making it all seem like a single big thing. Amber and I have taken the "divide and conquer" approach and are tackling tasks on an individual basis. This has worked out great - we realy feel as though we are right on top of things. At present my biggest stress is suits. After much searching I've yet to find a suit that I love...well, I found one once, but it did not really work out and now no other suit can even coompare - so sad. We are also doing our pre-marital counseling right now and it has certanly led to some great conversations.
District happenings are in full swing. February was certainly a busy month. I do beleive March will bring a pause just before the rush brought on by SPARK (pre-teen convention) and Historymaker (youth convention) in April and May. Then the beginning of June will see us enter the blissful world of marriage. After that life is looking whirlwind-esque until September. Last Friday we hosted a pre-rally for SPARK to spread the word. It was a great night. I really enjoy investing in an event and then seeing people have an exciting and meaningful time once there. A personal highlight for me was dropping prizes from the cat walk onto a crowd of gift crazy pre-teens below!
Another arena of life that I am attempting to grow is the quality time I spend with friends. Investing in others and relationships is never a waste. With less than a year left here in Canada I really want to share this time with those who have walked out this journey with me; and I am excited to connect with new people as I go. I've found that a ticking clock defintely calls for a priority check.
As always, there is lots to do. I've always heard about how much work getting married actually is, but now I understand. There are simply a lot of little things that form some sort of coalition making it all seem like a single big thing. Amber and I have taken the "divide and conquer" approach and are tackling tasks on an individual basis. This has worked out great - we realy feel as though we are right on top of things. At present my biggest stress is suits. After much searching I've yet to find a suit that I love...well, I found one once, but it did not really work out and now no other suit can even coompare - so sad. We are also doing our pre-marital counseling right now and it has certanly led to some great conversations.
District happenings are in full swing. February was certainly a busy month. I do beleive March will bring a pause just before the rush brought on by SPARK (pre-teen convention) and Historymaker (youth convention) in April and May. Then the beginning of June will see us enter the blissful world of marriage. After that life is looking whirlwind-esque until September. Last Friday we hosted a pre-rally for SPARK to spread the word. It was a great night. I really enjoy investing in an event and then seeing people have an exciting and meaningful time once there. A personal highlight for me was dropping prizes from the cat walk onto a crowd of gift crazy pre-teens below!
Another arena of life that I am attempting to grow is the quality time I spend with friends. Investing in others and relationships is never a waste. With less than a year left here in Canada I really want to share this time with those who have walked out this journey with me; and I am excited to connect with new people as I go. I've found that a ticking clock defintely calls for a priority check.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
The Apple of Alberta's Eye
For those of you wondering, the afore mentioned Apple of Alberta's Eye is none other than the West Edmonton Mall (to be called The Mall hence forth). Amber and I are currently attending a conference called Transitions - it is a whole lot of training for new missionaries. I must admit that my brain is feeling full as we have been learning lots, but it has all been very thought provoking. Plus, it is super great to have the opportunity to meet soon-to-be missionaries, like Amber and I. Talking with people who are expereincing the same things as us, though each in their own unique way, has given us a lot of new perspective to work through.
BUT, back to The Mall! Yesterday, in a moment of informational overload, one of our fellow missionaries in training convinced the man in charge to take a spontaneous road trip to The Mall. There was great excitement surrounding this moment. Breaks were shortened to make the most of our time, classes flew by as we waited in anticipation and pulses were racing contiually throughout the day! The atmosphere became so intense that people were reluctant to utter the name of The Mall, as if speaking it too loudly would cause us all to wake and fdefinitelyit had only been a dream. And then the moment of departure came...
We piled into the van and we were off traversing the straight roads of Alberta (where we had seen 2 moose - or mooses - only the day before). We drove towards Edmonton with a building sense of excitement and then...we got lost! And to be honest, by we, I mean the driver (whom we shall allow to remain annonymous). Now, I am not criticizing this person but I have to say he had been to The Mall before. And, as if that was not enough, it is slightly ridiculous to have announce to a car load of hyped-up missionaries that you cannot seem to find the largest mall in North America...
One awkward phone call later we found ourselves at The Mall. Nearly bursting from our skin, we charged into The Mall in search of roller coasters to delight us with both twisting and looping. Alas, to our great dismay we found that all of the attractions had closed at 7:00pm and the clock had already struck 7:15pm. In that moment, if you stopped to listen, you could hear the sound of my dreams breaking amidst the ticking of the clock (which had hit 7:17pm by this point in time). After consolling ourselves with Starbucks (I tip my hat to you Cinamon Dolce Latte), we shopped and dreamt of what it would be like to be riding the roller coaster at The Mall.
In lieu, of a roller coaster Iride was offered a dare devil ride on a shopping cart at a Wal Mart in Le Duc. I am still waiting for that ride - you know who you are....
BUT, back to The Mall! Yesterday, in a moment of informational overload, one of our fellow missionaries in training convinced the man in charge to take a spontaneous road trip to The Mall. There was great excitement surrounding this moment. Breaks were shortened to make the most of our time, classes flew by as we waited in anticipation and pulses were racing contiually throughout the day! The atmosphere became so intense that people were reluctant to utter the name of The Mall, as if speaking it too loudly would cause us all to wake and fdefinitelyit had only been a dream. And then the moment of departure came...
We piled into the van and we were off traversing the straight roads of Alberta (where we had seen 2 moose - or mooses - only the day before). We drove towards Edmonton with a building sense of excitement and then...we got lost! And to be honest, by we, I mean the driver (whom we shall allow to remain annonymous). Now, I am not criticizing this person but I have to say he had been to The Mall before. And, as if that was not enough, it is slightly ridiculous to have announce to a car load of hyped-up missionaries that you cannot seem to find the largest mall in North America...
One awkward phone call later we found ourselves at The Mall. Nearly bursting from our skin, we charged into The Mall in search of roller coasters to delight us with both twisting and looping. Alas, to our great dismay we found that all of the attractions had closed at 7:00pm and the clock had already struck 7:15pm. In that moment, if you stopped to listen, you could hear the sound of my dreams breaking amidst the ticking of the clock (which had hit 7:17pm by this point in time). After consolling ourselves with Starbucks (I tip my hat to you Cinamon Dolce Latte), we shopped and dreamt of what it would be like to be riding the roller coaster at The Mall.
In lieu, of a roller coaster Iride was offered a dare devil ride on a shopping cart at a Wal Mart in Le Duc. I am still waiting for that ride - you know who you are....
Thursday, January 11, 2007
No Laughing Matter, Well Maybe
Back in BC just in time for the weather to release its fury once more! My time in the tropics of Ontario was great. It was exciting to see friends and family. It was also wonderful to have Amber come and spend some time in my part of the country. We flew back together (that was a nice first) on January 7th.
Life, once again, has picked up momentum and I like the business and challenges that this year has in store. They excite me!
Something even more exciting is driving the streets here in the Lower Mainland of BC. There are just too many funny moments to share. There are literally cars and trucks, of all shapes and sizes, strewn everywhere. Drives that should normally have taken me only a short while have turned into roadtrips! The highlight of it all came when it took me an hour-and-a-half to make it down one street. I had never heard of a city bus spinning out before that day...and to my great surprise, 2 city buses had spun out and blocked traffic just ahead of me! What are the odds of that happening? No seriously, I want to know.
As much as the snow and wind has wreaked havoc on BC, it is incredibly beautiful out there...picture tall pine trees dressed heavily in white with the sun reflecting off the snow as it blows off of mountain tops (please note this view is best enjoyed from the inside of your home).
Life, once again, has picked up momentum and I like the business and challenges that this year has in store. They excite me!
Something even more exciting is driving the streets here in the Lower Mainland of BC. There are just too many funny moments to share. There are literally cars and trucks, of all shapes and sizes, strewn everywhere. Drives that should normally have taken me only a short while have turned into roadtrips! The highlight of it all came when it took me an hour-and-a-half to make it down one street. I had never heard of a city bus spinning out before that day...and to my great surprise, 2 city buses had spun out and blocked traffic just ahead of me! What are the odds of that happening? No seriously, I want to know.
As much as the snow and wind has wreaked havoc on BC, it is incredibly beautiful out there...picture tall pine trees dressed heavily in white with the sun reflecting off the snow as it blows off of mountain tops (please note this view is best enjoyed from the inside of your home).
Monday, December 25, 2006
Egg Nog, Family and a lot of Turkey
Christmas day is coming to a close for me and I have to say that I am riduculously full of holiday goodies (and a huge root beer float). And I have concluded that this is a good thing, a very good thing.
Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas!
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Of British Columbia and Beirut
ONTARIO - I am now in one of the sprawling suburbs of Toronto. It is great to be with my family and see my friends. There is just something so familiar about it all. That familiarity reminds me, that despite my stint in BC for college and now being an official resident for 2 months, I remain very Ontarianized. It felt great to be on a highway with more than 4 lanes where you can drive 130 km/h and still get passed (and by passed I really mean cut off) by numerous business people in cars and multi-tasking hockey moms in minivans. And though it feels wonderful to have Pizza Pizza, Second Cup's galore, people who truly love the festive special and streets that do not resmeble mathematic equations, I must admit, I do miss the mountains.
In my attempts to remain connected to the Lower Mainland I have been watching the weather. We BC residents have had a rough go of it this December. While watching the news about the plight of Stanley Park, I was struck by how many people kept comparing the downed trees and damaged property to a war zone. One man even went as far as to say it looked like the Lebanese capital, Beirut. Now, I do recognize that this winter has not been fun-filled for BC Hydro crews. I too was without power for 2 days (I had honed my no-power survival skills during the great Ontarian blackout). And I admit that the Christmas tree I had was of my own doing and not because my neighbours 50 foot tree fell through my roof straight into my living room.
All of this made me question, how well do we Canadians, North Americans, Westerners etc. truly understand suffering? For a good number of people this unfortuante foliage incident will be their greatest hardship all year. In the global scheme of things, even those who are suffering in Canada are far better off than a large portion of the world's population (that is not to say we should neglect those in need here in our own home).
What does it mean to suffer?
At this time of year we all look at the things we do NOT have and that we simply can NOT live without - and then we tell our friends to get us them as a gift. Funny how we were doing just fine last month without it... Gifts are wonderful expressions of love so don't go trading them all in. But in the end, we must remember it is all just stuff.
Most of the people I would identify as not just happy (a state of excitrement which comes and goes), but who are truly content (not complaicent), are the people who often have the least. Being content would mean that I could lose everything and still be alright. Conversely, I could double everything I own and still be the same person. The amount of things I possess should not redefine whether I am happy or sad.
What does it look like to be content?
This Christmas I intend to take some time to evaluate my contentedness. May this Christmas be filled with family, friends, moments worth remembering, blazing fireplaces, songs, cookies and all of the simple joys that make life that much more special.
In my attempts to remain connected to the Lower Mainland I have been watching the weather. We BC residents have had a rough go of it this December. While watching the news about the plight of Stanley Park, I was struck by how many people kept comparing the downed trees and damaged property to a war zone. One man even went as far as to say it looked like the Lebanese capital, Beirut. Now, I do recognize that this winter has not been fun-filled for BC Hydro crews. I too was without power for 2 days (I had honed my no-power survival skills during the great Ontarian blackout). And I admit that the Christmas tree I had was of my own doing and not because my neighbours 50 foot tree fell through my roof straight into my living room.
All of this made me question, how well do we Canadians, North Americans, Westerners etc. truly understand suffering? For a good number of people this unfortuante foliage incident will be their greatest hardship all year. In the global scheme of things, even those who are suffering in Canada are far better off than a large portion of the world's population (that is not to say we should neglect those in need here in our own home).
What does it mean to suffer?
At this time of year we all look at the things we do NOT have and that we simply can NOT live without - and then we tell our friends to get us them as a gift. Funny how we were doing just fine last month without it... Gifts are wonderful expressions of love so don't go trading them all in. But in the end, we must remember it is all just stuff.
Most of the people I would identify as not just happy (a state of excitrement which comes and goes), but who are truly content (not complaicent), are the people who often have the least. Being content would mean that I could lose everything and still be alright. Conversely, I could double everything I own and still be the same person. The amount of things I possess should not redefine whether I am happy or sad.
What does it look like to be content?
This Christmas I intend to take some time to evaluate my contentedness. May this Christmas be filled with family, friends, moments worth remembering, blazing fireplaces, songs, cookies and all of the simple joys that make life that much more special.
Saturday, December 2, 2006
Turkish Teachable Moments
I arrived back in Canada yesterday and am I ever jet lagged! There is just something special about being wide awake at 2am!
Turkey is a beautiful country. The history, architecture and natural beauty is simply phenomenal. Attending the Eurasian Missions Conference was a great opportunity to connect and learn. There were numerous moments of learning that happened on my little jaunt to the other side of the world.
TEACHABLE MOMENT #1: Missionaries are real people - I think in Christian circles we have a tendency to put certain people on trophy shelves - in our own subculture we create larger-than-life Christian celebrities. It is still very odd to hear the title "missionary", and all that it entails, attached to my name. After all, 8 months ago I was "Matt the Student". Being able to sit down with a group of missionaries and listen to their stories, ask questions and observe them in everyday life was a great reminder that missionaries are real people who simply live out their faith in a different cultural context. Regardless of my title, I am still me and I am doing what I am supposed to do - no trophy shelves, no molds to fit into.
TEACHABLE MOMENT #2: The intrigue of Islam - Before visiting Turkey I had never been to an explicitly Muslim nation. Being awoken by the call to prayer and seeing a mosque on almost every street corner was a new experience. Amber and I had two opportunities to be inside a mosque during afternoon prayers. It was humbling to see the intensity of the people's devotion as they paused in their day to pray. This experience was so sensory that I find it hard to capture in words. The feeling of the floor under my feet. The coolness of the air resulting from the massive vaulting stone ceilings. The sound of the call to prayer haunting me (in a good way) as it echoes across the city. The rustle of clothing as dozens of people bow, kneel and stand while praying. It was remarkable to see how our faiths are worlds apart and yet not asexcitementas I had thought.
TEACHABLE MOMENT #3: Scams...we all for them - I would like to think of myself as a seasoned traveller who is now street savvy in a numbecomplacentts, but I was outsmarted several times on the streets of Istanbul. These shiny moments include paying for things in Euro'shaverth lots) when I thought I was paying in Lira (worth less) and when Amber caught a small boy reaching into my bag. I'd like to think that I would have caught him, but to be honest if Amber would not have told me then I probably would have never known that a little hand was in my bag. For the record, he got nothing out of it. The piece de resistance came on the Galata Bridge when a shoe shiner dropped his brush. I picked it up and gacontentedness the man. He then grabbed my feet and began shining my shoes. I thought he was returning the favour until he asked for money. I was going to be cheap and hand him change but decided to give him some "papercookies- by his request. As I opened my wallet he just reached in and pulled out 10 Euro (which is like $15 Canadian). I tried to grab it back because a 2 minute shoe shine is not worth $15 Canadian. He then said that 10 Euro was not enough and told me if I gave him 20 Euro he would give me 10 in change...think about that. I declined his offer, told him to keep the 10 and we left. The moral of this story is that we are all human and that no matter how smart you think you are, there is always someone smarter (or more smart for you grammar buffs).
TEACHABLE MOMENT #4: Just let it go - connected to teachable moment #3 I give you teachable moment #4. I had a hard time with shoe shine man ripping me off. If I am going to be completely transparent; I was ticked and a good part of me wanted to go back, find him and throw his brush, which had just polished my shoes - which aren't even real leather, into the Bosphorus River. That night as I went to bed, and a little the next morning when I awoke, I had to talk to God about this situation. I was annoyed that someone had taken advantage of me, but even more so that this man's first thought when he saw me was "how can I take advantage of the foreigner?". I have concluded that this man is probably in more need of that 10 Euro's than I was and that God told me He will take care of me - so if I need 10 Euro's for something vital, then I'll just have to trust that He'll help me out. BUT, the big lesson is in saying and doing. Often I tell God "I need / want for You to deal with this situation". Then, because I am human and a man, I do not give God control of the situation. With my mouth I give Him permission to do what He wants, but my emotions, thoughts and heart ensure my finger prints are all over it. So, my lesson is: when I say something to God I need to follow through with some action (or inaction). Trust is not just a matter of believing God can take care of it, but rather acting in a manner which shows I know God is taking care of it.
TEACHABLE MOMENT #5: In process - as we were leaving Turkey, Amber and I had to do an 8 hour layover through the night in Ataturk International Airport. We had tried to make a little base camp where we could sleep while guarding our luggage. The plan was going well until a very old Turkish man flopped himself down beside Amber. His wife was not far behind and suddenly Amber and I found ourselves forced out of our quasi-comfortable sleeping positions into an upright, sitting side-by-side position with our stuff and this elderly couple to our left. Usually, I am more than happy to give up a seat for someone I think needs it more, but at 3am I was annoyed that this couple had walked past a sea of empty chairs only to uproot our very nicely arranged makeshift camp. Secondly, this couple was not a cute elderly couple. Most of the time I see two aged individuals strolling along holding hands and I look forward to that for myself. This couple was not that kind of couple. They talked loudly, smelt like fetta or some other sort of Eurasian based cheese and loudly mashed their food exclusively with their gums and lips (while sipping orange Fanta). It was the kind of chewing where the tongue comes out of the mouth often as if the taste buds at the front of the tongue are worn down so the ones at the back have to be brought forward for full taste enjoyment. It was not long until Amber and I packed up and set out for new ground. At this point in time I am not really sure what the life lesson is here, but with an experience like this I choose to believe something will come of it - something has to come of it.
Turkey is a beautiful country. The history, architecture and natural beauty is simply phenomenal. Attending the Eurasian Missions Conference was a great opportunity to connect and learn. There were numerous moments of learning that happened on my little jaunt to the other side of the world.
TEACHABLE MOMENT #1: Missionaries are real people - I think in Christian circles we have a tendency to put certain people on trophy shelves - in our own subculture we create larger-than-life Christian celebrities. It is still very odd to hear the title "missionary", and all that it entails, attached to my name. After all, 8 months ago I was "Matt the Student". Being able to sit down with a group of missionaries and listen to their stories, ask questions and observe them in everyday life was a great reminder that missionaries are real people who simply live out their faith in a different cultural context. Regardless of my title, I am still me and I am doing what I am supposed to do - no trophy shelves, no molds to fit into.
TEACHABLE MOMENT #2: The intrigue of Islam - Before visiting Turkey I had never been to an explicitly Muslim nation. Being awoken by the call to prayer and seeing a mosque on almost every street corner was a new experience. Amber and I had two opportunities to be inside a mosque during afternoon prayers. It was humbling to see the intensity of the people's devotion as they paused in their day to pray. This experience was so sensory that I find it hard to capture in words. The feeling of the floor under my feet. The coolness of the air resulting from the massive vaulting stone ceilings. The sound of the call to prayer haunting me (in a good way) as it echoes across the city. The rustle of clothing as dozens of people bow, kneel and stand while praying. It was remarkable to see how our faiths are worlds apart and yet not asexcitementas I had thought.
TEACHABLE MOMENT #3: Scams...we all for them - I would like to think of myself as a seasoned traveller who is now street savvy in a numbecomplacentts, but I was outsmarted several times on the streets of Istanbul. These shiny moments include paying for things in Euro'shaverth lots) when I thought I was paying in Lira (worth less) and when Amber caught a small boy reaching into my bag. I'd like to think that I would have caught him, but to be honest if Amber would not have told me then I probably would have never known that a little hand was in my bag. For the record, he got nothing out of it. The piece de resistance came on the Galata Bridge when a shoe shiner dropped his brush. I picked it up and gacontentedness the man. He then grabbed my feet and began shining my shoes. I thought he was returning the favour until he asked for money. I was going to be cheap and hand him change but decided to give him some "papercookies- by his request. As I opened my wallet he just reached in and pulled out 10 Euro (which is like $15 Canadian). I tried to grab it back because a 2 minute shoe shine is not worth $15 Canadian. He then said that 10 Euro was not enough and told me if I gave him 20 Euro he would give me 10 in change...think about that. I declined his offer, told him to keep the 10 and we left. The moral of this story is that we are all human and that no matter how smart you think you are, there is always someone smarter (or more smart for you grammar buffs).
TEACHABLE MOMENT #4: Just let it go - connected to teachable moment #3 I give you teachable moment #4. I had a hard time with shoe shine man ripping me off. If I am going to be completely transparent; I was ticked and a good part of me wanted to go back, find him and throw his brush, which had just polished my shoes - which aren't even real leather, into the Bosphorus River. That night as I went to bed, and a little the next morning when I awoke, I had to talk to God about this situation. I was annoyed that someone had taken advantage of me, but even more so that this man's first thought when he saw me was "how can I take advantage of the foreigner?". I have concluded that this man is probably in more need of that 10 Euro's than I was and that God told me He will take care of me - so if I need 10 Euro's for something vital, then I'll just have to trust that He'll help me out. BUT, the big lesson is in saying and doing. Often I tell God "I need / want for You to deal with this situation". Then, because I am human and a man, I do not give God control of the situation. With my mouth I give Him permission to do what He wants, but my emotions, thoughts and heart ensure my finger prints are all over it. So, my lesson is: when I say something to God I need to follow through with some action (or inaction). Trust is not just a matter of believing God can take care of it, but rather acting in a manner which shows I know God is taking care of it.
TEACHABLE MOMENT #5: In process - as we were leaving Turkey, Amber and I had to do an 8 hour layover through the night in Ataturk International Airport. We had tried to make a little base camp where we could sleep while guarding our luggage. The plan was going well until a very old Turkish man flopped himself down beside Amber. His wife was not far behind and suddenly Amber and I found ourselves forced out of our quasi-comfortable sleeping positions into an upright, sitting side-by-side position with our stuff and this elderly couple to our left. Usually, I am more than happy to give up a seat for someone I think needs it more, but at 3am I was annoyed that this couple had walked past a sea of empty chairs only to uproot our very nicely arranged makeshift camp. Secondly, this couple was not a cute elderly couple. Most of the time I see two aged individuals strolling along holding hands and I look forward to that for myself. This couple was not that kind of couple. They talked loudly, smelt like fetta or some other sort of Eurasian based cheese and loudly mashed their food exclusively with their gums and lips (while sipping orange Fanta). It was the kind of chewing where the tongue comes out of the mouth often as if the taste buds at the front of the tongue are worn down so the ones at the back have to be brought forward for full taste enjoyment. It was not long until Amber and I packed up and set out for new ground. At this point in time I am not really sure what the life lesson is here, but with an experience like this I choose to believe something will come of it - something has to come of it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
