a child of Ohio experiences growing up. Milestones by which the passing of time is marked, even though it moved so much more slowly back then. The holiday season…Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s. The first snow fall of the winter…and the first snowman and the first snow day off school. The dreariness of the cold winter drags on and on until Opening Day. Will the Reds do well this year? And spring progresses, school lets out. Summer blissfully progresses punctuated by the fireworks of the Fourth and the state and county fairs. The dreaded first day of school each fall. New school clothes. Football season starts…consuming most the populace. Then more often than not the disappointment of not watching the Reds go all the way. (though ’75 and ’76 were good years though I far was too young to remember them…and 1990 was nice as well) Autumn sets in, leaves fall, and festivals abound…for any good reason we can think of. And then sometime around the first frost the event that is the cornerstone for any God fearing Ohioan’s calender rolls by. And I don’t mean deer season…though I suppose that comes close. I can remember still, my father and grandfather sitting in the living room…focused intently on the screen. These were days before the digital effects wizardry, virtual stat and score boards. Instant replay was around to a point, but to truly know what was going on one had to actually pay attention. And I can remember the alternating triumphant cries and virulent curses hurled at Bruce and Cooper for their genius and their ineptitude. And I’m sure they both yelled at Woody when he lost (and he did his share of yelling too) They never got the chance to yell at Jim. They had no love for Bo, may they all rest in peace. And so its a small shame they aren’t around still…to see their favorite team beat its most hated rival for the fifth time in six years. They would have hooped and hollered and maybe even danced around a bit. Well…maybe not danced. But they would have been really, really happy.
My general inability to sit still…
…has struck again.
I have moved. Sort of. That is, I now sleep in a different state than I recently did, though it is the state in which I have been working in for the last year or so.
For all technical purposes I haven’t moved…
Consider this a non-vacation home.
Or a subtle invasion.
No more daily exodus across the river for work.
Now I go back across for fun.
And coffee.
Among other things.
Maybe I will consider myself now an expat residing in a foreign land.
Though I have already been declared a traitor.
(at least it isn’t that goofy mitten state)
I have a horrible commute now.
At least 30 seconds of walking.
Barely enough time to sip my coffee twice.
Ah…the trials we face.
How ever will I cope?
LOST
Last Thursday I stopped by the local video rental store on my way home. I had been looking forward to the dvd release of The Prairie Home Companion movie. I have long been a big fan of Garrison Keillor’s radio show on NPR…its a wonderful combination of music, culture and comedy. It’s patterned after old-fashioned radio variety shows and is hilarious and often poignant. The movie is loosely based on the show and does a good job of capturing the programs essence.
I also rented the first season of Lost.
I had never seen the show, but had heard it was good.
What an understatement.
It is by far the best program I have ever seen.
I was all but glued to the tv all weekend.
It’s just amazing.
Everyone should watch this show….even if you hate tv.
I wondered what the draw was….
It has excellent writing, great character development, beautiful cinematography and a very intriguing and suspenseful plot.
There had to be something else though…
And thanks to a friend I checked out Bill Brown’s blog and he nails it….
Its about the search for meaning…
It explores the questions that drive us most deeply.
If you haven’t seen it you should.
finally an update
Its been a little over a month since I returned from Indonesia, though at times it seems like an eternity. After about a week to get over the shock of jumping back into another culture and another time zone I went back to work. at Arrick’s Propane. Its a good job, keeps me busy and that keeps me out of trouble.
Indonesia seems so long ago and so far away, but I deeply miss it and long to return.
And I have the opportunity to return next summer, assisting the leader of the program I was in.
The possibility of this is both exciting and humbling. I want to go back, however I fully realize there is much that I have yet learn about the people of Indonesia and that my returning is completely dependent on God working in the hearts of others to send me there.
Another aspect of this opportunity is the possibility of working in Indonesia for a much longer period of time.
Many things need to be worked out for this to become a reality, some of which are…
I would need to be accepted as a member of Wycliffe, as well as the Indonesian Branch of SIL.
I’ll need a Master’s degree, probably in Business Administration…as this is non-threatening to the Indonesian gov’t and allows for the most flexibility in obtaining a visa and sponsorship.
I’ll need to raise support like any traditional missionary would
I’ll need to become fluent in Bahasa Indonesia…and though I have a very basic knowledge of it, I have a lot to learn here as well.
I know that Christ is sufficient, and if He is in this than these details are just that, details.
But please pray that I have the wisdom to be sure of God’s directing and the faithfulness to see this through.
Form where I stand now it seems to be a long road ahead.
Back Home
After a few long flights, too much in flight entertainment and a not enough sleep, I arrived back in Ohio yesterday morning.
And though I am in glad to be home, there is much to think and reflect on, and I hope to share some of that with you in the days ahead.
For now, thank you for your prayers and your time for reading what I’ve written here concerning my time in Indonesia.
If you have any questions or thoughts, feel free to post them, and I’ll do my best to respond well.
Thanks again.