My sister's prayer earlier today:

". . . and thank you, God, for giving us friends to play with and food and books and pens and the ability to be literate and have fantastical minds."

Gökotta

This is another Nordic word (Swedish) that I found so lovely. It's the act of waking up at early dawn to watch and listen to the first birds sing. My sister, Kate, does this quite often. (Unlike her, I'm not usually an early riser, and if I awake early enough to hear the first birds sing, it's accidental. But I greatly admire those who do.) I think this also provides the perfect moment and kind of peace to spend time with the Lord and to be still before the business of the day. 

Seven different books lay before me,
Each filled with notes, terms, and references.
The keyboard is ready to be used
For an assignment not of my preference.
My mind is blank and my eyes tired;
I’m not sure I can escape this longing
To set my work aside and let sleep be acquired.
But I shall push through, for I am not far from finished;
And then I can rest, and my work will be diminished.

Life Here

As an MK

- when you start to speak, but the wrong language comes out (or when your one sentence ends up with two or three different languages in it)

- when you find yourself holding your breath all the way to your destination because the condition of the “roads” makes it too hard to breathe normally

- when you find a bug in your food or water, quietly pick it out, and continue eating as if nothing happened

- when one of the most common questions asked in the household is “Do we have water right now?”

- when traffic rules don’t exist

- when it is impossible to concisely respond to the question “Where are you from?”

- when your feet are stained red because walking barefoot on laterite beats walking in shoes

- when you randomly find goats hanging out in your backyard

- when you’ve memorized your way around the national airport because it’s small and you’ve been countless times

- when “cold” is at 80° F

- when “home” is not a place

I and many other people often overlook, or misunderstand the significance of the disciples leaving to follow Jesus. We are such independent thinkers and make decisions on our own, whereas the biblical people often thought collectively, involving their friends and families. Matthew 4:18-22 tells of the first disciples leaving their work and family behind to follow Jesus. I tend to think, “Oh yeah, they saw how good and different Jesus was and hopped up to follow their new rabbi.” They did leave immediately. But we sometimes forget how much they gave up. They left their only work they knew, including their nets and boats, their fathers and families, the comfort of home, all to follow Jesus. But it was so worth it.

One of my favorite things about living in a warm culture is the emphasis on quality time. Simple visits to people's homes mean so much, and taking the time to stop and have a conversation is a foundational part of society. I find that a very good thing.