A Note from Sarah

For the past couple of weeks, I have wanted to update our blog to give our readers an update from my point-of-view.  I would first like to thank everyone who has prayed for my grandfather.  Praise God!  He is doing a little better.  I am so thankful for technology–we have seen and talked to him twice on Skype.  What a blessing it has been to see both my grandparents and for them to see our family, including the new baby.  We named Joyanna after my grandma (her name is Anna)!

Dan and I are so glad to be serving here in Cyprus.  We have made a lot of sacrifices, but now that we are here, it has definitely been worth it.  Dan is enjoying his work at SAT-7 and I am enjoying raising our children in a different culture.  My days are very busy with homeschooling Calvin (2nd grade) and Elisa (Kindergarten), and of course, taking care of our new little one.  Joyanna’s schedule seems to change every couple of weeks, so she keeps me on my toes.  I am struggling keeping up with our household chores and ministry administration stuff (keeping track of our ministry expenses, writing thank you notes to donors, etc.).  I am trying to relax about not being able to “do it all”.  Babies stay babies for such a short time, so I am trying to savor the moments of smiles and laughs with Joyanna.

Both Calvin and Elisa are doing really well this year in school.  Calvin has become our math wiz and our Google Earth expert.  I am really pleased with how quickly Elisa is picking up on reading.  There are definite struggles with homeschooling (sometimes attitudes can flare up), but overall I am thankful to have this precious time with the children.

We live in a mostly Cypriot neighborhood, so we hear a lot of Greek when we go to the local park.  The kids have interacted pretty well with other Cypriot children.  I was really proud of Calvin one day at Burger King (yes, they have Burger King, KFC, McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, Papa John’s and a few other “American” restaurants here–the menus are different than they are in the States).  Cypriots lives revolve around their children, so almost all restaurants have HUGE playcenters.  Burger King’s playcenter is a smaller version of Escapades in Muncie.  A lot of children were playing in the ball pit and Calvin began to feel overwhelmed with all the balls thrown at him.  He said “ohxi” and the children stopped throwing balls.  ”Ohxi” means “no”.  Then, when he wanted the balls thrown at him he said “nay”, which means “yes”.  I was proud of him to use Greek to communicate to the other children.  Elisa has also used some Greek with other girls.  She has told them she is “penday” years old (5).  As part of our homeschool curriculum, we are studying Rosetta Stone Greek.  I don’t think it will get us fluent in Greek, but it has been helpful.  Most Cypriots understand some English and many foreigners don’t bother learning Greek.  It has been fun to learn a little Greek with the kids.

I am finally somewhat comfortable driving here.  I struggled staying in the middle of the lane at first, since the driver sits on the right-hand side of the car and one’s perspective totally changes when you drive on the left-hand side of the road.  I got a crash course on driving, though, one evening when I got lost for over two hours.  Nicosia is the largest city I’ve ever lived in, so that also added to my feeling overwhelmed.  I can get around to the places I need to go each week fine now.  Each week the kids have a few outside activities.  Calvin is in a Boy Scout troop at the American International School.  He is really enjoying it!  He also plays soccer every Saturday at the UN Headquarters.  Elisa is in a ballet class that meets once a week for 45 minutes.  The teacher commented to me that Elisa is talented.  Hmmm….it will be interesting to see if Elisa has a future in singing and dancing!

I’ve been very pleased with both children’s growth in the their love for the Lord.  Calvin is now reading an adult Bible and he reads out of it every day without being told.  Elisa is enjoying the devotions we do and the stories I read about Christian missionaries.

Calvin had some strange ticks (jerky involuntary movements) this past summer, but they seem to be gone now.  Both kids talk about missing their previous homes in the States and our dog, Zeus, but they have been bringing this up less and less.  They love to receive emails and letters from their friends and Skype calls have been fun a few times too.

I am doing better now, after a very long and hot summer.  It took me awhile to get used to the heat while being pregnant.  I also had to get used to the hard floors in the homes here.  Now that I am finally healed after my c-section and the temperatures are cooler, I am enjoying the sunny skies and stroller rides around the neighborhood.  I don’t know if I will ever get over the uncomfortable feeling I get when there are communication issues with other people.  It is challenging to have a baby here and to not feel completely understood when I take her to a clinic to get immunizations.  Different medicines, different immunization schedules, different formulas with all the labels in Greek (I nurse mostly, but also bottle-feed some), all add some stress into life.

Overall, we are doing well and adjusting to life here in Cyprus.  Your prayers mean so much to us!

Clarifying the Path

Sometimes I wonder about the state of the world – how it got this way. I wonder how certain people are certain ways.  It is dumb-founding to ponder the root of the world’s problems.  Here in the Middle East, the complexity of the situation can consume even the stoutest of intellectual might.  Yet, many have very strong opinions about the path for peace, or worse, the path for self-dominance – which some believe is better than peace.

I’ve been doing some reading about this region in hopes of, at the very least, holding my own in a casual conversation of my peers, or, at the very best, having enough understanding to offer compassion to the people who exist here.  The first book that I read (I still have a few chapters left), was From Beirut to Jerusalem by Thomas Friedman – a Jewish-American, yet secular, journalist who lends a very open mind to his historical exploration of the issues in the Middle East.  I valued Mr. Friedman’s candor and dutiful rendering of the events of the last sixty-plus years of the region.  Yet, I was sure that it wasn’t the whole story.

Quick Update: This Is Our Life Right Now

Sometimes this life gives you as much as you can take.  I’m not sure we’re all that close to that level of stress, but it certainly isn’t dull around here.  We definitely are requesting prayer for strength, wisdom, endurance, finances, ministry……….just about everything.

I want to specifically ask you to pray for Sarah.  Her grandfather has been unwell.  He has recently made a decision that brings up end-of-life issues.  While Sarah is supportive of this, it certainly isn’t easy to deal with.  It is especially complex as we are so far away.  Please pray for wisdom about travel, peace for Sarah and her family (Grandpa included) and for comfort for him.

Lately, we have been experiencing what we are considering late-reaction, culture shock.  We are finding ourselves missing our families, our life back in the States, our dog and many other things.  Logically, we should be well past these things.  And, it’s almost strange the things that bring up longing in our hearts.  This was clear when I recently visited Jordan.  Almost instantly, I felt a sense of comfort when I realized that they drive on the right side of the road.  I realized that I missed even that.

Life for us has become busy, like I’m sure it is for many of you.  At SAT-7, I am part of the team preparing for the annual conference in November.  We have a very small team and more than enough to do.  So, my days at the office are quite full.  At home, having a baby, two home-schoolers, bills, cross-continental communication with friends and extended family, a broken motorcycle all seem to make the time at home seem it’s all too much.  Most of this is just normal life but somehow it seems a little excessive right now.

I have a friend that says when life is seeming difficult, “well, I must be doing something right.”  You see, he knows that the enemy tries to discourage those who are productive for the Lord.  I hope, in our case, that the difficult days are the result of good kingdom work.  I do feel that the work that I’m doing at SAT-7 is valuable and that SAT-7 is diligently sharing the Gospel to many people who would otherwise not hear.  And, our kids seem to be growing closer to the Lord as we raise them.  For this, I am grateful.

We are in one of those times of life where it is important to press on.  But, please allow us to ask for your support through prayer and encouragement.  We’ve gotten here because of your diligence in these things, perhaps we will persevere the same way.  The Lord has provided us with you.  He tends to know what He is doing.

Cozy Discomfort

I love to be comfortable.  One of my favorite activities is to take a nap on our ultra-squishy, overstuffed couch.  It doesn’t happen as often as I would like, but when it does it is true bliss.  I don’t like to sweat (moving to Cyprus not a good idea), stand for too long, wait for anything (moving to Cyprus not a good idea) or virtually anything else that causes the least bit of discomfort.  Being raised in the U.S., comfort has been pretty easy to come by.  Isn’t that what the American dream is all about? Build up a life that is predictable and avoids discomfort?  I have spent much energy on this dream.

The problem with this is that my desire for comfort could and probably has hampered my ability to follow God.  I have yet to read anywhere in the Bible that we are to seek comfort with all our ability.  Nor does it say, that the reward in heaven is great for those with the softest couch.  The message by John Piper in my last post has been challenging me.  But, even before listening to this, I believe that God has been pruning away my selfish desire for comfort.  He has been replacing this with a desire for Him.  For this I am grateful.

There are a couple of examples of in the Bible of people choosing comfort over obedience.  Peter’s denial of knowing Jesus three times was rooted in the desire not to be in jail or persecuted.  Jonah’s free-loading in the whale’s  gut was also an avoidance of doing the uncomfortable.  I believe even the Pharisee’s denial and killing of Jesus was based on a “don’t rock my boat” mentality.

Interesting

I promise a real post will come soon.  But, in the meantime, here is a link to a post from a friend (thanks, Rick!) that I found interesting.  I would like to know your thoughts on this.

http://tinyurl.com/n8m5fe

Update:  For the full audio sermon listen here.  (I just finished it.  It is very challenging)