Aliens

He's right you know. There are aliens. I am one of them. And so are you. So let's just....nope not gonna do it.

I got a several comments from my fellow missionary friends about the "Third Culture Adults" reference in the last post. It was nice and validating knowing that I wasn't the only one who couldn't just jump back into my culture of origin like nothing in my brain had changed.

I have thought about this... a lot. But never more than when my oldest daughter came home and told me that another child told her she didn't belong here in America, but only belonged in the jungle. After much internal reflection, I realized that physically harming children is wrong and sat down to have a long conversation with my daughter about where she really "belongs".

I explained to her that she actually doesn't truly belong here in America or in the jungle. She truly belongs in heaven with God. That is His design and desire and He sent Jesus to make sure that could be possible for her future.

I told her that no one really belongs here on this earth, our hearts long for something Bigger. Something More. Our hearts long for God, although not everyone recognizes it as that. I mentioned that people try to fit in here, some try really hard by looking a certain way, or having certain material things, but in this ever-changing world you too must constantly change how you look and what you have in order to "belong". That makes me tired.

But Praise God!! He never changes!! And He does the changing in us that makes us belong to Him.

And so when I know that I will never truly fit into my host culture, and I feel like I no longer fit into my culture of origin, I am relieved and filled with joy knowing that I am not really supposed to fit in anyway. I "fit" with Jesus and belong to God. I am a citizen of  Heaven and my true culture is the Kingdom of God.

Until God decides that it is time for me to go home, I am here as an alien, a stranger, a pilgrim, a missionary on this earth.

"They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world." -John 17:16

"But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ." -Philippians 3:20

"All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth.  People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own.  If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return.  Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them." -Hebrews 11:13-16

 "I beg you, as those whom I love, to live in this world as strangers and “temporary residents”, to keep clear of the desires of your lower natures, for they are always at war with your souls." -1 Peter 2:11 (Phillips)

For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; - See more at: http://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Aliens,-Christians-In-The-World#sthash.9HEKVCoO.dpuf

"They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. - See more at: http://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Aliens,-Christians-In-The-World#sthash.9HEKVCoO.dpuf

 Or as the NASB puts it...

^" Beloved, I urge you as ALIENS and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul." 1 Peter 2:11

"They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. - See more at: http://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Aliens,-Christians-In-The-World#sthash.9HEKVCoO.dpuf

All of that is so amazing and so comforting when you feel as though you don't really belong anywhere...

So let's just Praise the Lord!!

(Sorry, even though I resisted writing it above, that song wormed its way into my head like a cranial parasite and I can't get it out. I apologize for the fact that you will be singing "Father Abraham" in your head for the next three days. Does it help to know that I will be singing it with you? No? Again, sorry about that.)

"They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. - See more at: http://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Aliens,-Christians-In-The-World#sthash.9HEKVCoO.dpuf

Spa Weekend

Sorry my blog posting has been sporadic at best since we have been home! I have of course been busy adjusting to first world life again, but also have just felt like I don't really have that much to write about here.

I also worry that my commentary on American life right now might come across more critical than I intend, so I just don't write about it. I don't feel critical, but I do feel a little lost and overwhelmed at times and I am not sure that I could explain those feelings well on this blog without it sounding like I am bashing everything around me. People constantly address the issue of Third Culture Kids  (children who were raised in a culture outside of their parents’ culture for a significant part of their development years and who don't feel like they are truly a part of their culture of origin or fully part of their host culture. They are a mixture of both and therefore represent a "third" culture) but nobody really talks about Third Culture Adults. And I think what I am feeling and experiencing should be labeled as that. Because even though I spent almost 30 years in North American culture, there are some parts I never experience that I am experiencing now- such as being a mom of school children. This is  definitely a huge adjusting and learning process for our whole family and for the school too I am afraid!

But the real transition has been that I have tried my best to immerse myself in a completely different culture for the last three years, and jumping back into my own has been more complicated because of the new sights, sounds, and thoughts that I have been processing for three years. I can't un-see the things that I have seen that now make me view the entire world- not just these two separate and unique cultures- through different lenses. I have a whole new perspective, and as most of you know, perspective can make all the difference.

So anyway, that is my excuse for not writing. I think it is mostly the truth. (I should probably also mention Netflix as a huge contributor to my not writing if I am going to be completely honest)

But back to my "spa weekend" which was not actually a spa weekend at all, but a hysterectomy.

For this stay-at-home-mom/missionary it kinda felt like it, though. I know the Demerol had a lot to do with that feeling, but I spent several days kid free lounging on a bed or couch with people bringing things to me. I also lost eight pounds immediately and no longer look like I am four months pregnant, so yeah, I challenge any spa to beat those results!

I have been suffering from two very painful conditions for about two years now with nothing that I could do about it. And life in the jungle does not really allow me to take "sick days" every month for me to "sleep in the period hut" as my Hewa lady friends would say.

So I am now rejoicing the fact that those painful days are over and as an added bonus I will never have to deal with these annoying and embarrassing events in order to get tampons...

1. Buying an inhuman amount of tampons at Wal-mart in preparation to ship them over for the next year.

2. Running out after year one (or finding mold on half of them and having to throw them away)  and asking people to ship tampons for me. Especially going through the "what type/brand do you prefer" converstation.

3. Having to order them over the radio for a supply flight because email is down.

And you all should be happy too that you will never again after this post have to hear (read) me rant about tampons! (I know all the men who read this blog will be especially happy)

Now let's all sing the Hallelujah Chorus together!

Article

A friend asked me to write an article for a digital discipleship magazine. I went to the site and realized two things...

1) It was pretty hard-core must read kinda stuff that makes you think.

2) I was the only female contributor.

So, I quickly realized that its readers probably didn't want to hear my theories on first graders carrying shivs or how I only recently stopped hoarding tampons out of habit.

I had been working on a little (ok long) piece about racism in my home culture (the deep south) and the Christian church, so I tossed it out there and they edited a bit to make me sound like a much better writer than I actually am and published it.

Yeah, I'm kind of a big deal...not really...I just wanted to say that. 

 I really was just thinking about all these things as we came home and I realized that my kids no longer have a lot of interaction with people of a different race. I was concerned that the multitude of benefits that they have gained from traveling the world and spending time with people from many different cultures and races would be lost in these nine short months. I then realized this wasn't the case just in our extracurricular activities but that EVERYTHING they watch on TV mostly has white people in it (except of course for Doc McStuffins). I tried to incorporated media from other races and realized...there wasn't a lot to choose from! WHITE PEOPLE ARE EVERYWHERE!!!!

And the most disturbing thing of all was that in all the different churches we have been in there has been minimal representation from any race other than caucasian.

So I wrote this...

http://www.alta-forma.com/racism-north-american-church/

Just some thoughts. From a white girl. That is all.

First American Birthday

My baby turned four today. It was her fist time to celebrate the day she entered this world in America.

Birthdays one, two, and three were all celebrated in Papua New Guinea.

first birthday

second birthday

    

 

 

third birthday

They were all fun for her, but sort of simple. You have to get really creative in PNG and it wears me out.  So I actually enjoyed Chuck E. Cheese this year even though I think I had a tiny seizure and I am pretty sure it is some sort of secret Casino training/brainwashing center for children.

I enjoyed just going, having my kids be completely entertained, fed, filled with cake (not made by me) then leaving while someone else cleaned up the mess.

Here is Mia's first American birthday!