Praising God Across the Ocean

I have been so blessed by Sudan Christian Fellowship while I have been living in Richmond! This Saturday I had the privilege of joining Sudanese women from several communities in Virginia and North Carolina gathered to hear teaching, praise God, and encourage one another.

The Sudan Christian Fellowship children's choir shared a song with the group of women in Arabic. Many of these children were born in the US, but their parents have taught them about Sudan. Even though I didn't understand all the words, my heart was encouraged, so I hope this song encourages you also.

Daniel 7:14
He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.

Home

My Facebook profile doesn't list a hometown or a current city for that matter. Lots of places around the world are part of the idea of home for me. No single place is a complete picture of home, but Richmond is a part of what I consider my home.

I only lived in Richmond for two and half years after I graduated from college. I enjoy the running the Monument Ave. 10k, seeing movies at the Byrd Theatre, and spending afternoons at Maymont Park in the spring, but these aren't the things that I think of when I remember Richmond.

Richmond is a part of the mosaic that is my concept of home largely because of my church community.

Lots of things have changed at WEPC and in my Bible study in the last two years, but some things have stayed the same.

Every sermon still ends with Jesus and the cross. I can take a class called "Theology for Living", but more importantly WEPC is still a community that daily lives out their theology. I can still laugh hard with the women in my Bible study. It is also still a group women that have the freedom and love for one another to be able to share openly about our lives.

I could go on for paragraphs about the things that have stayed the same about my church community that make it home, but I will just share one more example.

My pastor still gives the same benediction every Sunday. The first time I heard it again after two years, well I really don't know how to describe how I felt and I'm not great with words, but I guess I could say it was like the peace and joy of being welcomed into a place you can rest and comfortably be yourself because you are loved. Okay that was cheesy, but the benediction really does mean a lot to me.

Today I attended Sudan Christian fellowship, and during the greeting time, I shook hands with everyone in the congregation. This Sudanese custom again brought a feeling a home to me. Sudan is now a part of my mosaic of home. I practiced a bit of Juba Arabic with Sudanese believers from many different tribes, and their joy over the very simplest phrases I managed to piece together also reminded me of my home in Mundri.

But ultimately, as a friend commented recent post, "Our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ" (Phil 3:20)

Advertisements and Choices

One thing I noticed when I got back to the US that I'm pretty sure wasn't around or at least wasn't as common when I left are those square bar-code things in public places.

I recently learned they are actually called QR (quick response) codes. The image above is for the mobile version of Wikipedia.

I haven't tried this out, but I hear you can use a smart phone to scan the code, and it will take you to a website related to the advertisement. According to Wikipedia, that is called mobile tagging. I have seen them on "For Sale" signs on houses in Richmond, on trains, in malls, etc.

I'm guessing that most of you have known about these for a while and may even use them on a regular basis, but it was new to me. =)


One thing that hit me pretty hard when I got back was the number of choices available for nearly everything. I was completely overwhelmed at the grocery store when I had to choose between between over ten different kinds of onions. In Mundri, you go to the market, and onions are either there or they aren't there. You may see two different types of onions, but they are probably the same price. In the US, in addition to the different varieties, you then have to choose if you want to get the organic type or not. Most of the onions at the supermarket were huge, so I really only needed half an onion. It took me about ten minutes to make a decision and that was after I walked away to calm myself down and remind myself that they are all onions and pretty much any onion would work for the meal I was planning on making.

When Winter is Over

Just before we left Sudan in January, Bethany shared this poem with our team.

Two weeks ago I got to go to Maymont park with the Masso family. It is one of my favorite places in Richmond. Spring is coming and the flowers are starting to bloom, and I thought again of the last lines of this poem.

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A Short Testament
by Anne Porter

Whatever harm I may have done
In all my life in all your wide creation creation
If I cannot repair it
I beg you to repair it,

And then there are all the wounded
The poor the deaf the lonely and the old
Whom I have roughly dismissed
As if I were not one of them.
Where I have wronged them by it
And cannot make amends
I ask you
To comfort them to overflowing,

And where there are lives I may have withered around me,
Or lives of strangers far or near
That I've destroyed in blind complicity,
And if I cannot find them
Or have no way to serve them,

Remember them. I beg you to remember them

When winter is over
And all your unimaginable promises
Burst into song on death's bare branches.

Friends

I'm sorry I haven't been great about keeping up with blogging or sending out prayer letters since I arrived back in the US in January. Part of the reason, I think, is that I am still processing. When I sit down to write something to share with all the people who are praying for me, I end up staring at a blank screen or writing something and then deleting it. My journal is filled with raw thoughts and prayers, but putting something coherent together has been a struggle.

I decided to just share some thoughts about the last few weeks with all of you.

Over the last few weeks I have been reunited with several friends and teammates who know me well. It is amazing thing to have friends that that can almost fill in the blanks for me as I ramble through unprocessed thoughts about the my time in Sudan and transitioning to life in the US.

Being back in Richmond has been more of a blessing than I anticipated. I have been able to sit and talk with friends and even step back into the same Bible study I was a part of over two years ago. All I can say that I am so thankful for all of the people who have been loving me well and pouring into me. Dear friends have welcomed me into their home and a family has even provided me with a car while I am in Richmond. I have been overwhelmed by the hospitality and generosity of friends! God is providing for me and caring for me through this time of transition in beautiful ways that I didn't expect. Tomorrow starts my time at WEPC as a missionary in residence. I don't know what exactly this will look like, but I am excited to find out what God has planned.

I wish I could say I have mastered the art of packing and living out of a suitcase after two years overseas. This morning when I arrived at the Seattle airport getting ready to catch a flight back to Richmond I couldn't find my drivers license. After a bit of searching I realized I also didn't have the keys to the car I am using while I Richmond. Not good.... It was EARLY in the morning, but I decided to call my teammates that were still sleeping back in the hotel room we were sharing and ask them to look around. They very graciously searched the room. My drivers license wasn't there, but they found my keys, and thankfully were able to send hem on the hotel shuttle to the airport for me. The only picture id I had with me was my Penn State student id. Why I still have my student id in my wallet, I'm not sure, but after some extra security screening I made it to my flight just in time. When I arrived in Richmond and started unpacking, I found my drivers license. It was in my makeup bag of all places! Seriously, I have no idea what I was thinking when I put it in there... or more likely I just wasn't thinking. I had torn apart my purse and luggage at the airport looking for it, but never thought to check in my makeup bag.

I traveled to Seattle to attend the wedding of Kim and James. It was a BEAUTIFUL wedding that gave glory to God for what He has done in the lives of the bride and the groom. I cried several times throughout the ceremony. The wedding also provided an opportunity to spend some good quality time with people who have served in East Africa with Kim in Uganda and Sudan. We had a great time laughing, talking, and exploring Seattle together.



Since I was already going to be on the west coast for Kim's wedding, I decided to spend a few days in San Francisco before the wedding with several fellow Penn State Chemical Engineers. We reminisced about our years together in Happy Valley and spent time catching up on each others lives. We also got to go on a free tour of a chocolate factory!


The best thing about being back in the US has been spending time with friends and family in person and even just being able to talk on a phone with no delay or dropped calls. It has encouraged my heart and brought me so much joy. I know I won't be able to see everyone that I love and that has had an impact on my life over the last twenty six years, but I am thankful for all the opportunities I have had and will still have to hug my friends before I head back to Sudan.

Back in Richmond! (Date Correction)

I am back in Richmond, and it is good to be back!

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This Sunday, March 13th I will be giving a brief update at West End Presbyterian Church during both morning services.

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The New Sudan Film : DATE CORRECTION!

In my last prayer letter I made a mistake on the date of the showing of the film The New Sudan.

It will be showing on Saturday, March 19th from 7:30 PM to 9:30 PM in the Fellowship Hall at West End Presbyterian Church.

"The New Sudan is a film detailing the civil war and the road to sustainable peace as South Sudan prepares for independence in July 2011. The story follows the lives of four Southern Sudanese and four significant areas of need and development: water, medical, education and church development. Michael & Karen (World Harvest Mission: Sudan), speakers. There is no charge for this event."

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The Michael and Karen will be giving a mission update at West End Presbyterian Church at both services on Sunday, March 20th.

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Date Review:

March 13th - Christine's mission update at both morning services of West End Presbyterian Church
March 19th - Showing of The New Sudan film at 7:30 PM in the Fellowship Hall of WEPC
March 20th - Michael and Karen's mission update at WEPC

Where are you from?

*With my grandparents in Santos, Brazil*

*A brief encounter with my cousin Bruno in the Sao Paulo airport as he arrived home from Australia the same day I left Brazil. Another cousin arrived back in Brazil after spending the last few weeks in Paraguay just as I was boarding my flight*

* With my cousin Shaila at the Great Wall in Beijing*

The last few weeks of traveling and visiting my family have been such a blessing! I have a very international family which has its perks, but it also means that I only see most of my relatives once every two or three years.

While I was in Shanghai visiting my cousin Shaila a young expat boy who was about four or five years old came up to me after he saw me at a few different stores in the international area of the city and we had the following conversation.

Boy: Where are you from?
Me: I'm from Brazil (the answer I gave when in Shanghai with my cousin).
Boy: We have friends from Brazil and you don't sound like them.
Me: I was raised in the United States.
Boy: So you live in Shanghai now also!
Me: No, I actually live in Africa.
Boy: Then why are you in Shanghai?
Me: My cousin lives here.
Boy: Is she Chinese?
Me: No, she is Brazilian, but she was raised in Austria.
Boy: So you are like me! I have to go pick new shoes, bye!

I never found out where he was from before he ran off to catch up with his parents and buy new shoes, but from his accent he was probably from northern Europe. In five minutes I heard him speak three different languages. Where are you from can be a difficult question. =)

Today I am so thankful for my family! I am thankful for my cousins and the way all of our very different international experiences and upbringings bring us together as third culture kids.

"We Were Suffuring With You"

Last night I spoke briefly at Communidade Batista em Moema.

The day after I arrived in Brazil I discussed what I would share with the pastor, who also happens to be related to me. He encouraged me to speak completely in Portuguese as much as possible. Usually it takes me a week or so to get to a place where I can think in Portuguese and find synonyms for most of the words I don't know, but I would be speaking at the church on my third day in Brazil.

Thankfully Paulo, the pastor, suggested I share in an interview style. He got to hear my testimony ahead of time in English, so he would guide me through by asking simple questions in Portuguese.

When I arrived at church I was already nervous. During the worship songs, I was definitely praying. I prayed that I would rest and have peace because of God's love for me. I prayed that I would believe what I was going to share which is that God works through weak sinful people who trust in Him and God gets the glory in the process. I prayed a lot of things that I knew to be true but that I wasn't really believing in the moment. God gave me more and more peace as I confessed my anxieties, and then it was time to get up and speak.

In the end, I really enjoyed being able to share at this church. I fumbled through thoughts that I couldn't express in Portuguese. I had to ask Paulo to translate some words into Portuguese as we went along. There was one moment in particular when I tried to say the WHM Sudan missoin statement in Portuguese when I got really flustered as I struggled through each and every word, but Paulo saved me and we moved on.

At the end of the service, several people came up to talk to me. Translatating litterally, the most common comment people had for me was "We were suffering with you." The expression in Portuguese would be translated better to mean something more like "We were sympathizing with you as you struggled to find words in Portuguese".

God worked through my struggles to find the right words. I'm happy for people to know that missionaries are real people. I sin. I am weak. I need God. I'm not a great public speaker, but as I grow in believing what is true about me as a child of God, I grow in being able to stand up in front a large group people with out fear.

After several days in Sao Paulo with my Aunt and Uncle, today I will travel to Santos to spend severals days with my grandparents.

Sao Paulo

For those who live in the Sao Paulo area, I will be sharing a bit about my time in Sudan at Communidade Batista em Moema tomorrow (Sunday, February 13th) at the 5:30 PM service.

I will not be attending church at Igreja Batista do Morumbi tomorrow as I had said in my last prayer letter.

If you see me there, please feel free to let me know all the words I say Spanish with a Portuguese accent. =)

Roommates Reunited

Larissa and parted ways in Uganda three weeks ago as we each started our travels back to the US. On Saturday I got spend the day with her at ECHO, the Christian agricultural training center where she will be studying for the next month. It was a beautiful sunny and cool South Florida day. We walked around the farm and taste tested several types of citrus grown at ECHO. We sat in comfortable chairs on her porch and talked about our transitions to life in the US, the news from Sudan, and prayed with each other. It was a great day and a blessing to be reunited the woman who has been my roommate for the last two years.