"Christmas Joy"

the cookies, candy and icing
One very conscientious student's plate

Grade One Class

Walking in Truth

Intentionally Loving

The teacher and I- colleagues.

On Fridays I get to teach English for about half an hour at a local public school. This is a highlight! We had wanted to do something "Christmassy" on Friday to recognize the holiday, despite the fact that it is not a national holiday here. We decided on decorating Christmas cookies and playing Christmas music. So, I geared up for this event all week. I bought the groceries I needed to bake the cookies and then baked on Wednesday and Thursday- sugar cookies in shapes of Snowmen, Angels, Christmas Trees and Stars. I bought LOTS of toppings to decorate the cookies with- smarties, sprinkles, gummies, gum drops and sours. The kids had a blast! I honestly don't think they had ever done anything like that before because they all kept pointing to the icing and asking, "What is that?" We demonstrated how to decorated the cookies and some kids took their time and made cookies that looked "Cok Guzel (Very beautiful)" while others opted to mix all three icing colours to make brown icing. Eww! Nonetheless, all of the kids had a good time. They all wanted to decorate Star cookies- probably becuase that shape is the most familiar to them. I love having the opportunity to interact with the kids in this school setting. The teacher is such a good man too. He welcomes me with a handshake each week and expresses his thanks to me at the end of each lesson. It's funny how we try to communicate with one another with our limited language capabilities. We've had to resort to google translate a couple of times. I have to laugh when the teacher joins in on our english songs and games. He one time moved a child aside so he could be part of reinactment of "5 Little Monkeys Jumping on the bed." He even decorated cookies as well and told the principal about our Christmas Party when he stopped by the classroom. Each week I enjoy my time in this grade one classroom. The kids run up to me as soon as I enter the classroom and give me hugs and immediately say "Hello, How are you? I'm fine." They don't let me even answer how I am. They just want to show me their amazing English Skills. I smile and affirm them. Please remember me as I continue to build relationships with these children and the teachers at this school. I hope they will come to know the meaning of Christmas. May they remember my love.

Again, but for the First time

all smiles

creativity!

We loved reading "The Mitten" and designing our own mittens!

Once again I'm listening to the Song, "This is Life" by Laura Woodley

(check ou http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiSpsnwZJaM to hear it).

I say

"This is Life."

I am here- right in the palm of God's hand.

I am here- content, joy-filled, seeing many dreams being fulfilled.

"This is Life. "

Ephesus

I had the opportuninty to take a daytrip last Saturday. My Travel friend "I" and I had such a fun time exploring the ancient city of EPHESUS! Although I don't know all of the history, I do know that I was standing in a significant place. I know I was in the same theatre that the Apostle Paul preached in from Acts 19. WOW! Here are some pictures from our adventure. It felt so good to take a trip out of the city and the "small window" of space I am familiar with here in my new home. We took a morning flight to Izmir and then rented a car.

I have to tell you how excited I was to be driving in a regular car! So spacious!

So much freedom!

We had our map in our hand and were ready to hit the road.

Funny enough, we ended up taking our own route to Efes (as it's called), and unintentionally avoided the super highway. Instead we took a pleasant drive through some small towns and even saw mandarine oranges growing locally. Who knew?

It was about 12:30pm when we decided to make a pit stop for lunch.

This cozy little restaurant looked inviting, so we pulled over and were greeted by the warmest couple one could encounter. A couple probably in their late 50s welcomed us. I name a couple of local dishes I knew how to say and the lady indicated that they didn't serve that. hmm... they then indicated for us to sit down and said it would be 10Lira each for lunch. We thought it was a good deal and agreed to stay even though we had no idea what we would be served. That was all part of the fun though. We looked in the direction of the kitchen and saw them cracking eggs. Hmmm... still not sure. Then... out came our lunch- well actually a traditional Turkish Breakfast. It included eggs, bread, cream cheese, honey, jam, tomatoes, olives, sweet figs and more cheese. And of course, as is the custom, some delicious CHAI. What a feast!

I liked the peach jam. Cheese is found all over the place here in all sorts of varieties.

Cheese lovers would enjoy it!

Our Turkish Breakfast was delightful. I must say though, that the owners of the restaurant were the highlight for me. Such sweethearts and they had a glow on their faces. I left the restaurant after hugging man and hugging and kissing (on both cheecks) the woman.

These were real jewels. I'm sure I will always remember how they shone.

~ Here I am ~

~ Can you see me? Can you hear me? ~

~ Cool Shot ~

~ Seats 25, 000 ~ Great acoustics ~

~ The Library ~

~ We managed to go on a day with very few tourists. It's pretty rare to be able to take pictures without other tourists - so we lucked out! ~

it turns out I decided to wear my new boots on this day of sight seeing. Note to self: maybe not such a good idea to break in new shoes on a sightseeing day full of walking.

~ Let loose and have fun! ~

~ Re-build ~

~ Restore ~

New Home

My dining room

Living room

kitchen

milk- its sold on the shelf- not refrigerated!

my room! - yet to put up my "live, love, laugh"

* my room * It's hard to get a good shot of my room but here's the wardrobe, with all of your cards (SMILE) * rooms typically don't have closets here, so 'dolaps' have to do*

It's a funny thing- "growing up" and moving out.

This is a big move for me. Interestingly enough, my first time "living on my own is in another country, in a city of over 12 million people, where I can literally only speak of few words of the language (so far!). If there were ever a time of diving head first into something big and new, this would be it! So I'm learning how to do all of the "grown up" stuff now- at 24 years old. It's time to go grocery shopping (at a store where I hope I'm buying the right ingredients). I've learned the beauty of google translate- to help with baking recipes using Alanna's specially made cookbook for me. See below for my funny story about making Chili. It's time to do laundry, even though on my first try my laundry was "stuck" in the washer because I couldn't open the door. I'm learning to enjoy the process of each household chore. Laundry involves hang drying my clothes. It's a time to prepare dinner and relating to mom's lack of enthusiasm about cooking after a long day of work. I'm realizing that the time involved in the process makes things that much more worth it. It's a time for cleaning the house- even though cleaning the bathroom still kind of grosses me out. I'm hoping one day I will have a man who will take care of this job! It's a time of doing dishes by hand- actually pretty relaxing, in my opinion. It's a time of getting to know myself better and take in the whole new experience.

It was my second day in my new apartment. I left in the morning, mentally preparing myself for how I would get to another part of town. I rehearsed what I would say in the minibus and I embraced the ride. In all of the preparation, I totally forgot to take notice of where I live! ha, I left home without even knowing how to get back. It wasn't until I was probably half way to my destination that I thought, "oh no, I don't think I'll know how to get back home. I know I need to get on the minibus again and go the opposite direction of where I am headed now; however, I forgot to take notice of a landmark that would indicate my stop!" woops! So I went throughout the day... and then on my way home I had to call a friend to ask for directions to my own house! Now that's humbling!! A new friend helped me get home and she suggested I pick up a couple groceries so I could make myself some dinner. A good thought. Spaghetti it was going to be. Sarah kindly dropped me off at my house and then when she left I unpacked my grocery bags, only to realize that I didn't know how to work my stove! I've never lit a match before and never lit a gas stove. I just stared at it, clueless as to how it "came on." So... after standing there and see it not "turn on" I resigned to going out to the street to get something to eat. Minibus road it was. There's lots there. By this time it was probably close to 8pm. I was hungry. As I made my way over there, I looked down and realized I was wearing my slippers. Oh boy! What a day. In my best attempt to "dive in" I forgot to think about the things right in front of me.

I went to make Chili. A good hearty dinner. I bought beef, beans, peppers, onion, tomatos, mushrooms and corn. Well, I couldn't read the labels at the grocery store so I ended up buying a whole lot of tomato paste. That wasn't exactly what I had wanted. I thought I could counteract the thick paste by just adding water. more water. more water. It turned into very strong tomato paste tasting, spaghetti sauce looking "Chili." I think there was enough food to feed the entire apartment building and the problem is that it didn't even taste good! Yuck. I didn't want to throw it out though. All of that effort couldn't be put to waste, so I ate some over what I thought was rice (which was actually noodles) and then froze a large container full. My roommate didn't seem to mind it... but yuck! next time, I know tomato paste is plentiful- and not the chili ingredient I'm looking for. haha. All you can do is laugh. To make it true to Turkish taste, just simply add yogurt. Yogurt, eaten with everything!

So here I go. I'm diving-in. I'm going for it. Willing to make mistakes. Willing to have silly stories. Willing to learn. Willing to try.

Like Granny's cooking... made from scratch and made with love always tasted best!

Here's to the learning the process! Thanks to the families here for showing me the ropes, for letting me learn and being there to give me helpful tips. I'm grateful!

Capture Each Moment

Well folks,

here are some pictures from today. I went sight-seeing with my friend. It just so happens to be a major holiday here, so we weren't able to take in all that the European City typically has to offer. That being said, we still had a delightful day. The two of us ventured off on our own, with our map in hand. We first took the train from to the ferry (wohoo, we got a new train). This was my first experience on a train here. It was packed. We were squished in and people didn't hesitate to push their way through the crowds. I don't think I will get used to that, but what can you expect in a city of 13.5 million people (not counting all of the tourists who visit on big cruise ships, or otherwise). After the train, we got on the ferry. It was a beautiful day- blue sky and spectacular view of the city. We sat on the ferry and drank our chai and ate our "grilled cheese" sandwiches. My apologies, I don't know the Turkish word for the sandwich we ate today. When the ferry docked we saw lots of fishermen along the dock and smelled the seafood restaurants. We took the tram over to the Grand Bazaar; however, both the Grand Bizaar and the Spice Bizaar were closed due to the Holiday. Although it was too bad, I'm sure there will be lots of other opportunities to visit. We did go to the Blue Mosque. I have always felt strange about touring religious sites. This was particular uncomfortable becuase the mosque is open to the public, even though people go there to do their daily prayers. So at the front of the mosque, men were engaging in prayer and then at the back, in a closed section, women were doing the same. Afterwards got a sweet treat, as you will see pictured below. Then we went for lunch. Yummy! After lunch we enjoyed Starbucks- my first one in this city and sat on a bench and had a heartfelt conversation. It was kind of neat to just sit and "people watch." Here are the pictures from our day.

picture taken on the ferry

Where the ferry docked on the European Side

Today was especially busy because families were traveling during the Holiday

M and I eating our sweet candy

sweet candy- like a starburst!

Blue Mosque

- 2-

Simit- an inexpensive breakfast favourite. I have yet to try it.

Balik- Fish

Train Station

Thought of the day: Where is yoru hope? Are you living with intentionality? May you live with purpose and compassion. Be real. "Above all, clothe yourselves with love."

The heart of a father

PRAISE THE LORD!

Psalm 103

Let all that I am priase the Lord; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name.

Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me.

He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases.

He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies.

He fills my life with good things,

My youth is renewed like the eagle's!

The Lord gives righteousness and justice to all who are treated unfairly.

He revealed his character to Moses and his deeds to the people of Israel.

The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.

He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever.

He does not punish us for all our sins; he does not deal harsly with us, as we deserve.

For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.

He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.

The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him.

For he knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust.

Our days on earth are like grass; like wildflowers, we bloom and die.

The wind blows, and we are gone- as though we had never been here.

But the love of the Lord remains forever with those who fear him.

His salvation extends to the children's children of those who are faithful to his covenant,

of those who obey his commandments!

The Lord has made the heavens his throne; from there he rules over everything.

Praise the Lord, you angels, you mighty ones who carry out his plans, listening for each of his commands.

Yes, praise the Lord, you armies of angels who serve him and do his will!

Praise the Lord, everything he has created, everything in all his kingdom.

Let all that I am praise the Lord!

patience

Dawn shared this song with me yesterday called, "Mended." I really like it.

Here's the link to it on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuklreZnlfU

I am reminded to not give up on people. In Galatians it says that one of the fruit of the Spirit is longsuffering. Now that doesn't sound too pleasant. We want things to be easily fixed and then out of our memories; however, how come it says that we ought to have this sort of patience that endures discomfort/ hardship? Although it is not easy to journey with others, I want to be dedicated to the friends and family I have by sticking close to them despite the situation (side by side- rib to rib). I believe this is a great testiment because too often people abandon others when the going gets tough and then come back to their side when things are "better." That's the easy way! A little while back a friend spoke some words to me that meant the world to me. He said, "You encouraged me to get into the game of living, and you made me feel like I was worth something when I felt worthless. You told me I could do things when I never thought I could and you told me to believe in myself when I thought the next hurdle was insurmountable. I don't want anyone or anything to hurt the one who told me to get right with Jesus and not to think about dying, but to live." Those words mean a lot to me. They speak deep into the fibres of my being. Why? Becuase the reality is that people believe the falicy that they are not worth it. People don't even know their value. In order to tell people that they are worth it, much time and patience are needed. People need to feel safe. Everyone longs to belong and to be heard.

Although it is not always easy to walk this journey, I'm glad we can share it together.

The picture of the quilt represents how our lives are woven together.

I am reminded of the following fruit of the Spirit:

love, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness.

~ You are worth it! ~ You are so loved! ~

What do we say to others?

Let's live with this in mind:

"Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God's kindness: kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile." — Mother Teresa

This is life...

Be my Life-long Passion, Jesus!

* sorry for the blurry pictures. Maybe I will try to re-shoot them without the glare.

I thought I had written a blog entry with this title before, but I guess not. These are some of my favourite photographs. I bought them from Mr. Kiet in Vietnam (except the ones in the "Live" photo which are from Prague, CZ). I went a little overboard when buying the pictures. My room is only so big! But I feel in love them becuase of the people. Mr. Kiet told me about where he had taken the pictues and realized that God loves them. Sometimes I am brought to tears when I gaze upon these pictures becuase they are visual representations of God's heart and his love. I love that behind each person is a story. Each life shows the fingerprint of God. Now our part is to recognize the value in each life. People are worthy of honour, respect and dignity, therefore, let's treat others in ways that will uplift them and give them assurance that they are significant.

Live. Love. Laugh.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQ1YUqX5txg