The dream

A few things worth sharing…and yes it's about Bali (i know i'm so sorry….i can't help myself)

• The Balinese students all bring brooms to school and they were completely shocked to find out we one do not bring brooms to school, and two do not spend time cleaning the school ourselves.
• The balinese keep their ethanol for their motor bikes in vodka bottles along the side of the road.

the vodka bottles filled with ethanol

We spent the last day of our trip on the beautiful beach of Jimbaran. This was an incredible scenic and breathtaking beach, however, no one was on the beach for the majority of the day until the sun began to set. All of a sudden the entire city and all the many resort guests were present. I couldn't help but think where in the world these people were possibly hiding all day…? It's so interesting, we [americans/europeans] come to Bali and fall in love with the peace of the villages and the simplicity of their life although completely acknowledging how difficult their life is, while at the same time their dreams are going to Las Vegas and Beverly Hills, whatever media shows them on television is the life, and "America"… When in reality it is all fleeting because at the end of the day the thing that everyone comes back to is the sunset on the beach in Jimbaran. In the end its all God. Apart from God nothing is lasting, nothing satisfies. The world is so desperate for him, if something like the simplicity of a beautiful sunset can send people running to it, can cause people to revolve their schedules around it. i can't imagine the revolution it was cause for people to know all of Him, every bit of his beauty, the warm sunset that is his spirit everyday.

"America that's the dream" they all say, but that's not it at all, man its so much better, so much greater!

In OUR image

Men preparing a wedding feast

I think there are those things in life that the Lord just looks at shaking his head saying no you have it all wrong. ( I also believe the Lord has a sense of humor…. [insert ALL my embarrassing moments here] )Yes there is sin in this world, and yes it fractured everything, but i think there are still things we can fix, we can change and try a little harder to image it in the way God crafted it to be.

When in Bali last week the main thing my godmother and i wanted to experience was the true authenticity of the balinese lifestyle, what their culture looked like, their daily life felt life, and get to know what this beautiful place truly was outside of a top tourist destination. We were blessed with a guide who lived in one of the villages of Ubud who took us around the city. He taught us all about the different villages, how there was a wood carving village, a silver village, a fabric village, a painting village and many more. He took us into households where we got to talk to all the families that lived in them and see what their lives actually looked like. I was completely taken aback by their lack of hostility and absolute overpowering sense of hospitality. We were complete strangers and yet for the most part these people were more than willing to open their homes for us to see.

Village rehearsing for a cremation ceremony

When seeing inside all the villages something i admired was their value in community. Their villages are all they have so they use it as survival. When someone passes away the entire village contributes money to pay for the funeral and the eventual cremation (cremations are expensive so every 5 years cremation ceremonies are performed for loved ones once enough money has been saved).  When there is a wedding, families gather days before to begin making offerings, killing their livestock, and preparing foods. They take pride in celebrating one another and helping each other, they don't see it as a burden they see it as a priority as something that is completely natural and necessary. The Lord made life to be lived in community, in community with the Lord and with fellow believers. When God created man, he said "let us create man in our image" he did not say in my image. God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, that is the community. God created man to be lived in community like the one it was created from. All these villagers have is their community. Life has not been easy to these people, however,  i imagine the stress of it is not as heavy knowing they have an entire village on their side to overcome whatever battles lie in their path. I think it's easy to think we can do this life on our own, but it wasn't designed that way. It's almost like our selfishness, our pride is causing us to make life harder than it was intended to be. I think community is wearing each others burdens so one person isn't being crushed by it alone, community is acknowledging peoples gifts, its not jealous, but its wanting to further the people around you because they're your brothers and sisters. The balinese have everything to fear and also nothing to fear at all because they're rooted in something deeper than themselves; each other. 

I think the Balinese have preserved idea of community and i absolutely admired it, it made the reasoning for their joy despite their situation understandable. 

Oh bali you've done it again...

Common and Unlcean

Entrance to a Balinese home, the gate and walls in
the entrance are  reminder to gather your thoughts before
entering the home

Bali.
Bali.
Bali.
Oh my goodness Bali.
Bali  has literally stolen my heart and i don't want it back, i want to move with it...to Bali. Bali is not only beautiful, it is authentic and raw. I think the beauty comes from the culture itself. Bali is 90% Hindu and everyone lives in villages. Within these villages are houses that multiple families live in, each with their own temple. Bali therefore, has over 1,000 temples because of it. The Hindus strongly acknowledge the presence of good and evil spirits, they therefore, leave multiple offerings daily to the spirits. If they want to give praise to the good spirit they will set the offerings (made of grass, flowers, even cigarettes, anything they value) on the high shrine and If they want to keep the bad spirits happy for protection, they leave the offerings on the floor. While i was in Bali something i was convicted by was my desire to tell our guide Madee about the Lord. However, i have never felt more out of place doing so. I think it was easy for me to completely dismiss the idea of sharing the good news with this man due to his strong hindu beliefs and my lack of belief that i had any place to. The Lord made me aware of this by once again leading me to Acts. Let me set up the scene…

A woman making offering's

There lived a man named Cornelius who lived in Caesarea; a pagan city. Cornelius, a gentile and godly man, desired to know God, he gave alms to the Lord who therefore came to Cornelius in a vision. In this vision he told Cornelius to "send men to Joppa, and send for simon whose surname is Peter." (10:5) Peter was a jewish man who lived in the city of Joppa. Peter fell into a trance where where he saw "all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air." (10:12) Then a voice told peter to kill and eat of the meat which Peter refuses by claiming it "common and unclean" (10:14). Peter, being jewish, had always followed the strict laws on clean and separate foods, he therefore could not imagine going against past scriptural and his known ways. The Lord told peter however, that "What God has cleansed you must not call common." (10:15) Peter eventually went to Caesarea with the men to speak with the gentiles (it was against the law for jews to to associate with gentiles). Peter shared the truth of Jesus to the gentiles present, how he had broken the old laws and that "God shows no partiality." (10:34) and the Holy Spirit fell on all the gentiles present!

Our guide made (maud-ay)

Peter was used to doing things in the way he had always done them until the Lord commanded him otherwise. By the blood of Jesus we have all been made clean and what God has cleansed is by no means common. I think there is so much about this chapter that can be unpacked and beautifully applied, but in in my experience it had everything to do with Peter setting his ideals and ways aside and following God. God who "shows no partiality." Everyone despite who they are, what they believe deserves to hear of the good news and i am no one to put my own excuses in front of that.  I think it is easy to quiet our responsibility of doing by the loud voice we hear of excuse and  inadequacy. What a beautiful thing it is that there is no limit to who truth can be told to, however we make it limiting by placing our own barriers on it, the barriers Jesus came to take away. Yes the Hindus are religious, yes they acknowledge a God, yes they give alms to this God, but they have not acknowledged salvation just like Cornelius.  Like Peter, I think it's time to stop justifying and start evangelizing.

The wet market

Now is this not the sweetest man you ever saw

A few observations, First asians are everywhere and to say i stick out would be a huge understatement. Everyone here is about five foot tall (maybe), oval eyes, and dark hair. I however, am five foot nine, round eyes, and light hair; hello foreigner. This morning we went to a wet market which is basically a market where produce, fish, meats, and even indian clothing is sold in an open market. I assume it is called a wet market because the floor is soaked from fish guts to water from splashing crabs and who knows what else. But I loved the wet market. If i could buy all my produce and groceries this way every day i would. The working class of Singapore only buys their goods this way. I was thinking to myself why would this not work in America, and then i realized the visual of seeing all the meat being handed around, touched and tossed by many, and the heads of all that is to be consumed being dismantled in front of your eyes might not appeal to many, but for some reason it made me appreciate my food even more. Being able to pick out and sample the raw seasons and spices made the whole concept of cooking so much more exciting, because you're truly putting work into what you are preparing and in the end get to see the reward of the whole process. Something i have been observant of is how most of the community is glad within their jobs. Even some of the most unexciting jobs are performed by the most thankful workers. I think alot of the world has lost the blessing behind what working is and what it does to your soul. We were made to work, there is reward and discipline that feeds us from working. My godmother lead me to the most perfectly summarizing verse.

"and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you."   -Thessalonians 4:11

Nancy choosing our squid

Paul could not put this more perfectly. I don't think he meant literally be quiet, i think he meant let your ambitions be simple and good, a life not run by your day planner or the next step, but one that is glorifying and thankful. So to make it your ambition to lead a life that is simply good stop worrying about everyone else and do your work, do the labor with the two hands God had blessed you with. I think work is a beautiful thing that we have made into a burdensome one because we seek what pays, we seek what society says is smart but we don't seek what is ambitious for our own hearts, and simply satisfying for our own selves or if we do we get lost in the glory of it.  These market workers have blessed me with the reminder of thanksgiving, being appreciative for what i do have even if it does not compare to what someone else has. Working hard and attending to what is in front of me is a beautiful thing.

My Asian Adventure

The view on top of Marina Bay

Finally my asian adventure beings! I have been counting down the days for way too long....and just yesterday i was sitting in the airport beside a man who did not particularly smell great thinking to myself Lord please do not put me beside this man for this 24 hour flight, but if it is in your will, let it be done because i am going to SINGAPORE! (luckily the Lord had different plans) Instead of placing me beside the odor infused man, i sat beside two russian woman who continually talked to me in Russian waiting for me to all of a sudden comprehend the Russian language and respond accordingly. They truly began taking the burden of my health on their shoulders when i tried ordering water they most promptly demanded i order tomato juice....apparently tomato is the only english word they know. I was thus stuck painstakingly taking back this never ending bottom of tomato juice. The russian woman rewarded me with getting up to go to the bathroom every 50 minutes.....we bonded.

Cappuccino with Godmother on balcony overlooking the city

I have made it to Moscow and am now in Singapore sitting in awe of the beautiful city it is. Although my body is extremely confused on what day it is, i know one thing, this will be one exciting adventure!

The "real" world

Back to the real world. People keep using this phrase with me, "Welcome back to the real world." As if being at camp for six weeks was not within the boundaries of this said "real world." It got me thinking.......False. That phrase should actually be said in reverse, however, the sad part is it is not. Let me explain. Me being back, is not me being back to the "real world." I was in the real world the entire time because sharing the name of Jessus daily should be apart of the real world, but that is something the majority of this world does not do on a daily basis. So although i am back in this world, i had been living in what should be the "real world" the entire time, because the real world should daily be proclaiming the name of Jesus on the reg, the real world should be living in community with believers and building each other up....i already miss the real world, BUT i am jacked up to start making it look more like this world.

"The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him."

-1 john 3:1 

The reason the world does not understand our love and passion to tell people the name of Jesus is because, they do not know him, they have no understanding of where our drive and passion comes from. At camp we studied 1 john and this verse simply gets me pumped to let people know why i do the things they do, to lead them to the Lord so that they finally get it. Its time this world looked more like the reality God intended it to be.

So while at camp i was enlightened with some facts i was unaware of that i have felt necessary to share for the sake of your own knowledge.

1. Mormons hate females and coffee
2. Spam is apart of the vegetarian diet
3. Jesus was married 
4. Jesus bore children
5. Teenage girls know everything

It's okay to feel completely overwhelmed by these new facts, i myself was unaware, but am so thankful for my campers for putting me straight. So today go out and proclaim the name of Jesus in this world, and let these new facts of life really sink in.

Enjoy today!