Works of Art

Butterflies are everywhere in the jungle! I had to chase after these and take about 30 pix to get these shots. Thank goodness for digital cameras!

It's a Jungle out there!

Last weekend I spent my first night in the jungle! Traveling down the eastern slope of the Andes, we reached Tingo Maria in just 3 hours.

We spent about 30 minutes waiting for these two bus drivers who were nose to nose in the middle of landslide debris. I heard that's not very long to wait for someone to back up. Ironically they were from the same bus company, but neither driver felt he should be the one to move. You can imagine that nobody gets very far down the road when cars are line d up single file yet facing both directions!

Emily and Katie, two friends who work with Paz y Esperanza (see blog about the River Swing), came with the Bensons and I. It was a great break from "the routine", which doesn't feel much like a routine yet. :) I'll post more jungle pix and stories soon!

Graduation Night!

I first met these four CEFMA graduates when I took a Quechua grammer class my first week in Huanuco. A few Fridays ago, they graduated from the CEFMA program, which is 3 summers long, and prepares them for service in missions here or around the world. The theme was from Hudson Taylor's life, which is really exciting for me because my greatest dream for these people groups is to see them reaching the world for Christ! Everyone wore the traditional dress from their area. (Check out the 2 different styles and colors of hats the women are wearing. Hats and the patterns and colors of clothes are among the clues you can use to know what part of the Andes someone is from, even before they open their mouth. Just in case you are wondering, no one ever thinks I might be from around here, and they usually guess correctly that I'm from the States!)

Training teachers

2 weeks ago we held the next in a series of workshops for 14 Huamalies Quechua women. They are being trained in adult education and Bible study, and will be teaching workshops for another 60 women over the next 6 months. These 60 women are leaders in their churches and they will be teaching at least another 500 women between now and December. What a great chance to empower these women to teach and train others! It's also thrilling to know that, for the first time, these hundreds of women will get to study the Bible in their own language!

Photos: Jan leading a lesson planning session; Bottom left: Keila, a new friend!; Bottom right: Celestina practicing teaching

Adventura!

Yes, that’s me, out over the river! I’m riding in what they call a “river swing”. Really it’s a metal chair on a pulley system, so the guy across the river can haul people over to his side of the river. I had taken a bus to a spot about 30 minutes out of Huánuco, where my friend Elena and I got off. We shimmied down the hillside to the river swing, Elena in heels! Once across the river, we crossed a few fields and then reached our destination: the Paz y Esperanza camp. It’s basically a retreat center for this group that works toward justice and restoration for those that have been abused-- physically, emotionally, or politically (i.e., restitution from the years of terrorism).

During the summer (Dec-Feb in Peru), they hold camps for different age groups where kids to adults can play, let down their guard and hopefully grow. I enjoyed seeing the age group for this week (adolescents) playing with each other, sneaking into the swimming pool, working on art projects…and was moved when I heard that they had all started the week-long camp pretty shy and withdrawn.

The trip back home was the most eventful part though. We’d picked the day of a transportation strike to visit the camp, so once we’d hiked back to the river, crossed it on the river swing, clamored back up the hillside, we couldn’t find a bus to catch. We waited and waited, hoping. After my friend started talking about needing to stay near this one home we’d seen and not walking down the road (which I was thinking would be more fun than standing around), I realized we probably didn’t want to be out on a rural highway alone at night.

Since the sun had already set, we decided to go into high gear. Our only hope: hitchhiking. I rolled up my sleeves so my blindingly white skin had the best chance of literally blinding drivers off the road. ;) After waiving, jumping and miming our problem to 20 different drivers, we were getting desperate. The truck that finally stopped? I think I almost pulled it off the road myself. Our angels of mercy were seven guys heading back from a day of work in a big, beat-up farm truck. I was glad for a chatty, native-Peruvian companion, and that God held back the rain until just after we got inside the truck!

I'm a godmother!

Amador’s one year-old hadn’t had his hair cut since birth. The last day of our class together, he and his wife asked the Bensons and me to be the child’s godparents—the first ones to cut his hair! We sat out on the Bensons’ front lawn and took turns playing barber. This is made all the more tricky by the fact that traditionally the baby is breastfed during the “ceremony” so he’ll stay still! Be sure to aim your scissors correctly! (It's my turn as barber in the photo below.)

This godparent haircutting means we are now family to this beautiful baby. Godparents (madrinos) are an integral part of several events in a person's life: first haircut, dedication, first communion, graduations, a wedding. While I probably don't know exactly what I signed up for, I am honored to be one of this baby's godmothers!

The Class

What a blessing! My first week in Huanuco, Jan Benson and Amador Tucto, (far left) with whom I'll be making the dictionary, taught a class on Quechua grammer. The class was at a training center for young people who want to be involved in missions in the Andes! We spent several hours each day studying Quechua, learning about its grammer, its similarities and differences from other languages in the world, and how the different Quechua languages developed. It was great training for me!

I really enjoyed the other students, and we all loved the "grammer game" in the photo below. Quechua languages utilize really long words, compared to languages like English, and here we had to work together to combine our parts of words to make one Quechua word.

That looks like a really long word, but it's actually kinda small for a Quechua language!

I made it!

We took this picture of me at the highest point of the highest pass we crossed on our drive from Lima to Huanuco: 16,000 feet! (15,855 to be exact) That's about 1,000 feet higher than the tallest peak of the Colorado Rockies!

Trust me, in that thin air, I just barely made up the little incline to that sign! :) We traveled along at close to this heighth for about 90 min. Below are a few more pictures from the trip. I've put 20 in a photo album. If you'd like to see it click here: Photo Album. You have to put in an email address and password, but it's worth it. I recommend the slideshow!

Why We're Here

Most of these boxes are Ticuna New Testaments which are being wrapped in plastic to be sent by truck on Monday from Lima in the west, across the Andes, to Pucallpa in the jungle, and then by barge to Iquitos on the Amazon River, where they can be shared with Ticuna speakers. Another New Testament here is headed for the northern Andes, and a third is going to the Central Andes, close to where I will work. I love the backpack and clipboard lying on the boxes...it shows how every-day this is, but it's not taken lightly. How incredible that we get to be part of this kind of work! Thanks for "coming with me"!

Me & my Peruvian family! I lived with Sonja & Milagros (left to right) for these first two months in Lima.

Count Down to Huanuco!

SATURDAY
A music group is being formed of different SIL and Wycliffe missionaries who are traveling from all over Peru to attend a week of conference meetings just outside Lima. We will practice all day Saturday to prepare for the coming week of services. I am so excited to be able to play the piano with this group!

NEXT WEEK
The annual SIL conference lasts from Sunday through Saturday. It's a full week with a packed schedule, morning through evening. I'm glad for the chance to continue to get to know this organization, which has been in Peru for 60 years!

LAST WEEK OF JANUARY
I'll be in Lima for one more week, continuing to take Spanish lessons and finish my orientation. At the end of January I'll be moving to Huanuco, my new home, where I'll begin to work with the Bensons. I'm grateful to have been in Lima, learning from the SIL Lima office, and exploring this city, but I really can't wait for this final step to my "permanent" home.

(Incredible traditional Peruvian dancing, sometimes with scissors! :>)

The View

Standing on a random mound in the Sacred Valley, I took a few photos to try and make this panoramic shot. I mention the randomness, because this is the kind of view and beauty that is around every corner in this valley, which runs from a few miles out of Cusco northwest towards Machu Picchu. The Incas (1197 A.D. to 1592) believed that the Urubamba river flowing through the valley reflects the Milky Way. (p.s. These are just the foothills of the Andes!)

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2007!!

Here I am all decked out in the color Peruvians traditionally wear to celebrate the New Year: YELLOW!

Navidad Market

In the center of Cusco is the Plaza de Armas (every town has a central plaza). On Christmas Eve , the plaza is packed with vendors and buyers preparing for the Navidad (Christmas) celebration, which starts with a big dinner at midnight on Christmas! I went down to the plaza for a few hours with a couple friends, to get into the spirit of Navidad. Above are some of the sights. Some will appreciate the fact that the pile of food in front of the Quechua lady with the white hat (bottom left) includes guinea pig, a delicacy in Peru.

White Christmas?!

See that bit of white? Especially in the far corner of the yard? That's our White Christmas! We had a flash thunder/jungle-rain/sleet storm last night at our White Elephant Party, and ended up with a yard that made us gringos think of our perfect Christmas: a white one!

The Andes

Ok, so I admit it, I'm in love. No, it's not a guy - it's these mountains!! You can find many great shots of the Andes on Google Images, but here's my favorite that I took on the plane heading to Cusco, 11,000 feet up from Lima (sea level). The Bensons, who I'll work with in Huanuco, invited me to join them for their Christmas plans - 5 days in Cusco with several other families who work with SIL. We flew in yesterday. Our 1st plane was grounded because of weather, the 2nd because of mechanical problems, and then our luggage was "missing" for 30 min. Well, we found it, so it all ended well. I'll be here until Wednesday--a wonderful chance to relax after an eventful month!

Irma

Meet Irma, my brilliant Spanish tutor! She has been a wealth of information, not just about the language, but about life and culture in Peru. We end up talking about spiritual things too, which is exciting. She is a blessing.

San Felipe

Last Monday I moved into the Peruvian home I’ll live in until the end of January and started Spanish lessons. Things settled down and that I felt like I was getting into a routine.

But on Wednesday I developed a rash (from eating mango skin--not recommended for anyone!) and I had to go to the ER on Thursday morning. The IV drugs they gave me didn’t seem have any effect, so I was admitted to the hospital. Two days later, things were looking much better. I was recovering well, but they still wanted to keep me for observation while they dropped the dosage of the drugs they had me on. So it’s Tuesday evening and I was only just discharged this afternoon! I am so grateful to get back to what I now call “regular” life in Lima, Peru!

The San Felipe hospital was a small, local, very nice place with a great staff. They were very patient with my little-but-growing Spanish, and it really was a good chance to learn a lot more.

My plans have changed for this week and I’ll not be going to Huanuco to the women’s training week. But this means I'll be here in Lima, now able to attend some SIL meetings and connect with two people (regarding the dictionary project) who I thought I was going to miss. We lay the plans, and God directs our steps! "In his a heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps." (Proverbs 16:9)

Please pray for complete healing and strengthening. Thank you for your prayers ALL of the time. Don’t hold back if you feel a prompting to pray – it is probably because there is stuff going on that I haven’t been able share with you. Pray even if you don’t know what for!

A small flood of blessings

God is not silent, and He chooses lots of ways to show you that He cares and is watching over you.

Sometimes in the littlest things:
Like finding out that Peruvians have a tradition of buying MY FAVORITE CHRISTMAS FOOD, Panettone, and eating it in on Christmas Eve. I had to hold myself back from stuffing one of these giant, Italian bread/cakes into my suitcase as I left the States, only to find every store in Lima is stocked with these - some relocating whole aisles of groceries to make room to carry a large-enough supply of Panettone for the month of December.

Sometimes in very big things:
Like, after planning to meet your friend Heather in Lima at the beginning of December (she's down here visiting her brother and sister-in-law), you RUN INTO HER in a city of 7 million people. Yes, run into her ON THE STREET IN LIMA!! Her sister-in-law recognized the lady I was with, and called out to her. It felt like it took Heather and I a couple of seconds to realize what was going on!

What kind, loving encouragements from God!

Feliz Cumpleanos a Mi!

My new SIL friends know how to celebrate! I had a birthday lunch on Sunday afternoon, and a birthday dinner on Monday evening! They made me feel so special and welcome. I have to gush about the plate (above) from dinner: look at all the veggies! That's chicken on the left (honey chicken, to be exact) and there rest is all from the garden! Wow. There's also a corn appetizer on the small plate - In Peru, they call all corn "choclo" (not "maiz"), and most of the corn here is large, white, and sweet. It's delicious! What a great birthday gift from the Lord, to get to know new people, new food, and this new city.

Lima, Peru!

One week ago I landed in Lima! Thank you for your thoughts and prayers, and for all of the encouragement that's gotten me this far. It's amazing to be here! Sometimes I can't believe I haven't just gotten lost in some part of the States that I don't recognize. Lima is a very large city: 7 million people. The people and the food are fabulous. There are a million little differences, some easy, some frustrating, but I'm enjoying getting to know my new surroundings.

Here is my new favorite bush! I don't know what the name is, but I'll add it once I've learned it in my Spanish lessons!

My home on wheels

Seriously! Everything I took to Peru fit into these 4 suitcases. I was pretty impressed. I had to ditch the purse at the airport (2 carry-ons means 2 carry-ons on American: no extra purse!)

I can't remember how much it all weighed, but it was close to 225 pounds. It's cheaper to take it with you on the plane than to mail it to Peru, but it was still pretty expensive! I'm glad I'm here for over a year - less wouldn't seem worth it. :)

I'll be living out of these suitcases for another week before I move in with the Peruvian family I'll stay with for 2 months. Thank you to the Wycliffe Boutique where I got one for free and to Beth, who gave me an old-school hard case one that has been wonderful. Thx to Target and TJ Maxx for the other cheap, but wheeled pieces that have been so nice! Mom, can you believe that $18 backpack has lasted through 2 trips to Peru!

Auntie Amy

Lucky me, I get to babysit Baby Katie tonight for the last time before I leave for Peru in *6* days! Here's the two of us at lunch after church on Sunday. She's 8 months old and has 7 teeth. I guess I can leave her in the care of her two wonderful parents, but I sure am going to miss her!

I'm Official!

Sunday, I was introduced to my home church in Portland as a missionary candidate. This is a blessing to me and a step forward towards becoming a commissioned missionary with Cedar Mill Bible Church! Here I am sharing my story with the church body:

Just for fun

Honest Hymn Titles...

• Blest Be the Tie that Doesn't Cramp My Style
• I Love to Talk About Telling the Story
• I'm Fairly Certain that My Redeemer Lives
• Spirit of the Living God, Fall Somewhere Near Me
• I Surrender Some

...may it not be so!

The Numbers

4 – the number of pages of my single-spaced 10 pt Arial To Do list

16 – the number of days until I leave for Peru

5 – the number of books in my Spanish self-taught course

85 – the percent of monthly support I am currently receiving. (Praise God!)

3 – the number of weeks I’ve been house-sitting in SW Portland

9 – the number of months old my niece will be when I leave for Peru

2 – the number of services I’ll be sharing in at my home church next Sunday

0 – the number of times I’ve second-guessed moving to Peru to work with Wycliffe

Countless – the number of minutes I’ll be missing family and friends, but thanking God for His hand of direction and His peace.

Portland photo album

Leaving my home in Portland is bittersweet. How nostalgic can you be when heading into a ministry that you've been preparing for and dreaming of for years? But it's healthy to be in the moment, and right now I'm feeling the sad part of this goodbye.Clockwise from upper left: Union Station, Ladd's Addition, St. John's Bridge, local color

Meet Jose

Jose (not his real name) a Quechua man in his 40's, has been helping the Bensons on the Huamalies Quechua translation for over a decade. 9 months ago, he left his family behind in the village where he lives, and has been receiving linguistic training at the SIL center in Lima. Jose will finish his year of training just as I finish my 2 months of Spanish language learning in Lima, and we'll be able to start working on the Huamalies dictionary once I move to Huanuco. Please pray for our ability to work together, and for my preparation to facilitate this project.

Baby cries

I'm riding in a car with a friend, her sister and her niece, and the whole time the niece (affectionately nicknamed "Porkchop") is crying--that wet, sloppy sobbing that calms to a few snorts, and then she remembers what she was doing and picks up again. Nothing is wrong--she just doesn't want to be in the car seat one whole row behind her mama.

Well, I'm in the know, and it's all good: we're heading downtown to meet her other aunt for lunch, and Porkchop is going to be so happy, so well-loved-on and well-fed. But Porkchop doesn't have the capacity to grasp that at 9 months. So, she keeps on with the sloshy sobbing and we get to giggle and coo at her to try and calm her down.

Even in that moment, I knew this was the perfect picture of where I'm at. During this waiting time before Peru, I catch myself sniffling and whining, wishing I was "there yet". Yes, I do have more perspective than Porkchop because I've learned about the love of my heavenly Father, and I have the adult faculties to understand the concepts of preparation and journeying. But, this picture works for me because, on a grander scale, God knows where I'm going and why, and He is ultimately responsible to get me there in one piece...and it's really His show once I get there. God is growing in me the faith in Him that I'm convinced Porkchop should have in her mother. And I can't wait 'til I get "there".

O my WORD!

I have to admit I wasn't really prepared for how overwhelming it would be to visit the Wycliffe USA headquarters in Orlando, and the SIL and Wycliffe International headquarters in Dallas (see pic above). I guess I forgot for a bit how much the mission and vision of Wycliffe is the same as what God has given me - to see the Word of God heard and understood by every person. I didn't prepare myself for how intense it would feel to be right in the middle of a huge work God is doing to get His written Word to the people of the world still waiting for it. If you can stop and visit either of these centers, I recommend it. Through art, displays, museums, hands-on activities, and media presentations, they tell the story of the need for Bible Translation and how God is enabling us to meet it. (Find out more at http://www.wycliffe.org/wbt-usa/home.htm)

What am I up to?

Wed-Fri: Finalize car settlement details, train on computer software for dictionary, catch up on emails

Sat 9/9-Mon 9/18: In Florida and Texas for Wycliffe orientation and visiting SIL Headquarters and GIAL (Graduate Institute of Applied Linguistics), meeting with Linguistics Advisor at University of Texas at Austin

9/19: Start packing, Schedule goodbye/missions info gatherings, Finish immunizations, Etc!

10/15: Target Departure Date!

Falls in the Cascades from our all-school trip this summer

Where in the world is Huanuco, Peru?

Via satellite, you can see the town where I'll be living in Peru!

http://www.fallingrain.com/world/PE/10/Huanuco.html

Click the word "Satellite" under the map, and then use the + and - buttons next to the arrow keys to zoom in and out.

Musings

I think I've officially entered the last phase of leaving my "normal" life. It's surprisingly okay at times, and then really overwhelming. I guess that's to be expected. I don't mind so much not having a permanent home, but I struggle with not knowing how God is going to provide for my finances. I am actually excited about being lost in a new city, not speaking the language fluently yet, and trying new foods and new ways of interacting with the world. But I do wonder how it will be to try and stay in touch with friends in the States, and even American culture in general. Will I be one of the long-haired, long-skirted super-missionaries I admire but am a little scared of becoming? Will I know what happens on the next season of Lost? More importantly, will the Quechua people I'll be working with be able to understand me and God's love through me?

Here was God's answer to my musings this morning. Maybe He will put your musing to rest as well with this truth: Phil. 4:19 And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

Dinner Pix

Dinner with Jan and Bruce Benson, with whom I'll be working in Peru.

Memories of SIL

For SIL folks: Just for the fun of it, here's a snapshot of yesterday afternoon in the office.
For the rest of you: Don't worry if this doesn't make much sense to you...that means you're normal!

I'm sitting at the table in the sociolinguistics office cubicle, looking out the window. The phonetics department are practicing back velar tonal vowels behind me, low, high, low high. The survey class and their prof and TA are having a meeting to my right, quietly discussing something I don't understand. :) Morph and Syn over my left shoulder is laughing about something, well at least MaryAnne is. LACL is up to something too--actually I just checked and it's James, the TA, talking with a student. He caught me smiling and lowered his voice. I'm a pretty pathetic observer, disturbing my subjects like that. Paul (Academic Coordinator) and Kevin (Anthropology) are working quietly (as usual - which is surprising to me given Kevin's dramatic outbursts at times). And the Business Office is running at it's typical low hum. By the front doors, the staff mailboxes are overflowing a bit. Some of us haven't checked them for days and they're brimming with reminders. I'll finish packing up the cards, notes, and CD's people have been handing me to mail to our staff member Bekah, who had to go home sick last week. We miss her!

Thank you to everyone who is making it possible for me to be here. It's a privilege and a joy!

The Soundtrack

How do you tell the story of what God has done in your life? I was trying to figure out what to share at the Oregon SIL chapel, when God answered: tell My story in your life - and use music to help you do it. What a great idea! :)

So last week, I shared "My Life in God's Story, or God's Story in My Life--THE SOUNDTRACK". I sat at the baby grand piano on stage and talked through the various times and ways God has interacted with me and taught me about Himself. Interspersed were songs that allowed us to praise and worship in response. Here are the songs we sang, as well as the themes they related to in my life.

Knowing You - Theme song of my talk
I Lift My Eyes Up - Learning to turn on Him while growing up
There I None Like You - Trusting that He cares for the suffering in the world
Take Me In (to the Holy of Holies)--> Hosanna (in the Highest)
- Learning about the fear of God (His Majesty, in addition to His friendship)
Psalm 52:8-9 - Knowing who I am in Him, even if my exterior is weak or sick
Galations 2:20-21 - Dying to myself and Christ living in me
Empty Me - " "
Living Water - " "

Teaching Linguistics!

I led my final lecture for the summer this past Monday, on Endangered Languages. I'll put some stuff here soon about that subject (one of my big passions). Here are some pics of class.

The Three Amigas

Two of my new, dear friends at Oregon SIL. MaryAnne, in the middle is working in Africa, and Rebekah, on the left, just finished a year of working with Wycliffe Dinner Theater, which travels the country sharing the story of Bible translation through drama. We get to pray, laugh, sing, walk, and of course talk together. What a blessing they've been to me!

WHO ARE MY STUDENTS?

Please pray for the 24 students in my class and for the over 50 students studying at Oregon SIL this summer.

Many like Jessica (not her real name) are still looking for what the next step will be in here life. I have committed to Jessica to pray with her over the summer, and listen with her for God's voice and direction.

Others, like John and Janelle (not their real names) have come here from Asia, and will have their first child after they return there at the end of the summer. They are wondering how God will use them into the future that area in that area.

Sharon (another pseudonym) is from a local Native American tribe and is learning about linguistics in order to see her language revitalized. I'm praying she will be inspired by the vision that we have for this kind of work because of Jesus - He loves her language and culture!

A little humor

HEADLINES
What would be our newspaper captions if Old Testament events happened today?

Crossing of the Red Sea:
Wetlands trampled in labor strike. Pursuing environmentalists killed.

David kills Goliath:
Hate crime kills beloved champion. Psychologist questions influence of rock.

Guess who's coming to dinner?

What an incredible evening! Bruce and Jan Benson were visiting Eugene, Oregon, for one more day when I drove down from Portland on Tuesday evening. They are the couple doing translation work that I will be supporting in Peru. My parents hosted dinner for all of us on Wednesday, and we spent several hours telling stories, sharing visions, and marveling over how God has brought us together "for such a time as this".

Sometimes when I tell people I'm moving to Peru for 2 years, I share the story in terms that any non-religious person could easily buy into. There are social justice benefits to a language development work that every person can appreciate. But after Wednesday night, I haven't been able to hold it all in! I want to share with everyone what GOD is doing! I have been excited about this idea of working with the Quechua, and the reality of it is really overwhelming. As I learn more about how I can help, and the experiences and training I will receive, it reminds me of when a friend describes meeting the man they are going to marry. That perfect timing, the perfectly aligned goals and interests, the complementing strengths.

The players in this drama number in the tens of thousands (80,000 Quechua speak just one of six languages in the area), but God has been leading us together for "such a time as this". It's humbling, scary, and exciting to be part of God's grand story, but it's the call of a lifetime!

Moving Day!

I can hardly believe it! I'm stacking boxes up to move to my storage unit on Saturday, and may not see most of the stuff in them for 2 years. It's an odd and exciting thing to be removed from one's possessions.

If you're in town and would like to help me move, I could use a few more people on Saturday (June 3) from 10-12, lunch included! Let me know if you can make it.

Amy
(Check out the Andes below.)

Power Lingo!

Righteousness goes before him
And prepares the way for his steps
Psalm 85:13

Lingua Lingo

It's a little scary thinking about learning another language (Spanish) and then starting to work with yet another (Huamalies Quechua). And it's exciting too because I really love languages. I love the way they work differently, sound differently, and reflect different cultures.

But learning Spanish - learning it really well - was troubling me. I had to keep giving up control of how much I would learn and when - something I wanted to spend a lot of time on, and I haven't been able to. I'm doing a little Spanish self-study now and hope to take a class this summer while at SIL, but it has been weighing on my mind.

But then came my Spanish lunch last week. My old Latin America department at Northwest Medical Teams all went out for lunch together to speak ONLY Spanish, and invited anyone to join them. While we were chatting (I was only able to put simple sentences together), I started getting a lot of great feedback! My old boss (and good friend) was even saying how amazing it was that God was preparing me so well for Peru! Now that's what I call giving glory to God!

It's true, He does prepare us for the road He takes us down. For example, I have a friend who is supporting three of her friends going through cancer right now. I don't have what it takes to go through that, but God is giving to her what she needs right now. And He's doing the same for me. And for you! Glory to God!

There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations--these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit--immortal horrors or everlasting splendours.

From Weight of Glory, by C.S. Lewis

Daily Blog coming soon

Well, it probably won't be daily, but for those of you who'd like a window into this adventure as it unfolds weekly, check back here for stories from every day life.

"Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither."
C. S. Lewis