Off to Amsterdam
Here in Lancaster County, PA there is a lacey covering of snow and ice over trees and turf. I went to Wal-Mart with two friends, driving into the parking lot right behind an Amish horse and buggy. The horse's respirations were brightly visible in the brisk air. I was impressed that the horses had their own set apart stalls - roofed and ribbed with strong timbers. (This has raised my regard for Wal Mart just a tad). Today (Saturday) our visas for Iran have arrived -- a good thing since our flight to Amsterdam leaves on Monday morning. And this afternoon two friends showed me how to don a full chador and keep mostly covered while extricating a hand or two needed for shopping and carrying. It has been a fruitful two weeks.
David and I have officially completed our two weeks of orientation here at MCC headquarters in Akron, PA. What a lovely space it is for training, learning, sharing, worshiping. We were part of a group of 27 "orientees" heading to cities in the US and Canada, as well as to Haiti, Bolivia, Kenya, Mozambique, Cambodia and of course, Iran. As near as I can tell, we ranged in age from 24-65. Friday we "internationals" were lovingly commisioned, prayed over and sent forward to serve the Lord. The buildings seem too quiet with most people gone to catch flights around the world.
For 10 hours today, we-- along with our four predecessors in the Muslim-Christian Exchange in Qom (2000-2006), and our MCC supervisor, Ed, have been around a table, eating, drinking coffee, describing and debriefing Iran. We have heard stories (funny, serious, encouraging and sad), read maps, heard a brief description of our new apartment, the rigors of learning Farsi and Arabic, the fun of Persian poetry, and Iranian hospitality.
I have, however, had odd cultural withdrawal symptoms. Into my rolling duffle have gone travel Scrabble and Yahtzee games. I went to Barnes and Noble and bought a DVD with a whole year's worth of "Law and Order" on it. I have squirreled away some murder mysteries for late night reading. I plan to load up on coffee in the Netherlands to go with the Cuban coffee pot (our little cafeterra). David is his normal self, though, and showing no aberrations.
These two weeks have been a good space to reflect on core identity as a Christians....as people who know Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Several things have lodged in my heart: first, that we can trust wholeheartedy any door that God opens in our lives and invites us to walk through; second, the Gospel's call to risky, open, transforming love can only be lived out day to day as a praxis, not as an abstract philosophical principle to which we assent; and third, to be a "test plot" for the Kingdom of God (to use Clarence Jordan's agricultural metaphor) is a good definition for any new mission in life-- we plant with love and faith and wait to see what God will cause to grow.
So, here we are, bags re-packed, hearts full, spirits ready. On Monday morning (very early) we will be enroute to the Philadelphia airport and to Amsterdam, then to my Kusse cousins' home near Delft for the week. Until then, Godspeed!
David and I have officially completed our two weeks of orientation here at MCC headquarters in Akron, PA. What a lovely space it is for training, learning, sharing, worshiping. We were part of a group of 27 "orientees" heading to cities in the US and Canada, as well as to Haiti, Bolivia, Kenya, Mozambique, Cambodia and of course, Iran. As near as I can tell, we ranged in age from 24-65. Friday we "internationals" were lovingly commisioned, prayed over and sent forward to serve the Lord. The buildings seem too quiet with most people gone to catch flights around the world.
For 10 hours today, we-- along with our four predecessors in the Muslim-Christian Exchange in Qom (2000-2006), and our MCC supervisor, Ed, have been around a table, eating, drinking coffee, describing and debriefing Iran. We have heard stories (funny, serious, encouraging and sad), read maps, heard a brief description of our new apartment, the rigors of learning Farsi and Arabic, the fun of Persian poetry, and Iranian hospitality.
I have, however, had odd cultural withdrawal symptoms. Into my rolling duffle have gone travel Scrabble and Yahtzee games. I went to Barnes and Noble and bought a DVD with a whole year's worth of "Law and Order" on it. I have squirreled away some murder mysteries for late night reading. I plan to load up on coffee in the Netherlands to go with the Cuban coffee pot (our little cafeterra). David is his normal self, though, and showing no aberrations.
These two weeks have been a good space to reflect on core identity as a Christians....as people who know Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Several things have lodged in my heart: first, that we can trust wholeheartedy any door that God opens in our lives and invites us to walk through; second, the Gospel's call to risky, open, transforming love can only be lived out day to day as a praxis, not as an abstract philosophical principle to which we assent; and third, to be a "test plot" for the Kingdom of God (to use Clarence Jordan's agricultural metaphor) is a good definition for any new mission in life-- we plant with love and faith and wait to see what God will cause to grow.
So, here we are, bags re-packed, hearts full, spirits ready. On Monday morning (very early) we will be enroute to the Philadelphia airport and to Amsterdam, then to my Kusse cousins' home near Delft for the week. Until then, Godspeed!
posted by Quakers in Qom at 5:59 PM
3 Comments:
It was a pleasure to meet you both this past weekend. I will be thinking of you as you head to Iran and start the adjustment. Hopefully we will be coming in May with the group.
Peace,
Rachel
we're looking forward to keeping up with you via e-mail and this blog. blessings and peace during your transition.
--Laurie
Phil and Linders,
Thanks for the blog update and the email to my bros and sisters-in-law the other day. I drove back to Richmond last night from visiting my friend, Leif, in Indy and I was thinking about you guys--wondering where you were at that moment. I spent some time praying for you both. I know you will enjoy your time with the Kusses. I am happy to see that scrabble and Law and Order are making the trip with you. Also, I laughed aloud in thinking of the cuban coffee pot with the melted handle. A very quick update with me is I am heading to a Mennonite retreat center in late Feb. for a week, and I am planning to attend the young adult friends conference in NJ in a couple of weeks.
Jeffers
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