character building 101

Let's see.

There are a lot of really seriously creepy bugs here. SERIOUSLY creepy.

Yesterday I was walking across this area of gravel on my way to the store when I saw this HUMONGOUS spider. Now, I know that I can tend to exaggerate sometimes, but I'm not kidding...it was really huge. I thank the Lord though, that it was on it's back and it couldn't flip itself over. But, it was so gross. I ended up getting a piece of cardboard that was laying on the ground, putting it on top of it and stomping on it (I was slightly worried that it would like somehow flip itself over and come invade my home).

AND THEN, today I was vacumming my room near where my curtains are (they're long, like to the ground) and all of a sudden this centipede/millipede/orthropodish type thing came out of nowhere. I don't even know if orthropod is the right term, but still. It wasn't super huge, but really creepy looking. I vacuumed it up (or so I thought) and was relieved. But then tonight I was sitting on my couch reading my Bible and I saw it run across the floor! So, I used some massive strategic techniques and killed it.

I just don't know what it is. Maybe it's just a time of massive character building. I mean, really.

and secondly...

i had a lot to say, so i decided to post two times as to keep more of
your attention!

the next topic(s).

i am going to kiev, ukraine on the 16th of august to go to this ywam
conference thing. i'm excited to go to kiev, and it also helps me out
with my visa here in georgia. when you fly in you get a stamp that is
good for 3 months, and then after that you have to like renew it, but
for some reason i am not able to right now. but when i come back from
ukraine, i get a new stamp...so i get another 3 months.

don't worry though, i won't be kicked out. it's just some minor issue
that will be resolved soon enough. hey hey.

and what else...oh yes. i really am feeling more at home here in
tbilisi. i am able to actually go places on my own. not everywhere
of course, but i'm learning to get around. really though, if you are
just very friendly and you try to say a few georgian words, people
really like you and will do a lot to help you. it's very good. : )

well, i guess this is shorter than i planned, but that is okay.

and lastly, a few pictures (finally).

this is some of the people from the project in downtown tbilisi (rustaveli area) a day after the project ended.

this is some of the countryside near where we stayed. one day we went for a walk (like 3 km there and back!) and we stopped near this river and made a fire and cooked shashlik ( i didn't do the cooking). and we had to cross this log bridge thing to get to where we had our picnic. it was pretty exciting.

this is my ukranian friend ira and i during the project. she was was funny and way awesome. we had a lot of fun.

amazing

well, where to start!

the project (as the campus crusade people call it) was really amazing.
there was a team of 6 people from ukraine who sort of helped run it,
the watson family (the campus crusade people for Georgia), and quite a
few Georgians who were mostly orthodox.

the first day I was really sort of scared. mostly because i just
found out that they were almost all orthodox and were not used to the
whole singing thing. and then the rest of the scaredness is just the
insecurity that comes along with not knowing what people are talking
about unless it is translated for you. yes, they almost all (except
one) spoke english at least okay, but it's not their most comfortable
language, so they don't use it unless they have to! but it went so
well though. they LOVED to sing, and their favorite song was, "we
wanna see".

the lyrics:
WE WANNA SEE JESUS LIFTED HIGH
A BANNER THAT FLIES ACROSS THIS LAND
THAT ALL MEN MIGHT SEE THE TRUTH AND KNOW
THAT HE IS THE WAY TO HEAVEN

WE WANNA SEE
WE WANNA SEE
WE WANNA SEE JESUS LIFTED HIGH

STEP BY STEP WE'RE MOVING FORWARD
LITTLE BY LITTLE WE'RE TAKING GROUND
EVERY PRAYER A POWERFUL WEAPON
STRONGHOLDS START TUMBLING DOWN

so that was pretty amazing. and I can't even begin to tell you the
rest. the ukranian team was so wonderful. and i really made a few
good friends that i pray will last for the rest of my life. and the
changes that we saw in the hearts of the Georgians were really
miraculous.

for example, there was this one girl who really didn't think that
there was a connection between orthodox and protestantism. she of
course thought that orthodox was right and we were not really, or at
least we had a lot of things wrong. but the last night we were all
sharing what we learned and what our favorite part of the project was
and stuff, and this girl stood up and told us that she really learned
a lot. that she now sees that there is only one God between orthodox
and protestantism and He is the same for both of us. and many girls
said that they really had the desire to read the Bible now. of course
they still have a lot to learn (don't we all) but i was really amazed
to see how much ground was taken in such a short period of time!

so, that's all to say that the project was so blessed by God and He
was so there. i totally have more stories and such, and i'm sure they
will come out some time or another!

finally!

Well, lets see. I remember thinking about something I really wanted
to say, but now I can't remember. But, I guess that's alright.

I did want to announce my first official like ministry thing! There
is a family that works with Campus Crusade for Christ here in Georgia,
and they are doing a "summer project" (it's like a retreat). And they
asked me to lead worship for them! The camp will be done in English
but there will be students from Ukraine and Georgia and one from
Turkey there. I'm really excited to serve and I'm excited to learn
from it all, but I am a little nervous. But, I'm sure it will go
great! So, I will be gone for 6 days, just so you all know.

Oh! In just like 2 or 3 days, I will have been in Georgia for 1
month. I know it's not really that much, but it seems like a lot for
how quickly it's gone by, you know? I hardly feel like I've been here
two weeks, much less a month. But I'm sure that it hasn't always felt
like it was going by quickly, but I'm glad it feels like that now. If
that makes sense.

Okay, I guess I'll be back in like a week or so.

a little bit

Hello there. I was briefly really excited because I though I was going to have the ablilty to post pictures by using the email thing...but I’m not able to. Oh well I guess!

So, Batumi was good. I swam in the Black Sea, and no it wasn’t very black. But I guess they have these special black dolphins that come around, so maybe that’s why it’s called that. We also drove to the Turkish border and a few people prayed for Turkey. It was interesting seeing it in the light because the last time I was there it was like midnight, or some ridiculous hour.

But I think the best part of Batumi was the fact that we got to bring Keti back to Tbilisi with us. Since she returned, I was able to move into Vazi and start to get acquainted with the Nutzubidze Plateau area. I really like it here. At least until DTS starts, I have my own room and it’s so lovely! I wish I could show you all what it looks like. Maybe soon, maybe soon.

Yesterday I was reading in my room, and for the first time, or maybe the second, I really remembered how much I love Georgia. I guess I’ve been so distracted and bewildered to remember that fact. Of course, I really do miss Washington and all that I have there, but it was just so exciting to think that I’m here in some random country half-way across the world from the place I took my first breath. (I’m only halfway trying to sound poetic).

But there really is so much to love. Like the Metro for example. I’m sure most Georgians don’t really care for it. It smells all musty and can be very crowded...but for this American, it’s like amazing. I don’t know why. Maybe it’s the forever-long escalators and the gush of wind that comes as you go down them. I guess that’s my Ode to the Metro or something.

Tomorrow Keti is going to start giving me Georgian lessons. She already has a little bit. “Meh minda ertitsali puri.” That means, “I want a piece of bread.” I guess that could be useful if I ever got lost.

We spent most of the afternoon on Rustaveli (it’s kind of like the main street). I feel like we walked a million miles, but it probably wasn’t that much. We went into this really old orthodox church (just to sort of sight-see I guess) and I found out that the building was 1600 years old. Do you realize that that is older than America? Crazy, I know. Also today I bought a little gypsy girl an ice-cream cone (which is extremely inexpensive by the way, just a little more than a quarter). I’m sure it was her 4th or 5th for the day, but I just couldn’t say no. It was food and I knew she’d eat it. Gypsies...that’s a whole nother topic that I will maybe try to write about later.

I could write more, but I’ll wait until later. <3

nice

Well, it worked!  So, I guess I'll just do this for now.

 

Yesterday I went to Pastor Zaal's church.  It was interesting, but I didn't understand hardly anything they said.   I think the words I did understand were, dzalian which means "very", mich war har which means "I love you" and just things like shen which is like "you" or something like that.   But, even the fact that I could pick out those words is fairly exciting I must say.  Not necessarily miraculous, but exciting.

 

The other day I went to the store to get some food for Korinne and on the way home I stopped at one of the little bread shops where they make the traditional (at least I think it's traditional) Georgian bread.   The word for one is "erti" and so, I was like, "uhh...er..erti" and the guy was so nice!  He was like, "pooree, erti pooree" (which means one bread or something).   Anyway, the moral of that story was I guess just to tell you, but also to say that I really like the Georgians who try to help you learn the language and who are just plain nice.

 

Yesterday also, I helped lead worship with Dennis at the "Tbilisi International Fellowship".   It's basically like a church full of foreign missionaries, although there are a few Georgians that come.  I like it.  And the room we meet in has air conditioners, which is FANTASTIC.

 

We're (the Holts and I and one other DTS student) leaving to go to Batumi (a town on the Black Sea) tomorrow.  It should be fun.  It's sort of like a vacation thing I guess, but we are planning on meeting with some church leaders or something, to advertise the DTS.  We'll be gone until Friday.  Hopefully I'll be able to figure out how to post pictures on here, but by using email like I am right now.

 

Well, I'd better go eat breakfast.  The oatmeal is calling me name.

georgia

Well, since I can't post using the actual website, I am trying this new email post thing.  So, I hope it works so that all of my work (typing) here is not in vain!

 

I'm sure most of you know, but I got here okay.  The airlines lost my luggage and I was without it for a litte more than 3 days.  But, I did get it back and everything was intact which was good.  Except the little bridge thing on my guitar, I don't really know what it's called--but there's this plastic part that goes under your strings, and it broke at the B string.  But, it still plays alright.

 

Umm, what else.  I've been to a few places.  Went to Gori just for a short time, but it was still interesting.  A week ago we went to Tbilisi Sea and went swimming (although it's a reservoir and not a sea, they still call it that).  Went out to dinner, walked on the Rustaveli.  I've been having a pretty good time just getting to know Tbilisi better and getting to know the Holts better.

 

But, emotionally I've been kind of up and down.  There will be days that I wake up and think, "yes, I can do this!  I can be a missionary, and I WANT to serve God!"  But then there are also days when I wake up and think, "oh, I wish I was back in America!  I don't think I could ever be a missionary!"  As frustrating (and exhausting) as it is, I think it's just part of adjusting to the culture, you know.

 

A friend emailed me just today and I was greatly encouraged! He reminded me that God CALLED me.  And that says so much!  It says that even if I don't think I can do it, God knows I can.  He brought me here and He knows my abilities and my weaknesses.  So, that was really good to hear.

 

The Holts found an apartment that is close to Vazi (the place where the DTS will be run for now, and the place I will be staying, hopefully sometime soon).  So, next week we will  be moving there and I am hoping to move into Vazi.

 

Another one of the DTS students came early, and we just met her today.  She actually is Georgian and she grew up here her entire life, but she moved to the states like 3 years ago, or something like that.  So, she decided to come back and she will be attending DTS.  She's really amazing, her testimony is just like...woah.  But, so intriguing. 

 

Anyway, I guess I'll quit for now.  I don't want to write like a million and a half words, and then have this not work!

 

Okay, that is all for now.  <3

--
"So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy."  Romans 9:16