What a Day!

Today we found out where we are going on Outreach! Phillipines, Bontoc.  I am super excited.  Have to get everyone in the loop first thing tomorrow.  Spending the evening looking up the culture, the people, the religion and the weather. 

Today was also the day G-d (blessed be His name), decided to show me glimpses of my past in ways I had not seen in all my counseling.  Good and bad.  Prophetic and sad.  Profound and painful.  And it wasn't through some great teaching or some really insightful teacher, it just happened.  I realized that or the first time, I am living my life intentionally FOR G-d.  Not to do something for Him because He saved me.  Not to be a people pleaser.  Not to do good holistic things because of their goodness, but truly because of a love relationship we have together. 

All in a moment, I realized all those years in ministry, years in Christian counseling, years in church, then years not in church, then realizing the truth of obeying Torah, then years in Messianic life...all striving to be good.  Good enough.  Loveable enough.  Christian enough.  Jewish enough.  There is a striving towards holiness that is good, I did that too.  We miss this in Christendom.  Being holy, set apart, looking different, eating different, dressing different, talking different...holy.  But I digress

Lately I have been feeling the need to be more Jewish.  Attend erev shabbat from beginning to end, attending shul for 7-9 hours on saturday.  I have loved that and I have needed it.  It has been a breath of fresh air.  I do want to be holy, I do recognize that Christianity misses this part.  I do need more reverence in my actions and Judaism provides that.  But today, as I said, I realized I am truly living intentionally for Abba.  The form may be different.  Different from Christianity AND different from Judaism.  But I love my Abba.  I love Adonai.  I love Hashem.  I love Yeshua.  I do.  And, I am not only reciting prayers every week in His name.  I am not only singing songs about how good He is and how I have been saved.  This is a place I have never been.  It is good.  For the first time, I know I am right where I need to be.  Truly.  Its good

Back in Oregon

So we arrived this evening about 730.  Our friends were stuck in traffic so we waited at the airport for about 45 minutes and Selah was exhausted, no nap and just tired and cranky.  We do have to share a room so I prompted her about that, equating it to sharing a house with Grammy and Papa and she thought that was exciting.  We have alot of work to do to make our humble abode ready for 2 more people. 

At first, I was really stressed out about this.  But, it is another single mom with a daughter which could prove to be divine appointment.  She is from here so she may have more help and it may be different but good either way.  We start on Monday.  I have been here for 3 months but it's ground zero come Monday.  Everything is different.  It is exciting. 

Our visit to Cali was refreshing.  We both loved to see my family and I got to have emotional and physical repreive.  We got to spend time with our home congregation and visit with friends.  We even got to visit Disney 4 times before our annual pass expired, some with in laws, some with just us. 

As we drove back to the base, I just had a grin on my face.  I do love it here.  I do know I am supposed to be here.  As much as it goes against my comfort, it is good.  I could smell the grass and trees, the sun was out, green everywhere, mellow drivers, good convo in the car...ah.

Differences

So, neither here nor there, nor right or wrong but I have been taking note of the little differences between life in Oregon and life back in Cali.  Interesting. 

There I have no bathroom of my own.  I keep my towel in my room and all my hair stuff, selah's hair stuff, face wash etc, in my room.  I use one towel over and over for a week.  Here I can have towel hung in bathroom for the next time.  I have all my hair and her hair stuff right by the mirror and sink.  I see different towels laying around only used once.

There I have one bowl for each of us, one fork for us, one knife, one plate and one spoon.  One coffee cup, one glass and one kids cup.  I use them over and over.  I wash them immediately and do not leave them by the sink because they will be viewed as common property and disappear.  Here, I was chastised for finding my one cup since it was in the room someone was using.  There are glasses all over, silverware in every room and a dishwasher that washes it all.

There we share a laundry room with one washer with at least 4 families.  If I do not gather my laundry right when it is done, I risk having it piled wet on top of the dryer.  Here, people leave loads in the washer and dryer for days even.  It doesn't get hung or done because it doesn't have to. 

There, I hardly have time to workout at the gym but even when I do, there is one Turbo Kick class a week and only one 24hr in my city and only 2 Zumba classes.  Here, there is classes all hours of the day of both kinds and many more.  You can chose from 7 different locations within a 10 mile radius, all days of the week, all hours.

There, I do not have cable or basic television (which isn't new, been without for almost 4 years).  There, people talk about how to get water to people who have none and certainly no television.  There, they talk about how to help our neighbor and the world.   Here my family watches shows all day and all night, the tv is on all the time.  People have commentaries about the housewives from coto de caza, with women with fake lips, fake breasts, created drama.  The women I work out with at the gym speak of their t.v. shoes whilst also having botox on their foreheads and lips.  Here, we talk about the latest show, the gas prices going up, the woes of not having a nordstrom close by. 

Two different cultures, within the same country.  Interesting