Prayer Request

I got the following note from a Missionary friend overseas. Please join me in lifting this up in prayer!!!

A Special Call to Fast & Pray – December 7, 2009

Over the past week some of our colleagues in India have begun to

experience some difficulties in regard to their visas. The issue seems to

be centered around a new “guideline” or “policy” that has been put in

place by the government to require a two month stay outside of the

country once you leave. So far, two of our colleagues have received

stamps -- one on a piece of paper and one in a passport. The one who

received a stamped piece of paper was not asked for it when he reentered

the country and experienced no additional difficulty. The other

colleague who received the stamp in his passport will be (unexpectedly)

unable to return to his country of service for two months.

With upcoming visa travel approaching in the next several weeks, it is

completely unknown how many people may receive a stamp in their

passport and be unable to return for one to two months.

The new policy started without any warning, and has the potential to

cause disruption in both ministry and personal affairs. It’s like going out

of town for a week but then being unable to return home for two

months. Therefore, our colleagues are remaining faithful, preparing for

the future and praying for God to intervene. For we know that our God

is able to do the impossible! “Now to Him who is able to do exceeding

abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that

works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to

all generations forever and ever. Amen” (Eph. 3:20, NASB).

A CALL TO FAST AND PRAY

Please join us on Monday, December 7 in a special time of fasting and

praying over this situation. Pray that this new “policy” would be

rescinded or ignored and cause no disruption to God’s Word going forth

throughout South Asia.

FAST FACTS on INDIA:

One-third the size of the USA with four times as many people

Religions: 78% Hindu; 12% Islam; 3% Christian; 2% Sikh

Prediction: by 2020 – more people living in India than any other country

Pray Today:

· Pray that the new “policy” would be rescinded or ignored.

“First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on

behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, in order that we may lead a tranquil

and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our

Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For

there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who

gave Himself as a ransom for all” (I Timothy 2:1-6, NASB).

· Pray for wisdom for those who are working to handle this situation in the most effective

manner. “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men

generously and without reproach and it will be given to him” (James 1:5, NASB).

· Pray that in the midst of “upheaval” God’s peace would abound. “Humble yourselves,

therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting

all your anxiety upon Him, because he cares for you. Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your

adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist

him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being

accomplished by your brethren who are in the world” (1 Peter 5: 6-9, NASB).

· Pray for the many national believers who have received biblical training to be faithful to

continue to disciple and train others. “You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is

in Christ Jesus. And the things which you have heard from me in the presence of many

witnesses, these entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also. Suffer

hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 2:1-3, NASB).

· Pray that during this Christmas season, God’s message would continue to go forth

throughout South Asia and the world. “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us,

and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and

truth” (John 1:14, NASB).

· Praise God that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, yes and forever” (Hebrews

13:8). “He Himself has said, ‘I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,’ so that we

confidently say ‘The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What shall man do to me?’”

(Heb 13:5-6, NASB).

Thank you for praying for the visa situation in India and for her people.

Apropos beginning to a very long, cold day

So, it definitely snowed in Dallas last night. This is what my car looked like when I left for school this morning. It didn't last long, but it was kinda fun to drive through the big, slushy snow drops ... that is until I had to get out in it and pump gas

Hiking trail of life

I always seem to forget how much I love hiking! Not only is there the physical enjoyment of being out surrounded by nature and walking through it and participating in it, but every time I go hiking, there is a spiritual hike that accompanies it. In so many ways, hiking is the perfect allegory for life.

I notice that the manner in which I hike tends to be the manner in which I approach life. When I hike, I almost always take a map with me ... I also almost never actually stop to look at the map until I've gotten completely and utterly lost. I tend to push forward even when I don't know where I'm going, refusing to admit that I don't know where I am or that I can't get myself out of whatever predicament I've gotten myself into. I'm a little stubborn like that.

And, what gets me into those situations in the first place? Can I EVER stay on the broad path that is clearly marked out in front of me? Of course not! What's the fun in staying on the beaten track, especially when there are so many fun little meandering trails that head off in who knows what direction? So, I get distracted. Where I'm going never seems as interesting as the many other possibilities that branch out in other directions. There are times where this pays off, where I get to see something I otherwise might not have been able to see, come across a beautiful spot, get a glimpse of one of God's amazing creatures, but more than likely, I end up in a runnoff ditch, or an animal trail - something that was not meant for me to follow. Honestly, I can't think of a single time that I haven't gotten myself so far off course that I had to hack my way back to the original trail through tangles of branches and thorns. I finally stumble back to the path, scratched up, bleeding, exhausted and bug bitten.

Today, I went alone. You hike differently when you're alone than when you have a hiking buddy. I am much less likely to take stupid risks like climbing ridiculously high trees or getting off the path completely when I don't have anyone there to let me know when I've gone too far, or to help me out when I've gotten completely in over my head.

Today was just me and God, teaching me lessons about right and wrong ways to hike. The path has been laid out where it is for a reason. Someone has gone before me, taking the time and effort to create the path so that I don't have to get completely lost in the woods. There is a final destination, the path may not lead me straight there, but it will lead me on an adventure full of beautiful bends in the road and the inevitable crazy, rocky patches, and eventually get me where I'm going ... after I have enjoyed the journey.

Most insane week ever

So last week was pretty much the most insane week I've had so far as far as projects, papers and quizzes go. Luckily, I did survive the week and got everything turned in on time. I spent just about every spare moment I had in the Mac lab on campus working on getting my video project finished and looking good... well, decent anyway. The link is below if anyone is interested in checking it out.

Michelle's video project

The epic battle between girl and nature

My parents have a couple of pear trees in their yard and ever since I was a kid, it has been my job to climb the trees and pick the pears that cannot be reached by the ladder alone. It's always been my favorite chore around the yard. I missed out on this joy the past three years, what with traveling around the world and all, and so since I'm around again, I was NOT planning on missing out on the pear harvest this year.

After over two weeks of straight rain, I was beginning to despair of being able to go out and pick them before they got overripe or simply floated away. But finally, the rains let up a bit this weekend, and Mom and I were able to go out to see if there was any good fruit left on the trees.

Luckily, there was and we were able to get a few bags of pears that looked edible. Now, there is a slight amount of hazard to being up in the top of a tree. For example, there are all kinds of insects buzzing around and inside the pears, there are the inevitable twigs that don't like for you to invade their territory and take payment out of your skin, there are the odd pears still above you that take offense to you moving the branches to which they are attached and show their anger by falling on your head, but usually, these hazards are slight enough and I come away with only a few bug bites, a bruise or two and a few scratches on my arms. Unfortunately, this year, I failed to take into account the added hazard of the tree (especially the bark) being waterlogged. It was just a little bit harder to actually stay in the tree as the tree fought back at me. Don't worry, I still won the war and brought home the spoils, but the battle wounds were a little more fierce.

A taste of India

One of the things I love about Dallas is how crazy international it is. I was able to have a total Indian weekend and didn't even have to go very far to get it. An organization in the area hosted a  concert for international students (specifically from India). The group was Aradhana, which plays Yeshu Bhaktis (Indian-style music about Jesus).

A couple former South Asia journeygirls and I made a night of it, going out for Indian food and then catching the concert. Here's a pic from the concert. It was absolutely amazing!

They're also on youtube here: Aradhana in India

Lessons learned in interviewing in the big city

Alright, I've been falling behind in my blogging lately ... WAY TOO MUCH HOMEWORK!! Seriously, I feel like I spend all my time these days either reading, driving, or sitting in class (pretty much in that order from most time to least). I've also been looking for a job. In fact, I had an interview this morning. It was quite an experience.

I got up bright and early this morning and got all dressed up in my business best (yeah, that's pretty much khakis for me) and headed up to north Dallas. About fifteen minutes before the interview time, I pulled into the parking garage, got out, and headed toward a cluster of very official-looking buildings. I was a bit overwhelmed by the poshness of it all (excuse the Bitishism, but it really seems the only term that would work for this situation) and immediately felt out of place and under dressed. Luckily, I did remember at the last minute to change from my Old Navy flip flops into some of my nicer Indian sandals that I keep in my car (yes, I keep two pairs of my nice shoes in my car and wear my flip flops to drive and walk around in so that I can change shoes whenever I need to be all professional-looking ... or at least less slobbish).

As I exited the parking garage heading toward the office buildings, I passed a couple of women immaculately groomed and dressed in business suits. They gave me one of those 'are you lost or just stupid' looks. So that was a nice self-esteem booster before heading to my interview. It also made me aware that my hair had never completely dried after my shower this morning because I'm not patient enough to dry it all the way and the weather is so ridiculously wet that the hour + in the car didn't dry it either.

The building cluster was a corporate maze and it took me a little while to find the right building, the right door to that building, and make it up to the right floor. Luckily, I was still a good ten minutes early. I was invited to a seat beside the receptionist where I sat for the next 30 to 40 minutes waiting on the person conducting my interview to finish up with her meeting/whatever else important work she had going on. During this time, I got to know the receptionist pretty well and heard all about her brother in the hospital with lung-transplant complications and her daughter-in-law who was also in the hospital at the same time waiting to get her gallbladder taken out. I was very relieved, however, to notice that the atmosphere in the office was much more casual than that of others that I had passed on the way. Everyone in the office was in jeans (it was casual Friday, I was informed, where everyone gets to wear jeans and they make popcorn, some of which I was offered no less than five times by the receptionist who was so sorry that I had to wait so long).

Finally, my interviewer came out, introduced herself and ushered me back to her office. The interview lasted all of ten minutes. She told me a little bit about the company and the job and asked me all the stupid but mandatory interview questions (i.e. If we contacted your references, what would they say are your strongest and weakest qualities? To which I couldn't help but wonder, if you really want to know the answer to that question, why don't you ask THEM. But I kept that to myself and answered as best I could.) As far as interviews go, it wasn't bad. The job sounds interesting, but a lot of it would include calling supporters and asking for money, which would certainly stretch me a bit as a person. At the conclusion of the ten minutes, I was told that they had some others applicants that they were also considering for the position, but that they would be discussing their options soon and would give me a call Monday.

So that's the story on the job front. More waiting, but in the mean time, I've got another company I think I'm going to call and get information on.

I'm really eager to get a job  that will allow me to get an apartment in the Dallas area and not have to spend half of my life driving! It's been crazy the past two weeks especially. Seriously, there hasn't been one drive (neither to nor from Dallas) that I haven't gotten rained on at some point, and really, not just rained on ... poured on! In fact, I was very nearly late for class last night because it was raining most of the way and apparently Dallas drivers think that you must not drive over 45 mph in the rain. God did give me a great promise, however, that it will have to stop sometime. I don't know if you can tell in the picture, but there are actually two rainbows. It was pouring down rain on me and to my left, but to the right of me the sun was shining.

Praying for sunshine and an income!!

Near-death experience

I learned first-hand tonight that lightning storms are MUCH cooler to watch from the safety of one's own home than to drive through ... for an hour and a half! Funny how vulnerable you can feel when all that is between you and a gazillion volts of electricity is a small metal vehicle doused in unceasing torrents of water.

I drove through an epic storm tonight, seriously, the kind ballads are sung about! The ironic part is that as I walked  to my car after class tonight, I was enjoying the feel of the sprinkles of rain on my face. I was thinking of how much I had missed the rain and how cool it was to see the lightning in the distance behind the buildings of the city.



Unfortunately, the lightning did not stay distant for very long as I drove toward home. Rather quickly, the coolness effect wore off and lightning seemed to be striking all around me. I kept thinking that I'd drive beyond it sooner or later, but it just kept getting worse. Luckily, the rain remained at a minimum most of the way, but the lightning was just crazy! It quite literally shredded the sky every few seconds.

I drove an average of 55 mph the whole way turning an hour's drive into at least an hour and a half of sheer barely-contained panic and terror. I just knew at any second that I was either going to be hit by lightning, or watch something explode in front of me, or get hit by a car blinded by one of the lightning strikes just ahead of us.

In spite of this, I did manage to pull out my camera phone and get a couple pictures and some video. You REALLY can't tell how crazy it is from the pics or vid, but here they are regardless... and I don't think I have any audio of me cussing... but I was rather tense, you must understand ... leeway must be granted under life and death circumstances.

And, I didn't capture any of the worst of it, which hit full force about 20 miles from home and lasted the rest of the way. I swear, as I exited the interstate and turned into town a bolt of lightning hit the ground not a dozen yards from my vehicle. And it is not impossible that I let out a ridiculously girlish scream and ducked. Most of my prayer went up in the last few blocks through town as it poured down rain around me and lightning still lit the entire night sky like a gigantic strobe light.

You will be glad to know, however that I did survive, and it only took me about an hour to stop shaking uncontrollably after I had made it to safety.

Lightning vid

Here's a link for the vid, I couldn't figure out how to embed it and I'm too tired to research it right now. You may also notice that Metallica is playing in the background. I thought it very apropos

Progressions...

Tonight I have been reminded that deep down I am a massive nerd. Somehow I had managed to forget that fact until my theology class tonight made the admission inescapable. Theology was the one class above all others that I have been dreading since registration. I mean, I have no problem studying the Bible and learning more about what it says and how to study it etc, but a class dedicated to what other people have decided about the Bible and how they classify and qualify it and the history thereof ... that I wasn't so sure about.

This evening's lecture was an introduction to the course as well as an introduction to the plethora of terms that we will have to know. As the prof ran through the list of the various disciplines of theology and their definitions, my innate nerdiness was reawakened with a vengeance as a familiar pattern emerged and I realized that the different disciplines of theology corresponded to certain literary periods. There is Philosophical Theology leading into Natural Theology which sound an awful lot like the Transcendentalist movement and the Emerson/Thoreau progression. There is Reformation Theology (and really all Historical Theology) that much more literally corresponds with the time period and literary period. There is Modern Theology that also follows the progression of the literary modern period reflecting a certain disillusionment and liberalism of thought.

After I made this connection, I must admit, I was fascinated. I may not have as hard a time getting motivated to do this whole seminary thing as I've been assuming I will.

Yesterday I had Video Production for Ministry. We put together a short video in Final Cut on the very first day! That class is definitely going to be the highlight of my semester!

I had my first real class last night - Bible Study Methods and Hermeneutics. Sitting in class with a bunch of ThM (Masters of Theology) students and being taught by the president of the seminary, it occurred to me that I might just be getting more than I bargained for in this seminary education thing. As President Proff wrote words in Greek upon the white erase board and spoke in tenses unknown to the English language, I began to doubt whether I was up for the intense new world of knowledge acquisition that I am diving into. I have always felt very strongly that faith is a matter of relationship and not intellectualism. Luckily, it seems that DTS feels the same way, unfortunately that does not get me out of doing the work to become a Biblical intellectual.

In spite of being completely overwhelmed by what I have gotten myself into, I did enjoy the class. God is drawing me to pursue Him much more deeply despite my squeamishness. Throughout the process so far, I've come to realize how little I know about Him and His word. How much of the knowledge I am going to gain is pertinent to my relationship with Him and how much of it is knowledge for knowledge sake (i.e. memorizing all of the OT kings in chronological order and learning all of the man-made vocabulary dividing and defining biblical concepts to help man understand the incomprehensibility of the nature of God), I'm not yet sure.

Well, on to another day! Chapel starts in a few minutes and then I'm off to my video production class. That one, I am definitely looking forward to!

What a difference a day makes!

Yes, cliche, but frighteningly accurate at times! The dilemma that I wrote about in my previous note has been solved for me. No more struggling through the quandary of trust versus security for me. All possibility of that blanket has flown ... or is it only rugs that fly? Okay, okay, forgive the mixed metaphors, but somehow a security rug just doesn't have the same ring to it. I digress.

I got a call today letting me know that I was NOT being invited to a second interview for the full-time job I had applied for. After a very awkward 45 second phone conversation, I came to the only conclusion left: "Hmmm, I guess God really does want me to focus on this seminary thing after all." An hour later, I was on the road headed to my first class of the semester.

My first "class" was this evening at 7. The quotation marks around the word denote the very loose use of the term. Every student at Dallas Theological Seminary is required to take four consecutive semesters of Spiritual Formations. This "class" is actually organized small group times with reading and writing assignments that results in absolutely no credit hours whatsoever. The first three weeks are actually held in a class setting before students are split into groups and allowed to meet on their own terms. (I'm thinking my personal terms just might have to include Starbucks.) After attending the first evening, I think that the course will be good and worthwhile. Its purpose is to teach us to thrive in community and learn from each other as well as from books. Apparently, the course was added to the curriculum 18 years ago after it was noted that seminary graduates were sorely lacking in social skills of any kind. I find this fact highly entertaining!

This morning, I took an online entrance exam testing my Biblical and Theological knowledge. I felt like a five-year-old being required to recite the entire constitution and give an analysis on it's impact on the social and moral structure of society ... in 75 minutes. I was done in under an hour. And by done I mean completely brain-fried and totally incapable of coherent thought for the rest of the day. Hopefully this is not a portent of tomorrow's Bible Study Methods and Hermeneutics class.

The long-procrastinated update (8/22/09)

While I was overseas I was in such a good habit of writing updates every month or so to let all of my wonderful friends and family know what new and exciting developments were occurring. I have now been back in the states for eight months and in that time have done a completely horrendous job of communicating and sharing my life with those I love and do not see on a regular basis. So, for anyone still maintaining a shred of interest in the exciting --though not quite in the same way -- life that the Lord seems to perpetually amuse Himself by granting me, here's what's currently unfolding in the Michelle state-side saga.

Our protagonist returns to her homeland, nearly penniless, but with a new enthusiasm for her country and the exciting new steps before her, in the midst of a nasty and growing recession that has dried up nearly all jobs in her field. After months of unsuccessful job searching, scrounging and begging, she manages to land a temporary position that will provide her with minimal income for a few months more. Prayer seems to yield little direction, until a passing suggestion sparks into a possibility - a Masters Degree in Media and Communications from a seminary just over an hour away. Possibility leads to pursuit, which leads to acceptance, which leads to ... the word dreaded more than most any other, commitment.

And here the saga comes to a middle.

Okay, for the serious version: I want to say how much I appreciate ya'll's prayers as I've been going through a really stressful month of getting things together and making decisions as to what commitments I was able to make. I'm still in the process of procuring work. My last day at my summer temp job was Wednesday and I had to say goodbye to all the kids at the Children's Home where I was working which was kinda sad.

News on the job-hunting front has been the most insane part of the drama of my life lately. After deciding that seminary was something I was going to pursue seriously, I began looking for part-time jobs and apartments in the Dallas area. FYI part-time job salaries in the Dallas area are not quite equivalent to rent in the Dallas area!

As I was in the process of interviewing and applying for part-time jobs, I got a call from a full-time copy editing job that I had applied for back in March. They had had to put the job on hold for some reason or other (like the aforementioned NASTY recession) and were opening it back up. They wanted to know if I was still interested. The job would be 8 to 5 every weekday, no leeway for seminary students, but would have a salary that would make it possible to get my own place and possibly just be able to pay off some of that schooling as I go. This would mean putting Seminary on the back burner and taking only a class or two at night and working all day. Getting the job is still far from a certainty. I still have two more interviews to go through and deadlines for school registration and payment have come and gone.

So, classes start on Monday and I'm supposed to get a call sometime this week to set up a second interview for the full-time job. If I take the job at this point I will lose a whole lot of money in classes that I will have to drop after deadline, but I will have a steady job and a salary. I also would not be able to finish my degree taking only evening classes, so later on I would have to make a decision on which to abandon, the job or the degree.

I'm stuck with a decision to make. Do I take the job and have stability, a good income, a place to live, and put seminary and what I really hope to do with my life on hold; or do I continue to live with my parents, commuting over an hour four days a week to Seminary and Trust that God will somehow miraculously take care of my tuition and textbook bills (not to mention gas bills!!!)? At this point I'm leaning toward the latter. I've still got a couple part-time job possibilities that I can pursue and some loan money coming in in the next month. But oh, does the stable income and a place of my own sound really good!

So, in conclusion, I'm still really conflicted and having a hard time determining which direction God is leading me in. However, He has lead me this far and I know He will not stop leading me now.