So much has happened...
I lost one wonderful housemate...
And gained a new wonderful housemate... (Lesley is the one to the right of me)
...who owns a rice cooker!!!!
I learned how to make chapatis/japatis - take your pick as to how to spell it because it's a transliteration and the real pronunciation is somewhere between the two. Now depending on the extent of both your knowledge of linguistic terms and your knowledge of Indian/Pakistani cuisine, you may not understand two of the key words in that last sentence. So here are some definitions:
chapati/japati: Chapati is a form of roti (bread). The words are often used interchangeably. While roti refers to any flat unleavened bread, chapati is a roti made of whole wheat flour and cooked on a tava (flat skillet). (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chapati)
transliteration: a transcription from one alphabet to another (Source: some internet dictionary)
In other words, it is taking a word from a language which has a different script/alphabet to English (such as Urdu, Farsi, Arabic...) and writing that word using an English alphabet. Because the sounds in another language are not always fully expressed with the English alphabet, there can be several versions of transliterations.
~ cultural/English lesson ended~
In the lower left hand corner, there are samples of my handiwork.
I went to my first Kurdish party and learned Kurdish dancing. And yes, I wore tradition Kurdish clothes as evidenced below. (Don't laugh. I SAID, don't laugh!)
(As a side note, it probably gives some insight into my current life that I have watched/read absolutely no American or even British news recently, but have watched a lot on the election in Iraq. Of course, most of that was either in Sorani or Arabic, so I can’t say that I have an in depth knowledge of the issues driving the election. All I really know is that my Kurdish friends like the Change party. So I guess I do too. Go Change Party! According to the latest breaking news, 85% of the ballots have been counted, so we should have a result on the election soon. Okay, I actually heard that from a Kurdish friend who I met on the street today – but I imagine it is fairly accurate. Detour into Iraqi politics ends here.)
I recently went to my first Iranian party. It was the first night of the Iranian New Year celebration and it is the tradition to jump over a bonfire. Being open to new cultural experiences, I did it too.
Here I am jumping over the fire:
Here I am jumping over the fire:
Oh no wait, that was last summer with my crazy British friends in Wantage. You will be relieved to know that although there were 5 fires to jump over, they were all fairly small. Apparently in Iran they would be a lot bigger, but a concession was made because of all of the small children who were involved.
We also had a Bollywood night for our home church social where I learned some Indian dancing.
As you can see, these last few months have been a lot of fun. They have also been quite stressful at times. There is always so much to do and so many people to see, that I never really feel like I’m done. I also have been taking a fairly intense load of online courses in order to finish up my BSN. At certain points I have felt pushed to the limit…and maybe a little past the limit.
It was during one of these times that a friend told me something he had heard Heidi Baker say. The rough gist was that whenever she starts feeling overwhelmed and stressed because she has too much to do in a day, she makes sure to spend even more time with God that day – because it is better to go to only one meeting but be hearing God clearly than to go to five meeting but be so stressed that you can’t hear Him. That marked a turning point for me. I started looking for how I could rest and spend time with God not just in the morning, but throughout my day. Sometimes this means listening to worship music on my ipod as I walk somewhere. (Thank you for the ipod Melody!) Or listening to a podcast while I clean. Or taking time out to soak in God’s presence. Or making sure that I actively chat through what I’m worried about with God…and that I listen as well as talk. I also have reinstituted taking 15 minute naps when I feel like I need them. It’s amazing how much more productive I can be when I’ve had a nap. If it was good enough for Winston Churchill, it’s good enough for me!
Although I still get tired and frustrated at times, building these habits into my life has helped me to constantly refocus myself on God. And He is always there. I just need to be more aware of Him!
In January, I started making a conscious effort to call myself a follower of Jesus rather than a Christian. There are various cultural reasons for this which are too in depth to explain here. It is amazing how much that simple change in words has impacted my life. I have found myself being increasing challenged to live out what I am saying. I started by slowly reading Matthew 5-7 (The Sermon on the Mount) and asking the question, “How can I live this out?” I have been realizing how much I have mentally assented to Jesus’ teaching and example and yet not taken the radical steps to follow Him. It’s a crazy adventure and I feel like I am just taking the first steps, but I am loving it! And the more that I take risks by simply obeying Jesus, the more I have to share with other people!
Someone who has impacted me hugely in regard to following Jesus and loving Muslims, is a guy called Carl Medearis. If you are interested in getting more of a feel for the heart of what I'm doing, I would recommend listening to some of his podcasts.
I would particularly recommend "The Crescent - Understanding and Loving Muslims."
Thanks so much to all of you who have been praying for me. It means so much to me and is so important. And also thank you to all of you who don't forget about me even when I drop off the face of the earth for a few months. "I love you all the time!" (as my Iranian friend likes to say)
love, Hannah
