Fresh Perspective

 New beginnings are good for it forces us to open our eyes, ears, senses, minds, hearts and take in everything that seems foreign and unknown.  Creatively, we were made to adapt and grow and there is nothing like moving to push us out of our comfort zone and into this great “ opportunity ”.  As we are almost one month into our new assignment, I like to call it the "gleaning phase".  Perhaps I am a bit old fashioned and like to relate to Ruth in the Bible.  When she moved, she gleaned.  She gathered all the left-over grain. So, as I am being taken shopping, by many gracious women, I am gleaning from them.  The best place to buy local food, and imported food, and this person’s preference over what this person has learned and liked.  Gleaning.   Gleaning requires learning much.  For example, my entire life bananas have been one of the cheapest fruits.  Believe me I am a banana-using-expert to the point that they have become a Boy...

 We stood around after church talking in small clusters. He walked up to me and handed me a white flower.  “A flower for you.” “What do you call it in English?” he asked through his friend. “A Gardenia,” I responded. A smile spread over his face.  “Gardenia!!!”  I could tell by his response that he knew the word. The friend filled in any chance of miss understanding.  “The flower has the same name in Arabic and English.” I high fived my flower giver.  A joy filled acknowledgement that we both knew a word in each other’s language. We drove away.  The white flower in my hand.  A gesture so simple yet meant so much.  What motivated him to give me that gardenia?  Was it his mutual understanding of knowing what it means to be relocated?  Was he remembering a special friend, mother, or sister that he wished he could hand a flower to?  Was he simply trying to show kindness? I tucked the flower into a tiny bouquet that I had pl...

 We are just over one week into landing our leap to Lebanon.  Our feet are steadfastly planted. It is hot and the grass is only green if watered (so don’t be thinking it’s greener on our side of the fence….haha). We ’ ve unpacked o ur 15 boxes that we managed to get here and done several shopping trips to get us by until our sea crate arrives (in about 3 months).  Anytime I feel sorry for our simplistic lifestyle, I remind myself of the many refugees who would be grateful for just a fraction of what we currently have.  The stores leave my mouth hanging open after Papua.  I’m still overwhelmed at the abundance.  I write this for my friends who are still serving in Indonesia.  There is everything from American seasonings, to Jell-O and chocolate chips, an abundance of many kinds of cheese, and real maple syrup and any other syrup you can imagine.  It. Is. Here.  I am sorry, to those of you who are reading and still living in the land of “k...