I Almost Held it Together

I have been saying goodbye to classes all week and it has been tough but I have gotten through...mostly by occupying their time until the last second. But yeah, it hasn't been easy.

Tonight I was really nervous to say goodbye to one class. They were so much fun to teach and super sweet. Anyway, I said my goodbyes and they said theirs...I actually got sung to but I held it together....maybe teared up a slight bit but that was all. I new if I started crying, the water works would come.

On my way home, I decided to get some Banh Mi for dinner which is the same place that we get our bikes fixed. As I was waiting for my dinner, the Bike Man pulled up and checked out my bike. He communicated that the rain had made my bike rust and that I should come back tomorrow. He also clarified that I did not have to pay...which he has NEVER made us do. I said thank you, thinking that was the end of it but I was wrong...he proceeded to point to his wife, himself and then to me and say, "family. no money. family". I said thank you again and touched my heart to let him know that meant a lot and then I took my Banh Mi and hauled it home, not wanting to cry in front of him. On the way the tears started coming and I could hardly even finish the story as I told the girls.

We have been to this man on occasion but not a lot since bikes don't always need fixing but that apparently didn't matter. We are his family and I will always remember that. The funny thing is that I wrote my dad an email a few months ago, saying that this guy reminded me of him because he always goes beyond what I have asked him to do. If I go to him to get air in my tires, he not only airs them up but he oils my chain and fixes my pedals. I had already considered him a member of my family but it's amazing to know he thinks that too.

Less Than a Month and Counting

These past few weeks have been stressful to the max. Visas have never been more frustrating to get and the thought of leaving so soon has made nights restless. However, the Father knows how much I can take and when I feel like I am about to go over the edge, He brings me back, using the small things in life.

Last Saturday, I had one night class. One night class is usually a cause for celebration because it usually means you teach an early class and have the rest of the night free. This past Saturday though, I had a late class. However, despite the horrible timing, I was excited to go. This class is one of my highest and it’s refreshing to be able to talk at a normal pace with them. The lesson was on “jobs” which is not the most exciting lesson but they were worked hard and did all I asked of them. With forty five minutes left in class, as we were going to move on to one of our last activities, one of the students asked me an off topic question. My answer to that question sparked a follow-up question which lead to even more questions…mostly about my future husband and if I will marry a Vietnamese or American man. Forty five minutes turned into an hour…way past the end time of the class but no one seemed to mind. One student even commented that that night was his favorite so far. Sometimes I get down on myself about my teaching but I know it’s just the Enemy trying to break me because he knows I have made an impact. (I will get a picture of them soon)

After such a wonderful class, Lily and I met our friend Duy for coffee. His English is so stinking good and each time we hang out it has been a blast. He is definitely one of the people I will miss the most.

The next night, three of my students and their friends, took Lily and I to the beach where we ate sushi and played games. The girl who invited me out was a student that I had skipped over in class. Out of a class of students that hardly talked anyway, she was mute. I really didn’t know her speaking ability until the last night of class. It was that class too, that she came up to me and asked if she could make me dinner sometime. I was surprised but excited to know that she hadn’t felt passed over. She obviously felt like we made enough of a connection to invite me to dinner and I am glad she extended the offer because we got to spend quality time together, making fools of ourselves as we played games on the beach.

Something that I find so interesting about this culture is the times of the day that they go to the beach….before the sun comes up and when the sun goes down. It’s so weird to go to the beach on a perfectly sunny day and not see ANYONE there and if there are Vietnamese people there, they are under umbrellas, taking naps.

Cute little boy with toilet paper up his nose

I think they do this when they do their exercises...it helps them keep stable?

I don't even know how to explain this

The hills were so beautiful

Other things that have been great about the past few weeks….I got my visa extended! Nicky’s guy friends came into town! Our house cleaner gave us the sweetest gifts…one being a CD case that says, “Praise the L0rd Always,” and a shirt that says, “J*sus is L0rd”. I wish I knew more Vietnamese to be able to talk to her because she really is an amazing woman.

Fireworks, Ban Beo and Karaoke

What do you do with a four day holiday? Me? Oh, I just watch an international firework competition that is hosted in my city, have awesome spaghetti dinner with the girls and have a jam-packed Sunday full of food and karaoke.

For a few years now, Da Nang City has been hosting an International Fireworks Competition where countries come from all over the world to compete. This year, we got to enjoy shows from Italy, Korea, China, the UK and Vietnam.

So let me set the scene for you so you understand what we went through the first night. Imagine a sidewalk filled with people….and since you have an American mindset…times the number of people by two or three and then picture that in the streets as well. People here in Vietnam don’t really mind crossing over personal bubbles. In fact, one kid that was near us was using Lily for a backrest. Another kid’s head was in Nicky’s side and yet another guy had his leg pretty much overlapping mine. It was a mess and the greatest part of all was that we sat like this for nearly four hours!

Everyone told us we needed to get there early so we went down at five and claimed a spot. We played UNO and attracted a lot of unwanted attention but it passed the time. At around 7:30, Nicky and Lily volunteered to get us some food and when people saw a gap, they filled in. Our friend, Duy, and I had our legs spread out so we could save room for the girls but nothing worked. Had they gotten back five minutes after when they did, I am pretty sure they would not have found a spot.

There were a ton of police there controlling the masses and because of them, no one could stand up except for the people directly behind us. At one point I remember looking back to see a guy literally restraining people. We agreed at that point that the police could whistle all they wanted but we were going to stand up, in fear that we might be trampled when the fireworks started…which the finally did…at 9 o’clock.
The first night, we watched shows by the UK and Korea and because the masses started to leave, we figured the night was over, only to find out that Vietnam was still to go. We were able to see the tale end on our roof though.

The next night, the girls and I made spaghetti and had a nice dinner at home. Because we did not care to deal with the sweatiness of the crowd, we decided to watch the last two countries from our roof top and it was not a bad seat.

Even though the first night was complete chaos, it was an experience that I didn’t mind having... once.

Today was another on the move day. After church and lunch, I came home, took a quick nap to prepare myself for the rest of the day and headed out with a group of students to get some yogurt. While we were there, one of the girls handed me her pocket book that had translations of food words in it. As I looked through, I mentioned that I like ban beo which is a flour or rice patty with shrimp on top….maybe. Apparently my pointing was enough for them and we took off to get ban beo for dinner. I am a little bummed that I haven’t been to that restaurant until now because it was amazing! After two hours of hang out time with them, they took me home so I could go to karaoke with the Shine girls.

Carol, Jenny, Lona and Alex

I should have known that the Shine girls would not be there on time, since people here don’t usually come at the time they say they will, so we waited until 6:30 to leave. Now, at the beginning of the year, we had a really fun time at karaoke with our staff and their friends and up until now, no one has been able to beat that but after tonight, it will take a lot to top this night. We had SO much fun dancing around and being crazy. This night solidified the fact that the girls bonded during the program. I am so thankful I got to be a part of it and am so happy that they bonded with us as well! After our graduation, they obviously didn't want any of the relationships to end...hence a wild and crazy night at karaoke!

What a weekend! Thank goodness we have one more day to recoup!

This is only a sneak peek into what went down. By the way, "Dancing Queen" (not featured in this video) was a hit. It got everyone up and dancing...even the one random guy that showed up...I think he was a boyfriend of one of the girls...what a brave guy!

It's Been a While

So I haven’t updated in a while and that is due to being really busy and because I really don’t know how many people read my blog. Either way, I thought I would write what has been happening recently.

Shine: Shine has been AMAZING! I feel so fortunate that I get to be a part of this life changing program. We are heading into our last session now and let me tell you, the past 7 sessions have really been special. I was able to share a little testimony and it was cool to see how the HS moved in their hearts. They really began to open up. We have been having a blast getting to know each other…last week was a testament to how comfortable we feel in front of each other because we let loose. …break definitely lasted longer than expected but it was worth it. We have one more session and then we will have graduation! We are planning on treating the girls to dessert at Bread of Life. I am so sad to see this end but encouraged because now that I have been through it, I can take it home and run programs there!

My potential is limitless!

Parties: We have had a few birthdays recently for two of the guys here. In one night we ate dinner and hung out on our friend’s roof for his birthday celebration and then moved on a few hours later to the next party where we danced the night away and ended it out with a bon fire. A few nights later, we had a surprise birthday party for the first guy, on a different roof. We had nong (delicious) Mexican food and a good time relaxing.

Trips: Lily, Dawn and a few other friends went to Hoi An for a holiday and had a fun time shopping around.

Yesterday, Lily and I went to Ba Na Hills with a few students. Ba Na is definitely NOT a hill….it a beautiful mountain side. Right now it is being built up to attract tourists but there is still enough mountainside remaining to appreciate the beauty.

We almost had dinner for the night but Peter swerved before the cow could completely cut us off

School: I have always connected well with my classes…some more than others…but recently I got two new classes and I feel like we are off to a really good start. I think I have relaxed more and started allowing the class to stray from text if they want to and I have found that we are able to have a good time and still learn! It is a win win!

Accidents: After a really good night of class, I was on my way home. I was about to turn left onto the main street before the alley when….WHAM! A motorbike hit my back tire and I went down. I landed on my elbow mostly but hit my head as well. I was pretty banged up and rattled but as I was still on the ground, Lily and our xe om driver pull up. A random Vietnamese guy helped me up and grabbed my glasses from the middle of the road. After my sweet xe om driver left to get me stuff for my elbow, I went to the doctor to make sure me head was ok…it was! Praise the L0rd. However, in the midst of getting back to normal that night, I found out two of the girls from my fellowship had been hit by a car and broken their legs. They were flown off to Thailand where they went into surgery. We hope to get them back soon.

Aside from accidents, everything has been going well. As time continues to creep up, my feelings are on a rollercoaster. I am going to miss what I have here but excited to go home as well.

The little thing in life make a world of difference

Lily had a joint birthday party with our friend Karissa. We went to a coffee shop and took over the entire top floor.

I am not going to lie and say there are not frustrations here but no matter how many frustrations there may be, there are many more blessings. The other night, Lily and I stopped by a stand to get something to eat. The place we stopped at happened to be the corner where we get air for our tires but the man was not there and we had not stopped to get air. However, right as we were paying, the man pulled up on his motorbike, looked at our tires, gave a tisk tisk sound and put air in both of our tires. When we tried to pay he refused to take our money.

Another sweet story: Last week, Nicky, Lily and I took a day off to have a roommate date in Hoi An. After a day of interesting events...one being the lady, who was helping us get our clothes made, running off as soon as a man with a badge appeared. Another happened when we were at coffee. We were at a street side stand and after two minutes of being there I looked down only to find a half snout of a dog at our feet. Oh and a tip to all future travelers...bargain for your coffee before you drink it! We should have known before we sat down but we were tired and thirsty and the lady looked friendly, however, she tried to charge us 45,000 for three coffees! That means 15,000 per coffee and street coffee at that. Every morning we pay 18,000 total for three coffees! We told her no, that we lived here and 15,000 is a ridiculous amount. She finally went down to 10,000 per coffee and we rejoiced later at the fact that we talked a lady down AFTER we had had the coffee.

Yup...teeth and all

Anyway, this is a positive blog post about the good things...so after all the craziness of the morning, we went to a shop that we have been to multiple times. When we got there, our lady was helping other customers so we started perusing the shop and asking another lady the prices. As she was giving us a price, our lady looked at her and said that price was too high. After we had bought the entire store and were on our way out, she told us to wait. Lily had told her it was her birthday that day and so as a birthday present, she wrapped up a bowl and chopsticks.

For the longest time, Lily has wanted this picture and we finally got one! You can't see but she is sitting on the bicycle seat.

Later on in the day, we went back to her store because we wanted to buy earrings for a friend. I had bought three table runners earlier and when we returned she had me take each one out to see how long they were, since she sells them in two different sizes. Sure enough one was shorter than the rest and I had not known. She told me that right when I left, she panicked because she had sold me all three for the 2 meter price but I had taken one that was only 1 1/2 meters. She made me change the short one out before I left. Let me tell you, as a person who has been to Hoi An quite a few times, that NEVER happens!

When we got back from Hoi Am, our friend Van came with us to Mr. Pizza. In Van's words...."I don't know why, I just love it."

Another thing that brings me so much pleasure is emails and texts from my students. I have not taught one class since the Tet holiday which was in the beginning of February. One day at school I saw one of the students who stayed to ask me how I was because he had not seen me in a while. He asked when I would teach him again but I had to admit I did not know. Later that day, I got a message from a girl in that class saying that she missed me. I was smiling ear to ear for the rest of the day.

Last story of so many more that I could share...I have had a group of students since the beginning of my time here. They started at level 1 and some continued on to level 2. Their class ends this week but unfortunately, I do not get to teach them again...unless they move on to level 3. However, our last class was the perfect way to end...we might not have done a lot of learning but we definitely had fun. We learned about artistic talents but got into funny questions like if they were able to do an Elvis lip or raise one eyebrow. Instead of moving on to the last activity they started speaking Vietnamese to each other, come to find out they were trying to figure out a date that they could all come over to my house and cook for me. We agreed that this coming Sunday was good. The class ended with an invitation to to coffee on Saturday. I had planned to go out with them for International Women's Day but I ended up having to teach that night. They were upset I could not come but this Saturday is completely free and I promise to spend it with them.

I was unable to go to coffee with one of my classes but my last class, a new class, took me to coffee and bought me flowers

Shine

Shine! Wow, I cannot even express how excited I am by this program. We have just finished our second session and already, the girls are having a blast and connecting with us and each other.

Session one was an intro to the program and a lesson on nail care. In addition to getting to paint their nails, the girls learned about what nails say about our health and how to keep them healthy. They also learned about hands and how very valuable they are as a part of our body. The girls had a blast giving and receiving hand massages and getting their nails painted. I don’t know how often these girls get to be pampered but I think they definitely felt that way…I think the endless smiles and laughing proved that. We definitely had a good time with them too…even though it meant I had to paint nails. I felt bad for Lisa who fell victim to having me as the painter…luckily someone relieved me of my duties. I don’t know why I can paint my own nails but when it comes to painting others, I cannot paint within the lines no matter how hard I try.

Last night was our make-up session. The girls were even more excited about this session because some of them have NEVER worn make-up before. I think that is amazing because really, they are so beautiful without it but it was fascinating how little they knew about it. Nicky started the session with an activity to show them how each of them were unique. One girl signed her name while others tried to copy it…no one could. The lesson: everyone is unique and we should not try to copy others because we are the only us. I loved watching the girls as this was being explained because their faces lit up. One girl in particular had a huge smile on her face when she was told that she is valuable because she is unique. Other girls were nodding in agreement. Karissa led the session and read quotes from Audrey Hepburn about internal beauty…one stated, "And the beauty of a woman, with passing years only grows!" When asked what they thought that meant, one girl said that the beauty inside grows….Yup!

The rest of the session focused on taking care of our skin and keeping it healthy. We ended the session with actually getting to apply the make-up. Even though the session went almost an hour past our scheduled ending time, the girls were so into it. I even got to help out by putting eye shadow on one of the girls!

It was definitely a new experience for most of them and they seemed a little uncomfortable at first but once we started taking pictures, their confidence peaked and they wanted to get their pictures taken.

Next week we will be getting more in depth and I am excited for the transformations that will take place over the next seven weeks!

Greater Things Are Still To Be Done Here

Yesterday was our first day in our new church! We now have a bigger place for our expanding fellowship! What was more exciting than being in a new building was the spirit of the people. I was so moved during our time of worship, seeing people from so many different backgrounds, worshiping together. We have people of all different ages and nations and yet we have all been called here for one purpose and that is to bring His light to His people. I know anyone who enters that building will feel the anointing over it!

I have now been here for six months and the feeling of, "Am I making a difference?" has set in. One of the songs we sang yesterday renewed my spirit and gave me reassurance that what I am doing here does matter.

G0d Of This City lyrics

You’re the G0d of this City
You’re the King of these people
You’re the L0rd of this nation
You are

You’re the Light in this darkness
You’re the Hope to the hopeless
You’re the Peace to the restless
You are

There is no one like our G0d
There is no one like our G0d

Chorus
For greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this City
Greater thing have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this City

There is no one like our God
There is no one like our God

Greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this City
Greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d61LamkXfwk (This song is by Chris Tomlin but Kris Allen-a winner of American Idol-also sings it beautifully)

Even reading these now, I get the chills. This song is so powerful and why it is so powerful is because I know these lyrics are true for this country. He is working and He is gaining hold of this country!

After service we had lunch on our rooftop.

I love this little ones!

I love these ones too

Stephanie and Jillian

This is half of the group that got together to play games after church and naps

Some Happy and Not So Happy Good-Byes

February 12th was a sad day for Da Nang. We had to say good-bye to our good friend Melanie, whose three month term was up in Vietnam. She is from Australia and was here for her summer break but is now heading back to begin her next semester. Although we were sad to see her leave, we were definitely happy to have her here. In her last few days, the sun came out and we were able to go to the beach! We also had a dessert party for a final farewell. One positive about her leaving is that she will be home in June...meaning there is a possible chance for a trip to Australia at the end of the year!

Mel receiving her words of encouragement cards

Acting silly with Jillian

We are definitely going to miss this one

We had fun skim boarding and eating lunch at this cute restaurant

As for the guest we were more than delighted to see leave....The morning that Mel was leaving, a group was getting together to have breakfast. Lily and I were waiting around for our rides when I noticed a large black spot in the corner by the door. When I got closer, I realized it was not the mold I was hopping to see but the largest spider I have EVER seen! Just at that moment, our friend Stephanie came by and we decided on a plan. We moved the desk and our shoes away from the wall and planned to knock the spider off the wall and attack it with Raid when it hit the floor. After two failed attempts at hitting him and after the toilet paper we were trying to hit him with, landed right underneath him, we scrapped that plan. I then got an even better idea!...why not ask the unsuspecting guy who is sitting outside on his motorbike. Knowing inviting him in was probably way culturally inappropriate, I had to ask him twice with my puppy dog eyes. He was a little taken aback but eventually came inside and I immediately pointed to the wall. The poor soul gestured for something long, since it was in the top corner of the wall, and after a few tries, knocked him down. Instead of killing the spider he swept it outside and sat back on his bike like it was no big deal. I, on the other hand, had nightmares later that night and still scour the room every night before I sleep, to make sure there aren't any in my bed. Needless to say, we were not sad to see him go.

If you do not like spiders, do not scroll down for the pictures but because I do not know how this will post...I am sorry in advance if you do see them.

This first picture is for perspective. I was in our kitchen and this is not zoomed in at all but you can still see a black spot in the right hand corner of the wall.

I even squirm posting this picture....eeek!

The Tet holiday continues

During the year we only get one big opportunity to travel. Yes, we can go away for the weekend but the Tet holiday actually gives us time to enjoy our vacation. I could have gone to some place new like Cambodia, Thailand or up to Ha Noi, Vietnam's capital. However, I decided to go back to my old stomping grounds and was SO happy I did.

Day 1-I spent four hours at Highlands Coffee with two of my guy friends. I have been so fortunate to keep in touch with them this year but it was so nice actually getting to spend time with them. Unfortunately I have no current pictures because we were not allowed to take pictures in the coffee shop...I didn't quite understand that but here are some that help show why I love them so much. (Thien is in the first picture and Toan is in the second)


Day 1 (Night)-Because of the chaos in the downtown area, I watched the fireworks from Janell's apartment. I had a perfect view and was the perfect distance away so they were not too loud!




Day 2-Janell made us quiche, potatoes, and English muffins for breakfast. It was beyond delicious. After breakfast, I was able to meet up with three girls from our Vietnam team, Deidra, Ashley and Jenni. We took a trip down Nguyen Hue street which they line with flowers every Tet. This year was the year of the cat...in Vietnam. According to the rest of the Asian population, it was the year of the rabbit. But either way, we celebrated the year of the cat and Nguyen Hue was covered with cats statues amongst the flowers. It was definitely a site to see. I was just upset that no one informed us we had to dress up for pictures...literally, all of the woman and children were dressed to impress, posing up and down the street. After perusing the street, we went back to Janell's and were treated to homemade chili...it was very ngon (delicious).



Day3-Janell and I had a lazy day. I read while she worked on resumes. After trying to hunt down milk and eggs, which were almost impossible to find due to every store being closed for the holiday, we ate dinner and went back to her apartment and watched movies.

I slacked on taking pictures so this one is from last year but I think it represents her well...she loves to cook and she is darn good at it.

Day4-Because the sun was actually out in HCM, Janell and I went to the roof and read for a while. After soaking in the sun, I went to a house of my past students...I say students because I was able to teach three of them! We had fun playing cards, BINGO, and a horse racing game which is their version of Sorry. I was pretty proud of myself during the BINGO game though because they were only saying the numbers in Vietnamese and they would only let me call them in Vietnamese. After playing games for three hours, they asked if I could stay for dinner. I had been planning on leaving at 4:30 because of my flight but they insisted so I sat down and pr*yed they could cook as fast as they claimed. Sure enough, the bowl of soup was on the table within a matter of minutes. The kids and I ate while their mom and grandma checked in to see if everything was delicious. Because we were unsure of how quickly a taxi could take me back to Janell's, one of the girls took me on her motorbike. Every time we came to a light she would turn around and assure me we would make it on time. She flew back to Janell's and before I let her drive home I gave her a huge hug. It was at that point that I realized, I may never see them again. I have been so fortunate to have them as friends and I will never forget them. Anyway, at this point it was 6 PM so I flew up to Janell's, said a quick goodbye and headed to the airport.

(Alex, Jane and Henry who has always been taller than me, but who has grown up so much in this past year...I didn't even recognize him at first)

After talking to my parents about my trip, they asked why I had not gone somewhere new and all I could say was that I needed too to go. I had been missing people like crazy and it actually gave me the opportunity to have that one last time with everyone. Who knows if I will have time to go down there before I go back to the states so it was a nice goodbye.

Sorry to make this a long blog post but the day after I got back was my birthday! The night I got back from HCM, my friend gave me roses and mugs. Nicky gave me a card the next morning saying she would treat me to Indian! After an intimate church service (since everyone was still gone for the holiday), two episodes of American Idol and a much needed nap, Nicky, our friend Stephanie and I had a wonderful Indian dinner! Yesterday, a group of us went to the food court (the only place open) for a birthday lunch! Later that night we went bowling! I felt so blessed to have so many people come out for my birthday! Even though I probably bowled the two lowest scores of my life, I had a blast!

(I am sure you cannot see the scoreboard but it would say the persons name and for some reason it said "normal" by it. We had a few laughs about that one. After bowling we went to Pho and ate a delicious cookie Dawn made...I love her for thinking I was turning 24 however you need to add one more year for me)