Quick Update

I'm Published!

Yahoo! has a section of their website for bloggers to submit various articles.  They picked up my last story and now I'm published for all the world to see.  It's a weird feeling.  I feel a little naked. :)

Check out the link below:

Chopsticks at the Checkout Stand www.associatedcontent.com/article/5931522/chopsticks_at_the_checkout_stand.html


Heather

Chopsticks at the Checkout Stand

My eyes steadily gazed at the checkout stand wall. I perused the usual assortment of batteries, packs of gum, bags of chopsticks and store gift cards intended to draw an impulse purchase. The items on display, except the chopsticks, could have been in any big box retailer located across the US.
As an American expat living in Asia I am frequently asked “What’s it like over there?” To which I generally have a generic response like “It’s great.” Friends and family often express their desire for missions but also credulity at being able to go- either from lack of opportunity or lack of flexibility.

In light of the recent economic downturn, people are blossoming to new challenges. As unemployment reaches double-digits in many areas, former employees are considering creative work alternatives. According to Census data, home-based businesses, self-employment and temporary overseas assignments such as teaching English are all on the rise.

Here are five tips to help overcome fear of the unknown and begin exploring the world. These are the most common objections to uprooting and leaving the comforts of home.

I have a family.
When my husband and I accepted our first overseas assignment, our oldest daughter was 6 months old. While in Thailand, we welcomed a second daughter. According to the IMB, 84% of Southern Baptist Missionaries on the field in 2009 were married.

It’s unsafe over there.
Relocating overseas will usually put you square in a large city. A major benefit of these large cities is they never sleep. It can be a challenge to getting some shut-eye but the bustle also assists in crime prevention. A Taiwanese friend of mine frequently walks long distances every night along a popular river trail. Even at the earliest hours of the morning, she is still greeted by neighbors walking dogs or playing a pick-up game of basketball.

I don’t know how to go.
There are dozens of missions-sending agencies that can help in deciding where to go and how to get there. Usually the agencies will also help set up housing and acquire necessary visas. Additionally, there are numerous web-sites to gain creative ideas for establishing your basis of financial support.

I can’t speak the language.
Shortly after the 2004 Tsunami, my husband and I volunteered in the cleanup effort. We were sent to a tiny island off the coast of Indonesia that had not yet made contact with local authorities. The people spoke a local dialect that was only used on this island. After landing, I noticed a small convenience store where the only contents consisted of instant noodles and Coca-Cola. I asked my translator how to say “Coke” in the local language. He said “Coke.” Depending on your chosen location, many places may use English words and are usually very gracious to the foreigner who makes an effort to learn the local language.

The food is weird.

Yeah, it is – but you adjust. Chickens with heads and claws still intact, noodle surprise containing pig ears and boiled pig intestines in blood are just a few of the surprises I have encountered. However, for every weird or awkward food experience, my senses have opened to a multitude of wonderful provisions. I have tasted the sweetest pineapple in Thailand, the sultriest pork satay in Indonesia, the moistest yak steak in Tibet and the juiciest pot stickers in Taiwan. Even if the food does not set well at first, it will at least be a memory to tell the grandkids.

Picking up your life and doing something different can be scary for anyone. Whether you are moving to the next city over or the next continent, there will be adjustments. It is easier to stay in the same routine for years. However, if you ever wonder what they sell at the checkout stand in Asia just remember chopsticks aren’t that difficult to learn to use.

Like Grandfather, like mother, like daughter...

When I was a kid, I would often feel an overwhelming compulsion to eat candy, play games, sort toys or fold laundry in a very systematic way.  Once, my mother bought a bag of Reese's Peanut Butter cups and I noticed that my father systematically unwrapped each Peanut Butter Cup and then carefully lined them up in preparation for their impending doom.  Much like a henchman lines up his subject for the gallows. 

I have overcome much of my compulsive tendencies as it seems that time gets shorter but my to-do list gets longer and longer.  I can honestly say that I have never lined up my Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Hershey's Kisses or M&M's prior to indulgence.

So, what but genetics would cause this? (see pic above) 

Chloe is systematically lining up her M&Ms before she eats them.  She won't eat even a single one until they have all been sorted and aligned perfectly.  Nature or Nurture?  Hmmmm...

My First Editorial Review

Adventures in Booga Booga Land - Volume 1 (DVD) by Richard Milner

Our children’s time is in competition for so many entertainment options- cartoons, sports, music lessons and movies. It is good to have options that not only keep their attention but also teach positive Bible stories. Recently I reviewed a new DVD series for children called “Adventures in Booga Booga Land.” This series follows Marty the Monkey and Gerard the Giraffe as they explore three parables from the Book of Matthew.

The animation is light and the soundtrack is imaginative and fun. This is a great Biblical introduction for children pre-k through 2nd grade. Each parable is directly retold in a simple and creative way. Occasionally, the story line seems disoriented and it losses opportunities to expound on the application behind the parables in favor of just retelling the basic story. It is up to the child to understand the importance or the parent to explain the meaning.

Overall, my kids enjoyed watching the stories and it has opened the door to great conversations about the importance of being happy for others, building our lives on a strong foundation and letting our light shine.

http://www.thomasnelson.com/consumer/product_detail.asp?sku=1400316596&title=Adventures_in_Booga_Booga_Land_-_Volume_1&author=Richard_Milner

http://booksneeze.com/reviews/bybook/9781400316595

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Mommy's Little Helper

Ava helped me make biscuits one morning.  I let her put the flour on the counter.  Good Job Bubby!

What's up with bad news, anyways?

"Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?" Job 2:10

Two people bask in the glow of a cozy, den fireplace.  Outside a cold, gray January sky swirls with snow.  One phone call and the man is forced into the night chill by a friend's roadside emergency.  The man labors all night in the cold to help his friend - even loaning his coat to the friend's daughter.  As daybreak approaches the hungry and chilled man returns to the warmth of his home. As he enters the house, warmth greets his cold frame.  A sense of peace and rest covers him.

His wife eagerly awaits his return but she does not understand the appreciation that her husband now has for the heat that this house brings.  Although she may also be grateful for the warmth of the fire, she has not experienced the cold and dark to the degree that her husband has.

I thought about this story recently as I contemplated why bad things happen to us.  I cannot explain all the reasons behind tragic losses, long-term illnesses or even seemingly premature deaths. It is comforting to know that through all the cold and hard times, we have a promise that at the end of it all, we can come and sit by an eternal fire never to return to the cold again.  The best part is the longer we have been in the dark and the colder the night has been, we will appreciate coming home to that fire all the more.


I am thankful for the intense experiences of cold so that I can have a better understanding and appreciation for the warmth in the future.

Reminiscence of Fall

Last night I sat on a plane from Chiang Mai headed for Bangkok.  My head ached, my stomach churned and my body would have felt better if I had been hit by a Mack truck.  Today, I called Bumrungrad Hospital home while I visited one doctor then another for completely unrelated medical problems.

Tonight I write to you from a sleepy little Baptist guest house at the end of a quiet road in a crowded and noisy Asian city.  A riverboat quietly drifts down a water canal not 20 feet from my window.  Maybe it was homesickness, maybe stomach sickness that drew me to glance back through pictures.  The picture above is one of my favorite memories of the last few years.

Last October, Jeff, Chloe, Ava and I bundled up and headed for the pumpkin patch in rural Oklahoma.  It's hard to remember what rural looks like after spending almost an entire year on an island with 8 times the population of Oklahoma crammed into an area of just two counties.

There is something mysterious and magical about fall- a whisper of a promise of good things to come. It's like a Braum's ice cream sundae. Halloween sits perched at the top like the cherry and is the first to be consumed.  Then Thanksgiving approaches and just like the last of the fudge beckoning from the bottom of the bowl to "eat me" we indulge in all manner of food and family cheer. The ice cream sandwiched between provides the substance to make memories.

In Thailand, there's no such thing as fall- just summer year round. In Taiwan there is a brief moment when the skies clear and the temperature drops reminiscent of that sweet season. It is fleeting and soon gives way to the rain and cold of the winter months but I can still feel it for a moment.

I don't have any profound life application for this post.  Sometimes it just feels good when you are lonely to share or write.  I get to do both.  Tomorrow I will spend the day again doing follow-up tests and then home again on Tuesday. Hopefully, the doctors will send me on my way with good news and a fistful of drugs to fix an ailing kidney.

In the meantime when that tell-tale crisp breeze signals the advent of fall, pause to revel in the beauty and then eat a Braum's ice cream sundae for me.