Mother’s Day with my Karen Friends
This is a picture of me with my friend Star Ee a loving Karen grandmother. I first met Star Ee in 2008 when I spent a lot of time with a new refugee group in Lincoln called the Karen who are from Burma. I first met a few in some ESL classes that I teach in the early Spring of 2008. I had a few women in my class who talked about their Karen meetings on Sundays. They invited me to come, so I joined them one Sunday afternoon and saw how new the Karen were to America. It was my privilege to spend my Sunday afternoons and many other times with them for several months in 2008. Their Sunday afternoon meetings were held in apartments since they were not yet fully connected with the church they have become a part of now which is First Baptist Church in Lincoln. During my months with them I heard their stories of the hardships they had overcome. Star Ee was one who caught my attention as I heard about how she looked after the children in the refugee camps. In many ways she is a mother and grandmother to many of the Karen people in Lincoln.
In this picture is Pa Saw whose family was one of the first ones to arrive in Lincoln. She was one of the first Karen people that I had the pleasure of meeting. I had three Karen women in my class. They asked me one day if I had children and I told them that I did not. The Friday before Father’s Day in 2008 they came to class and after class finished and the other students left, they each came up to me and placed a lei around my neck. They told me that I was a father for them because I helped them. It was a moment I will never forget.
The Karen people have a special place in my heart, so I wanted to spend my Mother’s Day afternoon watching their Mother’s Day program at First Baptist Church. It was a poignant afternoon as they blessed the grandmothers and three American women who have given of their time and hearts to the Karen people. There were several songs shared and readings shared. It was wonderful to watch as young people escorted the grandmothers to the stage to be seated for their blessings. They were escorted in while a young girl sang in Karen.
Towards the end of a song in Karen by two young men, children came in with leis to place around the necks of the grandmothers.
The grandmothers also received flowers and more leis from youth
I can’t even begin to imagine what these wonderful women have experienced and endured in their lives having fled their country to seek refuge in the camps in Thailand. It was a rich moment to see them be blessed by the young people in the church. Then their family members gave them flowers and gift bags. The other mothers seated in the church were also given flowers for Mother’s Day. I appreciate how they honor their elders. I look forward to going to their Father’s Day celebration in June.
Freedom March against Human Trafficking- The Under Reported Tragedy
Yesterday afternoon I went to the University of Nebraska Lincoln to join in Freedom March which was an effort to raise awareness about and do something about Human Trafficking a tragedy that is under reported. It is easy to think of it as a problem over there somewhere else in the world, but it is here in America as well. Women and girls are kidnapped and forced into prostitution. Some are kidnapped in other countries and smuggled into the U.S. through the U.S./Mexican Border or on ships. It is the 2nd most prevalent international crime, 2nd only to drugs.
We signed a petition to voice our support of legislation to help fight this pandemic human tragedy. My eyes were first opened to this during my trips to Romania. I saw children on the streets of Bucharest who were prostituting themselves. Obviously it was not the life they wanted. The images have stayed with me and I still pray for those children. Little children do not grow up with the dream of one day being forced into being brutally forced into prostituition.
It is one thing to be aware of the problem and another to do something about it. Paul Yates of Tiny Hand International shared about the work that Tiny Hands does to combat the evil of children being trafficked into India through Nepal. The children Tiny Hands helps are the innocent victims of sex trafficking. Tiny Hands intercepts children and rescues them. The children are then taken into loving group homes where they can grow up being loved and cared for and can go to school. Many of the children come from cultures where their families would not welcome them back. It is a ministry that I support each month and pray for on a regular basis. It is not much, but it is something that I can do to try to combat the evil of children being sex trafficked.
After Paul shared about Tiny Hands we walked to the State Capitol Building to listen to more speakers. Ron Hampton shared about is research into human trafficking and the statistics were alarming. Millions of women, girls and boys are human trafficked. That may sound like a problem out there somewhere in the world. It is here in little Lincoln Nebraska too. It is estimated that over 2,000 women and children are enslaved by human trafficking and are here in Nebraska.
There are numerous ministries and organizations that work to combat human trafficking. Tiny Hands is the one I support. Imagine what could happen if each person who reads this begins to support a ministry or an organization. It is one way that we can be part of the solution. If you are Nebraska another thing you can do is to click on the link below to sign the petition.
Christmas Present- Christmas this year with 2 cultures :)
This year was a wonderful Christmas time for me with my friends from Vietnam and my Hispanic friends. Celebrating Christmas with people from other countries makes me think about the beauty in what Jesus said in John3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son…” God loves each person in each culture equally and being able to spend time with my international friends is a blessing at Christmas.
My Christmas Eve started with going to Christmas Eve service at my home church First Evangelical Free Church Lincoln. I was supposed to meet some of my young friends from Vietnam, but they had a flat tire and ran late, so I began by sitting with a family from Honduras for the beginning of the service. It has been great to watch as their lives have improved over the years. Then my friends from Vietnam came and I moved over to join them. One of them was a 5 year old girl who I had the privilege of taking to the front to children’s story time. I gave each of my young friends a candy cane before they went home.
Next I went to a Christmas play at a Vietnamese Catholic Church to see some of my current and former students in their play. One of my students played the role of Mary. Another one played an angel. Three of them sang in the choir. I also saw some of my other former students there too. I did not understand the language, but I understood the meaning of the stories in the play. It was great to be able to wish them Chuc Mung Giang Sinh- Merry Christmas in Vietnamese.
On Christmas Day I went to worship with my friends at Ministerio Manatial de Vida. It was awesome to sing Silent Night in español 
One thing I especially appreciate about Ministerio is how they provide children opportunities to grow and develop in their skills. The children came up front to sing a song. I was able to give out some more candy canes to the children.
It was a meaningful way to celebrate Christmas and cap off a year of fun adventures with my international friends. I look forward to seeing what next year brings
Inspired to Write Again by a 5 year old Vietnamese Girl
I have not written the past few weeks due to the wind kind of being knocked out of my sails due to the death of my friend Trang. I ignored writing in my blog mostly because I did not feel like it and had writers block. This afternoon I had a phone call from a friend from Vietnam who is now living in Florida. My friend Thu Huong lived in Lincoln for about 4 years. I helped her with her English and with preparing for college. It was wonderful to hear from her today. We reminisced about fun times and studying together. It was uplifting to realize that she is so happy now. She is married and now has three young children. One of my fondest memories is going to her graduation ceremony from Southeast Community College.
me with my friend Thu Huong
While we were talking, she put her 5 year old girl Angelina on the phone. I used to meet Thu Huong at the library to study with her and she would bring Angelina with her. At that time Angelina was a toddler. She liked to “talk” with me and play games. Angelina is now 5 years old and goes to a Catholic Elementary School. Angelina recited the Pledge of Allegiance for me and also sang some songs she has learned. I especially enjoyed her song thanking God for many things.
me with Angelina when she was 18 months old
Thu Huong and I talked about me possibly visiting her and her family in Florida. That would be a great trip. A chance to see one of my first friends from Vietnam and how she and her family are doing now.
After we finished our phone conversation, I felt the writers block lift and felt like writing again. It is only a hobby for me and a small way to share with others about the richness and diversity of cultures we have in Lincoln and about the world God has blessed me so greatly to experience and explore. Thank you for the call Thu Huong and thank you Angelina for your song
Buñuelos Party with my friends from Ministerio Manatial de Vida and Spring of Life Deaf Church
On Sunday and Labor Day I spent time with my friends from Ministerio Manatial de Vida and Spring of Life Deaf Church. On Sunday we had corn Mexican style and rolled the dough to make a Mexican treat called Buñuelos. On Labor Day we had a potluck lunch which included chicken tacos, ices and the Buñuelos.
Buñuelos is a sweet deep-fried treat similar to a sweetened tortilla shell. The dough is rolled into thin somewhat round shapes and then set aside to dry over night. They are fried in oil and the allowed to cool. They are a tasty crunchy treat. It seemed to me the fun was in the rolling the dough. Several people joined in on rolling the dough ad there was a lot of laughter. Rolling Buñuelos seemed like a community event.
me rolling the Buñuelos dough with my "assistant" Elizabeth watching
For some reason my rolling efforts were not fully appreciated by my “assistant” Elizabeth. I guess some people do not like it when someone claps their hands with flour in them After rolling out the dough, the pieces are placed on paper to dry overnight.
Pastor Rogelio with the Buñuelos
After drying overnight, the much anticipated treat was ready for frying. I noted that it was the men who were doing the frying. I think it is because then they can sample the treats
me demonstrating the "correct" frying technique
When they are done being fried and allowed to cool, they are ready to be enjoyed by young and old.
We also had ices with several flavor choices. The children enjoyed not only eating the ices, but also seeing how their tongues changed color. Candice was our ices chef with some willing assistants.
It was a fun weekend. It was great to be able to sample some special Mexican treats such as Buñuelos, chicked tacos, and corn on the cob with a twist. Tomorrow I will write about corn on the cob Mexican style.
The Star of Thiago and Gabriella’s Going Away Party- Their Daughter Giovanna
Last night I went to a going away party for my friends Thiago and Gabriella. They will be moving back to Brazil Wednesday. They leave behind friends from several countries. There were friends at the party from Brazil, China, Korea, Iran, Poland and America. The Star of the party was Gabriella and Thiago’s baby girl Giovanna. I noticed women from Brazil, Korea and America doting over Giovanna. It was interesting because Giovanna does not know any jokes to tell and well she actually doesn’t talk yet. She also slept half of the time she was there, but she has one major factor that helps her-she is very cute.
Gabriella with Giovanna
Giovanna is truly an international baby. Her main concern was whether the person was friendly, smiled and could make funny faces for her. The accent and ethnicity of the person did not matter.
Giovanna with her friend Miyeon from Korea
Giovanna sharing her wisdom with her friend Emmiline from Brazil
Giovanna demonstrated how she has benefited from having two intelligent and educated parents when she read the menu.
Giovanna reading a menu
It appears to be a cultural universal that a baby will steal the show and hearts of those around them. I saw adults from each of the cultures make silly faces trying to get her to smile. She may only be 5 months old, but she has captured the hearts of her parents friends and she will be missed as much as her mom and dad. I am confident she will have a bright future with her people skills and intelligence. I do however pity the boys 16 years from now who may think they are interested in her because they may not be very well received by her father lol.
Kids Can Say and Do the Darndest Things in All Cultures
There was once a show with Art Linkletter called Kids Say the Darndest Things. In the show Linkletter would walk around and ask kids questions and react to their answers. It was light-hearted comedy at its best. I have found that kids SAY and DO the Darndest Things in all cultures.
Last Sunday I was at Ministerial Manatial de Vida and saw a little friend of mine. She always smiles when she sees me, but last Sunday she didn’t want to smile. I asked her what was wrong and she told me she lost a tooth. I talked with her about how we all lose our baby teeth and that it is normal. She asked me if I lost my baby teeth and I told her I did. I asked if she felt better and she said yes. I asked it she could smile and she shook her head no.
I have another little friend from Vietnam who is very excited about her birthday. In fact she is so excited that she invited me to her “surprise” birthday party. I don’t think she completely understands the concept of “surprise” yet. lol
Two young brothers from Congo used to ask if Alex from China was coming because he was strong and they wanted to be like him. I asked them why they thought he was strong and they told me because they saw a Jackie Chan movie.
Children can be a lot of fun to be with and can be full of joy. It does not matter which culture they are from or what their people group is. That is what makes it so sad that children suffer all around the world because of what “grown ups” do in life. There is no reason that any child in the world should experience hunger or die from starvation. One of the saddest stories I ever heard was from a woman from Iraq. When ever it thunders, she gets scared and shakes. That is because when she was a little girl her house was destroyed while she was in it during the Iraq/Iran War.
My hope is for the time to come when kids can be kids and not worry about things like famine, war, crime, or abuse. My prayer is for God to bring that day soon.
Fun in Cooper Park with Iglesía Berea
Last Saturday I joined my friends from iglesía berea for a fun afternoon in Cooper Park here in Lincoln. When I am with my friends from iglesía berea, I am always blessed to see many former students. There was fun for all ages, but especially for the children. There was face painting, an inflatable jumping gym, a fire truck for the children to get into and learn about fire safety, and Piñatas.
from left- pastor of iglesía berea, a firefighter and my friend Hugo the worship leader for iglesía berea
It was great to see the children having fun. It was even more meaningful to see many of my former students and hear about how they are doing and about their lives. While the worship group was singing, I noticed that 2 of the 4 women singing were former students of mine, and 2 of the four men playing instruments and singing were former students of mine, so half of the worship group were my former students.
The one surprise for me was the food. I expected to have some food from their culture such as papusas or tortas, but due to the event being more for children they had hot dogs and chips. There some salad topping we could have that was spicy I got a kick out of The decoration on top of the food tent which announced what the food would be.
It was a fun afternoon and I was blessed to see how my former students are giving back to the community. There were children from diverse groups enjoying the festival. I saw not only Hispanic children having fun at the festival. I also saw White, Black and Asian children having fun at the festival. Maybe if we adults have more fun together, we might get along better.
The Women from Venus/Men from Mars thing- In All Cultures?
Never have read that book, but then I do not read self help books. However, it is a catchy title and this week gave me the opportunity to observe a few humorous examples of how it does not matter what the culture is- Women and Men seem to have humorous differences.
Last night in my class I shared a saying we have in America while we were reading a story about how the @ symbol began to be used. I shared with the class “the difference between men and boys is the price of their toys”. When I said that, I young mother from Mexico started laughing and nodding her head in agreement. I asked her if she had a son and she said yes and that her husband likes to buy electronics and tools that are more expensive than her son’s toys, but both love to play with their toys.
On Tuesday I had some new students, four women from Mexico, join my Family Literacy Class which had women from Iraq, Syria and Sudan in it. I wanted to help them see that they share some things in common, so I asked some questions of the group and had them raise their hands if it is true for them. I acted out pulling my hair and asked, “how many of you feel your husband is crazy sometimes?”. all them laughed and raised their hands. Then I asked, “Who does not understand why their husbands do things sometimes?” and again there was laughter as they all raised their hands. The next questions, which were related to their children, also drew unanimous response.
I asked them, “Who loves their children more than anyone else in the world?”. They all raised their hands. I asked, “Who wants their children to have a good education and a good future?” and again they all raised their hands.
Apparently Men and Women not always understanding each other is a Cultural Universal as is the love of a mother for her children.
Spontaneous Decision Led to New Friend from Denmark/Philippines
Last night I spontaneously decided to go see my friends at Ministerio Manatial de Vida. Normally I teach on Tuesday evenings, but I have been on break the past few weeks. The past few Tuesdays I have been meeting with people, but last night I planned to relax at home when I remembered that my friends at Ministerio Manatial de Vida have a Tuesday evening meeting. I brought a DVD with me to suggest for the youth group to watch someday and was asked to share it with them last night. I am very glad I went because it allowed me to meet my new friend Mary from Denmark.
from left- Mary, Maritza and Tania
We celebrated Mary’s birthday with some ice cream and cake that she brought with the help of her host family. Mary is an exchange student from Denmark who has been at Northstar High School here in Lincoln. She is a very interesting young lady to get to know. She speaks Danish, English and French. She has a bright smile and a gentle spirit. It was my privilege to meet her and to share in her birthday celebration.
getting things ready
You may have noticed that Mary does not look like she is from Denmark. That is part of her incredible story. She was born in the Philippines and was adopted as a little girl by a family from Denmark. I do not know her family, but judging by her vibrant personality and joyful spirit it is obvious she grew up in a loving family. As we talked I thought about some of the families from my church who have been adopting children from other countries and seeing the love poured out to their adopted children. I would tell them to think about Mary as a great example of the wonderful things that can happen when a child is adopted and loved. Think about this- Mary is fluent in 3 languages and did well enough in school to be able to be an exchange student.
Mary came to share her cake and ice cream with the youth group and little children at Manatial de Vida. I thought it was wonderful that she wanted to brighten the evening of the kids during her last week in Lincoln. She will return home to Denmark on Friday. I am glad I had the chance to meet her and look forward to hearing more from her since we have become facebook friends
Joyeux Anniversarie, Feliz Cumpleaños, Happy Birthday Mary
About
I teach English Second Language and have a ministry for internationals at my home church First Evangelical Free church in Lincoln Nebraska. I have had the pleasure of traveling in Austria, Canada, England, France, Germany, Mexico, Romania and Switzerland. My hobby is to learn words and phrases from other languages. I have learned how to greet people in 30 languages.
My blog is about my experiences with international friends, my travels, and people I meet along the way. My international friends’ stories are fascinating to me. Experiencing other cultures makes life rich for me.
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