3 Languages + 2 Churches = 1 Meaningful Service at the Lake
Last Saturday I had the pleasure of joining my friends from Ministerio Manatial de Vida and Spring of Life Deaf Churches for a worship/baptism service at a lake outside of Lincoln. It was a simple yet profound service under a tree and at the beach of the lake. It was a wonderful contrast to the every detail planned and choreographed services on most Sunday mornings in American church services.
For part of the service Pastor Rogelio spoke in español while his daughter translated into sign language. Candice from Spring of Life Deaf church translated the sign language into spoken English. It was a service of 3 languages in a joint service for 2 churches. Later Pastor Rogelio spoke in español while his daughter translated into sign and my friend Fidel translated into English. We were there to join as one group in a simple yet profound worship service under the shade of a tree.
We were led in worship by Jezharela and Maritza while two young men played acoustic guitar. After worship we went down to the beach of the lake for three baptisms. It was a poignant time that was reminiscent of how Christians would have worshiped when the church first began two thousand years ago. Pastor Rogelio of Ministerio Manatial de Vida and Pastor David of Spring of Life churches performed the baptisms. Alex is a young man who was baptized that day. His grandfather was able to come and I found out his grandfather fought in the Philppines during World War II. It was awesome that his grandfather could be there to watch. I wondered how it must have felt for him to see his grandson at such a special moment.
There was a lot of fun and food as well. We enjoyed some grilled meat and tortillas, salads and fresh fruit. I still wonder how they cut the mangoes. I love mangoes but can’t cut them very well. I walked around and took pictures while people were eating and mingling. One woman is expecting a baby this week and she joked about how someone suggested she swim in the lake to induce labor. Of course she didn’t follow that advice.
Before I left, the “soccer” ball made an appearance. The men played some futbol. Pastor Rogelio demonstrated his skills for me. There was a lot of laughter during our day at the lake. After I left, I thought about how often the most profound moments are ones that are simple. Perhaps simplicity itself gets rushed by too quickly in our desire to busily prepare every detail of life.
Memories from Romania- a Special Gift from my Students
a Portrait of the Casino area by the Black Sea
My first trip to Romania was in June 1997 which also happened to be my first trip to Europe. The portrait in this post is of the Casino Area by the Black Sea in Constanta Romania. One of my most treasured memories is of Sunday evenings standing at the corner of the boardwalk area close to the Casino and singing with college and high school aged students. What was significant about it was the fact that we were singing worship songs to Jesus out in the open. The reason it was poignant was that it was only 7 years after the revolution that overthrew their brutal communist dictator. Under communism there was no freedom for open expressions of faith and there I was standing with my fellow Christians- Baptist, Evangelical, Orthodox and Pentecostal- singing worship songs. Those were among the most wonderful experiences I have had in my life.
My second trip to Romania I taught a conversational English class. I spent time in the afternoons with students and taught my class in the evenings. The afternoons were marvelous opportunities to spend time with my students and learn more about them and their culture. We did things like go to the Aquarium, go to the beach, and go the Supermarket Tomis. One afternoon I went to Supermarket Tomis with two of my students Cristina and Georgina and walked around for a few hours. They kept asking me what I thought of different things in Tomis. What I did not know is that they were secretly trying to find out for my class what to give me for a gift. When I saw this portrait I told them about how special that spot along the boardwalk was to me and why. Our last evening of class my students showed up with some bread, food and wine to celebrate. They then told me they wanted to thank me for the class and presented me with this portrait. It is one of the best gifts I have ever received because of what it reminds me of and who gave it to me.
I have numerous poignant memories of Romania and hope to return someday to share time with friends and meet new ones. Until then I have my memories and know that I will see some of them again. I also have this portrait to remind of a very special place for me. It also serves as a reminder of how blessed we are in America to have freedom to worship freely.
Sunday Fun with my International Friends- Picnic Time
Today was another fun Sunday with my friends. We had a good class with some stimulating questions. After class we sat in on worship service and enjoyed the music. After worship we headed out to Homes Lake for a picnic. It was a good opportunity to share a picnic before the school year gets too hectic and a chance to welcome people back.
It is a blessing to see my friends each week and today was a double blessing because we had our picnic. It was a bit windy, but we had fun. The age range was from 2 1/1 to over 60 thanks to the son and mother of a new friend in our class.
Kathy made a new friend and learned some Chinese words as well. Some friends had not seen each other for while like Phung and Lien.
This afternoon was another great example of why I look forward to my Sundays with my friends. It is gratifying to be able to facilitate opportunities for my friends to have fun, enjoy each others company, and have positive experiences in Lincoln. It was a wonderful start to a new week.
Tired of the Summer Heat? Scenes from last winter with my Friends
It has been a long hot summer here in Nebraska. We will have another hot and humid weekend. Fall is just around the corner, but we have a few more weeks of muggy weather ahead of us. It seems hard to believe but in 3 or 4 more months we may have snow again. I enjoyed last winter with my friends even though it was at times harsh weather.
snow overhanging the roof at my church
At Christmas time we had a 9 inch snow. December started with an 8 inch snow in the first week. Some of my friends saw snow for the first time. Many of my friends came to the Christmas program at church wearing their sweaters and coats all bundled up to stay warm.
We had a lunch at our friends’ house John and Julie before Christmas. Everyone wanted the hot chocolate or hot apple cider to warm up after we came inside.
On Christmas Day we had the big snow, but fortunately I was able to make over to my friends’ Carlos and Amelia’s apartment for Christmas dinner. Amelia had the fun opportunity to experience her first Nebraska winter.
So if this weekend is hot and humid like it has been all of August, just remember that the summer heat will soon go away and we will be in the middle of winter wishing for summer to return 
Ensenada- Fun at the Beach
After a productive week of serving in Ensenada, we had an opportunity to go to the beach on the Pacific Ocean. It was great to see the others on the team have some fun. The thought hit me that I have now seen the Pacific Ocean, but not in my own country. I have seen more interesting places in other countries than I have in the U.S.
I have been to the French, Swiss, Austrian and German Alps, the Carpathian Mountains in Romania, the Black Sea, the English Channel, and now the Pacific Ocean. All of these places outside of the U.S. I need to rectify the situation and go on a trip someday to see America.
It was great to be at the beach in Ensenada though. I really had fun just watching everyone else have fun. My beach outfit was high fashion lol.
me at the beach with Ebony
Grace and Ebony
goofy guys
Our purpose for going was not for a vacation. We went to serve in various ways, but it was nice to have one afternoon of fun before coming back to Lincoln. The water was clear. The weather was perfect. It is a place I hope to see again.
Weekend Fun with my International Friends- Picnic to say Goodbye for the Summer
Yesterday afternoon my Sunday class had a picnic to say goodbye for the summer to three friends, Huiyuan, Wen Zhu and Zhou Heng. They will go home to China to spend time with family for a few months. They have all worked hard in school and deserve a break to see family. I am proud of all three of them.
me with Wen Zhu, Zhou Heng and Huiyuan
They told me they had the food for the picnic and I was a little concerned because our favorite cook Alex is already back in China. The food they had was doughnuts, chips, muffins and Pepsi and Mountain Dew. Fortunately Uncle Yoshio brought some chicken, Lien brought some watermelon and I brought some potato salad. My original plan was to go Mahoney State Park but some were worried it would rain on us, so we went to Holmes Lake instead. It never did rain, but where is not as important as who.
For me when we have these picnics to say goodbye for the summer, it is a time of mixed emotions. I am glad for my friends to be able to go home and see their family. I am sad not to see them for three months. Mostly I am proud of my friends and their hard work in school. It is not easy to come to a foreign country and study in different language. The picnic for me was a time to recognize their year.
Yoshio with Zhou Heng
Shawn, Lien, Yoshio and Zhou Heng
me with Zhou Heng
me with Wen Zhu
me with Huiyuan
Getting involved with International Students is rewarding for many reasons. I get to learn more about their culture, helping them means helping the future leaders in their culture, and most important I have meaningful friendships with some great young people. So now it is time to say good job, have a good summer, and see you in August to my three friends.
Outdoor Fun a Prelude to Summer- Playing Frisbee with my International Friends
It has been a cool rainy day here in Lincoln, actually a cool rainy week. The grass is green here and the trees are full of green leaves now. Flowers are growing now. It looks like nature is ready for us to go out and enjoy Spring, but it has been raining most of the week. On Mother’s Day I experienced a prelude to summer fun outdoors when I played Frisbee with some of my friends. I played with friends from China, Japan, Peru, and Vietnam. We had a blast and even the repeated trips out of our friends yard to retrieve the Frisbee from a neighbor’s yard or from the flower garden did not dampen our fun.
Mindy getting ready to toss the Frisbee to Amelia
Frisbee is almost a cultural universal. I have observed that people from many countries have played Frisbee. Having fun outdoors is a cultural universal. I have never met anyone who does not like to have fun outdoors. My Sunday friends all have busy lives whether at work or school. They all have the stress of living in a new culture and trying to make a new life. That is why I am always blessed to watch them have fun and hear them laugh.
Alex patiently waiting for a Frisbee
Uncle Yoshio coming back from retrieving a Frisbee
Summer is coming soon and I will probably wish for the cooler weather of Fall just as I always do during a Nebraska summer especially in August. For now I await dry weather so I can go out and enjoy the green parks. I look forward to summer adventures with my friends.
My First English Class- Constanta Romania June 1998
My first trip to Romania in June 1997 I helped with some Conversational English Classes. That was a positive experience for me, so when I returned to Constanta in June 1998, I taught my own class. It was an incredible experience for me. I like to use humor when I teach to help reduce stress for the students. It can be stressful to learn another language. I like to help my students feel relaxed so they can learn.
my first ESL class
We taught the classes in a school in the evenings. We also spent time with the students in the afternoons. I let the students choose a place they wanted to show me in the city and had them explain the place to me in English. The first evening of class my students kept looking at each other and were discussing something in Romanian. During the break I asked my translator what they were discussing and he told me they were asking each other “is this really a teacher?” The reason was because my teaching style was something new to them. We had a great English Camp and I learned a lot about Constanta and Romania from them.
I can still remember their names and faces. I can still remember the times we spent in the city walking around. It was a memorable time for me and was a big reason I began to do what I do now. They were my first English students. They made a lasting impression on me.
Teaching English in Constanta Romania in 2004
In the summer of 2004 I went to Constanta Romania with some of the members of the college group at my church. It was a fun adventure for me to watch as some of my Romanian friends spent time with the people from the college group. We did several different activities such as visiting an orphanage, activities with children in the park, and spending time with our Romanian friends. One aspect of the trip that meant a lot to me was being able to teach English and sharing that experience with some of the college students from my church.
me teaching in Grace Church in Constanta Romania
I enjoyed sharing the experience with the students who joined me. I appreciated their willingness to try something new to them. They were a talented group and watching them interact with my Romanian friends gave me a lot of respect for them as they stepped out to try a variety of new activities that at times stretched them. I consider that trip as one of the highlights of my work with internationals because I had an opportunity to pass on a bit of my experience.
one of the students from the college group taking a turn to teach
Of course any trip to Romania the best part for me is to see my friends. One of those friends is Cristi. He grew up in a difficult life situation but thanks to Jesus working in his life and his determination to press on despite the challenges Cristi has been able to not only improve his life but also help others. Cristi has worked with Turkish children to help them improve their lives. He has also helped many others such as the young man in the following picture who was homeless. Cristi brought him to church and to our English classes.
me with Cristi on my left and the young man he was helping
That trip meant a lot to me because I had the opportunity to connect with my Romanian friends again. I always enjoy my time in Romania. It meant a lot to me because I also had the opportunity to pass on a bit of what I have experienced with my friends from church.
Tired of Winter? Scenes from Last Summer- a picnic at Holmes Lake
Here we are in the middle of another snowy weekend in Nebraska. It seems like the forecast could be snow every day until May. Ah but Spring is coming and soon it will be warmer. It might difficult to realize now, but it will be summer again in only 4 months and we will enjoy picnics and other summer activities again.
Last summer my Sunday class had a picnic before some of our friends left to go back to China to visit family. It was actually a nice day for a picnic because it was not a typical Nebraska summer of hot and humid weather. For a while it looked like it might rain but it didn’t.
cousins Phung and Yen
Last Summer I enjoyed some walks around the lake for exercise. It was a comfortable summer for weather. No major heat waves. Most days below 90. It was great for me. On another cold snowy day it is nice to remember fun in the sun with my friends. I hope next summer is as nice as last summer. One thing I feel confident in saying is that it won’t snow in July and August.
friends Zhou Heng, Huiyuan and Alex
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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