eudaemonic- (adj.) producing happiness and well-being

Tuesday, January 03, 2006

Hidy ho campers! Well, Iäm in Estonia, as evident by these weird symbols the keyboard is making. Okay, correction, Iäm making the weird symbols but only because the ä is where the ' should be.... so bare with me as I peck through this short update. I got back from D.C. on the.... ooooh, I think it was the 14th, but I canät quite remember anymore. Being up here (waayyyyyyyyyy up here) has given me a chance to think about what God taught me through that experience. I will write about Estonia later, promise :). Anyway, I spent the last week working on my post D.C. reflection paper for class. Because that deadline was looming over my head, I was focused solely on professional growth and results results results. Now, Iäm being asked to evaluate another part of my time there. Here in Estonia people donät believe anything, yet, they believe everything. They are looking for something to give them a purpose, but it normally isnät God. Uri, the youth minister here, told us to think about the students as if they were on a -10 to positive 10 scale. Neg. ten means that they are very against Christianity. A zero means that they think itäs possible and a positive 10 means theyäre believers. He said that if a student moves up the scale even one point itäs an event to be celebrated. People donät want to hear about Jesus, and they wonät be forced. So, that in mind, we have been told to keep our testimonies Christianezze free. You know, no phrases like, 'Jesus came into my heart' or 'He saved me.' Instead we take what Heäs taught us in the past 3 months and make it conversation..... Where have I been for the past three months? WASHINGTON DC! In D.C., I was taught that I rely far too much on my Christian environment for encouragement. No man is an island... and neither is a woman. The place where you lay your head at night infuses into your psyche. I didn't have my encouraging Christian friends cheering and holding signs at the finish line each day. It made me question what I was doing. Why do I do the things I do? Why keep a joyful personality if it's just thumped on the head. I had a lot of time to observe things I never get to be around. I asked questions and seriously thought about things.

In D.C. my Jesus became a friend in real life. Understand? He is my friend, and I mean friend in the literal meaning of the word- the noun that describes a favored companion. My real, tangible friend.

I like to remember.