YOU ARE MY MURDER.

One of the reasons I love teaching is for those rare moments when you see the light bulb come on in a student’s head—the “I get it!” moment.

Well, the tables turned yesterday, and though I was the one teaching, I had a light bulb moment. I was working with one of my favorite classes (disclaimer: I love them all, but this one is especially great.) on reading comprehension. They’re university students looking to take a test called the TOEFL—it’s a test that, if they pass, will open doors for them to continue their studies in an English Speaking university, either here in a foreign university or abroad in western Europe or the United States. We read this passage (It’s short and English is your first language. Humor me.):

Animal Congregation

Many types of animals combine the advantages of family association with those conferred by membership in still larger groups. Bees congregate in hives; some fish move in schools; ants gather in mounds; wolves live in packs; deer associate in herds; crows fly in a murder. The main advantage of membership in a mass community is the safety that it provides. A large group of prey may be easier for a predator to find at any given point than is a small one, and a predator may think twice before taking on such a group; if a predator does decide to challenge a large group, it may merely counter a confusing mass of moving bodies who protect each other and may not succeed in its primary goal.

My take on it all?

The predator: The Prince of Darkness.

The predator’s primary goal: to stop the work of the KING in this place.

He’s a sneaky little beast, and his tactics aren’t always easy to dodge. Sometimes his attacks upset, always they terrify. Are those tactics effective against puny little individual?

YES. YES. YES.

I am weak. I am fragile. I am feeble. I am frail.

But the good news? It’s not just “I”. I have the Sp!r!t of the Most High alive and at work in me. And, I have YOU.

You: family, friends, my home fellowship, my sending company, even my little tiny niece.

Friends, when the Prince of Darkness attacks over here, he finds a confusing mass of moving bodies who protect each other, who protect me—you hold me before the throne and lift me up, you encourage me, you build me up and sharpen me—and he does not succeed.

HE DOES NOT SUCCEED.

Thank you.

You are my hive.

You are my school.

You are my pack.

You are my herd.

You are my murder.

THANK YOU.

thankful.

It’s EASY to be thankful this year!

We woke up to the second unseasonably early blizzard of the year—it’s been twenty years since it snowed here in November, and this is the second time! We went to work this morning, even though it’s Thanksgiving—I guess there’s a first time for everything!

I’m thankful for all the time I get with my precious students.

I thankful for two incredible teammates who encourage me and build me up and push me to be more like my King.

I’m thankful for a family who loves me from the other side of the world, for a cancer-free mom, for a beautifully diverse extended family that pledges unswerving allegiance to the King of Kings. And I’m thankful beyond words for my beautiful niece Abby—SHE IS PURE SUNSHINE.

I’m thankful to be a citizen of a country that fights to protect my freedom and values human rights.

I’m thankful for my life here, for the organization that supports our work here, for a strong and supportive sending fellowship, for heat in my flat, for a cooperative school, for a city with people who welcome me as a family member.

I’m thankful for softening hearts, for open doors, for the undeniable moving and shaking of our King in this land.

I’m thankful that He so loved the world that he sent his only son, that whoever believes in him will not perish, but will have everlasting life. He is the desire of all nations. May the glory be his!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

a GEORGIAN weekend.

We came here on visas that expired mid-October, so we decided to take an early-October trip to Tbilisi, Georgia--the only neighboring country we can enter without a visa. We left on a Friday night and returned about 6am Monday morning. We spent two nights on the road and only one in Tbilisi, but friends, Georgia is ALWAYS worth it! Here are a few pictures:

We traveled with two friends of ours:

Summer is trying to hold on!

My teammates decided to have their picture drawn together by a street artist in Baku, so they could hang it on their wall in their flat...only problem is, now that it's up there, everyone who enters their apartment here does not understand that it's a joke. It creates an awkwardly hysterical situation having to explain over and over that their portrait together was really just a joke :)

the final result:

A beautiful fountain in the center of Tbilisi's Old City:

You ask WHY? We ask, "Why not?!"

One of the largest Orthodox Cathedrals in Tbilisi. It's stunning inside!

little tiny baby pomegranates!

team discussion time.

At the foot of the cross I desire to live my life. May this picture be a reminder to me.

Georgian countryside:

love this girl!

Sunrise in Tbilisi:

And there you have it, friends! Georgia! If you're ever in this neck of the woods, a visit to this beautiful country would be well-worth your time!

Kurban Eid!

Last week, we celebrated Kurban Eid, or The Feast of the Sacrifice. It's one of the largest Mslm holidays, and it's a time when they remember that Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son, Ishmael [the father of 1slam], but at the last second, G stopped Abraham and provided a ram. We celebrate here with lots of eating, a few days off work, and SO MANY sacrificed sheep.

Since we had a few days off work, we spent some time with friends, and a lot of time just exploring our city. Even though I've lived here for almost a year and a half, I fall in love with this city over and over and over. So, enjoy some pictures of this beautiful place and the Kurban Eid holiday!

Old City Walls:

A gypsy boy playing for money:

it's Autumn!

really, really new + really, really old + TRAFFIC = my city

pinch me. I live here?!

the Maiden's Tower:

The roots of this country lie in Zoroastrianism, the w()rship of fire and the elements. This is a 13th century fire temple that we visited with our coworkers:

little, tiny doors:

this fire never stops burning due to the oil reserves underground:

thankful beyond words for my team:

Sometimes, for the holiday, they decorate their rams before they sacrifice them. Picture worthy? I think yes.

Last year, it didn't snow until February, and then it was like 9 flakes that stuck for 2 minutes. On monday morning, we woke up to THIS. What?! It was the first time it snowed here in November in TWENTY YEARS! This southern Texas boy in the picture below had never befre experienced snow like this!

So, since we were snowed in, I decided to bake. I made cinnamon rolls from scratch! Crazy. Awesome. Delicious. Who am I?!

And while we ate cinnamon rolls, we played Pandemic!...We're getting pretty good at this game!

I spend one night with a dear friend and her family. I cooked Mexican fajitas for them, and we enjoyed a night of games, laughing, and crazy pictures.

LOVE THEM!

And, there you have it. Kurban Eid!

May we be ever vigilant of the sacrifice that was made on our behalf:

His life for all of our lives.

For FREE.

double digits?!

Happy DOUBLE DIGITS to this little man!

You are missed.

And loved.

And celebrating in HIS presence, dancing in the light of HIS glory, ALIVE!

Payton, shake your booty on Heaven's dance floor today and know your family down here is celebrating right along with you!

Miss you, kid. Like crazy.

Someday I'll tell you about how you changed the world.

Changed MY world.

I

LOVE

YOU