My Silly Husband

Neither James nor I are big gift givers. It's not our love language. So I was surprised yesterday morning, when I heard a voice from the back yard saying, "Theresa, I have something for you!" I started moving closer to the window to look, and he said, "I brought you a bouquet of flowers." This surprised me even more, since he never brings me flowers. I looked out the window and this is what I saw. (Note to reader: I do not have a pink flowering tree outside my window!)

. If you look closely you can see some pieces of blue and black, and a leg, in between the blossoms. That's my husband!
.
He was trimming some trees in the back yard and decided this tree had to go because it was damaging the fence. So he chopped it down and carried it to my window. What a silly husband I have! Anyhow, he insisted that I should receive the gift and put it in a vase. So he hacked off some of the branches and I found a vase and put it on the dining table. We are both silly.

.

The Scholarship Board

I've been the Student Services Coordinator of IGSL for more than ten years now. One of my responsibilities is finding scholarships for our students who need financial assistance. I'm a very visual person, so I need to be able to look at what I am working on. Each year there are about 150 students who need scholarships. At the beginning of the year I put their names and photos on the wall in my office. The red squares are for our newest students. I'm still working on their photos.

.

Then when a potential donor calls and says, "I am interested in supporting a young couple from India or Myanmar," I go and look at the board and try to match them with someone.
.
Once I was asked to bring ten students to a party to talk with some of our donors. I stood in front of the board with a note pad, looking at all the smiling faces.
.Some are shy, some don't speak English well. Others are very talkative and friendly -- good "party people". It was easy to select who to bring with me to the party.
. Because it is so visual, it is easy to remember. Sometimes when James and I visit our graduates in other countries, they will ask me, "Ate, do you still have the board in your office?" It used to have only about 20 faces . . . it keeps growing as our school grows. Sometimes, when our president has visitors, he brings them to my office to look at the board and give an overview of the people we work with, then zeroes in on one or two and tells their stories.
.

Aside from the names and faces, I keep a running tally of how much money we have raised each year. A few weeks ago it was at 22%, and now it is already at 50%.
. That's exciting and encouraging. It reminds the students and me to keep praying, and we all get excited when we can change the number.
.
So that's my scholarship board . . . a visual reminder of the way God provides as we equip laborers for the harvest.

A Trip to Turkey

Wait! Before you reach the wrong conclusion . . . I did not actually go to Turkey. It's a joke between me and my office staff. As International Student Coordinator at IGSL, I make frequent visits to our students' apartments on campus. So, as I head out of our office each time, they say, "Where are you going, Ate?" And I reply, "I am going to India." Or wherever.
.
So, last week I left our office and went to Turkey. I didn't bring my camera, so you will have to use your imagination. We have had two Turkish students in previous years, but they were single guys, so visiting them was like any visit to the single guys' dormitory -- same old, same old. All guys' dorms look alike!
.
This year we have a family: a dad, a mom, and a baby. A Turkish wife makes all the difference! First, Mrs. Turkish offered me coffee. She laid out the tiniest, loveliest flowered china cups and saucers you could imagine. I felt like I was sitting in a cafe beside the Mediterranean Sea. She asked me a question, and I didn't catch even a single word. I looked to Mr. Turkish for help. His English is not great, but hers is non-existent, so he became the translator. "Turkish coffee, you like, yes?"

.

I answered, "This is my first time, today!" Mr. Turkish relayed my answer to his wife, and her eyes widened in surprise. I guess I am the first person they have met who never tasted Turkish coffee. She poured my coffee into the tiny cup from an exquisite copper coffee pot. I tried to imagine how she decided what to bring to Manila in her 20-kilo luggage allotment. The delicate china and beautiful copper pot must be viewed as necessities.

.

Another burst of words, sounding like a question, from Mrs. Turkish had me turning again to her husband for help. "Turkish Delight, you like?" Honestly, I can't remember ever tasting Turkish Delight. I don't know if I like it or not.
.
But I wanted the full cultural experience, so I said, "I would like to try it. I have never tasted it, but I have heard of it!"
.
Another quick translation for his wife, and then a big smile for me from Mr. Turkish. "You heard from Narnia, yes?" I started to laugh. He was right. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe was my only acquaintance with this delicacy.
.
And so, slowly and laboriously, using simple English and frequent translations, we talked while I sipped my coffee and ate my Turkish Delights. There are very few believers in Turkey, and converts from the majority religion are rarer still. They have been through some very tough times. They are in need of healing. They came to IGSL on the recommendation of our first Turkish graduate, who had apparently described our school as heaven on earth! The reality of life in a cramped dorm in a third world country, in the middle of the hot season, has been very hard. Most new international students go through culture shock. It's normal. And those who come from the greatest distance go through the greatest shock. I assured them they would learn to love this place, and that they would cry when it's time to go home. Mr. Turkish, with much hesitation, translated for his wife. She muttered something under her breath. Again, I did not understand a word, but her face said it all. I asked, "Did she say she doesn't believe me?"
.
And they both burst into laughter! "How do you understand? She does not say in English!" I assured them that they were totally normal and that there is hope. It was a precious time of fellowship together, and I look forward to more visits to Turkey.