African Muzungu

Say the above words out loud.... do you pronounce each differently? Do you pronounce two, but not three the same? Or do they all sound alike? Are you looking at me like I'm nuts right about now? If you're wondering about why I would even care, one answer lies in a story told today: A missionary to Central America had a mechanical issue with his car. He brought in a mechanic to look at it, and in explaining the problem thought he said in the local language, "My car won't start, so can you add these points." What he really said was, "My car won't give birth, so can you add these bananas!" Least to say, he was known from then on as the man whose car just refused to give birth. This just goes to show how slight changes in pronunciation can be at best hilarious, and at worst offensive. The point was made today that all of us will always (and already do!) have our own personal accent. The goal is to make that accent as understandable and pleasing to the p...

Seeing as the past 3 weeks at SPLICE were so intense (mostly spiritually, intellectually, and emotionally), the past couple of days have been a welcome reprieve. That's not to say they haven't been busy too, just a nice change of busy! Highlight of today: I sent in the money for my tickets!!! Barring further obstacles and delays, I will be leaving Colorado Springs on May 29th! I've also decided that it would be beneficial for me to attend MTI's PILAT program starting March 28th. This 2 week program is designed to help language learners acquire multiple languages more quickly and efficiently. Since I had received some training in that area during my time at Moody, I wasn't sure I wanted to invest the time and money, however after talking with the teachers of PILAT, as well as my fellow MTI team members who had just completed the program, I was convinced that it would greatly expedite my language learning and communication once in Uganda! Linguistics and...

Today was our day for Sabbath. It couldn't have come at a better time. The past 2 weeks may not have been as physically taxing, but they definitely took more emotional and spiritual energy than I'm accustomed to! As I sat/laid all afternoon in a golden field of grass surrounded by towering mountains and life-infusing sunlight, I have never rested so well before. I had another 'aha' moment today. One that I don't know why I've never realized before, but perhaps I just didn't take the time to think it all through. Before when I thought of Sabbath, I equated it with simply physical rest. Today in my 'aha' moment I learned that it isn't just about physical rest by the ceasing of work. It's about spiritual rest in the company of my Jesus, emotional rest from the upheaval of life, intellectual rest from the spinning thoughts of my overly-active mind, and social rest in the company of those I love. In the place of all of those 'rests' please...

Yesterday we were talking about the differences in the way each of us handle conflict. Many of us knew pretty quickly which way we leaned, but many of us also had 2 different ways of conflict when we're in low or high stress situations. Teddy Bears and Owls are more concerned about the integrity of the relationship, and may sacrifice what they know to be good, right, and just in favor of maintaining the relationship. Sharks and Turtles value the issues of what is good, right, and just and may put the truth over relationships. I believe I tend to be more of a turtle and tend to choose "forgiving and forgetting" over confronting or engaging in conflict. Each of these styles has their strengths and weaknesses, and a godly community is characterized by all involved using the strengths of their style to deal well with conflict while recognizing their weaknesses and relying on others to help them in those areas. Teddy Bear (accommodating style) For those who fall into this ca...