Retreat

This last weekend I took part in a prayer retreat with people from all over the United States, and the World for that matter. I have never been a huge fan of using the word "retreat" when it comes to these events. Reason being, are we really retreating? I am probably splitting hairs here, but to me this word isn't a good representation of these types of events. Let's start calling them a time of renewal or recharging. I know it might not seem as "catchy," but we did not "withdraw from enemy forces as a result of their superior power," and we certainly are not "defeated." That is one of the definitions of retreat. One definition that I will concede is that it can be a time of "withdrawing." Just a thought...

We had a great time in the mountains in the central part of this country. The air temp was in the 60s, and it was a welcomed change! Due to the heat, I haven't worn long sleeves in a while. It was nice. Hearing familiar sounds of insects and brisk mornings reminded me of times spent camping in the woods at home. What a blessing to enjoy God's creation and sit in the sun without getting overheated quickly.

They grow amazing strawberries up there. They tasted as good as they look! Now if I had some Chilton County peaches to go along with them, we would be in business!

 

These organic strawberries were just picked.

I think someone actually discovered a better use for the strawberries... Homemade strawberry ice-cream with vanilla & chocolate thrown in for fun! Fresh strawberries on the bottom too.

It was so good to spend a couple of days surrounded by trees and grass. At home, I would have waited to take a picture of some picturesque view, but God has shown me the beauty of just seeing grass and trees.

A new friend snapped a picture of me spending some time in prayer and reading the Word.

After reading the Word, I was filled with a good bit of conviction. I was reading in Mark 9:17-29. This is where a man has a child who is possessed by a demon, and the disciples were not able to cast it out. The man came to Christ and said that the disciples were not able, "But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us." I am guilty of asking that same thing of God myself. Jesus' response to the man brought my conviction. He said, "'If you can!' All things are possible for one who believes." Later on in the passage, the disciples ask, "Why could we not cast it out?" (Jesus' response is paramount here.) He said, "This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer." What a humbling passage of Scripture!

Lastly, an encouraging note that I have found after reading that passage is found in Ephesians 3:20-21. Paul writes, "Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen."

my own little world

It's hard to imagine that I have been in South East Asia for over 5 weeks now. Time is flying by! As I was taking a walk today I started to notice that sounds and places are becoming a lot more familiar to me around here. The song "My Own Little World" by Matthew West was playing in my head and it's funny how this world of mine has gotten so much larger over the last few years. Prior to 2010, I did not own a passport... I would encourage everyone to go and get one. It has been such a blessing to travel, and to also see how great the needs of the world is. I've said it before, but Romans 10:14-15 gives a whole new meaning for me to leave home for a while.

Here are some of the lyrics to the song, "My Own Little World" that have really struck a chord (no pun intended.) with me.

"In my own little world it hardly ever rains

 I've never gone hungry or always felt safe

 I got some money in my pocket shoes on my feet

 In my own little world

 Population me

 I try to stay awake through the Sunday morning church

 I throw a twenty in the plate but I never give 'til it hurts

 and I turn off the news when I don't like what I see

 it's easy to do when it's

 population me

 What if there's a bigger picture

 what if I'm missing out

 What if there's a greater purpose

 I could be living right now

 outside my own little world"

(This is my prayer)

"Start breaking my heart for what breaks Yours

 give me open hands and open doors

 put Your light in my eyes and let me see

 that my own little world is not about me"

That song has been a blessing!

As I was walking down the street I decided to shoot a little impromptu video of the area right outside of our apartment complex. Please forgive the low quality, shoot as I walk, iPhone video. The people that you see are more than likely not believers and need prayer. Please lift us up as we are looking for open hearts and doors to share with them. Other things that you will see are little shops along the way, and people sell food in stands on the side of the road. There is a night market that happens on this street on Saturday night. Pretty good food and a festive atmosphere! I would say that we live in a pretty urban area, but you can still see the stars at night.

Please continue to lift us up as we venture more and more into this part of the world. Lately I have been learning to drive a manual transmission vehicle. That is exciting all by itself, but also driving on the wrong side of the road is a whole new ballgame! We have a couple of Honda scooters to get around on as well. Went from a world of no manual gear shifting, except for my bicycles, to shifting everything now. Fun times! 

Another thing that I have had to get used to is being in the extreme minority. Growing up, in my own little world, I have always been in the majority people group. That is not the case here. I don't have any real numbers, but I am no where near the majority people group in South East Asia. I pray that my life as a Christ follower also reflects a difference here, besides my physical appearance.

Also wanted to tell everyone that I really appreciate the feedback in your emails, and I am happy that you are enjoying the blog! Shoot me an email if you want to be included on my email updates for info not posted here. 

Food

One of the major adjustments of being overseas is the food experience. I can say that the food here is great, for the most part... South East Asians will almost always eat rice (nasi) with every meal, and this is something that I was not used to back at home. The portion sizes are a lot smaller as well. Hopefully I can bring this trend back to the States!

Our team is really blessed with some great women & men who can cook. You have to get creative to make American dishes over here but it can be done! I have found that a good mixture between South East Asian food and some comfort food from home is a good mix. Here are some photos of things that I have eaten and also a couple of things that I have yet to try.

This fruit is call dorian. The people here love it! Me, not so much... It has a strange smell, texture & taste. Being off on all three of these is a deal breaker.

The smile went away from my face soon there after trying this exotic fruit. You have to cut it open with an cleaver type instrument. Once you do, let the fun begin!

This is called ABC. Not sure what exactly that stands for and I have heard every place that sells this has a different twist on it. There is usually sweetened condensed milk, ice, peanuts, sometimes corn, a fruit jam/jelly and you may get some red beans in there too. Very popular here and I haven't tried one yet. Soon though!

Our short-term team that came will recognize this food. It's called Roti, which is also known as bread in english. This is a breakfast food and it is really good. Basically it's fried bread with either eggs or bananas or just sweetened condensed milk combined with it. I only use the dip stuff (on the left) when I eat it with eggs inside. 

Coconut juice straight out of the tap. Kind of warm but it's good when you put ice in it.

This is called Nasi Campur. Basically it's a plate of rice with several of these meats and vegetables that you choose on top. This is a typical meal if you want local South East Asian food. For example there is fish and chicken cooked several different ways, eggs, beans and other vegetables here. A lot of it is spicy and there are so many different flavor and meat combinations! Good stuff.

Now we are shifting gears, and here are some examples of the good food that is we are more familiar with. An awesome couple, who are also our teammates makes us food all the time. Such a blessing!

We had these made-from-scratch cinnamon rolls while we watched the Super Bowl. Wasn't missing cheese dip and hot dogs. They tasted as awesome as they look!

This pizza was homemade too. So good and it did not last long!

I am working on making banana pudding while I am here. I will post about it when it happens and let everyone know how it turns out. Food is such a blessing from God and I am very thankful that we have good food to eat here. I am grateful for the hands that prepare this food as it gives us nourishment to go into the harvest field. 

a picture is worth a thousand words

One of the best gifts that my mom gave me in preparation for this trip is a small cannon camera. Having a point and click camera at your disposal is a great thing! Growing up, my mom always had a camera nearby, and it may seem a little hypocritical on my part now to say, but always having a camera when you're somewhere new is a good thing! Hypocritical because I have probably asked her to put the camera away a million times! I do have one of the more fancy digital slr cameras, but this little cannon has already proved to be a worthy tool on this trip. This has been a week for photos and travel as we have started to get our bearings here, and have been venturing out a little. Some of these photos were taken with my iPhone, and that's the reason some may be a little blurry.

These photos are from a nearby beach and lighthouse that we hiked to the other day.

A secluded beach that our hike brought us to

Old stairs heading up the mountain to the light house

The light house on top of the mountain

A view from the light house

 Another one of my guilty pleasures besides Oreos is coffee! We purchased a coffee maker the other day and I am a new man. I already have a favorite coffee cup that I picked up at a really fun restaurant the other day. I love the comic strip, Peanuts. Here in South East Asia they have a Charlie Brown Cafe. Awesomeness! Couldn't resist drinking a cup while I was there too. Thought it was neat that they put a picture of a Peanuts character in the foam of your drink. Here are a couple of photos from our trip there...

The other day, two teammates of mine took me to a night market, which is also know as a pasar malam. Here is where the local community comes together, and they have one just about every night of the week in one location or another. You can find any and all fruit, local food, clothes, toys, black market dvds, and the list goes on... Such a neat thing to witness the South East Asian culture come together. I will be going to these often to get food and it will help with language learning! This is kind of what it looks like from the street level.

The tents at the night market were not high enough for my height. I think I hit my head at least 10 times that night.

This man was selling the honey right as the bees were making it. 

We have had the opportunity to go and see so many things since we have been here. It is hard to believe that it has been a month already. We are meeting new friends every day. Please continue to lift us up as we are the hands and feet here in South East Asia. Also, please email me to let me know how I can continue to pray for you as well.

A great friend of mine asked me to read 2 Samuel 22:29-31 today. A lot of Truth there! David proclaims, "For you are my lamp, O Lord, and my God lightens my darkness. For by you I can run against a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall. This God - his way is perfect; the word of the Lord proves true; he is a shied for all those who take refuge in him." I found peace in these words of truth today. There are so many attributes of God, "This God," that I can take comfort and find refuge in. "His ways are perfect," makes me want to forget about my ways and be a part of His story. 

Water

Many of you know that I love water. As I get older, I realize more and more that I need it. Growing up I only liked water if it had Kool-Aid mixed in it. Water was boring and my taste buds were just not impressed... Several years ago I started running, and realized very quickly that I needed water! It's funny but I am not a big fan of ice cold water. It's easier to drink when it is served slightly colder than room temp. Before a race or a long run I have to start hydrating a few days before. Lots of, you guessed it...water.

Here in South East Asia it's hot too. Just like home but it's hot all the time, and about 10 to 15 degrees warmer than our typical heat.  We drink a lot of water here. I don't think that I have felt really hydrated since I have been here but my body is starting to adjust.

I read a book by Ravi Zacharias called Jesus Among Other gods about a couple of years ago. In his book, he poses a great question about water. (Paraphrasing here) He asks which is the greater miracle, a drop of water it's self, or the fact that Jesus walked on it...? He argued that a drop of water is greater. The reasoning is all the factors that it takes to create that drop of water. I'm not a chemistry major, but it's pretty complex. He then argued that is it too far fetched to think that the Creator who made the water, couldn't walk on it... Give Matthew 14:22-23 a read if you get a chance too!  

There are other things that water is good for besides drinking. Another is for cleansing. We had the opportunity to go to an Indian hindu festival today called Thaipusam. It is a festival where it's devotees are paying a debt homage to their god(s). I just felt a spiritual darkness there that I have only felt a few other times in my life. Many of the people go as far as placing giant hooks in their backs and pull people through the streets. While I was there, my prayer was for God to pour His mercy and grace on these people like a mighty river through these streets. Ezekiel 47:1-12 was on my heart during this time. It describes a mighty river flowing out of God's sanctuary and everything the water touches will bear fruit and it will never fail. Verse 12 talks about the "fruit being used for food and its leaves for healing." Jesus also talked to the Samaritan woman about living water in John 4:10-14. My prayer is that they also taste this Water and know that the Lord is good. Amazing Truth there!

Here is a picture of a man from the festival. His back was full of hooks and there were ropes attached. These ropes were used to pull another man through the streets.

Walking down the street at the festival. This photo does not do justice to the amount of people who where there and how large the event was. Reports in the paper said that there will be 1 million people at the festival. I believe it!

So when you think about water or use it, please remember to pray for the nations! There are so many great organizations that make water available all over the world as well. One is Neverthirst. Please check out their website at www.neverthirstwater.org. My small group and some other friends have raised support to have a well dug in parts of the world where water is not accessible. Please check it out and pray about getting involved!

it's coming together!

Quick update on the apartment. Painting is finished! Wow, I have the utmost respect for people who paint for a living... It's a test of patience and endurance for me. Especially when you buy about 3 gallons worth and it has not been shaken and there is very little water in it. Fun times! Andrew and I, with the help of a couple of new friends, knocked it out. Furniture is next...

I am so thankful to have a place to come and recharge after being gone for most of the day. It's also exciting to see this place come together and anticipate who may stop by. Continue to pray that we can provide a place of peace and comfort for existing and new friends here.

Two other things that we have discovered in South East Asia...

One is a pancake with a peanut filling. It's name is Apam Balik. Ihop or Waffle House does not have anything on these. They are good and a large one costs around $.60. Richie these pictures are for you brother! Hope you come back soon and we will split another one.

If you make eye contact with this man you will be convinced that a pancake purchase is needed.

Awesome salesman and cook!

Finished product

Secondly, I was shown this game by some local friends. It originated in South East Asia but I have heard people play it all over the place. I was also told that it's mostly a ladies game, but I am completely okay with playing it. It's called Congkak here, but I am sure it has other names in different parts of the world. It's name comes from shells because that is what they used to play it with. Now it's mostly played with marbles. The object is to get more marbles in your "home circle" than your opponent. I'm bringing it back so get ready to play!

We are making some good friends at local universities that we visit. The people here are so warm and are really easy to talk to. It's been a pleasure to get to know them and I am excited to see where these friendships go from here! Reminder, if you want to receive an email update about more specific things that I cannot share on this blog, please send me an email at dpruitt896@aol.com or dpruitt896@gmail.com and I will add you to the list. If you already are, then no need to send another request.