progress and other randomness

I will say that progress is good for the soul. If you spend any time overseas you will learn that making progress takes a lot of patience. Learning that in many ways... For example, I am learning to drive a manual transmission vehicle combined with being on the wrong side of the road! Wow, this is going to be a fun experience. We are also in the progress of painting our new apartment. Very happy to see some since of home come into this place and excited to see who will come and visit.

prepped and ready to go!

living room area

kitchen

bedroom. 

(we are putting beds together soon!)

Here is a picture of our mini van that we have all named "Barney." I guess it's for the color. Love the brush guard on the front. He means business.

There are so many other examples of progress as well. We have me some great workers that will be on our team in the last week. They are all amazing people and we all share the same vision for this area of South East Asia. Answered prayers! Andrew and I will be getting hot water tomorrow, and hopefully I can run down a local cell phone. It's really hot here so hot water will be used sparingly!

I made an exciting discovery the other day. A new flavor of Oreos! They are like a blueberry ice cream flavor. Exciting, right? NO! Epic fail on the part of Nabisco on this one... They have a great thing going with some of the new flavors and I am a fan of most of them. Two things: the taste and the lack of creme filling. Both are highly important when crafting an Oreo. Hey, Nabisco has a batting average of like 800 with me, and it only takes a 300 batting average to make millions in Major League Baseball!

(Random side note)
It's still Chinese New Year here which means that most of the businesses that are ran by the Chinese take almost the entire month off... They work the entire rest of the year, so this is like their vacation time. Tonight apparently is fireworks night because they have been shooting very elaborate fireworks for more than two hours solid. It sounds like a war zone outside of our apartment. It's a little after 1:00 am but they don't seem to be slowing down!

Lastly, please continue to lift us up while we are here. I sent my first email update about more specific things that I cannot share on this blog. If you did not receive it and want to, please send me an email at dpruitt896@aol.com or dpruitt896@gmail.com and I will add you to the list.

Monkeys!

Andrew and I have been blessed to work alongside a short-term team from our church these last few weeks.  It has been a blast working and playing with them.  They will be missed! A few of the things that we did for fun is go to a zoo here in Southeast Asia and a water park.  Let me just say that the zoo is nothing like what we have in the States.  Here they let the monkeys just climb all over you!

He was trying to take that can away from me!

We also went to another part of the place and saw some Orangutans. These guys were funny and crazy all at the same time!  They had an island to themselves and we had to take a ferry out there to see them.

Heading out to the island kind of felt a little like Jurassic Park...

Here are a couple of the Orangutans.  They were really playful and we were told that they had the strength of 10 men.  It's hard to not want to take the baby one home but we can all see on the news what happens when they grow up in someone's house!

Our team also acted like a lot of monkeys at this water park.  It's kind of hard to imagine, but we played a game of "king of the hill" on this giant inflatable bubble.  It had to be anywhere from 15 to 20 feet tall and it was sitting in a pool of water that surrounded it.  Water would run down the sides and there were ropes there to help you up.  There were bodies flying everywhere and I think the people standing in line got a great show.  We just all got really worn out and sore bodies...  Fun times though!

Work has been going great as well, and getting adjusted to this side of the world has been easier with our short-term team that were with us for these first two weeks.  David, Celeste, Richie & Britten, I miss you guys already! If you see any of them, please ask about South East Asia and our work here.

Squeezing 26 hours into 24...

We have came and seen a good bit of Southeast Asia over the last couple of days.  It has made 24 hour days seem like 26.  Feeling really productive and it also feels good to be really tired by the end of the day.  It's like the last mile of a marathon...time to kick it in gear and go!

Seeing the city lit up for the Chinese new year and also having the opportunity to be in a predominantly Asian church today has been a blessing.  Hearing some of the same songs and the same Truth on the other side of the world is a comfort as well.  Peaceful actually.

After church we were invited to stay for refreshments with the members.  There were oranges on the table and some other Chinese candy there.  Thinking that there maybe some significance to the oranges...I decided to ask someone.  This amazing Chinese lady told me all about them.  The color of the orange is supposed to represent gold, signifying prosperity for the upcoming year.  I also found that it is the custom during this time of the year to bring oranges to someone's house, and you will actually get some back in return as you leave.  Who knows! I also found out that after the 15 days of celebrating the new year, single Chinese women will take oranges and throw them into the river... I was told they do this to increase their chances of finding a man during the year!  Makes me wonder how something like that started.

Oranges from China.  Apparently it was important that they were from there, because I was told this a few times.  Tasted the same to me!

This tasted like a Chinese Chick-O-Stick.  It was a surprise because I couldn't read the label.

 Pretty good!

One funny thing happened today.  I have a feeling that I am going to be saying that often...  We were walking down the street and noticed that there was some sort of party going on with people eating under tents.  Our leader decided to take a closer look at what was going on...the next thing I know we are sitting down with food in front of us.  There was also misunderstanding about the type of party we were walking into.  As we walked up, we understood them to say that it was a party commemorating a circumcision...kind of awkward.  After a few minutes, we found out that it was an engagement party!  Let the good times roll!  We had a chance to share with them, and were included in some family photos with the bride-to-be.  Grateful for being in such a warm country, and I hope that I can model this behavior back home!

Photos of the city and around Southeast Asia.

We are heading to where my team will be living for the duration of my trip tomorrow.  Need some rest after a long couple of full days, but I am also excited to see what's next!

Yesss sirrr, we have....

Oreos!  Yes friends, I have been reunited with my favorite cookie and it's in a very cool way.  Someone had the amazing idea to marry krispy-kreme donuts and Oreos together.  What a concept.  There was a little icing on top to hold the Oreo goodness on there too. Photos below will document the occasion...

My team leader told our group yesterday after a training session that one of the ways that you really show someone that you really care about them is to just waste time together.  There is a lot of truth in that, and so we did!  We went on some pretty legit go-carts.  These babies were pushing at least 30 to 40mph. Fun times!

From the future...

Hey everyone!  With this time difference, it is a little crazy to feel like I'm in the future.  Wow, that was just a long flight yesterday.  Being in the middle seat between two people that you don't know will make a total flight time of about 24 hours seem like you are on an island that is about 10 square feet wide.  I was able to have really good conversations with a new friend, Adam.

Funny thing that happened yesterday.  Dana and Emily, you are going to love this... We stopped in Russia!  Moscow to be exact and it was cold!  Here is a photo taken from the airport. (Please look at my earlier post about Russia if you're feeling a little lost.)

There was another funny thing that happened on my flight over too.  On the next isle, there was a man who was sleeping with his head apparently on his tray in front of him.  I am in the isle getting something out of my backpack and another man passes between me and the man sleeping.  He accidentally bumps the man, causing his hot tea that was on the tray to spill on his hand.  This woke him up and he was not too happy about it.  He then gets the attention of a male flight attendant and tells him what happened.  He apparently asked to speak to the man who bumped him and the flight attendant went to look for him.  He found him and pointed for the angry man to come to him.  The man through his sunglasses on and then stormed down the isle... He started yelling at the man with the attendant present.  After about a minute or two, the flight attendant motions to him that he has yelled enough and asked him to go to his seat.  Afterwards the man had at least 3 attendants around him and had several creams and a ziplock bag to doctor his not so present "wounds."  There was a couple of cajuns from Louisiana sitting a row behind the man getting yelled at.  I was hoping that the man would try and yell at them!  Probably a different outcome... Different cultures!

Here are some pictures of our first day in Southeast Asia.  It's Chinese new year on January 23. They have all these lanterns everywhere to get ready.  Everyone is so excited!

More photos to come I promise!

"See ya laters"

It's a lot better to say "see ya later" than "good-bye" I have learned over the last few months.  Some of the see ya laters have been easier than others, but through all of them God has shown His provision.  I am completely blown away at the outpouring of love and support that has been shown as I prepare to leave.  I have no idea what to expect when I get there, except to know that God is always present and faithful!  


Christ gave us the best "see ya later" of them all in John 14:3. He said, "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also."  That's a great truth! 


I have also really enjoyed seeing friends and loved ones prior to leaving.  There will be about 10 more pounds of weight going with me due to all of the restaurants that I have been to in the last few weeks!  So many emotions in such a short amount time is new for me, and I have found that all are beneficial.  Please pray for Andrew and myself leave with our team.  


Also, my friend John Cordova will be coming later on this year to Southeast Asia to spend 6 months, and he is raising support right now.  It is so easy to for you to support him and please do so if the Lord leads.  He is asking for $24 from each person or really any amount that you want to give.  This is such a great thing and he will be such a blessing to have along side us when he comes.  Just click this link to learn more and give support!  www.gofundme.com/bzfv8. 

Word

Word. As I prepare to leave, I have quickly realized that this one "word" can be used in different ways and can also have a pretty wide away of meaning. I am a people person...I admit it. One thing that I am finding hard to do, given that I have just a short amount of time left before traveling overseas, is do everything that I say I want to do... Words. The intent is there, but action is required for these words to have meaning.  


Words can have different perspective. A great book that I have read over the past couple of years dealt with this topic. It's called The Noticer. Written by a guy named Andy Andrews and it is actually set in Orange Beach Alabama. The main character, Jones, is a noticer. He watches what people say and then sees what actions follow. He asked a man a question in the book that I have chewed on a whole lot over the years. The question that he asked in the book went a little like this... There are 5 birds sitting on a wire, one decides to fly away. How many birds are left? Think about it... The answer is 5. There are still 5 birds on the wire because deciding to fly away and actually flying away are two different things. We can say with words that we have decided to do something but until it is accompanied with action, it is just that, words.


Scripture uses "word"with several meanings. The one I love the most is when it describes Jesus. John 1.1 says, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." Talk about a great way to use this word. Given that the "word," Word is used to described Jesus gave me a whole different perspective on it. Paul also writes about words but in more personal way for us. This verse in Colossians reminds me that my words should be meaningful because they should be, according to Scripture, in the name of Jesus. "And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." Colossians 3:17.


So...the take away from all of these words is that I want to do a better job of realistically following through with what I say. There is also another take away that Paul reminds us with in Phillipians 2:14, "Do all things without grumbling or disputing," and that is a possible blog entry for another day...