Do It Again

It is supposed that if a thing goes on repeating itself it is probably dead; a piece of clockwork. People feel that if the universe was personal it would vary; if the sun were alive it would dance. . . Now, to put the matter in a popular phrase, it might be true that the sun rises regularly because he never gets tired of rising. His routine might be due, not to a lifelessness, but to a rush of life. The thing I mean can be seen, for instance, in children, when they find some game or joke that they specially enjoy. A child kicks his legs rhythmically through excess, not absence, of life. Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always say 'Do it again'; and the grown-up person does it again until he is nearly dead. For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony. But perhaps God is strong enough to exult in monotony. It is possible that God says every morning 'Do it again' to the sun; and every evening, 'Do it again' to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we.  

-G.K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy       

I agree with Karl Marx

In my reading for Social Theory this week, I discovered this quote from Marx's Estranged Labour:

It is the same in religion. The more man puts into God, the less he retains in himself. The worker puts his life into the object; but now his life no longer belongs to him but to the object.

Amen.

Learning Spanish...sorta

    One of the best things about being here in the RD is being able to speak more Spanish. Now for my ministry site, the jumble that was Spanish is starting to slowly fall into pieces, although it still falls apart when it comes out of my mouth. I understand more of the little spats kids have with each other (although sometimes I wish I didn't!).
    One of the little girls at my site lisps when she talks. Her C's are like Ch's. While I still can't hear it the same way the other teachers do, I smile each time she tries to say "calle."
    Two of my kids are always getting in a fight over whether or not they are "amigitos" ('little friends.') "Tu eres mi amigito hoy." "Porque tu no eres mi amigito, tu no puedes...." Unfortuntely, the word for enemies sounds almost exactly like 'little friend.' That's caused some confusion!
   Spanish is more than just a language. It's a way of thinking. When I ask my friends question, I can see them thinking in Spanish. As my Intercultural professor would always say, it is their "heart language." It has been so exciting to be able to step out of my own way of thinking and into someone else's, even if there have been lots of linguistic hiccups along the way.

Abby

P.S. A recent hiccup happened last week. Sometimes when I don't know a word, I add an O or A to an English word. I asked a kid if he could climb without the rope, and ended up accidentally asking "Sin ropa?" (Without clothes?). Needless to say, I have a long way to go!

Update!

After my first few weeks here, I've been surprised on what a semester abroad means. It means living here. It's that simple. As Jesus lived, so making Him present in my life. Incarnational ministry is the big word for this.

How similar the people here are! Different language and culture but the little neighbor boy from upstairs, Darvis, likes to take out his gum to show me the bubble. Different cultural interactions and yet graffi on the walls still says "___ y ___" (sometimes crossed out!). Different books on the library's shelves and yet the same librarian struggling to maintain silencio en la biblietca.

In living with these people, I see Dominicans, people, myself. May they by God's grace see Christ in me.

Abby

P.S. Alisa, the kids here like to fence just like in the states! Hopefully I will have new tricks to show you when I get back.

Bananas, Bananas, Bananas

My team and I have arrived in the beautiful country of the Dominican Republic. We're right in the middle of the mountains, which are beyond beautiful. Some of the interesting things I've learned thus far about the Dominican Republic. Apparently the mountains and the Island itself affects digital watches. None of the clocks in the cars and many of the clocks in the homes aren't accurate as a result. This doesn't completely explain away the "dominican time" of course! :) Driving here is improvised. There are stop lights. These are suggestions. Mostly there are motorcycles and the drivers usually don't wear helmets, although some, as we learned at the base, will wear a pot on their head instead. When Americans are in other countries, they tend to have the reputation for being loud. Here, us Americans are mouses in comparison. People will strap a loudspeaker to their motorcycle, blaring it on high and sharing tunes with the rest of this world. It's such a colorful beautiful place here, and I'm excited to join it via Spanish.

Abby

P.S. Oh yeah! And there are SO many bananas! It's like grass here.

La Republica Dominicana

This is my last post in the United States of America. Lord willing, next post I will be in the Dominican Republic. I'm going to the Dominican Republic with Bethel College, leaving this Wednesday (August 28) and returning in mid December. If you want to follow my journeys, here you go!

Abby

From a girl studying aimlessly

So I know this isn't usually the BEST way to have devotions but as I was breaking from studying like crazy for my final, my journal flipped open in the wind to this passage:

"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore, I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize"

           1 Corinthians 9:24-27

Alright let's go!