Jesus is Big!

Like so many others, we have been busy lately decorating for Christmas. One thing I miss most at this time of year is the Christms ornaments we have collected over the years, which are safely packed away in Kentucky. (Yes, they are number 1 on the "Bring Back" list for our next visit to the US!)

We have purchased ornaments here, but one item cannot be found in Danang (to my knowledge)...a nativity scene. I own a beautiful set (made by Home Interiors) a gift from my sister-in-law Cathy on the "first Christmas" Tony and I were married. Oh, how I have missed it! Last year, Aurora (my dear "little sister") gave me a miniature one to bring back, about the size of a coffee cup.

This year (drum roll) Tony made a trip to Saigon with one of our guests. While he was there he found...YES! individual pieces for a Nativity set.

I am VERY happy to display it...and it has made me think. It is definitely a Vietnamese rendition...

Mary, Joseph, Jesus and the child angels all have glitter on their clothing. some of the animals are disproportionate in size (the camel is smaller than the donkey). The kings wear predominantly green (with yellow and red) and the angels wear pink and blue.

And the baby Jesus is...well...big. If you could stand the figure up, he would easily tower over every other person, animal or angelic being.

This may be considered by some to be a flaw, but I think it is by design. Jesus is the most important person in the scene. He is bigger than life, death, angels, principalities and powers. Even as a Babe, the King of the Universe has arrived! Here is the Light of the World, Hope of all hopes, King of all kings and Lord of all lords...and the world will never be the same!

Maybe this Christmas, Jesus needs to be bigger in my life. More central to my personal celebration, more prominenet and unmistakeably pronounced.

Maybe I need to live, believe, act, speak, listen and work from a heart where Jesus is larger than anything else.

Maybe I need to sing louder, rejoice with more gusto, laugh longer, love more deeply, give more generously (money AND forgiveness, mercy, grace, etc.), and take more time to ponder because...

...well... Jesus is big!

May you have a large CHRISTmas celebration in your heart and home!

Multi-tasker Extraordinaire

Anna Mei poses in her latest fashion creation: a vest and belt ensemble made from a trash bag! Today, she is on to origami--so far she has made a crane, a drinking cup and a rabbit. Tomorrow...the world!

I consider myself fairly adept at multi-tasking. But Anna Mei has taken that skill to a whole new level. An event this past week proved it once again.

Each morning in our homeschool, we have a routine to begin the day. We sing, we pray, we update our wall calendar, and so on. Before moving on, I have been reading a poem or two. It has been a productive exercise; the girls have begun to write poetry on their own, without an assignment or even a suggestion.

Last week, we read a poem called "Frogs." Picking up on some recent Language instruction, I pointed out to the girls that the poem used three similes (comparisons using "like" or "as"--if you're rusty on your language arts). While I was reading, I was a little annoyed that Anna Mei was reading her own dinosaur book and writing away on a poem of her own.

When I finished, Anna Mei cheerily said, "Mom, this dinosaur has 64 razor-like teeth. Can I read my poem now?" To which I replied, "You were not listening while I read the poem about frogs. You'll have to wait." "

"I was listening!" she shot back

"Anna Mei," I began to expound, "it is impossible for your brain to do that many things at once. You cannot have read your book, written a poem AND listened to the frog poem."

"But I did!"

"All right. What are the three similes I pointed out in the poem?"

Without an instant of hesitation, Anna Mei said, "When he jumps in the water, he hits like a rock; his eyes are like metal rings; the spots on his back are like moss on a rock." She smiled triumphantly.

"Well, now...don't just sit there. Stand up and read your poem!"

Fat Morris

Fat Morris on his first day at home.
Fat Morris, an intellectual cat.

If the food runs out, he can curl up in the bowl!

We have a new addition to the family! Fat Morris is now the Brewer family cat. Anna Mei found him on the street, looking pitifully close to the end of his 9 lives. Here is his story in rhyme...

Fat Morris

Scarred up and scrawny and not the least brawny

Fat Morris

Balding and bare, some spots lacking hair

Fat Morris

Homeless and lost, to the trash he was tossed

Expected to die, but now loved by our five

Fat Morris

Huge eyes and all ears, we laugh into tears,

Pumpkin and white, five inches in height

Fat Morris

Never has kitten caused more hearts to be smitten

Fat Morris

First Day of School

Our Classroom!

Far left, Jillian, 6th Grade; middle, Elizabeth (blond) 3rd Grade; Anna Mei (with hat), 5th Grade; right, twins Joy (in pink) and Faith (in blue), 2nd Grade. 4-year-old Sally will join us next week!

Mini-Me

Imagine the surprise of Jillian and Tony when they greeted each other the other day, only to discover that they had each (unbeknownst to the other) selected identical outfits: khaki shorts, blue T-shirt and crocs! There was nothing to do but get a picture with their Vietnamese textbooks. Like father, like daughter...

Harbor Rides

Elizabeth at the harbor.

A view of the harbor in the evening.

Recently the girls and I have been riding our bikes to a nearby harbor after supper in the evenings. It is cooler then, and the harbor is only a couple of blocks away. It is on the street behind ours, so it is even further removed from traffic. It is a great place for the girls to ride: flat, quiet, and (at least in part) picturesque.

In the evenings, the boats are settling in for the night. By day they are fishing vessels, but they are also home to families. The boats are small, with makeshift living quarters—sheet metal, tarp, wood. The only visible hint of modern life is a small red or blue flashing light on each boat that can be seen as the sun disappears in the night sky. As the sun sets, these rugged pioneers repair nets, shuffle boxes and bags on the deck, or sit in the welcome breeze that is nearly always found on the water. Our friend tells me that commonly two or three boats will travel together for safety and mutual help. Throughout the year, these little groups will move from one area to another, looking for a good catch. Because of their movement, the children who live on the boats cannot attend school. The system here does not accommodate transfer students; children must begin and end the year with their class. So, most of these children grow up illiterate. It is a cycle of poverty and dogged perseverance.

Knowing this about the “boat people” tempers the beauty of the harbor for me. The colors of sky, mountains and sea are breathtaking; the boats rock gently, quietly as if putting their occupants to a peaceful sleep. Yet evidence of their difficult lives is there, too: piles of trash bags, some ripped open by rats, dead fish, dilapidated stools, tools, and the chipped paint on all of the boats. Contradictions abound.

On another note, we have had a couple of guests here with us for a few days. Two girls from Dai Loc are taking college placement tests here in Danang. The testing begins early—they leave the house about 5:30 in the morning. They return for lunch, and then have to be back at the testing site by 1:30. Today, one of the girls finished about 3:30, the other got out after 5:00. Not surprisingly, they returned to eat a good supper, then study for a short while before falling asleep.

Speaking of supper…Bee took the day off to attend a wedding in the countryside today. We sorely missed her and her cooking skills. The girls did enjoy a rare opportunity for “western” food mid-week. They had hotdogs with their rice at lunch and we had spaghetti and meatballs for supper (with lime jello). Happily, we look forward to Bee’s return tomorrow!

In the “Giving Thanks” category: the government has refrained from turning off the electricity every couple of days. The newspaper indicates that, at least for July, we will not have regular, frequent power outages. Yea!

Lastly, from “If You Can’t Beat ‘Em, Join ‘Em”… Tonight at bedtime, I noticed that Elizabeth was lying on the floor, breaking tiny crumbs onto squares of toilet paper. I asked what she was doing. “I’m making a hotel for ants,” she replied happily. Regrettably for Elizabeth, that little venture is now out of business.

That’s our day. The girls are in bed now (though I can still occasionally hear Faith and Joy giggling). I hope your evening is as peaceful.

Grace and peace!

Summertime in Danang

Faith and Natalie holding their fish on the beach.
Poster for Squid Rings...like onion rings, only not.

Gas station crowd. An interesting challenge.

Hello, all—

It’s about 10:30 at night, still hot, so I sit here directly in front of an oscillating fan. I could unplug the computer and take it upstairs to an air-conditioned room, but I find myself a little too lazy tonight. This is our third summer in Danang and it is the hottest yet. To make the situation even more blissful, the city government has been cutting the power off every third day, from 6 in the morning until about 6 at night. Tomorrow is the day, so I have been getting ready tonight. We are heading for the pool after breakfast. I am finishing up computer work tonight, and organizing books and cross stitch for poolside. The girls’ swimsuits and towels are all together, ready for the morning. The pool is beside the ocean, so most often there is a pleasant breeze. Still, by the end of the day, we feel baked, broiled and a bit fried.

During the last power outage, I had to put gas in the motorbike. The closest two stations were also in the power shut-off, so the third station I came to was packed out. Bikes were pulled in from every direction. There is no order to the process; you simply squeeze in and keep pushing your way to the front.

Another item of interest to me is a new taste-treat offered by Lotteria, a fastfood-type restaurant at Big C. It’s “Squid Rings”—just like onion rings, only chewier and, well, not as tasty.

Marissa, Audrey (another Orphan Voice staffer) and I went to a local beauty shop to have our hair washed (a nice treat). They do a great job and include a head/neck massage for about $3. We have decided to go back regularly and enjoy this bit of pampering; next time I’m getting a manicure, as well for another $1.

Orphan Voice has been hosting a “Sports Camp” for 3 weeks. Each morning, the children are brought to our “play site” for volleyball, Frisbee, swimming or soccer. The camp begins at 7 am and ends about 10 before the hottest part of the day. Frisbee has been a new experience for most of the kids. Anna Mei has perfected her own special move—she does a cartwheel over the Frisbee, then picks it up and throws it as she finishes her “move” and slides into the splits. I’m sure most of the Vietnamese kids don’t know what to make of it.

Anna Mei and Elizabeth went to the countryside with Duc and Linh last week for a couple of days. While they were there, they helped make some food deliveries to families. Elizabeth really loves that—she is getting to know the families with children and remembers their particular situations. I am so happy that she does not shy away from children who are suffering. She reaches out to them in such a sweet and genuine way.

Jillian is amazing us all with her understanding of Vietnamese. She is fast becoming the family interpreter. She has been babysitting for an English family with 2 children, 3-year-old Jack and 1-year-old Natalie. Jack is very outgoing and full of energy. He is usually pretending to be Spiderman, Superman, or Buzz Lightyear. The other day when Jillian arrived at their house, Laura (their mom) was struggling to get Jack to eat his lunch. She told me Jillian saved the day when she told Jack “Superman always eats all his lunch. It makes him strong.”

Faith and Joy are two peas in a pod, as always. They play together with hardly a cross word ever between them. Joy is quite the jokester and is always looking for ways to make people laugh. Faith is her own “cool” little self. She knows what she likes, how she likes it, and she is comfortable with her own style no matter what anyone else thinks.

Our church fellowship has missed the presence of our pastor and his wife as they have been in the US since February. Many people in the fellowship have served in our Sunday services—leading in preaching, offering, music, communion and prayer times. It has been a great blessing. Each person has been used of the Lord to encourage and challenge our body. This time of year is always bittersweet for our church—many folks who come to teach are leaving. Some will return to Vietnam, many will not. We have been blessed by their friendship and comforted to know that we will spend eternity together.

So, days are passing by here with joys and struggles, challenges and triumphs, and just day to day demands. We often think of “home” and pray that you are finding the daily strength, wisdom and help you need from the Holy Spirit. We are learning to rely upon Him more and more, yielding, trusting, surrendering. It is the path of deep, inner joy and peace. God is good. All the time. Yes and amen.

Grace and peace!