It has been some time since I have updated my blog, for that I am sorry. I am still alive and well and have been very busy in my ministry here in Nome. Let me give you all an update of what has been going on over the past month and a half.
In the past month and a half I have been working with my new position as the Nome Youth Court Coordinator. I am still working with the XYZ Senior Center and the Boy's and Girl's Club, but the Nome Youth Court (NYC) took up much of my time in the days past. The NYC is a youth run court system within Nome where we handle first offense cases among youth and decide the hours of community service that they must work within a span of time. The thing about this program is that once their hours are finished, it removes the offense from their record and they do not have to enter in said offense on any applications for college or a job in the future. We however do not accept all offenses, some deserve serious attention by the actual court system. The NYC handles cases such as underage drinking, tobacco violations, minor assault charges and some acts of vandalism. The program has some bugs that I hope to work out through the duration of the summer. Speaking of which...
I can now see the ocean. After months and months of a solid white icy sheet spanning out to the horizon, the ice has been breaking off slowly day by day and the ocean waves are beginning to crash again. The temperature is getting warmer, the snow is melting, birds are returning, and the sun is staying out later (at the moment its about 21 hours of the day). Though I am happy about the weather change, I am not to happy about the daylight being out for so long. It has been messing with my sleep scheduled and I am finding myself more drained day by day. I have resorted to taking naps in between working at XYZ and the B&GC. Naps are new to me, as growing up I never took them. I don't know if this is a sign of being overworked, or if it is a sign of age. I ask for your prayers for a burst of energy.
However, we have finished our last case for the school year, and the Wednesday Bible School called "Faith Followers" that I was teaching for has ended for the school year. There are less and less things on my plate as the school year comes to an end, and I must say I am a bit glad that this is happening. I feel I am getting a bit more of a break. The thing about being a missionary here, as it is with mostly all of the other missionaries that were part of my commissioning class is that we are all worked very very hard during our times of service. Those young brave souls that are placed all around the world are the bravest and strongest people I have ever met, and I keep them in my thoughts and prayers daily as I ask you to do the same. It's hard leaving everything behind to pursue Christ in places someone has never been, to a place where danger and risk could be much greater. We may not be the American Armed Forces as brave as they are, but this is indeed a different kind of bravery and not to far removed.
I would like to announce that I have a return trip approaching in only a month and a half to my home town. Many of those reading this are excited for my return, and I am excited as well. I will be arriving in Northern Virginia the morning of June 29th and will be departing back to Nome July 9th. A two week vacation and visit I feel is much needed at this time. I will have many stories to tell, and many pictures and videos to show.
As a side note, and I don't know if I should be saying this or not, but honesty is an important part of my Christian walk. Indeed this return will be exciting, but for me it is not without a level of caution. I am not the same person I was when I left Northern Virginia, just like every other missionary out there can simply not return to their home town being the same. Many are excited to see me, but I am nervous that I will be looked at greater then I really am. In truth, I am only mortal, flesh and bone, human just like everyone I meet. I am no hero, I am no savior. I am only who Christ has built, a vessel. And for this I would retell a tail.
Once there was a man who after going through much study and learning decided to go out into a world and be with himself for a time. On this journey he saw many things, and after seeing them he returned to society understanding more and more of what his role was in the world. I talked to people about what he knew, and people were amazed. So amazed that they looked up to him, followed him, even loved him. One day, this man returned to his home town and talked about all the things he has learned, and people were astonished by his wisdom, and scared. So scared and upset that they took offense to him. Even there he said, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own town and in his own home."
This man is none other then Christ (Matthew 13:53-58 ; NIV). a man who people, now, say they love, but when faced with truth, people shudder and shun. Indeed Christ and God can change the lives of people, and some people don't like it when people change. Many believe change is bad. That changing from one thing to another is a way of getting more lost. Is this not true with the growing disparities between generations now?
I would like to, if I may, briefly take a look at the way things are. When Christ died, he said to us "and I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself." (John 12:32 ; RSV). Here we are some thousands of years later with Christianity as one of the dominant faiths on the planet. There is no saying that THAT fact is not true, because there is no way to say no to history and they way things are, because it is the way it is. True, Christianity has had it's dark patches in history, but every religion has had it's dark patches as well. What we can do, and I advise those who I meet, is for us to not close our minds off to new information. Perhaps we could have heard truth when it was told to us, and we chose not to listen. Perhaps we have shut people out, closed our doors to people. And for those that consider themselves Christian, let me not remind you that we too as Christians had our times when we too were shut out, blotted from society and shunned. There are writings of testaments of Christians being sacrificed to animals during the Roman Rule. Along side of this Christ was shunned and killed by his own people, and in the book of Acts Christians were persecuted for their way of life and beliefs.
We must open our minds so that truth may enter. We must not yield to what we WANT to believe, but rather seek truth and be set free within the world. And when dealing with conflict and justice I will end with giving a quote I found on the most unsuspecting of things, a gum wrapper. It read:
"Give no decision till both sides thou'st heard."
+PeAcE+
