And When He Sat Down

Most of the world's major religions place significant value on the virtue of Humility: 

According to the all knowing Wikipedia:

In Christianity, humility is defined as  "A quality by which a person considering his own defects has a humble opinion of himself and willingly submits himself to God and to others for God's sake."
In Hinduism, to get in touch with your true self (God), one has to kill the ego.
In Buddhism, humility is the equivalent to a concern of how to be liberated from the sufferings of life and the vexations of the human mind. The ultimate aim is to achieve a state of enlightenment through meditation and other spiritual practices.


So why is it so hard for me to be humble? Why do I strive to always put myself out there as more important than someone else? Why do I stand tall in hopes that someone else will appear smaller?

I am trying something new this year- memorizing scripture. I am really, really bad at memorizing. Sarah Bess and I are in a mother-daughter bible study, and she teases me at how I can never remember the chapter or verse numbers.

But I saw a post on facebook about memorizing the Sermon on the Mount. Not all at once, but actually taking the entire year to read, study, and meditate over this beautiful piece of scripture. It seems to me, if ever there was something for me to memorize, this would be it. So this Saturday, I began with week 1.

"Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him." Matthew 5:1 

I have read the Sermon on the Mount numerous times. In fact, my grandfather wrote a book full of sermons he based on the Beatitudes which I used for the title of this blog and the first post, "Blessed are Ye". But I have never paid attention to the beginning. The significance of this first line. Until Saturday, when I was blown away by it...when he sat down.

Jesus did not climb the mountain to stand tall over his disciples and 'tell it like it is'. He went there and sat Down. Then they came to him. I guess my mental picture has been him delivering the sermon this way:


But in reality it was more like:




Oh how grateful I am for Matthew 5:1. Reminding me of humility. Reminding me how to posture myself in the everyday. Not standing tall 'over' others. But sitting together. Sharing, living, loving.

 

A Theory on Space

One of my favorite parts about Vietnam was the time I got to spend with our group from the US: Jane, Rob, Elizabeth, Paige and Lillian. We shared stories, passions, and life for two weeks.

I love how meeting new people and learning about their lives can come into play in my own life later.

Rob is a mathematician and shared an interesting theory on the Vietnamese and their perspective of space based both on their driving and their swimming. Rob is a competitive swimmer and spent several hours a day swimming while we were doing our work. And in the US, we swim in our own lanes like this:

And we drive in our own lanes like this:

But in Vietnam, there is no sense of staying in ones lane- not for driving, and not for swimming.

And Rob has a theory on this. Here we think of our path as a lane. We know the space we currently occupy and the space ahead of us and we think of it as ours. We move forward in life when we know exactly where we are going.

But in Vietnam they only occupy the space they are currently in. Not what is ahead or behind. Therefore all space is up for grabs and so you just move forward. There is no seeing the complete path directly ahead.

And this morning, I read this:

"Apart from me, there is no God." Isaiah 45:5

I keep learning more and more about the only opportunity to experience God is in the now. God is only present to me in the current moment. The one I have now. And when I choose not to be in that moment, I choose to be apart from God. When I worry over mistakes of the past, or hold anger towards those that have hurt me, or think continuously of my life as a list of 'to dos', I choose to miss the beauty in front of me. When I don't take the next step forward, because I can't see the whole path, I choose fear instead of hope. When I focus on my lane ahead, neglecting the space I currently occupy, I miss God.

So while it makes driving and swimming difficult for those of us preferring everyone to stay in their own lane, I think there is something to learn from this theory on the Vietnamese concept of space. Let us honor the space we currently occupy. Let us live in this moment. And let us experience in the Now all the joy, hope and love that is God.

Gratitude or Comparison?

 A quick run down on what I have been doing in order to catch you up...We arrived in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) late Friday evening. Saturday my dear friend Lillian arrived. It was a down day in the morning with some time at the market and then a meeting at the College here with the first person in Vietnam to get her masters degree in Speech Therapy to help us on a curriculum we are developing in Vietnamese. Saturday evening she invited us to her home for dinner. Sunday we took a tour in the morning of the tunnels used during the Viet Nam war. In the afternoon we visited a temple and watched the hour long mass. The rest of the week we have been at a childrens hospital working with therapists and families. And in between there, very frequently we have been eating, eating, eating.

But something that has become obvious to me on this trip, is that I can live with an attitude of compairson or an attitude of thanksgiving. And with that, I decide if I choose Joy. If I choose hope. If I choose love.

I have often found myself choosing compairson, which does not lead to joy. Compairing my hotel in HCM City with the much nicer/ bigger one in Ha Noi. Comparing visiting the tunnels to visiting the temples. Compairing the health care for children here in Viet Nam to what I know in North Carolina. When I choose compairson, I choose sorrow. Because when I look at the families lying on mats outside at the hospital because there are no beds, and I think of what they don't have, I am sad for them. When I compare the humanity of war to the humanity of worship, it can be hard to stand on my feet.

But when I choose gratitude, I choose Joy. When I acknowledge all the things I am thankful for from this trip, I celebrate all God has given. I can celebrate the thanksgiving of peace and the joy of hoping for peace everywhere. I celebrate how the cool tile feels below my feet in a temple during a beautiful act of worship. I celebrate the person of peace that welcomed us into her home showing me how to live in true simplicity, grace and love for others. I celebrate the smiles of children with hearing loss as they learn to listen and I celebrate their parents gratitude. I celebrate the butterflies flying down the street outside of tunnels used for war. I celebrate new tastes like suger cane and Jack Fruit. I celebrate the hug from a new friend to comfort me when I miss my family. I celebrate my husband who without his care for our children, this trip would not be possible. I celebrate technology that allows me to see and talk to my family so far away. I celebrate both the telling and listening of stories. I celebrate quiet time to read, write and pray.

And as Richard Rohr says, I trust and I give thanks that I am in the river, and that God is the current.

The Language of Women

There are so many things I could write about our last day in Hanoi. About how it feels to present to a group of people so intent on focusing on what you are teaching. About how energizing and rewarding it is to be here. About how ending a workshop here is cause for a big ceremony with gifts, handshakes, certificates, and lots and lots and lots of pictures.

But when I reflect on my experience, what I really want to write about is the language of women. There were 16 mothers that attended the past two days. 16 mothers that despite lack of access to good technology, audiology services or therapy are determined to do all they can to help their children. Mothers that brought audiograms of their children for us to look at. Mothers who showed us videotape of their children playing in the bath tub. Mothers that made photo books about the need for services for children with hearing loss. Mothers that have formed parent support groups to help those just starting out. 3 of these mothers spoke fairly fluent English. And while the rest of them needed to use the interpreter to ask their specific questions, no language interpreter was needed for them to communicate their love of us and their appreciation for us being here. No interpeter was needed to see the desires they have for their children with hearing loss.

And I realized...there is a language of women. Women that when we put all the other stuff aside, can truly love one another, even without words. What a blessing to know these beautiful women.

Day 2

Day 2 was a long day, but so awesome. We left the hotel about 7:15 for Hanoi University and didn't return until around 9pm.

Some of the funny things that have happened while here:
 ---- at the restaurant the first night, we had a vegetarian menu (3 of the 5 of us are vegetarians) and they had vegetarian beer. You know me- whatever kind of beer sounds good. So Rob (Jane's husband) and I ordered one. Turns out, vegetarian beer is nonalcoholic beer. We promptly sent those back and asked for our beloved Hanoi beer!

--- it was pouring rain this morning getting into the cab. Before Paige could sit down, the cab driver had to take the windshield wiper off her seat. That's right-you only need one windshield wiper people!

--- the driving hasn't been as entertaining for me this trip after my trips to Ethiopia and China. But it is fun to watch through Elizabeth's eyes who hasn't seen something quite like it. Similar to Ethiopia and China, red lights are a suggestion and there is no such thing as a lane for your car. There are motorbikes everywhere and they just all play the game of chicken to get through intersections.

We spent the day presenting to about 30 professionals and 16 parents. The morning was more lecture style and then in the afternoon we did break out sessions.

(tried to put some pictures in here of me presenting- with the beautiful scarf they gave me this morning, but for some reason that function doesn't want to work right now-I will add in Ho Chi Minh if it works there)

It has been such a great experience to meet the families and talk with them about their children with hearing loss. All of these parents (with the exception of one) have been able to get cochlear implants or hearing aids for their children, but in general have no idea how they are hearing with those devices. They all feel they are hearing well, but the documentation and testing of that fact is limited.

After our day at the University, we went to dinner where we were having a meeting with parents that evening hosted by Med El. I can't say enough about how good the food is here in Hanoi. I thought I might lose a few pounds on this trip, but now I am worried I may gain a few. My favorite is this soup that we seem to start every meal with- it is a lemongrass, tomato, tofu brothy soup. I have eaten more tofu in the past two days then I have eaten in my entire life. The warm soup is so good- especially at Hanoi University where they have no heat. That is one way to keep the students awake for class!

We had a large turnout for the parent meeting. We tried to answer their questions as best we could without actually knowing their child. I sat next to a little girl that was around 4 with bilateral implants. At first she would have nothing to do with me, but by the end we were buddies. She was so excited to see Paige was wearing hearing aids. (Paige is a celebrity of sorts around here with the families. They all want to meet her and many of them want to give her pictures of their children, or a gift like fruit).

 Paige ending the meeting with asking the parents what their hopes were for their children. It was very moving to hear from the parents about their dreams for their kids- what we want and desire for our children is universal. Even before the interpreter translated for us, we could see the love and emotion on the parents faces.

Vietnam: Day 1

I'd hoped to do a New Year/ One Word 2013 post before the trip, but that didn't happen so I may be well into 2013 before my first 'official' post of the year.

I'm not sure how much time I will have to blog while I am in Vietnam, but I know that the more I write in the moment- the more I will remember! And this way the kids can follow along at home.

My flight was uneventful. I would HIGHLY recommend the book Love Does by Bob Goff if you have not yet read it. I arrived in Hanoi last night and got checked into the hotel around midnight. I was so excited to be able to Skype with Jimmy and the kids right away. SB and Davis saw me on the computer and said "mommy!". I could hear Gabre come running and saying "Mommy's home". She soon saw- I was not home, just on the computer. But she seemed pleased by that.

This morning Paige (founder and director of Global Foundation), Elizabeth (audiologist from Utah State University) and I walked to the Hanoi Cooking School where we met Jane (Audiologist and AVT also here on the trip). The school was started by a chef from Australia who came here with her husband to do a 2 year sabbatical. They helped start a school for the street children here in Vietnam in order for them to learn a successful trade. She has now begun a cooking school for tourists to have some fun and learn about Vietnamese Cusine.

We started at the market where shopping is done daily. The meat from the market averages about 3-4 hours from slaughter to table. It is delivered fresh here in the morning, where these women chop it and sell it. Around noon, it is all gone and the women take a siesta. They then come back for round two around 2:30.

We also saw lots of other produce, seafood, and frogs for sale!

Quail Eggs

Cleaning Frogs

The Vietnamese food in the north differs from the middle and southern regions by it's Chinese influence. It also tends to be heartier because it is much colder here in the North. The dishes are simple with only a few ingredients, but elegant.

After our tour around the market (where it important to watch out for scooters) we went back to the cooking centre to begin preparing the dishes. Paige had to depart for a meeting at this point, so Jane, Elizabeth and I were prepared to cook with 4 others from Australia. We had a great time, and the food turned out quite well. My favorite was a chile sauce for the spring rolls. I pretty much dipped everything in it. Can't wait to make it (aka- give Jimmy the recipe to make it) when I get home!

Making a tomato sauce (the chef did not approve of the size I cut my tomatoes)



Enjoying what we cooked.



After lunch we walked back to our hotel. I had a couple of hours of down time and then a mother and her two year old daughter came to her hotel. Bi has had a cochlear implant for almost a year and is doing quite well. She has over 300 words, and was so fun to play with. Wish I had some pictures of her to post!

One of the faculty from Hanoi University took us out to dinner tonight. The food was good, but my jet lag set in and I knew it was time to get back to the hotel. Tomorrow we will start at Hanoi University at 8am (which will be 8pm on Wednesday evening at home).