God

This may not sound that significant, but when you share a neighborhood with about five or six Hindu temples and shrines, it is. Believing in the one true God isn’t just lip service. It’s my life now. I’m faced with the reality every time I go out the door and see my across-the-street neighbor’s idols and hear the music from her morning puja as my alarm clock.

And while I’m not really tempted to believe in a Hindu god, I am tempted to believe in nothing. With so many people around me worshiping so many different things, I am tempted to give up hope that others will believe in my God. And if you look at your own life, you may see the same temptation that manifests itself in different ways. But thankfully, the Truth of who God is isn’t dependent on our weak faith or ability to be tempted. It just is.

And I know that He has seen me through 30 years of life (and 23 years of being a Christian) and I am thankful for that kind of faithfulness. So, I guess that is one of the benefits to turning 30. I have so many more experiences to go back to for a reminder of God’s faithfulness and goodness to me.

Well, thanks for sharing this birthday with me!

The number of years Harry and I are committed to stay in South Asia at this point in our lives.

I tried to think of something more fun, but every time I think of the number two, I think two years. I’m sure it would not be a huge surprise to anyone if God leads us to stay longer, but for now, it’s two years. Some days it feels like two years won’t be nearly long enough to do what God has called us to do. And other days, I can’t wait to come back to the States, re-insert myself into the community I left behind and find my place there again.

We knew when we were married that this was something we were supposed to do. We just didn’t know when, where or exactly how we would get here.

Dinner with friends.

Shopping in tiny stairwells.

Baking in our kitchen.

Doing ministry outside the city.

]]> http://harryandandrea.com/2010/09/14/day-2-birthday-countdown/feed/ 0 http://harryandandrea.com/2010/09/13/day-3-birthday-countdown/ http://harryandandrea.com/2010/09/13/day-3-birthday-countdown/#comments Mon, 13 Sep 2010 11:07:30 +0000 Andrea http://harryandandrea.com/?p=701 3

The countries I’ve lived in.

United States (Birmingham and Nashville): 29 years. And, the more I’m away from there, the more American I feel!

England: Ok, this barely counts since I was only there for about 7 weeks and lived in a dorm, but I’m counting it! I studied there in college one summer. Being in London that summer pretty much cemented my desire to live cross-culturally and was a huge part in why we’re here now, I think. I am a different person because of it. I am independent. I am more confident. I am a traveler.

South Asian* Country: Almost 5 months! I will just say that you never know what you’re capable of until God takes you there. I’m just like you. Someone who wants my life to mean something, but knows I’m not very extraordinary. Someone who wants to have a home that is comfortable for myself and others. Someone who wants to grow in my faith. Someone who enjoys a new fancy recipe or cute outfit every now and then. Someone who feels most relaxed at the beach, reading a good book. Someone who wants to use what God has given me to bless others and grow the kingdom. Someone who longs for a greater vision of who God is and doesn’t always cling to Him like she should. I just happen to live in South Asia right now because that’s where He led me.

*For more on what I’ve learned here and how we got here, see our South Asia blog, www.thesouthasiayears.com.

Our Wedding (2006)

4

The number of years I’ve been married (almost…in just two more weeks!)

This October, we celebrate our 4th year of God’s goodness through marriage. Now, if you don’t know us very well and think this means that our marriage has been easy, think again! No good marriage is easy. It is only in hindsight sometimes that we are able to see God’s goodness to us through difficult experiences that He allowed us to work through together. Things do not always happen as we plan them, but things do always happen in ways that grow us in the Lord. And we continue to learn God’s grace in marriage daily in a foreign country–dying to self again and again (sometimes more willingly than others).

One of the most important things marriage has taught me is a greater understanding of forgiveness. It’s not just for the first time. It’s for the second, third and fiftieth times, too.

The best part about marriage is just getting to walk through life together with my best friend. God provides this in different ways when you are single, but I am grateful for Harry’s help to remind me of God’s faithfulness and my need for Him.

The number of job titles I have had.

• Office Assistant/Secretary: In high school, I spent one summer as a secretary for a judge in Birmingham. I remember feeling very important–even though my dad essentially got me the job. During college, I worked as a student office assistant at the Kennedy Center doing everything from making copies to helping with special events. I worked for a couple of different temp agencies doing data entry for a bank, as a secretary for risk management and PR firms. The temp agency work paid the bills and I was grateful for it at the time, but those jobs were probably my least favorite and yes, that’s putting it nicely.
• Nanny/Babysitter: I’ve gotten to be a nanny three times and have been so blessed each time. I was a nanny for Lucy S. when she was 6 months old and I needed a summer job while I was teaching, for Luke P. when he was 2 months old and I had just gotten married and needed a low-stress job, and Jackson F. when he was a year old and I was getting ready to move to South Asia. I think it was for about 6 months each time. I’m grateful the relationships God gave me with these families and enjoy watching those little ones grow up–even from a distance. I have no idea how many times I was a babysitter, but I definitely have fond memories of so many children and families that I got to know this way.
• Teacher: For four years I taught high school English to juniors and seniors. For one semester, I got to teach 7th grade Language Arts. There are so many emotions when I think about teaching and not enough room here to flesh them out. Teaching is something that takes ALL of you to do well and it is the best and worst of jobs for me. I think I will always be a teacher, but I am learning how to use those skills in different ways without being trapped in a classroom all day and grading papers all night and weekend. And who knows, I may end up back in the classroom in a more traditional way some day, but with the support of an amazing husband and a little more confidence in my own identity and God’s ability to use me.
• Writer: I really think I’ve always been a writer, but it’s only been in the last 3 or 4 years that I’ve found out how own being a writer, and how many different ways writing can be a career. Most of the writing I’ve done has been for non-profits, but I’ve also gotten to write lesson plans for magazines about career exploration and Bible studies, as well as publicity pieces and prayer brochures. And then there was that poetry project in the 8th grade…
• Program Coordinator: For a little over a year on two separate occasions, I worked for a non-profit that supports elderly and adults with disabilities. My favorite part of this job was supervising the staff and getting to know the elderly clients. When I left this job, I was mainly working with the elderly. Part of my job was actually getting to visit with them once a month! As I learned to be a supervisor, I was able to redeem some of the not-so-great supervisors I’ve had by striving to balance encouragement with correction when necessary.

When I look back on all of the jobs I’ve had, I am amazed at how God has used each of them to grow me in different ways and prepare me for the next thing.

Just a few of the 33 boxes of books Harry and I left behind in storage.

6

Books I’ve started this year (and want to finish.)

One of the only good things about being sick is finally feeling like you’ve got time to read and getting to read fiction and not having to apologize for it! And it just feels like there’s more time for reading here. (Not that I’m any better at keeping up with email, responding to FB messages or sending out our newsletter on time!) A life without books is such a lonely life, but it seems like it’s so easy to forget to make time to read.

Since we’ve been here I’ve read 8 books. That is a new record for the adult-me. I think it takes awhile to recover from being an English major in college and an English teacher post-college. I’ve read the Harry Potter series* by JK Rowling, Faithful Women and Their Extraordinary God, Noel Piper (I highly recommend this for some encouragement!) and See You in a Hundred Years, Logan Ward (This was a really interesting memoir, especially as we are learning to live simply. It doesn’t get much more simple than living without electricity and eating only the food that you grow or kill yourself!)

And…books I’ve started, but haven’t finished yet…

• Passage to India, E. M. Forster (a classic)
• Bird by Bird, Anne Lamott (a book about writing)
• Future Grace, John Piper (a book about living your life in hope of the future grace that God promises)
• White Tiger, Aravind Adiga (a book about India)
• Conversational Hindi (this one is more symbolic of learning the language)
• Isaiah, The Bible (a book about God’s judgement and redemption and faithfulness to His people that I’m reading with a small group of Christian women here)

Now the number of books that we left behind but wanted to bring with us is an entirely different list and too long to put here.

*I know that there has been some controversy over the Harry Potter books. And I started the first one in 2001 and have just now gotten around to reading the others. I think if you’re curious, you should read them for yourself and be discerning, but I wouldn’t recommend the later books for younger children — even middle school. They get pretty dark at times and definitely don’t communicate my worldview, but I really enjoyed the story of Harry Potter. I’ll be happy to talk more about them if you have questions, but since this is in honor of my birthday, I’m going to stop analyzing them now.

Our house in Spring Hill.

7

The number of addresses I’ve had for more than 1 month.

Aside from the first 18 years of my life that I spent with my parents in Birmingham, here are my seven other addresses (six in Tennessee). (Yea, so I’m cheating a little bit.

• Vanderbilt University in Nashville (1998-2002). I moved from Stapleton (freshman) to West on Peabody (sophomore) to Towers on West End (junior & senior) and had 3 roommates and 11 suite-mates, but my mailing address stayed the same.
• The Allen Family home in Franklin (the summer of 2002). I was in-between college and my first real job. Scott went from BCM Director to landlord that summer. They needed a housesitter and I needed a place to live while I was looking for a job.
• Cheryl’s Green Hills condo (2002-2005). A former college suite-mate and later bridesmaid, Cheryl and I suffered through med school (for her) and my first few years teaching together and enjoyed 3 years of twenty-something, post-college life together. I wouldn’t trade those years for anything.
• Nippers Corner (2005-2006). My one year to figure out those things you can only know about yourself from living alone. I found my love for hospitality and cemented a strong independent streak that year.
• Nippers Corner/Brentwood (the summer of 2006). After a year of living alone, I rented a room from Amy C. for three months while I was engaged. This time is unfortunately a blur of wedding planning and job searching, but it was (and is) such a blessing to have the support of a friend like Amy!
• Spring Hill (2006-2010). Marriage made me a homeowner and I had no idea how fun it would be once we negotiated the kitchen a little bit, got rid of the black bedroom and figured out how to share a space that had been something of a bachelor pad. I learned to love cooking and even to love cooking with Harry, to reach out to my neighbors and to enjoy grilling and being in the yard with friends…all in this house.
• South Asia flat (2010-??) Five months and counting in South Asia, we’ve been living on the first floor (second floor–American style) of a house. One small post like this isn’t enough to write what we’ve learned here, but I’m still learning to cook and bond with this house. It is such a blessing and we look forward to many more opportunities to use it for hospitality while we’re here. (And, there’s plenty of room for guests to come visit…don’t forget!

The number of cars I’ve owned.

• ’88 Maroon Chevy Camaro: Please don’t judge me, but nothing else has ever driven quite the same.
• ’02 Silver Honda Civic: Everyone should buy a new car when they graduate from college (with student loans) and get a job, right? Yea, so, this may not have been the best idea, but it was an awesome car.
• ’96 White Chevy Lumina: A gift from my parents when I realized that I needed to sell the Honda to start taking control of my finances.
• ’93 Beige Toyota Camry: This was technically Harry’s car, but we learned to share pretty quickly when mine died after 6 months!
• ’96 Toyota Camry: This one didn’t make it home. Harry has a less affectionate name for it.
• ’99 Gold Acura CL: We’re thinking that some youngster had gotten to this one before we did…given the problems we had toward the end, but it served its purpose.
• ’01 Silver Isuzu Trooper: This is the one that decided it needed a new transmission about two weeks before we left for South Asia. Other than that, this was an awesome car.
• ’98 Green Nissan Sentra: Not the best color green or the fanciest interior, but a great car for us.

If I wanted to add the gracious friends and family who loaned us vehicles in our first four years of marriage, I would have to add SIX cars. There’s way more to this story that won’t fit here. If you’d ever like to hear, just ask! But the summary is that we look back and see God’s provision and mercy as He taught us to be better stewards with our finances, to live more simply and to grow in our trust in Him alone. And I am thankful for the pain and the pruning that He did in our hearts through these 8 cars.

9

The number of countries I’ve visited in my nearly 30 years.

Considering I hadn’t been on a plane when I started college in 1998 and that I distinctly remember begging to go home while crying of unbearable homesickness at a week-long Christian camp in elementary/middle school, it’s hard to believe that I’ve been to 9 different countries!

I went to Canada with my family in between 6th and 7th grades, circa 1992 — back when you only needed a birth certificate to cross the border. I went with a school group (anyone remember Safety Patrol?) to Washington, DC, and my parents picked me up on the last day and we drove up the East Coast and on to Canada for our summer vacation. We spent a night in Montreal and a night in Toronto. I remember that even in July, the pool in Montreal was too cold for swimming. This trip and another one that we took to California, probably lit the travel fire for me. So, Mom and Dad, you have only yourselves to blame that I’m in South Asia!

In college, I had the opportunity to study in London, England for 6 weeks. And since my friend Jackie was studying in Germany, I came a little early and got to see Regensberg in Bavaria. I remember that the train from Frankfurt to Regensberg was having engine troubles, but since I didn’t understand German, I was blissfully ignorant!

While I was in London, we were blessed to have our Fridays and weekends off from classes. So, I found somewhere to go every weekend: Paris, France; Dublin, Ireland; Zurich Switzerland. And I enjoyed a few days with a friend from Birmingham in Cambridge, too.

After college, I had the chance to go on two cross-cultural trips with my church, leading worship for a group of expats in Eretria, Greece twice (and one time with Harry!) and Chiang Mai, Thailand once. In Greece, I experienced the clearest, most beautiful water and some of the hottest temperatures climbing to the top of the Acropolis to see the Parthenon. At least, I think that’s why we climbed to the top. Although, I’m not sure since I never got a copy of the group photo to prove it. (Kristi Smith, were you supposed to give that to me?

And then, last August, God sent us to South Asia* for the first time to see if this was indeed the place where God was leading us. And, here we are a year later, starting our fifth month here. On the way back from our vision trip, we had the opportunity to stop over in Paris for a short vacation together. (This trip was planned, unlike our unexpected four-day layover in New York in April of this year!)

*No, South Asia isn’t just one country. But, for security reasons, it is better if I don’t say which country I’m in, but feel free to ask privately.

Engaged! (2006)

10

The number of months that Harry and I dated before we were married.

It may seem short to some and long to others, but we are thankful for the story God gave us because it is rich in His faithfulness and provision. We were both learning to be prepared to follow the Lord wholeheartedly into a life of singleness if He chose, but each longing and praying for a spouse…when he opened our hearts to each other.

Only acquaintances for several years as members of the same church and worship team, we officially met in 2003 when I was singing on our church’s worship team for the first time at our fall retreat and Harry was doing sound. There were no sparks.

It wasn’t until 2005 that we actually noticed each other. God provided many opportunities that year for us to talk and get to know each other–a friend’s birthday party, my move from Green Hills Nippers Corner, movies in the park, coffee, preparing for cross-cultural team trips together with our church. But, neither of us knew what God was doing until later that year. (This is usually where Harry and I disagree over how many times he asked me out before we finally had coffee.

And in January, Harry started the conversation that we continue today–how to best love each other and partner with each other for God’s glory. Only then, it was in the context of dating, or courtship–whatever you want to call it.

*I promise Day 9 won’t be as sappy!