when in doubt, blog.....

well since its hot and we are wide awake we thought why not blog...Today was another warm day and in warm we mean you sweat just from standing. But life here gets easier and more thought provoking, so we are on the upswing when it comes to adjusting, just not the sleep part. As we immerse ourselves into this culture and into the conflict so many things just come up and our perspectives seem to change over time. At least for me (char) i've been thinking about the Christian faith compared to other religions in the area of obedience and desire. Being around this culture they are so obedient and faithful to what they believe when i walk down the street its very obvious who they are following. I bring this back to myself and ask myself, in a crowd, passing by or interaction do people know who i'm serving? Do people see me as set apart from this world? Honestly, i'd say no because i tend to look at my feet a lot or avoid eye contact, when my first action should be loving and welcoming with the joy of Christ painted across my face and body. If you as an observer sat on a bench and watched people walk by would you be able to pick out those who are set apart? and i don't mean those who attend the same church as you, but honestly by their actions or the way they treat those surrounding them. Now if i were the observer would i notice you or pick you out from the crowd? Its encouraging being around these people because they give me the desire to live out loud for who i serve and love. I also admire their love and support that they have for their families. They all live in these huge homes and work together to provide food and shelter, and they honestly love each other and take time for one another. i believe that's missed in my life and culture, our excuses are independence and lack of time...God is already changing both of us and using us....Fun things here would be that people wear skinny jeans and ride donkeys...kind of different...We love the food....We don't love the heat.....we did go to a church today and the crowd was a few who regularly attended but the rest were made up of people from Ireland, Norway, Denmark, England, Germany and so on so it was an exciting time...we will probably be up tomorrow night and fill you in with more news