WHERE TO BEGIN?

I don't know where to begin let's see........I last spoke about optimism being a challenge.  The only reason I believe optimism eludes us is that we forget the big picture, we get caught up in the mire.  The big picture is we have a job to do.  Our coach is God and HE always wins.  If we are on HIS team we win also.  Of course we have to show up for practice, work hard, take correction, encourage the new (or inexperienced) teammates and execute (or play) the games as we were coached.  IF WE DO THOSE THINGS WE WIN, WE GET THE PRIZE!  Phil 3:10-14   

NEW STUFF
I got my drivers license and that was quit an experience.  The craziest part about the test was the driving.   About 30 of us got on a bus and one person got in the training car (manual shift, compact 4 door) to drive with a instructor.  We headed off down the street following the trainer car with a student driving.  They drive about 5 blocks away and pull over to switch drivers.  Somebody gets off the bus and previous driver gets on the bus.  The next driver, drives for 10-15 seconds and pulls over for the next driver.  I kid you not, I counted how long the drive was, they turned a corner and pulled over.  We did this for everyone on the bus going in the same circular pattern around the community.  Each time the bus stopped, everyone would shuffle to the next seat like they were going to lose their spot in line.  I decided I was wasn't going to bounce seats every 10- 15 seconds.  I let everyone go and I was the last driver.  The last driver has to drive the car back to the licensing department.  Now it is my turn, so I get in the drivers seat, start putting seat belt on and adjusting mirrors.  Before I could get my mirrors adjusted the the instructor says "go!"  I said I need to adjust my mirrors, he said "GO!"  I am thinking he is trying to get me flustered and leave before the car is situated and cause myself to fail.  He said "GO"!  At this point I believe he just wants me to go, so I do.  I signal and pull out nice and gentle and he says "GO"!  So I accelerate a little harder and he says "GO!"  Now, I wood on it and start grabbing gears and he says "good"!  STRANGE?! 

I talked about Zrdasht before, he is a friend of mine who is Kurdish and lived in Syria (his family is there now) and Greece.  Z and I spend a lot of time together, the problem is, he is up late at night and I work early in the morning (up at 3am).  Z is a Artistic Fashion Designer, Playwright, Singer and Tanbur (guitar) player.  Z says he sees me as his father figure (because I correct him).  I have been encouraging him to make his Yes be Yes and his No be No.  We are praying for God to lead us to an area to serve in.  We are going to look into getting a house together, there will be three of us.  The Kurdish people have a new year celebration called Newroz (also see my Facebook album).  He invited me to be in a skit and help them with the celebration.  I said, "yes of course".  Now rehearsals were at 9PM and finish about 12 or 1AM.  We did this three times, and remember I get up at 3AM.  On two of the nights I stayed up and went to work without sleep.  I am still trying to re-coop.  I had a great time with the Kurds.  They are patient, happy and like to laugh.  We did the festival at Ad Dosari Farm, Qatar, which again was a lot of fun, ooh ya, I was a shepherd in one of the skits.

CHURCH
Church (Arabic service) is okay and I am meeting some neat young people.  I like them all, one is from Morocco who converted to Christianity from Islam.  He says he has trouble sometimes because everything goes thru this Muslim filter in his head and has to get it straight as Jesus teaches.  Oh Ya he said he is a linguist and can teach me Arabic.  This same young man asked me about Benny Hinn, he said he has seen his power on TV and thinks that is awesome.  I told him what little I know about him and said he is a false teacher.  Even if anybody is healed (which I am not aware of) it is by the power of the enemy.  Benny Hinn has some real off the wall teachings.  Another young man I meet is a drummer on the worship team.  He is from Syria and has family there.  He said his family has lost two homes and they are unable to work because of the civil war.  He wants to go home but feels the Syrian Government would not allow him to return to Qatar once there.  So instead he is working here and sending money home to support his family.  If he went home he could not help them.  I would like us to support his family in Syria.  I will find out how many of his family members are affected and if they are Christians.  The home group I attend is getting kind of cool.  God is directing the leader to go thru the teachings of Jesus.  He decided to start in Mathew 5.  This is pretty neat because we come with authority gained thru experience as God has led us.  I think God is using me to make a big impact in their walk.  You know, just as I wrote the word "walk", I was thinking I hate that description of Christianity.  It sounds lazy and lethargic, IT IS A BRUTAL RACE only the FAITHFUL FINISH!  Sorry, just my thoughts eeking out!  I have laid out about half of my testimony to small group and have encouraged them greatly.  Now if we can get them to the next step, which is serving.  Zrdasht attends our small group and I went to his old home group, led by our Egyptian friend.  He was teaching on prophets in the modern church and it was mostly BS.  This went on until about 12:30 at night.  I was falling asleep as the mans wife was interpreting for me.  When Z and I got in the car to leave the first thing he said was, "that was philosophy, not Bible".  I said ya it was a bunch of crap.  I thought it was neat Z could see that it was hog wash!  Z and I walked thru the neighborhood today and talked to some people about buying a car, but it was not for sale.  I want a car so I can be ready to serve and be more spontaneous as God would call.

TESOL
The Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages course is going great.  I missed my target goal of completing the first certification by the end of March.  It looks like I will start teaching at the end of April.  Kristin visited for two weeks and the Kurdish celebration set me back a little.  That is okay, we have got to do what God has put directly before us, I kind of like my WIFE and our plans may not always be on GOD'S agenda.

WORK
Work is lame, but I may be here until June of 2015?  I  continue to plug away, not conforming to my wicked surroundings.  I have seen incremental successes and a long way to go.  I see people beginning to understand who and what I am about.  I was able to influence a young man at work.  He had some coins or medallions made depicting our work for memorabilia.  He said the profits were going to support breast cancer research.  I told him I could not be apart of it, unless I knew the money was not going to help Planned Parenthood.  You are all familiar with current events surrounding Susan B Komen Foundation right?  He had no idea those organizations gave to PP.  We found and decided to give money to Huntsman Cancer Research.  That was kind of neat, we took money from PP and gave it to a Pro-Life organization.  God has enabled me to care enough to stay informed on current events and then I use the boldness and truth he has put me in charge of.  WHAT HAS GOD GIVEN YOU TO BE IN CHARGE OF?  ARE YOU BEING FAITHFUL WITH IT?

COMMUNITY
I have been down the street on three or four occasions to see the neighborhood kids, only seen one kid.  I talked to him and told him about the video form of pen pals and he was excited.  He is 13 and speaks pretty decent English.  I have not seen my Arabic friends in a while.  Z and I have stopped by twice and they were sleeping.  Everybody here is up late in the evening and sleep late in the day, opposite of my schedule.

KEEP OUR HEAD OUT OF THE SAND,

SO YOU CAN CLEARLY SEE WHAT GOD HAS FOR YOU TO DO!!!!!!! traceyfucious 2012