February!


Friday again. That means I've been here three weeks. Three weeks? My sense of time, somehow, has gotten lost; lost in the newness of it all; lost in the changes. Days are only what our schedule in them is. Life here has different joys; different challenges.
It is a challenge to begin to know my way around this city. Really, it is a challenge to me to find my way around ANY city. In this city, everything is written in a language I don't understand.

The cold and the snow present their own challenge. I'm a Nebraska girl and grew up with cold, snowy winters. But, we've come to be a people who go out the door and into our car. We grumble and groan if we have to scoop our way out, or scrape the windows. Here, we dress for the cold. We walk to our source of transportation. Sometimes we stand in the snow and wait for it. Then when we arrive at our "stop", we walk some more! I'm loving my "Yak-Trax" that enable me to step with confidence. Paths and sidewalks are not cleared much. Foot paths are often only a narrow track that has become rough and frozen under the passing of many feet.

The comfort of the home provided so kindly for us here is a pleasure. Our own tiny kitchen - with an oven! - makes it easy to cook, and it's a pleasure when I fix something and my co-worker enjoys it. JOY is those here wanting to listen to the Gospel. Joy is having something to share with them. Joy is the vision we have for the future - a vision that helps us to continue with hope!