Battle Scars

Yesterday marked a parental milestone for us, as well as an unforgettable experience for Caleb.  While climbing a tree, he grabbed onto a branch not strong enough to hold him, fell backwards and hit his head on a jagged rock, leaving him with a nasty gash.  Not knowing the depth of the cut, we immediately took him to the clinic next door to the college where David studies. Thankfully, a local brother accompanied us to make sure Caleb received the care he needed.  The nurse recommended stitches, but informed us we would need to go to a hospital as the clinic was too small to perform these kinds of procedures.

In the afternoon, we headed to the prefecture hospital, again accompanied by this gracious local brother (with his newborn infant-in-arms!).  We were a bit nervous, being far from our familiar healthcare system and such, but overall it was a good experience.  After giving him two stitches, the doctor gave Caleb this stylish hairnet to hold the bandage in place.  Though not so proud of his "bonnet", Caleb is more than proud to have had his first significant battle scar. Thank Dad with us for his care and provision.    

Relationships

Sunday I went with a friend to "play" at a local park.  He works at a gym I sometimes go to to lift weights and meet people.  He comes from a city smaller than ours where his father works for the local government.  He dreams of studying overseas and hopes one day to have the chance.  He laughs easily and is very polite.  Be asking that I have more opportunities to spend time with him.  Here it is easy to meet people, but very hard to get to know them.

As we have been learning recently, most locals have three kinds of relationships.  Firstly, you have family relationships, which are important to maintain and difficult to sever (as are the obligations entailed).  Secondly, you have good friends (from your childhood or school years).  These friendships are developed over time and loyalty runs deep.  Thirdly, you have what are called "societal relationships."  These are people you get to know for the purpose of discovering how you might be of help to one another in the future.  The more ability and influence (or money) you have, the more of these kinds of relationships you will attract.

This puts us in a difficult position in some respects.  Not being family and not being a childhood friend or classmate automatically puts us into the third category.  Naturally, the third category of relationships is in your outer ring (likely furthest from your heart).  It would take a unique situation for someone from your outer ring to work their way into your inner ring.  Continue asking for wisdom and opportunities for us to speak to people at a heart level.     

National Day

Recently we celebrated National Day here. A local park was hosting a special ceremony, followed by a parade to represent the country's many minority groups. 

As we watched the ceremony, we stood near this group of minority ladies waiting for the parade...

There they go, starting off on the parade across town...

And other groups who followed after...

This lady was selling chickens while enjoying the parade.  Hey, why not kill two birds with one stone?  No pun intended...    ; )  

Talking about Right and Wrong

Today I had a discussion with my tutor about morals.  I invited her to share with me about what in her culture would be considered "bad" and "good."  After sharing a bit about what defines good or bad behavior, she expressed concern over the gradual decline in moral values in her country.  Though she feels some of the taboos needed to be redressed, she mentioned that the decline may indicate a crisis of trust.  From an early age, children are taught what is right.  Share, be kind, think of others first ... but what happens when the child grows up and discovers that nobody really plays by these rules, including those placed in authority over them.  It is during this time that they enter the "real world," and are forever changed.  The outcome is predictable:  Trust no one but yourself.

My teacher alluded to the importance of faith regarding good morals but did not elaborate much more.  In her culture, several ancient philosophers continue to have strong influence, though the influence of money and self-preservation is stronger still.  She also is familiar with our faith (both her Grandmother and Mother are sisters), but feels the educational indoctrination she received as a child has predisposed her to be unable to believe it.  I look forward to hearing more about this subject.