Just About a Perfect Day

Today was a good day indeed.

To me, there is nothing quite like the sound of the ocean. The tide rolling in and gently breaking against the beach produces a sound that has a calming and lulling effect on me. I could sit and just listen for hours. Since Macau is a peninsula, that is one of the things I was looking forward to on my sojourn here, the sound of the ocean. However, hearing this sound has proved to be more elusive than I had hoped. Today was different though.

After having a late lunch with some new found American friends, we all decided to make a trek to a beach that neither Chris nor myself had yet to visit. I cannot remember the name of the beach, but really the name is unimportant. Just going to the island of Coloane is a treat in itself. The entire island has a feel to it that an antithesis to just about everything that is Macau. Upon arriving at the beach, it was almost deserted. It was quiet and beautiful in a way that only sand and the ocean can be. As I said, I can always just sit and listen to the ocean. To make this story even better, the weather in Macau is now balmy and breezy. It actually feels good to be outside.

This is me enjoying the myself on the beach. And no, it doesn't take much to amuse me.

Now you may think that the above is enough in itself to make the day a good one, but it gets even better. After sitting on the beach for a while, we go to a nearby cafe and have some very good coffee. We chose to sit outside so we are still able to hear the beach, and this particular cafe has birdcages at each table. So we were serenaded by a bird as we are enjoying our drinks. And no the story does not stop there.

This is Chris and Erika on the beach.

It turns out that one of the Americans is a runner, yes a runner!!! And it just so happened that he was meeting a friend in Coloane to go running in the mountains later in the evening. So I was able to get in on the running and it was perfect. Well, to be completely honest at first, I was afraid that I was not going to be able to hang with these guys. The very first thing we did was run up and hill that just kept going and once it finally stopped, we started up some stairs. Needless to say, it was a bit more difficult than a treadmill. However, once we made it past that particular section, the trail was not so bad. And the view was great. It was around 5:30 when we started running so it was cool and nearing the last stages of daylight, so it was similar to the time that I would run at home. Just being able to run outside and feel the breeze blowing on my face and hear outdoor sounds rather than M&M (that is what they play at the gym) was such a treat. I found myself just hanging back and enjoying being outdoors, basking in the quiet and peacefulness that was everywhere. Well, if you discount my gasping for air the first ten minutes, then it was quiet. And yes, I survived the run, however as I am sitting here I can already feel the beginnings of soreness setting in. I do have to say that it was well worth it, and I have plans to go again soon.

Well... Let's Just Say That I am Excited

Look what finally found its way into my apartment! A sofa! I will describe for you if I may. It is a big, brown, leather sofa that is long enough to lay down on and comfortably accommodates my American frame. As it is a used sofa it is already delightfully worn in and provides a rather nice place to laze around and watch TV or read a book. Since it is used, I was a little concerned about the condition which it would arrive. However, I have noticed no foul odors emanating from said sofa, nor have I noticed any stuffing coming out or springs poking me. So I am going to say that this sofa is about as close to perfect as a sofa can get. I am having trouble leaving my apartment this weekend, because I just want to stay at home and enjoy having a couch. And here it is...

For My Mom

I am fine!!! Do not worry!!! When I write things like I did in my previous blog, you always worry and think that I am not doing good. Obviously I fail to emphasize the fact that I do not view "bad" feelings as, well... bad. They are just what I am feeling at the moment. They are momentary and fleeting, and yet used powerfully by God to show me something new about Himself or, in a far less glorious light, myself. So, in fact, you could say that feeling bad is good. Please also recall the level of my stubbornness. As much as both of us may wish it otherwise, you know the idea of an "easy lesson" is foreign to me.

There is a lot of good things that happen to me here. If you must know, the previous blog was written in the midst of one of the better, more relaxing weeks I have had to date. Things are good. Today, I would even go so far as to say that things are great. I have set in my apartment for the better part of two days, doing nothing but some light reading. That is something that I have not been able to do since long before I left for Macau, so it has been a special treat indeed. I have gone out for lunch with friends and just been able to hang out for the sheer pleasure of hanging out. So yeah, things are very good. Now if only I had a bathtub to lay in for a couple hours...

Bam, bam, bam. Yes, this is the sound that surrounds me everyday, and it is accompanied by the occassional sound of a drill. While these sounds are annoying on my day off to say the least, they are also a reminder of something of far greater concern than my loss of a quiet day at home. Let me expand upon that just a bit.

The main religion here in Macau is an ancestral folk religion. People here are required to care for their ancestors in the after-life. Therefore they must sacrifice things to provided for them, for example, food, money and incense are common things to be sacrificed here. There is also a very strong awareness of evil spirits here. I am not exactly certain about the perceived origins of these evil spirits, but many precautions are taken to expel evil spirits. Thus the reason for the first sentence of this entry. Whenever someone moves into a new apartment, they frequently renovate because it helps to expel any evil spirits. As if having constant auditory reminder (minus an hour for lunch) isn't enough, there are numerous shrines and bins for burning sacrifices that sit outside almost every building. This type of worship is so common here that the apartment buildings even have a place for a shrine built into the walls outside the door of each apartment. As I walk up the stairs to my apartment, I am greeted on each different level by red bins that are used for the sacrificial burning of offerings. I am constantly surrounded by signs of urgency.

Yet despite this, I find there are times when these shrines fail to signify to me the certain death of the people here. "Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned-" Romans 5:12. These people who are now becoming friends instead of a myriad of unknown faces, these people who are letting me into their lives and sharing their stories with me, they are all dead. This is a harsh way of writing about things, but to speak of things as they really are underscores the urgency and frightening reality of what we all face without Christ. It also has an interesting effect on one's sense of perspective.

Keep the above in mind as you read the following about "how I am doing".

To say that things are not as I imagined they would be is an understatement. I do not know what I expected really. In the beginning, I think I would have said, with a fair amount of confidence, that I have no expectations. I can now say that although they were obscure, perhaps even unconscious, expectations, I must have apparently had expectations none-the-less. I know this now, because they have, until this point, been spectacularly...unmet. Did you think I was going to say met? Nope. I have been disappointed time and time again. These expectations were not about people I would meet or places I would see. They were about myself. My prideful, sinful self. I am still not exactly certain what I expected of myself. Maybe to breeze through with not troubles (again unconsciously, never would I admit this to myself much less everyone else) because at this point in my life, little has challenged me as much as serving the Lord here in Macau. Maybe to feel sad sometimes, but for the most part to only have positive and HAPPY emotions, because after all, I am on a mission trip. I guess in a way I was correct about not having expectations, I certainly did not expect to feel the rather human emotions of anger and just plain irritation, as least not in greater portion than the HAPPY feelings. I will stop now because I think some of the irritation is spilling over as I type.

Is any of this important when compared with the need over here?(see paragraphs 2 & 3) I don't think so. When I am asked how I am doing, I generally just say fine, because a honest answer is complicated. Here is the honest answer: crappy (no not the fish, just plain crappy) but great. Yeah, it is hard for me to wrap my mind around too.

On other topics, I have learned that teaching English has its funny moments and that American television, while funny, can lead to interesting discussions. I have a rather advanced student that likes to practice his English by watching American TV shows. His most recent lesson came in the form of a "Friends" episode. Being the good student that he is, he came to me with several questions regarding a few things he had heard on the show. He wanted to know what it meant to "flash someone" and what diarrhea is. He also wanted to know what "butt-clincher" meant. First, I had to explain what a butt was and then what clincher meant and then we had to combine the two so that he was able to better understand. He kept referring to a butt with an term that is inappropriate in many circumstances, I then had to explain to him that when he goes to America he may offend someone by saying this word to them. He was very matter-of-fact about all of this and when I would explain it to him he would just nod very seriously and say "ok" and then move on to the next question. I , on the other hand, was torn between struggling to not fall over laughing and embarrassment. It was a fun class and he is going to bring me some Reese's peanut butter cups back from the states:).

Here I want to tell Amy thank you so much for the book and letter, and to Nancy for the package ( your letters are in the mail, but I thought this might reach you faster). It was like Christmas. No, I do not have the book and already enjoying it. And if I am frugal, the Reese's should last me until my student gets back from the states. I also loved the lotion. Since it is so hot and humid over here, I have forgotten what its like to smell good. Perpetual sweatiness does not lend itself to smelling very nice.

I would also like to say thank you to everyone for all of the care you send my way and the prayers that you pray for me. All of your support and encouragement gives me a renewed sense of energy and feeling your love helps me to love others better, and so I thank you more than you could ever know.

Please keep praying for the people here in Macau and around the world that do not know Christ. Also please pray for all missionaries serving the Lord, that they would be willing servants for the Lord. Thank you again.

God's Blessings.

As you may be able to discern from previous posts, there is no rhyme or reason to the things I write here. I simply sit down at the computer and go. Sometimes I begin with a specific story in mind and others I begin with a feeling on my heart. The latter is the case today. I am continually amazed and awestruck when God's grace is revealed to me more fully. What can we say or do in response to all that we have been given? I cannot even write about the joy that I experience when the Lord shows to me all of my many weaknesses and faults. Yes, joy, because then I truly see how much Christ loves me. Sometimes, ok a lot of the time, I can wrap myself in a shroud of pride that blinds me to who I really am, and through that blindness, my view of Christ becomes all the more obscure. I am constantly, everyday in need of saving. I would have given up on me long ago, but Christ does not. He saves me from sin and myself day in and day out. I cannot comprehend such love. Even more, that love and forgiveness is given so completely and so freely.

Amazement. That is the word I would use to describe how I am feeling at the moment. I often ask the Lord for more wisdom and knowledge, and each time the Lord answers my prayer by pointing me back to the cross. I was talking to a friend the other day and telling him about how some people in the congregations here do not know English, but they do know one phrase. "Jesus loves you." His reply was that this phrase was pretty much all that they needed. I whole-heartedly agree.

So this entry is not an update on the happenings here or a glimpse of the things I have seen in Macau, it is just an out pouring of praise for the Lord and for all that he has done. Praise for all that is happening inside of me and depsite of me, and praise for a clearer view of the Lord.

Thank you Lord for breaking me and my will to reveal yourself more fully. Thank you.

Newsletter

It appears that many people were unable to open my newsletter so I am putting it on my blog. The formatting and all of the other fancy stuff did not transfer too well so it is pretty plain.


LCMS World Missions
www.lcmsworldmissions.org
Cassie Thomas September Newsletter serving in Macau
Life in Macau
Life in Macau is, well, LIFE. Things happen in a similar manner here as in the United States. Well, there may be a few differences. Public transportation, “motorcycles” coming out of nowhere (they are really scooters), delicious looking cakes with chestnut paste inside (chestnut paste tastes like beans). Yeah, all of these things have given me a pause, but I think I am adjusting. Being able to experience many new things is a definite bonus, but interacting with the Macanese people, is one of the greatest things about being in Macau. I am not able to describe the joy that I feel when they reach out to me in friendship, when the seeds of a relationship are planted.
(Just as a side note, I have found that people respond very well to hearing about the many mishaps that I regularly encounter, so if you are one of these people, the website I have listed below tells more about my daily escapades. Enjoy!)
The Lord's Work
It is amazing to witness the many different ways that the Lord brings people to himself, and even more amazing, he uses us to do this. He puts me somewhere and then brings people to me, all I have to do is quiet myself so that the Holy Spirit can be heard. The Lord has blessed me with a blossoming relationship with a national here in Macau. Lilly is a wonderful person and is quickly becoming a good friend, but does not know our Savior. She is always willing to talk about Christ and asks many questions about my faith and about God. Please pray for her eternal life. Please pray that she would experience a softening of her heart toward the Holy Spirit and that she would come to know Jesus. Please pray that I would be used for this purpose.
Please continue to pray for all of the people that attend the Bible studies offered at the center, that something will be different the next time they attend. That maybe just one word whispered to them by the Holy Spirit would take root in their hearts. Please pray for their souls.
Thanks
Thanks to everyone for your continued support and prayers. Your support is a great source of encouragement and strength for me.
Contact Information:
Cassie Thomas Email:cassiedt@hotmail.com
Rua de Pequim, no. 174 http://journeytomacau.blogspot.com
Edf. Centro Com. Kong Fat, 6a-b
MACAU SAR (via Hong Kong)
To be added or removed from this mailing list please email me at the above addresss, with the word ADD or REMOVE in the subject heading.

More Pictures

This post is going to be mostly pictures, as I am not feeling particularly prolific at the moment. However, I have seem some sights that I thought I would share with everyone. This past Friday, Chris, Julie and myself went on a hike with a student from the Center, Mario, and his family. We took a bus over to Taipa (the bus system claimed another victim on this day) to meet Mario and were treated to a car ride over to Coloane, the farthest island from Macau. This island is the quietest and calmest and greenest and most peaceful place in the whole of Macau. I like going there.

The picture above is the view from atop the mountain. The pictures below are of the new A Ma Temple that was built on Coloane just last year. Millions of dollars were spent to erect this place of goddess worship.

These are just random pictures of a couple of the funny things in Macau. Below is a man repairing a sign in front of the English Center.

Safety Regulations, who needs 'em?!

Below is a picture of my dryer. I knew that those bars on my windows were for more than just deterring would be burglars and looking pretty.