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.