Not of this World May 2010
Rollercoaster of Emotions By Rachel Culwell The summer before fifth grade, I was just like everyone else. A little awkward, caught in between childhood and adolescence, but also completely unaware of my own gawkiness. It didn't matter in fifth grade if you were skinny or fat, straight teeth or crooked, blonde or brunette. All that mattered was having fun with your friends at school and coming home to your family, who you actually enjoyed being around. Life was good. But my life was about to change. One night, my parents sat my sister and I down and told us that we were moving. Not to a different house, not to a different city, but a different country. They told us of their plans to move to Xalapa, Mexico for
for a year to do missions work. My first reaction was, "Cool! I don’t have to go to school! No homework for me!" If my parents told me today that we were moving, my reaction would be slightly different. There would be a
“The Summer before fifth grade, I was just like everyone else.” a war in the Culwell house and I would insist on living with my friends. But not in fifth grade. I was excited about doing something new. I was excited that is, until my parents told me that I would
have to attend a Mexican school with no Americans besides my sister. And not only would I have to attend this school, but also I would be expected to keep up in my classes from America as well. It’s amazing how when we are little the idea of "no homework!" brightens our view of things, but that bubble of hope and excitement had been quickly popped. On my first day of school in Mexico, I loved it. My outgoing personality quickly attracted other students to me; they were fascinated by Americans and all wanted to be around me. I quickly felt my self esteem rise when boys told me they thought I was "guapa" (cute) and the girls fought over who
“… a roller coaster of emotion s…”
was my friend. Well, pride comes before a fall. There came a point when the "thrill" of the American girl wore off. And like most middle schoolers would, the girls turned against me and the boys quickly followed suit. For no reason at all other than they felt it would be entertaining to take the new girls friends away. In a little less than a week I went from having too many friends, to what felt like none at all. I resorted to eating lunch in the bathroom. The bathroom! That’s something that you think just happen in movies and books. Well I thought that too, until fifth grade. It was the first time in my life where I felt utterly alone. My sister was too absorbed in her own friendships to notice that I had none. The only times I ever talked to my friends at home was through email or instant messenger, and an occasional phone conversation. But they too were living their own lives and had their own pressing fifth grade drama to deal with. Your parents can only be your friends to a certain extent, and I couldn’t exactly take them to school with me (Although the idea did cross my mind). So, I did what any fifth grade girl would do. I told God that He simply had to send me an angel to be my friend and make all the girls feel foolish for choosing to be my "exfriends". Of course I told God he could make the angel's wing invisible to hide
the truth, but I wanted an angel friend nonetheless. Well, no winged deity came to Xalapa, Mexico the next day. So, after another period of selfpity, I moved onto plan two: forgive the girls and befriend them once again. The girls were taken aback when I returned their cruelty with congeniality. They didn’t know how to respond to my inviting them over to my house when they made sure I knew about the birthday party Maria Emilia had the night before that they had "forgotten" to invite me to. But with continued forgiveness and the extension of friendship, things began to change. Near the end of the year, we mended our friendships. All was right in the world of fifth grade girls once again. When it was time for me to go back to Texas, I was ready to leave, but found myself crying as I said my goodbyes to the girls that I had hated so much. I realize now that was because in fifth grade, we were quicker to forgive, forget and move on. It was so much easier to be "exbest friends" one day and inseparable the next. While the experience of spontaneously moving to Mexico was a roller coaster of emotions, it is an experience that I have learned so much from, and would not trade for anything.
5 Tips on Studying 1. Every thirty minutes take a ten-minute break; this will help you concentrate better!
2. Don’t try and cram the night before a big test! Your brain will work a lot better with a full night’s sleep.
3. Keep a glass of water nearby to drink while you study. Water gives your body more energy!
4. Find a quiet place and turn off all electronic devices for a distraction-free environment!
5. After you’re finished get a sibling or friend to quiz to make sure you really know it!
A Thing or Two about Love by Michaela F. Today I passed a girl on the street that I have passed at least a hundred times before. She looks about my age (14-16) and I always see her leaving or coming home since she lives on my street. Up until today I always thought of her as mysterious and a little aloof. Not in a bad way. It's just that she never smiled or said hi when I passed. She was always busy on her cell phone, playing a gameboy, or talking to a guy I assume is her boyfriend. But today when I saw her I started to wonder why she wasn’t very friendly. Then it dawned on me that I had never seen her with any friends besides her boyfriend and she is probably lonely, maybe even depressed. I felt bad that I couldn’t do something to lift her spirits in a little way but she obviously wasn’t responsive to my smile and “Hallo”, so what else could I do? Well later I was walking and my suspicions were confirmed. I saw her standing in the middle of the sidewalk crying, her boyfriend’s arms around her in a comforting hug. My heart went out to her immediately, which is weird because I don’t know her or her story. But I knew that if she was desperate enough to be crying in the middle of the sidewalk, it was probably bad enough. As I maneuvered around them I couldn’t help but look back. The whole scene got me to thinking about how I could relate that situation to my life and I came up with this conclusion. Her need for someone’s shoulder to cry on is very similar to mine. Sometimes I feel lonely, depressed and like no one in the world notices me. I couldn’t help but be glad for her that she had a strong guy to
his arms around her and tell her it's ok. Sometimes I want that in my own life, but then I stop and realize that I have the most loving, powerful, strong, gentle arms around me all the time. God is there when the whole world turns their backs and He is still there when we sin against him. I can never have anything greater than that. So this girl on my street taught me an important lesson and I know for sure that the next time I see her I will greet her with a “Hallo” and a big, friendly smile. Maybe I’ll end up teaching her a thing or two about love just like she taught me.
A Mother’s Perspective By Tricia Marcos
Moving overseas with teen-agers was not something that we had originally planned, but God seemed to have different ideas, and our kids were willing...one more than the other...but still willing. So off we went to Germany. (Our oldest was already in college). I think one of the things we all came to value the most was the quality time we got to have together as a family. All of us were extremely busy in the US, not with bad things, but not a lot of margin to just sit and talk. It was easier in America for those times to be snatched away. We found our relationships going deeper and conversations happening that might not have in another scenario. Those conversations have served us well over these last years as our kids have grown and graduated from college. One engaged, one on the verge, and another looking for a job after working overseas for a year. Living internationally, they developed more of a heart for the world, seeing other nations as real people, with real needs and joys. It has
helped them in reaching out to internationals on their college campuses and in the workplace. They are more understanding of these people and kinder to them, since we as a family have also been strangers in a different land.
Tricia and her kids Jessica, Brett, and Julia and soon to be daughter-in-law Kim I think one thing that was really important to me as a mom overseas was that my kids be honest with me about where they were in the process of living in another country. Were they happy, sad, angry, lost, fulfilled, challenged, friendless, too many
friends... It was not always easy for my "radar" to track what was going on. So, I would say communicating honestly, even though it might be hard, is very important. Sometimes, it might be emotionally tiring because maybe it is hard for you to figure out exactly how you feel, but in the midst of your emotion, it becomes clearer for everyone. Living internationally, even in Europe, is also harder in day to day life. From going to work, to the grocery store to stock that small refrigerator, to only using one major appliance at a time, to cleaning the house...All of these things can take much longer. So, my encouragement to you all would be for you to observe how you might be more of a help to your mom and offer your services voluntarily in areas that might not be required of you. I know it is not always easy for you to have come with your parents to a "foreign" land. You are very brave and amazing teen-agers. I applaud you and encourage you with my thoughts and prayers to keep on walking with the Lord and trusting Him for all your days.
The Big Move By Abby W.
Everyone said it would be hard. Moving to America would be quite a transition after living my whole life in central and western Asia. Part of me believed them, but the other part was excited to move to a country where everyone spoke English and no one would look at me like I was an alien from Mars. I had never considered the third‐world country I lived in, Azerbaijan, to be my home. I moved there when I was nine years old. Before that I had lived in Kazakhstan since I was seven weeks old, so that had undeniably been the place I attached the word “home” to. The fact that I was definitely not connected emotionally to Azerbaijan smoothed the way for the big move my parents told us about in February. I knew there were some things I was going to miss, like the cherry trees in our backyard, fresh hot bread sold right out of the oven, and the close community
we had with our staff team. But there were things I was definitely NOT going to miss, like the insane driving, bumpy roads, and smoking. The night before we left Azerbaijan I was so excited I could barely think, much less feel any regret for leaving my home of five years. The plane ride – or more like rides – was very long, but I was used to that. When we finally landed in America, I felt a high adrenaline course through my body. We were finally here! My grandparents picked us up, and riding along the smooth highway, I felt very content. The summer was a little hectic, trying to find a house and then doing some minor renovations. We ended up moving in two days before school started. School. The mere word gave my stomach butterflies. This was the ultimate challenge everyone had warned me about. Continued on next page.
“Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in truth and teach me, for you are God my savior, and my hope is in you all day long.” -Psalm 25:4-5
“…He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.” -Psalm 40:2-3
I was supposed to be in 9th grade, but my parents had convinced me to do 8th again (a decision I am so grateful I made). My grandmother took me school shopping and I got accessories for my locker, so when the big day finally arrived, I felt prepared— kind of. My dad came in with me at the beginning of school so he could help me find my first class. It was pretty easy to find, and after that, I was on my own. The first day passed rather uneventfully, and after a couple of days going through the routine, I felt like I had been doing it for a while. Making friends was the easiest part, and the girl who asked me to eat lunch with her
remains one of my close friends. And another thing I wasn’t expecting: school really provided me with all these amazing opportunities. Theater, art, music, dance ‐‐ things I have always loved but never had much exposure to. Now, instead of just hearing about them,
“…and I know I can trust Him with my future.” I can do all the things I love and have a passion for! I still love school and really don’t know what I would do without it. I was very surprised how tame it is compared to what I had heard. Yes, some people do things I would never dream of. (But not everyone is like that!). Yes, the culture here is so
different, but aren’t all cultures? Yes, no one really understands the life I lived overseas, but they try! This kind of move doesn’t come as easily to everyone as it did to me, but I know God has blessed me with it, and it has strengthened my faith. Every day for two years now I have gotten to be a light to all the kids at school. I have had a wonderful opportunity to show kids with good families, and with broken ones, that Jesus exists and he can make their life beautiful with love, no matter what their background is. His plan for me was this: for my passion to grow for Him and for my other loves. Even if I had not wanted to move, He would have had this plan for me, and I know I can trust Him with my future.
Five Minutes
a 30 day challenge The summer before moving overseas my family attended special training that included “training” for my little brother and me too. One day, during our “training”, the leader of my small group said we were going to anonymously write encouraging notes to every girl in the class. Once all the paper and pencils were passed out I quickly began to write, thinking of one word to describe each girl. I hurried through thinking of generic adjectives, wanting to finish as quickly as possible. Over the next few weeks, I forgot all about it, until I received a sheet of paper with all the words my friends had used to describe me. Tears filled my eyes as I read all the sweet things the girls had said and instantly I regretted not spending more time on their notes. Four years later, I still have that sheet of paper and whenever I’m having a bad day I pull it back out and let their words encourage me. Sometimes the simplest things mean the most; the five minutes they took to encourage me will last for eternity! So, over the next 30 days I want to challenge you take a few minutes and make a difference in the lives of those around you! Here's what I want you to do:
1
Think of 10 people and start to pray for them daily!
2
Every day take five minutes to encourage them. That’s only 50 seconds per person!
3
Record your results. What changes did you see in your 10 people? What about in yourself?
If you took this challenge, e-mail me (see pg. 11) and tell me how it went!
Bible Verses on…Friendship “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” -Proverbs 17:17 “Better is open rebuke, than hidden love. Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.” -Proverbs 27:5-6
“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: if one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!” -Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 “Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” -Colossians 3:13
“Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” –John 15:13 “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” -Proverbs 27:17
WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THIS ISSUE? Favorite article? Least favorite article? E-MAIL ME ALL YOUR COMMENTS, SUGGESTIONS, OR COMPLAINTS AT: notofthisworld.r2@gmail.com What to look forward to in the next issue: part 1 of a summer fictional series, summer fashion tips, father’s day ideas, and more!
Got a fun recipe? Send
me all your favorite summer recipes from your country for the july issue! The top three will be in the e-zine and the rest will be on the facebook fan page! "It is a safe thing to trust Him to fulfill the desire which He creates."
-Amy Carmichael
What’s your favorite thing about going back to the States?