MiSURA: August 2008

First week of classes

привет !! (Hello in Russian...)

WOW. I haven't updated in a long time. Oops! =) But I sure do have lots to update on!

First...
my schedule.

It's kinda awesome. Five art history courses. Lots of reading to do and I basically spend everyday at the Cleveland Museum of Art. Here's what the classes are about:

ARTH352: Italian Art of the 15th Century
ARTH203: Arts of Asia

Dr. Cunningham is just the best! =)

ARTH361: Dutch & Flemish 16th & 17th Century Paintings

I think I'm starting to reeeally enjoy Dutch & Flemish art. Maybe I really should apply to that graduate school in the Netherlands...

ARTH311: Rome: City & Image

This class is real neat because two summers ago I went to Italy. Even though we whizzed by everything, I still remember key buildings.

ARTH396: Senior Capstone Project

This is gonna be AWESOME! Our final project ( I get to work with a partner) is to create our own virtual exhibition! Stay tuned!

Second...
Koinonia! [check out our website, as simple as it may seem...^ ^]
Unfortunately, I haven't been able to take pictures (AT ALL) because I'm the one who's planning everything and needs to keep up with everything. BUT it still is amazing. So many freshmen have been attending and many are interested in talking about God even though they might not be too interested in joining a fellowship. Maybe other people will put up pictures and I'll be able to steal 'em! muhahaha

Third...
Case in Point!
We're gonna totally kick butt this year. Especially since 7 (i think) of us are leaving next semester, we gotta go out with a big bang! We're gonna keep a couple songs like "Comin' Home Baby", "Bring Me to Life", "Love Song", and "Believe". But we have a whole new set coming in and I arranged one of them! I arranged Moon River from the film, Breakfast at Tiffany's. I love the idea of being able to sound like one body and voice even though we're twelve altogether and all sound different. That's why I love choirs so much. Man. The beauty of music & harmony. I remember in my music listening class, on the first day, the professor asked us, "What would a world without music be like?" And all of us, if not me at least, sat there with our mouths wide open, because we cannot, absolutely cannot, imagine such a world. If there were, I don't think I wanna live in it. Anyway...

right now, I'm at work. If I'm not talking to a family then I'm reading for classes. So I should get back to my reading before a family shows up! =) I really enjoy my job, that's for sure.

Until next time. до свидания

Simply Nothing.

The greatest testimony we could give the students in Kazakhstan was the way we handled ourselves, what we said, and how we treated each other (the other teachers, Leigh & Courtney).

courtney, leigh, and i gathered around the Kazakhstan flag.

We could talk all we want about Christianity, but love speaks so much louder.

Now that I'm back in the States and have had much time to reflect on this past month, John 13:34-35 has been on my mind. There are reasons why Jesus did not send out his disciples individually. And (I believe) one of them was because a testimony on your own doesn't mean anything. And if the team loved each other and worked together, it gives them more credibility and makes others curious as to where their love comes from.

Because we couldn't communicate 100% well with the students, the way we (my teammates and I) treated each other was very very important. If we talked about how much we're changed by Jesus but witness us bickering and disrespecting, then what we say is pretty much useless.

I don't pray enough for love in my life. Not the lovey-dovey romantic love. I see and hear enough of that. But a genuine love that I could see in my teammates and in many other people that I know. So first step is to pray for Jesus to overwhelm my heart with love for others. I can say that I love Jesus very much. But in my interactions with other people, it may not be so evident. =(

I Corinthians 13:1-3 has also been written on my heart.

1If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

And these are things that I've always known. But Jesus had to take me halfway across the world and put me in front of people who don't understand me to see that His love speaks much louder than any barrier and that I need to show that same kind of love to others.

Seems like such a "basic" lesson and I could go on and on and share about people who we've shared the gospel with, who we gave Bibles to, and other amazing things God has done, but at the heart of it, without love, without faith, without hope, it's simply nothing.

It's so humbling that I almost want to beat myself up. But Jesus' love is also redeeming, thank goodness. I have been saved through grace that He would love such an unloving sinner like me. Thank You, Jesus.

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Pictures, of course, are on the menu. =)
You can find them ALL on here: http://picasaweb.google.com/ka3akstah
But I want to highlight some of them.