Campus Target » McDoogle

Can I have your autograph?

laura — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 20:21:24 +0000

I have lived in Asia for over three years now, so I am used to the attention I get while doing the most mundane, average of activities such as walking down the street, or buying a cup of coffee. I can’t tell you how many times an Asian stranger has asked to take their picture with me…I mean, I do like wearing tinted sunglasses, but I am not a famous movie star or anything like that . I sometimes chuckle when I think of the number of photo albums I have ended up in over the years…photo albums of people who don’t even know my name.

So last week when a group of girls came up to me at the night market across from my university, I thought it was for yet another photo op. I could tell they were really nervous when they approached me…they probably had not spoken to many foreigners in the past…but they definitely relaxed a bit when they discovered that I could speak the local language and that I am a nice person .

I found out that they attend a smaller nursing school just a few bus stops away from my school. On Saturday I invited them to come to a picture taking party my team was having. It was a great chance to get to know them and to sow some seeds about God into their lives.

I feel like these girls were a direct answer my prayers for more Asian friends to influence with the Gospel. It was really amazing because I didn’t even have to find them…they found me! God is so willing to provide when our requests line up with His will and desires for our hearts!

McDoogle

Lifetime

laura — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 19:51:31 +0000

The church was already worshipping when my friend and I arrived. We were ushered to our seats and even before I began to sing I could tell this was a church that loved the Lord. As this was one of my last opportunities to attend a church inAmericabefore I return toAsia, I didn’t want to take anything for granted. As I sang the final song, talking about the wonderful presence of God, I began to think aboutAsiaand the friends that I have made there. Asia is an area of the world where the right to worship the Lord is severely restricted if not eliminated all together. What would it be like for my Asian believer friends if they could attend a church like this where people could freely declare their love and affection for Christ? What would it be like for my unsaved friends to experience the power of the presence of God in their lives? As tears filled my eyes the Holy Spirit whispered in my ear: “would you give your life, all of your days, so that people inAsiacould feel what you are feeling?”

A lifetime. That question is so much deeper and profound than “would you give a year?, or would you give 5 years?, or would you give your 20s?” Honestly, this is a question I have struggled with this past year. When I think back to graduating college, I never thought I would be living a missionary life inAsia. There are so many dreams and things I want for myself that I constantly have to lay down in order to be where the Lord has called me. But on the other side of surrender, I have found a grace and blessing that goes far and above anything that I could find on my own.

Do I know if I will be inAsiafor the rest of my life? No, not really. But am I willing to make this far-off land home for as long as the Lord would have me? Yes. Even if it’s a lifetime.

McDoogle

Worth it All

laura — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 14:54:56 +0000

Life has a funny way of surprising you sometimes. When I first came to H-town nearly a year ago, I knew that my purpose was language-study. I planned to go to class, study hard and move on to whatever God had for me next. I never thought that I would become friends with my classmates-students of all ages from all around the world. And I especially never thought God would use me to touch their lives in powerful ways.
One of the best friends I have made this year is Kinga. She is from Hungary. We got to know each other a little the first semester, but it was definitely after we started the second semester that we became close. I have had a few chances to share with her about what I believe and they have always come naturally, never forced, just a result of sharing life together. But last night God gave me an amazing opportunity to share with her in a powerful way my relationship with Him.

The two of us, along with one of our close Korean friends were standing on the roof of her dorm watching the sun set and God really pressed on my heart to go deeper with them. It was really a moving time in which we all shared tears, hugs, and more importantly I got to share the love of the Father with them. During that time Kinga really opened up about her past and how she never believed in God before coming to Asia. But as she looked back on her year in H-town, she realized that one of the most important things she received from this experience was the realization that God is real.

Today as we met for at the school I gave her my English Bible and marked a few of my favorite parts for her to read. Even though she hasn’t made a decision yet, I know that her heart is searching and seeking after Him and I am so blessed that God allowed me to be a part of her growing closer to Him.

As I reflect on my year, there are times when I question: “was it worth it?” The struggle of moving to a new city, the stress of studying, the pain of being refined, was it all worth it? Standing on the roof last night, I finally knew without a doubt, that it was worth it all.
McDoogle

I thought you were Asian!

laura — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 17:44:49 +0000

This weekend three of my teammates and myself utilized some well-needed vacation time to travel to a city 3 hours to the northwest. In addition to getting out of HB for a few days, we also journeyed with the intention of meeting another worker and his family on the recommendation of the leader of our organization. One of my teammates, Clive, had been in contact with the worker “Jason” and let him know we were coming….but apparently we weren’t what he expected at all!

We got off the train about 1:00 pm and walked out of the station. Now this city only has about 1,000,000 people, a drop in the bucket for this country; the number of westerners can be counted on two hands. So we see this white guy standing outside of the train station, and I think “well, that has to be Jason, right? I mean how many westerners can there be in this city?” But as we walked closer, he didn’t seem to acknowledge us. We were about to walk away when Clive turned around and asked him: “Hey, are you Jason? I’m Clive.” Jason’s eyes flashed confusion and disbelief: “Clive? I thought you were going to be Chinese!” All the communication that Clive and Jason had done was in the local language via text message and one short, hurried phone call, so Jason was under the impression that there were four Asian guys, not two American guys and two American girls coming to his city to meet him!
After we all laughed and introduced ourselves we spent the rest of the day with him walking around his city and hearing the call God has placed on his life for and the people there. We later met his wife and their four children. The next day we were able to go to the small fellowship that meets at their apartment once a week. The entire weekend was a wonderful experience for us, but I also feel it was great for this family as well. The fact of the matter is that they don’t really get to interact with foreigners very often, they are pretty much up there all alone. It was great to be able to bless them just by being there and letting them know that they are not alone. I feel really encouraged knowing that sometimes we don’t even have to do anything or be anything special, but when we follow God’s leading, He blesses our steps, and the lives of people we encounter.

McDoogle

New Lunchbox Day

laura — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 19:01:32 +0000

Remember when going back to school meant a new lunchbox and 3-ring binder? Wow, I wish life were still like that!

It was the first day of school. Part of me was like “McDoogle, don’t worry, you got this. You’ve done this before, it’s just like last semester. No worries.” The other part of me was like, “Advanced Level 1! What are you doing here!? This is going to be way too intense and you are not ready for this! Leave now while you still can!!!”

Needless to say, it was a little intimidating.
But the grace of God was present the entire way! After spending two weeks in my new class (everyone goes up a level after one semester), with new teachers and new teachers, I can truly say that I am having a great time. It was wonderful to see old friends again and to laugh and joke in this language I’m learning. Despite my fears, my classes are not as daunting as I thought they would be, but they certainly are a lot of work. I have even been elected the class leader! An important job (haha) with such responsibilities as erasing the chalkboard and organizing activities for the class to do…you know me, I love being social! It will be a difficult semester, but I know God will show up in awesome ways and I can’t wait to tell you all about it!

*Thank you so much for your prayers concerning the recent devastating earthquake in Japan. My city was not affected by the quake at all. Please continue to keep Japan in your prayers. Many students who attend my school are Japanese and it is obviously a very difficult situation for them to not be with their families during this time. Please keep two in your mind in particular: Fuxi and JuJu. Fuxi was in my class last semester and JuJu was someone I met at our Christmas party. Both returned home during the winter holiday and as I really have no way of contacting them, I ask that you would pray for their safety and their salvations.

McDoogle

Observations

laura — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 01:24:20 +0000

I have learned a lot about life these past few weeks, and I would feel selfish if I kept it all to myself. So allow me to share with you three of my recent observations.

1) Speaking all in Chinese all the time is more tiring than I thought it would be.

This past week the Ice Team had its first ever “All Language Week” where we promised to not speak any English from Monday morning to Saturday night. That included not watching any English movies, reading any English books, or listening to any English music. I knew this week would be intense, but I didn’t think it would be quite so tiring! Haha! I would literally get home and be in bed by 7:30 or 8:00 just because I didn’t have the mental energy to do anything else. Even though this week was really challenging, it was a really good way of measuring my language progress so far and seeing what areas I still need to work on. The Sunday we all
started speaking English again it was my turn to share at our “party” and I actually had a really hard time putting English sentences together! God’s grace is amazing, and we are all making
great progress!

2) It IS possible to wear 3 pairs of pants at the same time

Even though I am a ME girl, I almost never had to wear long-underwear, but in HB it is pretty much a requirement. And actually, I find wearing long-underwear much more comfortable than
just jeans-especially in a country that doesn’t have much in the way of quality fabric softener. It is actually a good thing I don’t have a drier because that means my pants are a little big on
me, meaning that I can fit more layers underneath!

3) I now know what -22 F feels like

After hovering around a low of zero for a couple of weeks the temperature here in H-town PLUNGED this weekend. This morning on my walk to school the temperature registered a frigid -22 F. But I am prepared! The only part of my skin that is showing is my eyes. Hahaha! Although, after walking for a half hour, my face is basically covered in ice-eyebrows, eyelashes, scarf, and there are even small icicles hanging from my hat. If I poke my head out of
my scarf/coat to get a breath of fresh air, ice starts to form in my nose (which, is an incredibly weird sensation). I feel like a turtle poking my head out of my shell. Despite the temperature, I
have discovered you can always stay warm; you just need more clothes!

I hope you have enjoyed these observations, and that in the future I will have more insights to share with you!

McDoogle

The H-Town Times

laura — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 20:14:21 +0000

“CT celebrates its first-ever H-Town Thanksgiving. Participants
cut class to enjoy a homemade meal complete with 3 different kinds
of fowl, stuffing, sweet-potato pie, green bean salad, and hot
cocoa from home.” The feasting lasted well into the evening as
over-stuffed Americans coupled the digestion process with a
football game and Charlie Brown.”

“Winter has indeed arrived in H-Town. Temperatures reaching -6 in
the morning hours have prompted reports of eyelashes developing a
small layer of ice during the walk to school. The local residents
seem unfazed by the recent weather patterns. However, some
American foreign exchange students are slightly ‘concerned.’”

“Frosty temperatures have not hindered ice cream sales in H-Town,
in fact, the winter weather has allowed people to sell the icy
dessert out of boxes by the side of the road at night. This
correspondent has even spotted locals wearing only a light fall
jacket, carrying cartons of ice cream in their bare hands. Welcome
to H-Town!”

“With Christmas fast approaching, CT workers are getting very
excited about the opportunity to share the REAL meaning of
Christmas with their friends!”

That’s all for this edition of “The H-Town Times.” This is
McDoogle, signing off.

In A Winter Wonderland

laura — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 19:20:47 +0000

As you know, I spent most of my life in Maine where winter is really winter. However, the previous two years I spent in Asia were passed in a warm climate. I haven’t actually seen snow since the winter of 2007. But this past week, all that changed.

Sunday November 6th was the official first day of winter (立冬）here in Asia and in HB we celebrated with a nice little snowfall. It was so great! Slipping and sliding down the street was quite amusing. Here in HB they don’t really use salt on the roads and sidewalks so you really have to watch where you are going. I even experienced my first slip-and-fall of the year on Friday, but I got up again very quickly hahaha. I guess I haven’t gotten my winter
legs under me yet!

Today it actually snowed about 6 inches! I was walking to meet a friend for lunch and I was so happy to find people of all ages outside making snowmen! I didn’t know they did that here! People here are so resilient. The roads were covered in snow; it is difficult to see a foot in front of you, and yet they
are still riding bicycles….amazing!

God has really used this past week’s weather (and especially the snow!) to bless me. It has been so long since I have been able to enjoy something that I take for granted when I am home in America. There is something very comforting about finding familiarity even on the other side of the world.

Thanks, God!

Staying warm!

McDoogle

Inconvenienced for Christ

laura — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 19:33:26 +0000

How many of us hate being inconvenienced? I know I do. Sometimes
I don’t mind so much, but there are other days when even the
slightest inconvenience can turn a good day into a bad day. Like,
for example, today.

Next to my apartment building the city is constructing a new complex of
high-rise and office buildings. Whether it is because of this
construction, or for some other unknown reason, our water
frequently and without warning gets switched off, often for 12
hours or more. I hate this. I can’t shower, wash my clothes,
clean the dirty dishes, or flush the toilet. The worst part is
that I don’t know when it will happen. I have started filling large
jugs with water to have in case of emergency. Today when I got
home after 8 hours of class I discovered we, once again, had no
water. I was so frustrated. My mind started firing off angry
thoughts: “Why do they keep turning the water off!? Could someone
please post a notice or something so we could be warned in
advance?!” Etc. etc. Before I knew it, I was all wound up.

I went into my room, put on some worship music, and started reading
a book by Derek Levendusky called “Discipleship by Grace. I hadn’t
read more than 3 pages when I saw a paragraph that started with the
word “inconveniences.” That’s me! In the following sentences the
author describes how the inconveniences we can experience as a
result of following the Great Commission are a type of suffering
that God can use to make us more like Him. I never really thought
of it like that. I mean, living in a foreign culture, being
thousands of miles away from my family, getting food poisoning once
or twice a year, that is more what comes to mind when I think about
trials and suffering….but not being able to flush the toilet?

If we are truly following the commands of Christ, then we will
experience inconveniences, trials, and sufferings of various kinds
because the Bible never says this would be easy. In fact, it says
quite the opposite. But when we can see these inconveniences,
whether great or small, as an opportunity to grow more like Jesus,
well, that changes everything! It did for me.

McDoogle

Seeing the Sites

laura — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 19:26:15 +0000

In HB you have to get out and see the sites before the temperature
dips. That is exactly what my team and I did a few weeks ago
during our 10-day vacation from school. Unlike most visitors to
HB, we didn’t go to the walking street, St. Sophia’s Cathedral, or
even the Amusement Park. Instead we went, well, back to school.

One of our jobs this year as the first CT team in HB is to visit
some of the key universities in HB and ask God to give us insight
on which schools should be a focus of CT in the future. During our
break from classes we were able to visit the HB School of
Technology and the HB Engineering University. Both are some of the
nation’s top schools. It was really cool to get to see some other
universities and get some vision for what God wants to do there in
the future. We had the chance to walk around the campus, talk to
some students, and especially, pray! We also had beautiful weather-
in the mid-70s, which was a real blessing because now it is in the
mid to upper 30s! HaHaHa! As we as a team continue to pray for
these universities and the future of CT in HB, I am so excited to
see what God is doing and will do in this city!

He is on the move!

McDoogle