Slow is Fast

Take 8 recent college graduates who are praying for a way to share Christ with students in Japan but aren't given official permission to live there and add 1 teammate soon to finish a semester of ministry in Tokyo. We were prepared for a stunningly efficient public transportation system, astronomical prices for rent and food, a bewildering linguistic environment (most of us), Biblically disinterested students who keep to themselves and some of the densest urban living possible on the planet.

Given our expectations and prayerful preparations, where would you have considered reassigning us?

Through Cru staff, who were incredibly helpful in the transition process, we believe God's will for the remaining six months is that we live and work here on the big island of Hawaii. True, it's a great contrast with where we were headed before: a mere 43,000 laid-back inhabitants who often embrace others when meeting them; full domestic cell phone and postal services; car-dominated roads with few reliable buses; and an abundance of the Lord's glorious creation from beaches to rain forests. But there are also great opportunities ahead.

Yes, Hawaii is part of America since it was annexed in 1898. Yet the culture here, particularly on this island, is strongly tied to the traditions of the native Hawaiians as well as Japanese immigrants. This doesn't just mean that living in this non-touristy small town will involve culture shock, but also that students who here surrender their lives to Jesus may head to serve in Asian countries rather than the mainland given their cultural affinity to the former. In a strange way, then, coming here may be a bigger step in reaching Japan (if, as we think, it's the Lord's will) than if we had been able to go directly ourselves. We are at least praying that this will prove true.

The realization of this dream, though, will have to wait until students return to UH Hilo the second week of January. For now, we are mostly accustomed to the time difference, PST + 2 hours, and attempting to get used to the incessant bouts of rain--anywhere from 5 minutes to 5 hours in duration. (Just to put things in perspective from the averages: 90% of days in a year are at least partially cloudy here, with 278 days on which a total of 126.3 inches of rain fall.) Since students have yet to return, we are locking down the logistics that the transition left undetermined: where will we live? And how will we get to campus?

The staff couple here has been super helpful, even letting us housesit during this period of transition as long as we feed their animals. That said, the days tend to flow like molasses: little to do which, given the island mentality of those managing apartments etc., takes lots of time--so different than the hurry-hurry lifestyle I've adopted in the Bay Area. I have to remind myself that part of this process of waiting (still) is being used by the Lord to grow us in patience and ground us in His love & a shared team mentality (best born out of frustrating and trying times!) so we can be maximally effective together come January.

The title of this post is a maxim one of the staff, a Hilo native, quoted to us in our re-briefing. Things do indeed run at a different pace here, but to best minister to the locals we must adapt and speak into this context. After all, didn't our Savior do the same in His earthly sojourn?

Book Review #5: Artemis Fowl

Fifth in a series of 8. The book for this review is courtesy of Kimiyo Brown: Eoin Colfer's Artemis Fowl.

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Children are too often sentimentalized, I think. They are complicated, imaginative and clearly sinful beings, their shifting personality gaining shape underneath a time-sensitive ration of cuteness. I dearly love playing with them--OK, most of them--and am intrigued at the thought that (to my knowledge) Jesus is the only major religious leader who is reported as socializing with them. But kids can also behave very badly, especially under the influence of bad examples, and a recent superhero movie titled with an expletive made headlines for a particularly profane 11-year-old character.

A good fictional portrayal of children, therefore, should not be sentimentalized (and even a cursory glance at Jane Eyre or most any story by Dickens reveals was not such a temptation in past centuries as now). Leaning the opposite direction, however, not only breeds cynicism but also sets a low standard for any observing children. It bears asking, then, if Colfer's portrayal of this book's titular protagonist--a 12-year-old prodigy seeking to step into the criminal shoes of his gangster father by robbing fairy gold--walks this fine line of reality or not.

In my observation, the answer is no. Artemis is clearly not meant to be a role model, but he is also short on redeeming qualities save his melodramatic habit of becoming the winner by staying intellectually ahead of his opponents. The one wrinkle in his cool facade is affection for his mother, living in a world colored by dementia and grief. Apart from the fairy costuming, this is a genre thriller for kids, with the requisite cast of one-note characters behind the scenes, high degree of violence and grey-shaded morality in its numerous double-crossing twists. What sets this tale apart for me is its notes of sarcastic humor, which add a level of sophistication and interest to both the characters and the plot (though I could have done without the appearance of a poop joke at a key plot point).

If this is part of the future of kid's literature, I would have to say it's more influenced by televised & filmed sources than written ones, as almost all of the material hinged on the actions and not the thoughts of the characters; to my thinking, this is tantamount to ignoring the medium's greatest strength and reminiscent of the later episodes in the Harry Potter series. I know it's not exactly fair to criticize the wandering nature of the plot and its several loose ends by the conclusion, as this is the first in a series and is not attempting to be conclusive. However, I didn't feel compelled enough by what I found here to want to further acquaint myself with either the fairy world or the overly static characters.

SUMMARY

Appreciated the sly notes of humor

Disliked the inverted morality and occasionally aimless plot

I would recommend this book to less impressionable readers (preferably adults) who want a mental break

Disclaimer: This book contains one scene of graphic violence and several other fights.

Bend in Plans

My 'year abroad' has thus far been a giant exercise in trusting the sovereignty of the risen Christ Jesus over all things, including my emotions, bank account and exact location on this planet.

We have heard official word from the Japanese government: our visa papers were denied. There is as yet no explanation, but though eventually it would be nice, my team is learning to rest in the fact that the Lord has made His will clear through the bureaucracy.

Our leaders made the decision not to appeal their ruling for several reasons: 1) God calls us to submit to and obey government leaders so long as they do not command sin or forbid what He commands (Romans 13:1-2); 2) it's late in the year and better that we get on campus somewhere; 3) it's doubtful that the Japanese government, which doesn't respond favorably to what they may consider meddling, would reverse the decision; and 4) there are few options for sidestepping this barrier, all of which would involve going behind the backs of the authorities--which is far from a Christlike testimony.

Does it challenge my faith that through financial provision and personal leading, it was clear that He wanted us to go to Japan but the plan has changed? Somewhat. God is free to do what He wants; He is the Creator and I am not. And since I was called to serve with Cru this year not of my own will, but (in part) because I needed to be directly reminded that ministry is His work and not mine, this wrinkle in the mix comes as a further confirmation of His desire in molding my heart through these various circumstances.

If I could have chosen, I would be in Tokyo right now, meeting up with friends old and new, savoring the cuisine I became accustomed to (even with high prices for daily groceries and a dearth of fruit & vegetables given my budget) and telling more people about Who Jesus really is--the Creator of all there is--and why believing hearts have a reason to commemorate His coming to earth. But that would not be walking in faithfulness to the doors He has opened; it would seem spiritual, but in reality be a selfish escape to my own dreams. Ministry without Christ's presence and direction is truly pointless.

We are being redirected to the University of Hawaii, Hilo for the remaining six months of our missionary term. I look forward to updating you on this blog, despite its title, of our coming adventures of faith as we follow our great God and Savior on this new island.

Book Review #4: The Little Prince

Fourth in a series of 8. The book for this review is courtesy of Sarah EuDaly: Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's The Little Prince.

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If life is a game, it is mostly mental. Witness the way people hang onto scraps of information, whether political headlines, sports statistics or celebrity gossip, and use it to give their everyday existence meaning. Observe the immediate absorption of young children in games with minimal or no props to aid their creativity. Think about how challenging it would be to sit alone in an isolation chamber without immediately setting your mind racing to a million memories or fantasies.

Airmail pilot Saint-Exupéry survived an experience far more extreme than that last hypothetical plunge into sensory vacuum: a 1935 crash landing in the Sahara desert, with only a day's worth of water. He and his navigator reportedly stopped sweating after a few days and experienced severe hallucinations before being rescued by a Bedoin. Out of that crucible of physical fatigue and mental exhaustion sprang a beloved classic of world literature.

Though it's regarded as a kid's book, much of The Little Prince is aimed squarely at adults who "never understand anything by themselves" and fixate on figures and statistics rather than the essential qualities of things, who are unable to see by the light of imagination. Children may chuckle at the buffoonish caricatures of wasted lives on various planets or coo over the Prince's devotion to his rose, but teachable older readers will drink a fuller draught of Saint-Exupéry's sarcasm and romance.

The story of the the Prince's quest throughout the universe is artfully inset within the desert dialogue between the Prince & the pilot narrator. The author's drawings are a key part of the story, though in my opinion there are a few too many of them for a book on imagination. Overall, though, it is hard to find a fault with a book which includes the following definition: "...Since it is beautiful, it is truly useful." Its depth and magic far exceed its slim size and have helped broaden my own imaginings. This volume would be well paired with Chesterton's Orthodoxy, which I highly recommend for its deeper look into the theological implications of fairy tales.

SUMMARY

Appreciated the poignant, often profound meditations on true value and imagination

Disliked the profusion of illustrations, some of which were more distracting than helpful

I would recommend this book to children at heart.

Disclaimer: This book will stick in your memory if you've read it right--casual reading is discouraged.