It’s that time again: Mid-Year Review..

Lindsay – continues to be a source of comfort when I’m down, clarity when I’m confused or unable to express myself and joy when I’m feeling silly/stupid/light-hearted.  She’s a loyal friend and awesome ministry partner, as I had the chance to work with her and see her deep compassion for and desire to help our bar girls last month.  Lins reminds me of two of my close girlfriends back home, rolled into one.  She puts people at ease but she’s also great at challenging us to share what’s on our minds and hearts.  I admire her transparency – she’s raw, open and honest 110% of the time, speaking boldly about her thoughts/feelings and hiding nothing.  What you see is what you get.  She’s passionate about beliefs and resourceful in connecting people and ideas.  I love her positivity, authenticity, tenacity, creativity and connectivity (say that 10x really fast).  I find myself following her gut instincts and intuition because they haven’t been far off the mark (for ex: Dinner at Duke’s before ministry?  Heck yea).  I value her opinion and shopping advice, am proud of how good she’s getting at waiting, and love her like a sister.  ::poke::  Fun new fact: Lins won (by most cheers and applause) a beauty contest for “foreign girls” thrown by a DJ at the bowling alley in Chiang Mai.

Dave – from five months ago is a little less recognizable than the guy who towers above me today.. I’m pretty sure his jaw line and cheekbones weren’t quite as defined back in the Dominican.  They weren’t kidding when they said guys will undoubtedly lose weight this year as girls inevitably gain (the injustice, seriously!).  We’ve had a couple really good meals so far (esp. staying w/ the Cox’s in Cambodia), but I think we’d need at least one straight month of stuffing face to see a noticeable difference in Dave (seriously, I think the ribs I ate at Duke’s had more meat on the bones!).  K, not tryin to worry any parents, nor is this an indirect cry for help/pity plea for supporters to send us to some all-you-can-eat buffets (tho I won’t stop you, should you be inclined to do so).  Other than halfheartedly offering him my leftovers (slim to none.. a poor wife I’d make), I’ve enjoyed getting to know different layers of his personality.  Dave’s darn goofy and laugh-out-loud funny with Jim Carrey-like facial and vocal expressions.  He can lift boulders like a man but can at moment’s notice be armed w/ water gun like a boy during Thailand’s Songkran Festival.  He’s also the team sugar daddy, handing out lunch & dinner money like it’s nobody’s business.  I can relate to his slowness to speak, as he weighs his thoughts/ opinions carefully and isn’t quick to show emotion.  We’ve all benefitted from his gift of service towards us and especially towards his wife.  What a guy!  If this is what Canada’s made of, I shall divide my time between leading the Jen Den fan club and joining the Great White North’s… wait, do fan clubs exist in Canada, or just 9 months of winter and the Mounties?  Fun new fact: Dave can maneuver a jet ski while holding a crepe and/or a bottle of water in one or both hands.  Oh, and he makes hella good scones and cinnamon rolls from scratch.  (pic 1. Think it’s easy??  You try lifting it!  2.  Dave, cheatin’ on ‘O Canada!’  3. He introduced me to Thailand fruit stands)

Benny – is my compatriot (yes, such a word exists, look it up).  It’s been a huge blessing to have someone of “like interests and feeling” around.  It’s effortless to be myself around him, whether it’s walking side by side in silence, sitting on an overnight train discussing pranks and the aftertaste of pee (his way of cheering me up – it works), making him pose for pictures (never a complaint, just goofy faces, genuine smiles and a display of ‘cheeks’), holding conversations of actual depth (he can make just about anything sound deep), or teaching him the art of the cheek stroke (in honor of “U Fool”).  Benny’s gift of teaching has been utilized more as he sheds light on the book of Revelation.  While we continue to enjoy hearing him bust out in worship, we’ve since fallen victim to his homemade pastis, brownies and apple crisp, and also discovered his frustrating ability to give a play-by-play of your Rummy hand and then a synopsis of how the game ended the way it did.  His thoughtfulness has taken the form of encouraging notes, spontaneous-but-not-random bonfires (oh to watch twigs and branches light up and curl like nature’s glow sticks putting on a show!), washing our feet.. Being roofmates meant having a partner in being eaten alive by mosquitoes and dousing Jungle Juice all over exposed skin (fun, u should try it), but also in sharing states of mind, heart and being.  With Benny, you don’t always know what to expect, but you learn not to be surprised, simply amused.. As “somethin’ to do”, he’s peed on a dog, scaled a waterfall and possibly a world wonder, given us an Easter sermon on the mount(ain), driven a tuk tuk (distance doesn’t matter, it counts), and eaten snake, cockroach and tarantula (not surprised unless he catches em himself).  All this being said, Benny’s greatest attribute (in my humble opinion) is his hair.  We’ve taken a team interest in watching it progress from shaven to curly, and hope he’ll tolerate the female inclination to play with/run fingers thru it (torture, I bet) and endure until the ‘fro makes an appearance.  ‘Til then, it’s my pleasure to share curling gel w/ ya, Benny.  Btw, it’s happening in Africa!  Fun new fact: Benny sweats and scabs in the shape of a heart.  Weird, but I do have a pic to prove it.  (pic 1. This captures the essence of Benny  2. Twins in DR (not planned)  3. Roofmates!)

Mel – has truly embraced the Race and all it entails like few else.  She;s always excited and enthusiastic about where we’re going, what ministry will look like, what diff squads are going through, and what she’s learning on the journey.  Mel’s willingness to change, leave old identities behind and walk in truth is a definite encouragement.  I love her contributions – both vocal and physical – during team meetings, debriefs, and outings.  She’s grown in her ability to listen, her understanding of the intercessor role, her articulation of thoughts, and her desire to experience new things and conquer fears.  Mel challenges me unlike anyone else on the team (and I’m sure I challenge her.. especially by being up late typing like I’m doing now) – to be more open, sensitive, patient, receptive, vulnerable… Like my older sister at home, she loves hugs (I’m workin on it) and nurtures me the way I need it most – by doing my laundry!  I greatly appreciate the fact that her stress reliever is to clean and that her homage to life back home is to do team laundry and cook (how spoiled am I?).  One of Mel’s other gifts is knowing what matters to us (for ex: offering me her camera when mine broke, or taking pics for me so my mom knows I’m alive).  A day to go down in Team Lum history was when we picked a random April Saturday to be her half-birthday (her bday is during off-Race hrs).  We surprised her with an all inclusive bamboo rafting, elephant riding, hiking to a waterfall, village visiting adventure.  Seeing her entire body language change from glum to glee, as she teared up with joy, was worth it.  What isn’t worth it, Mel, is to order the pad thai and hope your lips don’t go numb!  Fun (or not so fun?!) new fact: Mel has survived rocks in her eye, bed bugs, and several scares involving shell fish.. I’m probably forgetting something.. I’ve never met anyone so blessed and cursed at the same time.  =P  (pic 1a/1b. Lookin pretty in Haiti and silly in Thailand  2. Stealing Steph’s ice cream!  3. Notice her full plate and my empty one.. typical)

Steph – gosh, it seems narcissistic to talk about myself, but I’m simply following the format of my initial status report.  I’m still snapping away as unofficial photographer (except for my hiatus in Thailand after getting the camera wet like a true pro) and serving as comic relief.  Let’s see, doing a mini slip-n-slide down part of a waterfall and trying to stuff an orphan boy in my backpack are a few of the ways I’ve kept things interesting (sorry, no pics as evidence).  My teammates have done a great job affirming my gifts and I’m still trying to walk in them.  Also trying to find a balance between offering my hands (aka DOing) and offering more of my heart (BEing).  I’m growing in confidence as a teammate, but more importantly, as a child of God, a daughter and heir to the most amazing inheritance.  I appreciate the tough conversations, mental and emotional struggles, and even the minor health issues back in Jan (I wanted to hop on the next plane home) that I’ve had to face and choose to overcome (still a process).  I’ve enjoyed rooftops, sunsets, questionable fruit, predictable meals (two words: peanut butter), games of Settlers (none won, no chance agst either Hoog) and Rummy (many won, hehe), various modes of transport, a sunrise at Angkor Wat, a once-in-a-lifetime Songkran festival experience, a deportation from Vietnam, and many other Kodak and non-Kodak worthy moments.  God sure has an imagination, cuz I couldn’t have imagined that in five months, I’ve helped evangelize in the DR, lived among orphans in Haiti – dust, squatty potty, bucket shower and all, hosted parties for Cambodian students, and loved two Thai bar girls like sisters.  I’m lucky to just be a part of the Kingdom and all the ‘wreck’lessness it involves.  Fun new fact: I survived a month without a camera and I didn’t kill anyone (thus, my team also survived). (Pic 1. My healthy dinner of Dairy Queen, soft pretzel and lemonade. Don’t say it, mom.  2. Angkor Wat w/ Darci  3. That’s not even my camera I’m posing with.  Mine’s on my lap!)