2nd SPI Class

The Biblical Foundations for Justice and Peacemaking class has been incredible. I have been very encouraged and challenged by Scripture and what we’ve been learning about the overwhelming justice/righteousness of God and how we’re called to live it as agents of His love and kingdom. Yesterday, we had some interesting discussion centering on justice in Syrian context and how to approach that idea when equality (which is NOT what biblical justice is about) would have so many more dead.

I am enjoying the professor and have become friends with a gal who’s in seminary here. I had the privilege of praying with her the first day after class when she was feeling unwell and overwhelmed.

Over the weekend, we went to DC to reconnect and visit some JBU friends. It was really fun! And we had great conversations, catching up and talking about the things that are on our hearts right now. Amy (Hudson) and Allan Fong showed us sweet hospitality, Mark found a gyro, and we rode bikes around the national mall Saturday night. It was cool.

Visited the church that Gary Haugen (the leader of International Justice Mission) and Sean Litton (former youth pastor in Roswell and also IJM big-wig) attend. It was a sweet balance between the liturgy that we’ve become accustomed to in the past couple of years and more evangelical (meaty) sermon. We were both really glad we got to do that.

And we met up with the girl who was the first reason I started learning about Africa, Jamie Dangers, who was my RA partner in Mayfield a long time ago and is from Uganda. We had a nice lunch visit together, too.

Notable happenings at Frisbee this week: Sunday after the game, our neighbor who also plays, invited us over to make Asian dumplings (started preparing about 9pm), and it was fun, delicious, and felt like a cultural experience. Yesterday, one of my classmates from SPI (he was in my first class and is South Korean; might be entering the masters program in my cohort in fall 2014) was running around the track while we were playing, and we got him to join us. It was fun to teach him the basics and he was a great sport to join and hang in there.

Honest conversations with professors

I'm enjoying my session without class here in Harrisonburg. I've still made it to the coffee break everyday to visit with classmates, and yesterday I met with two professors to talk about he masters program and how they see it working for me. More on that later.

Mark started his internship yesterday and seems to feel pretty good about it. He got to go to court already, and he was really excited at frisbee on Sunday (of course, it's frisbee!) but also because an older guy who plays with us is a lawyer who now works out of his home as a legal advisor to legal aid agencies who are suing banks - in cases of bad-faith loans and such. Mark hopes to get to work with him some this summer.

I've started research for my paper for my first class. I'm thinking something along the lines of "A Critique of Conflict-Sensitive Development and its relevance for small NGOs/Non-Profits: How use or non-use of CSD principles contributes to NGO Relationship with Nationals". What do you think? The research is super-interesting, and I'm just hoping to get a rough outline done this week before I start my next class on Monday. (Yep, no Memorial Day break for this very international community. I bet if Women's Day fell during our program, we'd take a break!)

Speaking of, my next class is Biblical Foundations for Peacebuilding. Apparently, my instructor is "very conservative, very Anabaptist" so it should be another interesting experience. More along the lines of Biblical Foundation for Pacifism, I think. But I'm enjoying my reading for that class too. The first thing was about the Sermon on the Mount and taking it literally.

Conversations with professors:
I was looking for honest conversation with them about if this program is right for me, as I want to focus on international ecumenical mediation. They both were reassuring that I can get a lot of good, relevant learning out of this program.

The first professor, David Brubaker, I talked with is my academic advisor; he said I should take classes through the seminary to get the emphasis on the Christian side of things since the CJP program is strongly multi-religious. He also suggested classes the focus on the more personal conflicts ("micro-level") as opposed to the ones like my first class that are macro-level. Also, Brubaker does advising/work with intra-church conflict, helping congregations overcome divisions within their body, so that's very interesting to me. He will teach about Building Healthy Organizations and will be a great resource.

Second professor, Carl Stauffer, I was really looking forward to chatting with because he's a pastor and spent 15 years in South Africa. He was involved with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and will be teaching my last class about Building Justice in Post-War contexts. He was also very encouraging about the program and advised that I personalize it to my calling by basing my research and case-studies on topics that are relevant to international ecumenical mediation. He said that integrating faith with peacebuilding is done more in the office than the classroom but that professors (especially himself and Brubaker) are very willing to invest in Christian spiritual development of their students. So that's exciting. He was full of fun information, advice and connections related to South Africa, too.

Time's up! I have some pictures of a hike Mark and I went on Saturday. Will try to post them soon.
And my neck's feeling better. Praise God!

Fun Exploring with Mark

Well, friends, God is good.

On Tuesday at frisbee, I got a pinched nerve in my neck and was in some pretty intense pain for a few days, but I still managed to get to the airport to pick up Mark! And our adventures started right away - totally good kind of adventures.

While driving home from the airport, we got through some Baltimore traffic then really enjoyed seeing the countryside. It's so pretty and so different, too! We drove right over the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers. Wow. We stopped for dinner at a diner in West Virginia, and there was a horse-racing track right across the street with races going on! That was fun.

Yesterday (Thursday), we did some exploring in our area. That's what these pictures were from. We drove to the top of the highest peak that's close and will probably go back around there to camp sometime.

God was so good that arrange it so that I don't have class right now, and Mark doesn't start his internship until Monday. So we're just exploring and playing, and it feels like a good, old-fashioned summer break. I'm still doing a bit of reading for my paper for my last class and for my upcoming class. 

AND God answered our prayers and we have received official notification from University of Cape Town that Mark has been accepted for a study abroad program this "fall," so we'll be in South Africa July-November. So that's exciting and nice to know more concretely.

High point of SPI

My first class ends today, and Mark comes tomorrow! Yay! As we knew it would, the time apart has passed quickly. I still have a presentation for my class this afternoon but am ready to move on.

The class has been a mixed-bag experience. The first few days, I really enjoyed the lecture and case-studies and having a flexible (African) professor, but as we got more into our group project, which was supposed to be the real meat of the learning, I liked it less and less, especially the unclear expectations. I have no idea what kind of a score my group will get on "teamwork" because the heated discussions between the Palestinian and older Liberian man have only gotten more heated and personal. I can't figure out if they're playing with each other or really don't like each other. Their slamming each other's English and knowledge of the field in loud, obnoxious voices until the other groups start shouting at them. I'm laughing as I write this. Thankful that I don't feel grade pressure that much.

Over the weekend, I went to a training on Emotional Freedom Technique (tapping). It was really interesting and maybe a little weird. I've had some intense at times vertigo and the instructor says I need to go tap on it, so I will before our presentation.

High point of SPI so far was Sunday night where we had a Faith-Sharing conversation; only a few people showed up, but it was so encouraging! I felt like THIS is what I came here to experience!
- A Burundian who survived the Hutu-Tutsi genocide as a teenager and came back to the church after God opened his mind to see that Moses had survived genocide and worked as a peace builder on behalf of the oppressed. He's a leader in his community in both the church and in training peace builders.
- There was a Nigerian man (from northern Nigeria), who had a Muslim father and Christian mother. His parents separated and he went with his father so he became Muslim. In his father's household, they would talk badly about his mother, but when he went to visit his mother, she would ask him if he'd been behaving in his father's house because he should be treating them respectfully. He was intrigued by her humility and love for her enemies and became a Christian. He now runs an underground ministry in Northern Nigerian to facilitate conversations between Christian and Muslim youth. They had to go underground because so many were converting to Christianity!
- A Fijian woman who recently lost her dad shared about her struggle as the only Catholic in a Buddhist village and how she was afraid she would lose her faith when she was invited to join an inter-faith leadership panel, but she has just become more grounded in the truth. In a separate conversation with her, she shared about seeing a young girl crying on the street and what she went through to take care of that girl so she wouldn't have to live on the streets and resort to prostitution.

I was humbled and encouraged and also look forward to meeting one of the faculty members who inspired the Burundian man.

For now, I've got to go tap because my head is feeling like there's a gong continuously resonating inside. Prayers appreciated.

math to make mush-minded Karen

We’ve finally gotten some sunshine here in the Shenandoah Valley! – although it’s currently raining again. It does make it easier to sit in class 8-5 when it’s raining anyway. (Just now, I’m looking out the window at the rain, and y’know those helicopter seeds? They were moving UP because of the crazy wind that’s bringing in this rain!) So yesterday and today, everyone was out mowing their lawns, and I rode my bike to school and went on a run. It’s SO green and lovely! Here’s a picture of me at lunch today.

There’ve been some neat opportunities to interact recently at SPI (Summer Peacebuilding Institute). Notably, we had an Iranian speak on US-Iran relations. Remember “Argo”? Our speaker said he was disappointed that the movie portrayed the Iranians pretty stereotypically and not as everyday people. There’s a center at EMU (Eastern Mennonite University) for inter-faith dialogue. I’m actually a bit disappointed that, as I’ve experienced it, things have been less spiritual-focused than I thought they would be. In trying to respect the differences in “faith traditions” present, I feel like genuine conversation about beliefs has been absent, much less discussion about how Christians should be working together as a microcosm of God’s love, which is what I really care about. (I don’t mean for that to sound harsh.)

I think you end up getting people in this program who aren’t afraid of conflict, so there’s quite a bit present here, too!  In class today, there were some very strong opinions expressed, and some of them were toward the professor. He’s Liberian, and there was some confusion among the Americans about a linear process, and we never got a satisfactory answer. So,

much new information for me 

+ 

confusion for those who are almost finished with their master’s here

 =
very mush-minded Karen

I’m thankful it’s the weekend!

In the deep end

Phew! After day 2, I'm TIRED.

Halfway through the afternoon, I started having a really hard time following what people were saying, and it felt like they were speaking another language because I ran out of energy to listen enough to understand through various accents. In my class, there are Nigerians, Syrians, Liberians, Mexicans, South Koreans, Lebanese, and some others.

My small group, made up of myself (the only female), a Zimbabwean, a Liberian, and a Palestinian, had some really heated debate about the Palestine-Israel conflict this afternoon. I observed and tried help them both get equal sharing time.

Today, I'm overwhelmed. I've jumped into the deep end of the swimming pool and am getting just enough air to survive. We are trying to solve the world's problems (literally!), and there's no hope to do so until Christ's return. Class time has been very full, and I haven't had as many opportunities to get to really connect with friends as I'd hoped because our class is 70% male, and I've mostly just interacted with my group mates (and they won't let me into the cafeteria if I bring my own lunch! :( Stupid bureaucracy.). A bit disappointing, also, that the current grad students are worn out from their previous semester and are not that excited about what's going on here at SPI. I'm feeling a little unsure of myself, but I'm still glad I'm in the midst of this.

I've had conversations in and out of class about politics, gender equality (Half the Sky-type), educational systems, and a lot of UN stuff that is an incredible web of bureaucracy. Exciting...but exhausting.

What's keeping me afloat right now are the awesome case studies from all around the world and thinking about those places and the things God's there. And the class discussion hit home today for about 15 minutes when people were talking about their experiences with Western development agencies that dictated how the money they gave had to be spent without without condition. My favorite story was of a group in Africa who were given blueprints for the new compound (school, clinic, etc.) that were being donated, and they made their own modifications to the blueprints and then sent it back to the donors for approval. That's how it should work. It's not that complicated, right?

Also, I haven't seen the sun since Sunday. :(
I'm going to go play frisbee.
God is good.

calm before the storm

I arrived safely in Harrisonburg last night. Squeezed in a quick grocery trip at Wal-Mart before meeting the lady with the key at our place. I declined her help in unloading the car because I wanted to do some physical exercise, and I’m so particular about where things go, and I figured I could get it done quickly anyway. (Our place is small, and I had only a carload. Most of the trunk stuff was camping gear anyway.)

I scarfed my dinner (pre-packaged salad from Wal-Mart), unpacked/explored, looked for the thermostat a few times to no avail (overnight low was 42!), and crashed a little early. Sometime in the night, the heat did kick on; we must share it with our neighbors or something. We’re staying it what seems like an old house that was subdivided into 4 or 5 little apartments. I was still glad that I brought my sleeping bag in from the car before sleeping.

 

From Left to Right, the sign reads "Center for Justice and Peacebuilding"

On my way home from lunch, I went by the campus, and it’s so lovely! And it’s such a lovely day out, too! I came home just happy and content, even though I don’t know which of the readings I’m really supposed to have done for class tomorrow. Or how I’m supposed to write this essay when I don’t know some of the terms or where to find the definitions. Seriously, the “Day 1” folder I made for my first class has 16 documents, the shortest of them is 26 pages. Is this “welcome to grad school?!”

In other news, I’m about to go to a pick-up ultimate Frisbee game on EMU campus. I don’t know anybody and may be the only woman playing. But I’ve psyched myself up for it, and I’d so much rather run around chasing a Frisbee than just for the sake of running. And I’m so tired of sitting (driving) that running around will be a great thing for me to do before sitting in class all day this week!

Half way there.

Can you see my bloodshot eyes? Twelve hours in the car. And the bikes are keeping me company in the hotel, too. But I'm thankful that Mark can deal without a vehicle for ten days so that I can have the car to use as I settled in to H-burg.

"Camp" and I both left Austin this morning.

Anne Marie prayed for me as I set up new habits and routines in this new place, especially spiritual practices/prayer. I got all excited to have the mornings in our new place to myself for a little bit. I like the mornings and having solitude. I'll especially miss Mark at night, but not so much in the mornings. Love you, Hon!

Also, since I didn't say so clearly in either of the past posts, I'm starting my MA in Conflict Transformation from Eastern Mennonite University. I'll get about a semester of credit during this six-week Summer Peacebuilding Institute, then - if the program is a good fit - we'll probably move to H-burg for a year after Mark graduates from Law School in May 2014.

Jumbled Transition Thoughts

I’ve been reading this incredible book Cloister Talks. It’s crazy to me that I’m heading out to a Mennonite school, where, as one article (http://www.mennoworld.org/2012/4/30/spiritual-life-practical-people/) puts it:

“the word 'contemplative' when joined to 'Mennonite' is almost an oxymoron. Mennonites are not known for their deep communing with God. They are a singing, doing, peace-promoting people.”

I’m am a-jumble with thoughts this Sunday morning as I stay at home alone to intentionally engage with God about this transition.

- For the next two Sundays, I will be alone in a new place. The rhythm of Sunday to Sunday feels homey to me. Old-fashioned. And reminds me of Dr. Castleman’s treatment of Sabbath. I love it.

- Law school sucks. The field really is a sick cycle of rich people. Firms pay to throw extravagant parties for law students who are under incredible pressure to be the best (because of the highly competitive grade curve) so that they can get a job and start paying off their huge loans. Professors are paid ridiculous amounts of money to teach one class – some of them do a very mediocre job – and the rest of their time is for research so that their careers will be boosted and the school will look better because they have professors who are doing this impressive research. It’s sick to me. I’m so thankful we’ll only be at UT for one more semester.

- I'm excited about my audiobooks for the road trip! I've got Wodehouse's Jeeves, Desmond Tutu's God Has a Dream,  and Eldredge's Walking with God.

- I've got to get to work on my assignments for class on Monday! I start out with Conflict Sensitive Development and Peacebuilding, and I'm jumping in the deep end. I'm scared; I don't really know what I'm getting into, but I'm excited, too.

Blogging for Community

I start a new adventure this week. I will again be an independent woman for about 10 days. As I prepare to drive 20 hours cross-country alone, I’m thinking a lot.

For 2 and a half years, I was in Zambia without much community. The blog I kept helped me feel connected, heard.

This pic of the Awesome Dawsons was taken for our church directory.
Our free 8x10 sits in a gawdy frame on our dresser to represent our presence in our little in-law apartment. :)

After Mark and I got married, it took awhile to get settled into Denver, but we had a sweet community and enjoyed newlywed life so much.

Moving to Austin was much harder than I anticipated, and I’ve struggled to find not only a job, but personal connection with like-minded people. We play ultimate frisbee thrice a week, so we've made friends there, but the extent of our conversations is usually the great plays we made during the game.

India, needless to say (if you got my updates last summer), was even harder and more lonely, as Mark went off to the office every day, and I tried to find something to distract myself from the heat – when I wasn’t caring for my sick husband.

Now, we’re onto yet another (Harrisonburg, Virginia for May and June) – then ANOTHER (Cape Town, South Africa for July-November) – new place where we will have to start relationships fresh.

During my freshman year at JBU, Kristen Gilfillan and I became close friends. I think a lot of it was because we both missed our own homes so much. She has helped me to understand and appreciate my desire to share history with friends and to be known. One of my most obvious characteristics is loyalty. I’m a long-term friend. So, as I head out again, I want to invite you to be part of this community.

I’ve done the group email thing a lot, but keeping track of addresses and making sure everyone gets every email has become a pain. Hopefully most of you have been in the loop. (If not, blame technology, not that I didn’t try to send it to you!)

So the time has come.  I’ve thought about starting a blog a bunch of times. I’m ready to do it now. Maybe I'll even take some more pictures. Yes, it’s lame that it’s online, and I don’t want to miss opportunities to connect with real, live people who are in the same physical location as me. But I want to badly to share life and experiences with old friends and kindred. ("True friends are always together in spirit.” – Anne Shirley) And in my loyalty/faithfulness/dependability, I’m pretty confident to say that I will post regularly. And thanks to Devi http://dailybreadandbutter.wordpress.com/2013/03/27/facebook-instagram-privacy-significance/ for her beautiful blogging and honest, I am forewarned of the difficult balance of honesty and thinking the world revolves around my life.