The Big 5-0

This year marks the fiftieth anniversary of the start of Youth With a Mission. As a family we have now been involved with YWAM for almost nine years. Sometimes it's hard to believe everything God has done in our lives, including meeting each other, through YWAM. I watched this video the other day that YWAM Kona did to celebrate our 50th year. Check it out.

The Flame Goes Forward - Celebrating 50 Years of YWAM from YWAM Kona on Vimeo.

goings on

Life has gotten crazy busy over the past month YWAM Jacksonville once again has a Discipleship Training School (DTS) running. There are 11 young people here seeking to learn more about Father, to grow in their faith, and to see what God has for them. I am leading the guys small group and I feel blessed that Father has brought such an amazing group of students for this DTS. Lyla loves having all these new friends around to play with. We're counting down the days till the newest member of our family arrives. The pictures below are of the dts.

New Year

2010 is less than seven hours old and I'm already tired. Why? Well, apparently Lyla didn't get the memo telling children to wake up at 5 on Christmas morning and to sleep in on New Year's Day. She decided to reverse them. So, here I sit, thinking expectantly on the year ahead, reflecting on the year behind, a thinking about how I've been slacking at writing lately.
Of all the high profile deaths in 2009 I think the one that impacted/spoke to me the most was Chris Henry. Not because he was any more special than anyone else, but rather because of what was said of him after his death. Many said they didn't understand his death because he was in the process of getting his life on the "right path." To me it was a reminder of two things. First, tomorrow isn't promised. Second, getting your life "right" shouldn't be a long process. Getting your life right is simply an act of surrendering to God, accepting that it's only through His gift that we can ever be "right."
As I enter this new year, one of the things I'm trying to do is look at everything from a Kingdom viewpoint. As I've been writing/filming Americanned Dreams, the current series I've been doing for YWAM JAX, I find myself appalled when I look into the statistics. If you haven't seen these short episodes, check them out below.

Americanned Dreams, episode 1 from Aaron Herrema on Vimeo.

Americanned Dreams, episode 2 from Aaron Herrema on Vimeo.

Americanned Dreams Thanksgiving from Aaron Herrema on Vimeo.

Americanned Dreams #4 from Aaron Herrema on Vimeo.

Americanned Christmas from Aaron Herrema on Vimeo.

The High Points

Yesterday I experienced one of the greatest things a parent can experience. For the first time, we got to hear the heartbeat of our baby (due April 26). Even though I've experienced this before with Lyla, it was still exhilarating and also a giant relief. Having gone through two early miscarriages, being at twelve weeks and getting to hear that fast-paced thumping of the heart was amazing. Lyla is also very excited about becoming a big sister, though she has no clue what that entails. Her new favorite phrase is, "daddy, mommy! Baby's getting bigger!"

Unfortunately not all things this week have been as fun. Monday night while walking Gunther I tripped over an unused power line anchor and tore a gouge out of the top of my foot. This led to four hours spent at the emergency room waiting to get five stitches. I'm sad to say that I failed to take a picture before going to the ER. Happily, the anchor ended up losing anyways. JEA came and removed it the next day. Take that ya metal piece of junk!

This is the anchor that attacked me

We've been having lots of family fun over the past couple weeks. Vanessa always seems to be the one behind the camera. Guess I need to take more pics. Here are a couple pictures.

I love that this picture makes it look like Danielle has freakishly long legs

Billiam Rizzle Explanations #2

Here is the newest and final installment of Cross Cultural Misadventures. These movies were incredibly fun to make, and we had others planned, but we ran out of time before Todd (Billiam) headed west for deputation.

Cross Cultural Misadventures #4 from Aaron Herrema on Vimeo.

In this episode Billiam makes four mistakes. They are all things that would be considered to be poor manners. First, when entering his friend's home, he leaves on his shoes. In many Asian cultures, it is considered very impolite to enter someone's house with your shoes on. Many times, you are expected to remove and leave your shoes outside. His second mistake is playing with his chopsticks. On top of being impolite, there are places in Asia where playing with your chopsticks signifies that you're looking for a fight. His third mistake is hogging the main dish of food. In China especially, when eating from communal dishes, proper etiquette is to only take enough of a dish for a single bite. By taking a lot of a dish you are expressing that you don't trust the others at the table to leave any for you. The final mistake he made was implying that the Japanese are better people than the Chinese. This is a very touchy subject amongst Chinese, who have a deep sense of national pride, and deeply dislike all things Japan.

Billiam Rizzle Explanations

I have had a couple people ask me about the Cross-Cultural Misadventures movies that I made for YWAM JAX. In reality these movies are humorous looks at very common mistakes missionaries, and many tourists, make when they are immersed in a new culture. There are numerous things that we, as Christ's ambassadors, try to avoid doing in order to further relationships. That does not mean that we agree that these cultural suppositions are correct. Here is an explanation of the cultural faux pas Billiam has committed to date.

Cross Cultural Misadventures #1 from Aaron Herrema on Vimeo.

In episode 1, Billiam starts off on the wrong foot by offering his left hand to his new friend. In the majority of Middle Eastern and Asian nations, there is a stigma regarding the use of the left hand. In many less developed nations the left hand is used in lieu of toilet paper. Thus its easy to see why someone would be offended if you offered them your left hand. It is also considered bad form to eat using your left hand. The second big mistake he makes is the offering of pork to the devout Muslim. Muslims, like Jews, avoid pork as it is considered unclean. In most Muslim nations, the would be offended even if you were to eat pork in their presence. Many missionaries will completely abstain from Pork as not to unnecessarily offend those they are trying to reach. One other "mistake" Billiam makes is not eating what is offered to him. While this is more a matter of being polite than a cultural issue, it is an important step in making friends.

Cross Cultural Misadventures #2 from Aaron Herrema on Vimeo.

In episode 2 Billiam quickly learns how little regard many Asians have for "personal space." They also view personal touch very different from us. While it is considered inappropriate for any type of PDA between sexes, it isn't at all uncommon to see 2-3 guys walking down the street holding hands or with their arms wrapped around each other. Billiam's first mistake in this episode is stepping over the food. In many Asian countries the bottom of the foot is looked on as being the second dirtiest part of the body, after the left hand. So, to step over food, put your feet on the table, or to point the sole of your foot at someone, is extremely offensive. Billiam shows a little improvement from the first episode by drinking the butter tea he is given, but quickly takes a step back by showing his disgust. I have eaten and drunk many things I would rather not have, but it is all worth it when new relationships are developed. Billiam's final mistake in episode two is killing the fly that is driving him crazy. In many Buddhist cultures there is a sort of reverence given to all forms of life. By blatantly killing an insect in front of this Tibetan he has shown himself to be someone who doesn't respect life.

Cross Cultural Misadventures #3 from Aaron Herrema on Vimeo.

In episode three Billiam's wife Liz enters the picture. It is she who makes the first error by trying to hug the Muslim man. In many cultures it is considered inappropriate for a woman, single or married, to touch a man who is not a relative or. The same is true about a man touching a woman. The second mistake they make is the use of the thumbs up gesture. In Iran, giving someone a thumbs up is the same as saying, "sit on this!" Hand gestures mean very different things in different parts of the world. For example, in many parts of Tibet, the middle finger is a way of saying something is s0-s0. Needless to say, many foreigners have been needlessly offended by a Tibetan "flipping them the bird." The final straw is when, while fleeing, Liz hikes up her dress and shows a bit too much skin. In most Muslim cultures women are expected to keep covered when in public.

Towards the end of July we decided to take an unplanned trip to Michigan to visit my family. We left Friday afternoon and arrived in Jamestown mid-morning on Saturday, much to the surprise of my parents, who had no clue that we were coming (thanks Jennie). Lyla did really good on the drive up, even though she didn't sleep much. We had a very relaxing, but busy, time in the country. Lyla loved spending time with her aunts, uncles and cousin.  I finally got around to going through the pictures so here are a few highlights.

This is what happens when one jumps on a trampoline in their diaper.

Lyla with great grandpa and grandma Jolman

Monday night we went to a Whitecaps game. Lyla, as usual, loved every minute of the game. She seems to think that every team is called the Jacksonville Suns, which she loves to chant while pumping her fist in the air. She does the exact same thing when we're watching a game on TV. 

Beware the two-headed monster!

Tuesday night we had an impromptu birthday party for Lyla. It was good to see relatives and family friends we hadn't seen in a while. Lyla enjoyed the party atmosphere.

Thursday we were able to visit John Ball Zoo. I was amazed at how much it has improved since I was a little kid. Lyla loved watching the penguins, wolverine, and snow leopard, all of which we can't see at the Jax Zoo. 

Lyla & her cousin Patience

Friday Lyla went blue berry picking with the girls. While I wasn't there I could tell how much she enjoyed in by the blue stains all over her hands and face when she came back to the house. 
While we were there Lyla also got to see baby cows and learn how feed chickens.