A New Normal

Wow, it's November. So why does it still feel like summer? And I don't mean in terms of the weather because actually, lately it has been quite nice; highs in the upper 80's during the day and lows in the mid 60's at night and I think the humidity might have actually dropped below 100%!

But it feels like summer because the previous 19 years of my life have revolved around a school schedule. Summers were spent getting ready for the new school year and then in August there was the hustle and bustle of getting ready for parent orientations and the excitement of welcoming families back on the first day of school. The ensuing days were filled with watching the preschool kids learn how to walk in a straight line down the hall, coaching new students on how the lunch line works, school pictures, the college fair, the annual school auction, football season, the craziness of homecoming week, the annual Preschool Fall Fun Day ... oh the memories. It's hard to believe that football season has come and gone at JCS and we haven't been to a single game! Life is marching on ... and I am still waiting for summer to end.

I recently talked to a friend and she used the term, "new normal" in describing some life changes she is going through. I think that is what we are trying to figure out, what our "new normal" is. We were warned about this by friends and family who had been on the mission field and when we did our cross-cultural training at MTI in Colorado. Basically, everything that has been normal, natural, right, and good is now different. In talking to my friend and fellow-new-missionary she described it as having your whole world turned up-side-down. Yup, that's what it feels like! 

Take driving for instance - think about what normal driving looks like to you. I can assure you that it looks nothing like driving here, even on its worst day in the States. Here, traffic lights are optional, especially if you drive a "moto" - anyone of a number of 2-wheeled vehicles that range in size and power from a moped to an actual motorcycle. Whole families can be seen traveling by motos - including days-old infants, no car seats or helmets required. Oh, and at night, lighting on said motos is optional. See something on the side of the road you want or someone you want to talk to? Just park your car in the traffic lane. Get behind a very slow moving vehicle on the mountain road? Just pass it, it doesn't matter that you are going into a curve and you can't see what's coming around that bend. And when you stop at an intersection in the city be prepared to be mobbed by all manner of street vendors and people begging for money. The traffic lights change and they come crawling out into the stopped cars like foraging ants. Need garbage bags, windshield wiper blades, cold water, pineapples, limes, oranges, flowers, newspaper, cell phone cords, cell phone minutes, your windshield cleaned? There's a vendor for that! Yesterday on our way back from Santiago, we bought a bunch of mandarines (tangerines) from a vendor. Total transaction time about 5 seconds; I can't say that I've ever done that in the good old U.S. of A.

Another thing we are dealing with that we hope and pray does not become our new normal is ... rats. So far, we don't think any have actually taken up residence in the house but we have had about 4 encounters with the little critters recently - 2 outside and 2 inside. I could handle the outside encounters but a couple of weeks ago when I went to put something away in my pantry I heard something and then felt something brush against my foot. After waking Dick and retrieving a flashlight we found the little bugger behind the refrigerator. I can assure you that staring into those beady little eyes has NEVER been part of my "normal."

Dick and I tried to chase it out the door but it dove under the stove and then up into the insulation of the stove so we couldn't get it. The next night a cat showed up on our back porch, starving! So we fed it and it rewarded us with killing the rat. We continued to feed it and it made our porch its home. Last night we returned from an awesome evening with friends to find a rat in our curtains in the living room. After Dick wacked it with a broom and it landed at my feet, I retrieved the cat from the porch and it chased the rat around the living room and chased it ... under the stove. Today's task - block off the bottom of the stove so the rats can't hide there anymore! The kitty is lying curled up in a chair next to me as I type this. Another one of those new normal things - Dick is allergic to cats but what's a little Benedryl when you're in a battle against vermin?

In the midst of all the chaos of adjusting to a new culture and new way of living, we are so thankful that Jesus is our constant. As we learn to live our "new normal," He is our anchor, our strong-tower, our provider, our joy, our strength. He is our anchor as we have those days when we wonder why we are here and have the urge to bolt. We know He has called us here and that brings such peace. He is our strong tower as we run to Him in the midst of complete despair over everything from learning the language to chasing rats. He is our provider in every way, including bringing us a starving cat to combat the rats. He is our joy as we seek Him and find Him in the midst of turmoil. He is our strength as we continue on this path He has placed us on and we look to Him to give us what we need moment by moment to walk this out. Our pray is that He will continue to use us to bring His light and His love to those who battle far worse then rats in the cupboard.

"Let not faith cease from seeking Thee until it vanishes into sight. Ride forth in me, thou King of Kings and Lord of Lords, that I may live victoriously ... "
~ from The Valley of Vision