Week 1

A week in the life...it's hard to know where to even begin, so I'll just list some happenings and highlights:

-chocolate. waffles. tea. European food. Need I say more?
-as a gross generalization, Belgians are extremely helpful and nice, and their English is fantastic.
-getting to know all the great people I'm living with- they're awesome, funny, and have so many stories.
-after a few days with those absolutely fantastic people I'm surrounded by/learning with, recovering from jet-lag and such, I needed some introvert time. Taking a morning alone to tour the Musical Instrument Museum, followed by leisurely wandering the streets of Brussels, was incredible!
-classes on: Belgium, team development, cultural measures/differences, a pastoral approach to evangelism, culture shock...
-writing my first ethnography (observe, make a hypotheses, analyze/"prove", repeat. This week I observed the Roma/Gypsy beggar women in downtown Brussels.)
-worshiping with St. Andrew's Scottish Church. (Want cross-cultural? Go to a Scottish church, in Brussels, full of everyone from Africa, to Ireland, to US, to Japan! 3 of us even got to spend a few hours eating/socializing with their 20s-30s group afterwards)

That's probably enough random tidbits for now...more pictures and stories to come!


Meanwhile...
Japan is, of course, very much on my heart and mind. Below, a video from my team in Japan. This is Ishinomaki: the city they are focusing on loving and serving, the people they know.

Then and Now from Paul Johannessen on Vimeo.

Zaventem

I'm trying to stay awake a little bit longer before I give up and fall asleep, and the next few weeks will very likely be very busy. So, here's what's up so far! I arrived (travels included: a pigeon strutting right past me in the Newark airport, spending my 6 hour lay-over with an awesome guy named Jose who was about to study abroad in France, and having one flight delayed because United ran out of ink cartridges- haha!) safe and healthy, and am getting settled into our dorm: the OM ZavCenter in Zaventem, an adorable little city/neighborhood outside of Brussels. Oh, and of course getting to know the 15 or so people here, who are an absolutely fabulous bunch (to stay awake, we spent our first day exploring Zaventem, then took the train into Brussels for just a bit before dinner. Which was perfect in the overcast, 48-ish degree weather). Tomorrow our classes begin, I should get a better idea of what I'm doing the next 4 weeks, what church I'll be connected with...and who knows what else! Prayers for my classmates/colleagues and I are very appreciated!

the bedroom view...














sampling the beautiful architecture...




























Special thanks to my roomie Katherine, who definitely gets the photographer of the day award.

Bon Voyage!... to me : )

Tomorrow I head out for the completion of my training: a 1 month Cross-Cultural Ministries Internship in Belgium! I'll do my very best to keep you guys updated, and hopefully have a few pictures up later this week. This picture is obviously not Belgium since I'm not there yet: it's from my flight to Tokyo last summer. However, I think the icy view is very appropriate: as silly as it sounds, the biggest "worry/fear" my brain keeps coming back to today is: I'm going to freeze my butt off! : )

Prayer is, as always, welcome and very appreciated!
-for good, strong relationships to grow with the 10 others at the training, our mentors/leaders, the church I get connected with...
-for health, strength and perseverance, especially the next few days as I begin adjusting to the time change, weather, and culture shock.
-for a good attitude and open mind to soak in every second of this month: learning from everyone I come in contact with. As a dear lady told me this morning- keep my eyes open for God: His presence, His work, His amazing providence, His beauty (or something along those lines).

And now...time to start this journey off right: with a good night's sleep!

Christmas!

Hope everyone had a very merry Christmas! I've been busy playing and relaxing with family, so I thought I'd share a few pictures from the past few weeks of celebration with the whole Honea clan (parents, 8 siblings (well, 3 are siblings-in-law), and 3 nieces!)


Within 3 weeks we have the big celebration (Christmas), New Years of course, and also an anniversary and 5 birthdays...it's pretty much a constant party :)

Which means, of course, lots of baking and eating!

My youngest niece loved the piano (as do her 3 year old sisters, who now won't play until I put music on the stand- very amusing). But for a 1 year old playing piano, much like eating food, is apparently most enjoyable as a full body experience. (And all this time I've only been using my fingers!)

I also enjoyed lots of time with my "family" at 1st Pres, Danville. I had the privilege of leading music one Sunday (along with bells and vocal choirs!), and accompanied the family/kids Christmas Eve service (on piano and clarinet). I'm praising God for all of this sweet time with my big and "small" family, and His gift of music that we can share together. Merry Christmas!

Light!

When I spent 2 weeks in Japan (summer of 2010), one of the churches we got to spend some time with gave us cards with different verses on them, and I happened to get this one:
It's Matthew 5:14, "You are the light of the world..." (All I can actually read is the first word, "anata"=you. I can sound out the rest but had no clue what it meant. Thank you kanji numbers chart for helping me figure out the reference!)

My name, "Eleanor", comes from the Greek, meaning "shining light" (Fellow dorks, think Elanor, Samwise Gamgee's daughter, named after the sun-star flower of the elves)

I've heard other Christians in Japan use the phrase, "Shining the light of the Risen Son in the Land of the Rising Sun"- cool, huh?

Especially around Christmas, I can't help but think of Light. The lights on the porch, on houses; candles in windows, and around the Advent wreath. Because the whole point of Christmas is "The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned...for unto us a child is born"~Isaiah 9. And Is. 49, "It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob... I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.” (Phew! Super thankful for that one!)

Light.

The first thing God created. God is our light. His Word is a light to our path. In His light, we see light. We walk in the light as He is in the light. We are the light of the world.

So much good stuff in the concept and reality of "light". I'm going to stop trying to articulate, and simply...bask.

Oops... (and giving thanks!)

I must be the worst blogger ever. I kept waiting to have pictures before posting another blog, but have I taken any pictures in the past month? Nope. Fail. I love people, and I love reading and seeing how they're doing. For example,

- my friends Roger and Abi, who are already in Japan and just posted an awesome video about the role music is playing in the relief effort in Japan (a ministry I'm super excited about!) here.

- my sister who recently started a blog faithfully posts pictures and updates of the adventures of my adorable nieces (If any home-school/un-schoolers are interested, check it out!)

- my friends Trey and Kiki, a fabulous couple who just got to Thailand: yay! (pictures from their first Thanksgiving there)

But do I remember to take pictures? Nope. Oops.

But I do have a (belated) list, in honor of Thanksgiving, of a few things I am thankful for. Like...
...hot tea on cold mornings, the sound of rain and sleet pattering on windows, family and friends from VA to MS and all over the globe who shine God's light and love in a way that is absolutely contagious, getting to share with others about God's work in Japan, dark chocolate, gaudy Christmas decorations, worshiping God through His incredible bit of creation called "music", encouragement from new friends who lift me up in prayer, "coffee" dates with old friends I haven't seen in months, the beautiful wedding of my best friend to an absolutely great guy...
Give thanks to the Lord, for He. is. good.

Boundaries

"Before I built a wall I'd ask to know

What I was walling in or walling out
...Good fences make good neighbours."
~from Frost's "Mending Wall"

I'm pretty sure that poem is actually talking about the ridiculousness of doing things for tradition's sake (like mending fences every spring when both neighbors are only growing trees- not keeping cows or something in danger of escaping). Ooh, and I discovered this fun Japanese-style art: (This blog has bunches of this "etegami" artwork- cool stuff!)

So yes, some boundaries are pointless, but I'm quite sure good boundaries do indeed make good neighbors. In fact I've been reading a book on just that (be proud, MTW! I'm finally reading it), Boundaries(when to say yes/no, and how that affects ourselves and everyone else around us). Even if you don't (or don't think) you have any problems here, I'd recommend it. So far it's a good (and Biblical) read.

In other news: by next week I should know for sure when I will get to complete my training (depending on financial support as well as other factors out of my control). Please pray especially this week for continued trust, guidance, and peace. Thanks!